Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Yogurt as a substitute for Sour Cream
New thing today, tried yogurt as a substitute for sour cream. Earlier I was pinning, and looking for uses for yogurt since we got some extra for a recipe we tried earlier this week. I knew but re-read that you can use it as a substitute for sour cream. We had burritos for dinner and decided to try it. YUP - super tasty and similar to sour cream. I loved it! Plus it's healthy too, so it works! I want to try using it as a substitute or mix it with Mayonnaise and see how that tastes. Oh it's good finding something yummy/healthy you can eat :) We just used regular yogurt, but here is one guide from Stonyfield, and another from Chobani. Their yogurt is thicker, and different, but I'd be willing to try it :) woo!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Don't You Know You Are A Shooting Star by Bad Company
New thing today, I heard and fell in love with Don't You Know You Are A Shooting Star by Bad Company. It came on our classic rock station and it was pretty awesome. New song to me, but old I know. It's been around awhile, but it's new to me :)
Monday, April 28, 2014
Garbage Truck - Trash Wrap - Food Truck
New thing today, tried a Trash Wrap from The Garbage Truck - food truck. So it's called a Garbage Truck which is a little unsettling, and they offer a "trash wrap" which is a wrap with tons of stuff inside. Sounds horrible, right?
I was a little nervous at the Yelp reviews, because some people got physically ill, and there were a lot of bad reviews. People either hated it or loved it.
I loved it :)
I went in craving junk, but I also predicted it might taste horrible. I was prepared for whatever came my way. In the end, it was bizarre magic magic stuff.
They ran out of the Italian Sausage which I had my heart set on ordering. Instead I got a Hot Dog Wrap. Inside the monster it's basically TGT meat heat sauce (really good level of spice/heat), hot dog, french fries, macaroni salad, ketchup and mustard all wrapped in a tortilla. Holy smokes it was magic! I expected a greasy disgusting mess, but it ended up being pretty clean to eat. Surprisingly as well it wasn't very greasy at all. It was just a mad man tasty mix of stuff. I took a bunch of photos of the burrito to show you all.
The massive thing. I ate it in one sitting. Very bad for the healthy food lifestyle, but worth it once in awhile.
First bite of the burrito. You see the hot dog, french fries, ketchup, mustard and TGT meat sauce.
Another bite further into the burrito. You can see the macaroni salad, french fries and such.
I was thoroughly surprised I enjoyed this food and wasn't physically sick afterwards. I will rave about this and recommend it for people who like my kind of food. I'm a chili-cheese fries kind of girl. It will be hard resisting this truck in the future. As there is no low calorie option, will just have to eat it sparingly, or share it with someone :)
New favorite!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Frozen (2013)
New thing today, watched Frozen (2013) finally! I've been meaning to watch this but never did. Then it was out at our cheap theater and it still took me a few weeks to finally watch it. Then miraculously we had a free day so husband took me :)
I really enjoyed it and finally got to see what all the fuss was about. It was pretty fabulous! Interesting characters, story, magic and singing! I was also surprised about what happened as the story unfolded. Might actually buy it and may be a favorite. I can see how little girls would want to watch this over and over! So cute!
I really enjoyed it and finally got to see what all the fuss was about. It was pretty fabulous! Interesting characters, story, magic and singing! I was also surprised about what happened as the story unfolded. Might actually buy it and may be a favorite. I can see how little girls would want to watch this over and over! So cute!
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Multigrain Pancakes from Millie's
New thing today, tried the multigrain pancakes from Millie's. They were actually super super tasty! A bit sweet, nutty and flavorful. Also healthier which was awesome. I will be getting these again. Yeay pancakes!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson
New thing today, discovered a new song - Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson. I want to blog more about non-food related stuff and music is something that I've found moves me and I need to pay attention to it. So much great music out there. Anyway this is a new song I heard today and I really liked it. Repetitive and odd, and the video is pretty funky too, but I like it. Husband hates this, but he also watches WWE wrestling so, ya. I get to like what I get to like.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Burnt Out Trash Can
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
David Chang - The Mind of a Chef
New thing today, watched David Chang, The Mind of a Chef on Netflix.
So my "gave up TV" thing for Lent actually went alright most of the time. I found I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would. Sometimes I craved having a mindless chatter show going on in the background, but when I didn't or couldn't have it on, I was able to focus on other tasks, or really kind of zone out and relax, which was nice. I actually liked it so much that I may put myself on a TV show diet, maybe just a little at a time. No more marathons. Also the quiet time and space, I don't know, it was like, you know when you're at the ocean and the tide is low and you're just mellowing out, like that.
Anyway, so my first TV show back from the break, I was craving a show about food/cooking/restaurants so I put this on. I thought it was more about this guy and his restaurant, but instead it was about David Chang, Asian food and places he visits and random food things. It's entertainment, travel, part scientific and just sort of running commentary on food. I got tired of it by the 3rd episode because he kept talking about noodles, broths and Asian food. It didn't feel very diverse. Also I found it kind of noisy and vapid, which is what most of the TV shows are like, but maybe being so long without it makes me less tolerant towards that type of stuff.
Overall I was bored after awhile. Not sure if it's due to the TV diet, or if the show was bad. Maybe I just like ridiculous sensational stuff like Gordon Ramsay cooking shows. Actually oddly enough, after those few episodes and all the noise, I just want quiet and am happy blogging, reading and listening to the sound of the keyboard. Weird.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Minimalism - Buying Advice - The Power of a Purchase Pause
New thing today, I read a new blog post that I found enlightening and wanted to share it with you.
I've been researching minimalism and minimalist living. Once upon a time I read a book called Enough - Breaking free from the world of more by John Naish which I loved and really spoke to me. It is one of my favorites, and a book that really changed how I see the world.
Anyway so I've got life things to manage, and with the successful weight loss from Weight Watchers, I'm looking to trim the fat and downsize other parts of my life that are weighing me down and keeping me heavy. So, the minimalist lifestyle and philosophy is appealing and I'm researching and learning to live it. It looks like a shift in philosophy and maintenance in how you manage stuff, but it's also about growing and learning and continuing to improve and streamline what you have.
There's a phrase that really got to me in my research "Everything That Remains" by this group The Minimalists and it got me thinking. It makes me want to keep and cherish and value what remains, and get rid of everything else. It's also part of my love of the movie Fight Club - one of the quotes being, "No Fear. No Distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide" - Chuck Palahniuk. I am drawn to simplicity. My English teacher once said "It's harder to write something short, than it is to write something long". I'll keep that in mind in my blogs, but possibly not. You may still hear me ramble.
So anyway I've added a few minimalist blogs to my feed (a few) and this one post from today really got to me and I'm going to use it when considering buying things.
I'm also keeping up with the blogs as a way to LEARN to be simple. It doesn't come naturally. We have hoarding and collecting tendencies in my family, and I've seen the kind of addiction and crutch it can become, so I want to be free from that and from the emotional attachment to stuff. I also moved around a lot as a kid, and so I really know what it's like to carry, move and have all that stuff with you. So I'm just trying to evolve. As one of my Fight Club movie quotes says "Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."
So anyway that's my minimalist spiel. Also new thing today, I learned how to spell spiel.
Ok so enjoy the article - here it is REPOSTED - but credit the original author as they did a fabulous job!
From the Be More With Less blog - The Power of a Purchase Pause by Courtney Carver
----
The Power of a Purchase Pause
// Be More with Less
I left my sweatshirt on a plane while traveling in March. I wore it frequently, and it was a staple of my tiny wardrobe. I called the airline, searched lost and found, and when I couldn't find it, I wanted to replace it immediately.
Instead, I decided to implement a purchase pause. Even though I really wanted an alternative for my lost item, I knew I didn't need it. Fast forward almost a month, and while there have been a few times that I wanted to wear a sweatshirt, I didn't think about it much. It didn't prevent me from enjoying life or doing the things I normally do.
I always had what sounded like a reasonable excuse to buy. I also had a pile of debt, a garage and shed full of stuff that I didn't use, and all of the side effects that come with that including discontent and stress.
Shopping never fixed anything.
When you finally give up on the roller blades, are you still paying for them? Roller blades might not be your thing, but whatever the item, fake your next purchase and think through the first 30-60 days with your new purchase. Still interested?
2. Buy it on paper. Declare a shopping fast for the next 30 days. Instead of buying it with paper or plastic, buy it on paper. Write down everything you think about buying along with the price. Keep track of the items you want and the money you would have spent buying them.
At the end of 30 days, look at the total amount of money you saved and ask yourself if you want to spend it on the items you listed or use it for something else. It's easier to justify one purchase at a time, but when you total your expenses and realize how much you are spending each month, the individual purchases may seem less important. If your monthly total is $800, would you go out and buy everything on the list or use the $800 differently?
3. Define need vs. want. Get honest with yourself about your purchases. What percentage of your purchases are needs versus wants? Buying something you want isn't a bad thing, but call it what it is.
4. Know what matters most. Use what matters the most to leverage your shopping decisions. If you don't know what matters, buying things may be your way of searching for meaning.
Instead, identify a few things that really mean something to you. It will be different for everyone, but some examples might include:
5. Make rules. Challenge yourself to stick with a few shopping rules so you can fully embrace the power of a purchase pause. Before purchasing, wait 30 days for anything less than $100 and 60 days for everything that costs more than $100.
You don't have to be a shopaholic to benefit from a purchase pause. Most of us have purchased things we don't need or want and later regret the decision to buy. With a small time out, we can fully consider our purchases and make informed decisions about what really makes us happy.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less and join me on Facebook. Check out courtneycarver.com for simple ideas for your life and business.
I've been researching minimalism and minimalist living. Once upon a time I read a book called Enough - Breaking free from the world of more by John Naish which I loved and really spoke to me. It is one of my favorites, and a book that really changed how I see the world.
Anyway so I've got life things to manage, and with the successful weight loss from Weight Watchers, I'm looking to trim the fat and downsize other parts of my life that are weighing me down and keeping me heavy. So, the minimalist lifestyle and philosophy is appealing and I'm researching and learning to live it. It looks like a shift in philosophy and maintenance in how you manage stuff, but it's also about growing and learning and continuing to improve and streamline what you have.
There's a phrase that really got to me in my research "Everything That Remains" by this group The Minimalists and it got me thinking. It makes me want to keep and cherish and value what remains, and get rid of everything else. It's also part of my love of the movie Fight Club - one of the quotes being, "No Fear. No Distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide" - Chuck Palahniuk. I am drawn to simplicity. My English teacher once said "It's harder to write something short, than it is to write something long". I'll keep that in mind in my blogs, but possibly not. You may still hear me ramble.
So anyway I've added a few minimalist blogs to my feed (a few) and this one post from today really got to me and I'm going to use it when considering buying things.
I'm also keeping up with the blogs as a way to LEARN to be simple. It doesn't come naturally. We have hoarding and collecting tendencies in my family, and I've seen the kind of addiction and crutch it can become, so I want to be free from that and from the emotional attachment to stuff. I also moved around a lot as a kid, and so I really know what it's like to carry, move and have all that stuff with you. So I'm just trying to evolve. As one of my Fight Club movie quotes says "Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."
So anyway that's my minimalist spiel. Also new thing today, I learned how to spell spiel.
Ok so enjoy the article - here it is REPOSTED - but credit the original author as they did a fabulous job!
From the Be More With Less blog - The Power of a Purchase Pause by Courtney Carver
----
The Power of a Purchase Pause
// Be More with Less
I left my sweatshirt on a plane while traveling in March. I wore it frequently, and it was a staple of my tiny wardrobe. I called the airline, searched lost and found, and when I couldn't find it, I wanted to replace it immediately.
Instead, I decided to implement a purchase pause. Even though I really wanted an alternative for my lost item, I knew I didn't need it. Fast forward almost a month, and while there have been a few times that I wanted to wear a sweatshirt, I didn't think about it much. It didn't prevent me from enjoying life or doing the things I normally do.
The power of a purchase pause allows you to …
- save money
- limit impulse buying
- consider your purchases
- avoid buyer's remorse
- bypass emotional shopping
- create time (once you declare a purchase pause, you can stop searching sales and spend less time in the dressing room)
- gracefully bow out of trips to the mall (sorry, can't make it … I'm in the middle of a purchase pause)
I always had what sounded like a reasonable excuse to buy. I also had a pile of debt, a garage and shed full of stuff that I didn't use, and all of the side effects that come with that including discontent and stress.
Shopping never fixed anything.
1. Fake the purchase. Before you buy one more thing, imagine buying it. For example, if you want to buy a new pair of roller blades because you saw some people at the park having fun on skates, fake the purchase. Go through each step of the process. Imagine walking into the store, handing over cash or card, and bringing your new roller blades home. Are you so excited that you put them on and take them for a spin, or do you have to go back to work or clean your house first? Maybe you wait to try them until the weekend. Then it rains on Saturday, so you have to put your outing off a week. When you do get out, do you love roller blading and start using them every day or once a week, or after time do they work their way to the back of the closet while you look for something else?
When you finally give up on the roller blades, are you still paying for them? Roller blades might not be your thing, but whatever the item, fake your next purchase and think through the first 30-60 days with your new purchase. Still interested?
2. Buy it on paper. Declare a shopping fast for the next 30 days. Instead of buying it with paper or plastic, buy it on paper. Write down everything you think about buying along with the price. Keep track of the items you want and the money you would have spent buying them.
At the end of 30 days, look at the total amount of money you saved and ask yourself if you want to spend it on the items you listed or use it for something else. It's easier to justify one purchase at a time, but when you total your expenses and realize how much you are spending each month, the individual purchases may seem less important. If your monthly total is $800, would you go out and buy everything on the list or use the $800 differently?
3. Define need vs. want. Get honest with yourself about your purchases. What percentage of your purchases are needs versus wants? Buying something you want isn't a bad thing, but call it what it is.
4. Know what matters most. Use what matters the most to leverage your shopping decisions. If you don't know what matters, buying things may be your way of searching for meaning.
Instead, identify a few things that really mean something to you. It will be different for everyone, but some examples might include:
- school tuition
- paying off debt
- travel
- quitting your job
- donating money to a cause you care about
5. Make rules. Challenge yourself to stick with a few shopping rules so you can fully embrace the power of a purchase pause. Before purchasing, wait 30 days for anything less than $100 and 60 days for everything that costs more than $100.
You don't have to be a shopaholic to benefit from a purchase pause. Most of us have purchased things we don't need or want and later regret the decision to buy. With a small time out, we can fully consider our purchases and make informed decisions about what really makes us happy.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less and join me on Facebook. Check out courtneycarver.com for simple ideas for your life and business.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Dog Illustration
New thing today, got an illustration of our dog! Husband was at WonderCon this weekend and decided to get a cute little drawing of out cutie pooch. He showed the artist Katie Cook a picture of our dog on his phone and she drew this! Love it. Very cute first!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Happy Easter! Easter Egg Hunt - Disneyland
New thing today, tried the Egg-stravaganza Easter Egg Hunt at Disneyland. Unfortunately they had run out of stickers and prizes, but this weekend they still had the map you could go and try to find the easter eggs. They were hidden throughout the park in the said locations, and you would collect eggs and stickers, and in the end get a prize. Since we didn't officially really get to participate, it kind of sucked, and so we sort of looked for the easter eggs but didn't find any. No luck, but it was a neat little thing and we'll have to see if we can actually try it one time. Here's a post about the whole thing. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Mickey and the Magical Map - Disneyland
New thing today, watched the Mickey and the Magical Map show at Disneyland. This may be one of my new favorite attractions at Disneyland. I love the evening Fantasmic show, and this is probably second favorite in all the shows I've seen at Disneyland. It's short, but it's got a cute heartwarming story, really neat effects and great dancing, music and overall theme.
The theater for this show is in Fantasyland which I think might also be my favorite land at Disney. It's hidden away by the Railroad stop and next to Small World. We saw the theater while riding on the railroad and decided to stop and try for the 4pm show. It was magical! Really fun and enjoyable.
Mickey is the sorcerer's apprentice and wants to help paint the magical map, and so it takes him on a wild adventure and you get to see characters and really neat stage effects for the story.
One random part my sister and I noticed and enjoyed was in the right front corner of the show, there are people signing for the deaf. They actually act and sign in unison with the actors, and so in the romantic singing number, they actually act it out and perform as the actors do - in sign. It's pretty cute.
My favorite was when Stitch came out and they did a cute little number from that movie - I love Lilo and Stitch. Great new first :) and a new favorite! We will be going back to see other shows and I hope they introduce other scenes and characters in the future :)
I recommend it for anyone visiting Disneyland :) Enjoy!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Cove Bar Lunch - California Adventure
I got the special Strawberry Iced Tea (alcoholic) pictured in front, and my sister got the Strawberry Pina Colada (non-alcoholic) pictured in back. The Pina Colada was so much tastier and yummier than my drink. It was sweet and flavorful. My Iced Tea was "eh", good enough, and it gave me a wonderful buzz to enjoy the food and scenery. The Pina Colada though was much tastier.
We decided to try 3 menu items as well. The wings were #1 fantastic! We will be getting these again sometime soon hopefully.
We also got sliders. #2 and these were super tasty and I loved the fried onion shreds that came with the sandwich. Good enough to snack on.
#3 and least flavorful were the lobster nachos, which ironically was the reason we went to the Cove Bar because my sister mentioned them and they sounded intriguing. Overall they were bland and I wasn't super impressed with it, but it filled us up which was nice.
Oh and another first, which I'm pretty proud of. I wasn't obsessed with the food or having something "super delicious". My focus for lunch wasn't on the food, but on the ambiance, scenery, drinks and overall experience of eating outside by the Disney California Adventure lake. I suppose it's good because of the whole Weight Watchers - taking focus away from food mentality. I was really proud of myself and I was more concerned about having a good time with the family and drinking in the scenery and overall experience, rather than just what went down my gullet. A cool first, and I may be posting more about the overall experience of a restaurant or an outing, rather than focusing on just the food or flavor of a dish. I'm learning to appreciate other things.
Here is to new firsts and new experiences!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Gave our Dog a Haircut
Our dog after WE cut her hair
Our dog after the professional groomers cut her hair.
New thing today, we gave our dog a haircut. Yup. So we adopted a stray, this shitzu looking dog who has fantastically hypoallergenic hair, but her hair also grows a ton. We take her to the groomer every few months to get a haircut, which can cost $50-70 depending on additional services included with her breed - long hair and mats. So we decided to get a $25 dog haircut clipper and try it out ourselves one day.
Mistake #1 - trying to cut her hair after a long day. We got home late and we thought, hey we should just try to cut her hair now. When we give her a bath it doesn't take long, so the haircut shouldn't take long either. WRONG. 3 hours later and covered in random hair and dog mats, we suddenly think it might be worth it spending that much for dog grooming.
Mistake #2 - no bath before haircut. This is something "they" recommend, but we didn't do it, so I don't know if it would have made a difference, but we will try it next time.
Mistake #3 - not dressing for the work. We just cut her hair in our regular "what we went out in today" clothes. We should have dressed for the occasion. There was hair everywhere, and even after we washed our clothes, there was still hair on everything so we still needed a lint roller/tape to get it all off.
Overall though, it was a mess, a long tiresome mess. Our dog would get very nervous with the clippers in certain parts of her body, but if we took a brush or comb to her, along with scissors, she was alright. You had to deal with a lot of squirming at times so it takes a lot of patience. She had a ton of mats as well so that tok so much time getting out of her fur - both cutting and brushing it out. I think our bathroom trashcan was filled with her fur when we were done, and our clothes were a mess as well.
BUT - overall, she looked ok. Funny thing is, she looked a choppy hair mess. We went into the bathroom with a shitzu, and we came out with a scruffy looking mini terrier. We always liked the look of a terrier, so it works. Anyway we spent 3 hours on her, plus perhaps more time now throughout the week grooming her, because we now realize how much upkeep she is, but we also saved a bunch of hard cash. I admit I like being able to drop her off at the groomer for a few hours and have her coming back looking fabulous, with me doing whatever I want until we pick her up, but this actually saved us money and if we do it regularly, and hopefully get better at it, it will be better.
This is one of those firsts where I think the first must be the worst. I think it has to get better from here, and we will slowly learn how to do this better. I think we'll better appreciate where our money is going when we take her to the groomer, and we definitely know now how to better "maintain" her fur from the ordeal of getting her cleaned up. I wholly appreciate the groomer's job 200% better now that we've tried to cut our dog's hair. That doesn't even include clipping nails.
Cost. $25 for clippers and a ton of time, energy and frustration cutting the dog's hair ourselves. Also developing the skill of learning to cut a dog's hair and groom her. Groomer = $50-70 every few months, no hassle, time, energy, time or frustration getting our dog to smell and look good. Comparatively we spend so much more on gas, bills, food or other things in our life, so it's not really a comparatively huge expense overall. I think it's mainly the time and energy. I don't mind and I like learning how to do this, because I think it makes me better appreciate the money I do spend when I go to a groomer, but also, helps me be a better dog parent because I learn how to keep our dog's hair in good order.
So verdict - we will probably continue to try to cut our own dog's hair a few times a year, just to save some extra money. BUT we will still take her to the groomer's every so often as well, just to have a "pro" come in and clean her up, but also to take care of the tough stuff (between the paws fur, in the ear fur, nail clipping etc) that we haven't/can't get to. She is a shitzu so it's just a ton more hair than either of us are used to. I think it also depends on "when" she needs a haircut. It was getting very warm and we wanted to get her hair very short for the upcoming spring heat, compared to the winter cool. We might decide whether to groom her ourselves or take her to a pro depending on our own schedules and when she needs the haircut.
I just think it's funny that when the groomer sees her, she'll probably shake her head and you can totally tell an amateur cut the dog's hair. Or who knows, maybe we'll eventually get the hang of it. We'll never get her as fabulous as the groomers are able to get her to take care of her, but I think we can do alright. Feeling optimistic.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Iron Man Hawaii 2014 Triathlon
New thing today, I was beaming with pride at my brother's invitation to the Iron Man in Hawaii this year! Brother has been competing in triathlons, but I guess they just announced he's going to Hawaii for the Iron Man in October! I am uber mega proud of him :) We might also just go to Hawaii to support, and possibly vacation. Tough I know, but we just might have to! So new thing for brother and new thing for me to be proud of.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Hot Vanilla Drink
New thing today, made my own hot vanilla drink. Why? Well, so I gave up caffeine awhile back in December. Not for New Years and not for Lent and not to get ready to get pregnant. I just wanted to see what my body was like without caffeine. It's been in my system since I was a teen, and I just wanted to see what I was like without it.
Overall the no-caffeine life was surprising. My mood and energy levels are a lot more steady. Not as high high or low lows, and I tend to be more even throughout the days. It's a lot harder to find non caffeinated drinks these days. My husband is diabetic and it's so much easier to find diet this or that, then it is to find caffeine free stuff. Also I just miss the ritual of drinking something hot and soothing.
Overall though I like not being on caffeine every day. I still adore the stuff though and now that my body isn't used to it anymore it is so much more potent when I do drink it. I think I'll just have it mindfully when I need or want it, instead of having it daily.
Anyway so I've been looking for drinks to replace my usual coffee and tea habit. Herbal teas are just alright but they don't really hit the spot for me. This drink does!
I was in a coffee shop and asked if their hot vanilla drink was caffeine free. They said they could make me one, just hot water, milk and vanilla. I said yes and it was magic! So I decided to try it at home. Heated up some hot water, milk, and this sugar free vanilla syrup stuff. Magic! Fab! My new favorite drink :) mmmmm. Love it! And I finally have a proper substitute that fills my old coffee/tea habit.
Overall the no-caffeine life was surprising. My mood and energy levels are a lot more steady. Not as high high or low lows, and I tend to be more even throughout the days. It's a lot harder to find non caffeinated drinks these days. My husband is diabetic and it's so much easier to find diet this or that, then it is to find caffeine free stuff. Also I just miss the ritual of drinking something hot and soothing.
Overall though I like not being on caffeine every day. I still adore the stuff though and now that my body isn't used to it anymore it is so much more potent when I do drink it. I think I'll just have it mindfully when I need or want it, instead of having it daily.
Anyway so I've been looking for drinks to replace my usual coffee and tea habit. Herbal teas are just alright but they don't really hit the spot for me. This drink does!
I was in a coffee shop and asked if their hot vanilla drink was caffeine free. They said they could make me one, just hot water, milk and vanilla. I said yes and it was magic! So I decided to try it at home. Heated up some hot water, milk, and this sugar free vanilla syrup stuff. Magic! Fab! My new favorite drink :) mmmmm. Love it! And I finally have a proper substitute that fills my old coffee/tea habit.
Monday, April 14, 2014
A&W Seafood Wontons
New thing today, tried wontons at A&W Seafood in Northridge. Mom decided to order the dimsum wontons and the soup wontons. The soup wontons were amazing delicious and a new favorite. The dimsum wontons were good, but not as good as the soup ones. Soup ones were so moist and flavorful! New thing :)
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Trained a Volunteer
New thing today, trained a new volunteer for our local parish library. I took over as the library manager this year and this is my first volunteer to go completely through the training and to start with me. Sort of exciting and a happy day! I could tell she was excited not to train anymore, and I am excited to have another person who can help and volunteer with the program. Figuring it out as I go :) here is to good hearted people who help out in their community!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Feeling like an Asshole
New thing today, feeling like a total asshole at a Bridal Shower. It's not a new thing feeling like an asshole, but this was really obnoxious.
I get forgetful and last minute, so when I had some free time earlier this week I decided to be productive, buy wedding & shower gifts, along with some bags to go with the gifts. I was exhausted when I got home and realized one of the gift bags was missing. So instead of driving back to Target to get a new one, I decided to use a cute green Kate Spade bag that was the same cute green color that my gift was. I also asked one of the bridesmaids if I thought the bride would mind I used a random different bag, like a bright green Kate Spade bag and she said it was fine.
Then at the shower, usually I see bags of different colors. Instead they were all white, so mine stuck out. Second, everyone thought I got her something Kate Spade cuz she does have wedding stuff, but no. Instead they waited to open it last *fuck, and it was just a bright green water filter thing she had on her Target registry. The color matched the bag, but not the brand or shine of something Kate Spade.
So now I just feel like a total asshole. Worst thing about it is I should have known better. Also maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but it feels like a big deal. I kept apologizing to the bride and explaining my actions to different people, but I still felt like a total total ass hat and asshole. Ugh :(
So yes. You are judged by the outside and I hate it. Even though I feel and know it's really what's on the inside that matters. I just feel like an ass, and I can't shake it. Venting to the internet. Ugh.
I get forgetful and last minute, so when I had some free time earlier this week I decided to be productive, buy wedding & shower gifts, along with some bags to go with the gifts. I was exhausted when I got home and realized one of the gift bags was missing. So instead of driving back to Target to get a new one, I decided to use a cute green Kate Spade bag that was the same cute green color that my gift was. I also asked one of the bridesmaids if I thought the bride would mind I used a random different bag, like a bright green Kate Spade bag and she said it was fine.
Then at the shower, usually I see bags of different colors. Instead they were all white, so mine stuck out. Second, everyone thought I got her something Kate Spade cuz she does have wedding stuff, but no. Instead they waited to open it last *fuck, and it was just a bright green water filter thing she had on her Target registry. The color matched the bag, but not the brand or shine of something Kate Spade.
So now I just feel like a total asshole. Worst thing about it is I should have known better. Also maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but it feels like a big deal. I kept apologizing to the bride and explaining my actions to different people, but I still felt like a total total ass hat and asshole. Ugh :(
So yes. You are judged by the outside and I hate it. Even though I feel and know it's really what's on the inside that matters. I just feel like an ass, and I can't shake it. Venting to the internet. Ugh.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Progresso Soup Light
New thing today, tried Enchilada soup from Progresso. Yup, weird right? So I was a bit nervous, but it actually tasted pretty good. Texture was nice too. Imagine a tortilla soup but it really tasted like an enchilada. There were bits or peppers and chicken and it was pretty good. I would drink it again if I were in the mood for Mexican flavors. Plus it was light!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Zombunny April
New thing today, made the Zombunny cutout paper figure for my paper monster calendar for April. Ya I know it's delayed, but I finally switched my home calendar to April. It's a paper monster of the month calendar so I made this month's Zombunny! Cute. Easter - Zombie and bunny themes.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Mr. Money Mustache
New thing today, added the Mr. Money Mustache to my Feedly blog. Pretty great. Interesting to read, funny, witty and you learn stuff. Ya. It's a personal finance management blog. Good read :)
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014)
New thing today, watched Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014). This was awesome. It was a pretty solid movie overall and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
No spoilers, but I loved the plot twists, characters and story. It had great story, action and drama. Comedy was there too and I thought they did all the movie elements incredibly well. The audience was engrossed and involved and I'm not the only fan after what I've heard from a few people. Loved it! I would be willing to watch it again in the theater.
There is one fabulous part its a teeny spoiler - alert! It's a nod to Sam Jackson and in one scene it references "The Righteous Man" with a nod to his brilliant Pulp Fiction monologue. I just thought it was funny and clever and one of my favorite parts :) ok that's it.
Go see it!
No spoilers, but I loved the plot twists, characters and story. It had great story, action and drama. Comedy was there too and I thought they did all the movie elements incredibly well. The audience was engrossed and involved and I'm not the only fan after what I've heard from a few people. Loved it! I would be willing to watch it again in the theater.
There is one fabulous part its a teeny spoiler - alert! It's a nod to Sam Jackson and in one scene it references "The Righteous Man" with a nod to his brilliant Pulp Fiction monologue. I just thought it was funny and clever and one of my favorite parts :) ok that's it.
Go see it!
Ostrich Land
New thing today, met and fed some ostrich and emu. We found ourselves in Buellton CA when we decided to take a day trip to Solvang. On our way we saw an Ostrich Land sign above a little gift shop looking place. I thought maybe they would sell ostrich meat and it might be fun to check it out, so we did.
Turns out they didn't have ostrich meat but they had self guided tours where for $5 per person you could buy feed, check out the animals and feed them. So we tried it and it turned out being a ton of fun and a highlight to our day out.
We saw Emus, Ostrich and baby birds (didn't know which ones they were). It was fun! I loved watching the giant birds with their dinosaur feet and snake necks. So cool. Feeding them was fun too and we both preferred the emus when feeding as they seemed more polite. The ostrich just seemed like jerks.
Anyway it was fabulous and a lot of fun. Check it out if you're in that area :) I highly recommend it for all ages. Just follow directions and don't get pecked by the giant dinosaur birds.
Turns out they didn't have ostrich meat but they had self guided tours where for $5 per person you could buy feed, check out the animals and feed them. So we tried it and it turned out being a ton of fun and a highlight to our day out.
We saw Emus, Ostrich and baby birds (didn't know which ones they were). It was fun! I loved watching the giant birds with their dinosaur feet and snake necks. So cool. Feeding them was fun too and we both preferred the emus when feeding as they seemed more polite. The ostrich just seemed like jerks.
Anyway it was fabulous and a lot of fun. Check it out if you're in that area :) I highly recommend it for all ages. Just follow directions and don't get pecked by the giant dinosaur birds.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Custom Melt Moorpark
New thing today, tried Custom Melt in Moorpark. Amazing delicious food. Complementary chips and cheese dip come with every meal - and it's awesome. Better than the fries which were bland after adding salt. Irish melt with corned beef and Russian slaw was incredible! Husband got Go Green which was delectable as well. Red wine with the meal was also fab! Great way to end a hard week. Thank you Husband! Happy Friday folks!
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