I recently watched this TED talk about trying something new for 30 days. I was inspired to do something like that, and since it's a whole new month, why not? Today is Day 1 of a "no candy, no chocolate" policy (I eat too much of both anyway). So far, so good. The key is to just skip that aisle at the grocery store completely. If I don't buy it, I won't eat it. I think that part will not take as much will power as resisting candy/chocolate at the office.
This policy doesn't include ice cream or frozen yogurt. I have to appease my sweet tooth some how. I went to FrozenYo again with Jennifer and got cheesecake/cookies and cream twist frozen yogurt with strawberry topping and mochi pieces. See? No candy or chocolate. A group of coworkers was already there enjoying their frozen yogurt. Those gift cards are being put to good use!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Jennifer's Baby Shower
...was a success. Even if there were some bumps along the road.
Anyway, we played some games and ate a ton of food. For anyone that has a party coming up and needs a cake idea, go to Whole Foods and order the strawberries and cream cake. It was just as awesome as people said it would be. It was ordered for another office baby shower at the beginning of February, but I didn't get to eat it because I was out sick. Several people reported to me the day after that the cake was awesome. Yep, it was. My favorite gift that Jennifer got was these onesies- Thing 1 and Thing 2.
If I should ever get tired of public health, I think I should go into event planning...
Song of the day: "Young Blood"- The Naked and Famous. Heard it at spin class last night.
- My phone beeped this morning. When I checked the incoming email, one was from Jennifer's boss, saying that she was sick and wasn't going to be able to make it. Great, super. One less person to help with picking food up and decorating and setting up.
- The 3 food trays (cheese, vegetable, fruit) were incredibly heavy. The fruit one buckled a little from the weight while in transit, causing some of the fruit juice to get on my coworker's cream colored pants.
Anyway, we played some games and ate a ton of food. For anyone that has a party coming up and needs a cake idea, go to Whole Foods and order the strawberries and cream cake. It was just as awesome as people said it would be. It was ordered for another office baby shower at the beginning of February, but I didn't get to eat it because I was out sick. Several people reported to me the day after that the cake was awesome. Yep, it was. My favorite gift that Jennifer got was these onesies- Thing 1 and Thing 2.
If I should ever get tired of public health, I think I should go into event planning...
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Baby Shower Prep
I had a very productive morning today. I was able to mail off my cable bill, get flowers for my office mate to celebrate her birthday, AND drop off baby shower items off in the main building. All before 8:30 AM. I was so proud of myself. I wasn't sure how my arms and shoulders would be feeling this morning, but I'm feeling lots better.
At the office: The office has been very generous to us today. I found a $10 gift card to FrozenYo in my mailbox this morning, so of course, I had to cash in on it. I went over there for an afternoon break and got some cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt with Heath Bar and mochi toppings. Yum yum.
Baby shower prep: We are holding a baby shower at the office tomorrow for my former office mate, Jennifer. Because I had some free time this afternoon, I volunteered to do it. It was nice that we had enough diapers for two cakes because she's having twin girls. I fortunately had some pink ribbon in my craft room to use for decorating the diaper cake. For anyone that wants to do a diaper cake in the future, I got the instructions from this website. I can't take all the credit. One of the new girls from Communications walked by and asked me if I needed any help. Yep, here are some diapers and rubber bands, have at it! I can't wait to see Jennifer's expression when she sees all the presents and decorations. And I'm so glad that the office let me be crafty at work and utilize my other talents, other than planning and managing conference calls.
At the office: The office has been very generous to us today. I found a $10 gift card to FrozenYo in my mailbox this morning, so of course, I had to cash in on it. I went over there for an afternoon break and got some cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt with Heath Bar and mochi toppings. Yum yum.
Baby shower prep: We are holding a baby shower at the office tomorrow for my former office mate, Jennifer. Because I had some free time this afternoon, I volunteered to do it. It was nice that we had enough diapers for two cakes because she's having twin girls. I fortunately had some pink ribbon in my craft room to use for decorating the diaper cake. For anyone that wants to do a diaper cake in the future, I got the instructions from this website. I can't take all the credit. One of the new girls from Communications walked by and asked me if I needed any help. Yep, here are some diapers and rubber bands, have at it! I can't wait to see Jennifer's expression when she sees all the presents and decorations. And I'm so glad that the office let me be crafty at work and utilize my other talents, other than planning and managing conference calls.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
Taking Mobility for Granted
Post-CrossFit: Recovery from Saturday's CrossFit class continues. My legs are feeling much better, but my arms. Ugh. It hurts to raise them. I have to grit my teeth while putting on a hoodie and tying my hair up in a ponytail. These are normally very simple tasks, but now I know what it's like when it's not so easy and not to take mobility for granted. Thank goodness for IcyHot.
Books: Since I couldn't really do much last night, I finished The Hunger Games. I'm glad that I was able to finish it a) so that I could give it back to Jennifer at the office and b) when I go see the movie, I'll know what's going on. I put the second and third books on hold at the library, but then found out that I'm like #200+ in line. Maybe I should go back and get The Help while I wait for my turn to come up.
Here's a picture of RJ stretching out while watching TV with me.
Books: Since I couldn't really do much last night, I finished The Hunger Games. I'm glad that I was able to finish it a) so that I could give it back to Jennifer at the office and b) when I go see the movie, I'll know what's going on. I put the second and third books on hold at the library, but then found out that I'm like #200+ in line. Maybe I should go back and get The Help while I wait for my turn to come up.
Here's a picture of RJ stretching out while watching TV with me.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Charlottesville Recap
I decided to take last Friday off work to visit my sister in Charlottesville, VA. Not too long after I got into town, she took me on a short tour of where she does her research and went to lunch with some of her friends at a local deli. For dinner, there were a bunch of prospective students visiting, and they were all going to a Balkan restaurant in town. I tagged along and put my meal on a separate bill. The restaurant already had a predetermined menu prepared for us. For the main course, I chose the chicken paprikash, which was like a chicken, onion, and carrot stew. Check out that very nice dessert tray below! After dinner, we went back to Julie's apartment and watched Captain America on DVD.
Saturday started out with a trip to the grocery store and then an intro CrossFit class that Julie had been interested in trying. Oh, man. It was TOUGH, even though I go to spin class 4-5 times a week. The instructor gave us an overview of CrossFit and then walked us through a few exercises. The last exercise was doing as many burpees you could in 7 minutes. I ran out of gas halfway through, but pushed forward until the end. I ended up with 47 burpees in 7 minutes (that's the number that I have to beat, just in case I ever want to put myself through that torture again). My shoulder and thighs were really sore after class and even this morning. Whew! It's really apparent that I need to work on my strength training.
After CrossFit, we went to get Thai food for lunch, took a break, went shopping, and got Indian food for dinner (butter chicken, naan and chana masala). It was really good. (So good, that I decided I didn't have enough Indian food, so I ordered the same thing for dinner tonight from an Indian restaurant nearby.) We watched Mission: Impossible: III until it was time for bed. Then that brings us to today, where during breakfast, Julie opened her birthday presents and helped me pack up my stuff so that I could get on the road.
Mom and Dad were nice enough to keep on eye on the house and more importantly, RJ. They both reported that RJ was very cuddly when they came to check on him. I came home to a very furry pillow on my bed, so I'm pretty sure that's where he spent most of his time while I was away. When I walked into my office, I was pleasantly surprised that my mom hung up my undergraduate and graduate diplomas (she framed them for my birthday). All this time, they've been rolled up in their cardboard tubes. I had been waiting to get a place of my own before I hung them up, and now that I do have a place of my own, I feel like my craft room is officially finished. Hooray!
Saturday started out with a trip to the grocery store and then an intro CrossFit class that Julie had been interested in trying. Oh, man. It was TOUGH, even though I go to spin class 4-5 times a week. The instructor gave us an overview of CrossFit and then walked us through a few exercises. The last exercise was doing as many burpees you could in 7 minutes. I ran out of gas halfway through, but pushed forward until the end. I ended up with 47 burpees in 7 minutes (that's the number that I have to beat, just in case I ever want to put myself through that torture again). My shoulder and thighs were really sore after class and even this morning. Whew! It's really apparent that I need to work on my strength training.
After CrossFit, we went to get Thai food for lunch, took a break, went shopping, and got Indian food for dinner (butter chicken, naan and chana masala). It was really good. (So good, that I decided I didn't have enough Indian food, so I ordered the same thing for dinner tonight from an Indian restaurant nearby.) We watched Mission: Impossible: III until it was time for bed. Then that brings us to today, where during breakfast, Julie opened her birthday presents and helped me pack up my stuff so that I could get on the road.
Mom and Dad were nice enough to keep on eye on the house and more importantly, RJ. They both reported that RJ was very cuddly when they came to check on him. I came home to a very furry pillow on my bed, so I'm pretty sure that's where he spent most of his time while I was away. When I walked into my office, I was pleasantly surprised that my mom hung up my undergraduate and graduate diplomas (she framed them for my birthday). All this time, they've been rolled up in their cardboard tubes. I had been waiting to get a place of my own before I hung them up, and now that I do have a place of my own, I feel like my craft room is officially finished. Hooray!
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
CPS #253
Card: Here's my take on CPS #253. I wanted to use some of the new items that I bought this past weekend. I picked out an American Crafts paper flower and some brads for some dimension and sparkle.
Nail Polish: I painted my nails last night with the nail polish that I got over the weekend with a coupon. This is 3 coats of Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Yellow Kitty. Eh, I think it's okay. It's been 24 hours and it's already started chipping at the tips. In full disclosure, I didn't put a top coat on this manicure, so that's probably contributing to the chipping.
Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China
Paper: American Crafts- Abode
Stamp: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment)
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Floral Doily Motifs
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch
Brads: American Crafts- Medium Jewel Brads (Earth Tones), American Crafts- Mini Jewel Brads (White)
Other: Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker, American Crafts Delights (Party Favor)
Nail Polish: I painted my nails last night with the nail polish that I got over the weekend with a coupon. This is 3 coats of Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Yellow Kitty. Eh, I think it's okay. It's been 24 hours and it's already started chipping at the tips. In full disclosure, I didn't put a top coat on this manicure, so that's probably contributing to the chipping.
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Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal. Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China
Paper: American Crafts- Abode
Stamp: The Paper Company Studio- Greetings (sentiment)
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Floral Doily Motifs
Punch: We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch
Brads: American Crafts- Medium Jewel Brads (Earth Tones), American Crafts- Mini Jewel Brads (White)
Other: Brown Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker, American Crafts Delights (Party Favor)
Monday, February 20, 2012
50 Card Order
Yay for federal holidays and days off!
I woke up around the regular time and started working on the 50-card order that I got from Human Resources (they have the Executive Director write a message and send these out to staff on their start-date anniversary). Assignment: 50 anniversary cards. 35 for women and 15 for men. I was able to complete the order today. I'm going to be really happy to hand the box of cards over tomorrow.
One of my breaks today was to do a load of laundry. I'm not really sure what RJ's trying to convey in this picture. I thought of a few captions.
I woke up around the regular time and started working on the 50-card order that I got from Human Resources (they have the Executive Director write a message and send these out to staff on their start-date anniversary). Assignment: 50 anniversary cards. 35 for women and 15 for men. I was able to complete the order today. I'm going to be really happy to hand the box of cards over tomorrow.
One of my breaks today was to do a load of laundry. I'm not really sure what RJ's trying to convey in this picture. I thought of a few captions.
- I'm the king of the world!
- I'm doing my Prince and the Pea impression.
- Oh, hai! I'm just replacing all the fur that you're washing away right now.
The other break was going to another Tuesday Morning (3rd one in 2 days, eek). My paper haul, a more in depth look at the card order and some tips for making cards in mass production will be in a video tomorrow. I need to edit it. Now for Hunger Games and bedtime!
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