Make a List!

Good Morning!  It’s Friday!

This will be my last “live” blog post for a bit!  We are headed for the beach!

I can’t wait.  Bikini + Sand + Drink = Bliss!

Yesterday

Yesterday started with a sweat session at Title Boxing and then a walk with the girls.

Meal #1: Oats with protein

Meal #2: Egg whites with turkey bacon

The day started getting super busy for me and I kind of dropped the ball with my meals.  I had an in-house meeting regarding our group home in the early afternoon.  Then I ran out for a quick errand. While out, I picked up Panerra for Justin and I.

Meal #3: Turkey, Bacon panini along with a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup and bread (I ate half of everything.)

We had another in-house meeting for our group home in the evening that lasted a couple of hours.

Meal #4: The other half of my Panerra meal (see above picture!) along with some gluten free brownies. (the ONLY part of that meal that was gluten free!)

We were both exhausted last night and went to bed pretty early.

Back to Today

It’s time for me to make a list. Today is going to be super busy.  So many things to do before we take off. I always get anxious before we are heading out of town.  The people we care for, the animals, the house, so much running through my mind.  Do I have everything I need?  Does Justin? Does the person coming to stay in our house? Our clients? Our animals? Our next door neighbor?  I start to worry about EVERYONE!  Making lists helps to calm my nerves.

One of those things on my to do list is to take Katy to the vet.  She has some lumps on her throat. Uggg. Seriously?  Right before we leave? Do I even want to know?

I better get busy.

Project Organization #1–Pantry

Our pantry was stressful.

It is the most used cabinet in the house and yet we fight a disaster every time.  Things tumble out.  I purchase multiple items because I can’t find what I have. It was a mess. Chaos!

After reading some organizational blogs, I was super motivated to get in there and attack it!

First, I removed ALL contents and put them in categories on the counter top.  (I forgot to take a picture of this! Darn it!)

I had one area for canned/bottled goods; one for anything in a box; one for anything in a bag; and then a trash area for anything that was expired or empty (I won’t tell you how many empty boxes and wrappers I found in there!).

Once everything was out, the shelves got a good scrub down.

Justin came in for the sorting and putting everything back in the pantry.  We sorted the food and placed it on the shelves based on what we use together and how often.

For instance, Justin fixes our clients breakfast every morning and packs their lunch every day.  So, anything associated with breakfast and lunch was placed together and on the top shelf so it would be easy for Justin to access (except for bread and we keep that in a different cabinet).

The second shelf was filled with food related to “meals we fix often”.  Placing these items on the second shelf down makes them easy to get to and easy to see when we are running low.

The third shelf was used for bottled goods; salad dressings, BBQ sauce, etc.  We also used it for snack type foods: crackers, nuts, popcorn, jello, etc.  I gathered all the small items and placed them in a bin that we can easily slide in and out so the little things can quit getting lost in the back of the pantry!

The fourth shelf has two bins on it filled with all things associated with baking.  These items get used the least and are located on such a low shelf that putting them in bins that easily slide in and out make them much more accessible and I can quickly see at glance what I have and what I need to get before I start baking. Instead of my current system which was guessing while I’m at the store and ending up with TWO bags of sugar and FOUR 1/2 empty bags of brown sugar and SEVEN cans of Pam!

The bottom shelf contains our indoor grill along with a bin filled with the left over items caused by purchasing in bulk and dividing into smaller containers.  I also put all tortillas in there as well.

The bottom shelf also has the tall containers that wouldn’t fit on any other shelf (without having to adjust all of them, which we didn’t want to do).

I have already mentioned the use of bins and containers.  I didn’t have very many of these things on hand though.  After Justin and I put everything back the way we wanted, I stood back and looked at what I could do to make certain items easier to manage.

I made a list of most of the things in bags, the items we buy in bulk and then all the small items that often get lost because we can’t see them.  Then I headed to Target and purchased my containers and bins.  It was a little bit of an investment, but one we both feel is totally worth it.

For my containers, I chose to go with the OXO brand.  They were a little pricier than some others, but I really liked the air tight feature.  By pressing the button on top, you are sealing the lid to the container. Then you just press it to release and remove the lid when you are ready to use it.

For the bins, I went with the same bright green color Jen used in her pantry, which was my inspiration!  I had looked on Target.com and they showed a red bin, which I LOVED, but when I got to the store, they only had white, black or green. So, green it is!

It was such a great feeling to clean out the pantry and put everything back in an organized and visually pleasing manner.  Justin and I were very proud of ourselves!

Let’s look at another side by side:

I can’t wait to tackle all other cabinets and drawers now!

Does anyone else have FOUR junk drawers in their kitchen?

Also, our lazy susan (who is Susan?) contains an empty ice cream bucket. When was the last time we bought ice cream by the bucket.  I’m pretty sure it was in the 1900’s.  Why are we holding on to that keepsake?

It’s That Time Again

Did you miss me?

It’s that time of the month again and I had a date with my heating pad yesterday.

I spent ALL day in our recliner reading blogs about organization!  I am super inspired to get my house organized.  Sometimes (especially during this sensitive time) I feel like we are drowning in our stuff! Too much stuff!

Especially clothes!  And our pantry…who even knows what is in the back of our pantry.  It’s dark back there and things get pushed back, never to be seen again!  I’m pretty sure we have like 40 cans of Pam by now!

Here are two of the blogs I spent most of the day reading:

and

 

These two blogs are packed with information and inspiration on where to start and how to tackle those big projects like master closets and pantries! (my two biggest sleep stealers!)

Workouts

There were no workouts.  I had high hopes for Monday, but after the no-gas-in-the-car situation that sent my right back home and into my pj’s, I never made it back out to any classes.  I felt really run down.  Then yesterday I was so sick, exercise was not even on the radar!

Meals

Food, however, is always on the radar! Over the past two days, the following meals were eaten:

There are two meals missing from the past two days.  Both are dinners.  Monday night we ate Chinese and last night we ate Sonic! Yikes! 

I also ate some M&M’s, ice cream and Doritos!

Good thing I have energy to get to the gym today!

 

It’s already Wednesday!  Saturday I will be in a bikini!  I will be on the treadmill until then.

See you later!

Weekend Recap

Here is a cute and cuddly picture to warm your heart on this Monday morning!

We had a great weekend. I know I say it in every post lately, but we are having the BEST weather in Kansas City.  The mornings are crisp and the smell of fall greets me as soon as I step outside.  The afternoons are filled with warm sunshine and cool breezes, just begging me to take a nap out doors.

Saturday

I started the day by going to a strength training class at the gym. Loved it.

On my way home, I grabbed some breakfast treats for Justin’s first day of his birthday week off.

First up: Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte and a Pumpkin Spice scone

My opinion: Starbuck’s coffee is way too strong for this 1/2 caff girl.  The pumpkin spice part of it was super tasty, but a little too sweet.  I think I managed to drink half, maybe.  We shared the scone and it was good, but I don’t get the love people have for scones.  They are a dry piece of cake. 

Then I got busy making breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy (now these, I get!)

Everyone in the house gobbled these up so fast, I didn’t have time to think about a picture until Justin was nearly on his last bite.  Hold that pose!

The biscuits and gravy pretty much did me in for the day.  I snacked here and there and then finally made myself a salad.

I picked up a “Salad Shaker” at the grocery store.  I love sunflower seeds and other crunchy toppings on my salads, so this was really good!  Not a healthy salad, but a yummy one!

Sunday

We were supposed to have a family dinner yesterday, but between work and sickness, we decided to cancel.  My sister, Vann, and her fiancé, Matt, still came over and the four of us ate dinner!

We had planned on doing Italian and I had already bought the groceries to prepare this meal so we went with it.

I made a pot of meat sauce and regular noodles, but we were all wanting to try Spaghetti Squash instead.  I also roasted some broccoli and Vann brought a salad.

LOVED the spaghetti squash! Where have I been?  Why haven’t I already tried this?  I may never eat pasta at home again.

I am probably the last person on earth who didn’t know how to cook a spaghetti squash, but just in case, here is how I did it (after Googling “How to cook spaghetti squash”):

• Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise.
• Spray a cookie sheet with Pam (I used one with edges)
• Roast rind side up in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes
• Turn squash over and gently run a fork through the squash
• It magically turns into, what looks like, spaghetti noodles!

I think that was the most exciting part. Since I had never made it before, when it came out of the oven, I was thinking…please work.  As soon as I ran a fork through it and little noodles appeared, I almost cheered!

We all liked it and said we would definitely eat that again!

My other meals included:

This weather always puts me in the mood to crochet. So I did some of that yesterday while watching QVC along with laundry and not showering.

Why is there a bottle of BBQ sauce on our end table?

In case you want to replicate my look, you have to first take off all your makeup and then, the hair, it’s the product of wearing a head band and sweating for too many days in a row.  (My hair stylist would be so proud.)

Back to QVC. I love watching “In the Kitchen with David”.  First of all, the excitement of everyone on QVC totally cracks me up.  And some of the products are ridiculous and I want them.  Like the following (although this is not ridiculous):

 

I want that slicer!

This Morning

Looking forward to starting my week with some group exercise classes today!

I was already for Title Boxing this morning. Wrapped my hands at home (following online instructions!) so I could make sure and wrap them good.  My hands and knuckles have been hurting during class lately.  So, I left myself exactly enough time to get to the 6am class.  I hopped in the car and was on my way, only to learn I didn’t have enough gas to get there and I didn’t have enough time to get gas and make it there on time. Dang it!  So, I pulled right back into the garage wrote this post instead!

Luckily, there are two classes I am looking forward to at the Y!

Saturday!

Good Morning! It’s Saturday!  Big plans today?

Today marks the first day of Justin’s birthday week! 

I am going to be a busy little bee this week!  Justin is very high maintenance during his birthday week!

Speaking of Justin. Sara has taken a little longer to warm up to Justin. She was fine with him until he accidentally stepped on her foot right after she got spayed.  It was traumatic for everyone.  She held a grudge.

Since I went to Hermann, they got a chance to bond.  And now she LOVES him!

Workouts

As you know from yesterday’s post, I was sore and tired yesterday.  I struggled through the 6am Title Boxing class but that was all I could do.  I spent the rest of the day laying around, moaning about how sore I was! (I’m pretty sure it will go down as Justin’s favorite day.)

Meals:

Meal #1: Panda puffs with dark chocolate almond milk.

Meal #2: Cup of chili with Salt and Pepper Pop Chips

Meal #3: Cup of chili

Meal #4: Protein ice cream

• 1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup ice
• Blended in Vitamix
• Topped with:
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder mixed with almond milk

I was out of frozen bananas and I really missed the creaminess they add.

Meal #5: Salad (ice burg lettuce, red onion, red bell pepper, black olives, green olives, deli turkey, ranch dressing)

I’d say by that look of that salad, I was craving some salt!!  That’s probably why I didn’t feel so good yesterday. My electrolytes were depleted.

Justin and I sat outside and enjoyed the weather with a glass of wine for me and a beer for Justin.

He started off with a beer from his beer club.

But he didn’t like it. So he grabbed another one from his beer club and didn’t like that one EITHER!

So, Miller Lite it was. The ol’ stand by!

We settled in and watched Bridesmaids.  I was asleep shortly after the movie was over!

I feel great this morning and ready to hit up the strength training class at the gym!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Three-a-Days?

The trees in our neighborhood are confused!

In other news, I woke bright eyed and bushy tailed yesterday morning ready to get some sweat movin’!  I got a little TOO excited with trying out classes at the gym and in addition to the 6am boxing class yesterday morning, I also took the cardio kickboxing class and then body pump in the evening.

I am pooped this morning!  I went to the 6am boxing class again this morning but I was punching and kicking through mud!

The cardio kickboxing class was fun but not much of a challenge.  Actually, I shouldn’t say that. You get out what you put into a class, so now that I know what to expect, I’ll be putting more effort out next time.

Body Pump was a lot harder than I anticipated!  It was great! I will definitely be back to that class!

Besides attending group exercises classes, I did laundry and spent time outside yesterday.

Meals:

Meal #1: Chobani Strawberry/Banana Greek yogurt with Udi’s granola

Meal #2: Two whole eggs, two slices canadian bacon, two slices gluten free toast

Meal #3: Brown rice noodles, ground turkey with roasted broccoli

Meal #4: Chili (made with beef and three kinds of beans)

Meal #5: Brown rice noodles, ground turkey, peas

I better get my day moving.  Have a fabulous Friday, Friends!