Date Night

What a good day we had yesterday recovering from our food hangovers. The squirrel finished off her box of Fruit Loops Nana bought her...

The dogs got to help her finish the box...

Mommy would never buy Fruit Loops but that's what Nana's are for!

Chowdy had vet appointment and her doctor gave her full run of the house (she's been locked in a bathroom). She said the staples needed a few more days but overall she's healing nicely. The squirrel was very sweet to her.

See she looks better! When she was limping she used to hide under our bed a lot. She's only been under the bed briefly since yesterday.

She is such a sweet kitty!

I got a nice surprise from the husband later in the afternoon... DATE NIGHT! We dropped the squirrel off with Nana and headed downtown.

The husband made reservations at Riverboat Landing. I was in heaven. We had the BEST food and wine. We had a crab spread for an appetizer. I ordered butternut squash ravioli (another appetizer) and a side salad. The husband had shrimp and grits and a salad. It was so good I literally savored every single bite. I also savored several bites of the husbands shrimp and grits. We both joked we could order the same things again and eat it all over again. After dinner we walked around downtown. It sure is beautiful...

We had coffee at PCJ, took some fun pictures by a HUGE Christmas tree, and headed home.

When we got home the squirrel did some more Chowdy lovin... I was trying to teach her the concept of "be nice" and she seemed to understand...

Tonight for dinner is leftovers from T-Day... Aren't they always better a day or two later?!

Turkey Day

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was great! We ended up having 11 people for dinner. It was wonderful having my family and my husbands together. We had a couple traditional dishes and a couple new ones. Since we are in the south we decided to fry the turkey this year. It was SO GOOD. We also did mac and cheese, green bean casserole, garlic cheddar biscuits, mashed potatoes... and so much more.

Let me know if this slideshow isn't working...

The direct link to it is here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kristeng30/Thanksgiving2009?feat=directlink



Today's agenda is a recheck vet appointment for my kitty and then Christmas decorating at my mom's. The husband has 24 hour duty today at work so I'm on my own. Poor guy. He does have this weekend and Monday off so I can't complain. I sent him to work with lots of leftovers this morning. I hope you all are still stuffed from yesterday!

Turkey Trot

Turkey trot day! I would lie and say I was really excited and not nervous at all but the people I went with read this blog. I couldn't sleep last night I was so nervous. All the pressure to run the whole thing really got to me. I didn't want to disappoint my husband or myself. When we got there my nerves really kicked in.

We got these cool t-shirts...

I put my number on...

These kids tagged along with us... My sister and her BF :)

And we were ready to run!

I ran the whole 2.45 miles without walking and did it easily. Didn't even use my Ipod!

My sister and I after the race...

We ran it in 26 minutes 30 seconds. Not too bad... Next up 5k?

Happy Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow I thought about making my thankful list but honestly, I am thankful for everything you are probably thankful for. How many times can I use thankful in a sentence? :) My family, my husband, my squirrel, my friends, good food... ect...

Instead I thought I would share something I read in my Body + Soul magazine. They are winter tips but I am hoping to use them tomorrow.

1. Slow down. Try not to rush; pause. Wiggle your toes. Stay in the day.

2. Soften your focus. While the details seem all-important in the moment try not to get caught up in them. Because while no one will remember the mismatched placemats, the wine you served, or the outfit you wore, they will remember how hard they laughed.

3. Roll with it. You won't remember the placemats either. Forget the little things.

4. Observe. Try to see teh people and things around you as they are, not as you wish them to be.

5. Awaken taste. Rather than eating just to quell hunger and fill your belly, experience food as a sacred and sensual pleasure. Whenever you put something in your mouth, make it a point to really taste it.

6. Breathe first. When stress is high, it's easy to panic. We tend to take shallow breaths when we're anxious, which only makes things worse.

Sure some of them sound a little corny but after I read these it really made me think. I always feel so rushed and anxious during the holidays. When January comes around I always regret not being more "in the moment". I spend more time worrying about what to buy people that I don't get a chance to enjoy the shopping. I am doing the same with cooking Thanksgiving this year. I am worrying so much about what people will think of my cooking that I'm not able to enjoy doing this for my family.

On the food side... I don't like dieting or telling myself I can't have something during the holidays. It automatically puts a negative vibe in the atmosphere for me. How can you resist pumpkin spice lattes in October, apple cider in November, and peppermint lattes in December? I heard someone say once to "Splurge on quality but watch your quantity". If a pumpkin spice latte gives you that fall feel and puts you in a good mood get one! Watch your portions during big holiday meals and take a walk after dinner. So simple.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Be thankful, eat well, take pictures, enjoy your family, and overall be happy.

Just One of Those Days

You know those days... Where nothing ever seems to go right. I had one of those days today. The squirrel is getting another tooth. It's right on the verge of breaking through. She woke up screaming this morning and it continued all day long.

I did manage to make us both waffles this morning for breakfast. Her waffle had butter and syrup. Mine had almond butter and maple syrup. I wanted to make a point to say that if you are watching what you eat to lose weight make sure you measure things. When you let yourself splurge on high calorie foods such as almond butter and maple syrup make sure you know how much you are eating. I used a teaspoon to measure both the syrup and AB.


Today was my day to clean. Did ya'll know I'm having 9 people total at my little house for Thanksgiving? I started cleaning but the squirrel was so fussy (she wanted to be held) that I didn't get far at all. I vacummed while she ate her waffle but that was about it. I can't clean and carry a 21lb baby around.

Instead of cleaning we decided to go shopping! Meaning Mommy almost had a breakdown and had to get out of the house! I saw these dishes the other day at the store that I had to have for Thanksgiving. I resisted them once but couldn't turn them down a second time.

When I got home and started unpacking them I noticed they all had price tag stickers on them and were impossible to get off. I swear that is my number one pet peeve. I think I get it from my Grandpa. He gets pissed off too. This store is pretty known for having sticky stickers so I should have prepared myself. The thing is I bought a total of 32 dishes. This is where the dishes ended up...

See those damn stickers on there?! Thank goodness for my big sink! I didn't even get a pretty picture of them! I will tomorrow. While they were soaking I made lunch. I ate an Aidells apple chicken dog on a whole wheat bun with some spring mix, feta, and Annie's raspberry dressing.

Since the squirrel was fussy we did some swinging. It made her day.

Do you know what today is? Tuesday... Do you know what Thursday is? The turkey trot! I ran pretty well yesterday but today was bad. I was tired and my legs were sore from yesterday. I think it was also the mood I was in today. Blah. I'm taking tomorrow off so I can run the whole 2.4 miles. I can do it! I'm going to try to not walk once!

Well it's time for bed. I'll be dreaming of fried turkey and pumpkin pie. I'm a firm believer in eating what you want on Thanksgiving. Sorry dieters, health nuts, and nutritionists... It's just what you do on Thanksgiving. Be thankful, eat and watch football. It's the one day out of the year dedicated to eating comfort foods. I'll also be running in the morning on Thanksgiving Day so more of an excuse to eat! Didn't I say it was time for bed?

A Trip To Raleigh

We had a vet appointment for Koda yesterday morning at 10 in Raleigh. I knew everyone (my mom and husband) would want to stop for breakfast so I planned ahead. I had a breakfast cookie smashed up in a solo cup. It consisted of 1/2 cup of rolled oats, a whole smashed banana, a tablespoon of almond butter, and a splash of almond milk. I also sprinkled some granola over it.

The husband and my mama were baaaaaaaad. I won't even say what they got but it was reeeeally hard to not beg for a bite. I did get a diet coke so I didn't feel too left out.

Koda also got breakfast! A cheese biscuit! YUM YUM!

For those of you who didn't know Koda had surgery a few months ago on her eye to control her glaucoma. She has an inherited glaucoma problem where her eye doesn't drain fluid properly. This obviously causes a build up of pressure. The pressure can completely destroy her retina. Her right eye is already gone so the surgery was to save her left eye. So far so good. Her appointment went well. We've reached the 2nd hurdle in the surgery so we've got one more to go. The six month mark... After that her doctor said she was in the clear. ANYWAYS...

Koda's doctor is INCREDIBLE. I wish he was mine and my kiddos doctor! Our plans were to go to her appointment and then meet my sister for lunch at 12. Then come home. During our appointment Koda's doctor mentioned doing a procedure to destory the fluid making cells in her bad eye. We wouldn't have to medicated that eye anymore (which causes us a fortune). They did have to put her under but she could leave the same day. Since we were already there we decided to leave her then and have it done. We had a lot of time to blow so we headed to a Barnes and Noble to let the squirrel play. We love to take her there because they have a bunch of fun toys and she can release some energy. Her and Daddy had a blast with the trains...


After B&N we met my sister for lunch at Olive Garden. One healthy living tip is to check out the menus before you go to a restaurant. There are so many places that have menus online! I already knew what I was going to have. Soup (minestrone), salad, and breadsticks please! I have no willpower. My sister mentioned pumpkin cheesecake and I couldn't say no! I also ate way too many breadsticks. Sometimes you have to splurge but not go too crazy. We split the cheesecake...

After lunch we headed to the mall. It was AWESOME. I guess I've never been to a real mall before. I could have spent hours in there.

The squirrel had a blast driving her car.

She also LOVED the disney store. (Who doesn't love the disney store?) Guess what her favorite part was? I'll give you one guess...

Can you find the squirrel?

By the time we were done at the disney store the vet had called and said Koda was ready. What a fun day in Raleigh.

Today was boring... All this rain from Ida has put the husband and I in funky moods. We did run today and I ran a whole mile without walking! That's a big step for me. I used to run a block and have to walk. We ran/walked for about an hour... That's how bored we were. We ended up at Pita Delite for lunch. I was feeling adventurous and had a hummus/veggie pita. It was just okay. Not too impressed and PD is probably in my top 5 favorite restaurants. Tomorrow will probably be another lazy day. I'm headed to the gym for a class bright and early so I'm off to bed!

Out Running the Storm

The husband had to work this morning which was good and bad. The squirrel and I always want Daddy home but it was nice to do our morning routine again. We ate some breakfast. It consisted of hot cereal for me and cheerios, banana, and milk for the squirrel. Then we headed out for a run. I ran early today because hurricane Ida is coming our way.

Today I got to try out my new headphones. It may not seem like much to you but I was super excited and here's why. If you ever want to try to start running make sure you have some sort of tuneage. When I first started running I didn't use my Ipod. Since I started using it I have probably more than doubled my run time and made it much more enjoyable. I sometimes catch myself wanting to run just a little longer to listen to the rest of a song. Also, I have had an ongoing battle with headphones. I have been searching for THE pair for my entire life. I'm not kidding. I think my left ear is defective. It will not hold any headphones so I spend the entire time trying to shove it back into my ear. The husband recommended marshmallows. I wasn't too sure if I liked the idea of putting marshmallows in my ears but I was desperate. These little guys are made by JVC and are awesome. Of course I got the hot pink. They drowned out all excessive noise that was going on...

and I didn't have to readjust at all! I can't believe I just typed all of the about headphones. Now you know how important they are to me! Sometimes it's the little things that make your life just a little bit easier.

Lunch today was a veggie pizza...

I just took a Arnold Sandwich Thin and toasted it. I added some spaghetti sauce, broccoli and zucchini (the only veggies in the house), mozzarella, and fresh basil. Then I put it back in the oven. It was really good and quick. My Grandma introduced me to the sandwich thins. I love love love them. They are so yummy!

The squirrel entertained us with Gus this afternoon. Wouldn't it be nice to be amused by feeding the dog paper? If everyone laughed this hard everyday the world would be a better place. To turn off the music scroll to the bottom of the page and click the pause button!



Guess what we had for dinner tonight? CHILI! This time we ate it with jalapeno cheddar cornbread. It's our own secret recipe... I just take our cornbread recipe and add equal amounts of jarred jalapenos and cheddar. About 1/4 cup of each.



The husband's chili isn't too spicy so the cornbread complimented it nicely. Tomorrow we are headed to Raleigh... We've got a vet appointment with one of the dogs and have lunch planned with my sister. Busy day!

What No Popcorn Lady?

Today started off with a trip to the farmer's market with the squirrel and Nana. Every Wednesday until December our little town has a farmer's market. It consists of crafts, produce, plants, soaps, honey, llama sweaters (for real) and most importantly for me today... Bread and popcorn. Great Harvest bread normally comes out and today I was determined to buy some dakota bread. For some reason GH was MIA. My lucky streak continued when we realized the popcorn lady wasn't there. No caramel corn for me! I was also searching for some home made bread and butter pickles but couldn't find those either. My mama bought the squirrel and I these:



Big Sugar Waffles... One regular, one pumpkin. They seriously taste like a donut. Which is probably what they are. Doughnut dough poured into a waffle iron. Sooo good! I promised the squirrel we'd have them for breakfast tomorrow. What a treat!
After our farmer's marketing we dropped Nana off at her house and came home. We ate lunch. I cannot even remember what I shoved into my mouth. That's what happens when you have a baby squirrel. I was feeling a little blah. Probably still sad that the popcorn lady and breadman weren't there so I set out for a run. I grabbed my newly loaded ipod and I just started ruuunaaang. Did ya catch my Forrest Gump impression? I bet you did... On my ipod I put all of my old boy bands cds. I ran and sang for quite awhile. I actually wanted to keep running to see what was coming next on my ipod. It was awesome. It's amazing what a little musak can do to your mood.
After my run I had to drop the squirrel off at Nana's to go to a doctor's appointment. Since the squirrel was born early and had ricketts my doctor wanted to check my vitamin D levels. So I got poked (which hurt really bad) and came back to my mom's. She made the ultimate comfort food for dinner...
Which was DELISH! Chicken and dumplins, biscuits, and mashed pots. Yes I had 2 biscuits... and probably half of the squirrels. Sometimes you just need to indulge.
The husband is on his way home. As I'm typing this he is at Toby Keith's restaurant in Oklahoma City... Tough job but someone has to do it. At least he's getting me a t-shirt. He should be home by Friday... I guess we'll see.