Rock Climbing & Peanut Butter Icecream!

so...today the whole family and Dustin went Rock Climbing! It was super fun!
Not to mention a ridiculously good arm workout! ;)

I was like SpiderWoman! I had a blast, but I did manage to accumulate some battle scars as well... that's what happens when you are tough... or just clumsy and run into the walls as you are propelling back down ;)

After rock climbing, we ate dinner at Mellow Mushroom. I got the House Calzone which had Mushrooms, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese. OMG! SO GOOD!!!

When we got back home, I had a craving for some icecream. Dustin always puts a spoonful of peanut butter on his icecream so I decided to give it a whirl and boy am I glad I did!!! It was sooooooo good!!!
Thanks for the new habit, D! :)

PUBLIX!!!!!!!

Dustin asked me to go grocery shopping with him to help him get on the healthy train. Of course I said yes in a heartbeat! We headed out and he said they had a Publix! I loveeeeeeee loveeeeeeeee Publix brand yogurt. They have the most unique and delicious flavors, so I HAD to snag a few to take home with me! I was so excited! He kinda looked at me like I was crazy, but that's typical...haha I am a little crazy, but that's what makes me unique and he likes that too! :)

so...what did you think I was gonna have for breakfast this morning?
If you guessed Publix yogurt, you were RIGHT!
I had the Caramel Creme flavor with some granola on top and an apple on the side.

After breakfast and some strength training, I headed to pick up Myrtle and her friend. We got our nails done! What a fun memory! I decided to get a FUNKY color and I boy did I!!! The girls thought it was awesome and it even glowed when I put my hands under the black light thing for drying afterwards.

After I did some cardio at the gym, I cleaned my house. Ahhh man I always feel so good after I clean!

Afterwards, I had a late lunch and decided to have breakfast for lunch!
1. Turkey & Swiss Omelette
2. Toast...one with Strawberry Preserves and one with Blueberry Preserves
3. Oatmeal
YUM YUM!

Tonight, I'm babysitting.
Tomorrow my family and Dustin are going rock climbing!
YAY!

This has been such a fun summer!

Skinny Crisps Review

Skinny Crisps Low Carb & Gluten Free Gourmet Crackers

Skinny Crisps was kind enough to send me some samples of their crackers to try and review.

A little bit about Skinny Crisps:
They are a nutritious. cracker that combines great taste with gluten free ingredients and one half a net carb per cracker. They are high in fiber and have little effect on blood sugar levels.
Visit the website here: www.skinnycrisps.com

Here is my rankings in order from my most favorite to least favorite...

Cinnamon
10/10
These tasted like dessert! They were super tasty! YUM!

Say Cheese
10/10
These had a similarity to Cheese-Its. They were yummy.

Plain Jane
10/10
I compare these to Wheat Thins. These were good by themselves, but if you wanted to eat them with peanut butter or cheese they would be perfect for that!

Toasty Onion
10/10
I love onions so I thought these had a unique flavor for a cracker! YUM!

Seeded
7/10
These weren't bad, but they definitely needed something to go with it. They were too plain by themselves.

White Sesame
7/10
These weren't bad, but they definitely needed something to go with it. They were too plain by themselves.

Brownie Crisps
My boyfriend tried these for me, since I don't eat chocolate.
3/10
He tried some of the other flavors after and said they were good, but brownie just wasn't his favorite.

:)

I love that these crackers tasted so good, but I love even more that they are super healthy for you!

Thank you Skinny Crisps for letting me try your delicious crackers!

3 Things Wednesday...

I've been super busy lately, so this post will be short and sweet!


I finally got to try the new Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad.
YUMMY!
Strawberries+Blueberries+Chicken=Can't go wrong!

Robbie & Myrtle's family gave me 140 books to start my library for my future classroom! I am SO incredibly grateful!

Little Blake loves to tackle me, and I just happened to snap one of them on camera! HAHA!

Going home with Dustin to meet the family!!!!!!

This past week Dustin took me home to meet his family! It was such an awesome week! I love his whole family! They were so kind and made me feel right at home!

Here's some pics...

In the car on our way...Beau was a little jealous that I got the front seat! haha

The first day, we hung out at the house, played some card games, went out to lunch, went bowling, and then church at night. Dustin led the singing. He did a WONDERFUL job. It just made my heart smile to see him leading the church! :)

Thursday, we went to Kings Island. It was a blast! I LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS!!! My new favorite ride there is called Fire Hawk. I didn't hold on the entire ride...I felt like superman!

This is D's sister, Staci, and her boyfriend, Landon! So fun to hangout with!

He thinks he is funny...

Staci and I

This ride was crazy fun! I think it was called Invertigo.

On Friday, we hung out at the house, and went to the Cinncinnati Red's game that evening. Yes, I have officially converted to being a Red's fan! Sorry Daddy! After the game, they had fireworks! That was cool!

Yeah, he has to put up with my craziness! But, he likes it! ;)

I just got done eating a DELICIOUS Watermelon Chill. It was really tasty!

Saturday, we just hung out at the house and played all kinds of games...Catch Phrase, Pictionary, Blurt, cards, and watched a movie. It was great just to hangout and cut up with each other. I just fit right in. I was getting teased, and I was teasing them, it was great!

On Sunday, we went to church. His dad is the pastor. I really enjoyed visiting their church. His dad was actually really nice and mentioned that they enjoyed having me visit this week and that I was a nice girl with good Christian principles! That sure made me feel good! :)

I knew I would have a good time, but this trip FAR EXCEEDED my expectations! I had such a good time, and I actually started crying after we were on the road for a few minutes. I am gonna miss them! But, Dustin was really sweet and comforted me and let me know that wouldn't be the last time I would be there!

:)

Myloplex Lite Bars Review

Myloplex Lite Bars

Anna at EAS was kind enough to send me two flavors of their Myloplex Lite Bars.

Cinnamon Roll Crisp
and
Peanut Caramel Crisp

Since I don't like chocolate, I shared the Peanut Caramel Crisp with Dustin, my parents, and friends.

I gave D the bar before I went upstairs to get something and by the time I came back down, the bar was gone! Clearly he didn't like it at all..hahaha He LOVED it!

My friend Katie said it was yummy and filling!

10/10 for Peanut Caramel Crisp.
**********************************************************
Now, onto MY FAVORITE...
Cinnamon Roll Crisp!

11/10!
YUM YUM YUM!
I am a huge fan of cinnamon rolls, but don't like eating them all the time because they are not exactly the best food to eat. But, omg, this bar tasted SO GOOD! It definitely satisfied my craving for a big gooey cinnamon roll, but without all the bad stuff!
:)
WIN WIN!

These bars have 15 grams of protein! They help refuel and build lean muscle. How awesome is that?

Please check out their Facebook page (http://facebook.com/easbrand) where they're currently donating money to the Semper Fi Fund for views of our Unstoppable Tour and purchases in
our online store.

One more thing: there is a free product coupon at
http://eas.com/tourcoupon


HOPE YOU GET A CHANCE TO TRY THESE AWESOME BARS!!
:)

Pizza & Puppets

I took my last two Praxis tests on Saturday. I am so glad to have those over with...now I just have to wait and see what score I made on them. They will be posted in about a month.

After my tests, I was MORE THAN READY to get out and do something active.

D and I went HIKING!
It was a very nice hike...lasted about 50 minutes or so. Although, we did stop to take some pics..of course!


Funny story behind this next one...RIGHT before we took this pic, D thought it would be funny to scare the crap outta me...he took a stick and pricked it on my leg under the bench we were sitting on. HAHA! I was extremely startled! He thinks he's slick... ;)


Afterwards, we cleaned up and then, my parents came over to my house and brought pizza and a movie. Everybody was hatin' on my FAVORITE pizza - Mushroom & Onion. YUM!
They stuck with the classic, pepperoni, sausage, blah blah.
I am unique and will continue to love Mushroom & Onion pizza no matter HOW MUCH I AM PICKED ON!!!



Now, onto the puppets...
I watched Myrt this morning while Robbie had his golf tournament.

Tell me...What's your favorite kind of pizza?

Cheese on my mind...

I am a member of the the ALL YOU Magazine Reality Checkers, which sends coupons, freebies, and asks your opinion on things every now and then. I got an email telling about a contest to create a recipe with Borden's new Singles Sensations Cheeses. The winner gets $1000! They even sent a coupon for a free package of their new cheese so we could create the recipe. I jumped at this chance!

I chose the 3 Cheese Italiano flavor. Which combines Provolone, Asiago, and Parmesan cheese together. I decided to try for the healthy recipe and make something that a lot of people would never try! So, what did I send in?

...

Yup! You guessed it! My cheesy jam sandwich! But, I got a little creative with the recipe title when I sent it in... I present to you...

Cheesy Jam Grand Slam


I highly doubt I will win, but hey, I got a free package of DELICIOUS cheese (which you need to try by the way) and had a fun time participating in something new!
:)


Since I clearly love cheese, I have to share another snack that I love that is EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY to make...

All you need is TWO THINGS.
1. some kind of tortilla/wrap
2. Laughing Cow Cheese


Just spread the cheese all over.
My favorite flavor is the Garlic & Herb.

Yes, I cut it to make it look like a pizza.
It's more fun to eat that way!
:)


What is your favorite recipe/snack with CHEEEEEEEEEESE?

Pool time & Praxis tests

Today I got to watch these little rascals at the pool today.
I am so blessed to have them in my life!

Robbie was not cooperating at first...he always has to put up a fight when I want to take a pic...but obviously, I won! haha

See, I got somewhat of a decent pose, at least for Robbie it is!

Now, I am stuck studying for the final two Praxis exams I have to take this Saturday.

I passed my first two, so I am more than ready to get these last two OVER WITH! I'll just be one step closer to becoming a teacher!!!
:)

Stayin' hydrated...

When I'm playing outside all day with the kiddos, proper hydration is a must!!!

Gatorade for him, and Powerade Zero for her.

I drank that AND a Vitamin Water Zero in one afternoon!

It's also important to stay hydrated during tough workouts...like this one I did today:
20 min on the stairmill
15 min of treadmill sprints (I ran one min, walked one min, etc)
10 easy min on the elliptical to cool down.
It was tough, but an excellent workout! I like shaking things up every now and then!
:)


I am literally 5 different shades of tan right now. HAHA!
I have a razerback tan from my workout tops that I play outside with the kids in, and different lines where my bathing suit is when we go swimming.
But, I am NOT complaining at all...
I LOVES SUMMERTIME!!!!!!!
(and weird tan lines!)

How is your summer going?

Sombreros and Self Esteem

Last night, I went to dinner with Steph and Katie. We just wanted to catch up on life since it has been a while since we've been able to get together. Well, Steph's birthday was the day before, so as Katie and I were sitting at our booth waiting for her to get there, I thought "Oh my gosh, we should totally get them to sing to her!" and as I was trying to wave the waiter down, I saw Steph walking up...but don't worry, I successfully told him without her knowing! I'm so smoooooooooth. ;)

Well, after we were done eating we just sat around talking for a while, and out of NOWHERE this accordian thing made this horrendous noise RIGHT by Steph's ear. We all JUMPED and started laughing. Then, to make things even better, our waiter tried to SPOON FEED Steph the Icecream and Flan that they brought her...but was UNSUCCESSFUL. He missed her mouth and rubbed it on her chin!!! I could NOT stop laughing. Neither could Steph! She kept laughing and said "Thank you" like 5 times...and he still kept rubbing it on her chin until she grabbed her napkin and wiped it off. It was the funniest thing ever! ohhhhh good times!!!
***********************************************************

Now, I wanted to just share with you all what I read in my devotional this morning.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"
1 Corinthians 6:19

I know we all have our days of feeling down about ourselves and I am definitely guilty of this too. It seems like the female body is constantly being measured. But, as Christians, our bodies do not belong to us. Christ lives IN us, so we should respect who we are without letting the world get us down!

NO AMOUNT OF PLASTIC SURGERY OR BOTOX CAN GIVE US THE INNER BEAUTY THAT GLOWS FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST!

I am so thankful for God's unconditional love! He is so amazing and loves us no matter what we look like OR what we do!


Challenge: Look in the mirror and say one thing that you love about yourself. SMILE! :)

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Lindsay for winning the Celsius Fitness Drink Giveaway!
Her entry was chosen from random.org.

"Lindsay@LivingLindsay said...

I would have to go with the Green Tea Raspberry Acai - love green tea, love raspberry :)"

Be sure to send me your info so your prize will be on it's way!

:)

Salad Sunday!

After church today, I went over to my friend Ashley's house to catch up on life. We have missed each other so much, so it was GREAT to finally be able to hangout.

Ashley is an awesome cook and made us a DELICIOUS spread for lunch!
She made some chicken, and had all the salad fixins you could imagine.
Fresh strawberries, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and fresh spinach leaves.
She also made a side fruit salad with apples, strawberries, and oranges, but she added lime & lemon juice and sprinkled cinnamon on top, and OH MY! IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD! It's crazy how just a few simple ingredients can really turn regular fruit into something extraordinary!

After we had our gab fest, I went to my parents house to snag some coupons from their paper. (gotta love that! ;) don't worry, they look through them before I take my turn!)

Then, I watched a little tv with mom and dad. Afterwards, I enjoyed a lovely walk with my daddy around the neighborhood. Gotta love daddy-daughter bonding!

What a wonderful Sunday!
:)


Here's a video from last night. Always have fun hanging out with Chandler!

Do you have a special Sunday afternoon tradition?

Summertimeeeeeeee

So, I've been babysitting like crazy and I LOVE it!
It's so much fun, but it also gives me some money, which is great!
(Especially since I have to pay for my new car now!)

This was a new little baby I watched. His name is Timothy. He was kinda sick and fussy, so I danced around with him to some slow country songs and he stopped being fussy!
I also had to start singing and dancing when the fast songs played, and I looked over and he was trying to copy me! How cute!
:)

Had to get some recent pics with my little Myrtle and Robbie of course!
********************************************************

There is just something about a man in a baseball uniform! He looked SO cute!

Last night, I finally got to cheer Dustin on at his softball games. His team didn't win, but he got a triple and some good solid line drives each time at bat! He also made an awesome catch at shortstop. I was so proud of him!

I can't help but smile the ENTIRE time I am with him. I am so lucky that God put him in my life. He is the sweetest guy ever! He is so much fun to be around! We love to goof off and no matter what we're doing, we have a great time! But, he also has a serious side too...and he REALLY made me feel better the other day when I just wasn't feeling good about myself. He listens to me and encourages me!

Oh, and did I mention that he PLAYED THE GUITAR and SANG to me?????!!!!????
I have NEVER been sang to before in my life and OMG, it was hands down the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. It made my heart smile!

I packed a snacky dinner that was ballfield worthy. YUM!

• Turkey&Swiss Wrap on an Italian Herb Flat Out
• Whales Crackers (so addicting and delicious!)
• PB&Jelly Protein Bar!

What's your favorite thing to eat at the ballfield?