Friday Guilty Pleasure

I got my workout in this morning with a 5:30AM Turbo class- it was a great sweaty start to Friday, so I've earned a bit of guilty pleasure!

Shh!  I'm going to let you in on my latest guilty pleasure.  We've cut the cable cord to help save money for our trip to California this fall!  Yeah!  But with Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, I've been able to watch new and old shows when I need some downtime.  Enter my new favorite guilty pleasure, Pretty Little Liars.  I love the twists, the turns, the fashion, the drama, the romances, it's so far out, it's hilarious!  I know it's a couple of years old (now in it's fifth season on ABC Family) but it's new to me.  My promise to myself is no watching on the weekend, that "downtime" will be for books only- with that being said, I think The Vacationers by Emma Straub might be first on my summer reading list.  It's on every summer reading list I've seen and it looks to be a great poolside read.  I've got a goal of reading 35 books this year, I started counting in March- I keep track with Shelfari!

What's your guilty pleasure?

What are you reading this summer?

PiYo

Yesterday, I mentioned a bit about my training plan for my first half-marathon.  I was more than excited to arrive home last night and find PiYo waiting for me in the pouring rain (thanks mailman for a soaked box). Needless to say, everything was dry inside and I was able to do my first at-home PiYo workout this morning.  I've been attending PiYo classes for a little over a year at Results Matter Fitness but, baseball games and other school related activities often prevent me from attending.  I am thrilled to be able to pop these DVD's in on my schedule!  PiYo is a combination of strength and sculpting, it's low impact and a great addition to a training schedule adding flexibility to my packed cardio schedule.

What do you add to your training schedule?

Off and Running

I've signed up for the biggest challenge of my life- the Wineglass Half Marathon on October 5th, 2014!  I've been running a bit more lately and was asked by my friend Amy to be her partner in the Hall of Fame Half Marathon Relay, we had only a few weeks to train but I had such a blast a few other friends convinced me to sign up to do a full Half Marathon with them this fall!  Running, wine, flat course, great swag- sign me up!  I'm full of excitement and nerves, but have researched and created a do-able training plan, I'm not speedy so my goal is 2.5 hours, I thought I'd keep an online journal of my training, to keep myself accountable and to remember the journey!  Anyone with advice, please share, I'd love any tips!

Hall of Fame Half Marathon Relay

The Flu and Downton Abbey

I hate being sick. I am one of those big babies that gets beyond grumpy when I don't' feel good. The only bright spot in being sacked on the couch for the last 48 hours, is that I have finally been able to watch Downton Abbey, or as the little man calls it "Downton Abigail." The costumes, the British humor, the love stories, the amazing scenery, the gossip and scandal- how did it take me so long to watch this show? If I'm not feeling better tomorrow, I think I may be downloading the entire Season 3 off of iTunes. It's the small things in life isn't it? Any new series you are into?

ProgressOh!

Tonight was one of those nights! I got out of work late and had to rush home get dinner ready, and head over to school for Bingo Night at the Book Fair. And as luck would have it, I totally forgot to put something in the crock pot. As I was driving home, my mind was racing trying to figure out what I could have for dinner. I am trying to be a littler healthier, still in the "New Year's Resolution mode," and I remembered a little Progresso gift pack I received last week, which included both Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese soup, as well as Light Chicken Pot Pie Style soup. With the whipping wind and cold temperatures we've been having in Upstate NY, it was a perfect soup and sandwich kind of night. Throwing together a healthy dinner of Creamy Potato with Bacon and Cheese soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches was even quicker than running through the drive-thru and at only 100 calories or less a serving (for the soup), I can feel good about serving my family! Mama's satisfied, Little Man is full and we are out the door in less than 30 minutes, dinner success! Thanks Progresso! You can learn more about Progresso and get a $1 coupon for these great soups by visiting http://www.progresso.com/coupons-and-promotions. Leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Sunday, February 3 to win a ProgressOh! Gift Pack. Your ProgressOh! Gift pack will contain: • 2 cans of Progresso® soup ◊ Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese ◊ Light Chicken Pot Pie Style • Cosmetic Bag • Compact Mirror and Brush "Disclosure: The information, products and ProgressOh! gift packs were provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark."

Let's Try This Again

It's been well over a year, since I've tried my hand at the blogging world. The main reason I put this adventure on hold was I possessed a dying laptop that would take hours to publish posts. Well that and I started this little hobby at the beginning of summer, when there was way to much fun to be had outdoors! Fast forward to now and I am still a busy mama, working in the world of corporate marketing, pining for an outlet for a bit more creativity, a spot to journal and throw my voice out onto the interwebs. So with a shiny new laptop in hand, a year and a half of blog reading and lurking, I have a more solid idea of what I want this space to become, I'm trying for a second time and hoping this habit sticks! Welcome Back! I'll be back tomorrow with my first blog giveaway!

Friendship Bread

If you were looking closely at my previous post on books, you may notice one of my summer picks at the library was a book called Friendship Bread by Darien Gee.  A while back, I was given a starter for Amish Friendship Bread, I was supposed to tend to the bag of bread for 10 days, adding new ingredients on Day 6 and 10.  I failed, I never made it.   After reading this quirky story of how a trio of women merge a friendship over the bread, combined with the importance of small communities, I found myself wanting to bake along with these women.  Luckily the book included recipes; 10 days from now, I will have 3 starter bags, holler if you are interested in creating your own Friendship Bread, if not, I may just leave it on your doorstep.