A little productivity and what I'm reading this week

Well it is Friday, all!  Wee haaaa!  It's the last day of February...uh, WTH!?

I was actually productive yesterday and got some stuff up for sale at the shop.  I've got a few more things to get posted then I can relax a bit on that front.

But enough of that, let's get to

20 Clever Ways To Reuse Old Items You Are About to Toss Out.

IT Band Exercises  (Yes please.  These help with my issues, maybe someone else can use 'em)

17 Things People On A Diet Are Tired Of Hearing  (Lots of F bombs so decide if you should read this one at work)

Is This Why Some People Are Able To Remember Their Dreams Better Than Others?

6 Moving Hacks You Need to Know  (I bookmarked this for future reference.  Great tips!)

Paul Rudd Spanks Jimmy Fallon with Queen song  (We almost pee'd ourselves)

The 20 Scariest Things That Can Happen When You Work In An Office  (This is why I don't miss the office environment and yes, I totally did #19 though not company wide but to the person I was bitching about)

Biggest Loser Winner Rachel Frederickson Looks Healthy on Today, Responds to Weight Loss Controversy  (I knew she wouldn't stay finale size and she looks much healthier now with a few extra pounds)

Boost Your Balance with a Few Simple Exercises a Day  (I do many of these, need to do them forevahhh)

Justin Timberlake Handled Someone Flipping Him Off At His Concert Perfectly  (This is why me love him long time)

The Modern Farmer Pie Chart of Pies  (For the other pie lovers out there.  Interesting chart)

The Secret Identity of Andy’s Mom in Toy Story  (This is a friggin' awesome theory!)

Seth Rogen Opens Up About His Mother-In-Law's Struggle With Alzheimer's  (I laughed, I cried, I wrote him a thank you note.  For real.)

Seth Rogen Blasts Senators for Not Attending His Senate Hearing on Alzheimer's Disease  (Seeing the picture in this story INFURIATED me.  EFF YOU Senators for not taking this seriously.  I hope YOU don't end up needing some of the funding you don't seem to care about.  If you want to know who didn't show up and if they're representing your state, the absentees were Senator Thad Cochran (MS), Senator Richard Shelby (AL), Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), Senator Lindsey Graham (SC), Senator Mark Kirk (IL), Senator Mike Johanns (NE), Senator John Boozman (AR), Senator Patty Murray (WA), Senator Mary Landrieu (LA), Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Senator Jack Reed (RI), Senator Mark Pryor (AR),
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), Senator Jon Tester (MT), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Senator Jeff Merkley (OR)...jerks)
New study confirms that dark chocolate is very good for your health  (Courtesy of the Mr...because he cares)

FDA Proposes Including "Added Sugar" To Nutrition Labels

David Byrne Does Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” as Only He Can  (This is whatever the non-irritatng word for "awesome-sauce" is)

Internet remembers Harold Ramis  (Get out the tissues if you're a fan)

Harold Ramis’ ‘Groundhog Day’ Is About as Perfect as a Movie Gets  (We quote it often)

Remembering Harold Ramis:  What he taught me about comedy on the set of Groundhog Day By Stephen Tobolowsky  (Ned Ryerson)

They're predicting weather this weekend.  Not sure if it's rain, snow, tornado or acid vog so we'll be winging our tomfoolery for the next few days.  Can they pay me $60,000 a year to throw a dart at a weather wheel too?

Any plans for the weekend?

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Dreamy Hump Day recap

Yesterday the Mr went to work a little late because he was going to be staying late for a project.  So he had to do a morning workout.  He did free weights while I laid in bed having weird dreams.  The last of which I remember was letting 3 ibuprofen turn into a pasty wad behind the back of my teeth with dried drool on my cheek.

WTH??

Why can't I remember one where Tom Mison tells me (as Ichabod Crane) that our only chance of escaping purgatory is tantric boot knocking?

So after I woke up, I did my tennis ball rolling on my foot arches like a good girl.  The Mr and I enjoyed a little extra time and watched The Voice and fast forwarded through commercials.  There's just no other good way to watch shows like that.

I knew when it came time to workout that I wasn't going to be good left to my own devices on weights.  So I perused Fitness Blender.com and found a good upper body workout that was about the amount of time I wanted to spend.  My two favorite moves and by favorite, I mean the ones that have me wincing today, were the Pull Over + Narrow Press at 18:00 and the Lat Raise + Cross at 31:24.  Actually the Lat Raise one, almost had me in tears.  I started the first set with 10 lb weights since it's a small muscle group at the top and I was shaking like a leaf by the last one.  I dropped down to 8 lbs for the second set and I couldn't bust out the last rep.  It worked some good muscles in different ways so I'm adding that into the rotation and torturing the Mr with it sometime soon.  Ten minutes before it was over, I heard my chat ding go off and he was done!  It was much earlier than it usually is so I was happy!

I finished up, did my balance board, my stretches and foam rolled.  Ran up and hopped in the shower and he was home when I was done.  I made mahi fish tacos and brussels and then we settled in and caught up on the DVR.  We watched Survivor's premiere on fast forward.  They all suck.  I hope the basketball guy wins, if he doesn't the rest of them are annoying toolbags that don't deserve to win.  I also didn't appreciate being shown a bone deep cut after dinner.  *barfing noise*   I know with the idiots on the "Brains" tribe, I now have to listen to these jerks week after week.  They roped the Mr in.  Sigh.

What workout moves put your body in sore mode?  Do you remember your dreams?

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Ridiculously inappropriate

Last night was the first time I've attempted Turbo Fire in two weeks.  With the heinous, bunged up state of my legs, I've been backing off of anything too strenuous but wanted to see how the ol' gams stacked up.  They didn't fair well.

When I'm in pain, I have a hard time focusing.  I was driven to distraction several times and my mind was wandering.  Here's a rundown that you will probably want to skip.  You seriously will regret wasting your time on this one because it's about ridiculously inappropriate body functions that will likely have people hitting the unsubscribe button.

Still here huh?  Can't say I didn't warn you.

1) My workout partner broke wind.  I don't wanna call anyone out but...it was the Mr.  Now, we have a rule.  If you feel it coming, you have to run to a neutral spot like the basement landing or by the washing machine and/or spray the air freshener so that both people are not marinating in the vapors.  It's the right thing to do.  But then he stood there holding his stomach staring at me as I was continuing.  I yelled "holding your gut doesn't burn calories!  Do something!"  Basically, in my world, floating an air biscuit is no excuse for stopping even if you're suffering in your own stench.

2)  Then I broke wind.  I was unaware this was going to happen.  It was a surprise party in my compression shorts.  I gave a look of shame and sprayed air freshener.   This had to be done twice.  Note to self:  look over your food diary to see what the hell happened there.

    2a)  After spraying air freshener, the mat on the floor became a redneck slip n' slide.  I was trying not to      fall and kill myself.  "Woman dies on Glade covered floor mat after assplosion.

    2b)  Speaking of compression shorts, does anyone else have the issue of letting one fly (intentionally or not) and it becomes trapped in the lycra and just volleys back and forth for like five minutes?  You just pray for squats or something so you can set it free.  I call this punani ping pong.  If I were a hashtagging type it'd probably be HeftyGalProblems.

3) When we were done, I needed to have the Mr deep tissue massage the back of my legs.  I'm pretty sure he was thinking "for the love of God, my face is right near your butt please keep it to yourself."  I was thinking "for the love of God intestinal tract, if you let loose now, the man will never massage me again.  Behave!"

See, I told you that you'd regret reading all the way through.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some Beano to pop before tonight's workout.

Relate to any of this?  Do you have body function rules if you workout at home?  Ever pass one at the gym/yoga class?  We're all friends here.

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What the hell is going on?!

Seriously.

I know people die...I'm not immune to that fact.  They always say death comes in three's but death seems to be working overtime this year.  We are not even two full months into 2014 and we have lost some people that have just left me reeling.  

January 16th Ruth Robinson Duccini passed.  She was one of the last living Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz .  (affiliate link) That movie is so much a part of my life, I can't even convey.  It will be sad when the last one goes.

The same day we lost Russell David Johnson, or The Professor from Gilligan's Island .  (affiliate link) I used to watch reruns of that all the time as a kid and he was one of my faves.  I liked how level headed he was amidst the chaos of the other characters.

February 1st, we lost Maximilian Schell.   The Mr knew him from The Black Hole but I didn't discover him until Deep Impact .  (affiliate link) The Mr and I love that movie (well, as much as you can any movie about the destruction of the world) but one of our favorite lines from it is one of Max's..."as a child, I once dropped you on your head."

The next day was of course one of the most tragic losses of modern times, when we lost Philip Seymour Hoffman.  To us, he will always be Dusty from Twister (affiliate link)  and the night he passed, we watched it and I bawled.    There was something about him.  I still see pictures of him from time to time and will break down.  You take talent for granted.  You expect they'll always be there and it's so much more tragic when their death is preventable.

February 11th we lost a childhood icon of a simpler time, Shirley Temple .  (affiliate link) Obviously she was before my time but as a kid, I remember seeing an occasional movie or skit sandwiched between Abbott & Costello and Laurel & Hardy .  (affiliate links) (They were also before my time but thank God for reruns so I could see these master craftsman of comedy.)  We'll always remember 56 pin curls.

February 12th was when we lost Coach Calhoun from Grease , Sid Caesar.  (affiliate link) Many know him from "Your Show of Shows" but I'll always remember when the football team was ready to come back from the slaughter and ring that victory bell...like they always wanted to.

Bob Casale of Devo passed on February 17th from heart failure.  (affiliate link) He was only 61.  His new wave legacy will live on and as many of the current generation know and excitedly acknowledge, 80's music rocks.

Then of course there was  yesterday.

What can you say about Harold Ramis?   I mean hell, that man wrote, starred in, produced or directed classics that permeated my childhood.  We watched Ghostbusters (affiliate link)  in his honor last night and his lines are some of the most comical but are delivered in such a dry way that many may miss them if they're not careful. From that classic to Stripes to Groundhog Day to Caddyshack to National Lampoon's Vacation...Harold was a genius.  So many who have acted with him and for him have spoke of his generosity to make others look better and funnier.  That's the sign of a person who puts the craft before ego.  We need more people like Harold.  Thank you Harold for sharing your amazing talent with us all.

These people don't even cover all of the people who have passed but these are the ones that have affected me the most.  I almost cringe to get deeper into the year to see who else we lose.  This is a sad reminder to live every day.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Some of these people got to a ripe old age and some didn't.  Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today and start living life if you're sitting on the sidelines.

What celebrity death, recent or not, has affected you and why?  (I still cry over John Ritter, my first celeb crush.)

(This post contains affiliate links.  Should you choose to buy through them, I will get a nominal kickback to help keep this blog up and runnin')
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Let me entertain you

This weekend was pretty busy for us.

As you all know, we're ridiculous procrastinators so as usual, we waited until Friday to clean for company Saturday.  We got everything done except for vacuuming that night so we decided to hit a tag sale Saturday morning and because the first day was Friday, they picked that house clean of the good stuff like buzzards.  Then it was back to another location of the store that we bought the Tempurpedic pillows from.  Yeah...those weren't going to work out.  Too hard (even with the extra soft), HOT and for $200, we just couldn't do it.  So we took them back and they tried to tell us that we couldn't bring them back because we'd opened them.  Uh...got news for you sistah...THEY opened them and use them as demos on the floor to sell you the pillows when you are buying a mattress.  I know this because they've done this with us twice AND there was someone else's hair on both of our pillows.

So after we told her that,  the Mr and I busted out the "we'll just cancel our mattress order", Little Ms. Attitude made a call and we were getting our credit card credited back.  .

We went to an antique mall in town and didn't find anything that hit my fancy.  There were some staples that sold including an overpriced Simpsons pinball machine and one of the saddest things I've ever seen...a Woody cowboy doll from Toy Story.  I mean, I swore I could feel him cry every time we walked past him.  I was glad to see he was gone where hopefully he's being loved by a new little kid.

Then it was time to go home and do more food prep.  Our friends arrived and I made a copycat version of Slabtown Burgers Pungi Burger and I used pretzel buns.  I should've toasted them because they got a little mushy but I wouldn't need to do a pretzel bun next time over a Hawaiian one or brioche bun.  Everyone LOVED them.  Our friends said it was better than anything they'd get at a restaurant and the Mr has said that quite a bit this week.  So that makes me feel good!  :-)  I also used the frozen Northern Spy apples we got in Michigan on our way home that I had frozen waiting for this day.  It was the first apple crumb pie I ever made and it was damn good!  I'm not usually an ala mode girl but the Mr is and the vanilla bean ice cream was quite tasty!)  Apple crumb is my favorite fruit pie and this tasted pretty dang close to Grand Traverse Pie Company...our favorite pie place.  So I was the queen of the food knock off's this weekend.  I always like to try to recreate restaurant faves because I know I can make it better and even a little healthier here and there.  I'm not saying the burger was healthy but I did an 80/20 and 96/4 beef mix where a restaurant would use straight 80/20 and add a ton of salt.  I used 33% less fat cream cheese to stuff it and just little substitutions like that.

Then Sunday my mom was dropping off something and we got to talking so I asked if she wanted to stay for lunch.  She did and I did a ground turkey breast burger version of the Pungi and some baked beans.  The Mr almost exploded with delight on that one.  Mom loved it too.  For dessert we had a little homemade hot fudge sundae complete with a cherry for them.  (I don't like those fakey cherries.)  So I felt pretty darn accomplished culinary wise this weekend!  We gabbed and before we knew it, it was 4:30.  So she stayed for 5 1/2 hours!

We were all tired and she went home and took a 2 hour nap.  We took about an hour-ish nap with intermittent wake ups from the a-hole dogs barking next door and next next door.  People, keep your idiot mutts quiet!

So that's about it on our end.  We imbibed a bit more than we should have this weekend between both days but it's a new week, so onward with the hard work.

What did you do this weekend?


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Friday reads, y'all!

It is time to see what nuggets of useless knowledge I've obtained this week.

Aka- Ways to make your Friday go faster.

Aka- Oh good, it's time to dork off!

Aka-...

The 25 Greatest Happy Meal Toys Of The ’80s  (I remember the Mac Tonight ones.  Those things freaked me out!)

Life After Massive Weight Loss: It's Not Always Perfect  (Word)

Why Mike Rowe Doesn’t “Give a Crap” About Your Feelings for Walmart  (I <3 Mike Rowe!  I remember when he was the "host" for the old CD ROM music trivia game Radio Active.  The Mr and I loved playing that when we were teens!)

How to Make New Friends (and Keep the Old) as a Young Adult  (Apparently when you get to  middle age, you should be happy with the few friends you have left and stay in your cave until you move into the old folks home.  I believe these tips apply to ALL ages)

The Best Vegetables for Lazy Cooks Who Want to Eat Healthy 

12 Decorating Do's and Don’ts From Top Designers   (A few good tips in there)

This Table of Exercises Shows You How to Get Fit Without Any Equipment  (Get to work slacker!  HA!)

How Doing What You Love Can Become a Double-Edged Sword  (Sigh...true)

Do You Really Need to Go #2 Once a Day?  (Yes, I'm talking about poop again.  Smack my butt and call me Dr. Oz)

A Teen Beat Star Turns 60: Remembering John Travolta’s Pop Music Legacy  (I lurve me some Travolta)

An Amazing Village Designed Just For People With Dementia  (Courtesy of the Mr)

This Knock-Knock Joke Vine Is The Most Adorable Thing You’ll See Today  (OMG, she is SO cute!)

Wayne And Paul From “The Wonder Years” Reunite, And It’s Glorious  (For the Mr.  Pay attention sir, the devil is in the details!)

A Savvy Girl Scout Is Selling Cookies at a Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco  (Smart girl!  Munchies anyone?)

Best. Video. EVER  (If you haven't seen it, watch it.  If you have seen it, re-watch it and shake yo boo-tay!)

Today will be spent doing procrastination cleaning on two bum legs for company tomorrow.  Lucky me!  I see an epsom salt bath in my future and maybe a mini meltdown complete with twitching and crying.  You know when you offer to cook and then you regret offering to cook?

*Raising hand*

  But I don't want to agonize over trying to agree on a restaurant so I'll try to make as much as I can ahead of time.  Then I shall collapse Sunday before starting the whole exercise/planning meals for the week domestic ninja duties thing.

What's on tap for your weekend?

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Useless Dates

You ever have something or someone happen in your life that no matter how many years or decades go by, you can't forget the date?  I'm talking dates that should be kicked out of the memory bank because they don't serve a purpose anymore.

August 27th:  The birthday of my first gay crush of whom I haven't seen since 6th grade.  I was busted at his house by my mom after school when I'd ride by on my Duran Duran hooptie bike.  She saw me out on his stoop, grabbed the bike and chucked it in the trunk and said "you are SOOOOOOOOOO grounded!"  If she only knew, I was totally safe.  No chance of tomfoolery there.  Haven't seen him in 25+ years.

July 28th:  Birthday of my third gay crush.  (Are we sensing a pattern?)  A model, self centered, a manipulator, naive, broken so of course I wanted to fix him, horrible singer, heart breaker, still owes me the cassette tape of me and my friend's best soap opera that I let him borrow in 1989 on his way out of town.  Mom liked him but knew she wanted more for me than someone who always seemed like they were looking for something better and not in a good way.  I'd love to forget this birthday, it brings up the most mixed emotions in me since he was my second real heartbreak far too close to my first.  Haven't seen him in over 20 years.

The day before yesterday was one of those dates too...February 19th.  My first gynecologist visit 20 years ago.

(I heard that collective groan)

I was 17 and I met some dude I wanted to let into the secret garden.  Oh hey, he happens to be napping to my right as I type!  Yeah, you know what that means...the Mr and I are disease free because we've only bumped uglies with each other.  I'll let you either sigh in romantic awe or recoil in horror at our lack of sampling the flesh buffet of sin that life has to offer.  I remember the day I told my mom I thought it was time to go to the gynie.  She was a teen mom and made me promise that when that time came that she wanted to get me on the pill.  Of course she wouldn't be mad and never regretted me, blah blah blah but yeah, no poppin' out a bebe in high school.  (Little did she know, this womb is closed.)  I told her over dinner in public so she couldn't yell at me.  She looked at her plate, nodded her head and we ate in awkwardness for a few minutes then moved on to other topics.  I would go to her gynie who was around when fire was discovered.  I'm pretty sure he and cavemen rode dinosaurs together.

This was going to be the first dude to see me nekkid so I power washed the punani, powdered, probably squirt some perfume on my thighs and tried to empty my bladder as much as possible.  I probably smelled like Avon exploded down there.  The drive to the office was silent.  I thought I was going to puke...and I don't like puking.  When we walked in my mom filled out the paperwork and I sat there waiting for the other shoe to drop.  All of the women there were pregnant and they all looked at me like "oh you're here for the PILL, are you!?"  Or who knows, maybe they thought I was pregnant too but I felt like all eyes were on me.

Judging.

Every time the door opened and the nurse would call a name, I almost passed out.  My hearing would go fuzzy and my heart would thump out of my chest.  I think I pee'd 4x before they finally called me.  It felt like I waited forever for him to come in.  When he finally moseyed in, I got tunnel vision.  I don't know if it was because of the realization that the speculum was about to be a reality or the fact he was dressed like a human Easter egg in powder blue pants, a pink shirt and purple tie.  He did the breast exam and kneaded my boobs so hard he would've popped any masses in there anyway.  I wanted to scream "these aren't yeast rolls, buddy!  A little finesse if you please!"  He instructed me in his gruff voice to lay back and when he did the pelvic exam, he blurted out "well, you're obviously still a virgin.  You're pretty tight."

I.  DIE.

When he pulled out what appeared to be a 20 foot speculum to insert for the pap test, I blacked out for a second.  When he put it in, I apparently snapped shut like a bear trap and he was yelling at me to "stop fighting it!"  How's about I shove this up your ass and open it up and tell YOU to stop fighting it, pal!??!!  That ain't supposed to be there, okay?  Give a teen a chance to relax.  You didn't even buy me dinner first!  When he was finally done, he told me to get dressed and come to his office.  He gave me a lecture and told me how to use the pill and all I could think of was how squishy I felt and please just give me the damn script. When he finally gave me the prescription, I felt like Charlie with the Golden Ticket.

He told me it would take 10 days to take effect so 10 days later, with teen hormones flaring was our first interlude...on February 29th.  That's right, leave it to us to break our naughties in on a leap year.

Wow, I just SERIOUSLY over-shared.

What dates can you not kick out of your head no matter how hard you try?
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Product Review: Limited Edition Marshmallow Crispy Oreo

I'm one of those wieners that falls for the limited time Oreos when they come out.  

Right now they have Marshmallow Crispy and Cookie Dough.  We looked for the cookie dough but couldn't find it.  Probably better anyway because a lot of people were saying it tasted like coffee.  No thanks.  *heebie jeebies*

But when we saw the Marshmallow Crispy Golden Oreo version, we knew we had to try it since we could fit a few into our weekend calories.

Please excuse the crappy quality since these were taken at night.  They look like a plain golden oreo.

Open it up and it's got crispy rice cereal in a marshmallowy cream.

I took someone else's advice and tried the cream alone because they said if you eat it as is, you won't really be able to taste the filling and they were right.  But the filling is very tasty and tastes just like a rice crispy treat.  When you eat it whole it tastes like a super crunchy golden oreo, almost like there's no filling at all.

So I ate my next two the way anyone should consider...I double stuffed it.

Now THAT tasted good!  I just chucked the tops from the other two.  Thankfully we didn't consume the entire box that day.  We still have quite a bit of them left and we'll share them with our friends this weekend so it'll be about two a piece.  Pretty good willpower considering how good they are.

Just like the candy corn version we love so much, we're glad these are a limited time only deal.  I don't know if I'd have to get them again, if they ever make them again.   But if you love you some Rice Crispy treats then swipe a few and send the rest to work or put a few in the hubs lunch.  Or if you have a friend who loves them, this would make a nice little 'thinking of you' gift if they indulge on occasion.  They're available for about three more weeks.

Obviously not a health food at 140 calories per two cookies but not a deal breaker if you play your cards right and practice moderation.

Have you tried these?  Do you like old school Oreos or do you like to branch out on occasion?
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The newest 'investment piece'

When we got our mattress in 2008, I was at maximum density.  The thought of going out in public and being at the scrutiny of mattress salesmen while I laid out on various mattresses was not my idea of fun.  At a combined weight of almost 950 lbs, I didn't know if the poorly constructed, thrown together frames would even hold us in the showroom.  The thought of collapsing on a showroom floor in front of customers and salesmen was not high on the 'to do' list so I sent the Mr out to get it.  I told him pillowtop and nothing too hard.  I want to say we may have even passed one once and sat on it real quick.  A place up the street was having a sale so we got it and it provided quite a good night's sleep for two biggin's for so long.

But that kind of weight takes its toll and with pillow tops you can only rotate, not flip a mattress for even wear so I think we did ours in sooner than normal.  The past year, I haven't been comfortable in the bed at all.  Between the mattress being a little less comfortable and stretching out some pressure points, my pillows have sucked rocks as well, no matter how many new ones I get.  

About 6 months or so ago, we went to a home store and were considering a Tempurpedic.  We bed hopped from model to model and the sales lady was soooo sweet we wanted to buy one right then just to give her commission.  But they don't work on commission there and since we didn't have $5000 laying around, we left.  I just could not get my head around paying that much for a mattress.  When we found ourselves at the same home store Sunday, there was a new kid on the block...the Sealy Hybrid mattress.

I didn't expect to care for it and had concerns about the foam getting hot but this has some cooling foam on the top layer and with the springs underneath it's supposed to get more air circulation.  We bed hopped between the hybrids and the Tempurpedic's for probably 35 minutes.  We were lucky enough to have the same lady again and it pained me that she wasn't going to get commission if we bought through them, she was just so helpful.  We decided we liked the plush version (Encourage) and almost fell asleep on it.  I didn't have that stretchy pain in my side that I do on our current mattress and I did when I laid on a different spring mattress.  OMG, could a full night's sleep be in my future AND for only $1200 in comparison to $5000!?  Squee!!  

I'll pass along this tip if you're considering a foam mattress from several online reviewers.  Have your man kneel on the mattress.  Nothing worse than buying a mattress to find out you can't do the humpty hump on it!  Oh yeah...I went there.  You're gonna do two things on the mattress and you'd better make sure your man isn't going to sink to the core of the Earth trying to blast you to the pleasure zone, you dig?  Does he look stupid doing this?  Maybe.  Do the salespeople know what you're testing for?  Possibly.  But getting rug burns on the floor like I'm still in my teens isn't appealing at my age.  Thank me later.

So we'll get it in the next 10-14 days.  In the meantime, we bought the extra soft Tempurpedic pillows.  I'm praying for $100 my neck thanks me for it.

Last night was chicken tacos with that Mrs Dash seasoning I talked about.  I put pineapple on it too, it was sooo good!

The Mr has today off so we'll see what kind of trouble we can get in to.

What kind of mattress do you have?  How old is it?

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Oops!

Today's late post is brought to you by the letter

Could be for "D'oh."

Or it could be for DVR and what happens when you get wrapped up in an American Pickers and Buying Hawaii marathon before falling asleep on the couch.

Oops!

The weekend was okay.  We got more snow that wasn't called for but I needed to get out of the house so we made our way to some antique places and picked up some cute stuff.  It was time to get groceries to refuel for the next two weeks.  We tried to go Saturday evening but Trader Joe's is 12 kinds of insane at that time of night so we left and got up early the next morning.  We had it pretty much to ourselves but I wouldn't have minded sleeping in over schlepping to 3 grocery stores over the next 2 hours.

Feeling a bit puffy this morning so I need to drown myself in water.  I think we have a strength session on tap for today as well as back to intense physical therapy since my Achilles is still hurting and both legs feel like crap.  I've been slacking on my balance training and it's showing so that means a full month before I'm back to "normal."  You'd think I'd learn my lesson by now but nope, all of the upkeep on my legs is just ridiculous and I can't slack on a single aspect or I pay for it.  We've got a vacay coming up in the next few months and I don't have time for a relapse of my own making.  *rolling eyes*

Welp, that's about it on my end.  No real excitement to report.

How was your weekend?

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Happy Valentine's Day! (and What I'm Reading This Week)

Happy Valentines Day to the best online friends a gal could ask for!  Do something nice for yourself today from me!  :-)

Let's skip straight to the good stuff!

Kimberly Williams-Paisley on Mother's Dementia: I Had to Learn to Love Her Again  (I cried my way through this one)

Dear New Girl at the Gym  (I know unfortunately not EVERYONE thinks as openly as this girl but I sure hope it's the majority)

12 Insane Things That Happened On My Night Out With Bill Murray  (I really hope this happened)

The Science of Fat  (This is a long one...courtesy of the Mr)

This Infographic Reveals the Secrets of the Happiest Couples  (Also courtesy of the Mr and we're happy to report that except for a few 'fighting' points we need to improve upon, we're a happy couple!)

Why You Need to Put Your Brain on a Fitness Plan, Too  (Word)

Questionable "Superfoods" You Might Want to Reconsider  (Can we please stop saying superfood yet?)

56 Things You Didn't Know About Sex, Love, and Relationships

30 Cheap and Awesome Date Ideas Under $30

Labradoodle Creator Regrets Breeding 'Frankenstein' of Dogs  (I'll have to show this to our Goldendoodle friends)

32 Famous People Rejected by Saturday Night Live  (Pretty impressive list!)

There Are No Words To Describe How Weird This Wrestling Video Is  (I absolutely remember watching this and losing my chit as a kid)

Ask Dr. Nerdlove: When A 'Nice Guy' Won't Leave You Alone  (Poor Duckie)

27 Signs You've Found Yourself a Keeper  (I laughed so hard at 13 for about 10 minutes because, well, it applies then I laughed so hard at 24 I snorted really loud and woke the Mr)

How Do I Give Better Massages?  (Just in case, ahem, anyone wants to give one to their significant other...AHEM!)

How to Start Exercising When You're Already Overweight

38 Things You Will Never Experience Again  (Um, I still use a Caboodle.)

Be a Sweetheart: 13 Ways to Romanticize Your Home  (Cute ideas)

The Untold History of the Easy-Bake Oven  (Courtesy of the Mr because he knows of my weakness for my Holly Hobbie easy bake oven)

14 Simple Ways Peanuts Taught Us What Love Is  (Insert Peanuts theme as you read it)

Since the Mr proofread this, I won't be divulging how I plan to celebrate with him but sometimes it's nice to indulge in the holiday.  It takes more effort to hold a grudge against it than to print out a free Valentine and remind them that you love them.  Or stand nekkid in front of them wearing a saran wrap bathing suit.  Oops, I guess I ruined the surprise.

Any weekend plans?  Celebrating the "holiday?"

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Tattered and torn

That title is more than lyrics from my favorite Thompson Twins song, it pretty much sums me up right now.  The ol' bod has taken a beating this week.  It all started when I got out in the snow.

As we made our way around the trail twice, my legs were compensating for the uneven terrain.  I could feel it in my ankles for sure.  My chiro said it was good physical therapy and it is but man, the soreness afterward is seriously bad.

To top it off, I decided doing the Total Trainer would be a good "recovery" workout despite my burning quads from snowshoeing.  Yes, I can see how doing leg presses at the end would be a good idea to doubly burn out my legs.  So what do I think is a good idea for Tuesday?  Yoga.  I found a good class on Do Yoga With Me called Happy Feet.  I figured since my feet were unhappy, this could be a good way to loosen them up.

Yes, my feet were happy afterward however my Achilles basically blew out after that.  Yesterday it was all I could do to walk.  I must've rolled out my legs three times during the day and with the heinous tension headache I had, I was in a real great place come workout time.  I asked the Mr if he would "strip" the muscles by the Achilles to see if it would loosen them up.  I was screaming the entire 30 seconds.  I needed more done but couldn't really take it.  It did loosen up my right muscle temporarily but as soon as we got down there to do Turbo Fire, the flare up got worse.  I refrained from any high impact and had to really take it easy.  I'm thinking Walk Away the Pounds is in order today.  I should still be able to get a good burn but without doing too much to anger my inflamed Achilles.  History tells me this should be a 3-4 day ordeal if I ice, roll and stretch.  Rat bastard legs.  Pffft.

What do you do to baby yourself when you're feeling beat up by your workouts?
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Movie night...Valentine's Edition

It's movie night again.  Well, last night was.  So I thought I'd get two that could be geared toward a nice weekend rental for all of you lovebirds out there.  That and I wanted to milk the rom com card.  So here we go.

A Case of You  (affiliate link) 

 

This one stars Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood.  A guy falls in like with the local barista.  Inept attempts to gain her attention fail before he finds out she was let go.  When he finds out her last name, he Facebook stalks her and alters his personality to morph into her ideal man.  Can a relationship based on fibs truly work out?  This was a cute little indie feeling film with some good laughs but some cringeworthy moments.  (But I tend to watch movies with my emotions like I'm in it.)  I liked the chemistry between the actors and I think given the circumstances, it ended in a way that didn't have me screaming for my two bucks back.  I think it's a pretty good rent for the Hallmark holiday Valentine's Day.  Recommended.

Baggage Claim  (affiliate link) 

Paula Patton and Taye Diggs star in this flick.  I've always liked Paula Patton and since she doesn't do a slew of comedies, I was in and made the Mr come along for the flight.  When a flight attendant (Patton) too busy for a love life finds her little sister is getting married before she is, she begins a quest to find a husband in 30 days.  She revisits ex's with varying degrees of success.  Is there hope that she won't have the fate of always a bridesmaid, never a bride?  I liked this one even though about a quarter of the way in, you know the way it'll likely end.  I think Paula is really talented but I love her in comedies because she's just so darn cute!  I think another good movie for the ladies.

The next one on our list is a preview we saw on the Case of You disc called A Perfect Man.  This one piqued my interest because it was actually filmed in 2000.  They shelved it and the guy was showing it in a film class and got such a great reaction from students that he began shopping it 13 years later!  I wondered why Jeanne Tripplehorn and Liev Schreiber looked so young in the preview and will be interested to see the digital work they had to do on them in extra shots.  Next week!

Seen any good movies lately?

(This post contains a few affiliate links.  Should you buy through them, I will get a couple of cents to keep the lights on in blogland.)
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I plan, God laughs...a weekend recap

You know, we were all excited to get the hell outta town Saturday morning after three weekends snowed in. We were going to try a new restaurant in a different city and finally get a change in scenery.  You note how I keep referring to these things as though they never happened...because they didn't.  6am and the Mr's phone goes off and 8 hours later, he's finally done and the place we were going to was out of the dish we were going to get.  I was p-i-s-s-e-d!  Obviously it wasn't his fault but it just figures we FINALLY make some damn plans and his work swoops in to poop all over it.

To top it off, I know I said I wasn't going to weigh in for a month but we both were curious because we were sooooo good last week.  He was down three and I was up two.  I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.  So then I was doubly pissed and it lingered through the day.  On paper I should've easily LOST two pounds.  This is why I feel so done with all of this crap half the time.  I swear to God if someone pep talks me on that, it will just make me want to spite eat so no well intentioned quotes or feel good voodoo.  I just don't have it in me to listen to it today.

Sunday we slept in a little (not nearly as late as I'd like to).  We had our usual Sunday breakfast, got sucked into a bit of a Criminal Minds marathon while it snowed some more and decided to get out when it looked like it was letting up.  We hit up our favorite fro yo place that we haven't had in a few months on the way to an open house.  The house was really cute but the kitchen was horrible.  Like the kind of kitchen that can't even be used, it just immediately has to be destroyed.  We really liked the realtor though and kept her card so if/when we decide to jump in and she's still available, we might have her represent us.  Then it was off to refuel the produce for the week and we stopped by Home Depot.  It's time to update our laminate in the kitchen.  We're still trying to think about whether or not we want to go with a nice laminate or engineered hardwood.  We thought about doing the hardwood throughout on the main level but I'm not dropping $3000 on a place we're going to sell in a few years and based on comps are going to have to ask for at least $5000 less than we paid, thanks to idiots lowballing just to get out of the neighborhood when the economy turned.  Thanks a lot, jerkwads.

But to end our day, we now had enough new snow to go back out on the trails.  It felt good to get out an exercise in the snow.  We both burned 1100 calories.  Woot!  The Mr chose to ski this time and despite the choppy trail, he seemed to have fun.  We ended just as the sun was starting to go down.

It wasn't quite the weekend I had planned but as the saying goes "man plans, God laughs."

What did you do this weekend?  Laminate or hardwood in the kitchen and why?

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Links of interest (well, to me) and walls closing in

It's Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!  *insert happy dance*

(How is it even when you work from home you get excited for Friday??)

6 Ways to Conquer a Midlife Crisis  (In case anyone else is semi going through one and not willing to admit it too)

Facebook Turns 10:  What Else Was Popular in 2004?  (Time to feel old...hence perpetuating my pseudo midlife crisis.  LOL)

11 DIY Valentines to Make Your True Love  (Whether you participate or not, still cute)

Hey Guys, She Doesn't Want Your Sexy Photos  (One time a dude accidentally sent his junk to my phone.  After I stopped laughing hysterically, the Mr called the gentleman, told him he sent it to his daughter's phone and he was calling the police.  Then he started sounding like Ward Cleaver and I begged him to hang up because he was embarrassing.)

Gwen Stefani's Comments About Her "Chunky" Body Make Us Sad  (Sigh, oh Gwenny Gwen Gwen.  Don't you know young and middle aged girls look up to you?  If that's chunky I want to be it.  Just interesting to see how a lady in great shape views her teen bod.)

8 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Your Heart

20 Great Beauty Products for $10 or Less  (I did the print option so you guys wouldn't have to flip through a slide show)

How to Build Under-Cabinet Drawers & Increase Kitchen Storage  (This would be pretty awesome if it doesn't weaken the strength of the cabinet!)

Buy This, NOT That: 19 Smart Swaps That Can Save You Money

Eat Too Much Over The Weekend? Here's Why You Shouldn't Freak Out  (I'm sure people have opinions on this one)

Own The Bed And Breakfast From The Movie Groundhog Day  (Yes please!)

FDA approves pill camera to screen colon  (Dear sweet baby Jesus, please let this be "the norm" by the time I need to go up my bum with a rubbah hose)

Funeral and casket outlets are heading to the mall  (I couldn't help but think David Fisher would be really excited about this!)

Biggest Loser Winner Debuts Controversial Transformation  (Here's my 2 cents.  Have we forgotten the name and object of the show?  It's a CONTEST for a quarter of a million bucks to see who LOSES THE MOST WEIGHT!  She is not going to stay that small, none of them do.  She did what she had to do to win because this is the culture this show has created.  Don't support this show then call foul when someone does what was asked of them to win!  She'll find her happy weight if she manages to keep the majority of it off.  Get off her back, internet)

Jared Leto Heckled at Tribute, Invites Heckler Backstage  (I may have just fallen in love a little bit)

Meet The Man Who Hacked Jeopardy  (Again, stop judging some guy for maximizing his winnings with whatever means, as allowed by Jeopardy rules, possible.  I rooted for this dude and think he's awesome!)

Looks like we're getting more snow this weekend which means people will be driving like fools and we'll have to decide if we're willing to go out in that.  I'm not good with three weekends snowed in so I might have to do a mandatory jail break even if it's just a few miles away to the mall or something.  I know it's an outdoor mall but I don't care.  The walls are closing in.  I'll probably end up doing a few more projects for the shop to get more items up for sale since time is getting away from me.

Any plans for the weekend?
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Shoe fly shoe

The other day's snowstorm left us with 7" of snow and a hankerin' for a hooky day.  So in an effort to carpe diem, we braved the level 2 snow emergency and went shoeing.  The Mr was hoping to cross country ski but given the delightful 1/2" of ice that froze on top of the powder, that would've ruined them.

So he opted for the snow shoes.

The ice makes it so that laziness is not an option.  You have to lift your knees high or the metal spike will trip you up or if you don't poke through and try to glide on top, your shoe will fly out from under you.  So my already hurting hips were thankfully well numbed from ibuprofen and today should be interesting.  But we always jump at any chance to get out in the snow since I need a minimum of 4" of powder to be able to go out.  It was nippy but we always like to get out in nature.  We would look at different tracks and try to identify them...

The ice may not be so great on the roads but it sure is beautiful on the trees!

The extra part of the loop trail was untouched so we made our crunchy tracks.

It was a nice day and when we got home, the Mr dug out my car and I shoveled the sidewalk and driveway.  So I got in a nice 1150 calorie burn between the two!

We've got a few more storms lining up for the next week and we can't wait.  It makes for a fun day and some good shave ice...

Have you played in the snow lately? 

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Movie night before the storm

Last night was movie rental night.  If we're going to be snowed in today, might as well have some entertainment to get us started right?  We rented About Time and Dallas Buyers Club .  (affiliate links) 

We started with About Time s(affiliate link) tarring Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson.  

 
This is one for the dudes and the ladies because you've got time travel and a love story.  It's not in the same vein as Somewhere in Time but I suppose as close as a time travel love story can get.  Tim (Gleeson) is completely charming in a bumbling Englishman kind of way but not an annoying Hugh Grant way.  He was told on his 21st birthday that the men in their family can time travel.  He uses this to his supposed advantage to correct horrific social faux pas and awkwardness.  It's kind of that adage of if you change one thing, how will it affect everything else in your life.  I've never been a big Rachel McAdams fan but she was very cute in this.  It does reinforce that notion of things happen for a reason and even if you could change some of the worse things that happen to you, should you and would it change who you evolve into as a person?  When his father told him the second secret, I hope it completely changes how I live my life.  It felt like a life changing lesson and left me in a sobbing heap for the rest of the film.  Definitely recommend.  A good one for next weekend's Valentine's chick flick pass, should you need one but one the guy's will like too.

Next was Dallas Buyers Club (affiliate link)  with Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto.

I'll be honest, I had no expectation but I wanted to see what the raves over former Jordan Catalano were all about.  (Extra points if you knew what I was referring to and didn't have to Google it)  When a movie is up for a lot of awards, we tend to not always agree with the crowd.  This was no exception.  It's not that the movie was bad or anything, it just got very long and draggy.  I know most people know it's about a man with AIDS in the 80's so you can guess the subject matter is somewhat depressing.  If you're uber PC, this movie is not for you.  I'm not delicate like that so I could take what they said with a grain of salt but I thought it should be mentioned.  I can see why Jared is getting good reviews.  His performance was really good and I was kind of proud of him given where he started with Angela Chase and all.  (Not like she hasn't done well for herself too with Homeland from what I hear.)   I go just short of recommending it but wouldn't steer people away from it.  If you want to see what the hype is about like we did, go for it.  You may like it more than we did.

I'm hoping we're able to get some skiing and snowshoeing in today for our exercise.  We've sure got enough snow for it!

Rent any movies lately?

(This post contains a few affiliate links.  Should you buy from them, I'll get a few cents and you'll get some awesome stuff.  Win win!)
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Product Review: Mrs Dash Salt Free Taco Seasoning Mix

When we were first married, tacos were in a decent rotation.  

I loved tacos.  

So did the Mr.

As we began to watch our health, tacos took a backseat because as we know, pretty much every taco seasoning out there is loaded with sodium, even the lower sodium versions.  I even tried making my own version and while it was good, it never really hit the same notes the packaged versions that I grew up on did. When I spied that the awesome folks at Mrs Dash had a salt free version.  I was ALL over it to give it a go.

As you can see, no sodium...a major plus!

Upon opening the packet, I instantly got that whiff of familiar taco seasoning scent that I have been missing for so long.

I decided I was going to put it to a stringent test...ground turkey.  We all know that while ground chicken and turkey breast are great alternatives to red meat that they can also be dry and somewhat flavorless.  So I browned up my ground turkey...

Then it was time to add 3/4 cup water and the packet of Mrs Dash taco seasoning.

I turned it down to low and stirred until it all came together.

I had some scallions on their last legs and I decided to cut them up and add them to the fiesta.

The verdict?

I'm in love.

I can add old school tacos back into the rotation without worrying about bloating up like a balloon the next morning!  It gave the ground turkey so much flavor and a nice little kick.  Top it with some lettuce and maybe onions or your favorite low cal taco fixin's and it's time to chow down!

Ole!

(I am in no way affiliated with Mrs Dash but I use it ALL the time.  Hello Fiesta Lime all over my potato wedges!  I just reviewed this because I'm cool like dat)
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