Musings & Monday

1. Spent a good part of Friday night holed up in my bedroom with the cat watching Kenneth Branagh fabulousness in the form of Much Ado About Nothing. Oh, and eating 100 Calorie Pop popcorn, um, swimming in melted chocolate chips. Um...

2. Luckily, fell asleep early (thus, avoiding teenage boys--not that I don't love them, it's just been a rough couple of weeks!) and had enough energy to get up early and run.

3. Ran 7.34 miles. 7 miles kids!! That's more than I've ever run before. I used to run 4 miles almost every day, with maybe 6 miles on a Saturday, but 7--and then more than that! I was really proud of myself. And, really thirsty. I downed 2 bottles of Powerade Zero during the afternoon following. I won't tell you how long it took, because, that's sad, but, whatevs, I did it. Goal: 8 miles this Saturday. Holy moly.

4. I literally did not sleep last night because I'm so flipping stressed out--you'd think all the running would help, but no. I have so much to do before May 13th and subsequently, May 14th (those are major dates at my office) and I kind of want to crawl under a rock and hide until then. Ugh!

5. Also, on my awesome 7+ mile run, my favorite trail was all gummy and muddy and gross from the torrential downpours we had on Thursday and Friday--but, it made me feel like a real runner because I was all muddy, sweaty and dirty when I got home. Tee hee. (my shoes are still covered in mud. I may have broken two pens and a pen cap trying to clean them out)

6. Seriously, have you tried Powerade Zero? It's yummy. I'm hoping I can track some down today for my lunch time run (sorry MM, I might look like butt tonight).

7. My husband graduates in a few weeks--still no job. To say I am panicked would be an understatement. I am totally, 100% over this economy.

8. I made skillet potatoes last night--and managed to burn my mouth (I just couldn't wait!), and my hand (stupid lid) in a matter of 5 minutes. Awesome.

Well lovelies, I hope you have a fabulous day and that you enjoyed a lovely weekend.

xoxo,

SP

Strike Me Down Now

In case you aren't privy to Texas weather, we've got storms up the wazzoo right now--which is great if you a) don't have to work and can stay home and snuggle with your pups b) don't have to go on a BoyScout campout like my husband does (he's a leader) or c) have to get in your long run on Saturday and believe that long runs on the treadmill are akin to death (it better not be raining tomorrow morning)

Not that I know anything about this or anything.

Good news? My husband probably doesn't have to go on the last minute campout.

Bad news? The boys are staying at my house.

Which means, 4 teenage boys waiting for me when I get home tonight.

Not to mention the fact that tonight I'm baking and cooking up a storm for a bridal shower tomorrow.

Lovely.

I may go stand under a tree in a lightning storm, I'm just saying.

If you need me, there's a good chance I'll be hiding at the Hilton.

The truth hurts

Current truths? No more pedicures for me.

Like, ever.

I have officially re-joined the ranks of those with runners feet.

Now as painful and annoying as the whole thing is (um, strappy sandals and hot pink polish, please!) I feel very proud to have re-joined the ranks that I dropped out of all those years ago.

But, it's OK. Because I feel freaking awesome about the whole thing.

Even if it means getting up at 5:35 to run 5.1 miles before work (which incidentally freaked my husband out to high heaven who didn't realize that I left the house and was actually running down our street--then stayed wide awake and worried until I returned 45 minutes later.... Yeah, I think I'll stick to the gym for AM workouts--sorry hon!)

So, no pretty toes anymore, but, by gosh, I will turn myself into a running machine.

And those pesky 10 pounds I wanted to lose in 2009? There's only 1 pesky pound left.

Don't worry, I'm baking a cake for a bridal shower this weekend. There's a slight chance the cake won't actually make it to the shower--because I'll eat it.

True story. And it hurts.

Baby Steps

I just signed up for my first race.

You may recall that last year, my office was supposed to run a relay--but, we're all slackers and never signed up.

Awesome.

So, taking matters into my own hands, I signed up for a race.

On Memorial Day. Because who needs to sleep in on a 3 day weekend anyway?

It's a 10k (which I realize isn't that impressive, but, I gotta start somewhere).

I'm a little scared, but wildly excited at the same time.

I'd love to complete a half marathon--but, we'll deal with that at a later time.

Did I mention I'm petrified of races? Or any event with lots of people?

Wish me luck!

Musings & Monday

Good morning!! I've been at work for over an hour now. Lovely. Yes, that's right--I got here before 8 AM. And we aren't "required" to be here until 8:30. No, I'm not ill.

1. Got up at 5:40 and went to the gym--thus resulting in my early bird appearance at the office. Complete with eating my breakfast at my desk. Did I mention I ran 4.17 miles before I got to work? I don't foresee this becoming a regular thing, but, when you get to work through lunch and have been slacking on the WW lately (ahem, Easter candy), you do what you gotta do.
2. Ran 5.36 miles on Friday (yay for 3 day weekends!) and 6.10 on Saturday. I am wildly impressed with myself right now, so, excuse me if I gloat.
3. Had a wonderfully fabulous Easter dinner with our fabulous friends--complete with an Easter Egg hunt with their 23 month old daughter. The Easter Bunny left her a basket complete with an Easter doggie (so cute, it had bunny ears!), ladybug hair clips and a chocolate bunny--to which her reaction was a delighted "Ohhh!" "Ohh!". I corrupted their child over Halloween and introduced her to candy. We were all laughing hysterically at her excitement over the chocolate.
4. Also cute? Her reaction when told they are going to my house: "Dogs, Butch, cat, cake!". Yep, that pretty much sums up my life.
5. I ate too much. I have a weakness for orange rolls, lemon cake and Mini Robin's Eggs. It's a medical condition, I'm sure.
6. I had a to-do list a mile long and am blogging. Hmmm...
7. It seriously kept me up last night, which is a wonder that I managed to make it for an AM workout today.
8. Crystal Light is a gift from above, I swear.
9. Three day weekends need to be a more regular occurrence, I felt like I got so much done. When's the next one? May? That's not too bad...
10. OK, seriously, I'm about to panic about my to-do list, I better go.

Wish me luck--it's going to be a crazy (read: stressful, emotional, busy) week at le humble abode, and le workplace. AH!!

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

xoxo,

SP

Lesson Learned

If you take a body sculpt class with an instructor who is an 80 lb dead ringer for Salma Hayek (looks and sounds like her), you will end up with a severely strained, pulled, damaged, etc muscle in your side that will completely limit your ability to walk, move, turn and sleep. (does this mean my muffin top is going away?)

Because there's nothing more terrifying than an 80 lb Latina yelling at you to "Do one more! You can! You can! Suck in that gut!". I did, I did--I sucked it in. And somehow managed to do something horrendous to my side, thus making any attempts to workout today totally dead in the water.

And we aren't talking the good kind of "I worked out really hard and now I'm sore" pain--no, we're talking I had to have the husband help me into bed last night because I was in tears and couldn't move kind of pain. No joke. And, I'm not a pain wuss. I walked around with a shattered elbow for 3 days with no cast or meds. I'm brave. But this flippin' hurts.

So, lesson learned. No more classes with her.

But, I did manage a 40 minute run after work last night, so, I suppose I could take today off (maybe that didn't help the injury...).

Let's hope this does not impact my evening--I'm getting my hair done (yay!) and there's always that whole flipping my head over while she blow dries part that could be painful.

Whatever, beauty is pain.

I win

Last week, my favorite piece of mail came.... The J. Crew catalog (le sigh).

I threw it away without even opening it (insert moment of silence here). Even my husband was impressed.

How strong am I??

(Does it count if I just re-newed my subscription to like 5 magazines? That's saving money, right? Instead of buying them in the store, right, right, right?!)

Thus, I will used my money saved at J. Crew to buy every single blueberry pie scented candle from Pier 1. I am a candle whore, and yes, these particular ones do smell that good.

I'm willing to trade baked goods, house cleaning and dog walking services for said candles--or, at least the $$ to buy them. Le sigh... It's seriously what I imagine heaven would smell like...

SP's Guide To Being Cheap

Not that I am a expert by any means, or have any reason to be offering advice, but, I thought I'd share some $$ saving tips that have really helped us a lot lately. We've had some major unexpected expenses (ER bill, dental work, dogs getting sick) and it's been really overwhelming for me. When we were first married and two broke ass college students, I was really mindful of the little things--then, we had 2 incomes (3 glorious months) and I went a little crazy. Now, we're back to uno and I admit, it's taken me a while to reign myself in, but, I tell you, putting the kabash on my Target trips, and really planning these things out has actually been liberating.

Money doesn't control us, and there's no reason to feel that way. Plus I want to put more $$ into savings and since my job doesn't exactly have us rolling in cash, I need to cut back in other places.


So, without further ado, SP's Money Saving Tips (or how we have survive month to month without ending up at the soup kitchen--thus far)


1. Buy in bulk when you can: We make monthly-ish trips to Costco and buy flats of soup, veggies, rice, pasta, etc. It's also a good place to find deals on fruit and veggies ($1.99 for a big bunch of bananas? Yes please). Buying in bulk is a great way to stock up on staples, which is great if you're a broke ass college student. We also believe in food storage (which is basically having 3 month supply of canned/package foods)--now, I don't support living off the canned stuff, but, growing up, when we literally could not afford groceries, the limitless supply of soup and mac n cheese was comforting. There have been times in our married life when I could not justify a trip to the store and it was very handy to be able to rely on soup, chili and frozen veggies..... Which brings me to my next tip:

2. Make friends with your freezer: Yes, it is an awesome place to keep the vodka, hide the ice cream and save that fruit cake you've had since Christmas '05, but, honestly, the freezer is my best friend. I am retardo and don't ever halve recipes when I cook. I just don't. It's too much work. But, there's only two of us, and often, we don't eat the leftovers and I have to chuck them. No more! A few weeks back, I made a massive (seriously) batch of turkey and veggie ragu. I stuffed it into 3 freezer containers and have used it for lasagna last week--I still have a container of it in my freezer, which means, I don't have to buy anything for my linguine dinner later this week. It's also holding some soup, chicken, and shrimp--all will be used for dinner this week but were purchased and or made weeks ago. It's a great way to cut down on costs if there's only two of you and a standard recipe gives you a lot left over. Of course, I realize this won't fly with left over haters, but, I'm cheap, and heck, I'll eat darn near anything.

3. Left overs are also your friend: I know, I won't convert people--I'm not trying to. It's just an important aspect to money saving, if you can. Example: I made baked chicken with potatoes for dinner a few nights back. Neither my husband nor myself finished our servings of chicken, so, I shredded it up and made myself a spinach salad with chicken for lunch yesterday (also, sidenote: I rarely buy my lunch unless I'm going out with friends or colleagues. I haven't purchased lunch in months--again, liberating. $5 for lunch at the deli adds up, man!). There's still plenty of chicken, so, I may have a chicken salad sandwich tomorrow. My husband goes to school, so, he usually buys his lunch, but, if we have good leftovers at home, he is more likely to eat when he gets home than drop $8 at Subway. We try--it's all about balance.

4. Eat in: I realize that I cook probably way more than the average person (I cook usually every night--unless I've had a terrible day, and exhausted or sick--or if we have plans), but, I am slightly obsessive about cooking if it's at all possible--if that means cooking a bunch of food on the weekend and freezing it so you have easy meals during the week, that's great! I am always just blown away at how much money we spend when we go out. Example: I bought tilapia for $3.99 the other day--if we'd gone out for tilapia, it would have been $10-15/person depending on the restaurant (if not more). And, I also like to control what I eat. I don't like lots of butter, etc. The last time we went out to dinner was 2 weeks ago and it was Chipotle because I was too exhausted to cook. I realize that 2 weeks isn't a long time, but, in the grand scheme of things, it's a good start. I have our meals planned for the next 2 weeks and I shop based on our meal plan. I have a ton of cookbooks and am constantly looking through them for new ideas. Also, CookingLight.com, Foodnetwork.com and AllRecipes.com are awesome.

5. Shop around: Easier said than done, but, do it if you can. I know for example that the seafood section at one store is much less expensive than the seafood section at another store. If that means I have to make an extra stop, I'll do it if I can. I also try to buy things on sale, use my little reward cards and only buy what we need. Also, be picky! I eat English muffins for breakfast pretty regularly--guess what? I buy Orowheat because at my store, they are less expensive than Thomas and basically the exact same nutrition info. I buy store brand milk, eggs, butter--the essentials. I will not however, buy store brand frozen waffles or PopTarts. We couldn't have regular PopTarts when I was a kid and let me tell you, Safeway brand kind are ick! I haven't had a PopTart in years, but, that's beside the point. On some things, I just don't bend.


6. Cut back on hair color/cuts when you can: I use my Clairol Root Touch up and color my hair at home regularly. I also go to SuperCuts for trims. I get a pro hair cut and color every 6 months or so, but can maintain it pretty well myself and with the assistance of a $15 hair cut. I realize this may not be feasible for those with fancy highlights and a killer cut--but, I realized that for us, and our budget, I was spending too much money on my expensive "hand painted" highlights--besides, I like myself better as a redhead! So, if you need a trim, I'd suggest SuperCuts. And, Clairol Root Touch Up really is heaven sent.


OK, so, have I overwhelmed you with my cheapness? I hope not. Once SP is a famous author, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will force (read: kidnap) Giada to be my personal chef, and I will be shopping at Whole Foods, Central Market and will be convinced that Saks is budget shopping.

Until then, we try to cut our expenses and plan for the future. After all, we're going to have to survive somehow if I ever do want to be a SAHM while writing. It's a goal.

We aren't perfect, we aren't total penny pinchers--I have a very expensive Target and Sephora habits, and we have 3 very spoiled animals. Even so, we have been able to really stretch a dollar lately, and right now, that can't hurt.

What are your frugal tips?

Musings & Monday

1. Totally relaxing and awesome weekend--can we repeat these on a regular basis? Including the sleeping in part? Thanks.
2. Woke up early on Saturday and ran 5.25 (count them, 5.25!) miles on the trail by my house. Now, I understand that 5.25 miles isn't really that far to all you runner folk, but, that's the furthest I've run in probably 5 years. And this coming from a girl who ran 5-7 miles daily for years, this little accomplishment put a spring in my step for the rest of the day.
3. Whole wheat chocolate chip waffles = yum. Sadly, the chocolate chips cancel out the whole wheat, but, we'll ignore that. They are yummy. You should make some. Like for breakfast tomorrow.
4. We cleaned out the garage! (you read that correctly) My husband was a cleaning machine and on a mission if I do say so myself--it looks awesome. As in, a car could actually fit in the darn thing, which is the point of a garage after all.
5. After admiring our fancy new clean garage, I really felt like a grown up. With a clean garage and waffles for breakfast. I feel so old.
6. And, we're making payments on dental work. Because grown ups have to deal with crap like that.
7. I'm rather sleepy. I'm just sayin'.
8. It's a 4 day work week--yay!!
9. I tracked down Mini Robin's Eggs over the weekend. My grocery store has decided that "mini" just isn't cool. Turns out, the husband doesn't like Robin's Eggs (mini or otherwise). I bought 3 bags. More for me! (I'm wildly excited about this).

What's your favorite Easter candy?

Happy Monday!

xoxo,
SP

TGIF

For freakin real y'all. I am so happy it's Friday. I've got a ton of work on my plate today, which thrills me to the umpteenth degree because I get super nervous when my workload is slow (especially in this economy--thank you Lord I have a job)--and, it makes the day go by faster. Yahoo!

I'm currently battling my favorite Friday debate: run vs. yoga on my lunch break. I think yoga will win since I am still nursing severe toe blister caused by Wednesday's 4 mile run (seriously, you should see me walk--it's all sorts of hilarious--and, my toe hurts like hell).

I made some heinous cookies last night--now listen, if you're going to give someone a cookie in a jar gift, please, for the love of pete, make sure the recipe is correct. That's right ladies, I pulled my own Martha moment and saved the cookies as best I could, but, they were not my finest. Husband didn't care--there were cookies. And the fact that they are not stellar made it that much easier for me to only have 1 (ok, 1.5...ok, 2).

I have a lovely weekend of sleeping in, running, making brunch and lounging on the couch with my Pound Hound (aka Ella Mae), The Boxer and the husband.

Oh, and that whole cleaning the garage nonsense. Let's hope we're still all alive come Monday. Ha!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and a very lovely Friday.

XOXO

For Giggles and Grins

Thank you all so much for your kind words on my post yesterday--I really appreciate each and every one of you and I am so grateful for such wonderful blog friends. So, thank you! (And GSG, I'll e-mail you about the onesies--you're so sweet!)

On that note, I figured since a) The Office is not on tonight (boo!) and b) it's ER's last episode (can you believe it?), I'd share with you some classic NBC Thursday Night Prime Time Humor.

You've been Bamboozled.

(from YouTube)

"Fear of Triscuits--what, they have really sharp edges."

Dear Mom,

Have I mentioned that I miss you lately? Because, I really do. I spent weeks tracking down that lemon pie recipe we always made at Easter--and I'm totally thrilled because this will be the first Easter in 6 (6?!) years that I'll get to eat it--let's hope I make it as well as you did. Fingers crossed.

I love Easter. I remember making bunny cupcakes and eating Peeps with you. I loved that even when I was a high school senior, I still got an Easter basket. Because you cared about things like that. I loved Easter Egg Hunts and swimming pools after church. I'm excited that now we actually have our own home and we can invite people over to celebrate the holiday, since we're 1,200 miles away from the rest of our family. I hope I can make dinner as special as you did. Either way, I am looking forward to it.

But, I miss you. It's not the same without you. I feel weird taking so much time to decorate a stupid cupcake when I don't know that anyone will understand the significance of said cupcake. Maybe when I have children, it'll be easier--I can have the same relationship that you and I had with my own daughter.

Speaking of, I have been looking for those dang onesies that Grandma and Aunt Eunice were blessed in. I mean, seriously, searching for the last 5.5 years. Can't find them and it stresses me out to high heaven. If my children aren't blessed in those onesies, I might actually die of a broken heart (seriously--I've dreamt of my children wearing those since I was a little girl).

See? These are the things that keep me up at night. Because you would know exactly where they were/are. Maybe you could help guide me to find them? Because seriously.

Anyways, everything is relatively the same here, I guess. Just missing you especially as I think about the spring and summer months and how much I wish we could meet up with Lara and go to Cafe Vio for breakfast (um, Bailey is taller than me now. I am so not kidding).

But, we can't.

I'm so lucky that I had you. I'm so lucky for the relationship we had. I'm so lucky that you taught me so much. And that you were a packrat (please, with the onesies already--help!)--I have tons of family memories. I'm so lucky to know that families are forever.

I miss you. I love you. I hope I make you proud.

xoxox