i picked up a hitch hiker

1. this little hitch hiker sneaked up on me wednesday morning. good thing he decided to show himself when i was at a red light. he held on till i got to the gym. not sure what happened to him after that.

2. decided to try a different class today. instead of zumba, i did step. it was hard, fun and made me super sweaty which means it was a good workout.

3. still mad that i haven't lost any weight. guess it means i need to stop eating.

4. andre, my trainer, is doing a step challenge between his clients. whoever has the most steps in a month wins a prize. the contest hasn't started yet but i've been using it.

5. of course, the day after i get my fitbit, mike's work announces they too will be having a million step challenge and is giving away free fitbits for those who sign up. its worth 500 points if you do a million steps.

6. his company decided that we have to get 2000 [family] points in order to get benefits for next year and additional 2000 [family] points to get any perks like those gift cards. [this is new. last year, we only needed 2000 points. stink'n tight wads]

7. mike ruined another night for me. he came home late without giving me warning. he went out for drinks afterwards. i would like to know if he's going to be late so i know what to do for dinner.

8. another thing added to my list: don't wait for mike for dinner.

9. ham's decided that he wants to live in a studio apartment next year. i would rather him live with roommates for another year but he needs to do what he thinks is best plus its a cool place to live.

10. every time ham goes back to school, kaylee asks him to take her with him or if she can stay the night. having his own place would allow for him to do that. how cute would that be?

today is the day...

that i get presents!

 from mike, ham and kaylee

my very own duck dynasty duck call!

1. i came up with "the day that i get presents" a few years back because i didn't want to celebrate my birthday because i was getting old.

2. this is the 13th time i have turned 29. [kaylee tells everyone that i'm 29- smart girl]

3. today started out normal- got kaylee off to school, dropped ollie off to the vet/ groomers and then went to workout.

4. after working out, i didn't know what to do because i already went shopping on friday. so i went to target to get shoelaces for kaylee's sperry's because the laces they have on them do not stay tied.

5. felt kinda depressed, wishing i had some sex in the city girlfriends. they do girls night outs, weekends away...sigh. where are my 3 weird-o friends to do things with???

6. my in laws sent me some cash and a starbucks gift card.

7. once mike got home, kaylee was all excited to give me my gifts. i got spoiled with roses, a spa day on the day of the dave matthews band concert in may.  since i don't really like dave matthews, i'm getting tickets to see depeche mode in september- hopefully.

8. then the ups man dropped off the awesome duck call that only my friend, michelle, would think of. she's funny like that. did i tell you that she got me depends for my birthday last year? i haven't had to use them yet but have come pretty close or wish i had them with me.

9. ham even remembered to call and wish me a happy birthday. [i'm sure mike told him too before he left for school. either way, it made me happy happy happy]

10. then we went to pf changs for dinner. we'll go someplace else this weekend so we can celebrate with ham. 

and that sums up the day i get presents.

tuesday's brain dump

i thought this was a cute photo of kaylee and her nanny taken over spring break

1. had a great mommy's day last friday. got a dress, a pair of capri's and a top. oh and the fossil purse. it was on sale plus another 25% off. [after seeing my legs in shorts, capri's is the way to go]

2. i also treated myself to a nestle ice cream sandwich. let me just say it was gone in 2 bites because it was the tiniest thing ever. i had forgotten my lactaid pills in the car and didn't want to experience an "episode".

3. ham came home for the weekend which was a total surprise. found out he was sick last week, which made me sad because i wasn't there to take care of him. 

4. he's coming home again this weekend for a dentist appointment and haircut.

5. i tried some new recipes over the weekend, they didn't turn out as good as those shrimp sandwiches.

6. watched dancing with the stars last night. that zendaya is amazing. you can watch her here, here, here and here. [this is fun to watch too with shawn johnson]

7. saturday, i convinced mike to go up to the woodlands by suggesting we get the pool chairs we wanted and pizza for lunch. [offer him food and he's usually game]

8. on the way home, we were passing our favorite furniture store and decided to take the plunge and get that table and chairs set we've had our eye on because we would of been super mad if we didn't get it.

9. thinking about taking a short road trip back to indiana over the summer. it won't be as long because its indiana and i'm not going out of my way to see people like i did last year. if there's time then there's time.

10. this time we're debating on going up to traverse city/mackinac island or going to wisconsin dells before heading home. i think wisconsin dells is winning.

[thursday edition] I LOVE...

1. duck dynasty harlem shake video. i didn't know what a harlem shake was till ham showed me.

2. after my workout tomorrow, i get a real mommy day where i don't have to worry about picking up the little nugget. mike took the day off because she asked him to join her for field day.

3. taking kaylee for a "fivebucks" run after school for a peppermint hot chocolate and a snack. [i've been dealing with allergy issues that has made me become very cranky, i'm hoping she remembers these moments rather than the crankies]

4. craft room is getting cleaned and organized! [slowly but its getting there]

5. drinking lime in water is awesome. [kaylee thought it was the awesomest thing]

6. i think i made a new friend in zumba class.

7. someone else from the zumba class thought i was 27 years old. bless her.

8. made a massage and pedi appointment in two weeks.

9. one of my niece's texting me while on vacation. i think i'm her favorite : )

10. buffalo ranch popcorn- yum!

[recipe] Spicy Shrimp Sandwich with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise

photo via pinterest

I found this recipe when I was searching for something else. So glad when that happens. Recipe from damn delicious . 

Spicy Shrimp Sandwich with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise (adapted from Life’s Ambrosia):

Yields 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Chipotle avocado mayonnaise
• 1 baguette, cut it into 3-4 equal pieces, toasted, for serving [I just cut it in half lengthwise and plopped it in the oven as is while the shrimp was cooking]
• Romaine lettuce leaves, for serving
• Sliced avocado, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste.

Place shrimp mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. 

Serve sandwiches on a baguette with romaine lettuce, avocado, shrimp and chipotle avocado mayonnaise.

For the chipotle avocado mayonnaise (adapted from Life’s Ambrosia):

• 1-3 chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce
• 1 avocado, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the chipotle avocado mayonnaise, combine chipotle peppers, avocado, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime juice and salt in the bowl of a food processor; set aside. [I think I might have added too many chipotle peppers in mine because my sauce is pinkish but still delicious and spicy!]

a little of this and a little of that

1. last thursday kaylee and i went to her favorite place to eat her favorite lunch- olive garden breadsticks with alfredo sauce. [she was off school]

2. my side of the family is in florida at the moment for spring break. that's the bad part about ours being so early. we have no more breaks till end of may!

3. i made a really yummy sandwich tonight for dinner. i found it while pinteresting panini sandwiches. the new to me blog is awesome and can't wait to try her other recipes.

4. i wasn't going to go to zumba class this morning. i'm feeling a little discouraged because i've been working out for an hour a day x 4 days a week since end of january and i don't see the results that i'm hoping for. [yes, i feel stronger and a little leaner but i want major results!]

5. i decided purse [thinking about getting this one but at the outlets] shopping can wait till after the day i get presents and went to exercise.  i'm glad i went, i feel much better.

6. while i love my dooney and bourke purse, i love the crossbody style for everyday. plus, i want to keep db in great condition and it gets a little heavy for carrying.

7. after shopping at tjmaxx today, some random guy followed me out and told me that i'm really lucky but need to quite thinking so much. i'm not sure as to what he was trying to tell me because i was concentrating on my escape if need be. [my car was on and my hand was on the window button ready to close it]

8. kaylee is doing great with her piano lessons.

9. and ham is doing well in school though he needs to bring up a grade or two. [he's border lining b/c's]

10. found out jane porter's son will being to A+M as well. i'm hoping to "accidentally" run into her from time to time.

easter weekend and we could be moving?

i posted this photo of ollie on facebook and didn't tell anyone that it was taken last year. this year, he looks like a dumpster doggie. and smells like one too.

1. had a great easter. made ribs, "roasted"corn, smashed potatoes and deviled eggs. [of course i had to improvise on the recipes to make them family approved]

2. we had neighbors share birthday cake pops and a strawberry pie for easter.

3. kaylee was horrible looking for easter eggs and was quite disappointed that she didn't get as much stuff as she did last year.

4. this year she got a hello kitty watch, $10 worth of money plus chocolates. ham got chocolates and money though he left the chocolates at home because he said he would eat them all in one sitting. gee- thanks ham!

5. i think i went overboard last year and what we really need to be doing is celebrating the real reason why its easter or not celebrate at all.

6. then i question myself because we don't do the traditional easter stuff like color eggs or get a easter outfit.  is she missing out?

7. mike texted me this morning telling me he got news that they are selling his portion of the business so we could be moving sooner than we thought.

8. i was super worried thinking unemployment and deciding if i really wanted to move and how we're going to lose money on having to sell the house since we've only been here a little over a year...

9. then he calls me and says "April Fools!" after 13 years of being together, he FINALLY got me- bastard!

10. not sure what to do today besides go to petco and buy stock in doggie shampoo/conditioner and eye stain remover. i want to get him semi cleaned up before taking him to the vet. why yes, i do live the rough life, why you ask?