MIMM 3/03/2014

OOOOOOO it’s the third day of the third month!  To think that if I was actually on the ball and got this post (I just wrote pot haha… small things amuse small minds) up earlier I wouldn’t have noticed that 😀  There’s method to the madness.

How was everyone’s weekend?  Get up to anything much?  Mine was okay for not being able to get outside much.  Got some errands run on Saturday morning, met up with friends Saturday afternoon, and then headed to my parents for dinner Saturday night.  On Sunday I managed to hit the gym for some running, biking, and 8 minute abs.  This was followed by some cleaning, dinner prep (slow cooker chicken and barley stew) which was so fast thanks to Iowa Girl Eats, and making some mall returns.

So I thought it would be fun to participate in MIMM by finding marvellous solutions to problems.  Thanks to Katie, as always, for hosting this link up!

 

Problem….

Saturday’s ridiculous temperature waking up

Marvellous solution…

It kind of looks like my breakfast can fly… or at least hover.

Problem ..

 

Had some hangry moments

Marvellous solution…

Just a breakfast larger than my plate

Problem…

Sunday’s temperature… yes ambient temperature is better but windchill worse 😦

Marvellous solution…

Hot tea in my new mug from Market Collective!

Yup… I solved all of my problems with food 😀 and I think that is just marvellous!

One of my last thoughts of the day

Questions

1) did you have any problems that you solved this weekend?

2) What was the best thing you did this weekend?

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

John got a present from over the pond!  What a great sister 🙂

Everyone looking forward to the weekend?  I know I am.  Although it was a short week for us Albertans, having Monday off, I am still looking forward to a couple days of relaxation.  On the books for the next couple of days is skiing(?) on Saturday as long as the old leg hangs in there, some comedy as I mentioned yesterday, and wine :D.  Speaking of my leg, I think the massage really helped out.  I don’t have the nagging dull pain in my knee and all down my thigh.  I could really tell that she worked on the muscles as I had the bruised butt to testify haha.

Highlight of Thursday was watching Canada win gold in women’s curling AND hockey!  So proud to be Canadian.  Tomorrow is the men’s semi final with Canada facing off against the US which should promise to be a really good game.  Needless to say, with how close they came to losing to Latvia on Wednesday everyone is a little on edge.  Which leads me to a couple of funnies for Friday

And because I love food, here is my dinner from Thursday night

A pumpernickel bagel (yes a whole bagel, none of these bagel thin crap things) with PB and Apricot Jam, scrambled eggs with veggies and trout (random leftover), left over squash, and zucchini on the side.

Now if you excuse me I have a date with some cereal and the TV 😀

Take care everyone and have a great weekend!

Questions:

1) What are you weekend plans?

2) if you could meet one celebrity (actor/actress/inventor/athlete etc) who would it be?

A Little Catch Up Is In Order

I woke up thinking it was Monday, feeling like it was Wednesday, and figured out it was Tuesday :S hahaha gotta love long weekends!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and did a whole bunch of fantastic things!  My weekend started out with a lovely bottle of red wine, pasta, and my love on Friday night (Valentine’s day).

Saturday was not too eventful.  Had a great breakfast of an egg white oatmeal pancake with PB and berries.  Not unlike the others I have had in the past.  After breakfast we headed out to do some grocery/clothes shopping.  About $450 later we arrived back home for lunch and headed back out for a lovely walk.  Fast forward to a bbq’d trout dinner that was on the table and all of a sudden I had a melt down.  I honestly don’t know what happened but I headed upstairs at 7pm fell fast asleep until 7 am the next morning.  I hope I don’t come across as a whiney child 😦 It was just one of those time.

Sunday was much better and we celebrated our 6mo wedding anniversary.  To kick it off we headed to a SUPER hot yoga class.  It was along the lines of Bikrahm but not the same sequence of poses.  I think I like regular yoga better.  I am not convinced that yoga that hot is healthy.  After some coffee and breakfast John and I too a drive out to the scene of the crime (AKA our wedding venue) in Banff.  We basically just bummed around the town for lunch and did some shopping.  They had some of the greatest sales on their winter items and I came away with a new pair of winter boots and a puffy vest!  For lunch we went to Coyotes for some hot soup and sandwiches.  That place is the bomb and you must go if you are in Banff.  They have the best stuffed french toast for breakfast!

Our day didn’t end then however!  We had dinner reservations in Calgary at a new favourite of ours, Cassis.  Oh you guys, this is such a great little find and is like stepping into a bistro in France.  Their menu is small but everything sounded so tasty and fresh.  In the end we decided to start with lamb sausage and beef tartar.  Has anyone ever had beef tartar before?  This was my fist time and boy was I impressed.  At first the raw egg yoke sitting on top turned me off a bit but one bite converted me.  It was delicious and their wasn’t a scrapping left at the end.  For our mains we both went with the market fish special which was three massive scallops with truffle butter.  I LOVE scallops and these were so perfectly cooked and even tasted sweet.  To end we had to go for the creme brule.  Again, it was a great choice.  It was the best day and I can’t wait until our actual anniversary 😉

Monday was a gym day and it felt great to get the heart rate up.  John and I both got some cleaning done and had a great slow cooker super thanks to Two Peas In Their Pod .  John made their recipe for slow cooker lentil chilli.  I highly suggest this if you are looking for a different take on chilli.

And since I wanted to post this yesterday but never got around to it, John and I managed to spend some more dough on getting our guest book framed.  For our guest book we decided to have all of our guests sign a map with pens that we provided.  It turned out really well and I can’t wait to have it up on the wall 😀

Well that’s it for me.  Hopefully I am back tomorrow with a WIAW 🙂

Until then, take care!

Questions

1) Are you a traditional food kind of person or will you try different takes on a food?

2) Do you ever get randomly grumpy?

MIMM 10/02/2014

AH did I make it!?  It’s still Monday?  I can partake?  Thanks Katie for hosting

Sorry for the late Monday post.  I was really lazy on the weekend blog wise.  Buuuuuuuuuuut GUESS WHO TURNED 1 OVER THE WEEKEND?  That’s right, my little piece of the blog world officially celebrated its first anniversary :D.  Although I really wasn’t a consistent blogger in the beginning.  It feels pretty cool though and I am really considering hosting my own blog site.  I need to do some more research into that but any suggestions or comments on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

well Marvellous in my Monday was…. Turning one 😉

Marvellous was… waking up Saturday feeling mostly better 😀  That’s right stupid sickness I beat you down with a stick, take that!

Marvellous was… feeling well enough to go out and see the Hobbit on Saturday night.  Ahh it was fun to finally get to see it although we had originally planned to go and see the Lone Survivor but who want’s to go and see a movie that starts at 10?  Not this old woman haha.  We really enjoyed the movie but they left it on such a cliff hanger GAH

Marvellous was… Getting really into Downton Abby!  Has anyone watched this series?  It is really good, kind of like a scandalous Pride and Prejudice or something.

Marvellous was… Julie’s egg white and oatmeal protein pancake.  I made another one on Sunday morning after a good run and it tasted amazing!  I topped this one with black berries, strawberries, chia seeds, PB, and a little maple syrup.

Marvellous was… Going to my parents for dinner on Sunday night.  Good food, good wine, good time!

and last but not least….

Marvellous was…. finding this little gem this morning!  Ahhh runners hahaha

http://deadspin.com/runner-eats-it-immediately-after-interview-about-runnin-1519107024

THINKING OUT LOUD 06/02/2014

Hey hey hey!  How the heck are ya this fine Thursday?  I hope everyone had a good night sleep and is ready for a new day!  I thought I would keep my participation up in

Thanks Amanda for hosting!  If you haven’t checked out her wonderful blog please do!

1) My photo taking is very minimal at the best of times but bring on a cold and being super busy and all my photo taking goes straight out the window.  I can’t even take any pictures of things I like outside because if I take off my crazy thick gloves my hands freeze in a second.

2) The above makes me think it’s time for a photo an hour post.  Let’s see if I can make that happen for Friday shall we?

3) I am all of a sudden really looking forward to this weekend.  My mom just text me to tell me my brother is coming home for a few days and she wants to have us all over for dinner on Sunday.  I LOVE family dinners!

4) I have taken two consecutive rest days while I’ve been sick.  To say I haven’t felt a little guilty would be a lie.  I hate that feeling, there should be no guilt GAH!

5) As I am writing this (Wednesday night) I am thinking about  trying to get in a solid 10 hour sleep.  I think my body is craving it and I will feel so much better in morning if I do.

6) John made a spicy Indian Curry dish for dinner tonight and it was so good!  He made it using a Sharwood’s sauce but added his own veggies and meat to it.  The ingredients list looks pretty good and it tastes really fresh!  I think I might have to stock up on some more jars and try some of their other sauces.

7) We are going to try and see the Lone Survivor on Friday night.  Has anyone seen it yet?  I have read the book and thought it was one of the best books I have read in a long time.  It really gave the soldiers perspective on the war in Afganistan.

8) I still really need to go shopping.  I managed to get a little in last weekend with a friend but only came away with two pairs of socks…but they are pretty awesome if you ask me 😉

9) I am getting the craving to bake.  I might have to bust out a recipe this weekend or even tomorrow night.

10) I have been pinning a ton of meal ideas to my Pinterest board but it never seems to fail that when I go to meal plan I can never figure out what I want to make.  Please tell me this happens to other people too.

Well there are my 10 thoughts for Thursday.  It really is amazing how many are floating around up there.  I hope everyone has an amazing day that really makes you appreciate how special life is.  Don’t waste a minute of this day!

Questions

1) What is something that you are looking forward to or something that made you really happy today?

2) Do you ever use pre-made sauces for pastas or curries?

MIMM 03/02/2014

OOOOO February, the month of the L-O-V-E feeling!  I hope that you had a great weekend!  Mine was okay… aside from my serious case of the winter blahs.  Yes, this whole weekend I have been a major grump.  It started on Saturday and persisted into Sunday and hopefully I wake up feeling better in the morning.  I am just so tired of the cold, the dark, the cold… ya, you get the idea.  No amount of chocolate was going to make this grumpy McGrumperson feel any better.  I just miss getting out for walks, not bundling up, being chilled to the bone,  and feeling like I’m constantly in the dark.  However I still feel like marvellous things happened this weekend so please enjoy an Oscar the Grouch instalment of…

Thank you Katie for hosting!

Marvellous was… Having a night in with the house to myself!  Don’t get me wrong, I love it when John and I are home on Friday nights or out with friends but sometimes just curling up with a book, fire, and a glass of wine is just fine by me!Marvellous was… Finishing the first book of the Hunger Games series.  If you haven’t read it please do!  I am now starting The Son, by Philipp Meyer, so I am looking forward to really getting into it.

Marvellous was… Stumbling onto Robyn’s blog.  She makes some awesome points that really debunk all of these fad diets you see popping up.  Too bad people like her don’t get nearly as much press as the stupid tabloids.  Speaking of fads, can anyone tell me what’s up with this Walden’s farm chemical syrup I see popping up on all these healthy/whole living blogs!?  What a strange chemical bomb!  Just looking at their website make me gag.  Seriously though, what is so bad about melting REAL chocolate and drizzling it on REAL ice cream?  Sigh…

moving on,

Marvellous was… Getting this fun little gadget from my parentsWe have been needing a meat carving fork for so long!  And it really came in handy Sunday night when I needed to carve up the pot roast!

Coffee-Braised Pot Roast Was Marvellous!!! I have never made a pot roast, let alone roasted meat in a slow cooker.  I followed this recipe and it turned out great!!  The only adjustment I made was to add a little ketchup (1tbs) to the gravy after I added the corn starch.  Served along side were some roasted root veggies and a side salad with a piece of bread to mop up the extra gravy.  I can’t wait for the sandwiches the left over meat is going to make this week!  Yes that is a wine stem creeping into the photo!

And how can I forget my first Marvellous Mug Cake!?

Dear Amanda, your recipes are FANTASTIC!  I want to try making it with mashed banana one day to see if it gets a more brownie like texture.  Although, I did like the light sponge that the original recipe produced!

Well, looking back the weekend wasn’t as bad as my brain was making it out to be.  Have a great Monday everyone!

Questions
1) What cheers you up when you are feeling down?

2) What is your ideal Friday night?

IT WAS A LATE NIGHT

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope the week treated everyone well 🙂  John and I were out at the Calgary flames hockey game last night and didn’t get home until late so I am just going to leave you with a photo from the game.

Random Question:

Do you have a favorite sports team?

Looking Forward

Well if the rest of the week continues like Monday did than the weekend will be here before we know it!  Time sure goes when you are busy with copious deadlines!  Keeping them all straight is starting to get difficult.  How was your Monday?  I hope your week is off to a great start.  As I am writing this I am listening to a song that makes me want to cut my ears off!  Valentine or Valentines day something… worse than nails on a chalk board!  And it turns out it was David Bowie….. interesting.

Well I thought it would be fun to write about what my non-work week is going to look like so far.

Monday

Made this for dinner!

Rather than chicken, I added shrimp.  Anyone else out there love Iowa Girl Eats?

Pick up some groceries and hit up MEC for some bike gear.  I am jealous of the States for having so many things we don’t have and would trade some of our stores for theirs, but NOT MEC!  That store takes a lot of this outdoorsy girls money.

Eat a snack and watch Breaking Bad followed by reading (the Hunger Games) and bed!

Tuesday

I kind of want to hit up a body attack class but that would mean me signing up at Goodlife.  It might happen…. If not, I do need to get to a mall to buy some clothes.  It is actually becoming a NEED rather than a want :S I also need to start organizing some of our legal/tax documents and appliance manuals

Eat a snack and watch Breaking Bad followed by some reading and bed (this becomes a theme)

Wednesday

Hit up a yoga class if my leg/IT/Hip flexor feels like it’s up to it.  If not I either want to finish the Hunger Games (AHHHHH SO SO GOOD) or catch up with a friend.

Thursday

FLAMES GAME!!!!!!  I was given a couple of tickets to the game on Thursday night against the Sharks.  Should be a really fun night!

Friday

I hope to have a massage booked.  If not I will plan something with friends!

Saturday and Sunday

The days are pretty open so far.  I know I want to make a slow cooker pot roast plus run some errands and I know there is talk of seeing a movie.

Questions:

1) Is there a particular song you can’t stand?

2) What are you most looking forward to this week?

HAPPY MONDAY MIMM 20/01/2014

Welcome to another beginning of the week!  How was your weekend?

Sorry I went a little MIA on Friday and over the weekend.  Unfortunately there was an event that occurred that had (has) me really down and just didn’t think it was respectful to try and sound happy go-lucky or anything along those lines.

But the weekend was fairly enjoyable, I am just shocked that it is over already 😦  And once again I took very few pictures… one day I will get into the habit.

So let’s jump into MIMM!  Thanks Katie!

Marvellous is… Getting my hair cut FINALLY!  It was getting a little ridiculously long, read half way down my back.  It is now at a very manageable shoulder length.  And get this, my hair stylist just did Paris Hilton’s hair for a show she was doing in Calgary!  How cool is that!?  He showed me the pics and everything 😀  I think the best one was of Paris (yes we are on a first name basis 😉 ) getting her hair done by one person, her make up by another, and her nails done all while typing with her other hand on her laptop.  I think that might the be ultimate in multi tasking.

Marvellous is… Date night with my man!  After I got my hair done Friday night, John and I headed out to the Coup for dinner.  It is a vegetarian place with some of the best food!  A review is likely on the books for tomorrow so I won’t give too much away, but we had a great night!

Marvellous is… Having two amazing friends over for dinner Saturday night.  We were finally able to have them over for dinner, after they have hosted countless a dinner.  John and I decided on a beer can chicken, roasted veggies, salad, and a Guinness cake.  I think it all turned out really well, we just need to get on top of our furniture/home decorating situation.

Marvellous was… Getting in a little gym time this morning followed by a lovely walk in the sun this afternoon.  We decided to head out to North Glenmore Park in Calgary, and what a great idea that was.  We had never been there and are glad we finally did.  The views of the mountains are incredible and it feels very woodsy in the middle of the city.

Marvellous was… having some great food over the last few days.  Pancakes, wraps, hot oatmeal, chicken, burgers… It was a delicious few days!

Marvellous are… These fabulous chewy granola bars that Amanda at Running with Spoons created!  I have a feeling that these aren’t going to last for long 😉

 

Marvellous is…Watching people become stronger and never giving up.  You know who you are 😉

Questions: 

1) What happened this weekend that you want to share?

2) How long do you go between hair cuts?

MIMM 12/01/2014

Well happy Monday everyone! Are you ready for another week? My weekend was pretty good but not fantastic as I am still getting over my ridiculous cold 😦 I decided to migrate from my throat to my nose plus a cough. The cough made things interesting on Sunday when we went to buy some fish. When it came to our turn to get what we wanted I started having a coughing attack and couldn’t even get out what I wanted to buy! Bah those are so annoying and only a cough drop helps, which I luckily had in my purse. Does anyone else get those attacks at the end of a cold? The rest of Sunday was spent napping, reading, and catching up on some tv. Unfortunately my for yo date had to be cancelled on account of my sickness 😦

But enough on the downer parts of the weekend and move onto what’s marvellous in my Monday (thanks Katie for hosting).

marvellous is…. Slow cooker Sunday!

I used this recipe from the foodnetwork and it turned out absolutely great plus it made a lunch for both of us today!

marvellous is…. Attending a good friends baby shower!
She is due in February and expecting a boy! It was so fun to watch her unwrap so many adorable little things for a baby boy! So e people had some really good ideas! And I found out that the second cousin of a friend I went to the shower with, invented the diaper genie! Haha how cold is that!? I don’t have much contact with babies but I know how much parents rave about those things!

marvellous is… The iPad mini john got me for Christmas! It had been so much fun and was a really amazing gift!

And finally marvellous is…. Having my parents over for homemade pizza dinner! As usual we had such a great night but neglected to take photos. And john did most of the cooking and everything was great!

Have a great Monday!

Questions
1) what is something marvellous in your Monday
2) when was the last time you were sick?
3) what are you looking forward to this week?