tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912226820401810972024-02-25T23:02:11.744-08:00Carly Chubby CheeksOne girls journey from flab to fab. And other adventures.Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.comBlogger549125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-60080393081782537222015-01-16T06:08:00.000-08:002015-01-16T06:08:00.085-08:00These Things Hidden<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, I HAVE been reading lately, I've just been slacking on posting reviews of the books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I am sharing my thoughts about <b>These Things Hidden</b> by Heather Gudenkauf.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyXef5VXAufiH16TFy7JvZI8pqCIoR2HXho2V2YNYmlLI1yoBfBRYzzcbWpo8ih5Z6W4hBt-3Dsw0zhXzIwoiSwWi0F0vCekZruT5ELQpEWFzA4JFT6kKvv8bC74Nxfz4XFEwQWhfiv_i/s1600/these+things+hidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyXef5VXAufiH16TFy7JvZI8pqCIoR2HXho2V2YNYmlLI1yoBfBRYzzcbWpo8ih5Z6W4hBt-3Dsw0zhXzIwoiSwWi0F0vCekZruT5ELQpEWFzA4JFT6kKvv8bC74Nxfz4XFEwQWhfiv_i/s1600/these+things+hidden.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's the synopsis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn--shy, quiet Brynn--who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Let me start this by saying that this book has been on my reading list for a while now, so I was really excited when my sister got it for me for Christmas. But I have to say that when I started reading it, I was a little disappointed. It seemed really predictable without leaving much to be anticipated. But the farther I got, the more intriqued I because to find out how all these characters were related to each other, and what else there could be to know (since I already felt like I knew the whole story).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">By the time I was halfway through, I couldn't put it down and finished it within a couple days.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The main characters are really well developed, and there is a good amount of back story to help you understand the people you're reading about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Overall I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It didn't end the way I WANTED it to, and there were a few loose ends that I kind of wanted some more closure on. I'm looking forward to reading other books by this author.</span></span></div>
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<a border="0" href="http://www.blondeundercoverblonde.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" /></a>Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-6881714631971543672015-01-12T19:32:00.004-08:002015-01-12T19:32:56.370-08:00A Look Back<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I realize that I'm a bit late with this post, but I'm finally here to tell you about my Christmas happenings this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I won't go into too much detail, because I know you don't really care that much about how much running around we did or what we ate where <i>(but I will say that I am already brainstorming ideas for next year that will cut down on the number of Christmases we go to... I had 8 different locations in 2 days, which is just madness)</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here's a few scenes from my Christmas:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My Christmas table</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRFlE6fsJim-SlfmVIQqbt1eAdjATI5wlK3IJP1I-nGi-uxpcJW5iA-fnghor4Epz0O0saoZEWH2ABAKPbPvYIUbFAANgzv9rNOQeTJ-BYvc_oIW1yzfo2zdXdpyKRry7v11jS8Zys-Ri/s1600/table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRFlE6fsJim-SlfmVIQqbt1eAdjATI5wlK3IJP1I-nGi-uxpcJW5iA-fnghor4Epz0O0saoZEWH2ABAKPbPvYIUbFAANgzv9rNOQeTJ-BYvc_oIW1yzfo2zdXdpyKRry7v11jS8Zys-Ri/s1600/table.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My sweet little reindeer beagle.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0o9IeEbjq0jw0Sue6FRCAx-Wp7isQpssWX6rQUzpNRXS56x8YQS1BNheiOVzZsMJ0_ZoBR6MqFqM8-Iu_CJcPGjPZ5hjDbOH9_7VwW8E8POS_GG2cWCso2HQaMP-ompp40bA8dWgw_PW1/s1600/buck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0o9IeEbjq0jw0Sue6FRCAx-Wp7isQpssWX6rQUzpNRXS56x8YQS1BNheiOVzZsMJ0_ZoBR6MqFqM8-Iu_CJcPGjPZ5hjDbOH9_7VwW8E8POS_GG2cWCso2HQaMP-ompp40bA8dWgw_PW1/s1600/buck.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This guy driving down 405.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbs6IKjnG2vUl0OGLdJU88OqBwvVp2aD81_-qYbemi0GaORLvK0ULaUMCqi6KoFTVF98ZTrdDzZigUlGEYXSjyS3NetKvYy5lpfu_YWMepM4PdrkjBI2C4sW8LTim10IJ4JUBd7JjJL36/s1600/santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbs6IKjnG2vUl0OGLdJU88OqBwvVp2aD81_-qYbemi0GaORLvK0ULaUMCqi6KoFTVF98ZTrdDzZigUlGEYXSjyS3NetKvYy5lpfu_YWMepM4PdrkjBI2C4sW8LTim10IJ4JUBd7JjJL36/s1600/santa.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then some of my Christmas gifts:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This camping chair</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzQArOdmtcmhq9jShG8woGwKzcfP-KnwJbpsxSc2Aa43dQaU-U-crHTQR8ktbQt_lwlbAwuJ0ReRFCDFrF8bX6jOnUVNteMFOF34Rb3tnbhakiBC8922MOYt78LFrh2YuMZ4NnfcdhQ9D/s1600/chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzQArOdmtcmhq9jShG8woGwKzcfP-KnwJbpsxSc2Aa43dQaU-U-crHTQR8ktbQt_lwlbAwuJ0ReRFCDFrF8bX6jOnUVNteMFOF34Rb3tnbhakiBC8922MOYt78LFrh2YuMZ4NnfcdhQ9D/s1600/chair.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These slippers <span style="font-size: x-small;">(and other Seahawks stuff, such as earrings, a hat, a tumbler, tee shirt, sweatshirt, and print of Russell Wilson)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPtWW9pOoAo7ZGSKMAZym4xpANv-nc2xIRXCUzWv8FQ52y7-xKiih1vIef-G3F7DM58DKV1xzuoL7ArQZ-WqaOM0eApm8CdveUFjHjVDakBi0UZXPEhOqvCx5ZueKR_iKxTbe-IdBCJc1/s1600/slippers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPtWW9pOoAo7ZGSKMAZym4xpANv-nc2xIRXCUzWv8FQ52y7-xKiih1vIef-G3F7DM58DKV1xzuoL7ArQZ-WqaOM0eApm8CdveUFjHjVDakBi0UZXPEhOqvCx5ZueKR_iKxTbe-IdBCJc1/s1600/slippers.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These puzzles</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Ie0maZax4h3DjMWzsTgl63-qcme93TRScENBj3O6F0TGOie0TU-o8CZ5Eq4KUsYaq5kymgTBuQ6QS8hTtLx7DxlP2vxD6JW58Xl6AID2hgcxoIVrV0MKz2oofWa-L4Gxqg41lLGrs8-/s1600/puzzles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Ie0maZax4h3DjMWzsTgl63-qcme93TRScENBj3O6F0TGOie0TU-o8CZ5Eq4KUsYaq5kymgTBuQ6QS8hTtLx7DxlP2vxD6JW58Xl6AID2hgcxoIVrV0MKz2oofWa-L4Gxqg41lLGrs8-/s1600/puzzles.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These books</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdD6gF0aPdJWQ_j8AVxUHptHt6ZKUw5BeeDSvoWlAQLQfw9BE0p_Qjvw1gHy31WtKc4M4ITycus5sDyYXlEvbWUjN0gaAF_7PjJrfhvkNfETNoMLcW-q3A4_lPARqYlJiMyEaj4bkuS5D/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfdD6gF0aPdJWQ_j8AVxUHptHt6ZKUw5BeeDSvoWlAQLQfw9BE0p_Qjvw1gHy31WtKc4M4ITycus5sDyYXlEvbWUjN0gaAF_7PjJrfhvkNfETNoMLcW-q3A4_lPARqYlJiMyEaj4bkuS5D/s1600/books.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This sign <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(which was the quote that my sister based her toast around for my wedding)</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWEAW_k2ufhcdKxmKARo6Apz9XaU8kD6cFU5n0mRnP14t5E6aDmipTkFEA-1E90hAhfQoLpPycSA4mcRN5yCrN-GfT92GtHLAd-X3WYBIuwDS8XHTcLevwWHDo_MgxqdpU9L3Ry2PdLF1/s1600/sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWEAW_k2ufhcdKxmKARo6Apz9XaU8kD6cFU5n0mRnP14t5E6aDmipTkFEA-1E90hAhfQoLpPycSA4mcRN5yCrN-GfT92GtHLAd-X3WYBIuwDS8XHTcLevwWHDo_MgxqdpU9L3Ry2PdLF1/s1600/sign.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Plus so many other cool things, like booze, Cards Against Humanity expansion packs (and a fancy case to carry all my CAH cards in so I don't have to carry around a bunch of little boxes), and gift cards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So that's what Christmas brought me this year!</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-74395546625463714622015-01-11T20:02:00.000-08:002015-01-11T20:02:02.934-08:00Reasons to Shop in the Clearance Section<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am pretty intensely drawn to clearance sections... mainly in the grocery store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Weird? Maybe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">BUTTTTTTT, before you start judging me for being so tasteless and cheap, let me just give you a few reasons that I think it's one of the best ways to shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1) It's affordable... doyyyyy!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A majority of my money after making my car payment and transferring money to Chad and my joint account (which is strictly for the mortgage and utility bills) goes to groceries. So saving 50% on some meat, seafood, or lunch meat can go a long way. Plus it means that I can afford to make something kind of fancy (like seafood alfredo with prawns and snow crab) that I wouldn't normally be able to justify. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2) It makes it easier to try new things.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There's been a lot of times when I've found things in the clearance sections of the store that I've been curious about, but haven't wanted to spend all the money to try it, just in case I don't like it and then it goes to waste. So if I see something for 50% off that I think sounds interesting, I'll go for it. Sometimes it works out and I feel like I scored in a major way <i>(or at least as major as you can score with a fancy cup of greek yogurt)</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3) It spices up your meal plan.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I go to the discounted meat section, I never know what I may walk out with. Sometimes there are things that I am really used to making and have some sort of preparation in mind. Other times I end up with a cut of meat that I've never used before and I have to take to Pinterest in order to figure out what to do with it. Chad also really likes it when I surprise him by coming home with 50% off fancy deli meats (like chipotle crusted turkey) and he gets a break from the regular lunch meat in his sandwiches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So there you have it, three reasons that I like to shop in the clearance sale sections of the store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In all honesty, I NEVER buy regular priced meat, unless I've planned a specific meal for some special occasion. And you know what happens if nobody buys that stuff? It goes to waste. Most of the meat, seafood, and fresh pasta stuff (you know, like the bertolli tortellini or whatever) is sold with a day or two before the sell/use by date, so you can stock up, take it home, and throw it in the freezer if you're not going to use it right away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy shopping!</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-10952382977849905772014-12-11T20:22:00.000-08:002014-12-11T20:22:11.780-08:00The Downside of the Holidays<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know that Christmas time and these end of year holidays are usually a time when everybody is so happy and in good spirits and feeling great about life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well NOT ME. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, it's tied for my favorite holiday with Halloween. I love the decorating, the music, the lights and displays, and the gift giving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But then there's the other side. The seedy, shady side of this time of year. I don't know why, but this year I'm really struggling with some things that haven't bothered me that much in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The darkness. Literally.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Normally daylight savings time doesn't do anything for me in the winter. It's never really bothered me that it's dark when I leave work. But for some reason this year, it's practically crippling me. It's dark when my alarm goes off in the morning. It's dark when I take my dog outside. It's dark when I get off work. It's like I forget what daylight looks like. And the fact that it's so dark all the time makes it really hard for me to do anything that requires me to leave my house. I don't go grocery shopping. I don't go for walks. I don't workout... I literally feel like I should be sleeping all the time. I got home from work today, sat down on the couch, and promptly fell asleep for about 10 minutes. <i>AT 5:30.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The goodies.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't usually go to too many holiday parties, so I'm not really talking about going to a party and having some cocktail weenies and a cookie or two. I'm talking about the stuff that people bring to you or send you. At work, we get all sorts of stuff sent to us by vendors and companies that we work with, and members bring us cookies, and I can't seem to pass them up. Go to the bathroom = eat a chocolate. Fill my water cup = grab two cookies. Grab a loan file = eat a cookie on the way in and a chocolate on the way out + one for the road. This is particularly troublesome when you refer to my previous point that I don't feel like doing ANYTHING before or after work, so I'm not getting my necessary cardio in to work off these extra calories. My doctor will NOT be happy with me in January.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Breaking the Bank.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every year, I try to plan ahead. I take advantage of the opportunity to skip a loan payment and use that money for Black Friday shopping. Yet EVERY YEAR, I find myself struggling to get everything purchased and still put gas in my car. I've been better this year and have actually given myself a budget for everybody on my list, but it adds up so fast... hopefully I get that deed to a platinum mine that I'm always singing to Santa about...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, with all that said, I do love this time of year, and I'm looking forward to having a week of vacation next week to do my own holiday baking, working out during the daylight hours, and getting all my pretty decorations up. Maybe I'll even have more DIY stuff to post like <a href="http://carlychubbycheeks.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-pinterest-inspired-christmas.html">last year</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Toodles.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-24576451346520253302014-11-14T06:37:00.000-08:002014-11-14T06:37:00.097-08:00If I Stay<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Linking up for...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I'm sharing If I Stay by Gayle Forman</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoNNP2OZwTTAiGhqgZetp5lmDEsbEP6jMnqvUJkgkLXAd_kMTjwiTV58mJyRFTQgrOSb6K3uUXFA_kQyzDx7mYLGZHs9Yq7HCOCbdDaJc1Nqjouq07n83a43glo8TXwwUt-GkhsnqgpqD/s1600/IfIStay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoNNP2OZwTTAiGhqgZetp5lmDEsbEP6jMnqvUJkgkLXAd_kMTjwiTV58mJyRFTQgrOSb6K3uUXFA_kQyzDx7mYLGZHs9Yq7HCOCbdDaJc1Nqjouq07n83a43glo8TXwwUt-GkhsnqgpqD/s1600/IfIStay.png" height="320" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, adoring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. Then, in an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left - the most important decision she'll ever make.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sister got me this book for my birthday, and i was really excited. I've had it on my Goodreads wish list for a while, and then with the movie coming out, I wanted to read it before it was ruined for me by all the movie-goers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was such a fast read... I couldn't put it down. The way it's written is really great... it jumps back and forth between what is happened after the accident, when she is stuck between life and death, and the back story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My only complaint was with the actual printing of the book. At the end of the book there's probably 30 pages of excerpts from other books. So as I was reading, I was thinking there was a lot more book to go, so I really wasn't emotionally ready when it ended abruptly. I was also really pissed off with the lack of closure of the book. Until I saw that there's a second book in the series, so now I can sleep better at night knowing that there is a continuance of the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was a great book. I give it 4.75 out of 5 stars.</span></div>
<a border="0" href="http://www.blondeundercoverblonde.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" /></a>Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-65885304962926381692014-11-12T07:50:00.000-08:002014-11-12T07:50:00.175-08:00Mo-Vember??<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know we've all heard of the whole Mo-Vember movement, where men across the US (maybe the world?) let their faces grow thick with their manliness in an attempt to raise awareness of men's health. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't know if that actually is successful <i>(I did just ask Chad if he knew what it was all about, and his response was "it's about guys learning about prostate cancer or colon cancer or something..." so at least he's up on current events...)</i>, but that's not really what I'm here to write about today. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I decided over the weekend that, rather than November being about Men's Health for me (since I'm not a man), I will make it MY Health November. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You see, after getting married, I really feel like I took myself on a dietary honeymoon, if that makes sense. In my weight loss journey, I tend to set little goals for myself, and having a specific event that I want to be at a certain weight for really helps me stay focused. So after the wedding, I <strike>think I</strike> let myself relax too much. I stopped thinking as much about what I was eating. I wasn't working out every day. I was spending my evenings drinking leftover wine out of the box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I am taking My Health November to refocus myself. My life and goals for myself didn't end when I got married. I still have so much to look forward to with a healthier body, with a body that I am comfortable and confident in. I don't want to take pictures for our first Christmas card as a married couple (maybe... I haven't quite decided if we're <i>those</i> people yet) and have people get it and go "why is Chad taking a Christmas picture with Buck and Santa and not Carly???" I don't want to be in <a href="http://www.livingbarefootandcrazy.blogspot.com/">Kristine's</a> bachelorette party and wedding pictures and be the fat friend. I don't want to go on our belated honeymoon to Hawaii and be wearing a mu-mu and yoga pants the whole time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Time to refocus.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrhN2tZuAoDzmSREjw9FLarxrkCK7aZnGO5be6PXcqere0N1ilhEupDRxCaGJPO4AH-bNFt6mVluwdxo1uJBy2IdcpNkrPo9wm1NDRbKF1n_2zZW60RgDCGWRoBCrJCalFNsqiZAPvSaN/s1600/3f479fd632bbe0a3a3383e09941a7cdc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrhN2tZuAoDzmSREjw9FLarxrkCK7aZnGO5be6PXcqere0N1ilhEupDRxCaGJPO4AH-bNFt6mVluwdxo1uJBy2IdcpNkrPo9wm1NDRbKF1n_2zZW60RgDCGWRoBCrJCalFNsqiZAPvSaN/s640/3f479fd632bbe0a3a3383e09941a7cdc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-52005144058379482002014-10-22T20:07:00.000-07:002014-10-22T20:07:13.176-07:00Right up My Alley<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I went over to check out what the topic for #Blogtober was today, and I was very pleased to find out that it's Pet Peeves... such luck!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thedailytay.com/" title="The Daily Tay Blogtober14"><img alt="The Daily Tay Blogtober14" src="http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a595/helenesula/blogtober14button_zpsc32fc7da.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm going to try to keep this list short... may be hard for me though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1.</b> <b>Clean clothes being put into a laundry basket</b>. I don't know why, but this just makes me cringe. I really think that it makes the most sense to just fold or hang your clothes as you pull them out of the dryer. Otherwise they're wrinkly! And how the heck do you plan your outfits out if you can't see easily what you do and don't have available? The madness!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2.</b> <b>Senseless noise making</b>. Yes, you read that right. Noise for the sake of being noisy. I do NOT like whistling. Or clapping for no reason. Or people talking much too loud in small places. I immediately become agitated. We've had construction going on at our office and I swear to the almighty God above that I almost went bat shit crazy with all the hammering at odd intervals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. Empty ice cube trays.</b> Okay, you take an ice cube tray. Remove the ice. And you put it BACK in the freezer, EMPTY?! What kind of remedial learning school did you go to?! In the name of all things that are holy in the world, walk your ass to the sink and fill it back up before you put it back in the fridge!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There, I managed to keep it to 3. Three things that I'm sure <strike>thousands</strike> at least one other person are equally annoyed by. AmIRight??</span><br />
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-62439189755428068632014-10-21T20:55:00.000-07:002014-10-21T20:55:08.181-07:00Pacific Northwest Mex...?<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was trying to come up with a fancy name for this recipe that I'm going to share with you, but that was the best I could come up with... my apologies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, this is a recipe that I made up a couple months ago that I've made quite a few times since because it's SO easy and we usually have everything in the house that we need.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let's get started, mmkay? Oh, and please don't be mad at my pictures... I didn't want to dig my real camera out, so celly pics are the best you get.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u>The good stuff:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">14 oz bag of C&W Ultimate Southwest Blend veggies (or whatever brand your store has)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2-4 chicken breasts (depending on how big they are and how many people you're feeding)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Taco Seasoning</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Salsa of choice (I personally recommend salsa verde)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shredded Cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Optional: Sour Cream, Guacamole, tomatoes, etc</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First step, take your casserole dish and your veggies. I mean, after you preheat your oven to 375.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF3FmZv_r7R9r0aGD2mEJbuvw_Yduagu9woWd4JghOVcbAgBTcZv1JKD0TLGfpPf1z4vTzN2u1h-q-Gyt9NeQd28BE9_1ZRVmWKgh8ZqKvJ2PCB_WgX9rQmZyi7nCuXNJuzBaHBQxMTHx/s1600/pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF3FmZv_r7R9r0aGD2mEJbuvw_Yduagu9woWd4JghOVcbAgBTcZv1JKD0TLGfpPf1z4vTzN2u1h-q-Gyt9NeQd28BE9_1ZRVmWKgh8ZqKvJ2PCB_WgX9rQmZyi7nCuXNJuzBaHBQxMTHx/s1600/pic+1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dump those little tasty nutrients in and put a couple globs of butter on top and sprinkle with taco seasoning... you can use a lot or a little, depending on personal preference</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVctUSm2Kaoiy_ppEySQPRxGfB_ozcTvxqMbbMUsA55uDj2NGkXXC9h7JPN2feAWYMZ_HXqOqjqlkNjCtrLRhJqU3zo_7vXYuYG3DVuJGDqT5ADVIMEf7QkBD_QH_ECffVpFkEXK9t9PYo/s1600/pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVctUSm2Kaoiy_ppEySQPRxGfB_ozcTvxqMbbMUsA55uDj2NGkXXC9h7JPN2feAWYMZ_HXqOqjqlkNjCtrLRhJqU3zo_7vXYuYG3DVuJGDqT5ADVIMEf7QkBD_QH_ECffVpFkEXK9t9PYo/s1600/pic+2.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lay your chicken breasts on top of the veggies (if you end up with some sort of freakishly thick chicken breasts, I would slice them and open them up so they cook faster and more evenly).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spread some of your salsa over top of the chicken</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then pop it in the oven and cook it until it reaches 160 degrees (you will also want to check it after about 25 minutes to lift the chicken up a piece at a time to stir the veggies around a bit so they get cooked evenly also)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once you've hit the 160 mark, sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice on top (we get the mexican blend at the grocery store) and put it back in the oven until all pieces of chicken reach the temperature of 165.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is what you should be looking at when you pull it out of the oven</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQF0IeGZW6I3S9yt8NnP8lCseNBhFDv82OfVavDAijPv0sBmsZdcU3Bq_8prbRLH5V0_DAx4Vqm45i77AXNQ6RpsG2wiCH20jKPO2LXjNeWuqHg-cwMpw3FCDiJ62c9BM7OR_hn8l3JCT/s1600/pic+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQF0IeGZW6I3S9yt8NnP8lCseNBhFDv82OfVavDAijPv0sBmsZdcU3Bq_8prbRLH5V0_DAx4Vqm45i77AXNQ6RpsG2wiCH20jKPO2LXjNeWuqHg-cwMpw3FCDiJ62c9BM7OR_hn8l3JCT/s1600/pic+5.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Serve it up and top it with sour cream, guacamole, or whatever your heart desires... maybe more cheese, cilantro, tomatoes... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had to stick with just sour cream, since that's all I had in the fridge...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN9mJ3112zpMbHWbM7QzO-w3Po-_PvZf4tXUgUgmuQOWLgRaAIcvr-POXoqspxoASwQsPivGMSzCOBXUSeibwLSXNgxAmRJZfpiHYQNErIK_UHhS-b2ck9Jp5imlAZb4wj-5o7YDlBBOz/s1600/pic+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN9mJ3112zpMbHWbM7QzO-w3Po-_PvZf4tXUgUgmuQOWLgRaAIcvr-POXoqspxoASwQsPivGMSzCOBXUSeibwLSXNgxAmRJZfpiHYQNErIK_UHhS-b2ck9Jp5imlAZb4wj-5o7YDlBBOz/s1600/pic+6.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And there you have it. It's easy, fairly simple, and delicious</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-89320747175730557582014-10-16T22:01:00.001-07:002014-10-16T22:01:18.486-07:00Trick or Treating has No Age Limit<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a really hot button topic for a lot of people for some reason, and I suppose it is for me too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Is there an age limit on when you can trick or treat?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't mean trick or treat with your kids or whatever, I mean when, as an individual, you can go knock on the door of strangers and get candy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't think there should be. My personal opinion is that there shouldn't be any holidays that are ONLY for children or adults. If you are willing to put out the effort to get together a real costume and you want to get in touch with your inner child and go trick or treating, there's no reason you should be turned away at someone's door!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, I don't think that teenagers dressed up as a high school cheerleader or a 'rapper' should be able to go knock on someones door for their free candy, but if you and 4 of your friend show up at my door dressed as the gosh damn Spice Girls, I don't care what age you are, Imma give you some candy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, tell me how you feel. Do you think that once you're a teenager you should grow up and stop trick or treating? Or are you a fellow kindred Halloween spirit who thinks that trick or treating should be for anybody who still has the drive and desire to put together an awesome costume and take a stroll through your neighborhood?</span></div>
<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-36661999483926494432014-10-13T16:48:00.000-07:002014-10-13T16:48:09.308-07:00Let's Be Real Here<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've started about 10 posts in the past few weeks to get back into blogging and to tell you about everything I've been up too, but they all end up being really time consuming <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I'll give you the cliff notes version: I got married, some other people got married, I've gained weight back, found out my dog has cancer... ya know, the usual)</span>, so instead I think I'll just jump back in and link up for Blogtober.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.thedailytay.com/" title="The Daily Tay"><img alt="The Daily Tay" src="http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/a595/helenesula/blogtober14button_zpsc32fc7da.jpg" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The topic today, if I'm not mistaken, is favorite fall recipe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's hard for me to narrow down ONE favorite food for fall, so instead I think I'll just tell you about one of my go-to fall desserts, Turtle Pumpkin Pie.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw44zjhAXhHBikjs2PmDga9QRWC_xC1_YHhQvfqNgWGbwHpGWssGqAQGy9jzj3kVRsPXrjF7bv0NRDh_sqE_sAqRJjzSX8PqCzp_F6NOULDBgLTn-zdRpau_daXN3GfbHu9VAfBVD-vKX/s1600/turtle+Pumpkin+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw44zjhAXhHBikjs2PmDga9QRWC_xC1_YHhQvfqNgWGbwHpGWssGqAQGy9jzj3kVRsPXrjF7bv0NRDh_sqE_sAqRJjzSX8PqCzp_F6NOULDBgLTn-zdRpau_daXN3GfbHu9VAfBVD-vKX/s1600/turtle+Pumpkin+Pie.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mmmm...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is an easy, no bake dessert that adults and children will both like. It combines the traditional flavors of pumpkin pie with a much more universally liked sweetness from cool whip, vanilla pudding mix, and caramel drizzle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To save us all time, I recommend that you go <a href="http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/turtle-pumpkin-pie-106961.aspx">here</a> to the Kraft website (where I also got the picture), and check out the recipe yourself. It's so easy and delicious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So there you have it, my grand entrance back to blogging.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-49367685259613862252014-08-10T21:09:00.001-07:002014-08-10T21:09:40.582-07:00App Happy<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Although I haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain over here, and really don't feel too bad about it, I figure I can at least share with you my favorite apps that I have deemed necessary for my every day life. And I'm not going to include the normal cast of characters, like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Seahawks Mobile</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO418tDpoYGXFgG2K4H3C7yR4K4oi8sHkyi8evfLwuRkV-zvXofvQ2OjHKfpEzuhKyniMyIXZiQSRZ0OH3-B4pvEtzq5epW1GqDYInAsedjt-5BV6VMpJs5Ypej3YCSPpkUO8MnZxbbWb9/s1600/seahawks+mobile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO418tDpoYGXFgG2K4H3C7yR4K4oi8sHkyi8evfLwuRkV-zvXofvQ2OjHKfpEzuhKyniMyIXZiQSRZ0OH3-B4pvEtzq5epW1GqDYInAsedjt-5BV6VMpJs5Ypej3YCSPpkUO8MnZxbbWb9/s1600/seahawks+mobile.png" height="640" width="358" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a big Hawks fan, this is something that I peruse at least once a day (more during the season). I can review the schedule, the roster, see current news and updates, stats. And if, God forbid, I'm not near a TV during a game, it is FAIRLY current (within a couple minutes) of what the current score is, passing/rushing yards, possession times, etc for the current game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only problem? The opening screen is still a shot of the departed Golden Tate... it rips at my heart a little bit every time I open it and see him wearing that 81 jersey...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Checkout 51</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqueZIIRO8eRekaC1mTCC5SdAzdjgTNHKUpjQQip_30YPVEBNiW6s_VXS7KdeZDMdndlPnxv3QZnnROsQcJwb6QXqA37ghtLRkTYAL5VHR7yw7SPui_lhiVoE8BqvqXUuejF4I-7Ji8J0/s1600/checkout+51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqueZIIRO8eRekaC1mTCC5SdAzdjgTNHKUpjQQip_30YPVEBNiW6s_VXS7KdeZDMdndlPnxv3QZnnROsQcJwb6QXqA37ghtLRkTYAL5VHR7yw7SPui_lhiVoE8BqvqXUuejF4I-7Ji8J0/s1600/checkout+51.png" height="311" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a new one to me (and maybe to the world... I dunno). But basically you download the app, set up an account, and then when you buy certain things on the list, you upload a picture of your receipt to the app, and it credits you however much money for the products you bought. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For instance, some of this week's products are People Magazine ($1.00 back), onions ($.25), vlassic pickets ($.25), Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom or toilet cleaners ($1.00), and hot dog buns ($.25). So basically you can get cash back for things that you already shop for... sure, it's not a lot, but I've become one of those frugal people who gets excited about $.25 or $.50 back... I'm up to $6.60 so far!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>Disney Wait Times</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDUXQCBgR1htrmJbWVl6eWnMEaufbbazP7bbTk0X5IVQzai8g_snjhLmxXS27RrWTrjaAe647fsx-C16A9_VGctOAcICL14bs355Kt1rpFEBD46Kst20RtexyLyTMx24ZZI4MydDNxThg/s1600/disney+wait+times.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDUXQCBgR1htrmJbWVl6eWnMEaufbbazP7bbTk0X5IVQzai8g_snjhLmxXS27RrWTrjaAe647fsx-C16A9_VGctOAcICL14bs355Kt1rpFEBD46Kst20RtexyLyTMx24ZZI4MydDNxThg/s1600/disney+wait+times.png" height="640" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like... it tells you what the wait time is at different rides and attractions. It's not something that you use everyday, but it was AWESOME when I was in Disneyland a couple years ago, and every once in a while I like to check how long the wait is on things, just to feel close to the magic :) They have one for DisneyLAND and one for DisneyWORLD, and they have different wait times for the different parks (so Magic Kingdom, California Adventure, Epcot, etc).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Any good apps I should be downloading??</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-81274699779768311452014-06-19T18:20:00.000-07:002014-06-19T18:20:04.677-07:002.5 Months Later...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I may start blogging again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you're lucky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the past couple months, I haven't really been doing much that's super exciting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some fishing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1N2SHdhcPQPl1uWsb8BNqNFwD1dDXOPmElSGpTmUuatNcGwgXO2QFaG_CiATzkhJ1lU3mT-60ZcQO8YKZMyxBDXioO4PW7Pvb492QVGVbo2pgAA3gfbwYR1iqOxAaBWlkmn_oLMr0X3x/s1600/crappie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1N2SHdhcPQPl1uWsb8BNqNFwD1dDXOPmElSGpTmUuatNcGwgXO2QFaG_CiATzkhJ1lU3mT-60ZcQO8YKZMyxBDXioO4PW7Pvb492QVGVbo2pgAA3gfbwYR1iqOxAaBWlkmn_oLMr0X3x/s1600/crappie.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">^ 14oz black crappie (pronounce craw-pee... not crap-ee like you would hope)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKOAPZG4HgL6pbpbWXmISpFXSLKFSYYQxzNr4tA7R3altyQTuJx5_jMjPpSdUUGDNpVTNhMLZCtPZSQn6vDkNcNTHuJGNPlYXpVEAUMlm6VWlfj1ohpJS0WjYojyleDogRsdUL3jMyq-0/s1600/large+mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKOAPZG4HgL6pbpbWXmISpFXSLKFSYYQxzNr4tA7R3altyQTuJx5_jMjPpSdUUGDNpVTNhMLZCtPZSQn6vDkNcNTHuJGNPlYXpVEAUMlm6VWlfj1ohpJS0WjYojyleDogRsdUL3jMyq-0/s1600/large+mouth.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">^ Personal best large mouth bass, 4lb 4oz</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM61S29QxdoJMi4M3VpTGVqVByfAzZN10BJawVg5TgoqM45Wauv1b7wnxT2p-19RWIgNekIpvaSlHLgasx1wKR2UHV1JAbA_h0w3My1-aww3eeg0355V6qU0su_dQ4jyUi-Vv5Al6udC3H/s1600/small+mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM61S29QxdoJMi4M3VpTGVqVByfAzZN10BJawVg5TgoqM45Wauv1b7wnxT2p-19RWIgNekIpvaSlHLgasx1wKR2UHV1JAbA_h0w3My1-aww3eeg0355V6qU0su_dQ4jyUi-Vv5Al6udC3H/s1600/small+mouth.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">^ Small mouth bass, 1lb 14oz</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Working in my yard.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXcOjEnXh7iD08StA3vSbDK7a1hA0kb50z1uJYcozzJDKSr_qW2H2TfEo6efLgCCpx892DeCXTKjDOeGhp8eWreILbdbJTnETlAEXS9KWbFSpVam88U0tQw3BxknGB2mZGRlOf71QDo6s/s1600/fuschias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXcOjEnXh7iD08StA3vSbDK7a1hA0kb50z1uJYcozzJDKSr_qW2H2TfEo6efLgCCpx892DeCXTKjDOeGhp8eWreILbdbJTnETlAEXS9KWbFSpVam88U0tQw3BxknGB2mZGRlOf71QDo6s/s1600/fuschias.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Trying to do some wedding planning... picked up my dress, got my invitations all addressed and ready to put in the mail, narrowing down some wedding party gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Working out a bit (but not as much as I should be). Trying to shave off some more pounds before meeting for alterations on my dress. <span style="font-size: x-small;">One more reason I should blog more again... weight loss wednesdays were keeping me accountable for a while there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Taking it back for a Throwback Thursday concert to see these guys (and Avril Lavigne):</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss4IPPo4YiALx4GOtVey4U8JsQf4Z16zmIXUq2GD3xDzUqVXBLwcTyD26acxm2bGMDWU8n9m1_v7c2bcTuEkvIM_XfusSCz24UdYNNNkYObwXYEzwz5y2NHEDJD89rKKNlOFEF297MSy0/s1600/BSB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhss4IPPo4YiALx4GOtVey4U8JsQf4Z16zmIXUq2GD3xDzUqVXBLwcTyD26acxm2bGMDWU8n9m1_v7c2bcTuEkvIM_XfusSCz24UdYNNNkYObwXYEzwz5y2NHEDJD89rKKNlOFEF297MSy0/s1600/BSB.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Don't judge, it was actually a GREAT concert... I was surprised myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In general. I've just been living life... going to work, doing chores, snuggling my dog... the usual.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-6741629020157771682014-04-10T22:01:00.002-07:002014-04-10T22:01:13.668-07:00I'm New Here<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For some reason, these past few months have felt like I'm living someone else's life. I mean, not LITERALLY like I hijacked someone else's life, but it just feels like I am pretending to live like someone else. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Which I suppose is like I hijacked someone's life...)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All of a sudden my friends want me to do things with them <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(I prefer my friendships to require very little actual social commitment)</i>, </span>and I'm working 6 days a week a couple times a month <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(a big change from when I would absolutely refuse a 6 day work week that would interfere with my demanding napping schedule)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I really can't complain. I got to spend a smidge of quality time with my fave Belarussian</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9K9Tk1EUmmnKd3k_Zs9CC7m1ELBnVotASCj1SuF7IcZraUT48GLyLSNRlHz4FZIQoUBmsjsvnnBMesdJLvb1nH_ja8nQc6c_Npcl9SeOYIuR2QLlIB8oTLABYz6HbI3CnEtlZmcbiczh/s1600/julie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9K9Tk1EUmmnKd3k_Zs9CC7m1ELBnVotASCj1SuF7IcZraUT48GLyLSNRlHz4FZIQoUBmsjsvnnBMesdJLvb1nH_ja8nQc6c_Npcl9SeOYIuR2QLlIB8oTLABYz6HbI3CnEtlZmcbiczh/s1600/julie.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am actually really upset because we didn't get a full body shot that may have included my pink boots... damn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been prioritizing my hour and a half workouts about 5 days a week. And today I traded that workout in for 3 hours of yard work... <i>(<span style="font-size: x-small;">which was mostly because Dustin said he would come over and help as an attempt to get Chad to focus on something other than fishing. We were mildly successful)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There have been a LOT of throwback pictures popping up on my facebook page.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJXv8Dx5MC5O02ptCAE7uJzd3X6E0YvwVcbvaF-3uU7uMieWDsimXCQVrSRJJh0qdbuNHeH970uiBZKBW-4xRMW0aqO5YxvlNeLHb4w7StHNmKI4Kx1Ms5d7VJWKN_W6ao8rnFCbvEtJI/s1600/homecoming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJXv8Dx5MC5O02ptCAE7uJzd3X6E0YvwVcbvaF-3uU7uMieWDsimXCQVrSRJJh0qdbuNHeH970uiBZKBW-4xRMW0aqO5YxvlNeLHb4w7StHNmKI4Kx1Ms5d7VJWKN_W6ao8rnFCbvEtJI/s1600/homecoming.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That most definitely is me on the left. I was very pale. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(especially standing next to my 1/2 Filipino, 1/2 Romanian best friend)</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSLyq-Gfn_OoBv3r9pvZVAdQkDy3HIsZP0iZfa5x_7cjQsExorE02veNVNlq7lKWbk9eHGSpq7IVe3TBphOMnaHkDqx9fQfeZ6rgDUsPX2ARCge05TUQSDHfFpN1wwu5Q_LT109hj5nDr/s1600/orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSLyq-Gfn_OoBv3r9pvZVAdQkDy3HIsZP0iZfa5x_7cjQsExorE02veNVNlq7lKWbk9eHGSpq7IVe3TBphOMnaHkDqx9fQfeZ6rgDUsPX2ARCge05TUQSDHfFpN1wwu5Q_LT109hj5nDr/s1600/orange.jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is what I would call "accidental orange" hair. This is what happens when you bleach brown hair. Good thing we had a second box of bleach... <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(side note, I have no good explanation for my one strangely short eyebrow. I have no recollection of ever having shaved it... although now that I look at the first picture in this post, apparently that is just how my left eyebrow has always been? You'd think I would have noticed that prior to right now, since I look at myself in the mirror every day. More than once.)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I read The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. It was NOT what I was expecting. It was rather bizarre and a little frightening, honestly, but I still found myself getting sucked in.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMBySms39-2FyGlGTh3M9qjtTqhyphenhyphenAIZyJH8_MYmU_wjG-aa0S42NVsbTd3T-2Ke-N4fAINoadnf-VYJeHOu4VOSrirecmAi9U2-ZJVW99g61bW_1sM9SHK637mCQ69Dvmn2Lt0E-g9vhE/s1600/almost+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMBySms39-2FyGlGTh3M9qjtTqhyphenhyphenAIZyJH8_MYmU_wjG-aa0S42NVsbTd3T-2Ke-N4fAINoadnf-VYJeHOu4VOSrirecmAi9U2-ZJVW99g61bW_1sM9SHK637mCQ69Dvmn2Lt0E-g9vhE/s1600/almost+moon.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And now I'm reading The Mistresses Revenge. Talk about a psycho.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW2AfmH8MwSun10ab6vu9c4t6_gnVaBHfJMuZB-ddU5DKA99hnKcO5GpGPnUGYOs80cIGytcfyI7EKsBg-ABEX_xVt3ExietJYtwIMd3-dlRM2l-eTbksB-Jz34pzuvNm0q1ZwwaaawQm/s1600/The-Mistress's-Revenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDW2AfmH8MwSun10ab6vu9c4t6_gnVaBHfJMuZB-ddU5DKA99hnKcO5GpGPnUGYOs80cIGytcfyI7EKsBg-ABEX_xVt3ExietJYtwIMd3-dlRM2l-eTbksB-Jz34pzuvNm0q1ZwwaaawQm/s1600/The-Mistress's-Revenge.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This weekend I get to watch my bridesmaids try on potential dresses. I hope it's as fun for me as I imagined it was for them to watch me try on wedding dresses. I mean, who could forget this face?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPVvq75ZZ3eu5X0jsd3VCYArpermcjzQIY38h-jXUekNKIIsoKlRBzMitRtu_Cu11ahtkse34yYMCBi4t2yh-4pkJtv2x-BVXvGk8SOQScgTx43ri6B_SGZG0YFVqGycNgfm-VEqh_sCy/s1600/dress+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPVvq75ZZ3eu5X0jsd3VCYArpermcjzQIY38h-jXUekNKIIsoKlRBzMitRtu_Cu11ahtkse34yYMCBi4t2yh-4pkJtv2x-BVXvGk8SOQScgTx43ri6B_SGZG0YFVqGycNgfm-VEqh_sCy/s1600/dress+face.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I must also appreciate the close up of my fat arm there. Doesn't get much better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am leaving on Sunday morning to go to San Diego for work until Friday. Travel makes me nervous. I don't like to be away from home. Being out of my comfort zone and all. So I'm just trying to think of it as a week long vacation on my own... I can workout in the hotel gym for as long as I want in the afternoon/evening, and watch whatever I want on TV. Chad has been asking me what time I've leaving on Sunday, and it crosses my mind that he probably wants to do something nice for me that morning, since I'll be gone for a week and it also happens to be our 9 year anniversary. Nope... he just wants to find out what time he will be free to go fishing with Dustin <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Such a romantic, I know. But in his defense, he DID say tonight that he would take me out for breakfast that morning, which is actually a really nice gesture for Chad)</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So anyways, this is my new life I've been living, try not to be too envious.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-74172294050786523062014-03-26T20:54:00.000-07:002014-03-26T20:54:04.860-07:00Just Go With It<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I swear, this past week has been one of the most overwhelming weeks that I can remember in recent history. And not necessarily because there has been anything very exciting going on, just because there is a LOT going on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is a little bit of what Ive been up to lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Working 6 days a week <i>(gotta make that money, honey!)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Liking this Pin maybe a little too much <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(disclaimer, I didn't pin it for it's political message, I pinned it for it's Harry Potter humor)</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DxbSmBNeErOBLlBD_jtSqCfl9gEUv39f9_eyTUafGuTpVv_7Ms8UXcD0ifWWbFokt8UJnJJOipMXQjRle7x-GEb3hNjz50FFa10oaBLBVx_RFMIlJyQS07d33KgnuD_OsMwNV-_WqTvx/s1600/potter+abortion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DxbSmBNeErOBLlBD_jtSqCfl9gEUv39f9_eyTUafGuTpVv_7Ms8UXcD0ifWWbFokt8UJnJJOipMXQjRle7x-GEb3hNjz50FFa10oaBLBVx_RFMIlJyQS07d33KgnuD_OsMwNV-_WqTvx/s1600/potter+abortion.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Attempting to be more social <i>(apparently that's important for people my age)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Going down to Taco Tuesday</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyUAD6Aid5oOQh9XhWIa42uSafikPcKpHNSPADATcV9O_YuU1bzQTotLzqG025Icz4XbJtwiPzz0tyb3MqWnRp9qbawcPXkOYs1pKueWusgU9d68GBs3lrLfImUXAIcbD53e1JTT8-QRH/s1600/taco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyUAD6Aid5oOQh9XhWIa42uSafikPcKpHNSPADATcV9O_YuU1bzQTotLzqG025Icz4XbJtwiPzz0tyb3MqWnRp9qbawcPXkOYs1pKueWusgU9d68GBs3lrLfImUXAIcbD53e1JTT8-QRH/s1600/taco.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>I failed to take a picture before I ate the first two... whoops.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Playing garden <i>(we had two nice days and I tore up my front flower bed... and then didn't know what to do after that so I took a nap)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Missing 4 days of workouts because I was too freaking busy and exhausted to get them in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, I just wanted to pop in and share some of that information with you. Now I gotta go watch more American Idol... I'm really holding out hope that they will surprise me in a good way rather than boring me with their karaoke-esque singing skills.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-56940888307643851722014-03-21T06:55:00.000-07:002014-03-21T06:55:00.772-07:00The Sixes<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blondeundercoverblonde.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://sites.google.com/site/blondeublonde/files/bookclubbutton.png" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The book I have to tell you about this week is <u><b>The Sixes </b>by Kate White.</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg069cnBBKJS3zUE0iB6uppY5c2PxZ5d1l5yt8X9PSgGzZny8SWD9YD6ClHWuamG5uiLb33D3SG28fKKr_S9dci29DIvzScP1_T7edkbZwTcY0oyBXVr6GvQpMrWZBU04Mhs-jtf2GHK0F7/s1600/the+sixes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg069cnBBKJS3zUE0iB6uppY5c2PxZ5d1l5yt8X9PSgGzZny8SWD9YD6ClHWuamG5uiLb33D3SG28fKKr_S9dci29DIvzScP1_T7edkbZwTcY0oyBXVr6GvQpMrWZBU04Mhs-jtf2GHK0F7/s1600/the+sixes.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Right after Phoebe Hall's long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she's falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, she jumps at the offer to teach in a small private college in Pennsylvania run by her former boarding school roommate. But something evil lurks behind the quiet campus cafes and leafy maple trees. When the body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, disturbing accusations begin to surface about abuses wrought by a secret campus society known as The Sixes. Haunted by memories of her own school days, Phoebe launches a private investigation, and soon finds herself in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive. Because with the truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered... and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was a Barnes and Noble bargain book, and I was really scared it was going to be as bad as the last one I got <span style="font-size: x-small;">(see <a href="http://www.carlychubbycheeks.blogspot.com/2014/03/smash-cut-and-skinny.html">this post</a>)</span>. But I am happy to report that it was WAY better. It grabbed my attention pretty much from the get go. There was a lot of characters coming in and out which can be overwhelming sometimes, but in this case it was all about keeping the reader guessing. Every time a new name came up, I was find myself trying to think through scenarios about how they fit in and what it might mean. Overall, the book took a few twists and turns and it seemed like around every corner, there was another surprise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It wasn't the most intense book I've ever read, but the fact that it had good suspense while also being an easy read made it really good for a reader who doesn't always have long periods of time to read (since sometimes you have to be able to devote a good hour or two to make any progress in a book).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I think I will do some looking to see what other books this author might have out there for me.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-76177926292999281082014-03-20T20:18:00.000-07:002014-03-20T20:18:28.048-07:00Recipe Roundup<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have a few more Pinterest recipe discoveries to share with you this week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Cheeseburger Cauliflower</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chad and I used to eat a lot of hamburger helper when he lived in the Preston House (for those of you not in the know, that was the house he lived in with a menagerie of friends over the course of 4 years). Since we bought our house and it is just the two of us eating meals together <i>(as opposed to anywhere from 3 - 12 people milling around trying to find something to eat) </i>I haven't been making it very much. Not only is there very little nutrition to it, it makes a TON of food. So when I saw this recipe, I thought it was a bit reminiscent of the good ole HH days.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm8r9UYW5cmMBLXkn1TFB4z00481S8i08ChrPozjazT2vauYEWmQbGVvkGZR5MtrnzmKsFz9H9FdAAGLYBWdRoz-kRyFDOE8fqzxUrmoMKemTMvRoIsolIXaB6qJMA6GxrODqtk2UVYii/s1600/cheeseburger+cauliflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm8r9UYW5cmMBLXkn1TFB4z00481S8i08ChrPozjazT2vauYEWmQbGVvkGZR5MtrnzmKsFz9H9FdAAGLYBWdRoz-kRyFDOE8fqzxUrmoMKemTMvRoIsolIXaB6qJMA6GxrODqtk2UVYii/s1600/cheeseburger+cauliflower.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.beyonddiet.com/recipes/Cheeseburger-Cauliflower_1?token=aq4PGzTCCa&food=pineapple">Here's the original recipe.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The verdict? Very VERY bland. I was going to cut up some onion to cook with the beef and add a bit more flavor, but I didn't have one. I cooked the beef with garlic and onion powders, but it still didn't give it much taste. The recipe calls for 1 cup of cheese,but I probably put 2.5 cups in, and Chad still went and got a Kraft single to melt on top.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, it was a nice idea, but not one I might recommend <i>(however Chad just yelled at me for using the last of our ground beef to make this recipe, and I politely yelled back that if he wants tacos so damn bad, maybe he should just add some taco seasoning to it and make some effing tacos with it... and it dawned on me that it <b>might</b> not be a bad way to use the leftovers...)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Cheesy Honey Mustard Chicken</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This recipe came from <a href="http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/01/cheesy-honey-mustard-chicken.html#_a5y_p=1174178">Plain Chicken</a>. When I saw it on Pinterest, it seemed right up my alley. Here's the masterpiece featured on the original recipe:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIughfVNhtTlpmW7erJSssYn8i2_hAfuWOI8e-pu4uhI3pWTGdtfBFlK4PC5LbmL18ztVIg5C_9WxfmyJ9sIMSBHbDGp-xJ0hRlSOLE585EtGLt8seLJ-36b3z4w-KunBzjGaJFH_ZjU3E/s1600/honey+mustard+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIughfVNhtTlpmW7erJSssYn8i2_hAfuWOI8e-pu4uhI3pWTGdtfBFlK4PC5LbmL18ztVIg5C_9WxfmyJ9sIMSBHbDGp-xJ0hRlSOLE585EtGLt8seLJ-36b3z4w-KunBzjGaJFH_ZjU3E/s1600/honey+mustard+chicken.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looks delish, no?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's how my version turned out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOlJkZ_fkRzXoV96bOymoTaIffTY5RzO-pZbSmrtCYJhfBoKqXOQlnYH-2ZY7ziyEmyIZlRrthayuc23_XmfVKFxrVIwgr6a5zOeHdSQ8_3NnVR5ziwQGOipM07OeZU2tr4qB6FF2nBb3/s1600/my+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOlJkZ_fkRzXoV96bOymoTaIffTY5RzO-pZbSmrtCYJhfBoKqXOQlnYH-2ZY7ziyEmyIZlRrthayuc23_XmfVKFxrVIwgr6a5zOeHdSQ8_3NnVR5ziwQGOipM07OeZU2tr4qB6FF2nBb3/s1600/my+chicken.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I served mine up with a side of green beans sauteed with bacon and Uncle Ben's long grain and wild Ready-Rice. Not too shabby, my friends, not too shabby at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I ended up mixing up the sauce when I got home from work and putting it in the dish with the chicken to marinate while I worked out <i>(the recipe didn't say to let it sit in the marinade, but whatever</i>). Then when I got out of the shower after my workout, I popped it in the oven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The chicken ended up being really moist and flavorful. I spooned some of the sauce in the dish back over the chicken after I put it on my plate, and it kind of puddled up with the beans and the rice and it made me a very happy girl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is definitely one that I will be making again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This recipe was brought to you by <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2012/05/30/teriyaki-salmon-with-sriracha-cream-sauce/">Damn Delicious</a>, and if that's not a blog name that makes you want to read, I don't know what is. Follow it up with a picture of this dish, and you're a damn fool if you don't want to eat it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IvrlsxrB_ALBLLpXpIPTBmvLTno9T1uOSaTWUaQ5muO7oKvsrK31BwgRd07P1oSarA4e0d3ZxA6K_rDG3UbkpIW6Jy8orrKgjKZOa5OIK4xVl6mxeia0BX9ESHhDkk1hHSJCuA9q86dh/s1600/damn+delicious+salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IvrlsxrB_ALBLLpXpIPTBmvLTno9T1uOSaTWUaQ5muO7oKvsrK31BwgRd07P1oSarA4e0d3ZxA6K_rDG3UbkpIW6Jy8orrKgjKZOa5OIK4xVl6mxeia0BX9ESHhDkk1hHSJCuA9q86dh/s1600/damn+delicious+salmon.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">NOM NOM NOM!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I changed this recipe up just a TEENY bit. For one thing, I didn't plan far enough in advance to let my salmon marinate in the sauce for "at least 30 minutes to overnight". I really didn't even have enough time to let the sauce cool to room temperature without the assistance of my refrigerator. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other difference between my meal and Chung-Ah's <i>(she is the creator of Damn Delicious... keep up people!) </i>comes with the Sriracha cream sauce. I basically just mixed a bunch of sriracha with sour cream, as opposed to the mayo and sweetened condensed milk <i>(primarily because I wasn't going to go buy a can of sweetened condensed milk to use 1.5 TBSP and throw the rest away)</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this is the culinary masterpiece that I served up...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYYdEyC7Ri0AKgzZP2jkPKDJP3uf78r2XYVXCSWoWm_qKjoSa0yRBd8-lIF7dtyQilwaLGpU6xu1Wp6ClA7aXPuLTFyCfXKKznXvjBYIYZ3DUzk9da4BxGtghDtTsikRIUKW-wUdBaxrZ/s1600/my+fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYYdEyC7Ri0AKgzZP2jkPKDJP3uf78r2XYVXCSWoWm_qKjoSa0yRBd8-lIF7dtyQilwaLGpU6xu1Wp6ClA7aXPuLTFyCfXKKznXvjBYIYZ3DUzk9da4BxGtghDtTsikRIUKW-wUdBaxrZ/s1600/my+fish.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Yeah, I see it... obviously I need some SERIOUS help with my presentation and photography skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As hideous as my picture is, the taste was good. Again with my go to Uncle Bens Ready Rice as the base. The teriyaki sauce wasn't as sweet as a lot of the store bought stuff, which was nice. And the Sriracha sauce was great. I give this two thumbs up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's it for now. But, as long as I keep eating <i>(which I inevitably do)</i>, I will keep coming back to tell you what you should and shouldn't bother to ingest.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-32723014126799807982014-03-18T19:40:00.004-07:002014-03-18T19:40:53.863-07:00On Being Content<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rather than do a weight loss Wednesday post tomorrow, I decided that I want to talk more about a mental weight. The feelings of depression and frustration that make everything else in life so much harder to get through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I finished my workout tonight, fed Buck, took my shower, and walked to the front of the house, going over a mental list in my mind about how much stuff I need to get done, and where I should start, and I immediately started to feel that mental frustration coming on. You know the one I am talking about, that feeling of being completely overwhelmed. Where everywhere you look, something is wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, for whatever reason, I decided to just walk right through the house and out the front door with Buck. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No, I didn't lose my mind and just start wandering off into the woods. You're not going to see my face on the news as either a) a girl who just disappeared without a clue as to where I went, or b) the person who winds up sitting at a bus stop not knowing how I got there. Nope. I just went outside and looked around. Smelled the spring air and looked at the fish in my pond <i>(that have somehow miraculously survived in the year and a half since my mom moved out)</i>. And in that moment, I felt content. I felt like I could stand there for hours <i>(more likely AN hour... it still gets pretty damn cold at night)</i> and be okay with the fact that the dishes were still in the sink and the recycling is overflowing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, while I know that nothing in life is ever going to be perfect, I am discovering that it's okay. It's okay that I'll never be completely done with house work, or that my checking account won't ever have a balance high enough to fund my dream closet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's okay.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2h9kS8WddOO1gOy5q51J9Cz08fMnBDPVObLDiEvqw7RdfuIVbzkjcsaGEpn8dP3MSfW1xbvU3gAzEM0d44MTeLfzc-wvEauGSYS28r9hmeZiwrogAwfOzyj0iP7FgZixsxrI6X0mm6Tu/s1600/it's+okay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2h9kS8WddOO1gOy5q51J9Cz08fMnBDPVObLDiEvqw7RdfuIVbzkjcsaGEpn8dP3MSfW1xbvU3gAzEM0d44MTeLfzc-wvEauGSYS28r9hmeZiwrogAwfOzyj0iP7FgZixsxrI6X0mm6Tu/s1600/it's+okay.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://attimiericordi.tumblr.com/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">picture via</span></a></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-50365864286130045662014-03-17T20:50:00.000-07:002014-03-17T20:50:10.064-07:00If I'm Being Honest...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest</b>, I think that non clumping cat litter is STUPID.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest,</b> I frequently avoid going out with friends when they are wanting to go more than 15 minutes away <i>(social situations = drinking more to get comfortable. drinking more to get comfortable = lack of driving abilities.lack of driving abilities = much more difficult to find a way home)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest,</b> as many big wedding plans as I have always had in my head, I am realizing more and more that the little details aren't going to matter so much, I just wanna have a good time! <i>(I say that now... ask me in 5 months when it's <b>really</b> crunch time)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest,</b> people who would rather call my work 8 times in a row rather than leave a message make me feel violent. It also makes me <u style="font-style: italic;">less</u> likely to answer their calls. I'm more than happy to ignore you until you start behaving like a real life grown up rather than a child who seems to think that my entire day is made up of waiting on your every beck and call. Leave a message like every other person and I will get to you when it's your turn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest,</b> I think some people are codependent on drama.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>If I'm being honest,</b> I can't wait for summer to show up. Long days, warm nights, barbecues with friends. I'm ready.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-48387284228563833562014-03-15T21:12:00.001-07:002014-03-15T21:12:18.966-07:00Awkward Trends.<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't really know if that title even really fits for what I am about to write about, but I couldn't think of anything better, so just go with it, mmkay?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are some things that I see people posting about on Facebook, or pinning about that i can't help but go "really?! <i style="font-weight: bold;">That's</i> what you think is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? <i style="font-weight: bold;">THAT'S</i> the picture you want hanging on your wall for all to see????"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These are a couple of the things that have gotten under my skin lately that I really find it hard to believe I am the only person who DOESN'T want to see it...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/tatia-pileva-first-kiss-strangers_n_4940669.html">This Video</a> has been floating around on FB for the past week or so, with all sorts of comments about "this made me cry it was so beautiful" and "I dare you not to smile while you watch this!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Really? Strangers kissing each other. On camera. That's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? I couldn't watch it for more than 30 seconds before I just felt weird and uncomfortable and had to stop it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Am I alone here?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other thing that makes me cringe sometimes is pregnancy pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, don't get me wrong, I agree that pregnancy is a beautiful process and experience for women or whatever (it's not for me at this point, but it's great for other people), but something about these bare belly maternity pictures just makes me unhappy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, I know, it's an intimate experience to be pregnant, and even though the baby is still en-utero, it's like your first real family pictures, etc. But I think you can take those pictures with your shirt <u style="font-weight: bold;">on</u>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm sure I'm not going to make any friends with this particular emotion, but hopefully people will understand that it's just one of those personal preferences. I guess I'm just modest like that... I think that it's just plain uncomfortable sometimes to look at someone's round, firm, veiny pregnancy belly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ya know?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, that's that. I've been waiting a while to get it of my chest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Carry on.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-86211322320576891552014-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:002014-03-14T06:00:10.285-07:00Smash Cut and Skinny<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know it's been a while since I talked about anything aside from weight loss or food (weird...?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But believe it or not, I have been doing a bit of reading, so I thought I might link up for Book Club Friday.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blondeundercoverblonde.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://sites.google.com/site/blondeublonde/files/bookclubbutton.png" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u><b>Smash Cut</b> by Sandra Brown</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRFsq1lCe1rmVLrchjIbVMNXvxhxZstaqwZTfF9N-fm-InyD8DpnA3JzfNotbaitxwHZm4noLah1l_b5FKY_EL7PN_EAvy__TdDVmfcR5s7JH3cvCCZakqHyO4GHwrOy84UEEhGirbEI4/s1600/smash+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRFsq1lCe1rmVLrchjIbVMNXvxhxZstaqwZTfF9N-fm-InyD8DpnA3JzfNotbaitxwHZm4noLah1l_b5FKY_EL7PN_EAvy__TdDVmfcR5s7JH3cvCCZakqHyO4GHwrOy84UEEhGirbEI4/s1600/smash+cut.jpg" height="320" width="176" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When millionaire Paul Wheeler is murdered, his family retains renowned lawyer Derek Mitchell to defend the victim's nephew Creighton - although the police have not charged the young man with the crime. Wheeler's mistress, Julie Rutledge, who is also a suspect, believes that Creighton is the killer, despite his rock solid alibi, and she'll do almost anything in her quest to prove his guilt - even ruin Derek's career. But the more Derek learns of Creighton's darker side, especially his bizarre fascination with movie murders, the more he comes to believe Julie is right. The clock ticks down to a shocking ending as Derek and Julie join forces to find the truth. Has Creighton begun reenacting cinema's goriest scenes? And who will be his unwilling costars?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I first started reading this book, it really drew me in. I love a good mystery/suspense/murder book, so this seemed right up my alley. But I quickly realized that this wasn't going to have the twists and turns I had hoped for. It didn't take long to figure out who the murderer was, and the author's attempts to throw the reader off onto a different tangent failed. It also, as the synopsis implies, has a lot of references to movies, and I think that the book may have had a bit more attraction if I was familiar with all the movies that were referenced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, it was just okay. I give it 3 out of 5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><u><b>Skinn</b><b>y</b> by Diana Spechler</u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCGEaQKhmX_SEKElDbkVrgEz-bmDWM9Wn9opPBw2THfs1o-OI2-w4rp9XYfpdBLXg35O4NJ1hZmrZbiGFldcEvOPUrmSA8fg_sDZZPQ60FJLI1IuoIDoRKYZ7YvMqdXPEPTbAZ6bcIjIW/s1600/skinny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCGEaQKhmX_SEKElDbkVrgEz-bmDWM9Wn9opPBw2THfs1o-OI2-w4rp9XYfpdBLXg35O4NJ1hZmrZbiGFldcEvOPUrmSA8fg_sDZZPQ60FJLI1IuoIDoRKYZ7YvMqdXPEPTbAZ6bcIjIW/s1600/skinny.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>After her father's death, twenty six year old Gray Lachmann finds herself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandons her life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-loss camp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor, Sheena; the self-aggrandizing camp director, Lewis; his attractive assistant, Bennett; and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by a captivating mystery: her teenage half-sister Eden, whom Gray never knew existed. Now, while unraveling her father's lies, Gray must tackle her own self-deceptions and take control of her body and her life.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I thought this book would be PERFECT for me. But it was really not. I mean. REALLY not. I understand what the author was trying to do, show the reader that there is a connection between our minds wanting answers and our bodies supplementing with overeating, etc. But what she ended up with was a weird novel with a lot of confusing, contradictory things happening. She is so depressed about her fathers death but she talks about him like she hates him. She is SOOOO unhappy with her relationship, yet she continuously talks about how this guy was so great to her. There's an awkward, high school-esque drama with the other counselor, and a random steamy romance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, this book really lacked anything to make me recommend it to someone else. I think that the author was onto a really good topic, but it came out more as a lot of unfinished characters and storylines, and too many loose ends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I give it maybe 1.5 out of 5 stars.</span></div>
<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-16980819179772483652014-03-12T22:09:00.001-07:002014-03-12T22:09:32.145-07:00Worst Time of the Year<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The days are getting longer, and the sun is hanging out. Plants are starting to perk up and people are digging out their sunglasses (or buying new ones). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the WORST time of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why do I say that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have two words for you:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>FREE. AGENCY.</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm sure most of you have realized by now that I have almost an unhealthy level of emotional investment in the Seahawks. So the past few weeks have been hell on my nerves... knowing which of our players are up for free agency, which ones we're hoping to keep but might not, and who I PERSONALLY feel like we need to keep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then come the early releases... the people that the GM and coaches know we aren't going to keep and let go before free agency begins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>"Big Red" Bryant</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAS00IqEP7aw-yJACUkTGWnO6csQ3UNhDaHW3SelhVey-EidizSCOHH2VeZlm4CuTxsxNa07JccOKSTRUIGvGFE6JcIWicdKNfoBqHCZLPpnfyX1p7h2ZDTxQGFpM1vJPI82PtkYzZdpY/s1600/big+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAS00IqEP7aw-yJACUkTGWnO6csQ3UNhDaHW3SelhVey-EidizSCOHH2VeZlm4CuTxsxNa07JccOKSTRUIGvGFE6JcIWicdKNfoBqHCZLPpnfyX1p7h2ZDTxQGFpM1vJPI82PtkYzZdpY/s1600/big+red.jpg" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The captain of our defense, someone who came back from a major injury with force, and who started his NFL career back in 2008 with the Seahawks, and has been loyal to us since.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jacksonville, you got yourselves a hell of a football player. I'll miss you Big Red.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Sidney Rice</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi8M_8HiZbJz0UaIpwltCJ8OAycuxx8hpxAdOQO4-kJ3mscEiWV9cuOJBLhL8MMT9ue8QQxFsd5FIs3cEsSzjx1NXBWEPr4V4zoY0ALqGOIt-oBs0KAvjO65PzDOKoGw1vwxibDSxfguX/s1600/sidney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi8M_8HiZbJz0UaIpwltCJ8OAycuxx8hpxAdOQO4-kJ3mscEiWV9cuOJBLhL8MMT9ue8QQxFsd5FIs3cEsSzjx1NXBWEPr4V4zoY0ALqGOIt-oBs0KAvjO65PzDOKoGw1vwxibDSxfguX/s1600/sidney.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our wide receiver we acquired in 2011, but out for most of the 2013 season with a torn ACL. A good player for us when he was able to play. You may remember the game against the Bears in 2012 when he caught the ball thrown by Russell and won the game in overtime, but was knocked unconscious and spent the rest of the season out with the concussion.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQ25tX3dvng2fXiJG93YCSrcL1SUDX10nKu8kqs16XHv7QJW1Zwgb0T_M-978q57cVjs3XQ95kxz2rkfH2iQMsyOwdU-zMkdRFUKcehBdY8saSMT1fJIKUGv8X6FeyTa-ljDr8oqPo-Yd/s1600/knockout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQ25tX3dvng2fXiJG93YCSrcL1SUDX10nKu8kqs16XHv7QJW1Zwgb0T_M-978q57cVjs3XQ95kxz2rkfH2iQMsyOwdU-zMkdRFUKcehBdY8saSMT1fJIKUGv8X6FeyTa-ljDr8oqPo-Yd/s1600/knockout.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thank God the replays showed that he still had full posession of the ball when he cross the goal line, before all the shoulder meets head action occurred.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another guy I am sad to see go, but although his injuries weren't something he could have avoided, it didn't leave a lot of good reasons to keep him around and take up salary cap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, after the initial releases comes the real intensity. We let Red and Sidney go to free up $12 million to be able to pay some other players <span style="font-size: x-small;">(think about that number for a minute... $8.5 million was what we were set to pay Sidney if we kept him, and $4.5 million for my homeboy Red. Not salaries to sneeze about...)</span> so then you get to thinking about which players we could split that money up between in order to keep them on the team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then, enter one of my least desired outcomes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Golden Tate</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwR9lRkGOrkBneUsTIec2jNI2E6y6aXKiHo6SsmXXTFFpF1BvvxAXDaFlf-9In8-jtV86iBOQU1QAFNgIX9zzswU-I1XXkZke6oj1XBbAv7P2mumx7ChxuimkNFNC2Te0bZqDBXmBioNn/s1600/Golden-Tate.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwR9lRkGOrkBneUsTIec2jNI2E6y6aXKiHo6SsmXXTFFpF1BvvxAXDaFlf-9In8-jtV86iBOQU1QAFNgIX9zzswU-I1XXkZke6oj1XBbAv7P2mumx7ChxuimkNFNC2Te0bZqDBXmBioNn/s1600/Golden-Tate.jpeg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Integral in ending the referees lockout in 2012 with the infamous Fail Mary catch, my little Golden Tater tot has been with us straight from the draft in 2010 and has been one of our top receivers for the past two seasons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">His less than attractive side came out with this little display of unsportsmanlike conduct in the 2013 season</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3snj2XP3VNMSEb9XZOUOWUYWqXIBMjwEPUY26HkUXXSr0wCkmbCW2wIHd2G5Ip4ZxZDk8JtR_KiRguAqQwLEMID2d_24_j5f-R0Ji-ln_fwE3bMiNY3YmqEHIn0LGUufXsqdRyZCjGP7P/s1600/GoldenTateTaunt_crop_exact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3snj2XP3VNMSEb9XZOUOWUYWqXIBMjwEPUY26HkUXXSr0wCkmbCW2wIHd2G5Ip4ZxZDk8JtR_KiRguAqQwLEMID2d_24_j5f-R0Ji-ln_fwE3bMiNY3YmqEHIn0LGUufXsqdRyZCjGP7P/s1600/GoldenTateTaunt_crop_exact.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I know there was a lot of excitement that we were about to score after a game filled with really poor performance, but really, NOT cute.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The news I got today really left me speechless. Mr Tate left us, SEATTLE, the team with the greatest fan base. For DETROIT. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Side note, I was venting to Chad today about this and he goes "well Detroit did better this year than I had expected..." You're right, they are right in line with us Chad. Totally the same thing.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Granted, I understand that this is his JOB, it's not just some sort of hobby, so he has to keep his finances in mind. First I felt sad. Then immediately angry. Because of this quote:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>"I probably shouldn't even say this right now, but I'm going to say it anyway just because I love Seattle. Honestly, I would rather take a little less to be happy and win ballgames than to take way more and go to a crappy city where the fans don't give a crap about the team"</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Really my friend? You would take less money to stay in Seattle over going to another city that doesn't have as great of a fan base, and you choose the Detroit Lions?! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Detroit is just lovely (I mean, I would chose the Motor City over the Emerald City any day... NOT), but there really isn't a team that has a better fan base than the Seahawks (I may be biased, but you can't deny it). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I feel betrayed. Like he's been just lying to me. Like his loyalty was just superficial this whole time. I know that's probably NOT the case, but still. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Anyways, like I said, I have a hard time even putting into words how I feel about losing our players. This post has quite literally taken me 2 hours to write.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">So I'll just leave it at a fond goodbye to the players we've lost thus far, and hopes for keeping the other players that we have on the line right now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>A sad goodbye to</u></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Red Bryant</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Sidney Rice</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Chris Clemons</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Breno Giacomini</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Clinton McDonald</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Chris Maragos</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">and Golden Tate</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b><i><u>High hopes left for</u></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Doug Baldwin <span style="font-size: x-small;">(teach me how to Dougie?)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Brandon Browner<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (you've let me down the past two seasons, but I'll give you a 3rd chance...)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Steven Hauschka <span style="font-size: x-small;">(you're one of the few players that I can count on EVERY time)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tavaris Jackson <span style="font-size: x-small;">(some teams don't have a starting QB as good as you!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Walter Thurmond</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Paul McQuiston</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Michael Robinson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tony McDaniel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kellen Davis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and O'Brien Schofield</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways my friends, that is what is going on in my life today. I'm sure you're all devastated that i didn't come up with a Weight Loss Wednesday post, but take comfort in knowing that my depression over the Seahawks pushed me into an extra long workout tonight that left me with no appetite and shaky from the extra energy I expended.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-76824423574748584642014-03-10T21:22:00.000-07:002014-03-10T21:22:48.485-07:00When Party Food Attacks<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hosted a little bit of a game night at our house on Saturday night, and it involved pizza, crackers, dip, etc. And I woke up on Sunday morning feeling hungover. Not from the alcohol, but from the massive amounts of food I ate. I seriously felt like a dead animal that had been laying in the sun for too long, so I was bloated to twice my normal size.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But anyways. We only managed to play one game that goes by the name of Furt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Seriously, play it. It's hilarious. But you really need to play with people that aren't afraid to do ridiculous things. You have to be committed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-Die0kOlw3yUfKDanNkb0gwqSP1zmvlHxAmcqQYnjIA8LmgBsEk-7bSVflb6dcUxhpF_3X4UhnCOQA7CUCGCEkllpFHW3gh25In_Bq4qbmPtKg07Ua-U3G8t8128PuDR1XRo_jVole-H/s1600/Furt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-Die0kOlw3yUfKDanNkb0gwqSP1zmvlHxAmcqQYnjIA8LmgBsEk-7bSVflb6dcUxhpF_3X4UhnCOQA7CUCGCEkllpFHW3gh25In_Bq4qbmPtKg07Ua-U3G8t8128PuDR1XRo_jVole-H/s1600/Furt.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In other news, I got a new fishing pole last week, and I am ITCHING to do some bass fishing. But it's been too rainy and cold still, so I'll just have to hold my horses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I'll just have to take this moment to give you this little peek back to last spring.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U5kmsNQqhUufO-WXTLWutzOA8DkC_2YrMN7av8-zW9_BlG8k1B7d1Qx4BcZ4J2pqvFK3aTROIUFwpTbMR7OasMCP8cVW1t_Cc1cKVufajCvQqSXefK1DmbiWW8yfR-MJ5y14VLjINfnl/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U5kmsNQqhUufO-WXTLWutzOA8DkC_2YrMN7av8-zW9_BlG8k1B7d1Qx4BcZ4J2pqvFK3aTROIUFwpTbMR7OasMCP8cVW1t_Cc1cKVufajCvQqSXefK1DmbiWW8yfR-MJ5y14VLjINfnl/s1600/fish.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Clearly my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard... then I told them to bring THEIR milkshakes. And I drank them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But in all honesty, when I forget how far I've come in losing weight, I can look back at pictures like this and feel better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I heard about a website called <a href="https://www.raise.com/">Raise</a> where you can buy gift cards at discounted costs. Most of them aren't HUGE discounts, but a discount is a discount in my book. PLUS <a href="http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=4st87YrjKhuVLeY%2FORdK1w%3D%3D">Ebates</a> gives 1% off of what you spend there. And if you get a gift card for an ebates participating store that you use online, it's almost like free money. Almost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am having a hell of a time finding shoes for our wedding. I am stuck in this battle of wanting super cute fancy shoes and wanting to be comfortable all night. I <i>could</i> buy a fancy pair of heels and then change for the reception, but WHY would I want to spend that much money on a pair of shoes to wear for 30 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's all for now. Sorry I'm so exciting.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-81957783093624948622014-03-06T20:41:00.003-08:002014-03-06T20:41:51.534-08:00Mmm Mmm Good<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm back again with more reviews of newly discovered recipes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>Chorizo Breakfast Nachos</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Courtesy of the Budget Bytes blog again, <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/07/chorizo-breakfast-nachos/">here's the original recipe</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chad has somewhat recently developed a love for chorizo, so he was really excited about the prospect of these. Here is what they looked like when I got them all constructed and ready to serve up:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hxtbh-OfB-NDEtRE9o6h_b4MhROYgvE910TduqiZGJ3tIFLxn7gqA69zc7oyHv6Q91VBqnQwIkdZqrJIcwB9WZhQPsJ-AmlNhI3RsrRC2MNJ0d7DYdIfmEUk256zlgQd3xU8KIM4Nh8T/s1600/nachos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hxtbh-OfB-NDEtRE9o6h_b4MhROYgvE910TduqiZGJ3tIFLxn7gqA69zc7oyHv6Q91VBqnQwIkdZqrJIcwB9WZhQPsJ-AmlNhI3RsrRC2MNJ0d7DYdIfmEUk256zlgQd3xU8KIM4Nh8T/s1600/nachos.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not a fan of salsa from the grocery store (nothing compares to the salsa at our local El Caporal), so I just served mine up with some sour cream.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5Az592O72s2ZOsA-ieYe_P6g1L0_sj574UNiHKKSkjx2_-DtZ8pebRbgBNbTTt1ut-telR6v48fj6G2rJBinqJAVPjqLLX9uNCJjZdG6bujScKhfcAYGDEqPKpELrRL1O3TAmsvJA6gI/s1600/my+plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5Az592O72s2ZOsA-ieYe_P6g1L0_sj574UNiHKKSkjx2_-DtZ8pebRbgBNbTTt1ut-telR6v48fj6G2rJBinqJAVPjqLLX9uNCJjZdG6bujScKhfcAYGDEqPKpELrRL1O3TAmsvJA6gI/s1600/my+plate.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have to say, I really liked these! I was a little nervous about the whole mexican meets scrambled eggs situation, but it was delightful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think next time I make these (because there WILL be a next time), I might consider making the nachos up, but doing an over easy egg for myself because I LOVE me a runny egg yolk. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>(Side note about this recipe, she also enlightened me to the best way to cook scrambled eggs!)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><u>Crockpot Mongolian Beef</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Just so you know, I love chinese food... it runs in my blood <i>(I'm not even a little bit asian, but it seems as though I am genetically predisposed to love chinese food)</i>. So anytime I can have it at home without having to spend lots of money on it, I'm in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enter <a href="http://wannabite.com/crockpot-mongolian-beef/#_a5y_p=979849">WannaBite</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_HOizkcMZcrI_JHLNtQeDUPFBb7rFPDA2Cx_z7w4k6LEh3a_IL_s8kqoxucMEhabJWigMODzVNNLQepQPk_qelusYLAqJK1SaBnjxryZM5Wo_ATOu9wVbZvaNjURK6DDwxDrziDj7Kpw/s1600/crockpot-mongolian-beef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_HOizkcMZcrI_JHLNtQeDUPFBb7rFPDA2Cx_z7w4k6LEh3a_IL_s8kqoxucMEhabJWigMODzVNNLQepQPk_qelusYLAqJK1SaBnjxryZM5Wo_ATOu9wVbZvaNjURK6DDwxDrziDj7Kpw/s1600/crockpot-mongolian-beef.jpg" height="346" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Suffice it to say, my versions never look like the ones in the original pictures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZIhu_Fj0RuCwRYZuZgDx_nXZQs7b8k5nzI6Bha0mh4XMxGXPAmswtUFxp6AqeWjIU6ANpLNXifngGJeiy23_XAKRWqDsH3k73yz49kK1E6GPi3lFqkvQaCg_NpzfkeSq3mGLRqY_fE91/s1600/my+beef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZIhu_Fj0RuCwRYZuZgDx_nXZQs7b8k5nzI6Bha0mh4XMxGXPAmswtUFxp6AqeWjIU6ANpLNXifngGJeiy23_XAKRWqDsH3k73yz49kK1E6GPi3lFqkvQaCg_NpzfkeSq3mGLRqY_fE91/s1600/my+beef.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I switched the recipe up just a little bit. Rather than using canola oil, I used sesame oil for a little more asian flavor. I also added in some red pepper flakes to get a bit of heat in it (Chad loves his food spicy). I also added in some frozen broccoli to the crock pot for the last half hour or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I served it over a bed of Uncle Ben's Jasmine ready rice (which I really enjoyed, btw)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It turned out pretty tasty I suppose. There ended up being significantly more sauce than was necessary, so it almost was a bit overwhelming for the taste buds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I recommend this recipe, but if you are like us and don't want your meat swimming in sauce, you may want to scale back the measurements a bit.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-17067953719527052772014-03-05T06:53:00.000-08:002014-03-05T06:53:00.217-08:00I'm Cleanin' Out My Closet<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But not in the sense that Eminem was doing it... more in the literal getting rid of clothes sense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have to say that might be the most freeing part of losing weight. Getting to go through my closet and looking at my clothes in a completely different light <i>(and not just because I just changed a lightbulb in there, ha)</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've noticed over the past few months that some clothes that I used to LOVE because they were so big and comfy and cloaked me in happiness now do NOTHING for me. My size XL pajamas bring me nothing but frustration as they fall down and get me all tangled up in my sleep. If I had to run from a murderer wearing those bad boys, I would inevitably trip and fall and I would have to pray that the size of them would camouflage me and make me look like just a pile of blankets. <i>A pile of blankets with a gun.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And my work shirts? The ones that I would wear on a rotation because there was only a few of them that I felt okay in? Yeah. Those don't get worn anymore. I put one on the other morning because I looked at it and said "oh, I haven't worn that one in a while..." and I put it on and it felt like some sort of strange bubble around me. Almost like one of those sumo wrestler halloween costumes that has the fan built in to keep it blown up <i>(except my shirt didn't have an awesome, self ventilation system)</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this super cute top that I tried on at Target and found it to be shockingly comfortable and flattering <i>(I realized as I was putting it back on the hanger that it was a maternity shirt... no wonder I looked skinny in it)</i>. That shirt has turned into a dress for me... throw it on over a pair of leggings with some boots, BAM! Say hello to my Valentine's day outfit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Moral of this story is that, even though my weight loss slows down every once in a while and I get discouraged, I need to take a look at the tags on the clothes I'm wearing now compared to the ones I was wearing 6 months ago. And getting rid of those clothes that I was so familiar and comfortable with before is just a symbol of how far I've come, and the fact that I'm not going back there.</span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491222682040181097.post-10139554151412201192014-03-01T19:37:00.001-08:002014-03-01T19:37:46.090-08:00New Recipe Reviews<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In an effort to expand my horizons (and Chad's) I decided to try some new recipes this week. We tend to fall in to these cycles where we have the same 5 or 6 meals over and over and over. And then, after a while, NOTHING sounds good to eat and I spend my evenings being hungry but not wanting to cook anything because it's all become boring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, these are a few of the new recipes that I found in my Pinterest archives and finally got around to trying this week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5Y_fnJLw-qTSuE4EUHfZBVY-9vfxB2koUOJ9fQRsqVDlaW_GA2wKeD7_uyh80kn4OfeXR4FXJegrjGG_RaAjM1A9r7MWvPOQgUo6pSz8z6ciCeon7RtIb8SKg60x5IXfhscFKkQPe24I/s1600/Sriracha-Chicken-Thighs-angle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5Y_fnJLw-qTSuE4EUHfZBVY-9vfxB2koUOJ9fQRsqVDlaW_GA2wKeD7_uyh80kn4OfeXR4FXJegrjGG_RaAjM1A9r7MWvPOQgUo6pSz8z6ciCeon7RtIb8SKg60x5IXfhscFKkQPe24I/s1600/Sriracha-Chicken-Thighs-angle.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a recipe that I found <a href="http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/12/honey-sriracha-chicken-thighs/">here</a> on the Budget Bytes blog. She is all about good food at affordable prices. Another thing about this recipe that appealed to me is that I had everything I needed already in my fridge or cupboard, I just had to pick up the chicken on my weekly shopping trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is how mine turned out:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZv9XZ-rYk7yYzomCFcuS1-UfGDGKmxHno_XKGnk03cZY9WdSumNO43gGnl04gaBXVxZJlVhwCdepKCxG4lIuzGBf3FZp9s5S7hiib2JwKtO_8BP2W-i-8qrSphyM2RAQi5a9y1aqYMrF/s1600/chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZv9XZ-rYk7yYzomCFcuS1-UfGDGKmxHno_XKGnk03cZY9WdSumNO43gGnl04gaBXVxZJlVhwCdepKCxG4lIuzGBf3FZp9s5S7hiib2JwKtO_8BP2W-i-8qrSphyM2RAQi5a9y1aqYMrF/s1600/chicken.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sooooo, definitely not as pretty as the culinary masterpiece that Beth posted with her recipe, but I am going to go ahead and blame that on the quality of my cell phone camera...<i> yep, that's it... the camera quality...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But back to my opinion on the taste rather than the appearance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>You should know that I really don't always follow recipes as far as measurements are concerned. I'm one of those eyeball measurers sometimes, especially when it comes to ingredients that only affect the flavors.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I really enjoyed this chicken recipe. My sauce that I reduced didn't turn out as much like a dark, decadent glaze like the original picture shoes, it was more of like a strange, gloopy jelly consistency. So I was a bit nervous that I really effed something up somewhere along the line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not to worry though, it was pretty durn tasty! I will definitely make it again, but I think I will change up my sauce/marinade a bit and probably do more sriracha and less ginger to make it a little spicier and not quite as sweet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Three Envelope Crock Pot Roast Beef Sliders</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't get a picture of these guys, and I didn't steal a picture from the original site, but you can find it <a href="http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/02/recipe-for-3-envelope-crockpot-roast.html#axzz2u58ehzzM">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I loved the flavor of the beef with the onion soup mix, italian dressing mix, and brown gravy mix. I used a smaller roast, since Chad and I didn't need 3-5 pounds of beef. I also didn't add the Pace Picante sauce, but I did add some bell peppers to the onions when I carmelized them</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for turning them into sliders, it was a little hard. The chunks of meat didn't stay on the slider buns very well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will probably use the original roast recipe again because I loved the flavor, but probably won't do so with the intention of making sliders, but I'm sure Chad will use the leftovers for it (which is what the original recipe mentioned).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot6JbR56pY6hvgm5g9D0cB-0n5-qDK6HAkZY_pBxjLfIUbnnpmkVwE314SYFGkkwN0NMIfX0wDuK3EA9ZNBsY01UxQ5O1kuIx14tFUnXV9_VlEOKHfulvUXPMDA1IM4u8lgI7R2NIO0-i/s1600/soup+original.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot6JbR56pY6hvgm5g9D0cB-0n5-qDK6HAkZY_pBxjLfIUbnnpmkVwE314SYFGkkwN0NMIfX0wDuK3EA9ZNBsY01UxQ5O1kuIx14tFUnXV9_VlEOKHfulvUXPMDA1IM4u8lgI7R2NIO0-i/s1600/soup+original.JPG" height="400" width="297" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://partyinmykitchenparties.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-recipe-to-share.html">Here</a> is the original recipe at the Party in my Kitchen blog. That is also her picture I put there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today was a windy, cold, trying-to-snow kind of day. So it seemed like the perfect day to try this soup out. Plus all my other protein was frozen and I didn't want to wait 8 hours for it to thaw out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's how mine looked:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwTZln23EOaY0qcWK33oTAboD_GKgn7CMbVXfZXHBcxz0W5sLGRqcDDRHdk-SHt1Dp2QYz2Q7YfOECrqdcxr5PELuAhKyp2C6IoaERoklmocm-mdPhuNSZOVUBbkWGF1Jq-LIAq08bvzE/s1600/my+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwTZln23EOaY0qcWK33oTAboD_GKgn7CMbVXfZXHBcxz0W5sLGRqcDDRHdk-SHt1Dp2QYz2Q7YfOECrqdcxr5PELuAhKyp2C6IoaERoklmocm-mdPhuNSZOVUBbkWGF1Jq-LIAq08bvzE/s1600/my+soup.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It doesn't have as much of a yellow-y color to it and not as much broth, but whatever. I followed the recipe exactly (aside from the eyeballing of the herbs). This soup has GREAT flavor, but HOLY SODIUM. The recipe calls for 6 bouillon cubes to go with the 4 cups of water and can of evaporated milk. That's <b>SIX</b> cubes. It was the whole box. The box said that 1 cube is what you will use for 2 cups of water. I took a second, said to myself "gee, that seems like a lot of cubes..." but figured I'd follow the recipe. I now regret that. It seriously is almost not edible. Chad and I poured milk into our bowls to cut the saltiness, but it still was rough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As I type, I have dumped the soup into a strainer over a bowl, and have taken some of the existing broth, added some milk and water, and am setting it to simmer on the stove again for a bit to see if we can salvage it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overall, I will probably make it again, but will DEFINITELY alter the recipe a bit... ya know, so we can actually eat it without the need to chug 5 gallons of water afterwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyways, those are a few of the things I have tried this week. I'll try to keep expanding my horizons, and then tell you what I think, so you don't waste your time unless you know it's Carly and Chad approved. </span></div>
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<img alt=" photo 284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" border="0" src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j429/Kellysavenue/CARLY%202013/th_284877b_zps8b820ec3.png" style="width: 160px;" />Carly Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08292187482177900434noreply@blogger.com0