Catching Up

I figured now was as good a time as any to squeeze a post in... considering I've been lying awake for the past 3 1/2 hours.  Funny how you can be exhausted and still not able to sleep.

Things have been quite busy around our house.  With J working crazy hours, I haven't had much time to jump on the computer... and I crash and burn as soon as Finley does lately.  One exciting tidbit-- J and I went on a date night last Saturday!  Okay, so maybe that's just exciting for us.  Seriously.  It was huge.  We got a sitter for the third time ever and went out to celebrate my birthday.  It's been eons since we've really celebrated any birthdays, and since it fell on a weekend this year, I was not passing up the opportunity!  I can see why we don't do it often (as in 3 times in 2 years often!).  The sitter alone cost us $75.  We've decided that we need to make an effort to do it at least once a quarter in order to keep our sanity... or maybe I decided that.  Either way, I'm going to make it happen.

I didn't ask for much for my birthday.  Actually, I only asked for a date night and a new iPod.  I blaze through iPods like they're candy.  After running my last half marathon with my iPhone, I knew it was time to break down and buy something smaller.  Today, my brand new Nano arrived.  I can't wait to start using it.  I had planned to get a Shuffle because it clips on, but I couldn't pass up the (three times as expensive) Nano when I realized it clips on, too, and has radio capability.  Plus, I like being able to have multiple playlists that I can choose from.  If you order from Apple, you can have it engraved.  My first choice was deemed inappropriate.  Oops.  (For inquiring minds, it was the blunt message, "Get off your ***.")  I settled for "Shake your booty".  Which leads me to...

Y'all... I have been to the gym four times this week.  I mean, sweating so hard my vision is blurry.  This is a miracle.  Why am I telling you this?  Because I think that hearing someone else is doing something to get in shape is motivating.  My friend, Cyndi, set a walking goal for August.  She posted pics on Instagram and updates on Facebook.  Every time I saw her posts, I thought, "Why am I not doing something too?"  Goals are good!  So, if you think it's weird that I posted a view of me doing crunches on Instagram, too bad.  It motivates me, and who knows, maybe it motivates someone else, too.  Having someone to be accountable to makes me want to keep it up.  Anyone want to join me in a shape up challenge?  I'm not talking The Biggest Loser-- I'm talking accountability partners.  Who's in?  If you want, check out my workout board on Pinterest.  I also have one for healthy eating. (Don't confuse it with the yum, cake, cookie and dessert boards.  Those are deadly.)  Do any of you have Pinterest boards related to healthy living?  I'd love to know about them!  Do you have songs you love to hear while working out?  I need some new ones and am not up on all of the new stuff.  Leave a comment with your favorites!

Next week, little man and I are traveling to visit my little brother in his new town-- Houston.  Any readers from that area?  I'm very excited for the trip.  Since he graduated, he scored an engineering job there (making more than me straight out of gate!) and just made the move from AR last week.  He asked me to come down to help him pick out furniture.  Decorating with someone else's money-- how could I pass that up?  My mom and step-dad are going to drive down for the visit, as well.  I miss my family so much and cannot wait for this trip!

A couple of days ago, I finally made the effort to start listing some things on Ebay.  This task has been on my list for a year now!  I don't have everything up, but it's a good start.  I have a few West Elm pillows to list still, my huge rubber stamp collection and more shoes.  You'll notice the theme is never worn/used or used once or twice.  Sad, but I'm finally letting go!  I'm even parting ways with three pair of cowboy boots in awesome shape.  If you're a reader and you bid on something, let me know!  I'd love to hear from you.  As I post more items, I'll drop a note here to give you a heads up first.

Now that the sun is up, I'm going to sign off.  I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Moving Right Along...

We had a fabulous weekend in Denver. Our seats at the Rockies v. Brewers game were amazing. We were only 7 rows directly behind the former CO governor, Bill Owens... which also meant we were just out of the wait service section. I was drooling as I watched everyone get served food and beverages without having to leave their seat. Obviously our tickets were a bit cheaper than theirs. I think our seats spoiled us for future games, though. They were just that great...
That empty seat in the front row was where the former governor was sitting. I didn't want to look like a stalker, so I waited until he got up to take a pic. I only almost got hit by a foul ball once. :) I was smart and ate Chick-fil-A before the game, so I only had to pay for a lemonade (which was hand-squeezed amazingness) and a pretzel. J, on the other hand, blew through $40 in no time between food and a couple of beers. After the game, we walked back to our hotel and realized we weren't ready to retire just yet. So, we stopped at Katie Mullen's Irish Pub and listened to an amazing blues guy. (You're probably thinking what we were... blues in an Irish pub?!) We didn't catch the name, but it was great to sit and listen-- and I didn't feel totally out of place drinking my club soda with cranberry. Surprisingly, we sat right next to girl with a Razorback shirt on, but I didn't feel like bugging her about whether she was actually from Arkansas. We saw three people from Steamboat in there, too. When it came time to leave, my feet were throbbing from all of the walking. It's amazing what a few extra pounds does. I looked like I had sausage fingers and toes. It was hot.

The next day, we went to just about every home store you could imagine in order to find a new media console. J was sure that our old one was fine, but it wasn't meant to hold a television... let alone our new, larger television. I had nightmares that the dogs would run down the stairs and send it toppling over. Plus, our child will be pulling up on it in no time and could hurt himself. Our last stop was at Pier 1, and we ended up buying the one that I had liked to begin with. (I guess I should say it was the one that I kind of liked that was actually in our price range.) I kept thinking we might find something better, but we weren't happy with anything else we saw... and this one was on sale. They only had the floor model in stock and weren't willing to sell it to us. That is... until my husband said we had driven 3 hours to get it and weren't coming back anytime soon (which is when I promptly stuck my belly out as far as possible and walked over to find out what the deal was). I told him that they weren't going to be willing to let a $400 sale go out the door, and sure enough, the manager changed her mind. Yay!
We also stopped at Anthropologie to use my birthday discount. Unfortunately, they no longer carry the white ruffled shower curtain that I have been loving for eons. Naturally, I waited too long to decide I would splurge on it. Instead, I got this one, while J slept on a chair outside. Gotta love a guy that knows his wife is going to take forever to look at everything in the store, despite not being able to fit into any of the clothes. I was really, really good and didn't buy anything else. It was torture.
On our way out of the big city, we stopped at Home Depot. I sold the mismatched lamps from our living room in our yard sale last month and had decided we needed sconces to go on each side of our couch. I specifically wanted swing-arm sconces with shades. I had looked online for something earlier in the week and hadn't settled on anything, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to check Home Depot. They had something that was similar, so we picked up a couple. The shades ended up being a bit smaller than I would like, but that's an easy fix.

When we got home, we got to work. We had had the carpets cleaned while we were gone because of the infamous chimney-sweep incident, so we had to move all of the furniture back into the room. We put the new media console in place and installed the sconces. Doing so made me promptly realize that I really, truly hate the area rug we had in there. Gone! Isn't it funny how putting in a few new things makes you instantly think that something else doesn't work? It was like a whole new room. And... my husband now thinks I'm crazy. Hey-- I call it nesting.

More Super Bowl Munchies...

Just in case you still haven't decided what to make this Super Bowl Sunday (or any day for that matter), here's a great link to some healthier recipes!

Here'a a great spinach dip recipe that has been adapted in a "lite" way:
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 cup finely chopped green onions (with tops)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 1 hr. Makes about 4 1/2 cups of dip.

We're watching the game at our friends' house, and I only have to bring an app... now, I just need to decide what to bring!

You Know What I'm Talking About if You're in the SEC...

No, not that SEC. I'm talking about football. That's right... I interrupt my regularly scheduled posts to talk about my favorite pastime... football. If you went to school in the SEC, you know what I'm talking about. The football season is when my girly side gets ugly. It's like a part of me becomes ruthless. I yell a lot and point fingers. (I do host an entertaining football party, though.)

I personally have a soft spot for my Razorbacks. Last weekend gave us our first loss of the regular season. Alabama wiped us all over the field. It was sad.
This weekend, we play the most hated rival of all... Texas! (This is where I start the trash-talking with my dad, as he has lived there with my step-mom since I was in fourth grade.) Memories come flooding back from Cotton Bowl 2000 (the Y2K New Year that had everyone in a panic) in Dallas- AR vs TX. I was just a couple of rows up on the 30 yard line... so close I could almost touch the players. We won. I had such a fun time of it when I got back to my dad's house and reveled in the win for a good hour. (I'll forget the part about taking my college BF to the game.)

The rest of the season looks like it's going to be a doozy. I already have bets out for the Auburn game and wish I could go. My coworker and I trash-talk every year whilst betting on who will kick the other's butt. An ugly ritual, but a ritual nonetheless. If I borrow Erin's favorite Southern saying, will it make the ugliness sound better? "Bless your heart... we're just gonna stomp all over your Tigers." I think it helps if you imagine me saying it with a Southern drawl.

Do you have an ugly side when it comes to sports? WOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOIEEE!

Log Miles For Charity

Do you have the Nike+ system? If so, you should think about joining the latest Nike + challenge. Log your training miles for charity! For the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Nike and the Bank of America are teaming up to donate up to $100,000 in conjunction with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support two local Chicago charities - Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Imerman Angels.

Help lead the charge in the fight against cancer by joining the Nike+ Marathon Charity Challenge and logging your runs on nikeplus.com. The number of dollars donated depends on the number of miles you run and log through Nike+!

I just joined today. Helping others while helping yourself. Sounds like a good idea to me.