Month: March 2015

Corned Beef Monday

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Even though I got my butt out of bed before 8 am this morning the day still flew by. I worked out, cleaned, made breakfast muffins, and put corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot since I wouldn’t have time to cook it tomorrow due to work. It came out really good too! I used to think I hated corned beef and cabbage but it turns out I just don’t like how restaurants prepare it. Mine was so moist and delicious! I told Joe I’m happy to make it more frequently than once a year. I also painted my nails glitter green to celebrate the holiday tomorrow.

When we were out yesterday we stopped at CVS so I could grab a great deal on lip gloss – it was a one day deal for $3.00 off the $3.88 sale price so after tax it was only $1.20. I’m turning into such a girly girl lately.

We also stopped at the library where I grabbed some books and CDs. The plan was to relax and read this afternoon but I didn’t get much time for that between my brother messaging me online to complain about my family and my mom on the phone complaining about everyone too (at the same time, no less). Due to getting a poor night’s sleep last night they were really getting under my skin. Actually, it was more my mom than my brother, simply because I find her so stubborn and have to bite my tongue to avoid starting an argument. Because really, what’s the point when she’s not going to listen to reason anyway? Sorry for the vagueness of this, but I don’t have the time, nor the inclination, to get into the details.

Suffice it to say, once I was off the phone I was in a foul mood that didn’t dissipate for another two hours. Ugh! I did get a little reading in but not as much as I would have liked. Joe is at a work dinner tonight, however, so I plan to go upstairs shortly so I can read so more before bed.

New Neighbors

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When we got home yesterday there were people moving into the place next door. Our old neighbors abruptly moved out about a month ago and there had been a steady stream of people checking out the place ever since. We’re still not entirely sure who has moved in, but based on our snooping from behind the blinds it looks to be a couple with a small child (a girl, actually, based on the purple & pink children’s furniture they were moving in).

Also, based on the fact that someone was home all day today but I didn’t once hear or see them, I’m guessing their are neither smokers or dog owners. Perhaps we’ve finally won the neighbor lottery!

Now if they could start using their garage at some point I’d be thrilled. Right now they are parking both cars in the driveway and using the front door which makes a lot of noise due to the shared wall. I’m hoping it’s only temporary until they can organize their stuff and make room for their vehicles. What’s the point of a two car garage if you only fill it with junk? Trust me, we have a ton of stuff and we still manage to fit both vehicles in our garage. We rarely use the front door. I think I open it more to retrieve packages than to go in and out of the house.

Beautiful Sunday

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Yesterday we decided to take advantage of Jamba Juice’s BOGO coupon and then head over the arboretum to drive around.

Panorama of Pines

From there we visited Willowbrook Wildlife Center so I could see Dot and Dash, the resident rats, as well as some other interesting animals they keep inside, including this turtle who wanted his portrait taken.

Turtle

We also walked the portion of the trail that wasn’t still squishy from all the snow melting, and then headed over to Cosley Zoo where the fox showed me what he thought of my picture-taking.

Red Fox

While there I also got another frog to add to my growing collection (the all red one in the back).

Frog Collection

Right now they sit on top of my computer tower, but I’m planning to put up some shelves over my computer desk to display them along with a few other collectibles I have.

Shop Til You Drop

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Today was a busy errand-filled day.

Aldi – Bought oats for the rats.

Savers – Donated the jeans I no longer wear.

Jeans

Kohl’s – Went to look for a new bra, but couldn’t find any I liked. I did buy three new long-sleeved shirts which were on sale for only $4.80 each. I made sure to get some colors I don’t otherwise own too.

Payless – Went looking for white sandals and actually found some I like. They were on sale for $25 (normally $30) and I had a 20% off coupon so they were only $20. I checked their return policy which is 90 days. That gives me time to wear them around the house and determine if they really are comfortable. I have this problem where most sandals tend to cause irritation on the back of my foot and rub the skin raw, but I am not giving up finding a good pair since I have a bunch of cute summer outfits that only look nice with white shoes.

WhiteSandal

Lenscrafters – I wanted to look at frames but their selection was kinda crappy so we walked through the mall to Visionworks. They have a huge selection, but I still didn’t see anything I was truly interested in. My head/face is so small that the kids frames fit best, but the downside to that is the actual glass is smaller which tends to drive me nuts. Is it any wonder why I still wear my super old ugly big round glasses around the house? I think not. I hate shopping for glasses, so I’m procrastinating on it even though I want new ones.

Bank – Had to cash the $5 rebate check that the bank app refused to scan.

Meijer – Picked up some corned beef and cabbage so I can make it in the crockpot on Monday (which we will actually be eating on Tuesday). They also had a nice deal on the Reese’s peanut butter eggs – buy five get five free. They came out to $0.39 each which is cheaper than buying them in a six pack for $3 at Target.

Vitamin Shoppe – I bought a huge bottle of magnesium even though I still have some since they sent me a 20% off coupon. I won’t need to buy anymore of that for like a year now!

Michael’s – I wanted to get some St. Patrick’s Day decorations but they didn’t have any. They barely even had Easter decor which was surprising. Interestingly enough, they had a whole display of jewelry organizers and I’ve been wanting to buy a jewelry tree for awhile. The problem was I couldn’t find any I liked. I was contemplating ordering a $20 one from Amazon but wasn’t entirely sold on it so I was so happy to find one at Michael’s. It was $10 and with my 40% off coupon it was $6 total. It’s nothing fancy, but I like it. It’s on top of the dresser now, but the mirror behind it was making it hard to take a decent photo. I plan on rotating what I keep on there based on the season and what I want to remember to wear.

Jewelry-Tree

Dollar Tree – I figured maybe they’d have some St. Patrick’s Day decor, and they did, but it all sucked. I ended up getting a fleece blanket for the rats and some household items.

Target – I wanted to get this cute fabric cube and some face soap that was on sale, plus we got some groceries.

FabricCube

We were so pooped after all that running around that we treated ourselves to lunch at Noodles & Company since we had a BOGO coupon.

Fun Weekend

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Last weekend we went to the movies to see Hot Tub Time Machine 2 which was just ok. This weekend it was Kingsman: The Secret Service. What’s funny is how I’m always looking more forward to seeing the comedy but it’s the action film I end up liking. I hadn’t even heard of the Kingsman movie before but Joe and E wanted to see it and I’m glad we did. It had some really cool fighting scenes and the music was awesome. Once the library gets the soundtrack I plan on borrowing it.

Saturday evening we went over to my parents’ for dinner and to play Apples to Apples.

Apples to Apples

Brother # 1 and I agreed later on that it doesn’t hold a candle to Cards Against Humanity. Maybe if I had never played the latter before I would have enjoyed Apples to Apples more but I felt like it was pretty weak in comparison. But I really don’t want to play Cards Against Humanity with E. Brother # 1 was trying to make a case since E is now 17 and has probably played the game before with his friends but it still would make me uncomfortable. Even though he’s not my kid biologically, I still see him as a child I need to protect. Plus Brother # 1 takes vulgarity to a whole ‘nother level and often lacks a filter. I don’t want E to be fully exposed to that at his age. Maybe when he’s 21 or something, haha.

It was a fun night, though, and we left around 11 pm. With the hour drive home and the time change for Daylight Savings we didn’t get to bed until 1 am. Yikes! As a result we only got about five hours of sleep so Sunday after we did some grocery shopping we just relaxed and watched tv the rest of the day.

Today I decided to try a new crockpot recipe and am making stuffed cabbage. I’ll link to it later if it comes out good.