Weekend Recap

Friday

As usual, pancakes on Friday! Love them SO much- except I do miss my real Canadian maple syrup back home 🙂 In case you’re wondering, the recipe is SO simple: 3/4 c quick oats, 3/4 c greek yogurt, 2 egg whites. (I add a bit of almond milk to thin out the batter since the consistency from my mom’s blender is a bit more grainy.)

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I noticed in the local paper that there is a new baby boutique downtown, so my mom and I went to go check it out. Unfortunately, I don’t think the shop will last long- she had barely any inventory and it was extremely expensive for the area. There was one little fleece coat there that was adorable, but I wasn’t about to pay $52 for it!

We walked around for a bit longer and stopped in another shop where I saw they had Hunter boots- and they had my size!!! (11). My mom convinced me to buy them since there was a sign that said 40% off- which I could still justify given the current exchange rate. Apparently it was NOT my lucky day, because they were improperly marked and were full price. UGH. I’m really hoping Tyler reads this and sees that I want a pair of ORIGINAL TALL BLACK HUNTER BOOTS. SIZE 11.

Tyler- are you reading this? Please be reading this. I really want those boots.

To make up for all the bad shopping, we stopped in to Rock Hill Bakehouse for lunch. I’m mad at myself for being home this long and waiting until the end of my trip to order my favorite sandwich, the Granny Smith. It has roasted turkey, sliced granny apple, sharp cheddar and curried mayo on toasted raisin bread. Mmmmmm

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I’m the biggest idiot in the world and had a bit of ice-cream when we got home. <–That part isn’t me being an idiot, but working out less than 10 minutes after eating the ice cream is. I just about barfed. I was literally sweating Ben and Jerry’s out of my face.

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Dinner was pretty f*ing good too. My dad made homemade balls and sauce which I paired with a THICK slice of Villas bread. OMG I love Villas bread- it’s so thick and well, bread tasting. I used to eat entire loaves of this stuff in high school. You know, back when metabolisms were great.

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News alert: I opened that beer and drank a whopping 3 sips of it. I think I’m losing my pumpkin beer mojo??! I’m not liking any of the ones I bought!

Wes INHALED some cereal, green beans and pears. The boy loves his food!

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Before bed, I decided to whip together a coffee cake. I’ve been craving one lately and secretly hoping my mom would put it together. Instead, she gave Wes a bath and a bottle while I got to work in the kitchen. Totally fine by me.

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So basically, Friday was a day revolving around food. Actually, that’s most days.

Saturday

Ugh. Wes is really liking this whole wake-up-at-5AM thing. I’m not liking it at all. Especially these last few days- I have been feeling a bit under the weather. WOMP. The good news is, he falls asleep right after eating, so I can get back to bed for a bit longer as well.

Even though I was feeling crappy, I made breakfast (BAE- bacon and eggs) for all of us AND cut into the delicious loaf I made last night.

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I could have eaten the entire thing.

My dad took Wes for a walk while I napped (very important!) ad my mom and I eventually got out the door for a girls outing (+ Wes). We wanted to drive out to Salem, NY for a couple of different fall fests. Funny story: We drove to Salem, drove through Salem, then drove home. At least the view was scenic and Wes got in another long nap! Fun fact: There are more cows in Salem than people.

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PS: I took this photo while getting ready this morning..I am too lazy/frugal to buy new pjs, so I’ve been rubber banding my existing ones. I’m convinced I’ll fill them out again soon, so I’m not about to spend more money on smaller ones!

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We had dinner reservation sat my favorite local restaurant, Bistro LeRoux . I can’t say enough good things about this place- the service is so friendly, the food is AMAZING and the atmosphere is nice and cozy for a delicious evening out of the house.

I stuck with my all time favorite: the Mascarpone Stuffed Poached Pear Salad. It comes with candied walnuts, cherries, mascarpone cheese and spinach with a vanilla fig vinaigrette. I added filet to mine to make it a heartier meal and it didn’t disappoint in the least.

And of course we had a bottle of wine for the table.

And of course we split warm apple pie for dessert.

And of course I multi-tasked and fed Wes once he woke up.

Of course.

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I hate to say it, but this trip is coming to an end with both Wes and I having colds. UGH. Which made sleep on Saturday night pretty much non-existant (for me). The poor boy just had a bit of a hard time getting to sleep, but stayed down for a solid 10 hours. Lucky.

Sunday

Well, I couldn’t sleep worth a crap. I ended up watching My Best Friends Wedding and sobbed like a baby. Also, ummm now that I’m watching it, Kimmy (Cameron Diaz’s character) is only 20 and in college and Julia Roberts is supposed to only be 27. HOWWWWWW did they all get such great jobs? I would DIE..strike that…KILL to be 27 and be a food critic. Or a sports writer. Stupid rom coms.

I then got super desperate and watched Drive Me Crazy (which drives me crazy.) At least it did the trick and I fell asleep.

Despite the yucky feelings, Mr. Wes woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed. (Me, on the other hand…WOOF).

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My dad took Wes for a long walk in the morning so I was able to squeeze in my workout. Having a sniffly nose + cardio do NOT mix, but I powered through it and felt about .5 billionty times better.

In the afternoon, we ventured back over to the mall because I wanted to see if I could find any good deals on clothes for myself. I wound up getting 2 shirts and a sweater which I think will fit into my upcoming fall/winter/spring lifestyle. PS: I dread going back to work to wear more put together outfits. Barf.

I also picked up another box of Quest bars and managed to work a single pumpkin pie bar into my purchase. This is just about the only pumpkin thing I’ve succumbed to this fall. Well, besides the beer but that was an EPIC fail this year and more than 75% of it went down the drain.

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The weather in the late afternoon was so nice, I decided to take Wes for another walk. The fresh air did us both good and I am so dreading going back home to colder, non-walkable weather.

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I made myself a stuffed sweet potato for dinner and absolutely inhaled it. For some reason, the ‘sweet potatoes’ I find in Calgary come nothing close to these in taste, so it was an especially nice treat to have a ‘tater I really loved.

And I bought a case of LaCroix at Target today too. Guess how many are left? None. I’ve already polished them off. Is that gross?? I guess there could be worse habits to have. Like heroin.

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To wrap up things nicely, my mom made a wacky cake for dessert. I would have taken a picture of it but we ate it and it’s (mostly) gone already. CAKE FOR THE WIN!

How was your weekend?

Weekend Recap

Another great weekend in the books! Which also mean one week closer to going home..womp. Friday: Obviously the day started with pancakes! The consistency of these are way different than the ones I make at home..I now know just how awesome … Continue reading

Friday Favorites

TGIF! Although that really means nothing for me. All the days run together..

I’ve got a few things I wanted to share as my latest favorites. But first, quick recap of this week:

  • Wes is now is size 2 diapers. Can someone say HUMUNGO
  • Tyler traded in his new Mustang for a new 4 door Wrangler. #familyfriendly
  • Leigh came over with Amelia on Wednesday to hang out!
  • Reggie ate a batch of chocolate chip cookies. He’s a total garbage disposal. Although, I did discover that he won’t eat walnuts, so that’s something.
  • Ok, one more baby thing–> remember the episode of Friends when Ross sings Baby Got Back to Emma and she laughs? Yeah, I totally did that to Wes the other day. And YUP, he laughed. So he’s definitely my child. I actually used to have a shirt in college that read ‘OH MY GAWD BECKY.’ I miss that shirt

So, my favorites:

1. Neutrogena Light Night Cream

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I have only ever used Neutrogena on my face and had been previously using one of their anti-wrinkle night cream, but I found it didn’t do  really anything as far as wrinkles or moisturizing for my skin. I picked this one up a few weeks ago and just started using it and it’s really great. It keeps my skin nice and soft and definitely helps keep it moisturized- especially now that I’m starting to spend more time outside in the sun!

2. Grilled Zucchini Salad by Bobby Flay

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I made this when friends came over for dinner a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know if it was going to turn out, but it ended up being delicious! I had to bookmark it because we now have zucchini growing in our garden and I’m going to want to whip this up for a lot of dinners this summer!

3. Home Workouts! I’ve completed week 4 of T25 Alpha and I know I keep talking about it, but it’s really just that great. It’s only 25 minutes and I find it to be super effective for both cardio and strength training. BUT- it’s starting to get repetitive. I mean, I have been doing the DVDs for just about a year now! Hopefully by the time this is published, I will have bought the 21 day fix extreme (just for the workouts, I don’t care about the food portion of it!) I keep logging in to the website to get it, but then keep getting distracted by a certain someone.

4. My neighborhood. Lame sauce thing to say as a favorite, but it is! I can take Wes or the dogs for walks for MILES and never leave the neighborhood! There are tons of paths and little parks along the way that make it pretty enjoyable and I’m able to change up my route on a daily basis so it doesn’t get boring. Plus, there are areas that are flat and some hilly areas, so I can choose which way to go depending on how strenuous I want the walk to be.

5. GapFit Breathe V-neck tee

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This shirt is so soft and breathable and I can wear both casually and for workouts! I must have washed mine a billionty times already and it’s still holding up! I keep waiting for them to go on sale so I can pick up like a dozen more.

Ok, that was a pretty boring list, but it’s what I’ve got! Hope you all have a great Friday and a great weekend!!

Late Weekend Recap

In case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to lately, it’s only really been one thing: trying to keep a baby alive. Holy hell is it time consuming or what?! The days are pretty easy, but it’s getting him used to the nighttime schedule that has been the absolute pits. I think mostly because I’m tired + I’m convinced I’m doing it wrong + it’s kinda scary and lonely being up alone at night trying to figure out the whole baby thing. And don’t get me started on when I google all things baby on the internet, because it leaves me feeling even MORE confused and overwhelmed and anxious and any other similar adjective.

Good thing my mom is here.

She has really helped take over when I reach my breaking point and just start crying for no reason (see? I am crying now. Mostly because I’m convinced my child hates me. That’s normal, right? Because he seems to settle when anyone else makes an attempt. Except for me)

Ok, so on to actual things we did over the past few days. Note: Must type fast so I can squeeze in a nap before baby wakes up

Friday: Whitney came over to take a bunch of pics of Wes. I am DYING to see all the photos. She was really great with him and I would pay her to come over everyday to swaddle him. She already posted a sneak peak on Facebook and I’ve been staring at it nonstop.

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That night, Tyler and I went to The Keg for dinner to celebrate our anniversary/first week of baby. We told the waiter, but he didn’t give us a free dessert…so that sucked. We did order a bottle of wine and I had a glass but felt so guilty about it and now I’m afraid to drink because I’m paranoid about passing it to the baby. Among other unknown guilt feelings.

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Saturday: I think we did nothing? I don’t remember. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I stayed in my jammies all day and fed/changed/burped a baby. Maybe I showered. Definitely didn’t sleep. There was a hockey game on TV at some point. My mind is so fuzzy.

Sunday: After a lovely feast of bacon and eggs, my mom and I took Wes to Cross Iron Mills (outlet/regular mall combo). Yeah, BAD IDEA. Everyone from the city of Calgary was there. I don’t do well with crowds. Especially when 95% of said crowd was comprised of unruly children. We squeaked out with a few outfits for Wes then came home to a nice steak dinner. After feasting on a caramel apple, of course (we split just one of those. Guess how much they cost? $9 EACH. Insane)

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{insert 60 minute break to feed/bathe Wes. Naked new babies are really cute}

Monday: Again, not too much to report. I started the day with some peanut butter banana protein pancakes. NOMSOHARD.

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For six silver-dollar sized pancakes:

  • 3/4 c oats
  • 2 egg whites
  • 3/4 c greek yogurt
  • 2 T peanut butter
  • 1/2 banana

Add first 4 ingredients to immersion blender until smooth. Pour batter on hot skillet and top with thin slices of banana. Flip. Top with maple syrup. Jam into face hole.

My mom and I then took Wes to Market Mall and bought OURSELVES some makeup. #treatyoself. Although I’m dying a little on the inside at how much it all cost. Whatever.

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Which brings us to today. PHEW. Wes is on somewhat of a schedule (eat, change, activity, sleep. REPEAT A BILLIONTY TIMES). And we’ve managed to have him sleep in his crib at night which is apparently a miracle? Although I’m glued to the monitor the hole night since I’m convinced he will be stolen or something.

How was your weekend??

Five Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Today is a big day- Whitney is coming over to take newborn photos of Wes. And Tyler and I are going out to dinner for our anniversary! (Big thanks to grandma and grandpa for babysitting for an hour or two!)

I thought I’d share my five top favorite things from the past week (aside from Wes, because he would probably win every week)

1. Hospital issued underwear. I mean, they are ridiculously comfy. I was able to snag a bunch of extra pairs from the nurses before leaving the hospital and am really sad they only last through a few washes before they start to fall apart.

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2. Buttered Popcorn Rice Cakes- I don’t ever buy these but my dad picked up a few packages from the store and now I am obsessed. My mom got some of the caramel ones but I am trying to steer clear of those because I know once I start on them I won’t be able to stop. Nom nom nom

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3. Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bars- Tyler is THE BEST and picked me up a box of these so I could have some in my hospital bag (we were told the hospital food could either be bad or limited and to pack lots of snacks. Turns out, that wasn’t the case and I was actually offered a few meals with some really great options) I only ate one in the hospital, but I’ve found these bars to be PERFECT to snack on at around 1am in between feedings. Only problem? The wrapper is loud as hell so it’s pretty unpleasant for Wes when I am trying to unwrap one of those suckers and he’s on the boob.

I’m pretty pumped that we just got a $10 off coupon for the local supplement store so I can pick up another box!

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4. Juddlies Breathe-Eze Sleeper- After the first few nights of having Wes home, we realized he is not a baby that likes to be swaddled. We’ve found (for right now) the best solution is to have him in a sleeper with a light swaddle from the waist down. We also found out that we had only one newborn sized sleeper, so we had made a few trips to pick up some extras. This Juddlies sleeper is SO soft and it’s breathable, so we don’t have to worry about him sweating or being too cold throughout the night.

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5. Starbucks Unsweetened Black Tea Lemonade- this is one of my summertime favorites and I’ve managed to pop into Starbucks a couple times this week because the weather was so nice it practically begged me to order it. Mmm mm so delicious.

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So yeah. most of my favorites are food related. A close runner-up are some of the dinners we’ve had this week: they’ve all been yummy, summery dishes. I just love food. And having my parents in the house to prepare most of it has just been wonderful. Plus, there’s an endless supply of fruit on the counter, so I’m not complaining.

What’s something on your favorites list from this week?