Random Friday

This morning for breakfast I finally made something I saw on Lisa’s blog, oats in jar. You can really toss in whatever you want, but I did ½ cup oats, l tsp pumpkin butter, butter lite syrup, cinnamon and the rest of the pb in the jar (probably about 1 tablespoon). I cooked the oats in the microwave first and then tossed them into the jar with everything else. It was so filling and delicious that it was hard to finish. Next time, I think I’ll get some bananas to toss in.


Oats in a jar

Will you be watching Molly & Jason’s wedding? I used to be upset about them being together after what happened to Melissa, but I’m over the whole thing now. They’re happy, she’s happy…it’s a win win (even though what he did was still wrong). I'll probably watch this on Monday. It can’t be anymore cheesy than Vienna & Jake dancing to “On the Wings of Love” during After the Final Rose, or can it?


Molly & Jason

“That girl” at the gym

You know the one I’m talking about; the girl that shows up in full makeup, hair shining and a skimpy outfit. I saw the perfect example of this while I was sweaty and disgusting on the elliptical about a half hour into my workout tonight. She was doing these stretches with her hands behind her head and looking at herself in the mirror sticking her chest and rear out. I have to give girlfriend credit though, she was fit. More power to her, but I don’t understand the hair and makeup thing. I could see if you came right from work, but this chick was immaculate like she was going out on a Friday night.



Am I alone on this one?

Annapolis Weekend – Part 2

Saturday, I ended up making another trip over to the Westfield Mall. Geof is not a huge shopper, so I didn’t want him to suffer. He was perfectly happy relaxing back at the hotel and I wasn’t gone that long. This mall was so crowded that you would have thought it was Christmas all over again. It took me 20 minutes just to find parking. Not fun. I got a few things from Nordstrom, White House Black Market and NY & CO. I was all shopped out and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our night.


Some of my shopping goodies

One of the big reasons for going to Annapolis was to see SafetySuit. I know what you’re thinking…3 times in 2 months…groupies. No…they’re just that good and now that Geof is a fan, it’s something fun we can do together. The show was at Anne Arundel Community College and it’s great getting to see a band that you love in a smaller venue like this. The interaction with the fans is really there and you feel like a part of it all. They played just about the same set list as with their other shows, but for me, it never gets old. I love each song in a different way and they have such great energy when they’re performing.


Doug and Dave rockin' out


Geof and me at the concert


So fun!

The guys stayed after the show again to meet and greet their fans. After meeting us at the other shows, they remembered us this time and again they were as nice as can be. The line was huge and after playing a few shows back to back you would think they might not be in the best mood to put on a happy face. If that was the case, you would have never known. They’re just the kind of guys you can see yourself being friends with and they make you feel comfortable. They’re so down to earth and you can tell they appreciate the support.

Geof had written a review after the last concert and the drummer (Tate) remembered him from that and thanked him. The rest of the band had read the review and also really liked it. I constantly tell Geof what a good writer he is, but he was humbled hearing those comments from someone besides me.


Jeremy, Tate, me, Dave and Doug

Here is a video from the show of a song that will be on their new album (which they’re about to start recording). The song is called, “You Don’t See Me”. The lead singer (Doug) does this solo at the shows with just his acoustic guitar. It is beautiful.

You Don't See Me

I don’t work for the band and I’m not being compensated in any way to say this. It’s the first band that has come along in awhile that has made me feel so passionate and want to spread the word. If they’re ever in you’re neck of the words and you’re curious, I would highly encourage you to see a show. This video gives a more personal/fun side of the band. They like to play pranks on bassist Jeremy. This cracks me up!

The Scare: Part 2

Sunday, we made the road trip back home and stopped for lunch at Don Pablo’s. Once we got home, we just unpacked and relaxed for the night.

Annapolis Weekend - Part 1

Geof and went on a mini-getaway to Annapolis, Maryland for a long weekend. Neither of us had been there before and we were looking forward to it. We left on Thursday to get out before another storm hit at home. It only took about two hours to get to the hotel. We checked in, got settled and headed across the way to the Westfield Mall. It was really nice and we ended up having lunch at Red Robin. It was my first time there and I thought my burger was delicious. We did some window shopping and then had a relaxing night at the hotel. I also got to watch the long program for ladies figure skating at the Olympics. I’ve never seen better skating before in my entire life.

Friday, we headed to downtown Annapolis to explore. I got some great suggestions from Nat on where to go and what to see (thanks, Nat!). We started on Main Street and worked our way down to the bay. I couldn’t believe how quaint, charming and clean everything was. It was so cold and windy, but we still made the best of it. The sailboats were beautiful and I can only imagine what the bay looks like in the summertime. I would love to come back once it gets warmer out. For lunch, we went to McGarvey’s Saloon. We ordered crab balls for an appetizer and they were so good. Lots of crab and just the right seasonings. For lunch, I had a bowl of chili and a mug of Bud Light for $5. It was so good and you can’t beat that price. Geof had seafood gumbo and kept saying how tasty it was.


Such a cute little town


Down by the bay


Cute little seagull


Crab balls at McGarvey's


Geof and I at McGarvey's

After lunch, we headed to The Pink Crab (a Lilly Pulitzer store) and it was adorable. I’m more a fan of the accessories than anything else, but it was so fun to look around at everything. One of the ladies that worked there had her dog, Wally in the store and while I shopping he and Geof became good friends. The ladies in this store were as sweet as can be. When I go to the King of Prussia Lilly store, I always feel like an outsider, so this was a good experience. I’m obsessed with scarves and the Murfee is a favorite of mine. I got one in Lilly’s Pink Grandscale Access and also got a plain pink tank top on sale.


The Pink Crab


I love this photo...Geof and Wally

We headed to a few other shops and boutiques. Everyone was so friendly and some people even said “y’all”. I love that and it just makes me want to live in the south. One of our last stops was Nostalgia Cupcakes and this place did not disappoint. The “Pink Lady” cupcake was so good. We walked around some more and then headed back to the hotel for a nap.


Paradigm boutique...I loved this display


Nostalgia Cupcakes


The Pink Lady cupcake


I loved all of the buildings, shops and restaurants


Top of the Maryland State Capital Building

Later, we headed down to Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole. This shopping center is gorgeous and looked brand new. They had a 3-story Target! We went to Anthropologie and looked around and the place I wanted to go, Poppy and Stella was closed. Their tagline is “everything but the clothes” and since I love accessories, this place looked right up my alley. We did go to Brio for dinner and it was tasty (I’ve eaten way too much this weekend thank god our hotel has a gym). We came back to the hotel and relaxed in the hot tub for a bit and then called it a night.

General Mills/Target/Atari Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone that entered this giveaway! It was so fun reading about everyone’s favorite cereals and I was glad to find out that I’m not the only one that eats the oats out of my Lucky Charms and saves the marshmallows for last ;)

As with all giveaways, I used Random.org to select the winners. There are 6 winners.

The 5 winners a the Retro General Mills Cereal, Target Gift Card and T-Shirt Prize Pack are:

1. Lis at Lis Loves
2. Kim at **Live & Unfiltered**
3. Preppy Sue at Preppy Sue
4. April at dot…dot…dot
5. Shelze at Shelze’s World

The grand prize winner of the Atari Game System is:

Katie at The Adventures of Katie and Josh

If you're a winner, please contact me at the email address on the sidebar of my blog with your name and address so that your prize can be shipped.

Congratulations!

Tasty Tuesday

Last night, I made spaghetti for dinner and we had leftovers. Geof decided to give a spaghetti noodle to the dogs and I swear it was just like this scene from Lady and the Tramp.

Mandy kind of looks like Lady

Okay, onto Tasty Tuesday:

Geof made this Shepherd’s Pie last week and he was very proud of himself. He called me at work and said he was making a surprise for dinner and that it could either be a delicious success or an epic failure. Luckily it was the former. He made it up himself and it was so good.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 box of cheesy garlic mashed potatoes
1 can of mix vegetables
½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions (according to Geof):
1. Brown the meat and add vegetables
2. Make the potatoes according to directions on package
3. Spread the meat/veggie mixture on the bottom of a baking pan and add cheese on top
4. Add potato mixture to top
5. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes

Geof's Shepherd’s Pie

Weekend recap

Friday was very laid back after a hectic week at work. My boss flew in and I was in meetings all week, which left me catching up on work at night. It was nice just to spend a cozy night at home. We watched the Olympics first round of ice dancing. The compulsory dance isn’t all that exciting, but I know that the required elements must completely burn their legs out. I was rooting for Tanith and Ben all the way. So was Geof, but that’s just because he has a huge crush on Tanith. We made a frozen pizza and saddled up on the couch most of the night.


Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto

Saturday, I got to sleep in and it was nice. We went to the gym with our friend Dan later in the evening, but it was closed. We completely forgot that they close early on the weekend, because they’re open 24/7 during the week. Instead, we made a Blockbuster run and then hit Applebee’s for dinner. While we were there Dan’s sister came for dinner with one of her girlfriends. We seem to live in the kind of town where you always bump into someone. After dinner, we came back home and took the dogs for a nice, long, snowy walk. While we were walking, I tripped and fell. Geof thought I was kidding around, but I wasn’t. Thank goodness a huge snow mound broke my fall. I was laughing at myself for the rest of the walk and came home with a skinned knee and bruised ego. I can be such a klutz sometimes.

Sunday, we finally made it to the gym and got in a good workout. I came home and did work and then Geof made us dinner and we watched Couples Retreat. I thought it was really cute, but glad I passed this one up in the theater. One thing I couldn’t get over was how fantastic Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis looked in a bikini. It also made me once again remember how bad I want to go to Tahiti one day. We also watched more ice dancing. I was really bummed that Tanith and Ben are in 4th place. Meryl Davis and Charlie White did skate really well and I give them credit for that. I can’t wait for the free dance tomorrow!


Looking good ladies


Funny stuff


My dream vacation!

Daisy Dukes at the Olympics?