Just a hint of Spring

I think everyone in this geographical area got a much deserved taste of spring yesterday. Temperatures got up into the 60's and it was just so pleasant out. After another weekend of casual plans - here it is Monday, dreary and already chilly.

Friday night Chad and I met my good friend Keri and her long-distance beau for pizza and beer. We had a great time - how can you not have fun with friends, pizza and beer? YUM.

Saturday we caught Mason's basketball game and then grabbed some lunch w/ my brother and the crew.

Hallie made her way into our car and Mom and had decided to get pedicures with our gift certificates (Thank you, Valentine). Hallie of course wasn't missing this. We got there, and everyone else in Bowling Green had the same idea. So, after waiting for 30 minutes, we each got a chair and then basically waited for another 30 minutes. Hallie was a TROOPER. So much that she lucked up with the Princess Pedicure which cost Mimi $20...but the laughs - even the laughs today - were so worth it.


Mom and I then ventured to Nashville yesterday to browse some of the outdoor shops and go to Trader Joe's. LOVE. THAT. PLACE....Mom was needing some mother/daughter time and she got it! We had fun!

Came home to hubs and cooked a great meal and watched The Time Travelers Wife. A great night!! (maybe I can cross finishing that book off my list now?)

Chicken Pasta Bake 6 servings
1 pound penne pasta (I used organic, whole wheat....it was great) 2 pounds ricotta cheese 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk (I used 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2. Didn't realize I needed that). 1 egg 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained 1 (10-ounce) package or 2 cups cooked chunked chicken breast 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare penne pasta according to package directions; drain. Coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, evaporated milk, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix until well combined. Stir in broccoli and cooked chicken; mix well. Add the penne and toss gently until well mixed; pour into baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes then remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Exercise Update:
Friday - 20 or 30 minutes on treadmill. Can't remember
Saturday - a quick walk w/ Hallie and dogs
Sunday - shopping
Monday - woke up to walk...but just got in the guest room bed to watch the news. Yikes..I'm not doing very good.

Logging it in

Tuesday - no workout.

Wednesday - 30 minutes on treadmill in a.m.

Here goes Monday

Well, I know my one lone follower had been dying to get my update, so Jackie, here we go!

Since last week, I went to my fourth John Mayer concert. He was great, as always, but getting weirder by the day. The concert made some national press as he literally broke down crying during a random venting session...and...considering some of the horrible comments he's had in the media lately, I agree with John...SHUT UP and Just play your guitar...Wow..Strange, sexy man.

Any how, the ladies who went were fun. We ate at Whiskey Kitchen in Nashville beforehand. It was a trendy, quaint, cool place that had a great, affordable menu. In honor of Whiskey, I drank Washington Apple Martinis and oooo they were delish. We all got different appetizers and it was yummy! Fried green tomatoes, artichoke and sun dried tomato pizza, nachos, spinach dip, seafood mix, chicken bites and sweet potato fries! OMG! Here is a pic of us at WK. It is so fun to laugh with women who are in different stages of life. I don't know them all really personally but it was a blast! And here is Johnny boy (I feel after 4 concerts, I can call him that).

Getting home at 1 a.m. was worth it (and so was being called Cougars as we were leaving the show). Thursday was a long day but Friday was around the corner. We celebrated my mom's birthday on Thursday. In true Simpson family chaos style; we dined at Steak and Shake which is about all that 3 kids under 7 can handle. I splurged and bought Gigi's cupcakes in lieu of a cake...and due to the price, I made sure everyone ate one or at least licked on one. Whew. In deed those will be reserved for very special occasions.

This weekend was really nice. My parents and brother and his crew left for Gaitlinburg so we knew we would have a quiet weekend here in BG. Well, quiet if you consider three dogs trying to fight and hump each other (we had my parents dog). Wow...Friday night we rented Love Happens which was alright. Saturday we met Chad's cousins and brother/sister-in-law and bowled. It was fun to bowl one set and then gab with Rachel for another! We went to Mariah's bar that night to just get out of the 3 dog house. Eddie tried to 'romanticize' Jayla as long as we could stand it....

Valentine's Day was Sunday, as you know. I've never been a bit fan of Vday. I feel like it makes women look needy and the focus somehow shifts from expressing love to expressing the want for your mate to be a SEXY VIXEN. Yah, not for me. When Chad and I met, I decided that I would make us a really nice meal. Candles and all. I have kept that up and really enjoy it. I was telling him last night that around January 1st I start to wonder what I'm going to cook but then as if fate would have it - the recipes just pop up. We dined on:

Chicken Breasts stuffed w/ artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan

Asparagus w/ olive oil and salt/pepper

Couscous (Thank you Jackie)

Cresent Rolls

Chocolate Mousse Torte

Pinot Grigio (used for cooking and drinking).

I found Jackie's delish dessert on her blog and then she helped recommend the other side dish. Thank you dear friend!

For the first time I pounded chicken and was not a fan. Seeing the juices splatter everywhere took me into GERM PHOB ALERT...Chad had to take over and I just agreed to wipe everything down. Even the coffee pot. You never know :)

We really enjoyed the meal and our exchange of cards and small gifts. Isn't it funny how really a card can be the best gift? It was nice to look at him over the candlelight and really not have to say much but know it was all being said.

We also went to see Dear John yesterday. I'm not a Nicholas Sparks book fan; but the movie was really sweet. I recommend.

So...It's almost lunchtime on Monday. WHOOHOO! More snow....but a slow day. Clearly I don't function as well with to many slow days!

Off to speak to a College Public Relations group tonight. No doubt I'll end up feeling like I'm 40. I was already stressing about what jeans to wear this a.m. Our intern just told me I was OK. Whew.

Workout Log (something new I'm adding): 30 min. on treadmill

To bad we don't have kids...

I say that only because I. Don't. Sleep. I have no idea what is going on but I am hoping that by 9:15 on Friday a.m. a doctor has a remedy. Most nights I wake up around 1 a.m. for any sort of reason; I dreamed something, I think I heard something, I think I heard something or I think I heard something. I toss for a while, get hot, get up, go to the guest room or couch...lay there for a while, doze off and on and then go back to bed at 4 a.m. Typically I wake Chad during this process - you know, "Can i turn the TV on?" He loves to hear my voice at those odd hours, I just know he does. Well, this a.m. might have been the breaking point. I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. with a HORRIBLE headache (thank you cocktail hour...I have to start eating when I have beverage or two...). This included taking a Excederin migraine (which is rare), putting a sleep mask on and asking everyone to be quiet. I finally fell asleep close to 10 p.m. and then woke up thinking I heard Eddie barking at 1 a.m. He wasn't. It was a dream but a really real one. I asked Chad if I could turn the TV on (just for reassurance), watched TV til 2 a.m., decided to move to the couch. Got there, realized I needed to use the potty, got there and realized I was blessed with my monthly visitor (does it get any better?), got back to the couch, realized I really could use a Midol but to hell with that...dozed off and on and got back to bed at 4 am...alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. for the treadmill and luckily we have SNOW so I was able to lay around til 7. I did get on the treadmill (my boss had text me to take my time coming in!) for 30 minutes; thank you highlight of the a.m., and proceeded on with my routine. In dog news, Eddie seemed a bit grumpy today. He did lay on the bed and watch me on the treadmill which I believe is true love and admiration. Perhaps he is cross eyed from it so when I leaned in for the hug - he was a bit overwhelmed? Emma on the other hand has warmed up to the snow. She found some great frozen poop treats in the yard. She was obsessed. GAG ME.

Did I mention our kitchen sink is stopped up and has been out of commission for 48 hours now? Yes, that is great fun for a dog who needs his food soaked and then drained and for those of us that like to rinse things off, and just use the sink. Maybe seeing a frozen hose, mud, mulch, leaves and snow in my kitchen last night started the headache. I'm not sure, bottom line I need a few things: 1. sink to be fixed by my non plumber Husband who swears he can fix it (Mr. Plumber, we'll be calling you soon), 2. Cramps to ease up - come on 3.) Sleep to happen upon me one glorious night 4.) John Mayer concert to be fun and safe...We don't get snow often so when we do - it's monumental. There was actually no mention of much snow last night and then about 4:30 it started to POUR snow...and it POURED for 2+ hours...and under it is ice. Oh yes, this is the big kind of winter weather. Police actually blocked off some roads last night because of the idiots out driving (not us, of course). Another headache prompter, I believe. Oh, and let me clarify. I did not drink and drive. I had a cocktail after work. Got home and Chad drove us in the ice and snow. What fun (not).

So Wednesday, here I face you. Not as motivated as yesterday, coffee, blueberries and Cocoa roasted almonds in hand. It's 10:00 a.m. - what am I going to accomplish today?

Is it happy hour yet?

What a day it has been. I came into work with a panic thinking I really needed to accomplish a lot today. Job done....I would feel more accomplished had I gotten up to walk this a.m., but the vision of snow outside and my walk to the couch at midnight and back to the bed at 3 a.m. again made the bed all the more comfy. Oh well, maybe tonight. It's something about Tuesday's. Monday mornings I get up, walk on the treadmill and go on about my day. Tuesday seems IMPOSSIBLE to get up - but then Wednesday tends to be normal. I will admit the guilt is enough to make Wednesday mandatory!

Tomorrow will be another fairly busy day. Luckily my boss and I will be heading out early to see John Mayer in concert. Fourth time for me. I wish my other concert buddies (Kelley, Marty, Keri) could join us but they can't so I"ll have to represent them in spirit. We will have a great time - just wish it wasn't a Wednesday night :(

Thursday is Mom's bday and a busy day at work with meetings and such...The weekend is getting closer and closer!

It's cold outside...but I know a glass of wine that will warm me up...We'll see if that treadmill thing happens tonight!

Taking the plunge

Like many of you out there blogging, my desire to write has come after a few years of reading some tremendous stories out there. It strikes me interesting that the folks I don't know seem like friends and the friends I follow now seem more like family. It's crazy how putting it all out there for the world or your mom to read really can come easy; but telling someone these things can seem a bit harder. Nevertheless, I am going to try this for myself at least. There are days where I hear a story and wish I had a place to save it - or times when I can't help but want to voice my opinion on something but no outlet to do so; until now.

I titled this blog Fashion, Family, Furbabies and Faith because that pretty much sums up the 4 pillars of my life.

Fashion: My mom worked in retail for 28 years. She was a fashion merchandiser, marketer, advertising manager, fashion show coordinator, sale organizer and any other thing you can think of at a small town department store. I loved her job. I grew up thinking my mom would do that forever, and when she was done, I would fall into her footsteps. We laugh that my first toy must have been a tube of lipstick, given to me by the cosmetic queens I adored, as I played at the "store." There was hardly a fashion show where I didn't tape shoes for the models, tape hemlines, pick out music (just helped Mom stay "cool"), choreograph or watch in total admiration. I traveled with my Mom to Nashville, TN to work their shows which were HUGE, HIGH BUDGET shows. The Fashion Director there was this brilliantly ecletic woman whom I adored. She had a crew of models who were so cool, fun and nice. We always joke that I saw more "life" by the age of 14 than some people do by 40. I met celebrities, stars, make-up artists and wannabes and soaked EVERY bit of it in. I am telling you; we could write books. Books upon Books. I briefly modeled myself; some of my friends modeled; it was all just fun. I did some ads in Nashville, one country music video and a few big shows...but I was hardly 16 at that time. My wonderful Mom drove me to so many auditions, jobs and no telling whatever else. We would either say she had joined me for a day of shopping or that my car was in the shop because most clients had no idea I was 15! When I did get my license I had a bit more freedom; but there are only so many times you can skip school to go to TN or Alabama for a show....It just wasn't going to be easy and I wasn't going to become famous; but it was a fun run. Some great pictures to look back on and a lifetime of memories to recall when I'm older!

Family: I am immensely blessed with a loving, wonderful family. My immediate family includes my fantastic Hubby, Chad (married just over 1 year!!!), my Mom (58) and my Dad (60), my brother Bryan (32) and his awesome wife Heidi and their three kiddos: Mason (7), Hallie (4) and Tate (4 mos). We are a WILD bunch, who are together A LOT. I love those kids more than I really understand. Until Chad and I have kids, they totally fit the bill :) I still have my maternal grandmother, Goggie, who turned 89 this past Friday (2/5/2010) and my two maternal uncles who happen to be twins: Jimmy and Tommy. We are so lucky to see each other quite often. We realize how precious time is - so we make all the effort we can to get together.

Furbabies: I am surprised I didn't list them first...My furbabies are MY LIFE. Period. Emma (5), a shih-tzu mix came into my life 3 years ago when I had moved out of my parents house, on my "own." A recent heart-broken college graduate, she was my little soul-mate. I found her on petfinder.com and my Mom rode with me to TN to pick her up. Our life was never the same again. She just had no idea how good she was about to have it. She was my best friend and taught me as much as renting a home did about life. She has been the ultimate mom-training as we have gone through nights of vomiting (her, not me, well, never mind, we both have), allergies, pills, vet visits, colds, etc. You name it - she has broken me in. She is a bit attention crazed but I can't blame her. It was her world until Eddie came into the picture. Enter Eddie. Our 13, (oh god, he turns 14 this month..) adopted Carin Terrier that Chad and I got after a night of cocktails. We have my mother (and margaritas) to thank for him. We adopted him in December 2007 and it was a rough start. He lost 3 teeth within the first week we had him, gave Emma an awful kennel cough and was in surgery within a month to have 10 teeth surgically removed. Thank you previous owner. Add to that another bought of tests a year later for another possible disease, well, he has cost as much as a newborn so we claim him as a child. Seriously. Life Lessons. Check. Eddie had a bit of a pot-belly but after being introduced to the green bean diet at night; he has shed some pounds (so fun to see your dog shed pounds that easy...I really am close to trying the green bean diet myself), is down to two medications and is A WHOLE NEW DOG. He runs, jumps, attempts to play...he is just a frisky little Momma's boy. I love it. I love him. I love them. They. Are. My. Life.

And last, but most important: Faith. I grew up going to a Catholic school but like most of my Catholic friends; I recognize I don't know a fraction about my faith that I should. For 12 years I have attended (and I admit, with many breaks) the Catholic Church on our college campus in town. I believe that giving one hour a week is the least we can do -but I also believe that faith is more than that. I believe that God is with you at all times and just recognizing your daily blessings and thanking him for them keep you in his grace. I do believe that without faith; life can be hard to understand; heck, with faith it's still hard...but I believe that sometimes when you just can't make heads or tails of life - God can. And He Will. So. I don't talk much about faith or religion; each to their own. But, I recognize I would not be who I am or have what I have with out it. So I claim it.

So...there is snapshot of FFFF. Oh the journeys I hope to record. This blog is based out of Bowling Green, KY. I work for a non-profit where I have been employed for 4 years.