Flip Flop Swap

Who doesn't love flip flops? Seriously. The minute it starts to get warmer, I live in them on the weekends and put them on as soon as I get home from work at night.


Recently, I participated in a flip flop swap, hosted by Cole at All the Small Stuff. If you haven't read her blog, I highly recommend you do. Especially check out Tuesdays at the Table for some sweet recipes!

Anyway, I digress. My flip flop swap partner was Kathie from Like a Box of Chocolates! We have a lot in common...both married to engineers and we seem to both have similar tastes. We like the basics that will go with everything. In neutral colors...with a little flair. Kathie got me not one, but TWO pairs! These beauties in brown and white:

Aren't they adorable? I love them! And I've definitely already worn them. Several times. You can see what I got Kathie here. 

Finally Moved!

I'm finally moved! I turned my keys to the last house into my landlord this morning and it felt great!


These last few days have been a whirlwind. And I could be heard several times saying:


"Remind me to never to do this again."


Yeah, moving is quite a chore. Luckily, I hired movers. And though things turned out well, I was pretty unsure about that when they rolled in. Here's why:

• Only one of the three of them spoke English. And I only count his English as half. So half a mover spoke English.
• They rolled up in a rented Budget van. Not the company van. Another red flag.
• When we left my townhouse to get to the new house, they told me they had to take their break, so they'd meet us an hour later. Immediately, I thought they would be fleeing the state with all my crap. 
• And last, the "mover in charge" gave me a run down of all the reasons I should tip him (which I did, don't worry.)

But all told, they were fast, packed ALL my crap into one truck, didn't break anything, were on time, and did all their work in 6 hours. All for under $800. I'll take it. 

Now I'm nesting and unpacking. Which I hate just a little less than packing. Once I get my camera back from Nikon, I'll be taking and posting some photos! 

Random Wednesday

I'd like to share with you a random recap of my day.


First, I woke up and knew I had a UTI. Awesome. You know, that pressure you get? No idea how I got it, but I did. 


So after a failed attempt to get an appointment with my doc, I persuaded them to call in a script for me. They told me the doctor (not my normal one) would be calling me to talk about my symptoms. And he sure did. The first question out of his mouth was, "Do you have any new sexual partners?" Ha! I laughed. No, I'm not having an affair. There's no harem of lovers for me while hubs is gone.


But the next question was my favorite. 


"You know to wipe front to back, right?" Um, yes, Doc. My momma taught me good hygiene. 


I picked up my script and after one dose am feeling no relief. Le sigh. 


Then, I came home to start a frenzy of chores. Weedwhacking ::gag:: Taking out the trash ::heave:: Pulling weeds ::barf:: I'm trying to get this place in shape for the new tenant, because it's the right thing to do. 


And while I'm doing this, my dear, sweet Peanut decided to have playtime in the mud. Full on mudslides for this dog. So in the bath we went. And for good measure, I got Wiggles in on the action. Because, why not? 


Then I decided to try and trim his nails. Which I usually don't do because he literally requires a sedative before he gets them done. But I was feeling brave. Let's just say I got two nails and had to stop for fear the neighbors would call the cops. He sounds like a small child being beaten to death. Seriously. It's unbelievable.


And now, here I am. Blogging instead of packing. Because I'm only left with oddly shaped, random objects that don't fit right in my remaining boxes. 


But, hey...I'm almost done!

Stuff I Love

I'm sure you're sick of hearing me talking about moving. I don't blame you. I'm sick of thinking about it. So, I've decided, it's time for another rousing installment of...

Let's start in the world of food. I've currently been enjoying...

Special K Protein Shakes: I've been drinking one of these for breakfast with fruit. I've only had chocolate, but I just bought some strawberry today. I hope that was a good decision. 

Yoplait Smoothies: Now, I realize that I could get the same results by combining frozen fruit, yogurt and milk, but these are so convenient. You just add milk and blend. I've had the triple berry and strawberry mango pineapple. And I love all of them. Actually, I had one for dinner.

Now, for stuff other than food...

Space bags: Ok, so I said I wouldn't mention moving. But I'm going to. These have been a lifesaver for space. Now, the photo above is a little misleading because they don't get THAT small. But they still give you lots more storage space. 

Scrubbing Bubbles Foaming Bathroom Cleaner: I LOVE this stuff. I happen to use a lot of hairspray. Which happens to adhere itself to my counters. I spray this stuff on and it dissolves it right away. The only thing that could make it better is if the cartoon scrubby things came out of the bottle.

And finally, some reality TV I'm loving...

Bethenny Ever After: I'm not sure if it's the fact that she has no filter from brain to mouth, or her crazy, hectic lifestyle, but I love this show. I'm usually not into spinoffs of other shows (for those of you that don't know, this is a spinoff of Real Housewives of NY), but she's much better on her own show. Find it Mondays at 10PM on Bravo.

Getting Rid of Waste

The last time I moved, I happened to have the luxury of having a company pack for me. I thought it was fantastic. Especially because I hate to pack (have I mentioned that?)


Now, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd never have anyone pack for me again. Although packing makes me gag, there's something to be said about going through all your crap and throwing out/donating things that really have no use for you anymore. 


My packers last time wrapped EVERYTHING in paper (wasteful much?) and packed every single thing (including a small bag of trash from my bathroom...true story.) 


I might have bitched a few times about the fact that hubs isn't here to help me, but someones I think that's a blessing in disguise. He happens to be a bit of a hoarder (not TLC Hoarding Buried Alive-worthy, but you know what I mean.) I've thrown out bags of unwanted wires/empty CD cases and it's liberating. Because Lord knows I'm not moving that stuff into the new house. 


I've also been a bit obsessive compulsive in my packing documentation. I've recorded a box number for every room, writing it's contents in a notebook (I was going to make a spreadsheet, but I think that's overkill.) This time, I'm going to know where all my stuff is, instead of opening box after box just to find my corkscrew (because I need wine to help with unpacking...obviously.)


Today, it's marathon packing day because FRIDAY is the big move. I can't believe it's almost here! 

Nomad No More

Have I mentioned lately that I'm moving? No? Well, in case you didn't hear...I'm moving in T-minus 9 days. HOLYCRAPISTILLHAVETOPACK!


I also may have mentioned my absolute hatred for packing.But I do it out of need. You see, hubs and I like to torture ourselves and move almost every year of our lives since graduating college. True story. 


Here's a timeline:


June 2005: Moved into our first apartment together in NJ! A 960 square foot 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom with den. Fantastic.


July 2005: Moved into our second apartment. Why so soon you ask? Because our first apartment BURNED DOWN! Yes, it was the scene of a 5 alarm fire which began in the apartment below us (fertilizer caught on fire...I think I know what was going on down there. I think they were "farming greenery.") So, hubs and I ventured out in our ashen clothes and found a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom cubicle. All of 600 square feet. Furniture you ask? Beach chairs, a couch and an air mattress. At least for the first month. Because our renter's insurance didn't kick in until Monday...the fire was on a Saturday. LIFE LESSON: Always get the renter's insurance BEFORE YOU MOVE IN!


July 2006: Moved into a lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom 1100 square foot rental condo. Because we had to get out of our apartment cubicle or we might have killed each other.


October 2007: Moved into our first house! Woohoo! A quaint 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom 1920's renovated bungalow. Our pride and joy.


August 2009: Moved into our 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse in Maryland. After hubs got laid off in April 2009, he was offered a job in here, so we put the house on the market and moved our way to this crab loving state. 


April 2011: Next Friday I'll move into our 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house (which you can see here) with 2 car garage (Ooooo!) All.by.myself. I mean, without hubs. I will have movers. And friends. But he gets to miss out on all the FUN. 


I'm not moving for at least 15 years. Period. Can you blame me??

Recipe Roundup: Cheesy Garlic Chicken

I just made this last night for the second time, and it was gobbled up (I had dinner guests, don't worry. It wasn't just me and the dogs slurping down dinner.)

Cheesy Garlic Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 medium tomato, chopped OR cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 envelope of LIPTON® RECIPE SECRETS® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup, shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese OR shredded Italian cheese blend (like the kind Sargento makes)

*I've made this twice and the second time I marinated the chicken in the soup/water/oil mix for 12 hours. I highly suggest doing this because it really pumps up the flavor, but it's not necessary.*

**And, I had a little bit of trouble finding the soup mix at Giant, but it is available at Walmart.**

Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken in a baking dish. Mix soup, oil and water and pour over chicken. Top chicken with chopped tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes. 

And you're done! This recipe is seriously delicious and quick. Because, I don't cook anything that takes more than 30 minutes. I don't have that kind of time (or patience.) 

Did you try last week's recipe for Chicken Enchilasgna? How did you like it?

Saturday Morning Scene

I'm linking up with Katie at Loves of Life once again for my Saturday Morning Scene! 

 
My Saturday morning started with these two adorable furballs waking me up, letting me know if was time for their morning peepee. 

You can see Miss Peanut is ready for playtime. Wiggles is ready for snuggles. Mommy is ready for coffee. Then it's on to pack the house! Because I got all of half a box packed last weekend. And the big move is in less than 2 weeks!


Thank God my momma is in town to be on packing patrol.


Happy Saturday!

Puppy Bowl!

This past weekend, my friends brought their new puppies to my house for a puppy play date. While the adults enjoyed some adult beverages, the puppies played their little hearts out. Except for Wiggles. Since he's the grumpy old man, he spent most of the night watching from the couch. 

First, we made a special message for hubs:

And after some get-acquainted time (aka, butt sniffing), the puppies played:

Then Wiggles and Peanut played with Uncle Chris:

Photo op with the daddies and their new puppies:

And finally, snuggle time on the couch:

This was all a lot of activity for my two pups, so Sunday was super ultimate nap day. 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Home From Work

On my way home from work today, I stopped to fill up my car with money-sucking gas. As I was about to pull out of the station, a car stopped about 100 feet away from me...in the middle of the road...with a trail of 5 cars behind it.


Out of the driver's door pops a women flailing her arms and putting her hands around her throat. That's right...she was CHOKING! 


I absolutely froze in panic. I don't actually know how to do the heimlich! I only know what I see on TV. This lady is going to die in front of my very eyes because I can't dislodge the object from her throat.


Suddenly, a women darts out of the driver's side of her pickup truck and runs to the choking woman. As she's doing this, I snap out of my panic and dial 911. FYI - this is my first emergency phone call to 911...I was nervous. 


The operator asked me questions like what she was choking on, how old she was, was she breathing. I, however, was still in the gas station parking lot. So I ran (yes, ran) into the middle of the road to the side of the woman, just in time to see an object pop out of her mouth. What that was, I have no idea. The poor woman was in tears, but she was breathing. I asked if she wanted the medic to come anyway. She declined. 


After hugging the woman who just saved her life, the (previously) choking woman got back into her car and we all drove away.


The moral of this story? I'm taking a CPR class. My Grey's Anatomy/WebMD medical degree just isn't cutting it. 

I Have A Crazy Dog

Fact. I have a crazy dog. 


Peanut watches TV and barks at any kind of animal that comes across the screen. At first, it was cute and funny. But now, it's out-of-control-annoying. I don't know how to get her to stop. Hubs is the only one that can help for some reason. Pay attention to the insanity around 30 seconds in.


Here's video evidence:





Any advice for taming a crazy pup? I'm losing it here!

Recipe Roundup (Yeeehaww!)

I'd been getting some comments that people are enjoying the recipes I've been sharing. So I've decided to make this more of a consistent post AND I made a button! Yay, me! And I shall call it Recipe Roundup because that was the best name I could drum up. Creativity fail.


Anywho, this recipe is for:

Chicken Enchilasgna (via Devin Alexander, chef at the Biggest Loser)

1 can red enchilada sauce (Hot or mild, however you like it)
1 can green enchilada sauce (If you can't find it, green taco sauce will do. If you can't find either, another can of red it fine.)
1 can, chopped green chiles
1 can, chopped or sliced black olives
1 tsp cilantro
2 cups, cooked chicken breast, cubed or shredded
2 cups, reduced fat cheddar cheese
6 flour tortillas


Heat oven to 400. Combine enchilada sauces in a bowl. Combine cheese, chiles and olives in a bowl. Put a few spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish (so there isn't stickage) and place two flour tortillas on top of the sauce next to each other. Cover with some of the chicken, cheese mixture and a few spoonfuls of sauce. Layer and repeat two more times. Pour remaining sauce over casserole and top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. 


Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Scene

Gooood Morning!


Today I'm linking up with Katie at Loves of Life (another new fave blog), for Saturday Morning Scene. 

  Today, I'll be tackling some packing. Boooo. Check out my stockpile of boxes:

Yep, I've been working on that collection for a few weeks now. Guess I should get down to business. Only 20 days until the big move! Oh, and you'll see my bad dogs hanging around in the picture. I'm pretty sure they're not going to help me pack. But wouldn't it be nice if they could? 

Linking Up for Roses and Thorns

Happy freaking Fridayyy!


I'm linking up with one of my favorite new blogs, K. Law: Inspired, for Roses and Thorns! 

Let's start with Thorns, so I can end this post on a good note.

• Thorns for my wicked case of PMS this week. Not only did I feel like a beached whale, but I was a total beyotch. 
• Thorns for my busted fence gate which caused my dogs to break free (see below.)
• Thorns for Old Man Winter wearing out his welcome in these parts. I'm ready for Spring, dangit!
• Thorns to doing this whole moving thing sans husband. I think he should buy me many pieces of jewelry to make it up to me. 
• Thorns to the 3 terrible hair days I had right in a row.

Now for some Roses!

• Roses for some new blog followers! And certain readers who aren't official "followers"...including my little sis who finally decided to become a daily reader (it's about damn time.) And her coworker, Allison, who has also become a reader (hey girls, heyyyy!) 
• Roses for my sister getting her work out on this week and losing 5 pounds!
• Roses for the random patches of daffodils around the Beltway.
• Roses for Skype for allowing me to see my husband's smiling face from afar. 
• Roses to my entire family finally getting on Verizon, so we can talk for free! Hubs will surely be excited to not get any more overage bills. 

Have a happy weekend!