Snowed In with Chex Mix

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I’m backkkkkkk! I know, I’ve been failing at checking in everyday. I just can’t seem to stay healthy lately! Plus the foot of snow that got dumped on Springfield on Thursday and Friday kinda preoccupied me too. 🙂

IMG_2776 IMG_2779This was my cul de sac on Thursday night after I got home from work. Jazzercise was completely cancelled for the evening once the 4:30 pm teacher got stuck on the road while driving to the center! It took me a little over an hour to drive home….it usually takes 10 minutes. Needless to say, I was a stressed mess by the time I pulled into my garage. So I took Mac for a walk in the snow to calm down a bit.

IMG_2781 IMG_2777Bundled up pictures in the dark are always the best. But seriously, the beautiful stillness that comes with a snow storm put me back into a good mood fast.  I can’ t even explain the sense of calm that was around the city on Thursday night. There wasn’t a single car on the road, and it felt like we were in a winter wonderland all by ourselves. I love it!

I was wanting to make some hot dinner for Nick and I, and this is all we had in the fridge….

IMG_2767We were kinda in desperate need of groceries when the storm hit. Not good! But we made it by for the night at least.

I was so excited when I realized I had all the ingredients to make some Classic Chex mix!

IMG_2789YUM!! This classic recipe was always a Christmas staple around my parent’s house, and the smell of it always takes me back! I make the classic recipe where you bake the mix for an hour and stir it every 15 minutes. I’ve seen microwave recipes on Pinterest, but I don’t want to mess up the classic. It’s SO good!

IMG_2771I started by melting a stick of margarine in this large baking sheet in the oven.

IMG_2770 IMG_2772Then I mixed in the typical ingredients: Worchestshire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. And next comes all the yummy stuff!

IMG_2769 IMG_2773I stirred this up well, spread it out evenly, and set it to bake for an hour. The house smelled heavenly!

IMG_2783 IMG_2784The recipe I followed made a ton! And we are still eating on it. Not that it’s a bad thing.

IMG_2786After a night of eating and hibernating, I woke up to a wintery wonderland, and the snow was still coming down.

IMG_2795 IMG_2794This picture has a road in it….one that I would’ve had to travel on to work that day. I decided to just stay home with Mac. 🙂

IMG_2800I was lazy for a big chunk of the morning and had lots of coffee and cereal in front of the tv.

IMG_2792 IMG_2791And around noon, I started feeling pretty sick. I felt feverish and achy. Ugh. But I started on some antibiotics right away and ibuprofen, and have been feeling mostly okay since the meds kicked in. Why can’t I just stay healthy?! So I really lucked out that I stayed home from work due to the snow.

IMG_2801Mac was happy to stay in bed with me for the rest of the day. I snuggled with this little guy as much as he would tolerate!

IMG_2804Sleepy boy!!

Luckily, the Diva Dash 5K that was scheduled for Saturday morning was postponed, so we didn’t have to go run in the deep snow. By Saturday morning, the roads were still completely covered in ice and snow!

But we’ll recap the rest of my snowy weekend later. Nick and I are watching A Christmas Story tonight. I’m trying to get myself into the festive mood a little more! Have a great night!

Mac’s Snowy Spa Day

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Hey everyone! Are you loving the snow?! It sleeted most of the morning, but it is just the light, flaky stuff now.

photo(53)It’s pretty, but I’m not excited about the drive home!

Mac’s Spa Day

I started this morning out with a quick 3.5 mile run, before I got ready for my day – I had to drop Mac off at the groomer for his spa day!

photo(51)He was a hot mess in the car. He was cold/excited/nervous/completely freaked out that he got to leave for work with mommy. So I was trying to calm him down before I took him in.

image(12)Poor little guy. But he was a champ, and the ride home at lunchtime was much more fun! And now he looks gorgeous.

photo(52) image(13)That tongue picture is one of my favorites of all time. He’s too cute for words.

Now that Mac’s groom is done, I can focus on picking out outfits for Nick and I for our family photos on Saturday afternoon! If we are lucky, some of this snow will still be sticking around, and our photos will look extra festive for our Christmas cards!

Although, the downside of this weather is that my Diva Dash 5K may or may not get cancelled. I just know I can’t chance an injury with my first half marathon coming up in a little over a month. So let’s keep our fingers crossed that the roads are at least cleaned off for some weekend running. 🙂

I was supposed to teach 2 classes at Jazzercise tonight, but with the weather looking ‘oh so frightful’,  we already cancelled the late 6:45 pm class and the 5:40 class may be headed in the same direction. I think it’s a good night to get home, put on pajamas, and bake some cookies!

I hope you all stay safe and warm. See you later with some fun snow pics hopefully!

 

Return of Overnight Oats

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Hey party people! I hope you’ve had an awesome Wednesday Hump Day. Mine’s been busy busy busy, and I’m thankful to have tonight off from teaching to rest and clean my messy house!

But before we get into the fun stuff, I must share something with you.

photo(50)Sneezing dog!! I found this on BuzzFeed yesterday and almost immediately peed my pants. If I ever caught a photo of Mac like this, I’m pretty sure I would have to get it framed. Classic.

Morning Run + Return of Overnight Oats

I started out my day with a 6+ mile run that happens every Wednesday on my half-marathon training schedule. It was 50 degrees and HUMIDDD when I took off, and I was not loving it. My body has really grown accustomed to running in cold, dry air, so it’s hard for me to feel my best in anything warmer than 40 degrees. I never thought I would say that in a million years.

I made it to 6.6 miles in a little under 57 minutes. I wanted to push to 1 hour and/or 7 miles, but I was just done by around the 5 mile mark. Still better than nothing though, and I’ve been sore all day. Must’ve done some good! My calves and shins have been particularly sore lately, so I’m spending this evening in my awesome calf compression sleeves. I love these babies.

image(7)After my run, I quickly got ready for my day and grabbed my breakfast out of the fridge to bring along to the office.

photo(33)Doesn’t this look gross?! I made overnight oats last night with some frozen mixed berries, and it was basically terrible. I’m in desperate need of fresh groceries, but until that happens this weekend, I’ll be depending on some frozen fruit to get in my daily serving of healthy food. Ugh.

Diva Dash & Family Photos

Late this afternoon I started thinking about everything we have going on this weekend. It is going to be a busy one! But I’m okay with it – at least I get to sleep in my own bed and don’t have to travel. 🙂

Saturday morning is going to start with a long run of 11 miles before I head downtown to run a 5K with my girlfriends! Me and two of my gal pals are running in the Diva Dash in downtown Springfield. Neither of them are crazy/intense runners, so I’m hoping it will just be an easy and relaxed race. I may be totally wrong in doing my long run before the 5K, but I have afternoon plans and can’t shift my schedule around. So here’s to hoping I can keep up with my girlfriends!

Then later on Saturday, Nick, Mac, and I are having professional photos taken at a local park. I bought a Livingsocial deal for an hour-long photoshoot + photo holiday cards with Caradee Photography. The best photos that Nick and I have together look about like this…

photo(52)So we are in desperate need of some nice photos after 2 1/2 years together! It’s going to be freezing and possibly snowy, so I’m struggling to decide what we should wear. Such a hard decision!

I hope you all have fun weekends planned too. Springfield is forecasted to have lots of snow and ice starting tomorrow, so it’s quite possible that my plans will change. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t get too yucky!

Stay safe in the winter weather, and I will see you all tomorrow!