Tag Archives: Mac

Snowed In with Chex Mix

Daily Life!, , , , ,

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!

Out with the Fall, in with Christmas!

Daily Life!,

Happy Friday, ya’ll! It’s a been a beautiful day here in Springfield. Temps are mild. The sun is shining. And Nick is headed off to deer camp. So I’m pumped to start this weekend of alone-time that is hopefully full of productiveness!

My first item on the agenda? Fall decor must come down. All of it.

photo(119)Yes, my Fall decorations have served my house well. But it’s time for the switchover. Mac is the most excited for this event.

christmasdoggieIt’s Santy Paws! This is what happened last year while I was decorating. And yes, it will probably happen again this year. I know exactly where his Santa Clause outfit is, and I will be bringing it out of storage as soon as I get home this evening.

So I must warn you.. I’m one of those crazy people that completely overdoes the Christmas decorating. So my house will look a little like this…

mantle 6And this.

christmas-2011-bossov-sapp-mcgee-seven-hills-033Also this.

3080787745_b033e5393a_nAnd last but not least, the tacky awesome inflatables that people tend to pull out at this time of year.

christmas-decoration-overkillOH yes, that just happened.

Okay, I’m obviously joking. I would never let my house turn into this. Just google image search ‘Christmas decorations overkill’ and tell me if they don’t make you chuckle just a bit. Some people be crazy with their Christmas decorations. But I’m not one of the crazies.

Tonight, I’ll be focused on figuring out where my tree will go and then rearranging the furniture to make everything fit. I would love to get my Fall decor put away and the tree up before bedtime! We’ll see if it actually happens. I’m also in the mood to bake, so these two things may not work well together. Baking will most likely win – I’m craving chocolate. 🙂

Today has been normal for the most part. I ran 3.25 miles this morning in 40 degree temps. I felt naked without my gloves and ear warmer on! I was glad to not have them on though. I would’ve been too toasty. And then after work tonight, I have the whole evening free! WOO! I’ll try to be as productive as possible, so I’ll have some good decor to share with you all.

Along with decorating, my mom and I are going to do some Christmas shopping tomorrow. It should make for a fun day! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well. See you all later!

11 Miles and Christmas Sweaters

Daily Life!, Running, , , ,

Hey gang! Happy Sunday evening! It’s been a great weekend around here, and I hope yours was just as swell!

Friday evening kicked off with teaching a Jazzercise class before Nick and I headed off to a Taco Party at my boss’s house. Our whole department was invited, and we had a great time! We arrived extra late because of my class, so I didn’t get to take any photos, but the homemade tacos were out of this world! Nick and I both ate our fill and chatted for about an hour before we headed home for the night.

11 Miles

Saturday morning began somewhat early (I let myself sleep in until around 7:30!), and I took off on my longest run yet!

photo(128)11.26 miles! Woo hoo! It was a beautiful morning, around 45-50 degrees, and I felt great overall! I paused at the 5.5 mile mark to chew up some gu’s. I tried out the Jelly Belly brand chews that I found at Academy Sports. Loved them! They are small jelly beans that taste great and are full of B vitamins with a little caffeine kick! They also come in a small resealable baggie that fits great into the pocket of my running tights. I’m gonna have to try out some different flavors and stock up for my half marathon!

Lunch

After my 11 miler, I was tired and hungry (duh). So after a shower and lots of water, I decided I was craving Mexican food, especially guacamole.

photo(127)YUM. We headed out to Jose Locos for a quick lunch that began with a huge bowl of the green stuff! I ate my fill of the guac before my huge plate of food arrived.

photo(126)Beef taco + chicken flauta + chicken quesadilla. Even my post-run tummy couldn’t finish this whole plate. It was all amazing though! And it kept me full through most of the day, which can be quite a task after a run for me.

Doggie Christmas Sweater

photo(121)After lunch, Nick and I stopped by Walmart (ughh) to pick up a few essentials. While browsing the Christmas aisles, I came across the perfect Christmas sweater for Mac!

photo(125)I saw it and immediately knew I HAD to get it for him. He was super thrilled to see it when I brought it out of the shopping bag at home.

photo(124)Such a handsome boy. But don’t worry, to make up for the sweater photoshoot I also bought him a disgusting tasty treat.

photo(122)Yup, that is a bag of pig ears. Eww. But he loved them and completely forgot about the hot sweater I made him wear. 🙂

photo(123)Anyways, the sweater has been put away until we get a little closer to December. I’m holding onto my pretty Fall decorations around the house as long as possible! No Christmas trees around here….yet.

Today has been full of relaxing, Jazzercise, and grocery shopping. Exciting stuff to cap of a good weekend! I hope your have a great night and get in some good sleep to prepare for the coming week. I’ll be headed off to my bed shortly. Nighty night!