Photo's As Promised

I promised that I would share photo's from when my Paps and I went "Picture Taking" the other day from local areas where we live!

The first up was downtown area of Santa Rosa!

Don't you just love this clock! It's so pretty!!

This was taken at the Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa! They had a bunch of pretty flowers in bloom!

I loved these but not sure what they are called!

Don't these look like paper flowers??

 It's like a cottage out of a movie!

Around the area that I work we have a large amount of land with a bunch of overgrown grass. The company that owns the land brings in sheep and goats twice a year to be lawn mowers! Luckily I got this awesome shot of a cute little sheep!! So cute right?

The rest of these pictures are from Crane Creek Regional Park!

Yes we live in a gorgeous area!!

 

Even though the clouds are dark it was a gorgeous day!!

LOVE this tree!! It was so cool looking!

Paps was messing around but this is a really cool shot!!

There were 3-4 of these flying around above us and it was beautiful!!

I was so stoked to get such a great shot of TWO lizards! I'd been trying the whole time but they kept scurrying out of site, Finally my Paps spotted these two just chilling.

This shot turned out way cooler than I expected...Originally the bird was just hanging out on the bridge but I guess right as I clicked he took off, thus the awesome action shot!! I was stoked!!

I should really never complain about where we live and I am really trying hard to love it. In fact how could I not? Well there's a lot more than meets the eye, both good and bad (I live in Cali housing SUCKS) but I really am lucky to be able to not only live in such a beautiful area but to already own a home here.

Have you ever stayed as local as possible and really explored what your town has to offer in terms of beauty and nature?

It's a Beautiful Day for a Hike!

At my work we are extremely lucky to get a day off for our birthday! Since mine landed on Memorial Day this year I got 2 days off for my birthday! I decided to take the Friday before off and instead of my usual "Sit on Butt at Home" routine I asked my best friend Alycia if she wanted to go on a hike? Of course she said YES! Her and her hubs had recently gone on a hike and it 100% made me want to do one too!!

After checking the weather constantly throughout the week, it said rain from 10 AM to 10 PM on Friday we decided to bump up our time a little bit and I met her at her house at 9:30 AM. We got to Helen Putnam Park (in my hometown) and got to hiking!!

Funny story about our hats! That night the A's played the Yankees in Oakland!! Yes the A's lost but it was not unexpected LOL!!

This is a map of the park! I remember as a kid we went as a family and I HATED every single minute of it! Unless it was soccer or volleyball I HATED physical activity! My parents will definitely back me up when I say I was such a brat when we went! But this time around I was super excited to get going!!

First we had to climb up this big steepish hill! I'm not going to lie to you I was huffing and puffing the whole way up! However once we got to the top (the picture below is about halfway up) it was so beautiful and HOT! So much for rain! We lucked out and it was a bright sunny gorgeous day!

Since we've decided not to move out of California any time soon I've really been trying to embrace and LOVE where we live! This hike definitely reminded me to appreciate the beautiful area we live in!

You can see town from this place but let me tell you, it doesn't feel like you are in town!

My Paps and I are kind of into taking photos of old barns and on the last leg of our hike we came across this beauty! I just had to take a picture and I love how it turned out!

After about an hour and half of hiking (we did the longest route we possibly could) we stopped and ate our healthy lunch down at their picnic area! Well everything but the trail mix was healthy! :)

I was so amazed that I was so happy and so in love with doing this hike! I mean I seriously was a snotty little brat who complained the whole time when I came out with my family, which also happens to be the last time I'd been out here. But I truly enjoyed every single minute, yes even the big hill climb, of our hike!

It was such a beautiful day with a great friend! And bonus - 9I wasn't even sore the next day WOO HOO! In fact my Paps and I went out the next morning to take photos and we went for a walk at another local park :) I'll post those pictures soon for your viewing pleasure!!

Any one else discover a physical activity they HATED as a child that they now enjoy as an adult?

Shanghai Girls

Has it really been 2 weeks since my last post?? Oh boy does time fly by when you are having fun!! 

Despite our busy lives lately I still had time to read this months book club book Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

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This book follows the journey of two sisters, Pearl and May, who are sold by their father to a man as wives to his sons. They are required to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco during the year 1937. 

The book spans 20 years and it's so amazing to read about the history of that time, but as well as how relationships evolve for both these girls who didn't have a choice in the direction their life went.

I really enjoyed reading about the bond between the sisters and how strong of a bond it is. And I know I'd do absolutely everything these Sisters did for each for my own Sister. However the relationship between these two is interesting. Sometimes it felt like they only did these things for each other because of their culture. Not that they didn't do it out of love but it felt more like an obligation. It was a very interesting dynamic.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It was very fascinating to read about a different culture, a different time of life, and a different way of forming relationships!

I cannot wait to read the follow up book to this novel!!

A Mile In My Flip-Flops

I was so excited to read this book as I really felt it was going kick off my fun/light summer reading.... It was definitely light, but a little part of the book caught me off guard....

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Gretchen just got dumped by her fiancee and is tired of sitting around stuffing her face, watching HGTV and watching her life pass her by. Since she's been watching so much HGTV she decides to buy a house and flip it! I can't even imagine taking this challenge on and yes I knew this book would be unrealistic but who can resist a good home improvement chick lit book? Not me!

Like I said I was super excited thinking this would be a great book to kick off the summer reading that I love so much....but what really surprised me was the constant talk of GOD! This book starts out great, no real mention of religion and then BAM, all through the middle of the book it drags Christianity up at the oddest times! And then just fizzles out for the latter part of the book. I felt like there was some sort of message the author was getting at but it just irritated me! That's a pretty deep subject to just toss into a book without it really having anything to do with the main storyline.

Aside from the God talk it was pretty cute! I liked the main character, the Dad, the Dog (Yup he's a big part) and of course the love interest! It's a cute story, but not the best! I think I'd rather kick off my summer reading with another book but what can I do right?

Overall Grade - B-.

Homer & Langley

I finally finished another book!!! I was so excited to read Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow and I was even more excited when I was able to check it out from the library! I figured I'd have plenty of time to read it before the wedding and finish it up on the Honeymoon and guess what? I did just that!

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First of all this review will be short, sweet, to the point, and over fairly quickly....how I wish the book had been.

It's not a horrible book. But it's not a great one either. It's the story of two brothers who live together their whole lives, one is blind and the other is bat shit crazy!!!!!!!!! Seriously the man has a hoarding problem for sure and he's one of those people who think everything is a conspiracy! It was really quite strange.

And the narrator is the blind brother. You'd think you wouldn't get a good visual of what the house looks like but no you really do. He describes it quite well which to be honest bothered me.
No he wasn't blind his whole life, but he was blind his entire adult life (going blind some time in his teens from what I remember) so how could he describe things so well...it really bothered me.

Overall this book had ZERO point and was BBBBOOOORRRRRIIINNNNGGG. It was extremely hard to even finish this 224 page book but I did! Do I recommend it? Nope!

Overall grade - F. I just can't find one thing about this book that I really enjoyed.

Life Really is Good

This month our book club chose Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman.

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This book is a true story and it's about the life of Mr. George Dawson. He was born in 1898 in Texas and was still alive when this book was published in 2000. It's truly amazing to read the life this man has read because it's not a story you can imagine someone doing these days, times have changed.

A man who spent his younger years working to help support the family instead of attending school, spent 9 years of his young adult life traveling around the United States, seeing Mexico and Canada, and then eventually settling down to start a family back in Texas. 

A man who got by without knowing how to read a single word. It's amazing to see how he traveled around relying on the honesty of other people since he was unable to read. He managed to live with almost nothing financially but seemed extremely content with the life he lived, in his eyes, life is what it is. Essentially you make the best of your situations.

He's most well known for taking the initiative and going to school at the age of 98 and finally learning to read. Which if you read the summary of this book is a huge plot point of this novel. Honestly I was more interested in the parts before then. 

Don't get me wrong to learn such a key "function" in life at the age of 98 is amazing, but I felt that the rest of his life was so interesting to read about. It was just a different time and way of living, but so fascinating!

I won't give away much more because I feel everyone should read this book. It's fascinating, heart warming, and you might learn a thing or two.

Overall Grade - A-.

Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread

As promised here is the recipe and review of Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread recipe! I made it the other night with Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup and it was the perfect side!

You only need a handful of ingredients - Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, Cornmeal, Lowfat Buttermilk, and 1 large egg!

 First up mix your dry ingredients - 1-1/4 cups yellow cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, 4 teaspoons sugar, 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a separate container, I used a large measuring cup to make it easier, combine 1 cup + 2 tablespoons low fat buttermilk and your egg. Whip those together in the measuring cup or bowl, whichever you prefer.

Drop your buttermilk/egg into your dry mixture.

Mix until just blended. Do not over mix!

Then evenly distribute the batter between 12 muffin cups. Make sure to spray your muffin cups with nonstick spray before you put batter in.

Pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. These only took 20 minutes in my oven but I bet if you make them in an 8 x 8 pan (which is the other option to these) it will probably take you 25 minutes. Do not over bake them!!!

I chose to pair mine with the amazing Turkey Chili Taco Soup and it was perfect for "dipping".

Overall these are pretty good. A little dryer and denser than regular corn bread but being only 2 points per muffin I'm sold on them! Since they are super easy I recommend to try these!!

Chili Soup and Cornbread!

Despite the crazyness of our lives right now I was dying to try something new for dinner so I made that a priority last night and whipped up a couple new recipes!

And who better to rely on for ideas than Skinnytaste and Weight Watchers?!?!?

I ended up making Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread and Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup! See how one goes with the other!

First up I want to share the Turkey Chili Taco Soup recipe cause it's so extremely EASY and DELISH!! I wish I had made this during the winter instead of now with the sunny skies we are getting!!

But still it's worth it and can easily be whipped up on a day when you might be getting off work late or have something to do right after work. This takes a total of 20-25 minutes!

Without further ado - here you go!

Ingredients needed - 1.3lbs 99% lean ground turkey, 1 medium onion (chopped), 1 bell pepper (chopped), 10oz can tomatoes with green chiles, 15 oz can kidney beans (Drained), 8 oz can tomato sauce, 16 oz can fat free refried beans, 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning, and low sodium chicken broth. She technically calls for 15 oz canned or frozen corn (drained) but I hate corn so it got the boot!!

First up you will want to chop up your onion and red pepper, lucky me I have an awesome fiance who always offers to do that kind of prep work. Seriously takes him 2 minutes, while it takes me at least 5 if not longer, I'm a slow chopper! Then drain your can of kidney beans. And while your at it go ahead and get your 2 1/2 cups chicken broth ready to go.

Once you've got that prep work done toss your ground turkey into a large pot and get it nice and browned.

Once your ground turkey is browned toss in your onion and bell pepper, stir and then let that cook off for about 2-3 minutes. It will smell so good at this point!

Then gather all these items....

And dump into your pot! Stir and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes!

Remove from heat and if you aren't super impatient I highly recommend putting some in a bowl and letting it cool for a few minutes. It is hot! 

Add a couple (2 points each) corn bread muffins to the side, a small amount of cheese (I used a taco seasoned style cheese for more spice, not that it needed it ) and a small dollop of sour cream to your chili soup...

And ENJOY!

This seriously is so amazingly delish!! It's filling but doesn't feel super heavy like chili! And you get get 1-1/4 cups of it for only 5 points!! And unless you are starving you probably won't want to finish the entire bowl! I ended up only eating one of the corn muffins with my soup cause it's super filling!

And for those of you wondering here's the Weight Watcher Points Breakdown for the whole meal:

1-1/4 Cup Turkey Chili Soup = 5 points
1 Weight Watchers Corn Bread Muffin = 2 points
1 tablespoon light sour cream = .5 points
2 oz the taco seasoned cheese = 1.5 points!

Total = 9 point dinner

Now I could definitely take out the cheese, but the sour cream adds such great contrast that it's a must! And if you "dip" your corn bread in the chili soup you won't need any butter or honey to top it with!!

Overall this dinner could be 7.5 points or less and it's so filling! A must try for everyone who loves Soup, Chili, and Cornbread!

Stay tuned for the Weight Watchers Corn Bread recipe...............

Get Your Bridal Basketball On!!

Since I've been knee deep in wedding plans (Only 16 days until THE BIG DAY!!!!!!) I haven't had much time for blogging, new recipes, and barely enough time for reading.

But I did have time a couple weekends ago to spend some non wedding related quality time with my scrapbook room! Granted it wasn't completely un-wedding related because I worked on a layout of when Chuck and I went to the Brides & Basketball Event last March (2011)!

This layout was so fun. I mean aren't they all?? I just loved it because I had bought the paper and stickers a long time ago and finally got to use them!!

I ended up having to redo my journaling three times!!!!!!! As you can see I had a lot to say :) But it all finally fit!!

This was a lot of fun to work on and it was nice to work on something other than wedding DIYs. I can't wait until my Scrapbook Room goes back to being my normal scrapbooking/craft room and no wedding to dos :)

So excited!! 16 Days!!!

Foodie Review!!

Since I've been doing weight watchers I am always on the prowl for healthier low in point snacks and I figured why not go check out Trader Joes one day on my lunch break

So I did!! And I picked up these snacks to give a try. I got the Trader Joe's Everything Bagel Chips, Trader Joe's Lightly Salted Crunchy Green Beans, Snapea Crisps, and few different Luna Bars - Smore, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Nutz Over Chocolate.

 

Let me first put a small disclaimer on this post - I have not tried the Peanut Butter Cookie or Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bar, partly because they are high in points and I look at them as good bars for after a work out. With the weather we've had recently I haven't had many options to go running so I'm holding off on trying those two. I have however tried the Smores bar.

Let's go ahead and start with the Smores Luna Bar...I spit it out. I took 4 chews and had to get it out of my month! I had just went for a run, it was a Saturday morning and I was pretty hungry. I thought the Luna bar would make me feel full but it was pretty gross. I am hoping the other two are better but there was something wrong with the Smores one. I know that Luna bars are not everyone's cup of tea but I still would like to like them!! So we shall see!!

Why not just get the bad foods out of the way right? The Lightly Salted Crunchy Green Beans were HORRIBLE! Now I'm not a huge salt fan, in fact I hardly add salt to anything but I do get the salty cravings every once in awhile. Unfortunately these just won't do. They were way to salty and I just felt the flavor was quite off and I personally love green beans. I definitely won't be buying these again.

On to the Delish, Slightly Addicting Foods!!

I first tried the Everything Bagel Chips from Trader Joes and knew it was love! It was only 3 points for a serving and it was something to change up my normal baked lays or reduced fat cheez it's with lunch. They are perfectly flavored with the right amount of crunch! I really would recommend these to any chip lover!

And now for the most addicting, best tasting food out of this post!! The Snapea Crisps are AMAZING!! They are seriously the right amount of saltiness, the right amount of flavor, and while they are slightly fluff food I'd give up the three points for them! You get 22 of these babies for 3 points. For those of you on weight watchers I'm sure you think 22 is a lot, but these are pretty light, airy, and super addicting so be prepared to eat a whole serving! These are seriously becoming a staple in my house now and the great thing - you can find them at many different grocery stores!! I've found them at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Lucky's and Safeway!! Just look for them in the produce section!!

Even though I really didn't care for the Luna Smores Bar and the Salted Green Beans I was so stoked to have found the bagel chips and Snapea crisps!! I can't wait to throw the Snapea Crisps in a salad instead of croutons this summer!!

Clearing the Aisle

I originally started reading The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris but quickly discovered that I needed a fluffier book. I just wasn't able to get myself fully absorbed in that book so I picked up this one! Since I'm getting married in less than a month (YAY) I figured this would be right up my alley!

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If you are A. a Bride or B. Jewish or C. a Jewish Bride you will enjoy this book! 

The book revolves around Rachel and Dan and their journey through planning a Jewish wedding, complete with divorced parents who HATE each other, an insane Mother, a laid back groom, a best man who is against marriage, and of course that one bridesmaid who needs all the attention!

It's your typical wedding book but when you're getting married they are extremely fun to read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I was really kind of disappointed in how it drags everything out in the beginning of the book, about 80% of the way through, then it seems to suddenly speed up and rush through the wedding. Granted I'm sure that's how a real wedding feels and this book is told from the Bride's point of view, but I was still hoping for some more of the wedding details without them looking back upon it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend to anyone who is getting married or who just enjoys wedding books.

Overall Grade = B!

Are You A Brunette??

I don't usually buy into the hype on using expensive shampoos and conditioners, but I do enjoy changing up my shampoo/conditioner routine randomly. It's not that my hair necessarily needs a change but more so that I want a change and what's easier than grabbing a different shampoo and conditioner than normal? 

This time around I was at Ulta (yes that's where I buy a huge amount of my products from) and they had their own brand of the color specific shampoos. You know like the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette (which I LOVE by the way), but instead this one is called Ultimate Brunette from Ulta :)

It's not bad, but not sure I'll buy again. It might work better if I were to use the conditioner with it but alas I was not even running low on conditioner when I bought this shampoo. Overall I'd recommend it but it's not going to become a regular for me. Just doesn't seem like it does much and honestly I love shampoos with a strong smell, whether it smells like a fruity drink on the beach or a salon, I just like scented products.

Any one have any good smelling, good for your hair shampoos? Actually does any one have a brand of shampoo/conditioner that really helps with broken hair? 

Every other day when I go running I pull back the front of my hair using bobby pins but it's seriously breaking my hair up top so it's not pretty. I could definitely use some help on getting those back to healthy!

New Evening Routine!

I've got another product review for you!! I recently revamped my night time routine and started out with the Neutrogena Wave, which I still love by the way, but I also tried out a few other night time products.

My skin tends to be super sensitive, as in oily through the day, but dry as a desert right after washing it. Of course I moisturize but since I can't wash my face every single night and morning, otherwise my face is like sand paper and there ain't no moisturize that can do the trick without causing huge oil problems for the rest of day......I digress...........

But since I can't (don't like to) wash my face every night I wanted to get some make up removing wipes. I scoured the shelves at Ulta, but I really wasn't sure. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck and I wanted something for sensitive skin. I found these babies on the bottom shelf!

Suitable for sensitive skin (yup taken right off the package), make up removing, soothing, pretty smelling, EVENING wipes!?!? Hells yes I am so on those.

You get a total of 30 wipes for  $5.49 if you get them at Ulta, which to me is a deal! I couldn't be happier with these make up removing wipes! I use them when I don't wash my face at night and oh lordy do they smell so pretty! 

It's probably just mental but I swear that scent will calm you down, add in a light candle like this one, and some sleep time tea and you are in for a night of relaxation!

I highly recommend these wipes to anyone but don't use them with a face wash, use them as a replacement for a face wash! You will not regret getting these, unless of course you don't like scented products, then steer clear.

Little Chapel on the River

It feels like it's been such a slow month when it comes to reading but I guess it has considering I've only made it through two books and its March 20th......Yeah well I blame it all on this one.

I am excited to share that I have finished reading Little Chapel on the River. I just started this book on Sunday and was pretty skeptical, however since it's Wednesday you must've figured out I loved it!

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The book is actually centered around a small town's locally owned (and operated) bar outside of New York City called Garrison, right on the Hudson River. It focuses on the authors true story of how she came to this small town, during the aftermath of 9/11 and the family she found there.

It's truly a story of an old Irish man and his bar, and so much more. It may center around the Guinan Family's store and bar but it really is story about forming life long friendships and relationships with people. The book is based on the author Wendy's true story of her time (which I discovered via Twitter she still hangs out at the bar) in Garrison and the people she befriends while there.

It's a feel good book, despite the 9/11 starting point of the book. I absolutely loved and adored almost every minute, could go without the details of some of the medical issues, but overall I really found myself engrossed in this book and of course wanting to go to this bar and meet this oddball characters! 

Overall grade - A. 

For being a book about a bar (think Cheers, yes the tv show) this was a page turner for me that I couldn't put down. Loved every single person in the book!!

Next up on my To Read - The Girl with No Shadow!