Christmas 2012

I hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas and Happy Holiday! 

We traveled the whole state of Kentucky and Ohio, and even through in a visit to Nashville all within 5 days. Busy busy holiday for us! Now it's time to relax and hang out at home for a few days!

On Saturday, we went down to Glasgow to see Ben's family. Ben had just got back from traveling for work LATE Friday night. Poor thing wasn't even home 12 hours before we got on the road Saturday morning. 

Ben's family went to the Western Kentucky - Louisville basketball game in Nashville, so we decided to go and spend the day in Nashville as well. We went to the hospital to visit Ben's family friend who had a bad accident in early December. Luckily, he is doing much better and gets to go home Monday!!!

Sunday, we celebrated Christmas with Ben's side of the family. We went to church and then had "Christmas" lunch. 

 

Perry liked to help everyone open their gifts. And use the ribbons for a bow!

After opening gifts, we went to get some drinks with some friends who were also in town!

Monday morning, we got up early and came back to Lexington to unpack from Glasgow, and pack for Columbus. Quick trip home, and back in the car!

We got to my sisters in time to change and get ready for Christmas Eve dinner at my aunts house! 

  

My sweet little niece was the gift passer outer :) 

Quick picture with the little Elf :)

Annual Sissy antler pic 

Daddio

Mom and I <3

My Uncle had 100 year old bourbon. Obviously a hit with the men in the family!

My sister framed an art piece of mine from 2nd grade! Such a cool gift! 

Family Pic!

We had a great time spending Christmas Eve at my Aunt's house!

Next, it was time for all of the Christmas day activities. 

We woke up early and went to mass. Ben survived Christmas service at the catholic church :)

 Attempted a family picture with Perry, ha!

It was a busy busy day and weekend/week, but we had lots of fun and I'm so glad we were able to spend time with both families! 

Ben drove back Christmas night because he had to work on Wednesday. My mom and I were planning on leaving WEdnesday morning to hit the outlets and Ikea in Cincinnati, and then back to Lexington. Then the snow storm that was supposed to hit changed over to an ICE storm, followed by more snow. The roads were AWFUL so we delayed our departure back to Lexington by one more day. I was perfectly okay with this because it meant I could go to my favorite restaurant, Figlio!

Early birthday drink and gluten free Chicken Diablo. I couldn't ask for a better birthday dinner 3 days early :) 

We left early Thursday morning to head back to Lexington. 

The roads were only bad in Columbus (and getting out of my sisters driveway/alley)! Then once we hit the Interstate, the roads were perfectly clear. Shew, what a trip!

We had a GREAT Christmas but I'm so glad we are back home now and can unpack and unwind :)

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!!!

It's Christmas Time!

I can't believe Christmas is already here!

This year has flown by. 

We had Christmas parties the past two weekends and finally Christmas festivities with family this weekend. Where has December gone?!

Our last day of school was on Tuesday and it was a crazy busy, and fun-filled day! I love seeing the kids so happy when they open their gifts and have holiday parties with their classmates. Not to mention,  how much I loved just seeing their sparkling eyes Monday morning after the horrific events in Connecticut. Makes you appreciate all the little moments in the classroom... 

I have spent the last two days running errands ALL over Lexington doing some last minute Christmas shopping. I LOVE getting gifts for others, but sometimes the stress wears me out of whether or not they will like the gifts!!! That's when I end up going out to buy a gift card. Anyone else love getting gift cards to places you know they will use- like Starbucks! I mean who wouldn't love a Starbucks gift card?!

While I've been busy shopping, Perry's been at daycare. They gave me this picture yesterday when I picked him up and I about died. How precious is this?!?!

(I'm not quite sure where his ears are... ha!)

Beats our picture we had with Santa last weekend... 

I woke up this morning and took Perry out and realized it FINALLY snowed AND was sticking to the ground. I love when it snows, and what a great way to kick off Christmas weekend :)

Our Christmas festivities start tomorrow morning, so I'm off to finish wrapping gifts and meet some friends for a lunch date. My other favorite thing about breaks from school - lunch dates!!! 

Time to Make a Planner Decision....

I am so indecisive. 

I STILL cannot decide what planner to get for next year. 

With only 29 days left in the year, I should probably figure this out asap, huh?! 

Back in July, I was debating between the EC Life Planner and my beloved Mom Agenda myAgenda. And what do you know... I STILL haven't made up my mind! 

I LOVE my current planner - myAgenda. I've had a myAgenda for 2 1/2 years now. 

But I REALLY want to get the Erin Condren Life Planner. It's so darn cute and practical. I love how you can personalize it, I love that it comes with stickers, I love that there's a pocket for all of your junk (which is a big plus for me because I ALWAYS through papers/envelopes/receipts/etc. into my planner)!! The only downfall... spending so much money on a planner. AND during the Christmas season, ahhhh. Anyone have an Erin Condren code out there they want to share? It should would help ease the pain of spending so much on a darn planner!

And how cute is their video?!

But I have a system with myAgenda now. I love that you have the day to write things like appointments, and then 4 slots underneath. 

And then i've been throwing around the idea of cheap and convenient and running to a local store to pick up the Lilly Pulitzer Planner. I had this planner three years ago when I was still in college and loved it. 

Why is this such a hard decision?!!? I struggle with this decision every time my current planner comes to an end. I've always had such a hard time choosing a planner. I was the same way in high school, haha! 

Help me decide!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I can't believe tomorrow is already Thanksgiving!!

I'm ready for some turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie!! Mmmm

My mom has been uber excited to try Gluten Free recipes this year. She has been looking up GF Thanksgiving recipes since September. Not even kidding...

We have enjoyed our mini vacation in Charleston the past few days. 

Here are some pictures from our trip to the beach this afternoon. We FINALLY had a warm, sunny day to enjoy Charleston. 

When we got to Charleston on Saturday, mom surprised me with Pumpkin yogurt. I've been looking for this at the TJ's in Lexington for weeks! So good!!!

 Mr. Perry's been super cuddly lately. Love. 

I'm loving the Christmas decorations and Palm Trees at Towne Centre!

Now we're off to dinner and to watch the UK game against Morehead State tonight. 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! 

WILW

Wow... 

It's been forever since I've posted. 

I finally have a minute or two to relax, so I figured a post was necessary!

What I'm loving this Wednesday..... 

I'm loving that Thanksgiving is ONE week away! 

via

I'm loving (and VERY thankful) that I have a garage and I don't have to scrape windows on these frosty mornings!

I'm loving a new drink at Starbucks -- Skinny Caramel Macchiato. Seriously, I've had it 3 times in the past week.  AND enjoying this drink in a lovely red cup. 

I'm loving the cooler weather.. Dare I say that? Yikes, with my luck the weather will turn ridiculously cold. 

Finally, I'm loving the new Studio Shape workout posted on mybarre3! Love these workouts when I need to get a quick workout in and don't have time to head to Pure Barre or BarreAmped. 

I'm also loving that I am finally running again. And I say that loosely. Meaning, I ran once last week. But it was a great run! Must start training for a half-marathon next year. If I don't make myself train for a future run, i'll never get out there and run! Eeek...

What are you loving on this lovely Wednesday? 

Perfect Fall Recipe

I recently saw Jill post something about a "skinny chili" recipe from Skinny Taste. 

I figured with the cooler weather, it would be the perfect weekend to throw everything in the crockpot and try this recipe!

I am so glad that I did. 

It is AMAZING!

And easy, too! Which is perfect for my crazy schedule during the week. 

You just throw everything into the crock pot, and then put the chicken on top. With about 30 minutes left, you take the chicken out and shred it. 

I cheated and had some jalapeño tortilla chips with my soup today at lunch. AH-MAZING!

Here's the link to the Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili 

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
 Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g  • Protein: 16.9 g

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: 

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points).

Let me know if you have any delicious fall recipes you recommend. Or other Skinny Taste recipes you love :)

Hope everyone has a great first week of October!!

Happy Fall!

Today is the first day of fall!

Although it has felt like fall the past 2 weeks with the cooler weather, it's now officially the end of summer. 

We started the morning by visiting the farmers market downtown. 

I love supporting local farmers, so we always stock up on veggies (and sometimes fruit!) on Saturday mornings. 

We bought all of this (minus the 2 bananas) for under $20!! Supports local farmers AND it's usually cheaper than going to the grocery. Win-win for everyone :) 

Ben made Habanero Squash soup today. It was delic! And very spicy, ha!

I'm breaking out my favorite fall candle 

and 

baking some delicious gluten free pumpkin muffins tomorrow. 

We're off to Oktoberfest at church tonight. It's perfect weather to put jeans and a sweater on for the night. 

How are you bringing in Fall?

Have a great weekend! 

Weekends are too short

Why do the weekends always fly by?!

We had a nice relaxing night on Friday. Ben and I went to Harry's for lunch and I had my fav....chicken mini's!! Mmmm. 

After dinner, we went to get some staples for tailgating on Saturday! 

Which reminds me... I haven't shown you the most recent purchase!

Meet the creepy white UK van!!!

Yes, this is serious. 

Ben and his buddies bought this van a few weeks ago. 

It. Is. AWESOME!! And it even came with everything you need-two grills, tables, flags, CATS megaphone and this awesome Wildcat!!!

It is perfect for what we are going to use it for--tailgating! UK games and Keeneland of course. 

It has been so much fun (and work!) getting ready for tailgates, but I love having everything we need in the van! 

Perry even made an appearance at the tailgate for a few hours :) 

I made Gina's Skinny Spinach dip. It was delic. I'm hoping for some cooler weather next home game so I can another hot dip. 

Tailgating Saturday was fun. The game.... not so much. We need a new coach ASAP!

Hope you all had a great weekend!