072. On a Roll

I've had a very productive afternoon, but I've got a lot of slacking to make up for so here's how I've done so far.

• Shower
• Laundry
• Clean my house
• Blogs, blogs, blogs,
• Meal Planning
• Grocery Shopping
• PetCo
• Kohl's
• Pick Chris up at 5

I headed to Orland because I could hit all 4 stores I needed without having to go far between them.

My first stop was at Kohl's. I got a 30% off coupon in the mail, and since I'm still losing weight, I'm pretty much constantly needing new clothes. Plus there was so much stuff on clearance! Kohl's clearance + extra 30% off = crazy deals! I got two pairs of dress pants for about $10 each, a cashmere cardigan for about $25, and a couple other items. I also bought myself a Chicago Blackhawks hoodie. I'm one of the few people left in my group of friends who shows up to watch games without sporting team gear.

After Kohl's I hit Target. I forgot to add this to my list initially, but remembered I needed a few things when I was browsing my coupons. I got deodorant, Kashi granola bars, a gallon of bleach (If you didn't know, bleach is a cheap alternative to Liquid Plumber or any other drain clearing product. I pour a gallon of bleach down my tub every 2 - 3 months to help keep it clear.), and some Burt's Bees Deep Conditioner.

From Target I went to PetCo for a few items for Hermione. I got her a ball and some vitamin supplements. I'm worried about her getting enough vitamin C. Guinea pigs are really susceptible to scurvy.

Finally, I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. I absolutely love Trader Joe's. Living within a mile of Trader Joe's was probably the thing I loved most when I lived in LaGrange. I love that the organic items are really reasonably priced (especially compared to Jewel which is the primary grocery chain in my area.) I think on of my favorite things about the store is that it's not overwhelming. When I go into Jewel (or any chain grocery store), I feel really overwhelmed by all of the options. I mean, do we really need 15 different kinds of ketchup to choose from?! Unfortunately, 2:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday is not the time to go to Trader Joe's. The store was packed! Luckily, they're pretty darn efficient so I was still in and out pretty quick.

I ate a Luna bar in the car on my way home because I was starving! (Don't worry, I was safely stopped at a red light when I snapped this photo.) I'm going to make myself some lunch and get some cleaning done now. I'm also hoping to get a blog or two written before I head out to pick Chris up at 6. (He got an extra hour!)

It's time to make lunch and start cleaning. The kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom are all in pretty dire need. I also need to get Hermione's cage cleaned. I think lunch is going to be a grilled cheese with apples.

Coming soon...

7 Day Vegetarian Challenge Meal Plan

YakTraks Review

Hermione photos!

071. An Excess of Lazy

I've been having far, far too many lazy days recently. Last night I laid on the couch watching TV almost the entire day. While this is certainly okay every now and then, I was in seriously slacker mode last weekend as well. This is not okay.

Since I slacked off so much yesterday, I've got a ton of stuff to get done today.

So far I made it out for a 3.3 mile run, made and eaten breakfast, and taken Chris to work.

Before my run I ate a clementine to fuel myself up.

(See the painted nails, that was the one thing I managed to accomplish yesterday)

My run was miserable. I seriously need to get back into a routine with my running. I had to take several walking breaks in addition to the stop at my parent's house for a potty break. I clocked in at 47 minutes included my warm-up walk, cool-down walk, and my potty break. The run itself probably took 30 - 35 minutes.

After I got home I made egg scrambles and red potatoes for Chris and I.

My scramble included chopped red onion, spinach leaves, chopped broccoli, and some shredded Mexican blend cheese.

Here's what still needs to get done today.

• Shower
• Laundry
• Cleaning my house
• Blogs, blogs, blogs!
• Meal planning (I finished while writing this blog.)
• Grocery Shopping
• Go to PetCo for some stuff for Hermione
• Go to Kohl's (I have a 30% off coupon, and I pretty much always need new clothes.)
• Pick Chris up from work at 5.

There will be plenty of posts to come later including my dinner plans for my 7 Day Vegetarian Challenge which starts today!

038. Crazy Busy

I know I promised a recap of Nick and Nicki’s graduation and engagement last night, but I was so beat by the time I got home last night I didn’t have it in me to do anything but curl up under a blanket and watch a movie with Chris. I hope to be able to get that post up this evening. I’m not making any promises though. I’ve got so much to get done in the next three days.

(There should be pictures here, but my phone doesn't want to cooperate with me and Blogger so I'll add them when I get home.)

Here’s some highlights on my to-do list. (This is at least partially for my own reference/ sanity.)

Figure out the menu for Christmas morning breakfast/ brunch. Initially I invited my family over for Christmas morning brunch, but then we realized it would be far more practical for Chris and I to go to my parent’s house rather than the 5 of them coming to our place. Shortly after typing this up, but before actually posting it, I finalized my menu for Christmas day. Here it is:

• Pumpkin Spice Stix
• Peanut Butter Yogurt dip
  (These first two are from Angela over at Oh She Glows)
• Fruit Tray (apples, bananas, grapes and pears – “winter fruits” that I thought would go well with the peanut butter yogurt dip.)
• Christmas Day Breakfast Casserole (I'm sure I'll make some adjustments)
• Mimosas (I’m going to take a tip from Adobo Grill and add a splash of passion fruit juice)
  

Meal Planning and Grocery shopping. I’ve been really terrible lately when it comes to grocery shopping before the fridge and pantry are all but bare! I need to figure out the menu above first though. I also need to do this tonight! The closer we get to Christmas the crazier the grocery stores get!

Exercise!!!! I’ve been so lazy about my running/ working out lately. Right now the ringworm is a significant contributing factor as sweating seriously irritates it, but I was slacking way before that. I’d like to get in at least one run (maybe 2) and some yoga sessions. I also want to start doing some ab work again. I was doing really great with Whittle My Middle and then somewhere in the middle of the challenge, I just quit.

Finish Dan’s care package. I’m sending a care package to my friend Dan who’s currently in Iraq. He asked me to pick up add a couple more items so I need to go to Target and pick that stuff up. I also need to write a note/ letter to include (and print some pictures to send over). Finally I need to take the box to the post office to mail! I did learn that you only have to pay domestic postage rates to ship things to overseas military bases. This is great because you can ship a large flat rate box (any weight) for just $11.95!

Graduation/ Engagement Blog as mentioned above