7.27.2012

fresh start

Summer is a really weird season for me. For some reason, I have zero motivation to cook or take part in physical activity. Pretty much the only physical activity I want to do is swim and leisurely ride bikes. 
With all that said, I regularly find myself in a slump after work and end up eating unhealthy stuff for dinner. It's bad and I feel bad ... all around. I'm going to talk to Josh and getting into a workout routine together -- I've been putting off talking to him about it because I know he'll push me to do it. So this is my way of putting it out there to the universe so I have to do it.
There are so many amazing fruits and vegetables in season right now. These cherry tomatoes literally taste like candy. During the school year I'm so good about staying on a schedule -- on Sunday morning I meal plan for the week, shop, and then cook/prep a few meals. I need to find a way to make this work in the summer by finding really easy, quick, and healthy things to make. Who wants to stand in a hot kitchen cooking?
Oh, and another thing. I would like to give up chocolate for awhile (I have a drug-like dependency on it). I have tried giving it up a few times -- it's hard at first but in a few weeks I get used to it. 

Let's see how this goes. I will check back in next week for an update ... hopefully Josh will survive "me without chocolate". 







7.22.2012

camera bag

I'm not even pretending I know anything about taking pictures. Actually, I'm openly saying I don't know what the f I'm doing. With that said, it is SO fun!
I'm also not afraid to say that little "Rebs" is my baby. And you wouldn't go cheapsies on a car seat for your baby, right? Didn't think so.
When the nice girl at Best Buy handed me a camera bag I just bought it. It was $50 ... the cheapest one that would fit my camera. It was also super ugly ... so I returned it.
After too much research, I ended up with the best camera bag ever. It's cute, functional, affordable, and comfortable. *The price went up significantly since I bought it ... but it's still worth it I think!










7.21.2012

bedroom: sneak peak

The bedroom is slowly taking shape. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it could be my favorite room in the house. Since buying the place we've poured all our energy into the first floor -- you know, so we could actually have people over. In turn our room went totally neglected.
The vision is so have a space we could walk into at the end of the day and feel totally at peace. Clutter-free, clean (ie. no tools allowed ... I've had a putty knife sitting on my window sill for months), & organized. 

Still to-do:
+ finish assembling the ikea wardrobes
+ organize clothes into wardrobes 
+ install the lighting
+ finish painting the molding
+ make curtain rods from black pipes
+ final coat of paint on brick
+ finish Josh's side-shelf
+ figure out mirror situation


Ps. I'm obsessed with the herringbone rug.










7.16.2012

dinner: buffalo tempeh

My friend Katy has always made this Buffalo Tempeh (it's just a grain ... nothing weird!). She promised me it was really easy to make -- I didn't believe her so I watched her make it. It really is easy! And so good! And really high in protein!
You basically take one pack of tempeh (3 grain), slice it, and throw it in a frying pan with 3/4 bottle of buffalo sauce. Let it cook until both sides are dark brown.
Serve on a delicious roll with blue cheese dressing and arugula.
The perfect summer meal!



7.15.2012

cloth napkins. POW!

I've been wanting to paint some cloth napkins (thanks for the napkins, mom & dad) for awhile now -- so while watching lots of quality reality TV ... I did! Watching a Real Housewives marathon isn't really that bad if your doing something while you watch it, right?
The paint is an aqua color from the Martha Stewart Line (from Michaels). I used basic painters tape to cover the areas that I didn't want painted. Simple as that. I only did one coat -- so it wouldn't feel stiff and would look a bit imperfect.
Josh makes this french toast ... I don't even like french toast and this is my favorite breakfast. I'll have to post the recipe sometime.
We are working on our bedroom today -- painting the walls and caulking/painting the molding. We finally picked up a wardrobe from IKEA, among a few other things. Can't wait to get this done!









7.08.2012

part three: naples

For us, Naples is everything we could want in a vacation. Quiet, beach, pool.
Unless of course you get phenomena ... like me. I started to feel a little funny our last day in Orlando -- by the next morning I had a fever and couldn't really talk/breath but was still delusion-ally calling family members asking for help (sorry Mom & Aunt Karen!). High fevers really don't bring out the best in me.
I just wanted to get to my Grandma's place so I could lay on the couch. Little did I know I'd be on that couch for four days with a fever that wouldn't let up. An entire day was spent at an immediate medical clinic where I got some stronger meds. The last two days of the trip were really nice ... we spent them at the beach (and when the hurricane winds got too strong ...) at the pool. Some vacations really don't go according to plan -- but at least we were able to get away. On the last night we went on a boat tour ... one of the best things to do while in Naples. This is how I want to remember our trip.










7.04.2012

part two: orlando

Last year we drove through downtown Orlando and were really surprised. Usually when we think of Orlando The Mouse immediately comes to mind. It's totally separate from Disney though ... with sweet little restaurants, shops, parks, and lakes everywhere. Not too mention it is extremely dog friendly -- the waiters at restaurants brought out water for Sauce before us! It was hard not to picture ourselves living there.
We visited with our family who recently moved to the Orlando area. It was so nice to spend time with them.
Oh, and not only is the nearby dog park on a lake, but it has a doggie-pool and a doggie water fountain! Not to mention palm trees ...











7.01.2012

part one: durham

On the way down to Florida we made a stop in Durham, NC. Luckily, there was a food truck festival (over 35 trucks!) the weekend we were there. It was amazing ... the Salted Carmel ice cream from Parlor was hands-down the best ice cream I've ever had. We set a blanket out and relaxed ... while eating of course. 
This was our first trip with Sauce ... he did really well. Especially with having to sit in the car for 20+ hours each way. He's pretty easy going in new environments -- as long as we're there with him. We learned so much about traveling with a pet!

Thanks NC for a great start to our vacation ...