fall fun

Well... not really, but we've had some cool weather the last few days which is putting me in the mood for Fall!  We have had enough heat this summer, which is usually my favorite time of year, that I am ready for hoodies, moccasins, bon fires, Halloween, comfort food, & everything else that comes along with the Autumn season. 

I can't wait to fill the new house with fall decor!  I found some really cute things on Pinterest that I want to try... check out my "Seasonal" pin board.  Also, I found this Family Circle magazine in the bathroom at work.  It's from October 2011, but it has some really cute Halloween decorating ideas & the great thing about it is you can find their templates and instructions online.  Here is the link to some Halloween Fun!  I love the idea of painting pumpkins, a lot easier than carving, which is fun & messy, but I think I will be trying something new this year.

Fall clothes are also a favorite, Ugg Moccasins, North Face jacket, cute sweaters from Buckle, hoodies, sweatpants.  Plus leggings with cute shirts, jean jackets, scarves... 

This weekend we are going to Mark Day's on Saturday night.  It's supposed to be pretty cool out.  Looking forward to chaps & leather jacket... also a big part of my fall wardrobe.

Oh & one other thing... fall food, here is a favorite recipe of mine that goes over well at any football party, Ugly Sweater Party, or any other event...

We are ALMOST done with the house!  I am hoping to post before and after pictures on my next post.  I should be able to get photos of everything this weekend.  I can't wait to post pictures & of course I will be hosting a beginning of Fall, end of Summer, bonfire, housewarming party hopefully some time in September.  Probably the weekend of the 29th because we seriously have plans every other weekend, between labor day weekend, weddings, bridal showers, & our 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, every weekend in September is booked, might as well book the last one.

Nothing new in the world of baby-making.  Still trying & keeping our fingers crossed every month.  It's been more of an afterthought as of late as stated in my last post due to all the craziness of moving.  The dust will be settling soon (or the dust will be cleaned and vacuumed up soon) and we will get back into our normal routine, which I am sooo looking forward to. 

not all glitz and glam

I am sooo ready for a vacation!  Bermuda cruise is in the works for Joe's 30th, but that's not til next June!

As blessed and happy as I feel about my life & the things going on in it, there are just some days when all the craziness hits me & I begin to shut down a bit.  Today was one of those days.  The first day in long time too. I think all of the things we have had going this summer, between plans every weekend, the new house, and being over loaded at work, it's all starting to take a toll on my body and mind.  Even my borderline obsession with getting pregnant hasn't been much of anything but an afterthought as of late.  I think it's completely normal for the body to act this way after putting it under stress & not giving it the mental and physical attention it deserves to keep balanced.  So how do I deal with all of this?

Me time...

First of all I believe a well deserved pedicure is in order!  When?  I don't know, hopefully soon.  And possibly a tanning package.  I know that probably isn't the healthiest thing to do to my body, but man does tan skin feel good, & honestly, I haven't seen as much of the sun as I normally do in the summer because of the house.  Goodbye pasty legs!

Us time...

Friday we are taking a break and going to Bartley's and to see The Dark Knight Rises.  Date night!  I can't wait.  It's been a couple of weeks since we have done a date night, just the two of us.  The last time we had a date we went to Applebee's & to see Ted.  I am not a huge fan of the movie theater here in town, but I am a fan of date night with my husband.  We have been spending a ton of time together, working together as the great team that we are on this house, but we need some fun, work-free, relaxing time together too.  Really looking forward to it.

Work time...

I have been doing work for another area because they are short handed.  I welcome as much work as possible because it keeps me busy, but this is a busy time for us in our own area, let alone taking work from another operating center.  I am pretty good at making sure I prioritize equally & try not to spread myself too thin.  I need to make sure that when I get to a point that I feel I can't handle any more work, I kindly decline any additional work, or ask for help, this is much better said than done.

Social time...

Between rekindling relationships with old friends, making new friends, weddings, house parties, cook outs, boating, swimming, wine club membering, blogging, pinning, facebooking, what a busy summer it has been & continues to be.  I am the matron of honor in a wedding in October & I can't wait for my beautiful friend Jen to get married.  She found an amazing man, and if anyone deserves an amazing man, it's her.  It's been so fun planning with her, and having already had my own wedding, I love being involved in the planning of hers because it's such a fun, (and at times stressful) thing to do.  I've been spending lots of time with my girlfriends doing all kinds of things like concerts & male review shows.  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of  my best friend of 21 years, sister-in-law, & mother of my two favorite children, Jodie.  She just happens to be married to Joe's brother Jon, they have been together for around 10 years & are high school sweethearts.  How happy were we when Joe and I started dating... and now we are sisters!  She will be home in October with her family for Jen's wedding & family camp-out.  It's going to be such a blast having them here.  Clearly lots of social events, past, present, & future this summer.  Cancel some social events.

my bestie Jodie, me & Jen

I am looking forward to the time when I am able to go home from work right at 3 with no errands to run or places to go, plopping on my couch with my dog, & catching up on my DVR.  Right now I have 7 episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  We are just catching up on 5 episodes of Wilfred, and don't get me started on how many Kendra on Top I have missed because they play 2 episodes a week! Yikes!

I love every moment I have had this summer so far, with tomorrow being the first day of August & fall fast approaching (thank God!), it reminds me that time just flies, & like Ferris Bueller says, "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you might miss it".  There is nothing but truth in that quote.  No matter what has happened this summer whether it be good or bad, I once again am reminded of how blessed and happy I am in my life.  I may be still recovering from a terrible accident, but I have great things, and wonderful people in my life. 

Stay tuned for before and after pics of the house!  

rock that body... diet & exercise

Thought I'd post something about my diet & exercise routine which I have to say, has honestly been a roller coaster since the  accident.  

I love to cook, & I try to eat healthy most of the time, but never deny myself something that I really want & don't punish myself if I sometimes over indulge because I would be under constant scrutiny if I did.  Most of my recent favorites can be found on my Pinterest pin board,  Yummy Stuff!  A few that I've made recently that I've really enjoyed:

Gnocchi Mac n Cheese

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

Blackened Chicken with Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Cream Cheese Sausage Pinwheeles (I used ground beef)

Pulled pork sandwiches

I try to use Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, mayo, & sour cream.  If I do use either of the other 3 aforementioned ingredients, I buy light or low-fat.  I also do this with salad dressings.  The taste is not that different, but plain Greek Yogurt is by far the healthiest (also no or low-fat) & it works just as well if not better.  It doesn't have to be softened, & it's creamy.  

We also have our own garden, we grow tomatoes, and lots of peppers including jalapenos, bells, banana, and habeneros, also green beans, & green onions.  We have done okra in the past too.  I love to make fresh salsa or poppers on the grill with low-fat cream cheese and bacon. 

here is some of the salsa I made this weekend.

Here are some of our favorites:

1lb ground beef

1 pie crust (I use the boxed one)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped peppers (I use a jar of sweet)
4oz. Daisy Lite Sour Cream
4oz. Non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 tomato finely sliced

Shredded cheese (I like to use a Mexican blend)

Brown ground beef & chopped onions, drain & add garlic powder & chili powder.  Mix well.  Fill pie crust with the ground beef mixture.  Mix together sour cream, Greek yogurt, & chopped peppers.  Spread evenly over the ground beef.  Thinly slice tomatoes and cover the pie with the slices, then cover the pie with shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend works best).  Bake the pie at the temp according to the pie crust for 30+ minutes or until cheese pie crust is golden brown.

1 Pillsbury Flat Bread Pizza Crust

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. hot sauce
1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
Steak Seasoning (an orange powdered spice not A1)
Ranch or Blue Cheese
Shredded mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, etc…

Precook pizza crust for 5-7 minutes according to the temp on the package.  Season chicken with steak seasoning, (a little on each side will do) & cook in a skillet until done.  Shred chicken (I throw mine in the Kitchen Aid with the paddle, it shreds it like restaurant style, AMAZING! Thank you Pinterest).  Heat the tomato sauce, butter, hot sauce & Tabasco sauce & add chicken once boiling.  Coat the chicken with the mixture.  Use ranch or blue cheese dressing as the sauce, spread evenly over precooked crust.  Spread chicken evenly over the crust, add your cheese, pop back in the oven for an additional 5+ minutes or until cheese is melted & enjoy!  The guys LOVE it!

1 package Phyllo dough (found in the freezer section)

1 stick of butter (approx.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small bag leaf spinach
1 1/2 cups Italian blend cheese

Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper, oregano, basil, & garlic powder.  Cut up into cubes & cook all the way through in a skillet, set cubes aside.  Cut stick of butter in 1/2 and heat in the microwave until melted.  Brush each sheet of Phyllo dough with butter, fold in half & layer on top of each other, (try to use 3-4 sheets per packet, so folded you will have 6-8 layers of dough).  In the center of each square, put a few leaves of spinach, a few cubes of chicken, then sprinkle with cheese.  Fold each corner of your dough up & to close the filling in.  Brush with additional butter & set on a cookie sheet.  Phyllo dough will come in a box with 2 rolls of  sheets, one roll will make 4-6 packets depending on how many sheets you layer, a few layers is good though, you don't want them to be too thin.  Set oven to 350 and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

These are a tad messy to make & take more effort than other dishes but they taste amazing.  The butter makes the dough flakey and delicious.  I highly recommend these.   


As far as working out goes, most of my workouts have been done at physical therapy which I have been doing for about 16 weeks now with at least 10 more to go, I might be going for a full year.  Before the accident I would go to the Y roughly four times a week.  Tuesday's and Thursday's were water aerobics night, which I love & once we finally settle down in the house I plan to go back.  It will be a great workout for my knee & it's low-impact.  It's an hour long & it doesn't even really feel like a workout.  Plus it's in the therapy pool so the water is warm, I love it.  I wear a one piece (so JR. high) & water shoes because the bottom of the pool is awful.  I got these from Swim Outlet for real cheap.  I spend the other two days in the fitness room on the elliptical, treadmill, & whatever random machines I feel like working on.

So we are finally about done with the house & will be moving in this weekend!  I will be posting pics soon, everything is looking amazing,  The paint colors turned out awesome.  Right now we are working on the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation which is time consuming, but has so far been pretty easy!  Stay tuned!