Y'all - how are we almost to December already? How is my baby almost 17 months old? Why did April, May, and June feel like 3 years, but the rest of the year feel like 3 seconds?
Just some rhetorical questions, but time is crazy lately. I took a bit of an unintentional break the last couple of weeks, but things have been hectic around here and I am finally catching by breath.
Here's a look at what we did in November!
Hello! I've missed you all. The last couple of weeks have just been hectic workwise. Hoping things slow down a bit so I can get back into my normal blogging routine. What better way to dive back in than with a What's Up Wednesday post. I'm linking up with Shay and Sheaffer for a peek into our life during October!
One of my go to breakfasts for years has been a smoothie. I find them satisfying and filling and I like that I can sip on them over the course of the morning. Here's how I make mine.
Happy Monday! Let's start the week with a recipe. I love a good salad. Now, I'm not one of those people who say I prefer a salad over ice cream, but I love a good salad for lunch or dinner. Normally I would say, you can't beat a good restaurant salad. There's some secret sorcery there, however, I feel that this salad rivals a restaurant salad. It's hearty and delicious and has all the flavors.
Chicken and Date Salad
One of the things I get a lot of questions about is what we feed Henry, how we feed Henry, what do we use?
Let me start by saying I am not a baby feeding expert. We did a combined approach of purees and Baby Led Weaning. I HIGHLY recommend the infant course from Feeding Littles. Megan and Judy are a dream team with many years of experience as well as the licensing/credential to back up what they do.
We started last January with purees. I was on winter break, so made my own. I'm not a purist, we also bought jarred food, but since I had the time and most of the equipment, I thought why not?
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful July 4th holiday. Ours was very low key, but very relaxing which is exactly how we like it. This summer has been kicking my butt and I've been traveling or super busy most weekends and the summer hours at work are killing me during the week which means, I'm exhausted. My plan for Friday was to sleep in a bit, but now I have to take Kate to the vet and she needs to be dropped off between 7:30 and 9. Sigh. So...what have we been up to lately?
Barre. I still love Barre. One of my favorite workouts. Summer hours at work and all the travel are making it hard though. Normally I get in 3-4 classes a week. Lately it's been more like 2. Which I hate. After July, I should be back to my normal schedule.
This is my new favorite lunch. These Thai veggie burgers from Trader Joe's are 4SP each and the sauce is 1SP for a tablespoon. I will pair it with some leftover veggies or fruit for a very Weight Watchers friendly lunch. And...the burgers are individually wrapped which makes packing them in my lunch bag easy. #winning
Y'all. Last week I did the impossible - I went into Target and I spent less than $5.00. I didn't know that was a possibility.
dress | shoes | essential fringe necklace | hammered hoops
Last Friday I had an appointment on my day off. I love the dress, but I wanted a little more coverage for the meeting so I topped it with a white jacket and it worked perfectly.
jacket | dress | shoes | essential fringe necklace | hammered hoops
The jacket makes it professional without the stiffness of a suit. I love how it all came together.
After my meeting we relaxed on the couch for a bit. She's been a little off her game lately and yesterday we noticed a lump at the base of her tail. I'm taking her in to be seen on Friday and I hope everything is okay with my goofy girl.
When I can't get to barre, I try to get some kind of workout in. On Friday I managed to get in a 21 Day Fix workout. I've been doing these workouts for 2 years and I still enjoy them.
I snagged a couple of these while grocery shopping on Saturday. I had a new recipe I wanted to try on July 4th.
These two. Jack was just wanting to be snuggly and hopped up on the night stand. That is normally Kate's perch when we go to bed and you can see her reaction to Jack stealing her spot.
tee | shorts (similar) | shoes | on the mark necklace
On Sunday we were off to Canton! Canton is home to First Monday Trade Days, the largest flea market in the US. We were on the hunt for things for the house. There are all kinds of things - antiques, refurbished items, handmade things, food, furniture, clothes, you name it. It's enormous and fun. And were we successful?
Yes we were! We found this gorgeous table for our dining nook in the kitchen. It is the perfect size and I LOVE the design. We also found a couple of other things to hang on the walls - a key rack and a sign for above the pantry door.
I really wanted this guy for the yard but we wandered away thinking we'd come back for it but then couldn't figure out where it was (when I say this place is large, I mean LARGE). Oh well...maybe next time.
We had to reconfigure the office a bit to store the table. Which means this one is in her happy place. She loves a high perch.
I took Monday as a vacation day and spent part of it working on wedding things, like thank you notes and invitations. A lot of that busy work is taken care of. Still so much to do, but we're getting there.
On Monday night we hit up the Red Sox/Rangers game! We sat in our favorite section - up high behind home plate. Texas ball games are HOT and sitting high up in that area affords shade and a breeze. It was actually quite comfortable up there. The Red Sox won - yay!!! So I was happy and Phillip was a bit miffed.
Tuesday morning - July 4th - holiday! We wanted to start the day off on a good note. Phillip went for a run around the lake and I opted for the treadmill. And then I forgot my keys on the treadmill when I walked out of the gym. Our apartment complex is one of those that requires a fob for entry to every door and I was basically stuck. It was early on a holiday, so no one else was around to let me in and I had to wait here in the hallway until Phillip finished his run. #atleastitwasairconditioned
romper | sandals (similar) | rebel pendant | hammered hoops
I am not normally a romper person, but this one! Oh my gosh. It's Lou & Grey from Loft and it is pretty much universally flattering. So comfy and perfect for a summer holiday. The plan was to run a few errands, make lunch, make dinner, make dessert, and watch fireworks.
ps - for those asking, this is the strapless bra I wear under all of my strapless, spaghetti strap, weird neckline tops. It is hands down the best of the bunch.
Errand #1 - we stopped by the house. Eeeks! The framing is just about done. It looks like a house now. I want to move in tomorrow - ha!
romper | rebel pendant | parker sunglasses
Errand #2 - we had to stop at Kirkland's to pick up something I bought that was way to big for my Honda Accord. I had to bring Phillip and the truck to get it home. This is going in my office in the new house! It took up the whole back seat. I love the print though - it reminds me of summer in New England.
Lunch was one of our favorites, Pesto Pasta Salad. And then I made this deliciousness for dinner. Eggplant Rollatini. It's only 6SP for 2!!! Phillip and I both loved it. It's definitely going into Sunday dinner rotation.
One of our July 4th traditions is that I make skillet brownies for dessert. I make them in these adorable mini skillets. Usually we have them with vanilla ice cream, but in trying to be healthier (and dairy free for me), we made banana "ice cream" instead. We went with the chocolate peanut butter version and it was delicious, but nothing will ever compare to a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream.
The plan after dinner and dessert was to relax and then wander out to watch the fireworks on Lake Carolyn, but we were tired. So we opted out of the fireworks and went to sleep. It's hard when July 4th is in the middle of the week! Knowing I was getting up at 4:40 to go to barre on Wednesday morning, all I kept thinking was that I was never getting to bed before 11 if we went out to the fireworks. So we skipped it. Oh well. Maybe next year. Saturday, I am off to Phoenix for 5 days as the summer of travel continues...
xoxoxoxo
Oh hello, Monday. Are you back already? The weekend went by way too quickly. It always does. We had a busy week last week - work has been crazy for both of us. I'm hoping this week is a little slower. #fingerscrossed
Here's a peek into what we've been up to...
A little Monday morning barre action. This was not a great week for working out. I did get to Barre on Monday and Wednesday but we were lazy on Tuesday and Thursday and skipped a run. Friday I had to be at work early because we're interviewing candidates for a position and I would never have made it on time.
And then these happened...yep. You'll see how this week ended up a little later, but the girl scout cookies are not part of my healthy focus. I have two boxes left and they are going out for the staff to enjoy when I get back in the office on Monday. #focus #goals
Tuesday night I was trying to get homework finished and posted and this guy just wanted some love and attention.
I'm on book 4/50. Empty Mansions. It is excellent. It's the story of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark and is fascinating. If you are looking for an interesting read, this is for you.
I promise, I wasn't buying chips. I was at 7-11 buying lotto tickets (because the jackpots are over $100 million...) and I noticed those chips on the top shelf. Since when is "fiery hot" a flavor. Fiery hot what? I get that they're spicy, but "hot" isn't a flavor.
Last Friday in Friday Favorites, I talked about my current podcast obsession. My Favorite Murder is still at the top of the list and I started the newest episode over the weekend.
top | pants (similar) | sneakers
Saturday morning we got up early and went running at the gym. We're morning people, so to say we were up early is not quite accurate. 6am on a Saturday is about average for us. I say early because most every one else is still in bed at that time.
And then it was the moment of reckoning at my Weight Watchers meeting. Up 2.2 pounds. Gulp. Yeah, not pleased with that. I mean, I knew it was coming. It still sucks when you see it right there on the scale. I've got a game plan though and it starts with getting rid of those Girl Scout Cookies and packing healthy snacks for work so I stop wandering down to the bookstore for junk food. And....we need to get in gear on Tuesday and Thursday and get our workout in.
We had a few errands to run. A Target run and then grocery shopping. We needed to get it out of way because...
We got to spend the afternoon with the Birthday Girl! It was Phillip's mom's birthday and we went over there for some family time, lunch, and cake.
Saturday night was our usual date night and someone had a craving for the lettuce wraps at PF Chang's (ahem, Phillip).
I usually order the same thing when I go to PF Changs, but I switched it up last night and went with the Asian Waldorf Salad. It was so so good. My new favorite. I will definitely order this again.
And then I collapsed on the couch when we got home. We had a glass of wine and relaxed for a bit before calling it a night.
Sunday morning it was my turn to satisfy a craving - Chorizo Empanadas at Cafe Brazil. So yummy.
I took an hour Sunday afternoon to get a pedicure and relax for a bit. I was due and I love those massage chairs, ha!
This bag is a new favorite. It's the Olivia + Joy Zip Zoom Tote. I first spied it at my sister's when I was staying there at Christmas. I love it. It is perfect for work. It is roomy enough to carry my wallet, makeup pouch, glasses, ipad mini, planner, and a bunch of other things. I love all the pockets. The front zip ones hold my keys and work badges, mints, gum, etc. The side ones are great to throw a bottle of water or keys into. I slide my phone into one of those open front pockets. And...it doesn't feel heavy when I carry it around. If I had one complaint about my LV, it is that when I throw in all the things I named above, it feels very heavy.
tl;dr - this is an amazing bag at a great price point (under $45!) and you should buy one.
Our healthy game time snack this week was roasted chickpeas! Y'all, this is the easiest thing in the world to make.
Heat your oven to 400. Rinse and then thoroughly dry a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Make sure they are dry! Then, in a bowl with: 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp ground red pepper, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder (you can adjust the spices to suit your own taste). Roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Easy peasy! And super delicious.
And then, and then! Oh yeah, my boys made it. Again. Super Bowl here we come! I love my Patriots. Like great big puffy heart love them. And I am looking forward to cheering for them in 2 weeks!
That's what we've been up to...what's new with you all?
Make it a great week!
