Relaxing but Productive Weekend Shannies

It was a lovely but relaxing weekend. Definitely a lot slower than the fun filled weekends we have had lately. I suppose every once in a while we need to slow down though, right? Especially since Marq is in show prep - only 6 more weeks until we are a normal couple again! This blog entry is pretty much just random tidbit's and lots of pictures about nothing.

Friday, when the work day was done, per usual, I hit the gym for some good cardio and yoga. My body needed that yoga too. Stretching is essential when you work out regularly. After, I got some goodies at Ulta:

I received an awesome free gift from Lancome for my powder purchase!

Friday night Marquis and I saw "Insidious 2". It was really good and SO scary. I am a horror movie junkie, and I definitely recommend you see it if you are into that like I am!

What better way to see a movie than tickets for a free drink and popcorn?! Score!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early. Marquis and I both had different errands to run so we left the house and went our separate ways around 9 AM. I was off to get my awful roots colored and a hair cut then I went to the mall to find new gym shoes. I got a killer deal on two pairs of Nike shoes. I was so excited. They definitely added a "pep to my step" and I was ready to go to the gym to try my pink pair out.

That did the trick. I had a great work out. After the gym I had a few more errands to run then it was finally time to go home. When I got home I cleaned up a bit then decided to take a bubble bath. Marquis arrived home from training around 7PM and was exhausted. Thus we decided to stay in. 

I gave myself a home pedicure

and then we picked up a pizza and "Cloud Atlas" from Redbox. The pizza was delicious but we only lasted 10 minutes into "Cloud Atlas". It was awful.

This morning Marquis and I were woken up by Marty. He decided to turn into crack head mode and had us up at 5:30. He was running around all over the place, meowing, scratching the bed... I don't know what was wrong with him. Around 7:30 we were tired of it, so we decided to go ahead and get the day started. Marq took me to "Dunkin Donuts" for the first time; I have never been! We had coffee and a Pumpkin Spice muffin. After breakfast we went to get groceries, Wal-Mart, and a local produce stand.

I have a slight addiction to squash!

New litter box for Marty. He makes a horrendous mess with the his regular one so we decided to try out this new kind on the market. It uses pellets instead of regular litter. I hope it isn't a waste of money!

Tonight we are grilling steak and squash, and watching "Now You See Me"

How was your weekend?

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End of Summer Celebrations!

What an awesome, fun weekend it was!

Friday night when the clock struck 5 PM, I was off of work to start my normal routine; gym. I did cardio followed by yoga, then went home. Marquis arrived shortly after me and told me to get changed because he was taking me downtown for dinner, drinks, and live music - my favorite! We live in a suburb of south Charlotte called Waxhaw, and it is so beautiful. It's rapidly growing, safe, very classy, and upscale, and I just love it. The "downtown" area reminds me of an old western town. It's very small, but packed with local restaurants and pubs, shopping, ice-cream, hardware stores, and more. Downtown was even having horse and carriage rides.

We stared at this little hole in the wall, listened to bluegrass, and drank Fireballs. 

After being there for a while we went into Charlotte at a pool hall that Marquis worked security for a long time ago. More live music, drinks, karaoke, and good food there. And um, Marquis got pretty drunk! It was very entertaining!

We went to bed around 2 on Saturday morning and ended up waking up at 9:30. That's late for us, we are usually up around 8:30. Not to my surprise, Marquis felt horrible. From enduring 14 hours of training in the gym in 4 days, then a night of drinking, he was exhausted. We spent most of the day just hanging out around the house and relaxing.

So did Marty.

Finally later in the afternoon he was feeling better. We got creative in the kitchen and baked from scratch his mother's fruited oatmeal cookies for the "End of Summer" luau. They were amazing!

We then showered and made ourselves presentable and it was off the luau. The cookies were a total hit. I will admit, Marquis did most of the baking. I handed him ingredients and cleaned, but he did all of the good stuff. At the luau we had the most delicious BBQ and drinks. As always, it was such a fun night.

Sunday we woke up and had breakfast outside on the porch and enjoyed the beautiful morning. We then took the dogs to the dog park. I had to snap this picture of Dottie trying to get a lizard from a tree and Charlie watching. Typical.

We took the dogs back then had to get some errands done. One of our stops was Old Navy. I was able to get 2 PJ sets, a pair of work out pants, an adorable pair of flip flops, and Marq a pair of flip flops all for $52. I love a good deal.

Since Marquis felt so good about the cookies and how well they turned out, he wanted to bake AGAIN. So it was back for round two! This time he made (I helped some!) a cherry pie, all from scratch. Another one of his mother's recipes (She passed in 2008). And I believe this one will be another hit. We are giving it to friends since we can't really have any right now. Want a slice?

The rest of the evening was spent making a delicious squash dinner and watching "Bar Rescue". And now another Monday is upon us, let's make it count!

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It was like someone dumped Hawaii in NC!

What an awesome weekend!

Friday:

I completely jinxed myself talking about what a fabulous week I had! Work was in-FREAKING-sane and by the time the clock struck 5 PM, I was a zombie walking out of the door. I pushed through cardio at the gym then received a call that a company was coming over to wash and detail my car!

Now that is how it is done.

After, my car was beautiful again, Marq & relaxed with Champs and chocolate raisins, and we watched one of the best movies I have seen in a long time; "42".

Saturday:

Marq and I rose early to bake the red velvet brownies from Pintrest that I posted about on Friday. We were baking them for a luau birthday party. We had all of the shit ton ingredients that it required and got to work. We were pouring the batter in the pans for it to cook, and we decided to taste it to see how we did. 

Well something was so wrong. It did not taste good. We checked through everything and figured out that our canola oil expired in 2010. Like wow. 2010. Really?

Since we had used up some of the ingredients and I was ready to throw up in the flag, we just decided to go back to the grocery get boxed brownies, and call it a day.

However, we did make them our own. We added caramel and peanut butter throughout the batter and topped it with chocolate chips. They were a hit and everyone loved them.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the gym, cleaning, and prepping food for the week. Then it was time to get ready. Since we were going to a luau, I decided for big blonde curls and a fun purple smokey eye. I felt like a tropical blonde!

Below is our friend Will's house. He has turned his back yard into a Hawiian oasis. The pictures do not do it justice. It is absolutely incredible! It is like someone dropped Hawaii in North Carolina.

We had the best time drinking Spirte and peach vodkas and dancing to beach music.I was so buzzed. I met an awesome girl named Selena and these older chicks there were eating Marquis up. Since he's getting really buffed up for his upcoming bodybuilding shows, he looks more cut and veiny than usual. These ladies were drooling over it. Personally I thought it was hot. I'm the one going home with him so those girls can touch and drool all they want. 

We left around 12:30, sang "Girl's Just Want To Have Fun" completely out of tune, and picked up Steak & Shake. Then I passed out before I could even enjoy it. We haven't let loose like that in a while so it was deserved. They are having another luau in two weeks. Ill be there with bells on!

Sunday:

Today has been wonderful. It has been a bright and sunny day and the most perfect temperature. Marquis and I slept in until about 9:30. We had breakfast outside, went for a walk, then took the dogs to the dog park. 

Now I'm gearing up for Catfish and the VMA's. I can't wait to see my girl, Ms. Gaga perform. I even made a new snack to have during the show. They are whole wheat dough balls rolled in fat free butter spray and extra light olive oil and topped with garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Yum!

I hope everyone had a great weekend - join up and share your weekend Shannies and join all of the link up's!

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Rainy Weekends are Made for Shopping and Redbox

Friday:

The day actually went by fairly quickly. That rarely happens, especially on a Friday.

After work I had an awesome work out. Squats, weights, and cardio.

Since it was a rainy, cool day, it had me longing for Fall.

I decided to get some Pumpkin Spice ale. Perfect way to unwind after a long, busy week, right?

Unfortunately, it tasted like tree bark.

I did make homemade cheese kale chips and those were awesome.

Saturday:

It rained and rained and rained.

I started off with a run on the tredmill upstairs then Marquis and I spent the day out shopping. We went to SO many different places and spent two hours alone in the mall. We shopped for a total of 7 hours.

One of our many stops was Clinique. It's free gift time, my favorite. If there is a Belk near you, get to it soon so you can get a free gift as well.  I refilled on my face wash with my hot mess oily skin (seriously, I could fuel a car) and my Silvery Moon lipstick. Best $33 spent the whole day.

After Marq and I were both aching, we decided to pick up dinner and Redbox. Seriously, instead of working out at the gym, I should just spend days shopping - my legs were KILLING me after. I was exhausted. Talk about "shop until you drop".

We rented "The Host" and "Die Hard" and enjoyed popcorn with fun flavors to top it with. Those toppings are God's gift to dieters. I put them on chicken, veggies, eggs - anything. "The Host" was an awful movie. It was a bore and we only made it through 40 minutes of it. I was disappointed. "Die Hard" was good, as always. Lots of good action, humor, and twists. It is definitely worth a rent.

Sunday:

This morning I started off watching one of the best movies of all damn time, Scarface. I was feeling pretty bad ass after it so I hit the gym for spin class then weights. Then I was off to my Sunday Funday routine; grocery shopping, cleaning, and food prep. 

I have really switched up my eating this week and I could not be more excited! I am pretty simple when it comes to food. I try to always eat healthy (I splurge 2-3 meals a week) so it can get expensive if I want to make different things for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and my in between snacks (I eat 5 small meals a day). I pick one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner, and my two snacks, and that is what I have for the week. I have been pretty regular over the past 4-5 weeks, basically sticking with the same things over and over so I am glad I finally ventured out. 

My thinking bulb was extra bright on ideas!

Nutrition and Fitness Plan; Week of August 18th 2013

Nutrition:

Meal 1: Spinach egg white wrap. (Spinach wrap with three egg whites, turkey bacon bites, and fresh spinach.)

Meal 2: Peanut Butter Protein Shake (1 scoop banana creme protein, 2 tablespoon Natural PB, and 1 cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Meal 3: Mexican Mix with a side of steamed veggies. (Extra lean ground turkey, low sodium taco seasoning, fat free refried beans and black beans all mixed together)

Meal 4: Oats and strawberries. (1/2 cup of oats mixed with frozen strawberries and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)

Meal 5: Veggie Flatbread Pizza with a side of homemade Kale chips. (100 calorie whole wheat Flatbread topped with grated zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and low fat feta)

Fitness:

• Sunday: 45 minute spin class + full upper body weight circuit (done)
• Monday: 20 minutes of lateral cardio + 45 minute spin class
• Tuesday: 15 minutes of later cardio, full upper body weight circuit, 10 minutes on the Elliptical
• Wednesday: Same workout as Monday
• Thursday: 10 minutes on the StairMaster, full upper body weight circuit, 15 minutes of lateral cardio
• Friday: 20 minutes of lateral cardio, full leg work out, 10 minutes on the Elliptical
• Saturday: OFF day or optional 45 minute run/walk at home tredmill

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Weekend Shannies: Crafting Curse

Hola pretties, I hope you're all having a fantastic Sunday. Hot, dry, and humid here. I'm having a relaxing Sunday so before I pop open my wine, I wanted to write about the weekend that has been ensuing.

Friday:

I felt crafty.

That never happens.

I decided in my mind, that Friday night I wanted to get all domestic and wifey like and make a fun craft for the house. I was told to look on Pintrest ideas.

I have never been on Pintrest.

I looked and looked and looked. But could not find anything.

On my lunch hour since WalMart is near, I thought I would just venture there and make up my own damn craft. I'm not very crafty but I AM creative.

WalMart was a bust. Nothing. I remember them having a huge arts and crafts section when I was younger, but the super WalMart I was in had nothing.

I thought "Well since I am here I will at least print pictures of Marq and I. (I knew I wanted my craft to do with pictures)

Well, I couldn't print my pictures. WalMart's photo section does not support the IPhone 5.

Cool.

I called Marq all discouraged like and he just said "Well tonight we will just go to Garden Ridge".

Perfect idea babe.

So, I went back to work and ended up working late. On a Friday. Awesome.

I made myself push through 30 minutes of cardio after, too.

I got home around 6:30 and accidentally fell asleep. I was so tired.

Marquis gets home from the gym at 7 and wakes me up. I was exhausted but I really wanted to get crafty tonight! I changed clothes anyway and went to Garden Ridge.

I love that store. We were in there an hour and half just looking at all of the Halloween decor, pictures, vases, everything. Well, finally I was getting impatient and just wanted to look at the crafts so could go.

However, we couldn't find them.

I finally found a cashier and she informed that "a long time ago" they got rid of their entire craft section.

Really.

Weird, especially because right under their huge "Garden Ridge" sign outside of their store, "crafts" is on the tagline.

Oh well. We picked up Subway, caught up on "The Bridge", and called it a night.

But I did get super cute fake candles.

Boo-yah.

Saturday:

Arose from the dead around 8:30.

I had bunches of errands to run. One of my stops was "Aldi". Does anyone else get groceries there? I love that place! I bought three big ass, plump, ripe, delicious looking zucchini's (seriously, their huge) for only $1.99. And a bottle of Chardonnay for $2.89. AND the cashier said "I'm sorry, I have to card you. I can't believe you're over 21". Then when she saw I was 24 she couldn't believe it.

That totally made my day. Maybe I should go makeup free more often ;-)

Not.

I hit the gym for cardio and weights after my shopping then prepped food and cleaned.

Saturday night, babylove and I went to dinner and the movies.

We had a hot dog at the cutest little dinner called "Hwy 55" and the delicious brownie Sundae pictured below. Topped with my favorite strawberry syrup, of course.

This little place was soo adorable. I am OBSESSED with older "retro" type stuff (See fiance, ha! I kid, I kid) so this diner had me all happy and smiley. I loved the interior, the booths, the floor pattern, oh and they had pictures of Marilyn everywhere.

After that we saw "Elysium". It was a pretty good movie. It was different and action packed, but something I would not see again. But still a good movie.

Sunday:

Today has been relaxing and oh how I have enjoyed it after working so much and so hard lately. Marquis is in full blown show prep too, so he is barely getting by these days. The gym takes 90% of his energy. We are enjoying a day at home.

I at least went upstairs to run on the tredmill, that has to count for something.

We had good intentions. We wanted to go to the dog park, but it is miserable hot today. You know those bug things that make noise when it's really hot? They sound miserable. They are in full effect and LOUD. It's dry, humid, and too freaking hot in NC.

So, I have been watching movies.

1) The Day The Earth Stood Still (LOVE!)

2) 2012. I never watched it before, but I loved this one too. However, I'm glad I watched in 2013. If I had watched that in 2009 when it came out, my ass would have moved to China to get a ticket to get on that big ark. It was SUCH a good movie though!

3) Now I'm watching "Never Been Kissed". I'm trying to get the most out of my HBO subscription before I cancel it, since True Blood ends in like 2-3 weeks :(

*Lots of awesome Monday link-up's going on today! Be sure to check out my party page; link up, view new blogs and your already favorites!*

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