What Am I Going To Do With This Dog?

So this is my dog, Stella.  She is licking my leg to make up for being such a terrible dog. It's a good thing she's so adorable. She's gotten in the habit of asking to go out then not doing anything once we're out there. She will then proceed to do her business in the hallway outside our apartment. Chris sends me angry texts about wanting to get rid of the dog every day now. But then she comes up and is so cute and wants to cuddle and play and all is forgiven.

Thank Goodness for Leftovers

So since Chris and I are only going to be in town for two nights this week, I decided it wasn't worth it to grocery shop and just got creative with what I had. I ended up making a Rotel/Velveeta pasta with leftover taco meat.  Not super healthy but definitely tasty.

Oops...I forgot

So I totally forgot to post something yesterday. I even took pictures for it an everything. But I only didn't post since I was having such a good time, so I'll give myself a pass. I spent the morning making cookies because it was dreary and rainy and basically a perfect cookie day. Then we ended up at Jaspersfest, which is a big Memorial Day party that involves a lot of food, beer (or hard cider for me) and a big crawfish boil. I ended up with a lot of blurry pictures but some great memories. And a bit of a headache today.

A Vegetarian Dinner

I was driving all day today so I didn't end up taking a picture. But I do have an extra from yesterday to share.

I made this for dinner yesterday and it was seriously so tasty and filling that I didn't even care it was vegetarian.
Chris did though. But even he agreed with me that it was good enough to make again.

Stelly Bean

The weather was beautiful today so I took Stella for a walk to go visit Chris while he studied. Mostly I walk and Stella stops and sniffs things, but it's still fun. 

 

Someone brought in a puppy to the library today that I seriously almost brought home as a friend for Stella. She was a chihuahua/beagle mix and she was just a tiny tiny puppy and I loved her. So if anyone wants a puppy, let me know!
 

Also, Stella made a friend on our walk today. She has no fear. 

Box Brownies Are Always A Good Choice

Today was kind of rough. Pretty sure I'm getting a sinus infection (yum) and just was grumpy with a headache all day. So after work I came straight home and made these bad boys.  Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies. I've tried to make homemade brownies before and they've always just ended up as expensive failures. Box brownies never fail me though.  Add all the right ingredients and they're always there to comfort you. So here's to you, box brownies. Thank you for making my life easy and delicious. 

I clearly couldn't wait to eat these until after I got a nice picture. Oops. 

Book Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg  

 

I checked this book out to listen to on my ride back home to see my brother in a play (which he was fabulous in) and have been listening to it ever since. I have been finding it incredibly interesting. I honestly don’t know if I would have made it through reading it though. It gets boring and repetitive at times, as non-fiction can do. It also jumps back and forth between examples a lot, which I find annoying. Just finish one story at a time. Seriously. 

However, the perspective of looking at business through the lens of habits is a stimulating exercise. I will never shop at Target the same after listening to this. They’re a bunch of data-collecting creepers. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and is incredibly helpful for their business, but the idea of how much they know is a little disturbing. I'd actually heard the story of the pregnant teenager before, but listening to it from this perspective was new and insightful.

The insight into history is fascinating and definitely makes the book worth a read. I'm currently at the section about the civil rights movement, and how to change the habits of societies. And while I'm not a church goer, the idea of the habits of weak-ties that is discussed in a section about religion makes a lot of sense to me. It's like a lesser version of peer pressure, without any actual pressure attached. Just the idea of it is enough to make people change their wants and habits.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who has any sort of business backround. Hearing about Target made me think about all of the case studies I did during business school and made me look at them from a different perspective. The insight into changing habits and the human brain is also appealing to anyone looking to change something about themselves. To really change, the book says you have to overwrite one habit with another that fulfills the same need. I found a lot of the book really thought provoking and think that it would appeal to a lot of people once it gets going.

What I've Been Reading

I haven't been really keeping up with my lovely blog lately. I think it's because I follow so many blogs that post every day, and then I get really intimidated by how little I post. But I'm back at it now, mostly because I've been reading some great books that I wanted to share. 

1 & 2. In The Woods by Tana French and The Likeness by Tana French 

I liked both of these books, although I much preferred The Likeness. I kind of hated the main character in In The Woods, which made it hard to like the book even though I appreciated the writing style. I also didn't love the ending to In The Woods, but I'm not sure how else I would have ended it. It didn't wrap up nicely like a normal story does, which was unsettling. I would still recommend both of these books to anyone who enjoys mystery books.

3. The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson

This book was surprisingly captivating to me, even though it's set in a high school and is very male oriented. It's a great example of science fiction without being too isolating or out there. I'm always able to identify and empathize with an outsider, which is exactly who Darren and Eric were. The ending was a point of contention in a lot of reviews that I read, but I think it's exactly where the book needed to go. What else were they going to do with a boy who never sleeps? This does seem like much more of a teen book, which a lot of science fiction these days is. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, just that I felt a little old while I was reading it.

4. Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered was a quick read, and had an interesting idea, but was very teen oriented, which drew me out of the story at times. I'm sorry, but I really don't need a description of what kind of striped leggings Alyssa was wearing. But I always love a revamped fairy tale, and the new take on the Alice in Wonderland world was entertaining. The darker side of Wonderland really drew me in, but the awkward love triangle between Morpheus, Jeb, and Alyssa was very teen-angsty and kind of expected. There would have been enough conflict in the story without having to bring that aspect in. I still liked the book, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has roots in the Alice world, but it's probably not something I would read again.

5. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

This story is a great example of a teen book that doesn't isolate it's older readers. John Green is basically amazing at that, and I would really recommend any of his books. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is set in high school and deals with teenage homosexuality in a funny and musical way. I even laughed out loud at some of the songs in the book, and that's rare when I read. Usually only funny dog pictures or stupid autocorrects can make me do that. I read this book to see if I should get it as a present for someone, and I pretty much went straight to Amazon and purchased it as soon as I finished.

It's The Thought That Counts, Right?

I haven't done a sugar update in awhile, but I promise there's a really good reason:

Meet Stella! We adopted a dog about a month ago, and have been busy taking care of this little munchkin. Unfortunately, this means that my exercise has kind of taken a break, as well as my sugar diet. But I still think about how I should be working out and eating healthy, so that counts? And I take the dog up and down three flights of stairs about eight times every day, so she's making me get some physical activity.

Could you resist cuddling with this? I think not.

I still have been trying to eat healthier, and have tried some really great new recipes. My favorite is this new spin on No-Bake Cookies, which are a childhood favorite of mine. Replacing the butter and half the sugar with a banana really helped cut down on some calories out of these. They don't set up quite the same, but I'd say they're still pretty tasty.

I just started working out again this morning with some yoga, and I'm hoping to actually keep that up this time. I've also been drinking a lot of tea lately, which makes me feel awesome. I'm not a coffee drinker, so waking up and having a nice mug of green tea has really helped start my day out better. Hopefully this time I can keep myself on track and actually set up a workout schedule. Wish me luck!

Book Review: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I had this book checked out from the library for about 4 months. It took me that long to read it. I read the first 300 pages in about a week, and then left it for 3 months. The book was interesting, but I just couldn't convince myself to get back into it. The only reason I did was because of a friend who insisted that I had to read it with her. I am really glad I picked it back up though. I'm also really happy to be done with it. It's really long! Like, forever long. But worth it, I think.

This book cover is stupid.

 

The book isn't what I normally read, which I think is why I had such a hard time getting into it. But once I started it again, I was hooked. The characters were just so well developed and appealing. I wanted to know what happened in their life and how their story ended. After going through so many struggles, the story ended up being beautiful. I will say that one of the reasons that I had such a hard time reading it was because of the character of William. He was just so repugnant, and I had such a hard time reading about how he enjoyed raping Aliena. That was difficult for me to get over, and was so repulsive to me. It was at first hard for me to grasp that he never got nicer, and never really grew up. But I realized that would be incredibly true to his character and that there really are people like that in the world.

The architectural and historical aspects were incredibly interesting to me, and I greatly enjoyed reading about them. I do like a good historical fiction, which I think is why I may have liked this book. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who would be dedicated enough to finish it. The story spans over so many different characters and generations that a reader really has to get into the story and relate to the ideas in order to enjoy it. I'm glad that I read it, but I don't think it will be one that I read again.

Still Not Easy

Now that I'm done with my third week of trying to reduce my sugar intake, I have noticed a difference in what I'm eating. I crave oranges instead of Snickers bars, and I am seriously in love with my blender and the smoothies it makes. I still have a bad habit of just eating things that are on the break table at work, just because they're there. I need to get me some better willpower when it comes to sweets.

I also have a pretty intense love of baking, which is not helpful to cutting out sugar. I made these Snickerdoodle Bars for Chris, because he loves snickerdoodles, and took some in to work. I ended up eating quite a few of them. And with 2 cups of brown sugar in them, they aren't exactly they healthiest. But they were soooo good.

I have been eating a lot of fruit, but not as many veggies as I would like. I found this recipe on Pinterest for spinach ice cubes, which sound and look super gross, but are actually super handy. Basically, I took a bag of spinach and some water and blended them together:

I found the easiest way to do this for my blender was to add a little spinach, then some water, and then more spinach, and a little more water. I originally just added all the spinach to the blender with a little water and tried to blend it, and ended up having to take some out and blend it better.
Then, pour the mixture into two ice cube trays:

They look so appetizing.

 And freeze! Chris now considers these ice cube trays "forever unclean", but I loved it! I added these to my smoothies instead of the regular ice cubes, and they barely changed the flavor at all. Even Chris didn't notice a big change. And by blending them beforehand, there weren't any awkward errant leaves floating around my smoothie.

Smoothie with spinach: Not really a difference

I also tried adding cucumber to the smoothies, but that flavor really overpowered the fruit. It didn't taste bad, just a lot like cucumber. I've switched from vanilla yogurt to a mix of plain and greek yogurt with some honey added for sweetness. I drink one of these pretty much every day after I work out, and I really do feel kind of amazing afterward. Which is probably because of the workout and not the smoothie, but that's ok.

My goal for the next couple weeks is to not eat any of the treats left out at work. I've been bringing an orange in with my lunch every day, and hopefully I can just stick to that instead of grabbing for the chocolate covered pretzels that are on the table (sweet AND salty? Irresistible). I think if I can stick to that, my sugar intake will be way better and become more manageable. Wish me luck!

Book Review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

I actually started reading a different book this week and ended up just returning it to the library without finishing it. It was The Midwife: A memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times. I just couldn't identify with the writer and didn't like her writing style at all. Some of her stories were interesting, but her complaints about her work just got repetitive. I was disappointed in the book, so I decided to read one that I knew I would like.

I read Jenny Lawson's blog over at http://thebloggess.com/ and have for awhile. I love how honest she is about her anxiety and struggles, as well as her dry sense of humor. Also, her haunted dollhouse is seriously my favorite and you should look at it if you haven't. It's incredible. I also really enjoy memoirs and short stories, such as those by David Sedaris. I like reading those little moments in someone's life that they find important enough to write about, particularly when they're funny. Which is why I knew I would probably love Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.

Purchase her book here.

I knew that I would like her book after reading about it on her blog, and it didn't disappoint. Her stories even made me laugh out loud at times, and usually when I read something funny I just do that weird thing where you snort extra air out instead of actually laughing. I will say that her footnotes and prefaces got a little repetitive just because there were so many of them. Her chapter on her pregnancy and miscarriage were poignant will still being amusing, which is hard to do. I also liked that it gave me a little more insight on one of my favorite bloggers.
I would say that if you read her blog, and like the way she writes there, then you'll probably like this book. If you don't  like a more casual writing style and prefer your writing more structured, then this is definitely not the book for you. This story about a Beyoncé the Metal Chicken is in the book, and I'd say if you find this story amusing, you'll probably like the rest of the book.

This is HARD!

So for an update on my quest to eat less sugar: It's still a far off goal. This thing is difficult! I have been eating a lot more fresh fruit, which is definitely helping. I've noticed myself craving more oranges than chocolate. However, it's been hard to resist all the leftover Christmas candy that's laying around. I've also noticed that I eat more processed sugar while I'm sitting in front of the television or my computer. So my other goal of reading more books will hopefully help cut down my intake further next week. 

I tried two new recipes this week. One was for Banana Oatmeal Muffins, which I ate two of for breakfast every morning instead of my usual sugary breakfast cereal. I wasn't hungry for most of the morning, which helped me to resist all of the treats that my coworkers bring in. I really enjoyed them, and will probably make them again. Granted, they did still have some sugar in them, particularly in the chocolate chips, but I like to think they were more healthy than bad.

I also tried the Oatmeal Smoothie recipe that I've seen floating around Pinterest for awhile.
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

 5 ice cubes

5-6 frozen whole strawberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt 

1 banana 

1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal

1 tablespoon honey 

1 cup orange juice

Directions:

Place ice and raspberries in the bottom of blender, and all other ingredients on top. Whir until completely smooth. This makes two pretty large smoothies.  

I'll bet you can't guess which one is mine and which is Chris's.

I really enjoyed this as a breakfast smoothie. I had one each morning after I worked out, and the oatmeal in it really made it more filling and sustaining. I used orange juice instead of the coconut milk and strawberries instead of raspberries, because that's what I had in my fridge. Even Chris liked the smoothie, and he hates oatmeal. What a weirdo.Who doesn't like oatmeal? He even specifically requested that I make it one morning.

 

Overall, I'd say that there has definitely been progress. I'm at least eating much healthier, even if I haven't cut back that much on sugar. All the fruit I've been eating has made me crave processed sugar less. I've even been drinking orange juice, and I used to hate orange juice. Now that all my Christmas candy is almost gone, hopefully the progress will be a little more next update.

Book Review: The Borgia Series by Sara Poole

In keeping with my New Year's goals, this will be the first of many book reviews that I post. I'm not really sure how to write these, because I don't want to give away the plot, but I will do my best to give my reaction to the book as well as including the parts that I liked best. This week I read the Borgia Series by Sara Poole. I had read the first two books awhile ago, and requested the third one at the library. I reread the first two and ended with the third one yesterday.

Purchase the book here

I loved the first one when I originally read it, and still liked it the second time around. It was a new spin on the usual historical fiction genre. The story of the Borgia rise to power is told from the viewpoint of his poisoner, which lent a dark and interesting twist to the story. The character interactions show depth, and the darkness of Francesca's mind gives an intriguing look to such a turmoil filled time in history.

Purchase the book here

The second book continues the storyline of the first by bringing back the antagonist and introducing the new challenges for Francesca as the poisoner to the pope. I would say spoilers, but since it's historical fiction, that part isn't really spoiled. The story goes further into depth on Rome and the pope, which was a great touch and introduced the Lux as a side storyline. I enjoyed this book as well, and didn't find it too predictable.

Purchase to book here

The third book was my least favorite, and was kind of a disappointment, The story took the Borgias out of Rome and the storyline just became too expected, A problem that comes with too having read too many books is that it can be very hard to surprise me an I often guess the surprise twist before it happens. That was the case with this book, as I had anticipated who the assassin was and the mother's death way before they were announced. If you've seen the TV show, Dexter, then the mother's death and the impact that it had on Francesca are completely expected. I did really like the development in Cesar and Francesca's relationship, which was a healthy way for the book to move along. It's not necessarily a bad book, but it was definitely not one that I would rave about to anyone.

On a side tangent or rant, I'm really tired of all of the new books coming out that are a part of the series. Nothing is more irritating to me than reading a great book, getting to the end, and realizing that I'm going to have to way until May to get the next part.  My best example of this is the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. I started collecting those when I was in high school, and loved them. 10 books later, I've outgrown the series and really just wish it would end. It's frustrating to see more and more books coming out and being tied to the series that I don't even really connect with anymore. But I still want to know how it ends! The same goes for more famous authors, who have series with 17 or 18 books in them. There's absolutely no way I'm starting those series. I don't have time to catch up on them, and I don't want to have to commit to reading more. What happened to just writing one really great book? It's annoying to me, and I'm irritated by it.
This series is one of those that needs to end. The first book was great, but I can just tell that the more it gets dragged out, the worse the books are going to be. In the second book, in the questions with the author section, she said she could easily see Francesca starring in twelve books. I'm pretty sure I groaned out loud.

Ok. Deep breath.


Rant over.

Overall, I would still recommend the series. I still love the first book, and even enjoyed the second one. The third book, while predictable, was a nice change away from the first two by taking the characters out of Rome and seeing how the interact in a different environment. The characters are appealing and charismatic, and the stories keep your interest. They were a fairly quick read, as I finished each of them in a night, which makes them great for a fast escape to a historical world.

A New Year

Well my 2013 started off with a bang...I ended up with the stomach flu and was in bed for the first two days and am still really tired and weak. I did find a new appreciation for Gatorade though. So because of that, my resolutions were pushed back for a couple of days while I slept on the floor and ate nothing but Popsicles and soup. Fun fact: Walmart doesn't carry ice-pops during the winter. Super bummer when you're sick and all you want is a blue ice-pop. So now we know to stock up on those in the summer, and not wait to buy them when you're sick.

So now on to my resolutions. Overall, I just want to be healthier and improve my relationship with my husband since this year will bring a lot of changes for the both of us.

1. Eat less sugar: I find myself automatically eating dessert after every meal, which I'm sure is a habit I picked up in the dining halls of my dorm freshman year, where a cookie-to-go was the norm. I get cravings for sugar, and I really want to try this year to be healthier overall in what I eat. I'm going to try to replace almost all of my desserts with fruits or smoothies, and limit myself to two actual desserts per week. I think this will be much more attainable than just flat out eliminating sugar from my diet.
2. Pay off one of my student loans: I don't have an outrageous amount of student loans, but I would really like to get at least one of them fully paid off this year before I start back up for graduate school in the fall.
3. Cut down on all of my frivolous spending. I have a lot of clothes and just things, so my goal for this month is to go through all of my clothes and really cut back, as well as go for the month without buying any new clothes.
4. Have the sink clear every night. I have a bad habit of piling all of my dishes in the sink and not rinsing them, which Chris hates. So my new goal is to wash or rinse them as I use them, and to have the sink clear every night.
5. Eat dinner at the kitchen table instead of on the couch. This has become our usual habit, and I'd really like to change that before it becomes too ingrained. Plus, it's not even that comfortable to eat on our couch.
6. Read at least one book per week. I work at a library, and check out so many books that just sit on my living room floor and then I return them without reading any of them. I need to actually read them, instead of just looking at all of the books,

So there they are! I really wanted to pick ones that I thought that I could achieve, instead of unattainable goals that I would give up on in a month. I have tried to cut them down to something to do weekly or monthly, to make it easier and make it feel like I am actually achieving a goal.