Weekly Recap: 4/26-4/28

Tuesday I lifted weights again but did a lot less reps so I wouldn’t suffer in pain a few days later. I was still slightly sore but nothing like last week.

Wednesday after work we went to Savers since they had all short-sleeved shirts and tank tops on sale 50% off. I know, I just cleaned out my closet. But I love getting new clothes and Savers is the absolute cheapest way to get my fix in without spending any money. Unfortunately neither of us found squat. Even if it’s only $2 I’m not buying something unless I absolutely love it.

Thursday was Jazz Night at E’s high school. Unbeknownst to us we arrived late because the information on the school’s website was wrong and we didn’t have the tickets since E had purchased them on our behalf. When I checked the site last week it showed the event from 7-9 pm. Then Joe checked the site earlier in the week and it said 6:30-8:30 and mentioned how dinner would be provided. I was trying to figure out the logistics of that since the location was listed as their little theater which doesn’t have any tables, plus a half hour to eat is rather short.

We arrived about 6:15 and noticed the parking lot was already packed which was odd because people don’t usually arrive to these things early. Turns out the event started at 6 pm and it wasn’t in the theater at all, but in the cafeteria. A lot of the food was picked over by then and most tables were occupied, so we sat with E’s mother and grandparents. Not that it was a bad thing. His grandparents in particular are very welcoming and just nice people overall. His mom and I aren’t exactly pals, but she was cordial and even showed me where the bathroom was when I needed a quick break so what could have been an awkward situation wasn’t. What was bad was those hard plastic cafeteria seats. They aren’t designed to be sat in for over two hours. My butt hurt was so sore afterwards! Only one more event left (which is next week, in fact) and we won’t be seeing the inside of that high school ever again.

Weekend Recap: 4/22-4/25

Friday we took my car for an emissions test and then to the DMV for the renewal license plate sticker. Mine expires in May and Joe’s in June and we were able to get his sticker too even though technically his car required an emissions test first as well but the woman at the DMV said the new rule doesn’t take effect until June. The emissions guy made what he thought was a joke about the saftey of the town we were in compared to Hegewisch. That was interesting since a) most people don’t even know where Hegewisch is (I do since I grew up there) and 2) it’s not a dangerous area. SMH

Saturday I spent the day watching a backlog of shows on our DVR and cancelling some of our series recordings because we truly are cancelling cable soon. We’re just waiting for the Stanley Cup playoffs to end first. We are probably switching to WOW for internet and possibly basic cable since it’s only $10 more which should save us at least $40 since we’re paying $99 for cable/internet from Comcast at the moment. Plus WOW doesn’t have a data cap like Comcast does and we’ll be streaming more often so that’s a plus. The only thing we’re not sure about is how we’d keep our home security with Comcast if we don’t have their internet as it works through their router. WOW doesn’t offer home security.

Sunday we used a previously purchased Groupon to attend the Chicago Pet Show in Oak Lawn. What a complete and total disappointment. There were barely any actual animals there (for instance – there was a sugar glider rescue that didn’t actually have any sugar gliders with them) and I’d say the ratio of non-pet related booths to pet booths was 1:1. No less than three different booths bugged us about home improvement stuff as we strolled by. And they wouldn’t just take “I’m not interested” for an answer until Joe said “we don’t own our home”. That really left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like being pestered to buy stuff, let alone siding when I’m at a pet expo! Needless to say we were there less than a half hour before leaving. Never again! I’m just glad we didn’t pay anything out of pocket or I would have really been pissed. The admission was regularly $7 per person which is a total rip-off for what was there. I felt sorry for the families I saw going inside knowing they’d probably be very disappointed.

After the pet crap we went to the nearby mall to walk around a bit and collect points on our Shopkick app. Then we went to the arboretum to eat the lunch we packed.

Once we got home I decided to declutter the hall closet a little. I went through my candle and marble stuff and filled a box full of things I’m going to sell or donate. I finally opened the label maker I purchased a year ago and labeled all the storage boxes left in the closet so I know what’s in them with a quick glance. I also realized I still have way too many old Yankee Candle votives so I brought some downstairs to use up. I freed up a box for my camera lenses so I can keep them all together and easily accessible.

Today (Monday) I tackled some items I’ve had on my list for awhile, including cleaning out my car (the backseat and trunk were very disorganized), filing some paperwork, and going through my closet to get rid of more clothing. There were more than a few shirts I haven’t worn in years yet I continue to hang onto for unknown reasons. I tried them all on and decided if they don’t fit well now I should get rid of them. In addition to the clothing, I’m getting rid of a few Ipsy makeup bags I didn’t like and three board games that were fun but we no longer play – Trivial Pursuit Nickelodeon Edition, Beat The Parents, and Scene It Jr.

Weekly Recap: 04/19-04/21

Thought you’d like to know that the homemade pizza we made on Monday came out awesome. We tried to make a copycat version of MOD Pizza‘s Lucy Sunshine which has garlic and artichokes with dollops of red sauce. While ours wasn’t an exact replica, it was yummy enough that we’d definitely make it again. It cost approximately $7 to make and was larger than the 11″ pizza MOD sells for almost $8.

The work week was rather uneventful other than how positively sore I was on Thursday from weight lifting on Monday. I really didn’t think I pushed myself that hard so I was surprised how much my triceps were hurting. They didn’t bother me too much on Tuesday or Wednesday so that came as a shock. They hurt pretty bad on Friday too and finally started feeling normal again on Saturday.

Weekend Recap: 04/15-04/18

Happy Tax Day! Hope you remembered to file them on time. In the past when we were owed a refund we’d be all over it but we waited until mid March since we had to pay. Still waiting to get our money back from Illinois, however. Not surprised they are taking so long either. SMH at this state.

Friday after the Cubs game we stopped at Chipotle to pick up dinner. We used the coupons they sent us in the mail so the total for two burrito bowls plus chips & salsa was $7 which was covered by a Chipotle gift card. Shortly after eating we drove down to see Joe’s son in a music competition at his school.

Saturday morning we did a little shopping at Target and since we have $50 of credit on our Starbucks card thanks to Groupons (gotta love the $10 of credit for only $5 offers) we stopped for a little treat too. Joe had a coffee and I tried one of their shaken iced teas since it was 10% off in the Cartwheel app.

Green Tea with Lemonade

I chose the green tea with lemonade flavor in the smallest size possible since I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Turns out it was delicious! But $3? Come on. Seems pretty steep (pun intended) for half a glass of tea since the rest was ice.

A little rant – Target needs to get their shit together with their signage. See this little gem?

Target Sign

Guess what? NONE of the Lays chips they sell fall within those size parameters. Luckily I decided to check the Cartwheel app and the size range was different than the sign posted because I was getting very frustrated thinking they’d offer 40% off non-existent chips. Sheesh.

When we got back from the store I wrapped Brother #1’s birthday gifts while doing some laundry.

20160416_183229000_iOS

20160416_183835000_iOS

Yes, my brother is turning 37 next week, what of it? LOL. We also got him a shelf from IKEA to store his overflowing DVDs and video games that were piling up on his bedroom floor due to lack of storage.

We arrived at my parents’ house around 5:30 pm. Brother #2 was already there and Joe put the shelf together while my brothers played video games. It didn’t take long because IKEA makes it simple and you don’t even need more than a hammer which is nice. Once Brother #2’s girlfriend arrived we had dinner which was Dominos pizza, meatloaf, mashed potatos, mac & cheese and some other stuff. We played some games my mom put together where the prizes were $1 bills and lotto scratchers. She’s really into that lately.

After dinner we played Cards Against Humanity and then had cake.

Cake

My brother wanted a purple theme but the pink & purple letters look girlier than the cake my mom had for my birthday!

At some point prior to the CAH Brother #2 brought out glow bracelets and the one he was shaking up had a hole in it so blue glow particles ended up everywhere on the floor, his shirt, and the table. Luckily the cake was covered or it would have been ruined!

We brought our Bears cornhole set with us at Brother #2’s request but didn’t get around to playing since Brother #1 isn’t into it and it didn’t seem right to play something he wasn’t going to participate in at his birthday party.

We ended up staying until a little after 11 pm because that hour drive home is a bitch.

Sunday we went to a craft show at Lisle High School where we ended up paying $14 for this soy candle.

Aloe Candle

It smells soooo good though and it burns for 60 hours so I don’t think it’s too bad. The woman makes them in her kitchen so I didn’t mind spending a little money to help someone with their own business.

We also grabbed two steak tacos (one for each of us) from a booth set up at the show from a place called Taco Diner. I’m always worried about trying a new place since good steak tacos are hard to come by but these were delicious. They had the perfect flavor, no fatty/chewy pieces, and the tacos were stuffed with meat so they were very filling. We took them outside and sat enjoying the nice day. When we were finished we walked around the park that borders the high school.

On the way home we drove through the arboretum to see how the trees are coming along. I want to make sure to catch them in bloom but they haven’t started flowering yet.

We made sure to get home before 2 pm so Joe could watch the Hawks game. I worked out on the elliptical a little and then installed a game on my iPad. I’m completely addicted to Disney’s Tsum Tsum game. Joe alerted me to its existence on Saturday and I haven’t been able to get enough of it. Since you only earn one game play every 15 minutes I had to install it on my iPad so I can play it more often. Puzzle games always get me and this one is super cute on top of it.

Today we went to Cosley Zoo in the morning just so we could enjoy the nice weather. It was way more crowded than I expected for 10:30 am on a Monday. The main parking lot was full and there was only one spot left in the secondary lot. I took a lot of photos and we just sat at one of the tables people-watching. By 11:30 it was half as busy as before so note to self – go closer to lunchtime during the week.

Coyote
More Cosley Zoo photos here

On the way home we stopped to get some food for the meals Joe plans to make this week. I must say, I’ve adapted quite well to him being home. I don’t even miss my alone time as much as I thought I would and I like not having to worry about cooking and cleaning. It’s going to be a rude awakening for yours truly once he goes back to work.

I joined Joe for his weight lifting today and my arms are sore even though I didn’t do much. I wanted to add weights to my routine since all I’ve been doing is cardio, plus right now it’s difficult to go on the elliptical because it’s too warm in the house. Loving this time of year where we don’t have to run the heat or air conditioning, though!

Now I have to get going – we’re making homemade pizza for dinner.

Cubs Game

A vendor at work was offering free tickets and parking pass to see The Cubs play yesterday. Since it was a weekday game no one else at work showed much interest so I got two tickets as did a coworker of mine. I’m not really a Cubs fan (go White Sox!) but I’m not passing up an opportunity for a nice day out for free either.

Our parking pass was for the Irving lot which is, predictably, off Irving Park Rd approximately four blocks away from Wrigley Field. It’s actually a narrow lot that sits directly underneath the L tracks. There’s porta potties in the lot too which was helpful since we needed to go and didn’t want to hold it until we reached the stadium.

We stopped at a food stand called Byron’s – Joe got a jumbo dog, I got a cheeseburger, and we shared an order of fries. It was just under $13 for everything and we stuck the bag of food in Joe’s backpack along with the three bottles of water we brought along.

Wrigley Field
Not our gate (which as K), but a different view of the stadium than we’re used to seeing

Security at the gate consisted of someone checking bags and then walking through a metal detector. As I always say about most security at venues, it’s an illusion. The girl didn’t look so thoroughly enough that someone couldn’t sneak a weapon inside. As Joe noted, she didn’t check underneath the water bottles, and the bags go into a bin outside the metal detector, so someone could easily sneak a gun inside. It’s an illusion of security and nothing more.

I’m glad they don’t prohibit bringing in your own food and snacks, though. We knew the factory sealed water bottles would be ok, but we weren’t sure about the food since their site doesn’t say it’s allowed, yet it’s not on their list of prohibited items either.

Once we found our seats (the view wasn’t that impressive unfortunately), we chowed down on our food.

Cubs Game
Just some random people sitting in front of us

My coworker showed up after the game had started with a friend of his who seemed nice, if not a bit drunk and talkative. They weren’t there long before they disappeared for two innings. They came back armed with many beers and food but only stuck around for half an inning before leaving.

Unlike our last Cubs game 12 years ago, it wasn’t quite as cold outside. I wasn’t taking any chances, however, and wore my Cuddlduds under my jeans, brought my winter jacket, and packed my lavaseat (heated seat), a scarf, and a knitted cap with me. I also had my gloves and some hand warmers too. At first I felt silly with all that gear because the sun was quite warm, but just before the game our section became all shade and that made a huge difference. By the time we left during the 7th inning we were both pretty cold (and my heated seat cushion had cooled off even though it’s supposed to last six hours but was more like four).

In all it was a nice little outing that only cost us $13 in food and whatever the price of gas was so I can’t complain.

Ironically enough, they played the same exact team as last time – the Colorado Rockies – only this time they lost 4-1.