{lululemon quotes} Quote #1

I have a list of inspirational quotes that was tucked neatly into my bag when I made a purchase at lululemon months ago.  It's been hanging in my bathroom and every time I see it I think it would make a great series of blog posts. Some of them are funny, some of them are cliche... but I think I like them all. So, I'm going to try to share them every now and again!

It was hard to pick the first one... But then I read the VERY last one on the list and knew it had to be it!

The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you two steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!

I kind of figured that one was relevant for all of us who are trying out our New Year Resolutions or if you are like me my "Not New Year Resolutions"!  How many times do we put projects on the back burner or goals in the back of our mind because we just don't want to deal with it at that moment? Raise your hand if you have a laundry list of things you want to accomplish this year... *Raising my hand HIGH HIGH HIGH!*  Write them down, put them in a place you can see them every day to serve as a reminder and try to set a realistic timeline for them.  That's what I'm doing!  I'm keeping a hard copy in our kitchen (next to the weekly meal plan) and I also write a list in dry erase markers on our bathroom mirror. I have done the bathroom mirror thing forever and I actually love it. I used to use post it notes saying stuff like "gym clothes" or "pay PUD!" but the dry erase markers are just easier! HA! Plus, it's easy for me to leave a note for Brandon in front of his sink so he surely sees it in the morning. :o)  The dry erase markers clean off easily, I promise!There are some random things on my list too, I'm not going to lie. Among finishing painting jobs and replacing my kitchen faucet, I have written "go visit Stephanie" who is a dear friend of mine that lives on the other side of the state.  I have said for the three years that they have lived over there that I am going to go visit... every time I get off the phone I say it. I AM GOING TO DO IT!!!!!

If you like this quote, write it at the top of your goal list.  We are bound to experience a crash and burn in a few weeks months when the newness of this year wears off and we start to feel unmotivated.  Try to prepare yourself by planning for that crash and knowing how you will proceed when you get there to keep yourself motivated!

{lack of} Preparation

Preparation is key to being successful in many aspects of life, right? 

• being prepared for an exam
• being prepared for giving a presentation at work
• being prepared for guests coming over to your house
• being prepared for when you pass with life insurance and wills, etc (woah, that one is serious...)
• being prepared for being parents....

Being prepared is typically the "smarter" way to do things and there are endless examples of preparedness.

 

Sometimes I'm great at being prepared.  Staying up late to prepare food for a holiday meal or a family gathering or staying up late to make sure every single last thing is packed before a trip are both things I do regularly. Or maybe once in a while having a term paper ready BEFORE its due date! In more serious aspects we are prepared with life insurance and we started our early years of marriage prepared for our future by investing for retirement and buying home instead of spending money in other ways (that could have been more fun, maybe...) However, typically I like to fly by the seat of my pants.  I've determined that this is because I have some issues with self discipline.  Instead of taking the time to prepare for things I spend it doing other mindless (but sometimes more fun) activities.  I've come to realize that some of my biggest dreams are not coming true or will not come true without the discipline that I need to enforce. 

 

It's my biggest struggle in life, I think.  Don't ask me about the container of jumbo cookies that I bought at Safeway yesterday... 7 out of 10 of those cookies now reside in our county's dump because it was garbage day today! HOORAY!

 

So, I think this will be common theme in some of my posts this year.  With school being done, I have no more excuses.  Sure, we are busy. EVERYONE is busy. Or, should I say... we all are as busy as we allow ourselves to be, so quit whining! HA! But I will be trying to implement more discipline into several areas of my life this year.  Because life isn't about excuses!

 

Can I just say that one area that Brandon and I both have improved on in the past two weeks is less TV?! Is it a small victory? Yes! But it is a victory!!! The cheerleader in me wants to say "give me a V!" :o)  I have even read six chapters in Firefly Lane (Kristen Hannah) already this year. I mean, that's huge for me! I think it has helped that I downloaded this book for my MIL on her nook that we got her for Christmas so we're supposed to be reading it together. Um, I'm not sure she's started yet. HA!  

 

Last night I also took steps in keeping myself prepared for this weekend's lunches.  I cooked up a huge batch of an extra healthy stir fry full of veggies and short on salt! :)  Well, short-er on salt than I usually would have made it... !

 

        Ingredients:

• Red peppers
• Yellow peppers
• Onion
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Brown rice
• Teriyaki sauce

In attempt to be healthier, I sauteed the onions with Pam and then added water to let them cook and not burn. HA! I burn everything... Then, I cooked brown rice and added half of the teriyaki sauce I would have normally. Then, I set containers out, measured the rice and filled them up with the veggie mixture!!! Oh what, I PREPARED something for lunch/dinner at work??? WOW! That's so AWESOME! I'm proud. :o)  This just means that I will not have an excuse to indulge in my FIL's homemade clam chowder that is on special at the Family Biz tonight, right? Because I will be prepared with my healthy stir fry!

 

Do you want to see it!? You do? Sweet! 

The two smaller ones are lunches/dinners for me and the larger ones are Brandon's.

 

 

 

 

The bottom container with the pinkish lid is full of "ants on a log".  Definitely a healthier alternative to clam chowder and tater tot snacks at 10pm when I'm hungry at work tonight!!! ;o)

That's all for today friends, I'm off to read a few more chapters before I have to shower and leave for work! Enjoy your weekend!

Mexican Sunshine...

I was lacking in creativity today.  I also don't have the time to collaborate an entire post about our vacation.  So, instead... I'll post a few pics! :)

When we arrived in Cabo, this was the view from the lobby of the hotel.

Pretty crappy, right? ;o)

Our hotel, Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, was amazing. Seriously! It was 24 buildings built into the side of a hill or something and spanned over 50+ acres.  Our room was one of the very top buildings with one of the best views!!! The sunset was gorgeous every single night.  We sat on our balcony and enjoyed a bottle of wine one night, a bottle of Hornitos one night... oh, I mean not the WHOLE bottle of Hornitos. ;0)

This is what we mostly did though, chillax at the pool. FUN! I even read a book. Hey, that's HUGE for me!!! :0)

Thankfully, we were joined by some of our best friends. We had a blast!

That was the worst tequila any of us had EVER witnessed, by the way!!! It was Uriah's birthday though. The server said it was "special."  That it was... HA!

Best of all, I got to spend time with my BFF and my Husband. LOVE!

I have a lot more to share, but for now that'll be it! Mexican Sunshine did wonders for my spirit! :) I needed the R&R!!!

Menu Planning Monday

Hey, it IS still Monday over here in the PNW... :)

Recap of last week:

Sunday: Made the scheduled recipe and it was "ok".  I ate leftovers for lunch at least two days, success!
Monday: Ended up eating out with inlaws. Brandon's grandparents are snowbirds and they were leaving the next day.  We try to squeeze in as much time as possible when they're home for the holidays so I suppose my meal planning would have been a lame excuse! ;)
Tuesday: Unplanned events... I got invited to a movie by my SIL and Brandon decided to play pool with some dudes. :)
Wednesday: YES! We ate at home! Pad Thai and Peanut Sauce, success! My PS needs some work, but it was good.  My Pad Thai was actually pretty good! I ate it as leftovers for lunch, double success!
Thursday:  I worked Brandon's shift so he could watch the Huskies beat the Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl! WHOOOP!  ***Chelle... Stinky Cougs!***
Friday:  My fabulous husband made Taco Soup for us to enjoy at work that night.  We were supposed to make Chili but they are more or less the same ingredients. :)  I also ate this as leftovers several times!
Saturday: No meal made. :(

Ok, so this week wasn't stellar.  I still have plenty of groceries left over that I will utilize this week, I hope! I suppose I was a little ambitious.  I'm going to go with three this week because of our schedules and obligations...

Sunday: Family Function... Seahawk game!
Monday: Topopo Salads:  Tortilla chips, refried black beans, romaine, shredded chicken, cheese, avacado, tomato and Italian dressing. YUUUM-O Sounds odd, right? It's really yummy.
Tuesday: Brandon is doing some handy-man work at his mom and dad's and I have a hair appointment! Yippee!
Wednesday: I am helping a friend's daughter with the FAFSA and college apps. JOY! No really, I enjoy helping. She's making me dinner. :)
Thursday: Working... Brandon is going to the Husky basketball game with BIL and his dad.
Friday:  Turkey meatloaf, mashed cauliflower (still haven't made it!) and carrots. YUM!
Saturday: Slow cooker chicken tacos.  Put chicken breasts (we do five or six tenders but it would be about 3 breasts for 2 adults and leftovers) in crock put with half of a jar of salsa. I use PACE! :) Seriously, let it cook for 4+ hours and shred the meat! It's SO delicious! And, can we see it's healthy!? YES!!! Then, I make this yummy corn salad that I need to do a post on. Canned corn, black beans, lime juice, peppers, etc. Delish!

WHEW!!! This week is all jumbled. Too many obligations! Oh well, such is life! I am still glad to have it all planned out.  I also love that Brandon is calling me during the day and asking what we're having that night and what he can bring home or help with. BONUS!!!

Did anyone try any new recipes this week?

Just in Time for 2011

New Year's Eve Eve I got a text message at 11pm from a fellow classmate: "All grades are posted!"

Insert nervous heart palpitations.  Did I think I failed? No. However, I am not one to assume when it comes to my grades.  Especially not after the curveball that was thrown at me two terms ago. A C after 100% on a midterm, final and two essays? How does THAT happen? It did and I didn't have the balls confidence to stand up for myself with the Dean. So that C remains on my transcript, forever. *Damn*

I certainly have kept grad school in mind this last phase of my undergrad career because I know that there is a great possibility that I will want to get into a decent school in a couple of years.  So I suppose that's where the nervousness was coming from. That's also where my pissed off-ness comes for the stupid C that I have!!! The only positive aspect of that is that was an elective and not a core class, whatever!

Anywho, my fingers were flying on my phone's keyboard trying to log into the secure WebAdvisor for my school. Such a pain on a phone, right?  Much to my happiness, I logged in to find two As for this term. Not one, but TWO! That gives me a grand total of twelve As, one B and one C for the last year and a half of my school.  Not too shabby, right? RIGHT!!!!

Insert pure happiness and satisfaction here. Thank GOD! I now can celebrate. And let me tell you, last night? We did. HA! This morning, dry toast and honeycrisp apples have been my BFFs!

By the way, I feel like I'm gloating about this... Please know that I am not.  I am not very great at very many things.  But school, I take pride in.  I am good at it and I love it. Well, we have a love/hate relationship... you know how that goes. HA! But, usually I am pretty hard on myself and don't let myself brag about much.  So, excuse this brag post and please don't think I am acting like I'm hot stuff! HA!

I hope everyone rang in the New Year safely (probably from your pillows, right?)  We have had gorgeous weather in the PNW this week and Brandon and I are about to take a long drive into the country to visit his grandparents that have a farm.  Brandon plans on shooting his new (old it was Grandpa's) shotgun and I plan on enjoying the crisp air and gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier out there. :) Sounds like a fine day, right?  Enjoy your Sunday everyone! I will be back tomorrow with this week's menu and a recap of how our menu this week went!

Menu Mondays

Among many New Year Resolutions that Brandon and I have been discussing... eating at home has been a main one.  We're not huge NY Resolution people, usually.  But, there are some big habits that we would like to change and I hope we both can commit to them.  With our schedules, we are guaranteed to not be home before midnight two nights a week.  We are also guaranteed to not BOTH be home before 9 or 10pm another two nights a week.  This leads to us eating at the Family Biz or another restaurant TOO much and also eating too late at night.

So, I got an idea.  I know there are a ton of bloggers that do menus and post them and I've always 'ohhh ahhhh'd over them!  Now, I probably have mentioned before that I am an organized brain stuck in an disorganized body.  That means that while disorganized and cluttered stuff drives me batty, I'm not always ambitious enough to tackle the jobs!!! HA!  But, I figure if I can write a rough list of menu items down and hang it in our kitchen it will be easy for both of us to see what to expect that week.  The weeknights that I know we'll be home, we can schedule meals and then I will leave a few floating meals to make whenever we are home and have the time.

So, over here at WWW (ha!) I am going to try to post my menu for the week and I will call it Menu Mondays. I'm not looking for a huge following or anything, it's simply to keep me organized and hopefully will motivate me to plan a menu every Sunday!!!  I found this cool site that has some fancy menu plans... Mine won't be that fancy but maybe I will join her Linky thing on the weeks that she does them!

So, for this week... here goes nothin'!

Sunday - Pan grilled Pork Loins and Macaroni & Cheese with Brussel Sprouts
**Marinade pork in ziplock w/olive oil, salt & pepper, fresh rosemary & thyme for no less than one hour. Grill in grill pan and finish cooking in the oven.  Use PW's basic M&C recipe adding crisp bacon and caramelized onions.  Broil or steam brussel sprouts.
Monday - Chicken Pad Thai and Peanut Sauce with Broccoli
**Pad Thai for Two package (take the help!), bean sprouts and scallions for the Pad Thai, Homemade peanut sauce (curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk & PB.)  Steamed broccoli. YUM!
Tuesday (float) - Chili & Cornbread
**Classic chili recipe with typical seasonings, mixture of beans and seasonings with ground turkey.  Start in crockpot in mid morning.  Packaged cornbread mix with an added can of corn. Yum and EASY!
Wednesday (float) - Teriyaki Chicken & Grilled Veggies with a side salad
**Marinade chicken tenders in teriyaki sauce and grated ginger root. Use grill pan for chicken and set aside, grill julienned carrots and zucchini and serve with a salad!
Friday - Lemon Chicken with Mashed Cauliflower and Broccoli/Brussel Sprouts
**Stuff a whole chicken with a lemon, rosemary, thyme and sage (whatever fresh herbs you have) and maybe an apple (I promise, it's good!) Make two or three balls of tin foil and put them in the bottom of your crock pot. Put the stuffed bird in the crock pot on top of the foil balls and lather the outside with olive oil and salt & pepper.  Cook on low all day. This chicken is SO good! The skin doesn't get brown, but we don't eat chicken skin anyway so it doesn't bother us. Plus, the cleanup is SO easy with this dish. You could roast it in a pan also but for a weekday meal I prefer the crockpot.  It literally falls off the bone and is SO good! I will be using a new recipe for the mashed cauliflower! I've had it before but never have made it myself. I'm excited to try! They're a great substitute for mashed potatoes.  We'll have steamed broccoli or brussel sprouts depending on what is left over.

Saturday & Thursday - Feed yourself days! There are likely to be left overs even after lunches are packed... and there are just some days that you want a sandwich or cereal for dinner, right?! :)

Whew! Now, that may not look so organized but I hope to get better as the weeks go on! I was really good today about going through our freezers and pantry to locate ingredients for all of these items.  I then only went to the store for the items that we needed for this week.  Thankfully, we mostly just needed fresh veggies and fruits as well as some dairy items.  The checker at Safeway said "You're making me look bad! You have so many fruits and veggies!" HA! That's a good thing, right? ;)

If you made it through this post, comment and let me know how you do your menu planning.  Do you follow a blog that does it? If you do, let me know so I can check it out!  Have a great Monday!!!

Back in the Saddle!

Alright, I'm here! Present and counted for! (Is that the right saying? or is it Present and ACCOUNTED for?)

I have spent the past six or so weeks freaking out over my school finals and such.  Honestly, I have been thinking about my blogging comeback (not that it is THAT big of a deal or anything) and I hadn't come up with anything funny to blog about from the past month or so, so I suppose that maybe if something pops into my head then I will blog about it! :)  However, I fully intend on blogging about our trip to Mexico!

Anyway, I am happy to be back and am SO excited to be done with school! But, I am still holding my breath because final grades have NOT been posted.  While I am a straight A student typically... I may (or may not) have chosen to not write a final essay that was worth a good chunk of change... The damned thing was due when we were in Mexico and Brandon and I counted up my points vs. points possible in the class and kept coming up with a B as a worst case scenario.  So, I figure even if I get a C it's no big deal because that's still passing! HA! But, I keep telling people "I'm not done YET... when grades are posted and I know I passed, that's when I will be DONE!!!!"  I plan on having a few drinks the night that grades are posted! I'll have one in celebration if I DID pass and about FIVE in disbelief if I DIDN'T pass!!! HA!

I have already caught up on Christmas posts... and tried to drop by and say hello to my usual blogs but if I didn't make it to yours tonight... HELLO!!!!

Have a great week everyone!!!