March Books

The Maze Runner by James Dashner {B+}

I started listening to this at the end of February and finished it in March.  Oh, this book.  62 chapters.  Took forever and a day.  Toward the end, I found myself just wanting to finish it because I wanted to see what the ending would be.  It was pretty suspenseful.

The Maze Runner is like Holes at the beginning (a book I didn't like) + Lord of the Flies (which I never read) + The Hunger Games (which I loved).  It becomes more and more Hunger Games-ish as you go.

When I took it back to the library, they asked me if I wanted books 2 and 3.  That's right: it's a trilogy.  For you all that lovelovelove your futuristic dystopian trilogies, here you are.

Enjoy.

I did like it.  I think it'd be great for literature circles.  It's classified Young Adult simply because of the age of the characters and if it weren't so long it would be perfect for high school English.  I also think it would make a very interesting movie. Oh, it already is!

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris  {B+}
Making progress on this Sookie Stackhouse series…3 more books to go…


The Paris Wife  by Paula Mclain {B+}
This is a fictionalized memoir (if that makes sense) of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley.  I admit, I knew nothing about her or Hemingway before this book.  I picked it up because I read about it somewhere…
I liked it.  It was, on the whole, kind of depressing.  Ernest is a jerk.  There's adultery.  All they do is drink.  They never have any money.  She never has new clothes.  But they travel all around Europe as a job.  Surprise, surprise: divorce is imminent. But not before he suggests a 3-way marriage of sorts.

Here's an excerpt (paraphrasing: mine)
Hadley: It's time to get your poor wife to bed. 
Ernest: Poor Cat, go on home then. Do you want me to find someone to walk with you?
H: You want to stay?
E: Of course. I'm not the one who's tired.

Hemingway was a class act indeed.  I saw some people pinning inspirational quotes by him on Pinterest.  I don't think I could do that…while I've never actually read any of his books, I don't think he was particularly inspirational.

But I do feel like I learned something of famous Americans through this book.  They were friends with the Fitzgeralds.  Has anyone read Z?  I think I'm going to look into that for April…

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris {A}
I grabbed this audiobook because the library was out of Sookie Stackhouse books and I needed something to listen to in the car.  It's a series written by Charlaine Harris:  The Harper Connelly Mysteries.  At first it was different…SO not True Blood.  Harper is SO not like Sookie.  Change isn't easy and all that.  I really enjoyed it though.  I mean, truly liked this book.
Unfortunately, I was unobservant enough to start with #2 of 4.  So it's back to Grave Sight (#1) and then I'll move on from there.
I'm not easy to please when it comes to fiction because I don't have the patience for rom-com and I didn't like Divergent (a characteristic that, I believe, defines me).  If you think your tastes are similar to mine and you're looking for a great story with strong lead characters, try it.

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris {B}
Ah ha!  Starting at the beginning…Not as good as Grave Surprise, but not bad either.  I definitely am enjoying the series.

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist {A+}
See separate review here.

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A flashback to January books and February books!

Bread, wine, and dinner at home

by Shauna Niequist

This is everything I look for in a book.  It's uplifting.  It's encouraging.  It's real.  There were moments of tears. I needed to read this book, at this time and in this place. There's so much I could talk about here, beginning with the fact that I read it in two days and then I was in the kitchen, hard at work.  Bread and Wine is a memoir of life-lessons and advice, based around recipes.  In my opinion, all recipes are based around life-lessons.  In fact, the best recipe sharing comes from not daily anecdotes, but from the story behind the recipe.  Especially those from our childhoods.  I need to share more like that.  Shauna's recipes are simple, classic, and straight-forward.  She's had me craving macaroni and cheese for a week…
I'm so glad I bought Bread and Wine and I plan on gifting it to others.

How I knew this book was for me:

Tell me you eat toast.  Tell me you love cheap candy or fake cheese. ...I know there are people who see food primarily as calories, nutrients, complex bundles of energy for the whirring machines of our bodies.  I know them, but they're not my people.  They're in the same category of people who wear sensible shoes and read manuals.  Good people, but entirely foreign to me. (page 16)

I firmly believe that food is a love language.  My response to helping people is to bake them cookies.  I would rather cook you dinner than buy you dinner because that's how I show that I care.  It's not a chore to me, and I do wake up each day thinking about what's for dinner.

A quote in Bread and Wine from Winnie the Pooh:
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. 
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing, " he said.  (page 19)

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The best thing that has happened to us in the last 4 years is that I've learned how to cook.  Seriously.  Before we got married, I wasn't good at it.  I've always loved to bake.  Much to my mother's dismay, I held no interest in cutting up raw meat or eating vegetables regularly.  Things have changed for the better.  Since I really started compiling recipes a few years ago, dinner at home is the standard around here.  As long as we're not traveling, we rarely go out. When we do, it's usually for sushi, which is something I don't want to bother with at home.

These are some of the recipes that are regulars in my meal-planning.  I must say that they are all relatively healthy; no casseroles, no heavy sauces, just basic kitchen ingredients.

(I would go on and on about how I believe the key to a better, more balanced diet is cooking dinner at home, not eating out. But you've probably already heard that and I'm not certified to tell you such information anyway.)

I've shared my personal favorite dinner recipes a while back, but here's a collection of my favorites from my Pinterest boards.  
They all come highly recommended by us!

Crockpot Meatballs.  Perfect for a weekend and they freeze really well.

Thai Chicken Broccoli Slaw.  So easy and delicious.

Lettuce Wraps.  I have no words for how good these were.  We ate the whole pan in 20 minutes.

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken. Super tasty and smells amazing.

Cilantro Quinoa.  The best way to make quinoa.

Pesto Salad.  I love the barley.  

Gnocchi with Corn and Zucchini.  Very rich-tasting.  Incredibly easy because it's made with packaged gnocchi.

The Best Spanish Rice.  An easy side dish we make for company.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken.  Make a batch over the weekend.  Use it throughout the week.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos.  We eat these at least once a week.  Don't skip the cilantro and lime!

I spend more time than I'm willing to admit looking for new recipes on Pinterest.  This is just a sampling of what I've made more than once.

Someday I'll start posting more of my own recipes again…someday…I'm just looking to be inspired, I suppose.

Stuff and Things 3/27

+I took Scout on a long walk last week.

Afterward, I stopped for gas, ran into the gas station to use the bathroom, came out, and drove to the post office to mail birthday packages to my dad and cousin.

When I opened the back door to get out the gifts, this is what I saw.

+We put an offer on a house. Details to follow.  Maybe.  We don't have good luck, so maybe not.

+Also, I do believe we're getting another dog.  Something about Scout "needing a friend", "Brittanys hunt better in pairs" and "after this spring, I'll be too busy working to train a dog…we need to get him now".  

Details to follow.

+I know that those two things I just listed sound like major life decisions, and they are.  I just feel like this is our life:  always full of all or nothing major decisions and that's what the military does to us and we're about to move to our 4th state in 5 years and Idon'treallywanttotalkaboutimportantstuff.  So let's move on to the frivolous stuff.

+I need to stop shopping.  I ordered shoes from Kohl's.  They didn't fit.  I took them back, and bought sunglasses instead.  I ordered 2 more pairs of shoes from Famous Footwear.  Then I found myself on Old Navy's website, being pulling into a 30% off sale.

This screen popped up before I knew what was happening.

+I won Plant Fusion protein powder a few weeks ago on another blog.  I was super excited to try it.  Eh.  I don't like it.  And never would've bought it myself (because expensive), but I think it has a weird texture and, honestly, I'll stick with my vanilla ice cream-flavored whey in my spinach smoothie.  Now, who am I going to unload this protein powder on?

+I won a Sephora gift card on Jane's blog this week.  Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me I should, indeed, be buying more make-up?  

+I've been so busy with Friday Night Lights (into season 5!) that I completely have not watched The Following yet this week.  Also, I want to name the new dog TimRiggins.  No space.  Just TimRiggins. Scott isn't on board with that one.

  

Easiest Sangria You'll Ever Make

Because it's Tuesday. And because it's still 30 degrees and spitting snow here in Missouri.  Because I can't believe I left Alaska for this; if I wanted perpetual winter, I might as well have stayed in that place. (Scott and I even talked about how we'd totally move back there…well, he would.  I would if this winter thing wasn't an issue. But since winter isn't actually ever going to go away, this is a moot point.) 

Anyway.  The point is that I expected a springtime and it's just not happening.


Last year, I posted a sangria recipe and that stuff sure was tasty.

However, I have something much better for you because it's MUCH easier.

Sangria is the perfect spring/summer drink.  Fancier than wine, less work than frozen drinks…especially if you're entertaining!  No blender needed!

This one is inexpensive too.  According to that link above, I spent $8 on the wine last time…oh no, that's far too much for wine.  Sweet and cheap is the way we like things around here.

The Easiest Sangria You'll Ever Make

makes 4-6 servings (3 of us each had 2-ish glasses)

1 bottle red wine (sweet and cheap, guys…mine was $2.97)

1 can ginger ale (or 2 cups)

Half an orange or a whole clementine, cut into wedges

Half a lime, cut into wedges

1 cup of what whatever frozen fruit you can can (I used blackberries)

Any extra fruit you want to throw in (I sliced up some strawberries)

In a large pitcher, stir together the wine and ginger ale.  

Squeeze the juice from half your orange wedges and half the lime wedges into the pitcher.  Garnish with the leftover lime and orange.

Stir in your frozen fruit and any other fruit you'd like to add.  The frozen fruit eliminates the need for ice cubes and then you won't have to worry about watered-down sangria.  

Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Cookie Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I'm not sure why I don't bake anymore.  It makes me sad, to be honest.  The simple truth is probably that when I don't have people to share the baked goods with, I don't want to make them.  For example, Scott doesn't enjoy it when I bake...simply because he knows he'll end up eating it all.  Oh, he enjoys it-enjoys it, but he doesn't want or need to eat 2 dozen cookies and that's what happens when I bake.  (We have very little self-control around desserts.  Good thing we found each other, right?)

In Alaska, I would take my creations into the faculty lounge.  They'd usually be gone before school started.  There was one teacher in particular who would always ask what I was bringing in next.  He was so grateful and appreciative of the products of this blog!  I would take in a pan of rice krispy treats and see half a dozen people eating them with their morning coffee.  That made me feel so good.  Like I was providing a service.  Food, I believe, is my love language.  I had an email exchange about this with Kate...people who get fulfillment out of feeding others have to have food as a love language right?  Didn't Jesus use food as love anyway?  With the bread, the fish, the wine, and all that? (excuse my less than eloquent wording)

Alaska was where I learned to cook.  Where I learned to use food to show people I cared.

In Missouri, I haven't had a chance to express myself through food.  It hasn't hit me until just recently that this has been the case, and it makes me really sad.  I don't work in a tight-knit building.  They may claim to be tight-knit, but there's over 50 teachers, and probably 70+ staff.  I don't know everyone's name.  I still, after 7 months, cannot match names to faces and I've never spoken to half the people there. I very much enjoy the challenge and professional growth I've gotten out of Missouri, but I can't say that I've ever felt particularly loved here.  I do have some sweet friends, but they are very much outside of my everyday routine and a treat to spend time with; I don't see them each day.
My only friends in Alaska, after that first year, were at work.  It was my community.  My support system.  My co-workers saw me laugh and cry.  They saw me frustrated and happy.  They knew me as a person and trusted me as a teacher. How is it possible that I could fit in better in the state of Alaska than I could here?  That's something I ponder almost everyday on my way to work...

Anyway, that's a lot of deep thought for a post about cookies.  

I baked these cookies for my dad, for his birthday.  Oatmeal cookies are his favorite.  

They get an added kick of gingersnap flavor from a giant scoop of cookie butter.  Feel free to try different kinds of cookie butter…next time, I'll substitute in the cocoa swirl.  

Cookie Butter Oatmeal Cookies
makes 4 dozen
1/2 cup of butter (one stick), softened
1/4 cup cookie butter (or biscoff)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, cookie butter, and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.  Add to the creamed mixture and mix to combine.  Add in the oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Don't over bake.  They're best when chewy!

Make-up Drawer Take 2

A while back, I posted about what's in my make-up drawer…

Since then, there's been a few additions.

-An e.l.f. powder brush that does amazing work.  Of course, it works in the medium of bareMinerals, which will make a $3 brush do the work of a $33 brush.  

-I'm loving the bareMinerals.  It was worth every penny of the $25 I paid for it.  I will continue to give them money for a product like this, that's for sure.

-I also snatched up some e.l.f. eyeshadow.  It's okay.  I'm a fan of the shimmer, so I do prefer my Almay palette.  (Listen to me: saying "palette" like is a Naked one or something.  My Almay "palette" was $4.)  

-Also bought eye cream.  This one was $10.  I remember to put it on.  Most nights.  

[Insert blog break to go put on eye cream]

Next up: Coconut oil.  Here's 20 Ways to Use Coconut Oil.  For a minute there, I was concerned because I didn't buy extra-virgin coconut oil, but the pickings at Wal-Mart were slim.  This seems to do the job.  I did read that it's important to use organic because it's going directly onto your skin.

I've stopped using my moisturizer.  I've used Oil of Olay with SPF since I was 16.  Never had a problem with it.  I hate having dry skin, so I usually lather on a dollop after each face-washing. When Scott told me that breakouts were probably caused by moisturizer, I didn't believe him.  However, I gave it a shot: I stopped using it.  My face cleared up.  Lesson learned.  Suffer through the dryness for a couple of days.  It will be worth it.

Also, I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and they gave me a topical cream for breakouts.  Works wonders!  Causes extreme dryness, which leads to me wanting to moisturizer, which leads me to  just having to suck it up.

I do dab on a bit of coconut oil and that helps.  I've read mixed reviews about coconut oil, but the consensus seems to be that it will initially make breakouts worse and then make them better.  Which is why I use sparingly.

I've also switched to using the Clarisonic only once a day.  I was using it twice but then Scott also suggested that I was probably over cleansing.  He, of course, is right.
I started using it only at night to take off make-up and grime from the day and I like this better.

Also, concerning Scott, he said: How many times do you see me wash my face?
Me: Never.
Scott: How many pimples do I get?
Me: None. Ever.
Scott: Exactly.

He's ridiculous. And apparently 90% of our conversations involve skincare.

Stuff and things. 3/20

+This is what I wore last week, when the weather was pleasant.

Dress: Ross // Sweater: Target // Boots: Report // Watch: Fossil

+I do not understand Missouri's fascination with St. Patrick's Day.  I find it interesting that schools celebrate such a day by setting leprechaun traps and adults celebrate by drinking.  And for those of you who brought out Elf on the Shelf to drop off St. Paddy's Day gifts?  Shame on you.

+On Saturday, since I was sick and all, I thought that if I did a What-I-Ate post, it'd look like this:

"Then, Scout and I split a cracker."

Because that's what lunch was.  I also had a swig of Pepsi.  He didn't.

+Speaking of, I was better on Monday, and on Tuesday, whatever nasty bug I have/had came back.  I had to leave school early.

This is what it looked like to prepare for a sub who would be there for 3 hours.

I subscribe to the "post-it note method" when it comes to sub-prep.  I hate typing up plans.  Unpictured: The giant orange sub binder with all the information about the school/class/demographics of a small town in northern Siberia/cure to cancer/etc.

I was back at it 6am the next morning…setting up for another substitute.  

+My diet consists of gatorade, pedialyte, dry cereal, rice cakes, and soup these days.  I haven't had coffee in a week.  The good news is that I think I'm on the upswing.  Maybe.  Finally.

+Onto happier thoughts.  The Walking Dead (or maybe not with the "happy thoughts" part).  Who watched on Sunday?  This was the first episode I really liked in a while.  I guess I should say it's the first episode that made my jaw drop, and it's really nice when I watch a show for thrills and it does actually thrill me.  I won't post any spoilers but this summary will wrap it all up for you, if you're so inclined.

+Also, The Following.  I WILL post a spoiler here, so…keep scrolling if you don't want to see it.















I am so happy that Claire is back.  I mean, thrilled.  I adore Natalie Zea and she drew me into Justified and she pulled me into The Following.  After the first episode of season 2, I couldn't believe she was gone.  Anyway, now that show is truly worth my time.  We don't need Emma as a leading lady.  She's a crazy. 






















Okay.  Now our link-up.  Any stuff to share?

Real Confessions Part II

Sweater: Gap ($10) // Scarf: Target ($10) // Pants: JCPenney // Boots: Report // Watch: Fossil

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1.  I emptied out my bags the other day in an attempt to organize.  This is what I saw.

If you look closely, you'll see a pair of socks and a pair of scissors.

2.  People who spell "aisle" as "isle" make me want to throw up.

3. I believe diet soda is the devil.  I'm not sure how/why people don't realize this yet.  I hate myself for all the diet soda I've ever drank (which isn't even that much).

4.  I cannot name one classic novel that I like.  I don't understand the Jane Austen obsession a lot of girls have.

5.  Please don't parade your Thirty-one sales my way.  I don't want that stuff.

6.  I've never read Harry Potter.

7.  Along the same lines, I don't understand adult obsessions with Disney films.  It's not that I don't see where you're coming from because we all have obsessions; it's that I truly don't understand.  I never was a fan as a kid, so I really don't see the appeal as an adult.  This leads to…I've never seen Frozen.  That's okay I guess.

8.  I rarely wash fruit before I eat it.  I like to think that I'm boosting my immunity.

9.  I firmly believe that people in Missouri aren't as nice, caring, or genuinely kind as they were in Alaska.  I find some reminder to reinforce this almost every day.

Real Confessions Part 1 here.

A long list of accomplishments (not really)

For the weekend to-do list, I had signed up for a 5K on base and had a few errands planned.  Also, I had wanted to take Scout for a long walk and/or go to the dog park.

Didn't happen.

I always feel enormous guilt when I don't play with Scout enough.  That almost makes me as bad as our neighbors:  one collects dogs and has 6 chained up to doghouses year round.  Another ties theirs to the deck all day and we get to listen to him bark.

Well, maybe not quite as bad.  Most of you probably don't feel for Scout; he just lays on the couch when I won't play with him. 

Anyway.  

Friday night, I couldn't sleep.  I was cold.  Really really cold.  I piled on all the blankets.  I double-checked all the windows.  I had to get up once or twice to take Scout out and that was awful.  By morning, I was incredibly nauseated. A horrible headache.  Dizzy.  We had no ginger ale, water made it worse, and so I just slept.  Until about 1pm, on and off.  Scout was not a fan.  It was particularly beautiful out and we were missing it.  

We (me and the dog) watched Friday Night Lights all day long.  We made a trip to Wal-Mart.  I wanted to give him a bath, but didn't have the energy.  I've been slacking on the dog-bathing lately. 

Of course, by evening, I was having Carnival Cruise ship flashbacks.  Only on a white carpet instead of a bathroom.  And there was no maid to clean it up.  Just me, with a curious Scout looking on.  

Onto Sunday…

I cleaned the floors.  And watched more Friday Night Lights. And Scout got his bath.

75 degrees on Saturday and then this on Sunday.

And now it's Monday and the only accomplishment I have to my name is 25 episodes of Friday Night Lights.

Cheers to a 3-day week though!  My spring break starts Thursday. 

5 Happy Thoughts

Iced Green Tea that sometimes really hits the spot.

My skin is looking so much better.  This is the best it's been in 6 months.

I would show you the picture I took 2 weeks ago when my face randomly broke out in a weird rash, but no one wants to see that.

A new book came in the mail yesterday.  Very much looking forward to digging in this weekend.

Some teachers like to develop complex lessons.  I don't, I guess.  But I got on this "make your own maps" kick last week.  There are maps all over my classroom right now.  I wish I could be a geography teacher.

12 hours after Scott left for Colorado, the tire pressure light came on in the truck.  

I'm very happy that Scott researched, called, and made arrangements for me to have the tire fixed right after school.  

Which led to me having more time to color my maps…priorities.

Stuff and Things 3/13

+Do you ever get sick of your phone?  Sometimes the very last thing I want to do is pull my phone out to answer a text message (which is why I often don't), look something up, or jot something in a Note before I forget.  Maybe this is just laziness.  Sometimes I really just don't like the thing.

+Tiffany's sent my necklace back.  With a giant knot in the chain.  That was annoying and it was 30 minutes of my life I'll never get back.  However, I did get an email from them, a few days after this post, saying that they would fix it for free.  So the email I sent saying I was disappointed in their craftsmanship worked wonders.  If this lasts 6 more months without breaking again, I'll consider doing business there again.  Maybe.

+Speaking of customer service, we went back to Colton's Steakhouse this past weekend.  After our horrible experience in August, we weren't planning on returning.  However, we had a gift card to use.  I'm pleased to say that the service was 150% better.  This might be due to the fact that we were sitting in the bar and the waitress, while busy, wasn't dealing with large parties.  Anyway, in our attempt to use up all $50 on the gift card, I had 2 margaritas.  One mango, one strawberry.  Both were like glorified Kool-Aid with tequila, but hey, they were *free*.  Actually, one was literally free because they forgot to charge us for it and we didn't realize it at first.

The Southwest Salad wasn't anything to write home about.  The flavors were there, topped with a tasty spicy ranch, but the presentation wasn't.  Also, 2 giant margaritas will fill you up.  I could only eat half the salad and I brought the rest home.

+Once Upon a Time is back!  I think my favorite thing about this show is Belle's wardrobe.  I would wear all of this.  Also, her hair.  I'd wear that too.

+Scout ate the brand-new cupholder from my brand-new car. 

I was in the store for 10 minutes.  

Lastly…
+Scott is currently in Colorado doing some house-hunting.  If you could send some good thoughts and prayers our way, it'd be appreciated.  We're not set to leave here until the first week of June, but we're buying and these things take time.  Best of luck to us, right?

Healthiness: Exercise

I do like reading exercise updates on blogs. I'd ask, at the end of this post, where you are at with fitness these days, but the truth is, I guess I'm not looking for new things to try right now.  I've got a whole lot of apathy (i.e. burnout) going on.  I do feel like I've talked about exercise an awful lot over the last 2 years, so this is just an update about where I'm at right now.  

It is becoming very apparent to me that there is a fine line when it comes to me and going to the gym.
Right now, I'm in the position where I can't tell if I don't want to go to the gym because I don't find it necessary to go to the gym…

Or, I can't tell if I slipped into a mid-winter lazy depressive state and I just don't WANT to go.  There's a difference between these two.

During the winter of 2011 I fell into lazy-don't-wanna-go depression.

During the winter of 2012, I forced myself to go so that wouldn't happen.

During the winter of 2013, it was me forcing myself because I knew I was just being a whiner.  Also, I had a community there, and knew I'd get an email the next day asking me where I was.  Accountability is always the key.

This winter, I have no idea what category I fall into.

This article about Happy Exercise vs. Stressed Exercise really struck a chord with me:

The moral of this story is not that exercise is bad.  But we need to look at the motivating forces that drive us to exercise.  Healthy habits driven by fear are not so healthy after all.  

So, lately, I've been doing Pilates everyday (10-15 minutes) and going to one 30 minute class a week.  On Monday nights I go to RPM Express or BodyPump Express, depending on my mood.  It's quite a turnaround from 7-8 months ago!  I'm okay with that though.  Somewhere along the line I realized I wasn't getting a whole lot of enjoyment out of the gym.

I do realize it's important to get your heart rate up and I like muscle tone; so I go when I can.  I've found I can commit to a Monday night class.  I could probably do Thursday night too, but there's that whole "I DON'T WANT TO" thing stopping me.

Again, I'll encourage you to try The Balanced Life if you even have the inkling of giving Pilates a try.  I'm a believer in it! For workouts at home (if I'm so inclined and sometimes I am), I like The Nike Training Club.  Also, I'm a fan of just taking the dog for a walk.

Lately, I've found myself stressed out by work, the impending move, and looking into future employment.  Also, since Scott isn't home for dinner every night, I like being home with him and the dog in the evenings when I can.  I usually do some kind of toning workout before bed and call it a day.

So that's where we are.  I have no sage advice or expertise to offer.  I'm kinda over the gym thing right now.   I'm the same weight as I've been for at least a year, my pants still fit the way they did 6 months ago, and I still have muscle tone.  Therefore, I must be doing something right, and I'm not too worried about this fitness dry spell.  Sometimes we just need a break, right?

Scott is, and always will be, a runner.  I went on what was supposed to be a 7 mile run/walk with him last week.  I made it a mile and started walking.  My legs were killing me.  He just looked at me and said, "I thought you ran a 10K a few months ago?"  I did, friends.  Motivation for me is the key.  Unless something is chasing me or there is a finish line up ahead, I have a hard time caring.  Needless to say, it became a 5 mile walk and even Scout was glaring at me.  Apparently I slow the dog down.

I would like to do another 5K.  Maybe this spring?  I can get behind 3.2 miles.  I'm also really excited about hiking in Colorado.  We used to hike in Alaska (mostly pre-blog, back when I would still go outside), and I think it'll be a fun hobby to get back into.  Sometimes authentic exercise is so much better than spinning away to nowhere in a class, right?

Other Healthiness posts:

Everyday Banana Bread

Green Smoothie with Flax

Lunch

Pilates

Dinner

Breakfast

5 Food Trends that Should Go Away

Last night, we had everything cilantro for dinner.  I know some of you can't get behind the cilantro movement, but we eat it several times a week.  I'm convinced that you either love it or hate it and luckily, in this marriage, we both love it. In fact, I buy a bunch of it every week and add it to everything.  Salads, quesadillas, soups, salsas, burritos…there's always a place for this green goodie!

Cilantro chicken, cilantro quinoa (we love this stuff!), and broccoli slaw

Now, what food movements can I just not get behind?  Well, there's a few.  I've noticed that people are really grasping at straws trying to get the newest and bestest out on the Pinterest before everyone else.  Here's some trends that I don't think I'll be trying anytime soon.

1.  Baking with Cereal.  Rice Krispy treats?  Good.  Fruit Loops on a cupcake?  No.  Using a Chex cereal or Rice Krispy cereal as a base is very different from using it as the flavor.  If I wanted Fruity Pebble-flavored blondies, I would….wait.  Never mind.  I would never, ever want Fruity Pebble flavored blondies.

Along the same lines…

2.  Baking with fruity/sour candy.  Sour Patch Kids on a cupcake?  GOOD. GOD. NO.  Just no.  That's gross.  Skittles Fudge?  WHY?  I saw Nerd ice cream at a restaurant once 15 years ago.  I'm still wondering who would've ordered that.  I know I haven't been baking a whole lot lately, but I can promise, you'll never see such things in my kitchen.

3.  Paleo noodles.  I've tried the zucchini noodle thing.  We've done the spaghetti squash.  I just don't like it.  I don't often crave noodles, but when I do, I want a giant plate of spicy peanut noodles.  With maybe some zucchini mixed in.  A plateful of zucchini has about 48 calories and probably won't satiate your hunger unless you pair it with a lot of protein.

4.  The plethora of smoothie recipes that are out there on the internet.  You don't need 18 variations on a smoothie.  I have a spinach/fruit recipe (recently I've started adding flax) and a banana/PB recipe. Especially because, generally, you won't have the ingredients on hand for the particular one you choose that day…and then your smoothie plans will be scrapped.  Nope.  You throw whatever you want into the blender, and you make a smoothie anyway.  Do you really need a recipe?  I only share my two go-to recipes with you (a lot) because they are something I make almost everyday.  Please stop pinning smoothie recipes and captioning "Why didn't I think of this?!?!".  I promise: You don't need a Pin to make a smoothie.  I have faith in you. You can do it.

5.  Dessert pancakes. Cake Batter Pancakes? Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Syrup?  If you want a cupcake, eat an egg and toast for breakfast and then eat. a. cupcake.
Don't masquerade your breakfast as a birthday cake.  I saw "Chocolate Pancakes" yesterday.
Two ingredients: Chocolate cake mix and milk.
No.  That is chocolate cake.  There is no pancake about it.

Your turn!  What food trend are you absolutely opposed to?

A feisty little Brittany

Everyone always tells us Scout is little.  We never really thought much about it.  He's a puppy after all. He's been to the vet at least 4 times in the 9 months we've had him and they never say anything about his weight.  He was 6 pounds when he was 7 weeks old.  On January 7th, when he was at the vet, he was about 24.5 pounds.  No vet (he's been to a couple) has ever said anything about him being underweight.

According this this online tracker (whose validity has not been confirmed), he'll only weigh 26 pounds as an adult. It's kind of terrifying, but this is where he falls on the growth chart.

I promise (Mom), I'm not trying to keep him little and cute.  We actually feed him more than is recommended on the dog food bag.  He gets 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 cups in the morning and in the evening of good, premium, grain-free, etc. dog food.  So approximately 3 cups a day.  On days when he's hunting, he gets a little more, plus several treats.  We also feed him things like plain cooked chicken, green beans, blueberries, etc if we're eating them.  (We always double-check before we feed him people food.)

This is the weight span for Brittanies.  We've known these numbers for months, so when people ask how big he will get, this comes out automatically, "Oh probably 30 or 35 pounds", "Oh, maybe 10 more pounds", "Yeah, he'll get a little bigger, but they're not really huge dogs".  

His height right now is 18".  His mother wasn't very tall, but his father was bigger.  Scott seems to remember the breeder talking about how "runts" are the best, feistiest hunting dogs.  I don't remember that conversation really, but I assumed she'd mention it if he was smaller than the average.  We didn't see his brothers and sister, but there were 4 in the litter.

Mom

Dad

Offspring

Just for reference, I plugged in some different numbers.

That's almost double his size!  I don't think we can look for him doubling in size anytime soon…

I'm just waiting for him to jump over that 12 foot drop one of these days…

So there you have it.  Another post about my dog.  

Oh, because.

July 2013

Happy weekend!

Stuff and Things 3/6…a link-up!

If you're here for the link-up, welcome!  You can join in down at the bottom of this post. 

There are no rules.  You can grab the image if you want. A link back to me is, of course, appreciated but I think we're all friends here anyway.

If you don't have anything to link up, just enjoy some… 

+ Scott and I went shopping the other day.  Actually, we needed to buy dog food because our snobby dog won't eat Purina bought from Wal-mart.  This dog will eat paper, plastic, and dried pig ears, but not dog food from Wal-Mart.  We drove an hour to Pet Co. and Scott said, "We might as well go to the outlets".  I wasn't feeling it, but I found a dress in The Gap for $17 and he took off on his own.  He came back with 4 pairs of pants and 3 button-up shirts.  

Then, Scott proceeded to tell me how much money he saved and I wasn't sure who he was for a minute there.  It was his semi-annual shopping trip.  He only goes twice a year.

+Then we went to HyVee so I could buy quinoa for less than $25 a pound, and I found kombucha.  

It was actually pretty tasty…do you drink them?  Any flavor recommendations?  And have you seen health benefits?  I could buy $4 lattes for the price of a kombucha.  I told Scott a lot of places brew their own, like beer.  Since we're moving west again, we are both looking forward to being in the land of craft beer.  I'm sure Colorado has some restaurants that serve kombucha.  

+We watched the movie Best Man Down on Netflix over the weekend.  I picked it because the newlyweds' names were Scott and Kristin and she was a teacher.  We really enjoyed it.  

+We've determined that our dear Scout is a runt.  More on that tomorrow.

Hunting last Fall: And no, he's not babied (or wrapped up in blankets and sitting on a dog bed in the woods) or anything.  

+The Walking Dead was really good this past week.  I should also throw it out there that my first legal drink was peach schnapps.  Sorry, Daryl.  You weren't around with your moonshine.

It's also worth noting that TWD was the sole inspiration for these "Stuff and Things" posts. 

+Lastly, what in the world does Leo have to do to win an Oscar?