Our European Vacation Part One: Ireland

We're baaaaaack! Well, technically I've been back in the US for 25 days but have been slacking on my trip updates. We had a great time in Europe (I mean, really...how can you NOT have a good time??) We started out in Dublin for a couple days, then headed to Provence and finally ended up in Paris *dreamy sigh*.

Since this could get lengthy I have decided to break it up by location. First Stop: Dublin, Ireland (2 days)
If I had to describe Dublin in one word it would be "lively".  I'm not sure what is in the water over there but everyone seems to have so much energy.I loved the people, the music and the food (that includes the Guinness since it's practically its own meal). I especially loved walking through downtown Dublin, taking in all of the activity and just people watching.

We went to a restaurant in downtown Dublin called The Pig's Ear. As a vegetarian, this did not sound appetizing at all but I found this dish and it was one of my favorite meals on our entire trip!

Beet Risotto

I honestly think that the Guinness was my husband's favorite part of Ireland. It is also totally socially acceptable to order this drink at any point in the day.

Yum.

In our short time in Dublin we were able to do a bit of sightseeing. We booked a tour and took a day trip to Wicklow. The tour also included a tour through Trim Castle, which was pretty amazing.

Wicklow

Trim Castle

Doesn't get greener than this! 

Next post: Provence, France!
Thanks for reading, I hope everyone has a great Saturday! 

Chicago..my kind of town

I heart Chicago. I always have - the first time I went was in my early teen years and I remember falling in love then. There's just an energy in the city that can't be ignored, awesome shopping everywhere you look and the best pizza a girl could ask for!
I went to Chicago for a work trip on Tuesday, and on Thursday night the H drove up (it's only 4 hours or so) and we spent the weekend just walking (a LOT of walking!) around the city and of course, eating.

Thursday night we went to my all-time favorite non-pizza restaurant, Kuma's Corner. Seriously, if you are in Chicago you HAVE to check this place out! On a Thursday night it was pretty crowded and we had to wait about 45 minutes but the wait is definitely worth it. This place is a no-nonsense, heavy metal, ink-filled establishment (no Metallica or Megadeth haters). The service is always great and I can't say enough about the food! My favorite is the"Iron Maiden" a burger (veggie for me) with avocado, chipotle mayo and pepper jack cheese. I am actually salivating thinking about it! My husband got the "Slayer" which is fries covered with burger, chili, peppers, onions, and anger. Yes, anger.

The next day we walked downtown, shopped and ate pizza! Below is our all-time favorite pizza place, Geno's East. In all fairness, we tried a couple other places and while they were OK but nothing compares to Geno's.

Geno's East

All in all, we had a great time but it was nice to get back home to the animals and a routine! :)

I've been MIA

This year is flying by! I can't believe it is May already. I've had a busy couple of weeks, with some busier weeks ahead. Last weekend a friend, her aunt, and I went to Greenville, South Carolina to visit my friend's mom. We had a lovely time and were able to pack a lot into just three days. Some trip activities included an all-day shopping trip to the local outlet mall, white water rafting, and a trip to downtown Greenville.


I've been trying to curb my spending (at least a little) because of our upcoming Europe trip, and the fact I really want a Kindle/Nook and a new iPhone. HOWEVER, I did make a quick trip to Sephora because they had a sun kit that included a bunch of great items for only THIRTY DOLLARS!!

photo: Sephora.com

Can you believe the awesome price on this?? I haven't used many of the products yet, only the bare essentials mineral veil (love) and the sugar lip balm.
Lets talk about the Sugar lip balm, shall we? I've been reading about this in the blogisphere for a while now but haven't been able to fork over the $20-something dollars for lip balm I will most likely lose. I have to say that my sugar balm is still securely tucked in its own special pocket in my purse. I haven't lost it yet, so that's a sure sign it's a winner! It goes on really smooth and my lips stay soft for hours afterwards.


I hope everyone had a great Monday!



-A

Bailey Bones

I just wanted to post a picture of the dog treats I made last weekend. I found the recipe at All Recipes.com, and they are called "Birthday Bones" The recipe is super easy and it makes a ton of treats (I usually double the recipe). My dog, Bailey, loves these and I love them because it's cheaper and healthier than store-bought treats.

It has been a fun and busy weekend for me, I went out with some friends on Friday night and Saturday night. I'm spending Sunday just relaxing, watching movies and just gearing up for the week ahead.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

-A

Happy Easter!

Is it really almost Easter?! 


Where has the year gone, anyway?? I am happy to be off work today in honor of Good Friday. I have high expectations of my day and that's assuming my productivity level increases. It's not looking good, although in my defense it is only 8:00 am and I am still waking up. First on my agenda...my workout. I have to burn off the stupid cadbury eggs I just ate (yes I did...happy Easter to me) You know the ones - they have the crisp shell and the delicious chocolate inside?? Yum. So, breakfast - check. 


Hmmm..what do I plan to do with my extra day off?? 
One item on the agenda this weekend is trying to get my blog to look halfway decent - I'm talking about the huge gap at the top of the page. Not sure what I did there, but it needs to be fixed. stat. 
In addition, I am hoping to add some buttons for the 'about me' page, my 'workouts' and some recipes I've found. 


I also need to make my dog some more treats. I found a recipe on All Recipes for "Birthday Bones" and have been making them for my dog for a couple years now. He seems to like them (although he does eat anything..). They are super easy to make; wheat flour, natural peanut butter, milk, I add a touch of honey and there you go... roll the dough, get a cute cookie cutter and go to town, bake for 15 min or so. Done..you have healthy dog treats! It is so much better than buying treats in the store with God-knows-what in them. For the full recipe and directions click here. 


I mentioned in an earlier post I've been doing the ChaLEAN Extreme workouts - I'm already on month 2 and I do like it a lot. I feel like it is making me stronger, my muscles are more defined, especially in my abs. I guess one thing that really frustrates me is that I can't seem to lose the last stubborn 5-10 lbs! I know, you just read that I ate Cadbury eggs for breakfast and you're wondering why I am surprised.. while it is no secret that I have a massive sweet tooth, that is definitely the exception. Usually breakfast is a couple of wheat waffles and coffee. On weekends, I like to eat egg beaters with artichokes. Anyway,  back to CE. I have also been incorporating the Ease into 5K app into my workout regime, so that is helping as well. 
My next purchase will probably be Turbo Fire. I love Chalean, she is super motivating and keeps you going. 
*Note* If you are interested in hearing more about the Beachbody programs I've done, or if you want to buy one click here! 


Before I go (I've been rambling, sorry!) I wanted to do a quick product rave... I've been reading about L'Oreal's Color Riche Lip Balm on the blogisphere so I finally bought a couple to try out for myself. The colors I have are: Rose Elixar and Caring Coral. 
One thing to note about these lip balms - the color is so sheer I really think any color will look good regardless of your skin tone, eye color, whatever.  I also love the fact they don't contain parabens and they have an SPF 15. They make your lips feel moisturized and soft, it will become like crack for your lips - 

Picture from www.drugstore.com

If you sign up on L'Oreal's website you can get a $1 off coupon AND Walgreens has these on sale, BOGO 50% off... 


That's all - I know this post was really long but it's been a while since I've posted. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!! 
-A

Happy Spring!

This week was the official beginning of Spring! I love this time of year, when the flowers begin to bloom and I can walk my dog in comfort instead of wearing 5 layers of clothes. I have to say that we've been very lucky here in the midwest - the winter was really mild this year. I believe it snowed twice, so I have been one happy girl. Since it's been in the 70-80's the past few weeks our tulips and dafodils have already started blooming, trees are flowering and just overall everything looks lovely.

Our peonies (pic taken last year) 

I haven't written in a while so I feel like I need to report on some things I'm really loving right now.

1. Kale chips! 

Kale is honest to God my new obsession. Not only is it wonderful for you but it can be made so many ways and is super tasty! Kale chips taste like potato chips (you don't believe me, do you?? Try them for yourself!)
Here's how you make them:

• 1 bunch of kale
• olive oil
• sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
line a baking pan with either parchment paper or foil (I also use cooking spray so the leaves don't stick)
wash the kale and tear off the leaves, omitting the stems, into bite-size pieces and lay it in the pan
drizzle olive oil over the leaves
sprinkle a little sea salt
bake the leaves for 20 minutes

so easy, right?? They are best when you can eat them right out of the oven because they are crispy but they're also good later. I like to put them in omelettes, or on a salad.

Kale Chips - before baking

2. Instagram

I read about this app on another blog and downloaded it on my phone. You can do a lot of cool effects with this app. Below is a pic of my lazy cat, photo edited with instagram:

3. My Michael Kors purse.

It took me a hot minute to commit to this purse. A bit of history: I've carried around the same black Coach purse since 2006, I'm not even joking. As you can imagine, it was evident the purse had seen better days so I knew the time was quickly approaching that I would have to say goodbye and select a new arm companion that would hopefully last as long. My friend and I went to the mall and within 10 minutes of my time in Macy's I had spotted a brown MK satchel that I loved. I had really wanted the Marc Jacobs hilier hobo but couldn't pull the financial trigger so I decided on something less expensive - the $ breakdown: The MK purse retailed for $358 (I think), it was on sale for $299, I applied for a credit card and got 20% off - I might be getting the numbers wrong but bottom line is I paid like $212 for it. Not too bad.  Of course I still want the MJ bag... we'll see what happens there because I don't want to just have one purse for the next 6 years.

There are some other things I'm loving but this post is going to get really long so I will save those for later.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Hard to believe it's Sunday already - why do weekends go so fast?!

Blog Stylin'..or not.

I confessed in an earlier post that I've never blogged before. I'm sure that if seasoned bloggers come across my page you will agree with me. I'm irritated because with my IT background (although not in design) you'd think I would grasp this whole blogging design thing easier than I have. One thing (probably the most frustrating) is I am trying to get cute categories added to my blog. Seriously, it cannot be that hard! I have found out how to add categories but it's so blah-looking. I wish I knew how to design blogs - not even sure how people do this? Second thing that is driving me crazy is my background doesn't go all the way to the top and bottom of my page. On my Windows machine it does, but on my Mac (which I use more frequently) it looks so silly. Anyway...clearly more research needs to be done on the topic. 
Thanks for listening to me vent! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!