I'm so grateful that we have an elliptical machine at our house. The first major housewarming purchase I made when Husband bought our house was an elliptical. It has definitely paid for itself over the years. This week, it was in the 90s after work and since I was sick over the weekend, I just couldn't stomach the idea of running in such heat. I'm so glad that I could use this machine to keep up my cardio and not overheat with an outside run. I'm sooooo thankful for Hobby Lobby. This store just has it all and it has been a lifesaver this week. I made a couple of gifts for my mom's birthday and stocked up on supplies at Hobby Lobby. Of course I also spent too much on craft ideas for myself but I figure, making things can cost the same as buying something somewhere or save money but either way, it's giving me something to do! This week I'm working on bracelets! And of course my mom's presents :) We are having tons of people in town this weekend for my mom's party and several are staying at my house. Since we have been traveling so much lately, I have barely had time at home and even less time to really deep-clean my house. My wonderful mother paid for her maid to come and clean my house this week and it was amazing!!! She cleaned things that I normally just don't get around to - like dusting everything and wiping down our entire trashcan! It's soo nice to come home to a clean house. Thanks, Mom. It was perfect! My September Birchbox goodies Yesterday I got my first Birchbox! I signed up to receive a monthly box with all sorts of goodies after a bit of prodding (there really wasn't too much needed) from my friend Jennifer. We figured we could compare what we got each month and then enjoy all the goodies! I was pleased with my first box and I'm hoping that next month is just as good! I'm thankful that Jennifer talked me into trying this out because it is definitely fun to have a little surprise of girly goods delivered to your door!
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I found this recipe on Fifteen Spatulas and it looks soooooo good. I have wanted to make it all week but haven't had a chance to run by the store to get the ingredients (I'm going today!), I don't even have to try it to know that it will taste delicious. I mean look at that incredible picture! Anyway, here is the recipe if you want to try it too! Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Cookies Yield: 2 dozen cookies INGREDIENTS:
My mom's 60th birthday is this weekend and to celebrate, we are throwing a 1920's themed party!! I'm so excited about all she has planned. We will have "bathtub gin", dance the Charleston, dress like flappers and much more! I've been working with her to send out invitations, make plans, plan my costume, etc. and yesterday, my husband asked what he should wear... oops! Totally forgot about getting him a costume!! haha. My bad. Soooooo.. I decided to look up some men's fashion from that era. There isn't much but I'll make sure to get him a hat. I did, however, find some super-cute women's outfits! I thought I'd share some pics of both (the small amount of) men's and women's fashion. They did dress pretty cute back then but I like today's fashion better ;) Father-in-law with me at the 5k This weekend Husband and I went to his parents' house for the weekend. Saturday morning, I ran a 5k that his dad's company sponsored me for. I also ran it with his cousin Lindsey so it was a two-for-one deal, I guess! I had only started running a couple weeks before so I was proud of my time at the end of the race. I came in 12th in my age group (and Lindsey came in 8th!). Saturday was Husband's high school reunion so I got to meet all the crazy kids I've heard so much about! For some reason, we didn't take any pictures at the reunion but we still had a good time. I think it was good for him to reconnect with his old friends! I'm thankful that I got to learn the Charleston this week. My mom's bday is next week and she's having a 20's themed party to bring in her 60th. One of our friends taught dance lessons when she was younger and is very versed in the Charleston. We got together on Tuesday night to learn and it was so much fun! I'm really looking forward to the party next weekend so I can show it off! I went on a run last night to prepare for the 5k I'm doing this weekend and even though I haven't run much lately, I wanted to make sure I could run the full 3.1 miles. Max and I ran a new route and I made the 3.1 with little trouble. (It was an easy run, though, so don't get too excited! haha). I'm so grateful that I have legs that will take me the distance no matter what. I've been trying to go easy on them this time around because of former injuries and they seem to appreciate it. I've been working hard to balance them out and not over-do it and I'm just thankful that they have responded! I'm getting my hair cut this afternoon!! I haven't had it cut since early June so I'm really looking forward to it. I've had this appointment scheduled all week and I'm so thankful that my stylist could fit me in! Husband's reunion is Saturday and I want to make sure I look sharp for him ;) The pic of Carrie Underwood is one of my ideas for my cut. Thoughts? This weekend my friend Rachel was in town and she got to go shopping in my closet. That gave me an excuse to organize and get rid of a lot of stuff while helping out a friend who can't really afford to buy tons of new clothes since she's raising two little boys. I'm grateful that she came and that I could give her a whole new wardrobe and I'm also thankful that I am reaping some benefits of it every time I go into my closet and can actually see what I have! I made these delicious Philly cheese steak stuffed peppers for dinner the other night and they were incredible! Husband complimented me several times on how tasty they were and I had leftovers for lunch yesterday and they were still superb. I found the recipe on Pinterest but I'll share it with you here as well! INGREDIENTS 8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef 8 Slices Provolone Cheese 2 Large Green Bell Peppers 1 Medium Sweet Onion 6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms 2 Tbs. Butter 2 Tbs. Olive Oil 1 Tbs. Garlic - Minced Salt and Pepper - to taste (2 Tbs. Peace and Love) DIRECTIONS Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds. Slice onions and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized. About 25-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400* Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook 5-10 minutes Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing. Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown. Serve and Enjoy!! I am running a 5K this weekend and my 10K (please don't forget to donate!!) in 3 1/2 weeks and I've been trying to get back into the groove of things. Like I've said before, I have a love-hate relationship with running so I'm always grateful after the run but it's hard to get started! When it's hot out (like it is 9-10 months in Texas), it's so hard to find the motivation to get up and go for a run. To make matters worse, I can't run in the mornings since I have to leave at 6:15am for work, so I can't get weekday runs in until the evening. By that point, I've had ample opportunity to talk myself OUT of running and I'm also exhausted from sitting for 10 hours straight! I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows they should run but can find a bagillion excuses why they should go tomorrow instead. Sometimes just a little motivational picture or article helps me get moving. I even got some charms for a necklace from my bro and husband that keep me thinking about running. I wear it every day so that I'm constantly reminded that I have encouragement. I gathered some motivational quotes/pictures for you to give you a little extra push so that maybe you will feel inspired to go work out today! It works for me!! This week has been tough on my family.
Hermano ended up in the hospital last weekend with a bad case of pancreatitis, a yeast infection in his digestive tract, ulcers on his small intestine, and colitis. We know he has been struggling with, what we thought was, Ulcerative Colitis for a couple years, but then we received news from his doctor on Tuesday that it isn't Ulcerative Colitis (UC) that he suffers from -- it's actually full-blown Crohn's disease. It was really hard on Hermano to hear this because that means that things just got more serious for him and his future will be even more of a struggle. It is something he will battle for the rest of his life. We are waiting to hear about a game plan (his multiple doctors need to consult) as to how we will proceed going forward. Fortunately, Hermano was released from the hospital yesterday so that is a step in the right direction! I've been doing some more research on Crohn's so that I understand what exactly it means for my brother and what kind of support is out there. I ran a half marathon with Team Challenge in 2010 when he was first diagnosed with UC and learned a little about it through the Chron's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). At that point, though, I was mainly focused on learning about UC. I know that CCFA has done a lot to research and raise awareness about Crohn's but there is so much more out there. I hope to do more to help my bro out and may even run another race to raise money for him and this effort. I know several other people (one of my best friends) who are suffering with UC and Crohn's and I really hope that their quality of life will improve with future discoveries. Hopefully I can help! You can help too. Check out the Team Challenge website and the CCFA website to learn how you can give back! Here is some humor for you about Crohn's (it's a digestive disorder) that I sent to my brother to give him a laugh: This week, Salice and I finally got to go visit the Houstom Museum of Natural Science to see the Titanic Exhibit. She and I have wanted to see it for months but something kept coming up and ruining our plans. I was grateful to share such an interesting experience with her and we even got to speak with the curator and see some extras that aren't on display at the museum! It was great to share the experience with her and we even made a date out of it. Dinner and a museum -- what more can you ask for??? :) This week receive some disappointing news about my brother. He has been in the hospital since the weekend and was diagnosed with full-fledged Crohn's disease. Previously, we had been told that he was suffering from Ulcerative Colitis but now we know that he has an even longer battle ahead of him. I am so thankful for all the support and prayers from friends and family for his health and recovery from his current bout of GI issues. We are so blessed to have people thinking about him and checking up on him. And, I'm blessed to have friends who are there supporting all of us. Thank you all. Today, my friend Rachel and her family come to stay with us. Rachel and I have been friends since we were in elementary school. I can't believe that I can look at her now with her two babies (2&3) and remember her just a couple years older than those boys! On Friday, she and her family were driving through Houston to meet her in-laws for a week in Galveston and they had some time to kill. Luckily, I had just arrived from my business trip and was about 15 minutes away! We got to spend about 45 minutes together completely impromptu! Sometimes those are the best visits! I'm thankful she gets to spend the next couple of days with me as well! I'm so thankful for my morning dates with my friend Kim (my anchor ;)). Whether it's to our favorite Starbucks or to get some breakfast, our dates really help my days. Not sure what I'd do without her here (so she can't even change jobs! Or get preggo again and leave me... haha). This weekend, I was really craving pumpkin pancakes so before church on Sunday morning, I got up early and made some delicious pumpkin pancakes and added some chocolate chips to make them that much tastier! Then, instead of syrup, Husband and I covered them with whipped cream! Since we had a cool front come through that day, it was the perfect introduction to fall! And, the pancakes were so good that we ate them with every meal!! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes INGREDIENTS: 1 cup Bisquick 1 egg 2 tablespoons of canola oil 1/2 cup milk (or a little more if you want to make the pancakes a little thinner) 1/2 can of pumpkin puree 1 tsp pumpkin spice Chocolate chips - as many as you like! DIRECTIONS: Mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Then cook like regular pancakes (on a skillet or griddle until cooked through) and top with whipped cream or maple syrup. Or you can eat them plain!! |
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