Thinking Out Loud February 25, 2016

 

I was going to say I still can’t find my neck warmer but then somehow we (we as in my friend Meghan and I) discovered yesterday afternoon that she had it by mistake in a pile of stuff I had given her but I can’t go to get because she has the flu and the whole process of figuring out how to get the darn scarf without getting the flu became too challenging so I will just wait.

My dad read my post last week, the one that said I had a dream about Cookie Crisp cereal so when I was sick, he brought me a box. It was good but gosh, dry cereal always tears up the inside of my mouth. This is one of the reasons I stopped eating cereal for the most part years ago.

There’s lots of hockey chatter about the possibility of the Islanders looking to get out of playing in Brooklyn. I know you don’t care about this but I care about this and wonder if maybe they have read my complaints written here on the blog and tweeted on twitter and that’s what did it. You know, because my happiness as a fan matters to them a whole lot. Let’s pretend I played a role, okay? #isles

So I have this thing about pretty stationery. I love it. Always have, just like my obsession with stickers. I already started summer camp shopping for my son (crazy, I know, but it’s almost March which means almost summer which means camp preparation starts now) and the summer camp stationery is out in full force.

Is it wrong to get myself lots of cute packs of cupcake stationery so I can relive my childhood while writing him lots of letters and maybe he will even send me a letter back?

Truth: I used to love some of my stationery so much that I wouldn’t even use it. It was to pretty to write on.

My friend Meaghan found me these stickers and although they aren’t Lisa Frank, two of them are just perfect for me. And, I feel like you know me so well that you can probably guess which two stickers belong to me too.

My running friend, Carmella, (we met at the Runner’s World Half & Festival where we both ran the hat trick!) shared this running quote on facebook the other day and I just LOVE IT.

Such an empowering quite, right?! Sometimes I think we runners underestimate what it means when we run the distances that we do like no big deal. It is a big deal.

I have been really good lately about switching my phone to vibrate by 7:00 pm and not looking at it again until morning. Sure I miss texts, calls and emails but who cares! The important people know my home phone number and if they feel it’s necessary, they can call me. However, the people closest to me know to just call my son directly if they need us, he’s always up and ready to talk late because late is cool which clearly, I am not.

Don’t forget to check out what everyone else is thinking about today 🙂

Which sticker from the above picture would suit you? Did you guess the two that are perfect for me?

Does cereal irritate your mouth?

Anyone you know have the flu right now?

weekend chit chat

 

Do people still say chit chat?

I am loving that I stick to my recent food shopping plan of only going to Trader Joe’s once a week. This week’s shop involved a full cart (they ran out of produce bags on me again!) and a container of watermelon which I snacked on and finished before getting to the register.

Sometimes the cashiers are confused by my empty containers but like hello, I get hungry. I wanted watermelon, so I ate it and now I will pay for it.

It may be down right frigid around here but that didn’t stop me from a manicure and pedicure. In fact, I even went with a deep pink on the toes to inspire the spring weather that really needs to arrive. Like now.

My friend Lisa and I may be parents to boys in their Bar Mitzvah year but we both still love a good sticker. Check out these rhinestone emoji stickers! They go on your phone case! Which one should I get?! The cupcake or the rainbow or the heart?

I am really not a difficult person to dine out with but if you bring me MY salad drowning in dressing, I am going to send it back. I like my dressing on the side, thanks. Most of the time, I don’t even use it.

For some odd reason, I didn’t order Linda’s Fudge Cake or the Factory Mud Pie. I do not like cheesecake but sometimes I do feel tricked by the Hershey’s Bar Cheesecake because it’s super chocolately and not cheesecakey. It was fine this time around but not my favorite kind of cake.

Every runner knows that if you are wondering if it’s too cold to run outside, you do not ask the opinion of anyone other than a fellow runner because the average person will think you are insane. I texted Michele bright and early Saturday morning to give me the go ahead to run outside in the close to zero with the wind chill temperatures.

When she didn’t answer within a few minutes, I knew she was outside running so I went outside too instead of the treadmill. Such a great decision – workout recap here.

Why is it that we like to eat food on sticks?

Chocolate-covered marshmallow on a stick, heart-shaped chocolate-covered rice krispy treat on a stick and a chocolate teddy bear on a stick 🙂

I used to make chocolate-covered brownies on a stick when I had my cookie business. I forgot all about those – gosh they were good! And cute too, covered in sprinkles!

I wonder if I was the only one craving frozen yogurt yesterday when the temperature was reading -1 degrees in New York.

And oh hey, look what store opens this week over here!

It’s hard to believe that February 19th is this week, time is just flying. I am totally okay with that because each passing day means a day closer to spring which means a day closer to not having to think about the weather being decent enough for running outdoors.

If you are wondering where I will be today, we are headed to the Islanders game (in Brooklyn – yes, I had to throw that in there) because tradition has it that we attend every President’s Day matinée game that the Islanders play.

But first, I will be running outside – it’s warm out today, almost 20 degrees already!

[bctt tweet=”weekend chit chat #running #weekend #traderjoes #isles #cheesecakefactory #cake #chocolate #fitlfuential @redmango”]

Best thing you ate over the weekend?

Do you snack while you do your grocery shopping?

Do you collect/did you collect stickers? I still do – Lisa Frank are my favorite!

Adidas Update and New Beauty Finds

 

I request a lot from my shoes. I know what I am looking for, I know what I need and I won’t settle for less.

Here’s the thing – plenty of sneakers are comfortable. That’s what makes this so complicated.

You can try on a ton of running shoes that seem to feel amazing. You can even run a few miles in them and feel terrific. But, those same sneakers may not feel as great at mile 10 as it did at mile 3, and may feel even worse day after day of pounding the pavement.

I consider the running shoe hunt a matter of the survival of the fittest. These Adidas Energy Boosts have survived thus far. We shall see how they handle this weekend’s long run.

So today is the last day of school before the break. Exciting for the kids and teachers…me? As a mom? Not sure yet.

I am excited though to say my moisturizer is just about empty. Normally needing to purchase new beauty products can be annoying because I hate shelling out the money but there is a reason I am excited about this bottle being empty-

As you can see, it is the Whole Foods 365 brand signifying that a visit to Whole Foods is in order. Translate this to read: visit to Whole Foods = excuse for lunch at the food bar.

I haven’t mentioned some new beauty items I have purchased in recent weeks so let’s discuss today, OK?

New Blush from Tart:

I am still a recovering Dior Addict for allergy reasons and while I do like my Clinique products, I felt like I needed a new and cute blush compact in my life.

Tarte is allergy friendly and made without parabens and those icky ingredients we don’t want touching our skin.

This Amazion Clay 12 Hour Blush (Dollface is the color) really gives a nice pop of color and stays on throughout the day rather than becoming absorbed into your tinted moisturizer/foundation which tends to happen with other blushes I have used.

 Eye Shadow palette from Guerlain:

Sometimes you just need to splurge.

Switching from Dior eye shadow has been the hardest part of the shake up in my makeup routine. Finding amazing eye shadows like I used to have has been tough. Guerlain (which is actually in the same family of companies as Dior) makes a terrific variety of palettes while being allergy friendly (at least for me) and free from parabens.

What I haven’t bought but noticed on the shelves in Trader Joe’s are the gift sets for different bath salts, scrubs and hand soaps.

Reasonably priced if you still need a cute gift…or just want to buy something for yourself.

This hand soap set is a great hostess gift when you don’t know what to bring or want to bring something other than cookies. Or in addition to cookies if you are coming to my house.

On my list of things to order at the moment are awesome Active Accessories hair ties:

They are listed for $8 for a pack of six (with free shipping).

Oh, and before I forget, actually how can I forget? This article has shaken my little world a bit.

Click on the image for the link to the article.

I first read this article about my beloved Lisa Frank sticker empire the other day when it was posted as a link over at the blog, How Sweet It Is.

If you have checked out my Slam Book page, you already know I am a huge Lisa Frank fan and avid sticker collector.

Did you used to collect stickers? Do you still have your collection? Can I see it?

If you loved Lisa Frank as a kid (or still do now) it is a must read.

I am off to run outdoors for the first time in several days. The weather is actually warming up a bit! Don’t know how long it will last since winter officially begins tomorrow but I will take what I can get.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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I NEED TO KNOW:

Favorite new make up/beauty product?

Did you collect Lisa Frank stickers?

What do you think of the article?

Have you tried any of those Trader Joe’s soaps out for the holidays?

 

 

 

Who Collects Lip Balm?

As a little girl, I always liked to collect things that interested me. It started with Hello Kitty and stickers, hockey cards and sports memorabilia. As I got older, my collecting matured to collecting things in the housewares department that involved cupcakes and desserts such as dishes, paintings, ice cream bowls, napkins, dish towels….you get my point, yes?

Over the weekend I discovered a collection I didn’t even know I had.

Ever go to open up a cabinet, drawer, old handbag or, like my encounter this weekend, an old makeup case and discover a secretly stashed collection?

I discovered SEVEN different UNUSED lip balms inside of one makeup bag stuffed away in the bathroom cabinet.

While this finding is exciting, I must say that I am still using and quite satisfied using the terrific lip balms I received in the Swag Bag from the Fitness Magazine Meet and Tweet back in May.

I love the set of 4 lip balms from S.W. Basics. I try to keep track of where I place each one, which isn’t easy, but it seems there is always one in a pocketbook, makeup case or in the bathroom cabinet. I love each flavor, especially the Cocoa. They are super moisturizing with only a small list of natural ingredients.

Highly recommend.

Anyway, I am glad to have this chapstick collection because it is suddenly quite chilly here and my lips, in addition to the rest of me, are going through an adjustment period.

Friday morning’s run brought out the Lulu Lemon Brisk Run Neck Warmer that I use but don’t love. It is great because it pulls up and covers your neck and mouth until you adjust to the elements but it is not so great because it doesn’t stay up all that well.

I ran a decent 5 1/2 miles Friday morning followed by a totally fabulous 12.1 miles Saturday morning.

I am not sure exactly why I stopped at 12.1 rather than just completing one more mile to be able to tell you I ran a half marathon.

Wait, I do know why – As great as I felt, sometimes I like to end my runs on a high note, stopping with a bit more to give rather than pushing myself too far. I know I could have finished out another mile but for what?

I didn’t have a goal for Saturday’s run beyond the usual 10 miles. I always set out for a minimum of 10 miles and then make the decision if I will stop at 10, continue to 11, keep going to 12, and, if I have time and energy, perhaps up to 13 or 14.

But I stopped at 12, feeling great, hungry and ready to begin the day.

As they say, it is better to stop knowing you had 10% more to give.

I spent the 10% of energy I saved on perfecting my Saturday parfait at Red Mango.

You know you are the Queen of Parfait making when the staff as well as other patrons comment on your creation.

I am often asked what the layers of my parfait contain so here you go:

• The bottom is always strawberries.
• Then I do a layer of original yogurt (which is now Original Greek Yogurt)
• Next is a 4 part layer containing Nature’s Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola, a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips, lots of blueberries and either raspberries or more strawberries
• Topped with another layer of yogurt
• Finished off with more granola and chocolate chips or lately, for a bit of fun, chocolate sprinkles.

There is something fun about adding a few sprinkles. I like how they spread themselves evenly throughout the yogurt so you get a taste with each bite.

I love that this sweet treat of mine is actually rather healthy.

Speaking of sweet treat, I coined a new term Saturday night: Double Dessert Happiness.

This hunk of fudgy Linda’s Fudge Cake from The Cheesecake Factory is incredible on its own but is made all the more sweeter when the person you are with orders their own chocolate dessert and welcomes your spoon on their plate.

Linda’s Fudge Cake + Hershey Bar Cheesecake + Your Spoon Having Freedom To Roam = Double Dessert Happiness.

Do you eat your cake with a spoon or a fork? In my opinion, all dessert should be eaten with a spoon. A little spoon.

It doesn’t take much to please me. Just remember to feed me chocolate cake and I will be smiling.

So it is Monday morning again. A chilly Monday morning that is. I don’t think I will be bundling up for a run though since I am due for a cross training day in the gym.  I ended up running a few slow and easy miles yesterday morning and since I am trying to not run more than 3 days in a row, I will force myself inside.

On tap for tomorrow: Tips on getting the winter workout gear you want at discount prices.

Have a great Monday!

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I NEED TO KNOW:

Did you collect stickers as a kid?

Collect anything now that you didn’t know you were collecting?

Did you run this weekend?

Do you eat your cake with a spoon?