Five On Friday

Missed it last week but now I'm back on beat...

1.  We went to the beach for our anniversary and spent a few days trying to relax.  Anyone that read my last post may realize that it didn't necessarily turn out that way but we tried to make the best out of a very bad sad situation.  The purpose was spend time as a family and we did; for a few short minutes we all even had our toes in the sand.  It was melancholy but it reminded me why people get married...so they don't have to do the hard stuff alone.

2.  Speaking of anniversary...does anyone follow the traditional gift rules?  We did this year and we weren't even trying.  We purchased tickets to Ray LaMontagne in Raleigh. I've been a fan for years and R mentioned that he wanted to see him live for a while.  I'm not sure if we will continue with the traditional gift list though...some of them are difficult.  And whats up with the modern list...1st anniversary - clocks, huh?  A watch maybe, but a clock?

via

3.  I've had tired, red and dry eyes this week.  Ugh!  Impossible for a contacts wearer so I've been stuck in glasses. These have helped dramatically though I hate putting them in my eyes.  Its tricky and takes a few days to get the hang of it. Truthfully I still haven't quite got it yet... I'd still recommend them though for severe dry eyes because the cool gel feels like water straight from God's swimming pool.

4.  Starburst Jellybeans - so good!

5.  There are some cute things at Target right now.  The Spring offerings in the home section are the best I've seen.  I want everything.  The only thing I brought home this week was a navy chevron rug for our patio.  So sad that I didn't pick up a few of the colorful vases...I'm trying to focus on one area of our home at a time and I couldn't justify anymore purchases.  But I can't get a few items out of my head so something might have to come home with me this weekend.

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Our Angel...

R and I took our pup to the beach this weekend to celebrate our one year anniversary.  Our girl had been sick the day we left and R was able to get off work a few hours early to take her to the vet.  We didn't realize how weak she really was.  She saw the beach for the last time.  It was a huge relief that we had taken Friday off for the trip because we were able to be with our sweet angel before she flew away. We would have a lot of regret if she had to go through it alone.  

This has been by far the most difficult few days since R and I have been together and we are leaning on each other.  Since I will no longer be able to snap photos of her sweet face I'm going to post a few of my favorites here so I can visit this post when I'm missing her.

Our Baby.

We love you.

Baby Johnson

12/25/00 - 03/21/14

Five on Friday

Five on Friday countdown...

5.  Dance Fitness with Jessica - the viral internet sensation.  These dance workouts are fun, challenging and cover my facebook feed pretty much weekly.  This girl is crazy creative and not at all annoying (and some fitness instructors can be...especially those with lots of dance experience who forget that the rest of us are ...er, less coordinated).  Here are two of her fans doing her Dark Horse routine:


4. Crockpot Chicken Parmesan - I put in on the list when I saw another blogger post in a couple of weeks ago.  I really have to start writing down where I get these recipes.  It was a winner - saucy, cheesy goodness.

3.  Our birthdays are coming up and we are throwing a shindig.  I'm using this tutorial to make some decorative banners for added color.  It's cost effective and easy...plus the result is really pretty.

2.  I set a little goal to read a book a month.  I've learned if I don't actually set a goal then I don't follow through with it.  I love to read but it usually gets put on the back burner and I have a reading list that is a mile long.  This month's pick is Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.  I haven't finished it but so far so good.

1.  National Registered Dietitian Day was March 12 and the month of March is National Nutrition Month.  It is so sweet getting emails and notes from coworkers (and my bosses!) to let us know that we are appreciated.  I like to celebrate with my patients by handing out new recipes and trying a few myself.  Look at the gorgeous flowers they surprised me with!

Happy Weekending!

In the Kitchen: Chia Seed Pudding

I can't take credit for finding this recipe.  Another blogger on my blogroll posted it a couple of weeks ago and I cannot remember who.  I can say she found a winning recipe!  I put it on my list as soon as I read her post and I couldn't want to collect all the ingredients.

My picture is not nearly as pretty as the one posted on food network but it made for one delicious breakfast this morning.  I wouldn't hesitate to eat another bowl for dessert!

1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup plus extra for serving
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
kosher salt
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a medium bowl whisk almond milk, yogurt, syrup, vanilla, chia seeds, and salt until blended. Let stand for 30 minutes.  Stir again, cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning toss the berries, a couple of teaspoons of syrup and almonds in a bowl.  Mix to combine.  Serve the berry mixture on top of the pudding. This recipe will make 4 generous servings.  

Pearl turns 1!

Warning - this post is full of bad puns

Ahoy blog friends.  Today I'm sharing our tale of Sunday festivities...and the tale is covered in fur and wags often.  My bestie gave her fur-ever friend Pearl a birthday party.  It was a warm afternoon and all the dogs had free run of the deck and backyard.  She even marked the location with a bundle of paw covered balloons.

 And here is Baby rested and ready to Pawty!

She really came for the free beer.  

 And the birthday girl herself getting ready to blow out her candle.

 The cake seems to be a winner among the furry crowd.

 Fur real - gimme that cake!

 Birthday girl had two slices.

 Katie and Pearl having a moment...

 literally just a moment, she wants more cake!

 Rob holding the happy puppy...

 And the whole crowd, the only time all afternoon that all of them were still long enough for a photo.

 Presents!

 Pearl is still more interested in the cake.

 Until she sees the treat ball, this one was a winner with the two younger dogs.

 Pearl wagged politely at each gift but really she wanted to play.

Our sweet girl was tired after a few hours of playing with dogs a full decade younger so we had to get her home to nap.  Katie passed out sweet "treat" bags for each pooch.

It was a great afternoon and the perfect excuse for cocktails and sunshine!

Pinterest Inspired Homemade Laundry Powder

For some reason, a while back, I pinned instructions for how to make my own cleaning supplies including a recipe for homemade laundry detergent.  Well we made it, and it works.  Our clothes are clean and they have a nice, but not overpowering smell.  It would be so much easier to make this in a food processor though, we used a cheese grater and it was effective but required R to put some muscle in it.  We used this recipe but we did not add Oxyclean to the mix and I'm SO glad we didn't.  A lot of the people who commented negatively found that Oxyclean really doesn't dissolve well in cold water.  We don't use hot water very often to save on electricity, you know, to lessen our carbon footprint and what-not.  Instead we keep a small container of Oxyclean on our shelf to help with set in stains and we can choose when we want to add it.  All the ingredients were found at Kroger and I was able to purchase everything for less than the cost of our usual detergent.  Apparently this recipe is suppose to yield enough detergent to last for at least 6 months at 1-2 tablespoons per load.  We bought enough to make a full batch but we decided to make a small amount first to see if we liked it, cutting the recipe into a third it has lasted almost two months now.  We will definitely make the rest of the batch since we have all the ingredients and I wouldn't be opposed to making it in the future - so far it's cost effective and efficient.

Five on Friday

Not feeling blog-life lately, real life has been getting in the way.  We are planning a party for our upcoming 3-0 and as always when we have bad weather, delays, and early closings I've been swamped with work from days that were cut short.  R and I have a mini vacation planned and I can't be more excited for a few days of nada.  I hope things slow down soon so I can get back to fun.  On a positive note R and I have had some success with Spring cleaning and organization. Slowly but surely everything is finding it's appropriate home.  My closet had a pretty big overhaul and I have several items that will hopefully find new homes via the good people at the Salvation Army.  Anyway lets get on with it...

Future Islands on David Letterman

This was a super exciting moment.  Future Islands is a band that started at ECU while R and I were there, at the time the band was called Art Lord and the Self-Portraits.  This week was their television debut...see that lead singer - I first met him when we were sixteen, back then he bore a striking resemblance to Wolverine.

Patio / Porch Cushions

premiere prints magna oxford

We want to buy coordinating cushions and pillows for our outdoor furniture to blend the set that we each had before we got married. We have a nice canvas hammock that is navy and white so we wanted to work with that scheme.  We decided on a palette of navy, white, and aqua.  I'm loving the print above and I think I'll have pillows made in this fabric.

Burts Bees Replenishing Lotion for Dry Skin with Cocoa and Cupuacu Butters

I received this as a thoughtful gift from my supervisor for National Registered Dietitian's Day (later this month, March 12!) but we had our monthly meeting this week so I got it early.  Oh... it's luxurious.  I'm sure it's relatively inexpensive but it does a phenomenal job of moisturizing even super dry skin like mine.  My hands are sandpaper, especially with all the washing and hand sanitizer that I'm required use at work.  I've only been using this for a couple of days but the moisture really lasts and the smell is pure heaven!  Initially it feels very light, a small amount will go a long way but don't be fooled, it's got some staying power.  The scent lasts a long while too, I've had it on for hours and I can still smell it.

Floral Sprays

Faux Phalaenopsis

I loved the bouquet that R gave me for Valentines Day and it lived on our mantel for a couple of weeks.  I want to fill that empty space with something similar that will last significantly longer than living flowers.  I LOVE these sprays from Pier 1 and I think I'll pick a few up to spruce up mantel.

House of Cards Season 2

Finally finished it this week.  Now for the long, long wait for season 3.

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