A Friday Blanks Break

Gah! I got off track with my journal challenge again and forgot to write yesterday! Lately, the days have just been getting away from me, and I have a hard time fitting everything in. I've also been a lot less organized than I usually am. Anyone else experiencing this?

I hope to post my journal entry for today a bit later, but for now, how about some fill-in-the-blanks courtesy of Lauren?

Image credit: Lauren

 1. A nervous habit I have is playing with my Claddaugh ring. When I'm nervous, I'll twist it around my finger and pull it on and off. Someone called me out on it once, and it was a bit embarrassing!

2. Something that makes me sad is this news story I heard at the beginning of the week about some people using a rabbit as a hockey puck. The poor thing was so beaten. I hate animal cruelty -- even roadkill.

3. Today I am thankful for awesome plans tonight! With this cold and sinus infection, I haven't done anything fun that I've enjoyed in two weeks, and I have had to cancel a bunch of plans.

4. My favorite room in my house is the master bedroom. It's all beach themed and shades of blue -- my favorite color. It's so soothing and relaxing.

5. I can't stand messiness, which I just read a great blog post about. I'm a bit OCD, and it drives Jed nuts.

6. If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today, I would treat myself to a few extra drinks tonight and maybe a sassy pair of new shoes to wear.

7. The last person I hung out with was Jed, all week long.

What do you have going on this weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy and get a well-deserved rest!

The Fifth of May, Ole!



Photo credit: Dana Gallagher for Real Simple

Happy Cinco de Mayo! How are you celebrating? If you're celebrating, that is, and if you're not, why aren't you???

I will be heading out to a local Mexican restaurant with Jed, my bestie and her hubs tonight. It is a belated birthday celebration for Jed with them, since they were unable to make his actual birthday celebration. My mouth is already watering thinking about delicious Mexican goodies, and of course, margaritas! Hence today's reflection of the day... I'll certainly be enhancing my curves tonight with all that merry-making! Haha!

In honor of the day, mix up a few of these classic margarias, courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 4-6 limes)
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
• 1 lime, sliced
• kosher salt

Directions:

1. In a medium pitcher, combine the tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec/Cointreau and 1/2 cup water (or try ice in a blender for the frozen variety!)
2. Rub the rims of four glasses with a lime slice and dip in the kosher salt. Serve the margaritas in the prepared glasses over ice and garnish with the lime slices.

Serves 4.

Friday Finally Shows... with Some Blanks

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I am so grateful Friday is finally here (and a sunny one at that!). This is my first five-day workweek in a while, and I've been busting it out overtime because work has been crazy, so I am exhausted. Looking forward to some fun this weekend painting our guest room and seeing a favorite cover band tomorrow night.

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Everyone is jumping on Lauren's "Fill in the Blank Friday" wagon, so I'm jumping back on and bring back and oldie but goodie. 

Courtesy of Lauren

1.   The phrase or punctuation I overuse most is       Jed just told me this week that I say "um" a lot when I am presenting for work. Embarrassing. I also use ellipsis and dashes a lot in my writing, I think...  

2.  Today I am thankful for    Friday! See above   .

3.  My best friend is    so fantastic. I love her to pieces, and I don't know what I would do without her. I am over-the-moon happy for her right now   .

4.  A quirky thing about me is     my OCD tics. I've become more aware of them, and man, they are WEIRD  .

5.  This weekend I     am checking out a new gym, painting the guest room, seeing a cover band with Jed, my sister and my ladies, going to church and doing whatever else the weekend brings   .

6.  Something that worries me is       money. Really stresses me out sometimes. Like I woke up at 3:30 this morning and felt the urge to go check my account balance because I was scared I didn't have enough (thankfully I resisted the urge)   .

7.  On my night stand you would find       alarm clock, lotion, pillow spray, scented tealight candle, cell phone charger, decorative vase with sea grass, wooden sea turtle and the teddy bear Jed gave me for Valentine's Day two years ago. I also usually have some sort of hair elastic or clip there that I was wearing that day and/or the book I am currently reading    .

If you don't link up at Lauren's, tell me in the comments your answer to one of the seven questions above! :)

Happy... um, belated... Valentine's Day!

Whoa, it has been an entire week since my last post. I'm sorry... to you and to myself. So much for recording last week! Truthfully, not that much happened, but I hate that I left you all with my "I had a cold" post for an entire week. Yuck!

Catching up... how was your Valentine's Day? And while we're on the topic, what's your take on this "Hallmark holiday?" Do you roll with it and head out for a nice meal, exchange cards and gifts and eat chocolate while gazing at your dozen red roses? Or, do you have your own tradition you follow every year -- maybe making a special dinner for your loved one? Or... do you hate February 14 and do everything you can to treat it like just another day?

Honestly, I've fallen into every part of that spectrum: from going all out on V-Day to hating it to using it to love myself because I had no one else to love (romantically). This year, I fell somewhere in the middle. While I'm a girl who will always appreciate a nice dinner and flowers, I didn't really care about all that this year. Jed and I didn't discuss what we were going to do yesterday, so I wasn't expecting much.

I was going to cook a roast pork dinner for him last night, and I got him a card and some Reese's (which he loves), however, my roast didn't thaw in time for dinner! So, we ended up joining his parents (romantic, I know) for dinner at 99, which was pretty good.

I also got this when I woke up yesterday...

It is Harry & David's Deluxe Sweetheart Tower filled with:

• Chocolate truffles
• Chocolate strawberries
• 2 whoopie pies
• Dark and milk chocolate truffle hearts
• Cherry vanilla Moose Munch
• 2 Royal Riviera pears

Can you say YUM??????? The boy did good, I'll give him that! I have tried anything yet, and the pears still need to ripen, but I can't wait to dive in! I've had their chocolate Moose Munch, and it is addictive. And whoopie pies are my favorite; I can never resist them in the ski lodge cafeteria when I go skiing. Oh, and the pears? Supermarket pears cannot stand up next to these pears, they are that good.

Jed and I spent a lot of the day finishing up a custom built-in armoire we built for our guest room (pictures to follow soon!). Then, while he actually worked (I had the day off), I rid our house of the sawdust that's been making itself at home for the past week. It feels so much better in here now! 

Other highlights from the weekend:

• Girls' night out with my besties at a sketchy nightclub (where the band we love and went to see was a no-show).
• Dinner and a movie at a friends' house, where I gave her darling baby boy a bath and got him ready for bed (love that kid, seriously). Side note: we watched Get Him to the Greek. Anyone else see it? What did you think? I wasn't a fan, but then again, I really don't like Russell Brandt.
• Lots of work on that above-mentioned armoire.
• Lunch with Jed's grandfather after Mass on Sunday.

{Image credit: Harry & David}

How I Had a Successful Cold

My absence last week was due to a cold/flu that knocked me off my feet. I tend to get really sick when I get a cold -- a sinus infection is always guaranteed -- but this one was really different for a couple reasons.

I had felt a cold coming on for a week or two before I got really sick, and I tried to fight it by exercising, drinking lots of tea and orange juice (which I hate), eating clementines, resting and generally trying to take care of myself. 

Oh, and I used this new friend of mine: my NeilMed NasaFlo neti pot (no, this is not a paid advertisement for this product, just an account of my personal experience).

I used this thing daily to help keep my sinuses clear so an infection wouldn't develop, and to hopefully flush that oncoming cold away.

It didn't keep the cold away; I woke up last Monday morning with more aches than I could recount, a headache, a cough, nausea and a general sick feeling. I had a temperature of 99.5. I continued the "cold treatment" regiment and told myself I'd call my doctor if I didn't feel better the next day. I thought it might be the flu. Ugh.

Tuesday morning, I was glad to notice the aches were gone, but now I was coughing and congested. I upped the neti pot usage to twice that day, but I was getting afraid of an impending sinus infection and started taking decongestants. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much Tuesday night because I couldn't breathe.

The neti pot didn't even work Wednesday I was so congested. Uh oh. Thankfully I had Monday as a vacation day, and I took sick days Tuesday and Wednesday to rest. Thursday and Friday were also vacation days, but I was supposed to be going up to Bretton Woods, NH, for my annual ski trip with my sister and aunt. I called my aunt to tell her I didn't think I was going to make it. 

Miraculously, I felt better on Thursday -- still sick -- but I could breathe! I made the decision to drive up to NH Friday night and just make sure I got lots of rest after skiing.

Sorry for the TMI, but I don't want you to think I was slacking off here. :) I didn't even open my computer for the majority of last week, except to email my aunt.

I'm still recovering a bit, but I made it through a cold in ONE WEEK without getting a sinus infection! Folks, you have no idea what this means to me; I can't remember the last time I got sick and was able to recover so quickly without an infection. It has been at least 15 years. I owe it to the neti pot, which if you haven't tried, you should. Everyone told me how great it was for years before I tried it, and I was really skeptical, but it does work.

I had a decent weekend skiing. Unfortunately, I didn't feel much like myself, but I managed ok. My sister and I took a private lesson on Sunday, and the instructor (Leah -- who was awesome) took us out on a couple of black diamond trails, which we navigated quite well! She gave me three things to work on, and I will be quite busy mastering them for the rest of the season. I spent Sunday afternoon mostly tumbling down the slopes due to eight inches of fresh ungroomed powder, intense concentration on what I was doing and being tired.

Oh, and then I slipped and fell down the stairs in front of the ski resort hitting myself in the head with one ski and dropping the other down the stairs. OUCH! Still a little sore from that.

Tomorrow I am hoping to do a post on our stay at Bretton Woods. A little travel article for you guys.

{Photo credit: 1. Femininity in a Feminist World  2. Opinion Queen}

Thanksgiving Weekend with Family

I didn't post a Thanksgiving post last week with my blessings, but I did reflect upon them, and I cherished my Thanksgiving Day with my family. I also had a great long weekend with my family!

I've been fighting a cold the past two weeks, and I was still sniffly on Thanksgiving Day, but I put on my Sunday best and headed to my parents' house while Jed cooked Thanksgiving dinner at our house for his parents. After greeting my parents, sister and grandmother who was staying at their house for the weekend, I plopped down in my mother's Lazy Boy to watch my Patriots beat the Lions by a hair.

After the game, we, along with my two aunts and two uncles, sat down for our feast. There were two turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, whipped butternut squash, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffed celery, olives and pickles. Oh yeah, and my lil sis made a delish raspberry soup topped with homemade whipped cream, a raspberry and mint leaves! Yummmm! Jed, and Morris, came to my parents' after his dinner for dessert.

I won't even get into dessert... it was another whole tabletop full of food, including my aunt's chocolate Kahlua coffee trifle and my favorite raspberry jam thumbprint cookies. And wine, lots of wine. I was a happy, stuffed Jen by the end of the day. :)

Here's a few pictures from the day -- unfortunately I didn't get pictures of the whole family in attendance.

It's incredible that my mother allows Morris in her house since she is very allergic to animals, but she loves him so much that he is allowed to visit in the kitchen only (and he has to be carried from the front door to the kitchen so he doesn't touch the carpets)!

Morris really wanted to go into the living room and hang out with everyone, but he wasn't allowed. I sat in the doorway between the kitchen and living room keeping him company.

(Outfit: Gap cardigan, Gap army trousers, Chinese Laundry flats)

My mom loves her granddog.

My lil sis, me and Morris. People have thought we are twins (me and sis, not either of us and Morris).

We had Thanksgiving dinner Friday night, Saturday night and last night between my parents' and Jed's leftovers. I think that was the last of it, but I enjoyed every bite.

On Friday, my sister brought my grandmother to my house so she could see it. I've been here for almost a year and a half, and my Nana had never been here! She thought it was "cute" and then fell asleep on my couch watching TV. Oh I love my Nana.

Saturday, I headed to my parents' house once again, early, to join my mom, Nana, sis and sis' best friend on a road trip out to the Yankee Candle flagship store in Deerfield, MA. Oh my, that place is HUGE and oh so much fun. It is such a good thing I live two hours away, because I would spend entirely too much time and money there if I was closer.

The entire building had a huge wraparound porch with painted cows along it. So fun!

We started the afternoon at Chandler's restaurant for lunch. It looks like a huge barn or candlery (is that what a building where candles are made is called?). No electric lights -- all lighting was provided by either candle-lit chandeliers or candle wall sconces! I imagine it would be beautiful at night.

Mom and I both ordered the broccoli and mushroom quiche, which was light and fluffy, along with a side salad with Chandler's homemade apple cider vinaigrette. I would definitely eat there again as the prices were very reasonable for lunch (especially considering we were in a tourist trap, and it was the only restaurant).

Once I walked into the actual store, I think my jaw knocked a jar candle off the shelf it fell so hard! There was the general store, the male store with all kinds of sports memorabilia, the enormous candle emporium (including a section to make your own candle!), the Christmas village Black Forest...

Look at the tiny little ski lift to the left!

... the Bavarian village... 

... the cute carts scattered around the cobblestone-floor food court, a Vera Bradley shop, a Pandora counter, a pet shop and two kitchen shops! We shopped for FIVE HOURS, and I feel like I might have missed something! 

One thing I didn't miss was the snow!

Yes, snow fell from the ceiling every four minutes, and it was beautiful. Little did we know, flurries fell outside the building as well, and the evidence was on the car when we left.

I managed to finish my Christmas shopping for all but three people Saturday, and I only spent $163, about $30 of which was for myself (c'mon, you didn't think I'd make it out without picking up something for myself, did you?)! They're all really thoughtful, unique gifts too, about which I'm super happy. Sorry, I would share what I got with you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for any of those people on my gift list who might read this blog.

The glorious long weekend closed with Christmas decorating! Mi casa is now officially decorated for Christmas sans tree, which we'll get in two weeks. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but if I remember to, I will post some here. I always hate the shorter, darker days of November until the lights of Christmas brighten the void in December. It just makes me smile.

Wow, this was a long post! I hope I didn't bore you. How was your Thanksgiving and long weekend? What did you do? Have you decorated your home for the holidays? 

Drawing a blank...

Two posts today! I know I've become a spastic blogger, but, hey, it's my blog, and I'll do what I wanna! ;-) 

1.   The first thing I do in the morning to start my day is       take a shower and make a cup of coffee .

2.  Today I wish I was   on a cruise ship in the Caribbean... even though it is the perfect fall day here in RI   .

3.  If I had an extra $100 in my bank account today I'd      give it to Jed since I owe him so much money   .

4.  Tomorrow    I am running, cleaning the house and going to grocery shopping. Tomorrow night, we're going to see my BFF's husband play in his band  .

5.  Two things that don't go together are     love and selfishness  .

6.  Something I can never pass up at the grocery store is        an item we regularly use on sale (like pasta sauce), no matter how much we may have at home already   .

7.  The last time I tried something new was        Monday when I started strength training with resistance bands. I miss strength training and know I need it, so I'm trying to make do with what I have available    .

Thanks Lauren for another great Fill in the Blanks Friday! I hope everyone has a lovely fall weekend. I know I'm looking forward to some R&R!

Someone pass me the toothpicks...

This week kicked my butt. I'm exhausted. All I want to do is curl up and sleep, but there's work and cleaning to do, so I guess I'm going to have to prop the eyelids open!

I am so glad it's Friday, and I don't really have much in the way of plans. I would like to clean the house tonight and tomorrow morning. Tomorrow I'm getting my hair trimmed and re-layered, and then Jed and I are heading down to the marina to take a boat out. Keep your fingers crossed for calm seas with the hurricane sweeping up the East coast!

What are you up to this weekend? Does it include Fill in the Blank Friday??? 

1.   When I get a day to myself I like to       do something that makes me happy like go to the beach with a good book if it's warm or hit the slopes if it's snowing. If today was one of those days, I would curl up on the couch in sweats and catch up on movies in between naps .

2.  High school was....      the best four years of my life! I know most people don't feel that way about high school, but I loved my school, my friends, my classes and my experience. High school was when I really became me    .

3.  A little dream I have is       cruise around the world. Hm... maybe that's a huge dream! I'll downsize: a little dream I have is to ski every weekend this winter   .

4.  A big dream I have is       to cruise around the world! LOL... And to get married, move into a larger house in a quaint neighborhood and raise children   .

5.  If I could drive any car my pick would be     the Lexus RX hybrid. I'm ready for an SUV -- four-wheel drive, cargo space, a ski rack...  .

6.  A time that I felt really and truly beautiful was       as my best friend's maid of honor. I loved the dresses she chose, I loved my shoes, I loved my hair, and I was so happy for her   .

7.  Tomorrow I will....       clean the bathroom, get my hair cut, go out on the boat     . 

Your turn! Visit the little things we do to get the blanks and link up!

Labor Day Recap

Wow, I've been so caught up and relaxed in this weekend that I forgot today was Monday... and I forgot about blogging... and I nearly forgot it's Friend Makin Monday! 

This week's topic, hosted by Amber herself, is...

What are you doing for Labor Day?

So, tell me, did you have a good Labor Day weekend? What were the highlights?

I'll give you a little play-by-play, all of which I am extremely grateful for, by the way.

Friday

I worked from home Friday, and I was sorta looking forward to seeing a bit of Hurricane Earl, but all we got was a little bit of rain. Friends of ours came up with a great idea of having dessert for dinner and hosted S'MORESgasboard -- a night of s'mores for dinner. They went all it with a s'mores buffet complete with homemade marshmallows (yes, homemade, including mint-flavored marshmallows!), homemade chocolate and regular and chocolate graham crackers. It was delicious, and I think we are going to do it annually!

Saturday

Jed and I prepped our yard to plant grass then we went to my parents' house for a cookout... on their new deck!

Sunday

Jed and I spent most of the day planting grass and setting the sprinkler system. Last night, we met up with friends for dinner at Olive Garden and a movie. We saw Takers, which I thought was really good! It's a typical cop/bank robber drama, but I liked the different perspectives they used -- you got attached to both the cops and the robbers.

Monday

Jed and I went down to Warwick, RI, to check out a boat club! Today was a perfect day, weather-wise, and the marina was beautiful! Jed has wanted a boat for a while, but neither of us is crazy about the cost and upkeep and storage a boat requires. So, Jed found this boat club where, for a membership fee, you have unlimited use of 11 boats out of the Warwick marina and also boats out of 50 other locations around the U.S. during boating season. It's sorta like a country club... with boats. They have a gorgeous marina with BBQ-equipped gazebos, a pool and a bathhouse. Let me tell you, I'm really looking forward to boating in Narragansett Bay, down to Newport, around the Cape and up around Boston!

So, that was our weekend. It was pretty low-key, but it was nice... and we're about a month away from our cruise vacation! Wooooohoooo!


{Image via Freedom Boat Club}

I've been dreaming of you all week long.

Hmmmm... Friday... let it float around your brain for a minute. Doesn't it feel good? 

This happens to be a Fill in the Blank Friday, which I heart. Know what I also heart? My two new readers! Welcome! Everyone say hello. We're now up to 70, friends. I love how this little Nifer community is blossoming. 

Since there are so many of you, I really hope you will post these blanks with your answers on your blog. If you do, link up on Lauren's blog and comment here so I can read your answers. This week's theme seems to be sleep, of which I plan on getting a lot of this weekend!

1.  The last thing I do before going to sleep is      give Jed and Morris (my dog) a good night kiss  .

2.  When I can't sleep I     toss and turn and stress out, which totally does not help the situation .

3.  The first thing I do when I wake up is     take Morris out to pee and then I get to pee   .

4.  When I'm tired I      am a bitch to be around. Sleep is my priority. I do not function tired   .

5.  My dream bedroom would be     white and pale tan. Calming, welcoming and soothing with a beachy, casual feel. Big and airy with French doors out to a balcony or deck, skylights so I can see the stars as I fall asleep, and a luxurious master bathroom attached, complete with jetted soaking tub and two-person walk-in shower.

6.  If I could wake up anywhere tomorrow morning it would be       on a cruise ship, docking in Hawaii   .

7.  The longest sleep I've ever had was      after a very bad hangover    .

8.  I sleep on my     stomach or my side. Rarely, I will wake up on my back and surprise myself .

9.  When I sleep, I like to wear        cotton PJ pants, capris or shorts, usually with t-shirts  .

10.  My bedtime is usually      between 10 and midnight during the week. If we're out doing stuff on the weekends, it can get as late as 3am before my head hits the pillow    .

What are your plans this weekend? I don't have many, which I'm perfectly fine with since my main objective is to relax, rest and get over this yucky cold. Tomorrow, however, there will be a cookout at my BFF's house complete with s'mores and a dip in the hot tub. We may or may not have a girls' shopping outing in the afternoon as well.

{Image via the little things we do}

Where are my blanks???

No Fill in the Blank Friday today. Oh no, poor Lauren had a rough night last night -- you can read her blog to see why. Today, friends, we are doing Roses and Thorns. I know, I know, I love it too! <-- Me being a complete dork today because I can't think straight.

Roses to raindrops today because I don't have to water the plants! Natural watering is always best, IMHO.

Roses to going to the beach tomorrow.

Roses to going to a cookout tomorrow night.

Roses to the weekend! I freakin' lurve weekends. Don't you?

Thorns to feeling sick. Stuffy noses and sore throats are not my favs.

Thorns to the library sending back the first marketing book I reserved from another library because I didn't pick it up on time. Don't they know I'm a busy girl who can't always make it to the library?

Thorns to not having a clue what's for dinner tonight. I'm usually much more organized, I swear.

Thorns to cleaning the bathroom tonight. Not exactly the Friday night fun I was envisioning.


Sorry for the lack of posts. My brain has been working on overload, and my body is clearly tired since it decided to get sick. Hopefully I'll be able to rest up this weekend. Wishing you all the loveliest of lovely weekends!


{Image 1, Image 2, Image 3}