Showing posts with label yogurt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yogurt. Show all posts

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Cinci Part 2: Catie, Choco Rocks & Michelle's Wedding!

Meanwhile, in
CINCINNATI ....
 

"dren & cegg" | a classic
Meet Catie: I'm sure you've already met her before, but just in case... meet Catie. I love this girl because she is one of the most candid, hilarious people I think I've ever met. I love to laugh, but hangin' with this lady will put me in tears. Or peeing my pants, depending on the severity of our laughing bouts. It's totally true, and I'm fine to admit that. Haha.
where it all started.. that blasted clearchannel job....
Anyway, Catie and I took an afternoon stroll downtown; she took me over to The Banks, a new development that has replaced the previously useless plot of dirt situated between the two stadiums. It's beautiful! There's a park, a string of restaurants, some shops, and even a Christian Moerlein brewery/taphouse. Oh, and if you didn't notice, there were plent of randomly-strewn Kiss107 signs, everywhere. That's significant only because that's where I met Catie in the first place, a debachle of a job that only those who've survived escape will ever truly understand. Trust me, that much is unanimous. Haha.

froyo @ orange leaf!
They've got an Orange Leaf downtown now, too! I'm a huge fan of froyo, and so is Cegg, so we made a stop off to test out the pumpkin spice froyo [REC-O-MMEND!!!]. At the self-serve toppings line, we were faced with a pit of choco rocks. Neither of us knew what they were, so naturally one lone little rock made its way into my yogurt to hang out with the cherries, almonds and boba. FACT: I'm not a fan of choco rocks. Just sayin'.

blues blues blues | michelle's wedding reception!
The culminating reason I came over here in the first place this weekend was to see Michelle get married! The time was finally heeeeere :). Joe and I trekked over to a beautiful Catholic church in Cincinnati to be witness to Michelle and Mark tying the knot, then on to The Newport Syndicate in the heart of Newport, KY for an absolutely GORGEOUS reception. We had to leave a few minutes early, but it was a dazzling affair, complete with a live band, delicious food, and a table full of ex-Clearchannel employees with whom I was able to re-connect. Hilarious.

me with the drop-dead-gorgeous bride, my amazing friend, michelle
I'm so excited we were able to be a part of Michelle & Mark's beautiful day. I can't wait to see honeymoon pictures!

Tomorrow = church at New Harmony, lunch & a maternity [photo]shoot with the Prescotts, and then the solo drive back to IL. *Yawn.

G'Nite!

xo | cmd

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Hangin' Out With the Mini! (:

It's obviously not unusual for Sydni and I to have plenty of mama-mini time whenever Joe is out of town. Our solo weekends vary from the tame nothin'-at-all days to the more adventurous days. Today fell into the category of spur-of-the-moment outing, which might seem, at face value, ridiculous considering it's still 110+ degrees out. Wellllll.. when the AC in your house is just blowing air, not cold air, it almost seems like a better avenue to get outta there for a bit. Check.

We started off with some errands, some long-overdue [grocery shopping], some just plain overlooked. We knocked out all of the more monotonous pitstops on the list and geared ourselves into downtown Belleville. My original thought was to stop and see our new friend Bulent and get some gelato, but I'd forgotten he was closed Saturdays.. this one at least. *Sigh. We spotted another digs right down the block and decided to check it out - I'm so glad we did! YAY, for local businesses!!

Welcome to Peachy! It's a frozen yogurt bar, surely no stranger to the locals, but a new discovery for us, and a perfect reprieve from the heat.

peachy | goofin' around.. biodegradable spoons, duh  ;)
i. let's see what this is all about | ii. tryyyyy it....
iii. love it, mama | iv. approval!
= a+ from the foodie critic!
Good stuff. Of course, since we were down in the heart of the Belleville local adorably unique shop district [that's obviously not official, but that's how I feel whenever I'm there!], I took Sydni in with me to check out the latest happenings at Peace by Piece. She was the smash hit of the staff, especially the owner's dog, with whom she immediately bonded and even kissed on the head before we left. I ended up ceding to a mega TOMS sale [shocking, I know], and left with some ballet flats. < First time with these; I'll have to see how they fare compared to the classics. Of course, TOMS are TOMS, and I support the core mission there, too, so I have less reservation about spending less than msrp on them today. Bwah bwah bwah.....

Oh! Almost forgot. I met Heather today, who both works at Peace by Piece and is a local artisan. Her jewelry [kindred spirit!] sells at PxP, and in an effort to continue supporting local folk, I ordered a little something that she'll be crafting. I won't say or show what just yet; I'll share that whenever she's finished :).

park baby
Anyway, from the time we got up this morning, Syd had been asking: "pretty please, can i, caaaaaan iiiiii???" to go to the park. I ultimately obliged, but not without trying to redirect her desire in another - any - other direction. It was her afternoon, but I certainly was thinking, sure kid. The park. It's as cool out as the sun's surface, but let's go to the park. ;) 

Like I said, I caved, so for a full 45 minutes, we were the only people outside I'm sure, within a 10 mile radius. Haha.

I realized I must've been asleep or somehow otherwise not paying enough attention to her all the other times we'd been to the park recently, because it seemed so sudden when she turned on some avid climbing skills. Yeah, I'm sure it's probably a standard developmental landmark, but I was prepared to aide her somehow. Not the case.


She's a regular little monkey! I'm so proud :).
mini monkey mode - she's fearless!
To my surprise, I was met with absolutely zero protest when I finally decided it was time to head home. Every surface of the play equipment at the park was "too hot, mommy, it's too hot," so after about 12 times up and down the spiral climby thing, we brought our day out and about to an end. She was asleep by the time I had the car started. Hah.

oh hey, sweat..
Now, I'd heard on the radio a day or so back that it's been clinically proven that prolonged extreme heat affects mental functioning. I think I knew that before I heard it, but it certainly made sense and I'm certainly blaming my random afternoon decision on it, too. I for some odd reason thought it would be smart to go running. Any other day, absolutely, but I'm declaring it official that the heat warped my logic so much that I actually forgot.. about.. the heat. Sad, sick irony.

Anyhow, 3 miles later, I was back home, more thankful than ever that I'm headed to Heaven when my time here is through. This weather made me think of a preview of the other neighborhood, and my sentiment on it is that that rat Satan can take and keep this weather ;).

110+ degrees. Running. Outside. I need to suck it up, I know... I just wasn't quite prepared for it today. Haha. Ohhhh well. Three miles is three miles no matter which way you spin it, even if it meant sweating my weight before I was halfway done. Mehhhh...

We are done runnin' around for the day. We're about to head down to camp out in the basement and watch The Little Mermaid for the umpteenth time. Speaking of which, as a sidenote: I was emptying out our dishwasher earlier and Sydni exclaimed, quite articulately:

"Mommy! Look at aaaaall those dinglehoppers!"
[[ credit: Mo.... haha ]]

Whoa. Moments in the life of a toddler girl's mama. Unscripted!

Haha. It's gonna be an early day tomorrow. The VBS kickoff is less than 24 hours out at this point; say a prayer for us!!

'Nite, beloved blogbots.

xo | cmd

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

CHOBANI. Nom nom nom.

Behold: My newest morning fascination.

Chobani. Thank you for making my mornings [and afternoons... and sometimes evenings, too] nice & delicious.
chobani! ♥
> work.
> more work.
> dinner.
> glee.

Good night, bloggies.

xo | cmd

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

o_O

"If it hadn't been for cotton crazy!-eyed Joe...."
So my poor husband managed to get a soccer ball drilled right into his eyeball at soccer practice, and consequently wound up at the optometrist for an examination. He came home today with one pupil dilated, which always looks silly up close. He also has a pair of those snazzy little film glasses that more resemble a slap-on bracelet than actual lenses. In an effort to savor the moment of wonky-eyed wonder:


Yeahh..... for any out there wondering, yes, he's fine now, but it was certainly a brief concern. [God is good, all the time, Amen?]

greek yogurt is greek yogurt...
 Oh, and for the record, greek yogurt is making a comeback in my daily routine. Sadly though, I'm finding it exceedingly difficult to locate the Brown Cow brand I usually stock. I settled for Oikos [?], and I wasn't disappointed. As it turns out, they're pretty much the same across the board. So much for brand loyalty.

That being said, we'll keep the spirit of healthy living alive through food, and leave it at that for the day.

xo | cmd

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Moreno, Take 2?

Hello, August.
Nice to see you again.

I always feel more organized when the beginning of something is clearly marked as the beginning.
Today is August 1, 2011. Today is also Monday. Today I also rebooted phase 1 of that crazy M.Moreno diet thing I did once before. I'd say that's a pretty obvious delineation of beginning. 

Remember this guy? 
hello, brown cow! | greek yogurt
Yeah, he's back. Today is Moreno, day 1. I'm not in it to lose a ton of weight, but I do feel like I had some added energy the last go-round, and I' not contesting that.

So here's to beginnings. It's never too late to start fresh. Let's go, August.

xo | cmd
  

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hello, Upswing | Hello, Twelve!

YESSSSS....

I woke up this morning with some sinus pressure, which I'm assuming is because I've got a sinus infection. [Oh well]. The good news: I can feel myself on an upswing!

My mother deserves all the thanks in the world for educating me on the right way to handle this sort of thing. Anyone who knows me knows that I haven't touched anything even resembling a tylenol in years. I just can't bring myself to do it. Don't think that I judge anyone who does; it's just not my thing. I'm not a huge follower of Western Medicine's typical approach: "RX, RX, RX... ." I've found that if I follow holistic methods properly and consistently [at least for minor stuff like I've got now], I'll see the same results without that bandaid effect.

My saving graces:

|| echinacea ||
|| been relying on this stuff since childhood ||
|| by Herb Pharm ||


|| vitamin c + echinacea + elderberry extract ||
|| my immune system ♥'s these little chewables ||
|| by Integrative Therapeutics, Inc. ||

I can already feel the pressure in my head subsiding, and the feelings of vertigo I had this morning are starting to dissipate as well. Here's hoping the rest of today and the rest of this week show equal signs of improvement. I'm feelin' pretty good......... fingers crossed!


|| breakfast ||
|| greek yogurt + blueberries + pear slices + green tea ||
|| p.s. - tastebudes activated!||

Oh yeah, and I'm tasting things, now, too.
SCORE.
:]
Happy Wednesday!


xo | cmd

Sunday, May 1, 2011

2. Two. Dos. Dalawa. [ And so forth ]

Day Two. Again. Cycle 2.

Remember this guy?:

[He's baaaaaaaaaaack] .. and still doesn't taste any better, but I must admit it's grown on me a little bit.

I'm paying due respects to this ever-present quintessential part of my daily eating habits.
Gotta say.... feelin' good! :)

♥ | cmd