Feels More Like October

Good morning blog friends, real life friends….and yes you too!

So it’s my first day off and I let myself sleep in until I woke up naturally! Woot 9:15 am….I really thought I would have slept longer! Oh well, I was up and decided to make myself breakfast. I remembered I had a box of Trader Joes pumpkin pancake/waffle mix in the pantry and figured why not. It feels enough like mid fall around these parts may as well enjoy the flavours.

I sprinkled a little coconut on top and a touch of maple syrup. They were wonderful! I really wish Trader Joes stocked their pumpkin line all year because I have a serious craving for their pumpkin Greek yogurt.

Well I don’t have much else to post about as honestly I haven’t hot that far into my day. However the birds outside my window are doing a fine job informing me that it is time to fill the feeders!

Hope everyone enjoys their Thursday!

Make Sure You Aren’t Asleep At The Wheel

Feb27

Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel. Don’t let anyone make up your mind for you. Don’t let anyone put your back against a wall. Don’t live your life in a fog or a daze, tear down the walls and find yourself! Ask yourself if the wars you rage are worth it? Where will you wind up if you win? Will you be happy?

Live your life for you but tread carefully as to do as little harm to others as possible. Live with purpose, do your best to understand circumstance. Don’t try to further yourself by doing harm to others but understand in life you will hurt people and you will be hurt. It is all part of the process.

We all have our secrets, we all have our dreams. We all have those memories that will never go away. You know the ones… The sweetness of that first kiss, the sting of the moment of failure. We all live with the would of, could of, should of feelings. Instead of letting these things overwhelm you, try to let the goodness of life, of your choices, of who you are, and your successes overjoy you.

Know that your wings may be broken but there is more then one way to fly. Start crawling, walking and soon enough you will be ready. Ready to run, ready fly. Don’t believe you have to be who you are in this moment. Be who you want to be. Live the life of your dreams and sooner or later you will realize you never stop aspiring to be better. Live with dignity and learn from your indignities.

No road in this life is straight. Enjoy the curves, the bends and every now and then use the U-turn routes. Never drive in circles because it won’t get you anywhere except frustrated and out of gas!!!

If you only do one thing, be better then you use to be!

Good Evening….Good Morning! It’s 1:32am Your Call!

Feb27

I just got finished deleting half of the people off of my Facebook friends list and putting a good portion of the remainder on limited profile. I know in a few cases this will not go over well but honestly I don’t care. I did it for me and my own well being. There are a few reasons I did this and the most major one is I don’t want to share my life with some people I don’t feel comfortable or close with. Now you may be asking yourself why I have a blog in that case. This blog was never posted on my Facebook account and while it by no means is hidden if certain friends, famy or acquaintances wished to located it that would be at their own discretion. The Facebook machine is an interesting beast. In many cases Facebook seems like nothing more then a glorified pissing contest. A who’s who of making their life sound like complete perfection. While I enjoy many aspects of Facebook and enjoy sharing my life in this manner, I think the deletes were a very healthy choice for me.

Now on to the real interesting bits and bites of my day! Okay I lie…today was pretty uneventful!!! Typical Tuesday at work.

Just ask Muffin how eventful our day was!!!! Actually don’t she is sound asleep …. AGAIN!

I tried some new gluten bread at lunch time and it was stellar. I will snap a picture of the package tomorrow. As for now check out my yummy sandwich ! Ham, cheese,micro-greens, and tomato on the tiny gluten free bread! I

I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I guess trying new things really is worth the risk.

The only other food I took a picture of was my snack.

I couldn’t help myself because I thought it was pretty!

Well friends I should try and get some sleep incase I need to fight off angry deleted Facebook peeps in the morning 😉

I Remember It All Too Well

Feb25

Monday evening is upon me once again meaning my first 24 hours of work has come and gone without incident. Today was very different then a normal Monday though. It was an adventure of a work day. I actually spent the day in Bellingham.

Incase you ever wondered that is my “I’m waiting look”

Those two photos pretty much sum up my morning! Although it turned out to be a good day and a successful trip. I even managed to pick up a couple cases of the Starbucks refreshers.

I also got coconut covered cashews which tasted amazing on my dinner salad of mixed greens,micro greens, cilantro,dill, avocado, feta and spicy chicken breast!

While on the topic of food, check out the homemade cupcake I was given at work last night!

Serious yum! I have a weakness for lemon curd! It was delightful and I’m sure fattening as heck!!

My food choices the last few days haven’t been stellar. True story!

Saturday night beer!

Saturday night wine! Oh and 200 bucks worth of lotto scratch tickets! Never fear they were only 1/4 mine!

Sunday morning Starbucks oat fudge nom noms!

And lastly my newly filled planter!

Weekend Fun Or Something

Feb23

My weekend so far has been pretty laid back but productive! Thursday Kevin and I headed down to Bellingham to do some grocery shopping. I spent a small fortune at Trader Joes but got lots of favourites plus lots of new things to try! We also wandered around Bellis Fair mall and Fred Mayer. I really hoped to find the Nike Free Run shoes I want but alas they didn’t have the pink and blue color combo I long for! Woah is me friends!!! I curtailed my shoe sadness by bringing home a bottle of wine I’ve been longing to try but can’t find in Canada.

On Friday Kevin and I had a pretty relaxing day, cleaned the house, and whipped up a big batch of meatballs to go with out spaghetti for dinner. We made enough pasta sauce and meatballs for three dinners. It is always nice to have stuff in the freezer pre cooked for those busy nights.

While on the topic of food I should share with you one of my yummy finds from Trader Joes, Greek Chicken with orzo and olives.

I found this meal very tasty although if you aren’t a fan of black olives you will not enjoy this at all. The chicken is tender and flavourful And the orzo is cooked just right and not soggy like many pre made pasta meals I’ve tasted. It works out to 8 weight watchers points for 1/3 the package. Makes a good size for lunch with a salad. It was a welcome meal after some house cleaning that’s for sure!

I followed up lunch with a cup of Tazo Passion tea! I adore this stuff but detest the price in Canada. I pay 11 dollars for a box of Passion tea bags at Starbucks here, on the rare occasion the grocery store has them they are 7 dollars! In Bellingham I got the same size box for $2.99

After dinner and a quick stroll around Homesense and Winners Kevin and I cuddled up on the couch and called it a night.

This morning I got up and watched my birds outside over a banana protein muffin covered in locally made honey roasted peanut butter. Ummm yum! Incase I’ve never shared this with you fine folks…. I have a peanut butter addiction!! Don’t judge me!!!!

After breakfast I hung out with my sister in law, Krista for a while and then headed out to do some errands. Mostly I hoped I could find the shoes at my local mall. Again no luck, so instead I ended up with some other goodies!! Mainly wine, mini cupcakes, a case of Corona and some treats for my Muffin.

After the errands were run Kevin and I decided to go for lunch. I’m not going to lie to any of you it was not a healthy meal!!!

It was infact a Vera’s bacon cheese burger covered in hot peppers and pickles!! Holy F it was amazing. I promptly came home and did an hour of yard work because I felt guilty! Turning over the garden is a better work out then the gym!!! Muffin and Maple decided to help Krista, Kevin and I with the yard work. Muffin even did a little digging of her own which then lead to her and I having a long shower once the yard work was done! Yes I shower with my dog!! Lets face it I’m gonna end up soaked either way and this saves my kitchen or bathroom from bring turned into a wet war co

Thankfully she didn’t get her new owl collar dirty!

Neither her nor Maple were super pleased to learn mud play time ending meant shower time!

As for now I’m considering going to Walmart or saying forget it and starting dinner. I know, I know my life is a constant struggle between amazing activities!! To be honest with all of you I am having a harder time them I let on lately. It’s been two weeks since I’ve made time (forced myself) to spend any time with any friends and even that was only an hour. I’ve bailed on so many plans it is shameful, as are the times I’ve just flat out said no when invited out. The only friend I’ve seen consistently is Krista and that’s because she lives upstairs with my brother!! Other then her I’ve only spent time with Kevin and Muffin. I know I should be making more of an effort to not let myself feel like this it’s hard. I don’t want to talk about how I feel and I’m starting to feel like I don’t want people I know to even be around me. I never want to come off as feeling sorry for myself or whiny so it just feels easier to avoid everyone.

Homemade Pizza Rolls!

Feb21

So despite these not being 100% healthy they are a yummy snack/treat!

These were so easy and so quick to make! I used one can of Pillsbury grands crescent rolls spread then out and sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese, garlic and pizza sauce. I then put a few slices of pizza pepperoni and garlic havarti cheese and then rolled them all up. Placed them in a Pyrex dish and sprinkled the top with more Parmesan and Italian seasoning. Baked for about 20 minutes at 375 and proof yummy snack to kill a pizza craving!!!

Welcoming The Weekend

Feb20

I’ve been longing for my weekend to start since first thing this morning!!! Thank goodness the day passed relatively quickly.

As soon as I got home from work I poured a glass of wine, lit the candles, and got ready for some me time!!!!

I couldn’t have made a better choice. My bath was just what I needed. So warm and relaxing. The water was very hot and the wine was cool and crisp! Perfect combination!

I am trying my best to realize when I need to just stop and take some time for myself. Tonight was one of those nights. I didn’t feel so great by the time I got off work tonight. I was kind of nauseous and really hot. Not really sure why I felt so off but thankfully it has mostly past.

As for the rest of the night I have a date with my Pj’s and the couch! maybe some cuddles with Kev and Muff! I look forward to sharing the details of my weekend adventures with you all!

Erica

Valentines 2013

Feb19

I meant to post about Valentines day last week but I was so caught up in everything I never got a chance. So better late then never!

My flowers and Kevin and I’s chocolates from Purdys that we actually hot the weekend before Valentines day. So pretty!!! So yummy!

On Wednesday night after I got home from work I got busy in the kitchen baking Raspberry vanilla cupcakes and sugar cookies for family and friends!!

On actual Valentines day Kevin and I ventured out and about doing lots if fun stuff! We delivered the baked goods to friends and then started our date day! We went to the new grilled cheese restaurant in Fort Langley, the antique mall, The winery, and Lepp farms!!!

The Fort winery was amazing. We did a tasting,had a tour of the facility and learned all about how the wine is made. It was awesome and I’d love to go back. The wine was all amazing but the cranberry was by far my favorite.

The new grilled cheese place in Fort Langley called Say Cheese was delicious but expensive. They are strictly a take out restaurants and the menu consists of about 8 different gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. I choose the turkey,Brie and jalapeño jelly sandwich. For the price and the calories it is definitely a treat food.

We did some grocery shopping at Lepp farms. I love their selection of local products, hormone/antibiotic free meats and fresh veggies. We bought many tasty things that turned into some amazing weekend meals. I wish the market was closer to our home.

After our date day we visited Kev’s parents and then headed home so he could whip up a fantastic steak dinner.

Valentines day left me feeling spoiled and loved but like I mentioned on Facebook days like Thursdays are not a rare occurrence. Kevin makes sure I get to go to all the places I enjoy on a regular basis.

I am indeed spoiled! I hope everyone had a great Valentines day and a fun weekend! I know Katie did!!! Congratulations again on your engagement Hun !! I know you and Matt will be very happy together.

Food Porn – Breakfast Edition

Feb19

I woke up this morning with a serious sweet tooth! This almost never happens to me in the morning, afternoon all the time. I wasn’t about to dive face first into a sugar laden donut or cookie for breakfast, despite my urge to! Instead I changed up my oatmeal/ancient grain bowl toppings!

I started out with the usual oats,quinoa,kamut mixture and the usual peanut butter/chopped banana topping. This is where I got crazy friends!!! I traded my usual tablespoon of hemp hearts for a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips and a sprinkle of coconut. Freaking heavenly! It was sweet without being sickeningly sweet. The chocolate chips got warm and melty and it was pretty much the most amazing bowl of oats I’ve eaten in a while!

It is nice to change up your breakfast routine once in a while and after yesterdays fail this was indeed a welcome change! Yesterday along with my hemp hearts I tossed in a tablespoon of golden flax. Guess who isn’t a flax fan apparently!!!! You guessed it, this girl!

Live and learn friends!!

“What do you mean we aren’t sharing breakfast mom?!!!?”

A Man Of Many Skills..

Feb18

No one ever said life was easy or fair! And no one ever tells you that every now and then you will get slapped in the face by something simple you have taken for granted!

My something simple has manifested itself in the form of juicing limes and lemons! Woah is me right?!?!?! But seriously, I can’t do it anymore! Okay maybe I shouldn’t be so dramatic and say I can’t. I can do it, just not well or without excessive pain. My wrist and hips are so far my most affected joints by far since my autoimmune issues have flared their ugly head and turned my life upside down.
I am stubborn, some may even say a bitch at times. It takes a lot for me to ask for help and a few nights ago while making a batch of guacamole I caved and asked Kevin to juice my lime. *Someone please tell me I’m not the only one that giggled at that last sentence!!!*. I do my best everyday to get things done and not let my being sick get me down. So while it may not seem like a big deal asking him for help, to me it is. It makes me feel weak and broken.

Now for the flip side of this story … The upside if you will! My husband is a man of many talents and apparently pulverizing citrus fruit is on his hidden list of oddly sexy skills. Maybe it is his strong manly hands, or maybe he is some sort of fruit crushing superhero! Either way he manages to get more juice out of one lime or lemon then I ever could out if three even at my peak of wrist helpfulness!!!

Seriously folks I’m impressed! He leaves nothing but a citrus shell, a former juice filled vessel destined for the compost bin!!!!

Look at that! Feast your eyes on almost half a cup of pulp laden lemon juice from one lemon!!!! ONE!!!! I got him to pre-juice my fruit for tonight’s dinner at work when he came to visit this afternoon.
Be still my beating heart!!! Back off ladies he is all mine 😉

Life With The McGavins

100% Not Sugar Coated

Archives