For The Sake of Cake

Hello, hello and happy Friday! Are you gearing up for a 3-day weekend? Unfortunately, I have school on Monday; it’s a snow make-up day. But ‘ya know what? Next weekend I’ll be in Florida and I took Monday and Tuesday off from work so it’s all good!

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on yesterday’s post. You all definitely helped to calm my nerves a bit! However, I texted my sister tonight a little freaked out that my longest distance has only been 10 miles!

Am I setting myself up for a disaster here? To be honest, I’m out of time so it’s really just too bad at this point! I immediately started googling “minimum training distance for a half marathon” and a few plans max out at 10, so I’m hoping I’ll do okay. Let’s face it, I’m not racing to win, so as long as I finish – regardless of the time – I’ll be happy. Can you tell I’m going to be a bundle of nerves this week?

Aaanyway… we had a half day at school today and although the kids were a little unruly (as is always the case on an early dismissal day!) nothing could get me down because I had lots of fun errands to run with my free afternoon! A nice bonus? The weather was absolutely gorgeous and spring-like!

My first stop was Athleta at King of Prussia for my half marathon outfit! My sister had given me a gift card for Christmas, so although the clothing isn’t cheap, I was able to cushion the blow a bit.

I ended up getting a layered, ruffled running skirt (in black) and a ruched, short-sleeved top (in bright pink).

My next stop was the Apple store! As I’ve mentioned before, I had been saving up for an iPad mini and today was the day.

I’m obsessed already! With all of my birthday money + gift cards and other random savings, the iPad and a cover only cost me about $30!!!

My next stop was Starbucks, where I had a birthday reward to redeem. I ordered a grande vanilla spice frappuccino.

Ericka? Encha? Close enough…

On my way home from KOP, I made a pit-stop at the outlets because I had a few coupons for LOFT… a $20 rewards coupon + a $15 birthday coupon. I ended up getting three tops, a necklace, and earrings for around $50. Not bad, right?

Then, on a whim, I stopped at the Vera Bradley outlet to see if they had any President’s Day sales going on. My sister and I don’t want to check luggage for our trip, so I needed a large duffle bag. Their duffle bags were priced at $70 and they had a 30% off sale… sold. THEN, at the checkout, the cashier told me since it was my birthday month I got an additional $20 off. I walked out spending $30 on a large duffle.

What a day! I love shopping and spending money, but I love it even more when I get to save money.

What’s the last great deal that you got? I’m pretty pleased with myself about that duffle bag.

Hi everyone and happy Cyber Monday.

Although I do go out and do a little bit of shopping on Black Friday, I much prefer ordering Christmas gifts online. You really can’t beat the deals and the ease of having your purchases show up at your doorstep.

As a seasoned Cyber Monday shopper, I know that it’s easy for things to get a little out of control. Sometimes the deals are so good that it’s hard to step away from a purchase that might not be 100% necessary. It can also be difficult to track what was purchased for a certain family member, where various receipts or shipping confirmations ended up, or how much money has been spent.

Enter: my tips for staying organized during Christmas shopping season.

Tip #1 – Set a budget, and don’t be afraid to go under it

Having a budget in mind is so important, or else it’s very, very easy to overspend. Rather than setting a “grand total” budget, I usually try to designate a certain amount for each person on my list. However, when I’ve purchased everything I intended to buy for someone – whether I’ve reached my monetary limit or not – I stop (or at least try to). For example, if I plan to spend $100 on Chris, but find really great deals on everything on my list and only end up spending $85, then that’s okay!

Maybe this is a “duh” tip to everyone else, but I always feel the need to continue spending until I hit my set limit. The truth is, no one is totaling up how much you’ve spent on them, so smile to yourself about your great shopping skills and move on!

Tip #2 – Create a folder in your inbox for Christmas-related emails, receipts, and shipping confirmations

I like to email family members for gift ideas, and then keep their responses organized to refer to as needed. The same goes for online purchases – any and all emails regarding purchases go in the “Christmas 2012” folder, so I know where to find them if need be. You could even take things a set further and categorize them by person, family, or couple.

For gifts bought in-store instead of online, I keep all receipts organized by recipient in a small envelope.

Tip #3 – Create an Excel spreadsheet to organize purchases

As you can see, the first column is where I list everyone’s name (don’t worry, we’ve got more than 2 people to shop for!). In column B, I record all items purchased and then the cost in column C. If I didn’t have a visual like this, I know that I’d feel super overwhelmed at having to remember who still needs what and how much money I have spent… this method makes it easy!

Questions for you…

• Did you do any Cyber Monday shopping? I wasn’t feeling very organized or on top off Christmas shopping, but today sort of forced me to get my butt in gear.
• Do you have any tips for staying organized during the holidays? Please share!
• Do you have any unusual gift ideas? I’m always looking for new and different gifts to give!

You may want to check out…

• 12 Days of Christmas for your Husband (or significant other) – I really want to do this!
• How to Start a Blog via Jimmy Choos on the Treadmill – great tips for any of you thinking about beginning your own blog.
• Cyber Monday deal from Craft Coffee – see my post on this delivery service here.

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with your family.

Our first stop yesterday was my parents’ house, where our family celebration was taking place.

Me and Chris

Me and my sister

“Dinner” (lunch, really) was ready quickly!

We had all of the usuals… turkey (of course) cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn, potato filling, sweet potato casserole (my contribution!) and rolls. I added a little bit of everything to my plate.

I went back for seconds of the potato filling, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Everything was so yummy.

Of course, dessert wasn’t far behind.

As you can see, I forgot to snap a photo before digging in, but I had a piece of pumpkin pie along with a pumpkin whoopie pie (another one of my contributions).

After spending some more time with my family, Chris and I headed over to his parents’ house. Luckily, our families only live about 5 minutes apart, so it’s an easy trip.

I ate pretty much everything that I had at my parents’… Thanksgiving “take two.” For dessert, I had a piece of cherry pie that my sister-in-law, Andrea, made; delicious!

After we left my in-laws – about 9:30PM – I headed to Target. I’m definitely not someone who goes “all out” on Black Friday, but I saw an $8 waffle iron advertised in their circular, and I wanted to pick one up. Clearly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The parking lot was packed, the lines were out of control, and they were already sold out of the waffle maker.

Luckily, they had re-stocked by the time my mom and I ventured out again this afternoon! I was pumped to finally get a waffle iron (I’ve been wanting one for a little while now) and bought some red velvet mix to try out tomorrow.

I also got a good deal on 2 large candles from Bath and Body Works. Colleen posted about the two for $20 deal this morning, and the cinnamon frosting and twisted peppermint scents called out to me!

Another exciting Black Friday purchase? New running shoes!

I went to a local running store – A Running Start – and got properly fitted. After being shown a few different styles, I settled on these Saucony Guide 6s.  I can’t wait to get out there and give them a try… probably on Sunday!

I returned home to a pizza that Chris picked up while I was out shopping. Now, we’re settled in for a quiet evening at home… typical.

What was your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Are you a Black Friday shopper? What was your best deal of the day? I also picked up two tops at LOFT (for myself, ha!) and a bunch of little items for a Secret Santa exchange that I participate in at work.

I disappeared for a few days, didn’t I?

That always seems to happen with me during the second half of the week.

Thursday evening, I had conferences after school from 3:00-5:30PM. By the time I left work and stopped at Subway for a quick dinner, it was apparent that no blogging would be happening.

Friday, I had a few quick errands to run after work. I’m attending a baby shower for Chris’s cousin today, so one of my stops was Babies “R” Us. I always feel completely lost in there! I usually try to pick out one item that’s the exact price I want to spend, or else I’ll get totally overwhelmed trying to pick out a few different things. Anyway, I made it out within 30 minutes which I think is a record for me.

I stopped at Saladworks to pick up something for dinner, since we really didn’t have much in the house. (And what we did have, I didn’t feel like eating.) I don’t eat at Saladworks frequently – they are way overpriced in my opinion! – but sometimes a few extra dollars is worth the convenience.

I spent the rest of my evening curled up on the couch with this little dude:

Speaking of dogs…

We ended up not adopting Crosby. Chris took Stewie to meet him on Thursday and didn’t feel 100% convinced that the two would be the best of friends. Stewie is very laid back and doesn’t even really pay attention to most other dogs. However, Crosby wanted to play (aw) and wouldn’t leave Stewie alone until Stewie barked at him.

It’s hard to tell if it would be the same once we got him home. After all, he’s all caged up at the shelter! Chris and I didn’t want to take the risk though. It wouldn’t be fair to either dog if things didn’t work out well. The good news is, I noticed his picture was taken off the animal rescue league website. I’m hoping this means he found a wonderful home!

Okay, back to the weekend…

Saturday morning I was supposed to run 6 miles. After Monday’s post, a few people suggested that the training plan seems to be increasing my mileage too drastically. So, while I hadn’t planned to necessarily run 6 miles, I still had the intentions of getting a run in on Saturday morning.

Then, I just didn’t feel like it. I understand that I’m training for a half marathon and I’ll have to run even when I don’t feel like it, especially once I get closer to the race. Yesterday, however, I wanted to go to spin, so that’s what I did. I thought about doing a quick run after, but I had stuff I wanted to get done so I just moved on with my life and promised myself I’d run a few times this coming week.

After spin class, I threw together a quick breakfast… a cranberry English muffin with a little bit of butter and jelly, a blueberry Chobani, and hazelnut coffee with foam made in my Keurig milk frother.

I need to work on my cinnamon sprinkling skills!

The rest of Saturday was spent doing a little cleaning, grocery shopping, going to church, and eating pizza… yum!

I also ate quite a few of these Pretzel Crisps. Look for these immediately; they’re delicious!

This morning, I was up bright and early at 6:00AM. Chris had to go in to work for 7:00AM today, so I told him I’d get up with him. Waking up early is 100% easier if you have company. Since we went to bed relatively early last night, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

After helping Chris get his lunch together and sending him off to work, I prepared some pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal for myself.

Now, I’m about to jump in the shower and get ready for the… shower. Ha!

I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to blog tomorrow; I have parent/teacher conferences from 8:00AM until 9:00PM… yikes! Of course, we have lunch and dinner breaks so I won’t truly be locked in my classroom for 13 hours.

Have a great Sunday!

Have you discovered any amazingly yummy products lately? Those Pretzel Crisps are to die for!!!

Good evening everyone!

I’ve got a product review for you all tonight, and bonus – it’s in vlog form!

You can check out all of the products offered by Zensah here, and the socks I reviewed here. (I also love the black/grey/neon pink pair!)

Some other main points from the vlog…

• You can tell that these are high quality, and worth the $49.99. (I mistakenly said they were $50 in the video, so forgive me for rounding up!)
• Compression socks are beneficial for both enhancing performance and recovery. For me, I found these worked best for recovery.
• You can read more about what separates Zensah from other sports apparel companies here.

I was super impressed with the product I received and I’m so thankful that I’ll have the compression socks to help me through my half marathon training! I’ve checked out lots of their other products and I am hoping to try the seamless running sports bra and spectrum focus leggings (so cute!)

Do you use any compression items (socks/pants/tops)? Do you find that they help your performance and/or recovery?

Disclaimer: I was provided with the compression socks free of charge, however all thoughts and opinions are my own – I really liked them!

Happy weekend everyone!

I feel like I haven’t posted on a Friday in a while, but I’m feeling up to it this evening, so why not?

Today actually ended up being a great day! Don’t you love that? I was in a fairly good mood today knowing that the weekend was on the horizon and the day passed by pretty quickly.

A few things that made today great…

A yummy lunch!

I’d be hearing such great reviews about the new Barilla in 60 meals from some of my Fitfluential friends and I was excited when I finally spotted them at Target this past weekend. I microwaved one for lunch at work today, and I was pretty impressed… very tasty and a nice, quick option.

After-school shopping!

I’m lucky enough to live close to some pretty awesome outlets. I wanted to stop at both the Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle outlets to pick up some fall fragrance “stuff.”

Hand soaps were 4 for $15 at Bath and Body…

And I scored a fall-themed tart burner at Yankee Candle for a mere $5! (I also purchased a bunch of season-appropriate tarts.)

Of course I couldn’t be at the outlets and not stop at LOFT. The 40% off signs drew me in, and I ended up buying three shirts that are ideal for the transitional weather between summer and fall.

PSL!

This yummy, afternoon pick-me-up was another highlight of my day! Yum!

Afternoon stroll with Stewie!

We were practicing for tomorrow’s walk. (And yes, his leash has a skull and cross-bone print because he’s really, really tough.)

A “real” dinner!

Ok, so all I did was microwave a spaghetti squash and cook up some meatballs, but this is a big step up from my usual Friday dinner of peanut butter and jelly. By this point in the week, I’m just spent. Tonight, however, I powered through to make something a bit more substantial.

Relaxing and TV watching on our new couch!

A few days ago, I mentioned in passing that Chris and I got a “new” couch for our living room. We actually purchased the couch from a family friend (Kristin) and were so happy to have something big enough for both of us to comfortably fit on. Tonight, I had the whole bad boy to myself!

Clearly, we still need curtains and some paint. All in good time friends!

That brings us to now… some down time to catch up on blog reading and hopefully get to bed early. I can’t wait to catch up on some sleep from this past week.

Enjoy the evening and weekend!

What color scheme is your living room? Chris and I have a dark brown + deep red + steely blue color combo going on that I kind of like!

Happy Friday everyone! Today was actually a half day for the students where I teach – it’s prom night! I’m sure you can imagine that the half day was super productive & everyone was just so attentive!

Although I had to stay at work for the full day, I had something fun to look forward too – a trip to the LOFT outlet near me! The other day I realized I had two coupons that were about to expire – one for 20% off & another for $20 off – & luckily they could be used together. I also had a $25 gift card that I had saved from my birthday, so I was ready to do a little shopping.

Here’s what I got:

Sunglasses

Black capri pants

Two cap-sleeved shirts

Two dresses

Two knitted 3/4 sleeve cardigans

Loose-fit, short-sleeved sweater

When all was said & done, I saved $152 off of retail price… woohoo! I texted Chris afterwards & told him that while I did do a little “damage,” at least I can’t complain that I have nothing to wear.

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When I got home from my little shopping excursion, I ran to the bathroom to pop my contacts out! Throughout the entire day they were irritating me, & on my car ride home I could barely keep my right eye open it was bothering me so much. After that I quickly plopped down on the couch, turned on an old episode of Bethenny Ever After, & the pug & I fell asleep for a good hour or so.

When I woke up, I was simply… annoyed. Annoyed that my eye still hurt (I guess it’s my eye & not my contact), annoyed that I had slept for an hour, annoyed that this nap robbed me of any motivation to complete the quick run I had planned for the evening.

After forcing myself off of the couch, I took Stewie for a quick walk & proceeded to get annoyed that he wouldn’t just go. I got annoyed at the neighbor that calls him “Dewey” instead of Stewie. Then I came inside & was annoyed that I had to make dinner.

Blah. What the heck was wrong with me? Are any of these things really that big of a deal?

My eye hurts. Yes, that’s a little irritating but not the end of the world.

I missed a workout. Unfortunate, but again, who really cares? Am I going to wake up tomorrow 10 lbs. heavier & out of shape? Dear God I hope not.

Ok, so I don’t want to make dinner. Just throw something together & quit being such a baby about it!

I don’t really know what the point of this portion of the post is other than to acknowledge that I can be a grumpy little thing sometimes.

Sometimes, I need to just chill out. Breathe. Re-group. Throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Plan for some extra cardio tomorrow. Put a warm washcloth on my eye… or something, haha.

Be thankful that I was able to treat myself to some nice, new clothing this afternoon. Snuggle with this face:

Ok, I forgive you for smelling every last blade of grass to ever exist on planet Earth.

As it turns out, there’s really not that much to be such a grump about.

How do you “snap out of it” when you find yourself in a funk?

Hi there.

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was actually pretty relaxing, & although I’m sad to see it come to an end, I’m anxious to get another week started & be one step closer to summer vacation!

Tonight, I wanted to take some time to share with you all about the event I participated in yesterday – the Zella Day of Movement, which was held at various Nordstrom locations throughout the country. (I attended the event at King of Prussia mall.)

Zella is a brand of fitness/activewear sold at Nordstrom, & this was the second-annual event held by the company & department store.

My sister & I arrived at the mall around 8:45AM; the event was scheduled to begin at 9:00AM. We were greeted by the friendly staff at Nordstrom, & taken to the area where the (free!) fitness class would be held, which was just outside of the department store entrance.

My sister & I were excited to find out that the class would be a cardio barre class. Our instructor for the morning, Christina, owner of Ploome in Philadelphia, chatted with us & other attendees before the class got started.

I had never taken a cardio barre class & man am I feeling it today. It was quite challenging & I really worked up a sweat – more than I was anticipating when I planned to work out in a mall! It was amazing how intense of a workout we got with a folding chair as our only piece of equipment.

For any local readers who are looking to change up their fitness routine, I would highly recommend looking into the various classes available at Ploome. I only wish I lived a bit closer to the city so I could try out another one of Christina’s classes!

After the workout session, we headed up to the activewear department & did a little shopping.

I was very impressed with all the different Zella pieces. (You can do some online shopping for yourself here!)

I had been wanting a “workout skirt” for a while, so I decided I’d make the Zella “Wrapped Up” Running Skirt my “investment” for the day. Trust me, there were tons of other items that caught my eye & I would have loved to add to my wardrobe! While the clothes are a little pricey (coming from someone who loves C9 brand at Target!) I can already tell that the high-quality will be worth the cost.

As a gift for attending the event & spending a minimum of $40 on Zella gear, I was given a free gift – a Zella “Z T 3″ Tee. I was excited to find out that this was the freebie, as I already had my eye on the cute, ruched t-shirt! I tried this on when I got home & deemed it appropriate for the gym or even just casual weekend wear!

I had such a fun time yesterday morning that it almost makes up for how sore I am today! I got to try out a new type of class & shop for new clothes – a successful Saturday morning in my book!

Have you ever tried a barre-style workout?

What’s your favorite brand of workout clothes? Do you own any Zella items?

Hi there.

This post is going to be pretty random… I don’t have any one topic in mind, so I’m just going to go with the flow & see what I come up with!

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I’m loving the comments on yesterday’s post about running. So many of you had such nice, supportive things to say & I loved reading about everyone else’s experiences with running.

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Last week, I only managed to get to BodyPump once, unlike the twice-weekly routine I’d be holding down. Well, tonight BodyPump felt difficult. Sure, it’s always challenging, but my weights felt extra heavy for some reason. Regardless, I powered through. My pregnant Pump instructor makes me look like a wuss.

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I need to go shopping. Bad. Real bad. Pinterest is no friend of mine in this state of mind.

I need clothes, like always. But I also need new gym shoes, gym clothes, & I want to get some new things for around the apartment. I need to plan a shopping day, stat!

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Tonight, Chris & I took the easy way out & made this for dinner:

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I’ve since come to the conclusion that there are few things more convenient and delicious than Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken.

Well I think that’s a sufficient amount of randomness for one evening. I’ll be back tomorrow with a WIAW post!

What’s one item that you really NEED or WANT to purchase right now?

Before we get into tonight’s holiday gift guide, let’s have a giveaway winner, shall we?

The winner of the Unique Pretzels giveaway is…

#9 – Lindsay!

Congrats Lindsay! I’ll be e-mailing you & getting those delicious pretzels sent your way ASAP!

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If you’ve missed any of the previous holiday gift guides, check them out below:

• For the Hostess
• For the Foodie
• For the Fella

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I’d consider myself to be a pretty girly girl. I’m sure some of you might have a sister, mom, or friend to shop for that is the same way & perhaps you’re wondering what to get her!

True, I’ve already recapped some of the items on my Christmas list in this post, but I pulled together a few more gifts that any girly girl would love! (Be warned, some of these items are on the pricey side, but I’m sure you could find similar, more economical items as well!)

Coach New Madison Embossed Croc Abigail Shoulder Bag

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You really cannot go wrong with a nice, quality handbag! Coach makes some fantastic purses that will last (& be in style!) for years to come.

Available from Coach.com, $598.00

Nook, by Barnes & Noble

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Chris actually got me a Nook Color for Christmas last year, & I love it! I originally wanted the Nook (instead of a Kindle) for the ability to read magazines, although I’m pretty sure the Kindle has that capability now too (??). Regardless, since I have a Nook, I can vouch for the quality of the product & I couldn’t be happier!

Available from Barnesandnoble.com, Nook Color – $199

Tiffany & Co. Watermelon Charm & Chain

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I’ve always been a fan of Tiffany jewelry (really, what girl isn’t?). I just recently spotted these necklaces online (there are different charms available) & thought they were so adorable!

Available from Tiffany.com, $250 (for the charm and chain together)

Lilly Pulitzer iPhone Cover

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Here’s a more reasonably-priced item if you’re looking for just one more thing for someone on your list (especially if they just recently invested in an iPhone). Lilly Pulitzer patterns are bright & fun – and how can you miss this in the bottom of your new Coach bag?!

Available from Lillypulitzer.com, $24.95

Fossil Stella Stainless Steel Watch – Rose

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I have a deep purple Fossil watch similar to this one that I absolutely love. The only downside? It doesn’t go with much! If you’re shopping for a watch, go with a neutral tone that will look good with a variety of outfits. I love the idea of doing a rose gold-colored watch – a new spin on neutral!

Available from Fossil.com, $135

If you’ve got the budget, these gifts are sure to bring a smile to any lady’s face on Christmas morning!

How are you doing with your Christmas shopping?