Olay ProX

Has anyone tried these new products from Olay? I found a rebate for $25 back on $50 purchase and was thinking of trying some of it. As I'm approaching a new decade, I think it is time to make sure my skin will live through it with minimal wear signs. (Plus I have noticed that sometimes my current lotion - which I have worn for years - is bothering my skin, so I've been wanting to try something new).

Any one have info???

Dinner

Wine, cheese crackers and brownies...sounds like a good dinner to me....



Yep, that's how I roll when no one else is here to eat with/see me!



(well, maybe just when I've had a bad day and am on the "girl thing")

Good news...

my husband needed no convincing....after errands on Sat and church on Sun, I got to lounge and read a book! A whole book!! And he even folded clothes, did dishes, and vacuumed!!!

Wow - don't I have it good!

(now if we can make this a recurring thing!)

Gumbo

In honor of Mardi Gras, I made a gumbo the other night. I was looking for something fairly easy and did it in the crockpot. I don't have pictures, but it was pretty darn good. I combined a couple recipes, below is what I did.

Ingredients:
Ingredients:
· 1/3 cup flour
· 1/3 cup cooking oil
· 3 cups chicken broth
· 1 28 oz can crushed tomato
· 12 to 16 ounces smoked sausage, sliced about 1/2" thick
· 2 Lbs chopped cooked chicken
· 1 large bag frozen sliced okra
· 1 cup chopped onion
· 1 chopped green pepper
· 1/2 cup chopped celery
· 4 cloves garlic, minced
· salt, to taste
· 1/2 teaspoon pepper
· 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
· 2 Bay Leaves
· Splash of hot sauce (to taste)
· boiled white/brown rice
Preparation:
For roux, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes more or until roux is dark reddish brown. Let roux cool.

Once roux is cool, mix all ingredients (except rice) in the crockpot. Cook on low about 8 hours. Serve gumbo over rice.

NOTE: I boiled chicken breasts in salt, pepper and old bay - then used some of the water with
the broth.

VERDICT: Not too bad....was fairly easy and tasted pretty good. It must have been decent, there were no leftovers. (About 8-10 people ate it)

Good Morning Lovelies!

Its Friday morning and I'm feeling pretty good...

4 miles under my belt (not all running, mind you, but still a good workout)
Coffee is tasting mighty fine this morning (and I didn't even have to spike it with Kahlua)
Work shouldn't be too busy today, and
We have nothing planned for the weekend...that's right, not a single plan, no travelling and no visitors...seriously...its been ages since we've had a weekend like that....now if I can just convince hubby its perfectly alright to spend the weekend curled up with a good book!

Blah

Having a blah day and got this forward, thought I would share with you all....

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. Nothing made up!

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. And you can not use the same word twice.


WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Jessi
BOY NAME: James
4 LETTER WORD: Junk
GIRL NAME: Jennifer
OCCUPATION: Journalist
A COLOR: Jade
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Jumpsuit - well not really me, but someone could wear it
BEVERAGE: Julep - the mint kind
FOOD: Jam - raspberry or strawberry please
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Jewelry tray (wish i had one next to the sink to put my rings on)
A PLACE : Jamaica - a sunny beach would be nice
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Jump starting someone's car
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Just do it!

Feeling Good Today

Surprising I am feeling pretty good today. James and I drove back from Lexington last night...we didn't get in until Midnight. I slept a bit longer this morning (til 7:45) so I went to the Y at lunch. I had a GREAT workout and guess that's why I am feeling good! I hope you are having a good start to your day.

(This is good day is even with the fact I lost 2 hours of work this morning....Nothing like the endorphines kickin' in after a good workout!)

Valentine's Update

James and I had plans to go to Idle Hour for VDay dinner, but decided a quiet evening in might be better. We went to a late afternoon movie. The International - Not Bad, but not great either. Then cooked steaks, spinach and mushrooms. All in all a great day. (I did get flowers and a Bodum Tea Press. I had James take the Tea Press back because I don't do much tea and when I do, I just buy tea bags, much easier)

We didn't really do gifts this year. We are planning to pick up another Simple Human trash can to use for recycling. Right now everything just sits on the edge of the counter until someone carries it out to the bin. So we're going to get one that is the same as our trash can (like the picture) and put them side by side.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

Hump day

Its Wednesday, hump day. And its felt that way all day long. I have been tired, grumpy and just not motivated to do anything...

gym...nope
eating well..not really
house work...nada
work...of course - gotta keep the job I am fortunate enough to have!

lazing around doing nothing, no shower (or bra for that matter) until 6PM...yep, that's my hump day.

So here's hoping tomorrow is a bit better. Gym in the morning and travelling to Lexington after that....

TAGGED

THE RULES: Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own. Step 2: tag— tag eight other un-tagged people. So, here we go!

1 - Make a list of things you can see without getting up: Everything in my kitchen, breakfast room, and living room. Pluss I can see out my front door. (I generally work from my kitchen counter, probably not the best place, but hubby and ricky have taken over the office)

2 - What were you like when you were five? I have no idea...I was in kindergarten and had long straight brown hair. I was smaller and younger than most of the other kids.

3 - What are you wearing now? umm, basically my pajamas. (really bad habit about working from home) Long sleeve T and running pants

4 - What color is your bedroom? Taupes and soft blues. Wall and comforter are white.

5 - What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? I have been trying to finish The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold but am having trouble getting into it. Her other two books were fantastic - Lucky and Lovely Bones.

6 - Do you nap a lot? Love to nap.

7 - Who was the last person you hugged? James

8 - If you had an unlimited Gift Card, from which store would you prefer? This is a tough one....I used to enjoy Banana Republic, but now am liking J Crew stuff more. But, more bang for the store would come from Nordstrom..I'd have to say Nordstrom. I think they would be nicer too!

9 - What was the last thing you ate today? Cascadian Farms Multi Grain Squares, lightly sweetened.

10 - What is the best purchase you've ever made? Lightweight orange trench coat...I bought it for the temperate, yet wet, climate in the Netherlands. It works well in Atlanta. I ALWAYS get compliments when I wear it out.

11 - What websites do you always visit when you go online? Hotmail, Facebook, My Blog, MSNBC

12 - What was the last thing you bought? JCrew shoes at TJMaxx (plus some other less fun household stuff)

13 - What are you listening to right now? My typing...It is absolutely quiet in my house. James is working quietly upstairs and the dog must be sleeping somewhere.

14 - If you could have any super power, what would it be? To be a fly on the wall - this is a great one E, I'll have to keep your answer.

15 - What is your favorite weather, and why? Beach, right before the height of summer. I love warm days, but cool nights.

16 - What time do you usually get up? Depends...if we are going to the gym, we're up by 5:45. If not, I sometimes crawl out of bed at 7:45 to start work at 8.

17 - What is your most challenging goal right now? See post on New Years Resolutions...I think getting back into running is the most challenging right now, somehow, I am lacking motivation.

18 - Say something to the person who tagged you: I think E is great and I am very impressed with her determination when it comes to running...maybe I can learn something from her!

19 - If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Tuscany or somewhere in Italy...oh what a beautiful country (plus it has beaches and mountains!)

20 - Favorite vacation spot? Hmm, I don't really like to repeat vacations...so many wonderful places I would love to see. Our honeymoon in Mauritius was fantastic and the Bahamas house is always relaxing and I've been dying to go skiing....see I can't make up my mind.

21 - What is your favorite children’s book? Charlotte's Web. Mom read it to us and I cried.

22 - Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: Ice Cream (and its bad for me in more ways than 1)

23 - If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? I don't know. Maybe JFK

24 - Favorite song: Lots of favorite songs, hard to pick one.

25 - Name one thing you would most like to change about yourself: Recently I have been bad about communicating, so I guess I would like to get back in the habit....

26 - What is your favorite birthday treat? DQ Ice cream cakes...yummy goodness!

I tag anyone who wants to do this. I think most of you have already done it! Enjoy!

The Maid

The maid was here today. She mopped our hardwood floors. She was here for about 2 hours, moved furniture around and even scrubbed spots on her hands and knees...

Oh wait, we don't have a maid...guess that was me cleaning...now I am off to shower and to enjoy my well deserved margarita at Pure tonight...

Happy Saturday!

JCREW SHOES

Here are the shoes I got at TJMaxx. I got them in black patent...even more versatile. WHAT A DEAL!!!

Facial

I am in need of a facial. But given the current economic environment, its not really in the budget. Can any of you recommend good products for an at home facial? My normally oily skin is kind of dry (gotta love winter) and my pores need a deep cleanse. Also, my face is fairly sensitive, though I cannot pinpoint the cause.

Thoughts??

Baby Its Cold Outside

Its cold down here in ATL!

So cold I didn't leave the house yesterday. I am hoping to make it to the gym at least once today (for a run and then kickboxing).

So cold I have to make sure I let Barley in quick enough he doesn't freeze.

So cold I am wearing my fleece inside the house.

So cold we've been snuggling on the couch catching up on 24...WOW Great show!

(I took a picture of my shoes, just can't find the cable to load pictures to my computer.)

19.99

I found a great deal last night at TJMaxx and had to share it with you......JCREW shoes for 19.99...I love the look of JCrew shoes, but HATE the price. Now, 19.99, I can do that!! I only bought 1 pair because that was all they had in my size....I'll post a picture later...

But if you are a 6 1/2 or 7...They have about 10 pairs....Run, don't walk to TJMaxx in Cumming.

New Year's Resolution - February Style

My January was way to busy to consider a New Year's Resolution and then trying to stick to it....So now that it is February and things should calm down a bit, here's what I am trying to do this year:

Stick to a good workout schedule. I don't really have weight to lose, but would like to tone up a bit. Also, I want to run more...maybe even trying a mini marathon before the end of the year (I have tried this twice before and both times ended up with an injury, even though I was patient in my training)

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Usually we are pretty good about fruits and vegetables, but we've been so busy lately, I haven't been planning meals or cooking at home, and have slacked on fruits and veggies.

Floss regularly. We'll start with every other day and hope for every day. Fortunately though, I do have pretty good teeth! I got a great report in December.

Be a better communicator. I feel like I have slacked on communication with friends, especially those who don't live near us. I want to be better at that. I use this blog to update friends (both IRL and blog land) and family. But it's not as personal as I would like it to be.

That's 4...I think that is pretty good...there may be a couple others, but I'll keep those to myself. I think 4 is enough to speak outloud and actually have people know about....I'd like to come back every month to see how I am doing. Can you all help me stick to these?!?!