Thoughts on a ......Friday!

Thursday got a little crazy, so my thoughts are on Friday this week.

-This little girl was a sick one yesterday.

Rosa had a very upset stomach yesterday morning and Wednesday night and was generally just not looking good.  At that point we were still pretty sure she had eaten KB's wedding ring, so I decided to call the vet to get her a Friday morning appointment.  The vet told me to rush her in immediately and not wait until Friday because if something was "obstructing" her it could escalate quickly.  KB took her into the vet and an x-ray, loads of tests and $200 later we have found out that Rosa didn't eat the ring (or it's already passed) and that she has a sensitive stomach.  She'll be eating chicken and rice for the next 2 weeks.  What a spoiled little brat!


-I'm off work today...yippee!  My office normally closes at noon this weekend due to a big music festival that closes all the streets around our office downtown.  I have a dentist appointment today (my first one in 2 years...yikes!) and am planning on getting some good library books.

-I'm planning on getting my haircut tomorrow (if I can get an appointment) and I'm going for something like this:

My hair is really straight, so I feel like it needs some body with layers or something.  I'm also going to try out a new stylist tomorrow.  Here goes nothing!

-Seriously, how hard is it to find one of these?

My mother-in-law's birthday was on Tuesday and she wants a lighted makeup mirror.  At this point I've been to 2 CVS's, a Target and a Sally Beauty Supply and no one has had them.  I'm starting to think they don't even make them anymore.

What are your thoughts on a Friday?

Sweat It Out

It's currently 83 degrees in our house and I just got done doing this.  I feel like I'm melting and every ounce of water in my body is coming out through my pores.

Thanks Bob!

Menu Sunday

Here's what the Browns will be eating this week...

Mon: Jump for Choy! Fish Pack

Our podunk grocery store doesn't have bok choy, so I'm going to double up on the zucchini and squash.  We almost always have some sort of fish around, so I thought I'd give this a try with some walleye or perch.

Tues: Out to eat for KB's mom's birthday
          KB wanted me to cook for everyone, but after working all day and driving half an hour to get home, I wasn't really up for it.  I'm not sure where we are going, but I'm sure it will be delicious.

Wed: Smashed White Bean, Cucumber and Radish Sandwich

It's definitely been hot here and even though it's supposed to have cooled off (high of 87!) by Wednesday, I'm always up for a meal that doesn't need the oven.  The white bean smash is sort of like hummus, which I love, so I have high hopes for this one.

Thurs: HG's Sweet and Sour Chicken 1-2-3

I'm really loving the Hungry Girl this week.  I've been in the mood for Asian food recently and this looks easy, healthy and delicious.  I couldn't find the bean shoots in our grocery store (surprise, surprise) but I think it will be find without it.

What will you be eating this week?

Updates....

This week kinda got away from me in the end, so here's some updates.

-My bug bit eye is feeling better.  It looked kinda weird that night, but the next morning it was gone....and the bug was still in my eye.  I got it out that morning and it was nasty.

-There's still no sign of KB's wedding ring.  He's convinced that Rosa ate it, but so far no luck.  Thankfully, he's taking care of "checking" to see if she ate it.  We've looked all over our house, his office, our cars and outside.  Hopefully it'll turn up soon.

-I conquered our lawn mower last night!  We have a really old push mower that is literally held together with duct tape and bungee cords.  KB won't spring for a new mower since he says there's nothing wrong with the one we have.  KB had work stuff to do last night so I was home alone and decided to mow the grass.  I was able to turn it on, but the self propelled part of the mower doesn't work either.  By the time I got the front yard mowed I was dying. Needless to say, KB is having to finish it up this morning.

-I've also been doing this workout this week:

There are three workouts in total and I've only done 2, but so far they seem okay.  I was actually sore yesterday for the first time in a while (I'm sure the grass mowing didn't help).  Jillian Michaels kinda gets on my nerves, so luckily they have an option where you can just listen to the music and not her.

-I've already gotten all my house work done today, so I'm planning on hitting up the library for some reads and laying outside.  All of my tan from the beach has faded and we're going to Mexico in a month so I have to get some sort of base tan before I fry in the Mexican sun.  I may even make some spa water!

What are you up to this weekend?

Signs from the universe

In the 10 minutes I've been home from work a bug has flown into my eyeball and bitten my eyelid and KB has lost his wedding ring.  I feel like this is a sign from the universe.....I'm not really sure of what though!

Like a Fat Kid Loves....Cake

KB loves chocolate cake like a fat kid loves.....cake.

I decided to put my gluten free cake mix to use this weekend and I made a strawberry devil's food cake.  The only thing that makes it strawberry is the strawberry jam in the frosting and the batter, so it's probably not as special as it sounds.

It tastes pretty good though!  You couldn't really tell a difference between the gluten free mix and the regular.  I also made it with plain greek yogurt instead of eggs and butter.

I also got to use my cake stand for the first time since we've been married.  If you flip it over it makes a cute little chips and dip tray.  I'm still waiting to use that one.

Menu Sunday

Here's what we'll be eating this week....

Mon: Broiled Ham Steak with Mustard Glaze
          There's no fun picture for this one.  Ham steaks were on sale at the grocery store and I found this recipe randomly online.  I'll be serving with baked sweet potatoes and broccoli.

Tues: Hot Dogs and Chips
          There's no fun picture for this one either.  Hot dogs were also on sale and they are my favorite food (just don't try eating 10 in 1 baseball game....bad things happen).  We'll be having these with slaw and some pretzels.

Wed: Whole Wheat Pasta with Walnuts, Spinach and Mozarella

After the sodium overload from the hot dogs on Tuesday, I figured we could use something healthy.  The picture makes it look like there is a pesto-type sauce on the pasta, but the recipe never calls for pesto (or blending the walnuts and spinach).  I'm a little worried about this one.

Thurs: Layered Pizza Salad

I pretty much had all of the ingredients for this recipe already, so I decided to give it a try.  I'll be re-using the pasta and the mozarella from Wednesday to make up the rest of it.

What goodies will you be eating this week?

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for Thoughts on a Thursday!

• I don't have a lot of thoughts today.  It's been kind of a boring week around here - just going to work and coming home.
• I did a pretty crazy workout last night and today I'm super sore.  I haven't been sore from a workout in a while, so it actually feels kind of nice.
• I was planning on getting a nice pedicure this weekend, but this afternoon KB rolled his desk chair over my toe.  My toenail is now split and is a lovely shade of purple - no pedicure for me!  I'm sure that pedicurist would freak if she saw my nasty feet right now.
• I bought an assortment of new fun pens today.  I got a pack of 12 Bic Mark-Its for $8.  These are more like fine tip markers than pens, but they write really well.  I write and sign stuff a lot in my job, so I like to have a good pen.  Everyone at work made fun of me for how excited I got about my fun assortment of pens.

What randoms are you getting into today?

Sweet Surprise

I recently won Erica's Gluten Free Giveaway and was suprised to find these lovelies waiting on me when I got home...

KB and I aren't gluten free, but I don't turn down free baking mixes, so I'm going to give them a shot.  It will be interesting to see if they taste the same.  Here are some possible options for these:

via

or...

via

 

or maybe....

via

I'm thinking about also using plain greek yogurt as the base of the mix instead of eggs and butter.  Supposedly you can't tell a difference and it might make me feel less gross after eating all these baked goods.

Have any good recipe ideas?

Regalos Mexicanos

KB's mom was in Mexico last week scoping out the resort we'll be at in September.  She brought me back these lovelies.  They are a replica of a Mayan coin that people sometimes find on the beach where we are staying.  I haven't worn them yet, but I plan on busting them out tomorrow.

Weekend Happenings....

Even though we didn't really have anything planned, we had a pretty busy weekend.

 I completely cleaned our house.  I ended up throwing away 4 bags of garbage, 2 bags to donate, and 1 bag to put in storage.  KB is a huge pack rat and I was hoping to finish my major clean out of the man room before he finished mowing the grass.  I didn't quite make it, but I had most of the major stuff thrown away before he could get to it.  I moved my desk in front of the window in my lady room and it's so much brighter and cheerier.  I can see my bird feeders from my computer now.

 I made bread in the crock pot again.  I think I might like this recipe better than the last one.  It cooked for about 3 hours on high and smelled really good.  I tried a little piece when I was taking it out and it tasted pretty good.

 I planted some flowers on our new front "porch".  Since we don't have a roof over our patio any more, I wanted some flowers to jazz it up, but I also wanted ones that wouldn't die in the winter.  I got some different types of junipers and planted them in 2 long planters for the porch.  I figure once my annuals in the pots next to the door die I can move them there for winter.

I also moved my hanging basket to our mini table and it's doing much better there.  It's getting ready to take over our entire lower patio.  I don't think it was getting as much sun as it liked when it was hanging.

via

 We took the puppies on a walk to a water fall near our house this morning.  Overall it was about 3 miles, but lots of it was straight up.   Rosie was pretty tuckered out by the time we actually  made it out.  It was so humid I looked like I was entering a wet t-shirt contest with my white tee on.....oh well.

What goodies have you been into this weekend???

Member of the Crue

yes, those are grown men wearing makeup.
yes, they look ridiculous.
and yes, i love them


While driving home from work today I heard a commercial on the radio that Motley Crue and Poison were going to be in Charlotte (like 4 hours from our house) on tour next Tuesday.  My Motley Crue tour email update neglected to tell me this.  Sadly, it's on Tuesday and I can't go.

I spend most of my work day listening to the Crue, Ozzy, Guns n Roses, Poison, Warrant, or some other super cheesy 80s hair band.  I saw Motley Crue a few years ago and they were awesome - seriously one of the best concerts ever.  I'm bummed.

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for Thoughts on a Thursday!

Link up with Carolyn to play along!

• I'm so excited that we don't have anything to do this weekend!  No birthday parties, no cookouts, no vacations to pack for, nothing.  It's just going to be me and my house work and ironing and doggies all weekend.

• All of my pens at work are dying...at the same time.  I always like to have fun pens with lots of fun colors. I'm thinking about getting some fun folders and completely over hauling my office.  There's something about back to school time that makes me want to get all new office stuff.

•  I'm in the mood to make something delicious and healthy this weekend.  Any healthy cooking blog suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

• We had this recipe for dinner last night and it was delightful.  It was a super easy recipe and the flavor of the salad was great.

• When we got back from the beach we noticed that a section of the awning on our porch roof was sagging.  On Saturday our landlord's handy men came by to fix it.  Them fixing it turned out to be them tearing our entire porch roof down since all the board has rotted.  Our landlord has decided to not replace our porch roof for now.  It sucks and it makes our house look really boring.  I'm trying to find ways to spice it up.  There's not really room enough to put an umbrella or any type of cover out there.  I really like this porch....

 It's simple and do-able.  I got some planters and some random stuff to try out this weekend.  We'll see what happens!

Whew....I had a lot of thoughts today!

Workout Review: Denise Austin Burn Fat Fast Cardio Blast

Whew!  The title of this is really a mouth full!


Overall I really liked this DVD.  There are 4 "mini workouts" that are around 10 minutes long.  I ended up doing all of the mini workouts together and along with the warm up and cool down it ended up being around an hour.  The workouts range from kick box to dance, but they are all long enough to get you sweaty, but not so long that they are boring.  I did the DVD without Denise's instruction and just the music.  I got lost a few times, but it was pretty easy to follow without her instruction.  The only thing I would've liked to have seen was a strength training section.  This really was all cardio, but at least it was good cardio!

Recipe Review: Rustic Summer Squash Tart

Better known as "How to Use Up the Ton of Random Squash That You Seem To Be Getting From Everyone You Know".


This recipe is seriously the easiest, tastiest thing that you can do to all those random squash and tomatoes that you have laying around. 

You don't even really need a recipe (but it is referenced above).  All you do is take a refrigerated pie crust, roll it out, put some olive oil and some random veggies on it and bake.  Later add on some cheese (feta is especially good) and let it melt.

Pure vegetable deliciousness!

Where did June go?

How is it already July?  Here's a rundown of why my posts in June have been pretty lam-o.

June Happenings:

• Beach for a week
• Getting my passport (big huge hassle, but I have it now!)
• Working working working
• KB's band's party (homemade BBQ is heaven)
• Company spa day (the organic nail polish is finally wearing off)
• My niece's birthday party (you can't go wrong by giving a 3 year old Nerds and Sour Patch Kids)
• Trying to lose those last few pounds before my goal weight

July is shaping up to be just as busy:

• Taking KB's boat out on the lake/river (it's not as glamorous as it sounds.....it's a camo john boat that sits in our back yard)
• My other niece's birthday party (you can't go wrong by giving a 2 year old Play Doh and a bicycle horn)
• Getting our entire front porch roof redone (it's currently in a big pile in our front yard)
• Still trying to lose those last few pounds before my goal weight
• KB's mom's birthday party

I'm sure more will be added to July.  Why are summers so busy!?