Spring Nail Colors

More info/link: http://www.bellasugar.com/10-Big-Nail-Polish-Shades-Spring-2011-14571687?page=0,0,10#9

I'm a big fan of the brand Essie, it's my new favorite for sure. Anyone else think it's interesting that OPI didn't make the cut?

Sleepy Mondays

I cannot seem to wake up today. :/ I went to bed late last night and now I'm paying the consequences...constant yawning and drooping eyes. I even got one of these before work:



I'm becoming addicted to their iced coffee, it's amazing. It's not too sweet, too creamy, or too strong. Excellent. It perked me up during the two traffic jams I had to drive through in order to get to work, but it's 12:00 and I'm still sleepy. Since it's lunch time, I'll share what I had for lunch today.



Progresso Lentil Bean soup! Yes I know it's high in sodium, but sometimes I just don't want to make a lunch and it's nice to have something a little easier (I mean, you open a can, pour it in a bowl, and heat it up...how much easier can you get?). I can barely make it through half a can of this soup because it's so filling, but it's so good! Now I just need to make sure that I don't eat really salty food for the rest of the day since I'm sure I got more than my daily intake of sodium in that half a can, oh well. :)

Has anybody else gotten their spring clothes out of storage yet? I've been wearing the same light weight stuff I have in my closet trying to avoid pulling out that big of bin of spring and summer clothes, but from looking at the radar it seems like I might have to suck it up and bring it out.

Mark and I have been using our pasta maker that we got for one of our wedding presents and it is so much fun! We've been making ravioli with different fillings and such, but we're still trying to master getting the right thin/thick ratio of the pasta. We made a whole wheat spinach and mushroom the other night and it just tastes so much fresher and better than store bought pasta. We say that we'll never buy pasta again, but I have a feeling that we'll have lazy days and probably buy it. :)



Sorry this was such a random post, but my mind is all hazy. I need a work nap. :/

Now tell me that this doesn't melt your heart :)

Another Snow Day

Now before any of you haters get on to me for not updating my blog, I have a valid excuse. :) I've been sick since last Friday evening so I haven't felt like doing to much other than laying in bed or on the couch. I'm finally better after drinking a lot, a doctor's visit (bleh), and some soup from my mom (it was delicious). I hate the doctor, but I went to a new one this last time. I must say that I only waited about 10 minutes in the waiting room and had a very attentitive nurse who sympathized when I tried to be a brave and act like a big girl when I was getting my finger pricked. I decided that it was best not to look as she took 3 minutes to squeeze the blood out of my finger. Gross. I did have to wait about 25 minutes to see the doctor after that, but it was just a viral thing that needed to run its course. I am back now and feeling much, much better.

Here's a few things that's been going on with us;
1. We watched Les Miserables with Liam Neeson on Saturday night. I read the book a few summers ago so I was curious how they would speed up the story so it could fit into a movie. It was really well done and not boring whatsoever. It's always fun to see how books are played out into movies and how that differs from what you had pictured yourself.



2. We need to get our taxes done so we can just have it over with. We use TurboTax, and by "we" I mean Mark because I am clueless when it comes to tax stuff. I can barely fill out a W2 correctly (hopefully I did this year).

3. I learned that Mark apparently is grossed out by the little strands of hair that are attached to fresh corn cobs. Hilarious. I happen to think the seedy pulp in the middle of cantaloupes is horrible too.




4. We are definitely not getting sick of the snow at all! I know some people are getting really tired of it but I still love it. Spring will be fun and all, but I love everything being all fluffy and white.


5. We just started watching the show Modern Family and oh wow, it is absolutely histarical. I cannot stop laughing out loud everytime we watch an episode.

6. I made a vegetable lasagna that tastes pretty good, but for some reason Mark and I don't want to eat it at all. Does this ever happen to anyone else? You make something that tastes fine, but you just really don't want to eat it again?

7. Valentine's Day is coming up next Monday and Mark has something he's planning that I'm really excited about! I even came home yesterday to find a bag of dark chocolate covered pomegrantes on my bed waiting as an early Valentine's present. And yes, they are amazing.



8. I've been really dying to go buy some new nail polishes and I have no clue why. I suppose I'm tired of the ones I have, but I need new ones ASAP. :)

Happy Groundhog Day!

Why oh why do I keep putting off going to the grocery store?? Every morning looks the same...I open the pantry, thinking to myself that I really need to start packing my lunches the night before. I see nothing that I can take to work. :/ Well, I'll just eat breakfast first and then pack a lunch. I open the refrigerator and pick up the milk to find that it's almost empty. UGH. I have got to go to the grocery store, it's killing me.

Well we had to turn off the air conditioning yesterday since God decided that it maybe should feel like winter here for once. Yes, we had the air conditioning on because the apartment was 70 degrees and that is far too hot for Mark and I--we even sleep with a fan on right now with the 20 degree weather at night, it's just how we roll. This is also probably why little Clove felt the need to do this:

Today is officially Groundhog day and I believe Phil the Groundhog's (why is his name Phil by the way) shadow did not show, which means spring is coming sooner? I think that's how it goes. Regardless, happy Groundhog Day everyone! Go watch Groundhog Day and be thankful that you don't live the same day over and over again.

My aunt Melinda informed me that I don't update our blog enough so Melinda this post is dedicated to you. :)

If anyone reading this out there has any recommendations for good herbs to grow, and by good I mean herbs that are easy to grow and I won't kill, please comment below. Last year I grew basil and oregano. The basil did great and the rosemary was later purchased at Easy Way if you know what I mean. :)

Also, has anyone been to this Mediterranean place called Casablanca on Poplar by Smooth Moves? Mark and I keep wanting to try it so we looked up the menu and it looks pretty delicious. Any reviews?

The "R" Word

It's time for me to confess a guilty pleasure book that I purchased this weekend. I unashamedly love Guilana Rancic, the E News Host, and her husband Bill who won The Apprentice a few years ago. Did  I watch their wedding special on E News, you bet. Do I watch their show Guilanna and Bill on the Style Network, um...duh. I'm not sure why I like them so much to be honest. I think it might be that they seem more grounded and normal than most people living in the Hollywood limelight (that's the right word right, limelight? if not, you know what I mean). They just seem to be so in love with one another it's really cute to watch. When I found out that they co-wrote a book called I Do, Now What?,  I told myself that it would be really dumb to spend money on it. Then yesterday rolls around and I'm right by Borders...yep, I did it. I spent $25 dollars that shouldn't been spent on the book, hence the term guilty pleasure.

I in no way bought this book to try and get some new and wonderful marriage advice because if I was, I would look for a more Christ-centered book. This book was just for a fun read and to see what their marriage looks like. It is definitely a fun read but I didn't hear anything I've never heard before. The one thing I liked is that they both strongly emphasized was not getting stuck in a RUT, the "r" word. The longer a couple is married the more the companionship and comfort grows, hence the reason it is so incredibly easy for couples to get stuck in a rut without even knowing it.

You could find so many different definitions and types of ruts of course. I'm generally speaking about going to the same restaurants, eating the usual items, watching the same television shows at the same time, running the same paths, making the same dinners...you get the point. While I definitely do not think it is wrong to do any of these things, after awhile (whether you realize it or not), your daily routine turns very  blah and you can subconsciously become discontent. In the book they mention a friend who had recently gone to Mexico and was telling them how exciting and fun the trip was. When the friend asked them what they had been up to, they almost felt embarassed to tell them the same list of things they had done that day that they do every other day. Their point was that if you don't feel good thinking or telling someone about hanging out at home when they ask what you're doing tonight, it's probably because you are tired of being stuck in the routine.

Ways to get out of the rut and can be as big as taking a spontanous vacation or little weekend getaway (if your bank account allows of course), or as small as going to a new restaurant, running on a different path, cooking together something new for dinner, taking your spouse on a surprise date, etc. Reading this in their book makes me want to try and encorporate some more little changes into our daily routine, which unfortunately doesn't mean that we can go take a trip back to New York though (stupid airplane and hotel expenses). :)

I hope this was an interesting little tid bit that anyone out there reading this might take away and personalize. Maybe make something for dinner that you have never tried before? Maybe go for a walk after dinner instead of immediately watching your favorite tv show together. It's the little changes that count. :)

Hair Advice

I need this hair color:



and this hair cut:


Does everyone approve? I'd love to have that blonde hair but if I dyed it I'd be in the hair salon every 4 weeks paying for touch ups. :( Plus, everytime I get my hair cut the hairdresser tells me that I should go red.