Pumpkins!

Happy weekend! Got any plans? Mine involve cleaning and organizing. Kinda lame.


However, some good news. First, I ordered my iPhone4S! Woohoo! It's back-ordered, of course, but it will be on its merry way on November 4th and I can't freaking wait. My Samsung Rogue is really crapping the bed lately. Not only does it shut down for no reason, but the touchscreen has decided to take a personal hiatus. 


Also, today my pumpkin lanterns are being featured on Mod Podge Rocks, one of my favorite crafting blogs! Go check it out, will ya? Thanks to Amy for featuring me :)


Speaking of pumpkins, we carved some this week. Our bestest friends, Chris and Julie, headed down to our place to take a look at the new basement, have some dinner, wine, beer and carve away. 


Here are the pumpkins...can you guess who carved each?

There are several with pretty intricate patterns. And one? Not like the other. It even still has Sharpie lines. Can you guess who's that is?

Yep, it was the hubs. He said, to Hell with patterns. He used his creativity. 

Did you carve pumpkins this year? Did you roast the seeds? We sure did. And in honor of Maryland, we added some Old Bay. Yum.

Fitness Friday

It's Friday and guess who's not at work? This chick. Hubs has every other Friday off, we have a gajillion things to get done, so I figured it was a good day to take a day off. Random three day weekend. Love it. 

This is week 3 of my amped up fitness routine. This week was pretty hard. Tuesday I woke up and was so sore, that I skipped the normal kickboxing routine and opted for yoga. I needed some stretching. And today? I overslept big time. Which means my workout had to wait until after work. 

I've realized after these three weeks like I actually like working out in the morning. Do I like getting up at an ungodly hour while it's still dark? Nope. But I do like getting it out of the way in the morning. Plus, it allows me to work on my running three days a week after work. AND hubs cooks twice a week. Really, I think that's my motivating factor. 

Here's my recap this week:

Sunday: Nothing
Monday: Core training, 25 minute run/walk

Tuesday: Yoga, 25 minute run/walk

Wednesday: Cardio training

Thursday: Interval training

Friday: Kickboxing

Saturday: Nothing

And it looks like my running outside days are numbered for this season. They're calling for snow on Saturday. Boo. I'm certainly not ready for that. 

Lasagna Soup: Perfect for Fall

Fall is soup season. In my opinion, everyone could use a big bowl of soup to cut through the chill in the air. 


Typically soups tend to bore me and aren't always hearty enough to serve for dinner. However, this soup really fills you up without being too high in fat or calories. 

Lasagna Soup

1 pound, Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3.5 cups chicken stock
2 cups spinach
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
5 wheat lasagna noodles, broken
2 teaspoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper


In a large stockpot, brown sausage in a teaspoon of olive oil. Remove from pan, add a teaspoon more oil and brown onion and garlic. Add spinach and wilt. Add tomatoes, sauce, stock, seasonings, bring to a boil. Add pasta, boil for 10 minutes. Add ricotta, heat through. 

Basement Renovation: Complete!

It's been a long time coming. Months in the works. But, the basement is finally done! What does that mean for me?


1. No more Gears of War blasting in my living room.
2. No more living room clutter of 1028374 remote controls.
3. No more cursing at the Chiefs on Sundays within my earshot. 
4. 2/3 of the house free to decorate and arrange in whatever way I desire.
5. 2 floors between my bed and the surround sound. 


Yes, the basement was mostly for hubs, but we all benefit here. Plenty of space for entertaining. A bar. Space for working out. Watching movies. Spending quality time. And a lock at the top of the door in case he pisses me off. Ha! I kid. Kind of. 


Let's look at the before photos:

 After wall demolition.

Who doesn't like "salmon" carpet? Oh, right. Everyone.

 Progress= 5 quarts of "Silky Bamboo" from Behr, 7 paint brushes, 6 rollers, several bottles of wine, several 6-packs of beer.

 Free Home Depot hat. Why? Because we're loyal customers. And because hubs had issues getting paint in his eyes.

Now, the BIG REVEAL!

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 Don't mind Peanut. She's hazing a nap.

 Big screen and the World Series. 

Happy hubs at his computer nook. See above his head? Surround sound. The first movie he tested it with? The Matrix. 

Lazy Boy with heat AND massage, cup holder and built-in booklight. Someone went all out for comfort. And bonus Wiggles in the background.

And the bar. Ah, yes. Complete with mini-fridge. Classy.

There it is! On it's way to being complete. We have some more furniture and WAY more organizing to do, but it's coming along. Next? I'll post pics of the rest of the house. Now that we can actually move around in it. Happy day!

Fitness Friday: Frustrated Edition

Welcome to the Fitness Friday Frustrated Edition. 


I'm on week 2 of my more intense workouts. And guess what? I haven't lost a pound. Not a single one. And it's really making me frustrated. 


Let's review this week:


Sunday: Nothing
Monday: Core training, 30 minute run/walk
Tuesday: Cardio circuits
Wednesday: Kickboxing
Thursday: Interval training
Friday: Kickboxing (I'll be running tonight)
Saturday: 30 minute run/walk


My diet? I think it's just fine. I was only bad once this week when we went to a luncheon for work. I had a turkey melt with sweet potato fries. 


Maybe I'm building muscle? I don't know. Le sigh. Or maybe I'm destined for weight loss failure. 

What's Going On With Me Now?

I saw this idea on, where else, Pinterest. I've been lacking for blog content, mostly because I'm waiting for the basement to be done and my house to be put back together so I can unveil it :)


Here's a list of things I'm currently doing:


Listening: Right now? Rain. It's a rainy day in Maryland. Are you shocked? But if I were to plug in my iPod right now, I'd be listening to either Owl City or Mumford and Sons.


Eating: Well, I'm not currently eating anything, but I do have a lovely dinner of thai peanut noodles planned.


Drinking: French Vanilla coffee and water. Gotta hydrate.


Wearing: My staple black pants and a ruffled red shirt with black flats. 


Feeling: Ho-hum and tired. Probably because of the rain. It looks more like Seattle than Baltimore. 


Weather: Rainy. Grey. 68 degrees. 


Wanting: Material stuff? Some shelving for the basement and living room for books and DVDs. Non-material? A day off. Who doesn't though, right?


Needing: More coffee. A nap.


Thinking: My mind has been consumed all week with what I need to get done before the carpet goes down in the basement. And also what I need to clean. Because I feel like I'm seriously behind in that department. Sometimes, I truly wonder how I'll ever keep up with laundry, cleaning and cooking when I have a child. How do people do it?


Enjoying: Sleeping with the windows open at night. One of my favorite parts of Fall.

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

Does anyone else think the weekends too short? I do. I'm all for 3 day weekends every week. 


But, alas, it's back to the grind. Work, working out, cleaning, cooking. With hubs pitching in to help me cook a few times a week, I definitely feel like my load is a bit lighter. I'm starting him out small though. Here's a recipe that I've made before (which is delicious, by the way), and I'm pretty sure it's simple enough for him to be able to do himself. 

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

Source: bhg.com via Audra on Pinterest

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (chicken or turkey would work well too)
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 - 10 ounce package of refrigerated biscuits
Salt and pepper to taste
I also added in some basil and Italian seasoning


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, brown beef, drain fat. Add tomato sauce and seasoning, heat through. Add mixture to a greased casserole dish. Top with cheese. Flatten biscuits and add to the top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden.


This also makes fab leftovers for your lunch :) 


Happy Monday!