Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM] #3

Welp, as expected, we woke up to rain and wind.  Thankfully, it’s not too bad but according to the news, Sandy is just getting started.

For breakfast I made a stack of pumpkin oat pancakes and offered to share them with Sandy [hoping to bribe her to stay out at sea] but she didn’t accept my gracious offer…  How rude!

After breakfast I swung by Whole Foods, the post office, and snuck in a sweat session.  The thought of being stuck inside all day makes me super antsy…  I prefer to be moving > sitting.

Sandy may not be so marvelous but many other marvelous things have happened over the past week 🙂 Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM]…

Marvelous…  No work.  The federal government is closed today and tomorrow = no work for me!  My agenda includes baking, cuddling with Charlie, reading, watching the news, and keeping dry.  Maybe a few canned goods bicep curls?

Marvelous…  Customer service.  A couple of weeks ago I made my first visit to Wegmans.  Holy moly, that store is glorious, it’s like a grocery store + a restaurant + a home goods store all in one!  Unfortunately, I picked-up some spoiled Chobani but didn’t notice until I opened the tub and it smelled sour.  I checked the date and sure enough it had expired 4 days before I purchased it.  Bummed that my money went to waste, I hopped onto Twitter and within minutes, both Chobani and Wegmans responded apologetically and were happy to refund my money!

Marvelous…  VitaTops.  In honor of Halloween, VitaTops offered an awesome BOGO deal earlier this month that I happily took advantage of.  Our freezer is now sufficiently stocked and we should be set for a few weeks!

diced pear + plain Chobani + cinnamon + stevia + Apple Crumb VitaTop

Marvelous…  Coffee catch-ups.  Saturday morning I caught up with a girlfriend at Starbucks.  The past two months were pretty busy for the both of us since we both got married in September!  As you could imagine, we had a lot to talk about and before we knew it, 2 hours had passed.

Marvelous…  Free bike.  While I was chatting away at Starbucks, Ryan was busy at home working, or so I thought until I received this picture…

Ryan said he saw one of our neighbors wheeling the bike out to the dumpster so he went to check it out.  Our neighbor said that she had no use for it anymore so she was giving it away.  Winning!  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Marvelous…  Belated birthday bash.  Saturday night I celebrated my belated birthday at Legal Sea Foods.  I didn’t take many pictures but I did enjoy a tasty dinner with great company.  I started with a glass of champagne and a house salad, shared a shrimp cocktail with Ryan, and ordered grilled scallops for my entrée.  Dessert was enjoyed at Pinkberry!

Marvelous…  Wedding gifts.  Last week Ryan and I received my momma’s wedding gift, a 10-piece knife set from Cutco!  My momma swears by Cutco and has used them for years [ever since I can remember cutting my own meals] and I am psyched to have a set of my own!  Sunday afternoon Ryan and I used a few wedding gift cards to purchase a pizza stone, a pig egg pan, and a pumpkin stew starter- a few “essential” kitchen items [haha]!  

Marvelous…  Blog updates.  I’m so excited about all the updates happening on LAB!  I really would like to share them with y’all but I’m trying my best not to spill the beans.  I’ve never been good at keeping secrets when it comes to exciting things [i.e. Christmas and birthday presents].

Marvelous…  Pumpkin spice bran eggie cups.  Last week I match a batch of veggie eggie cups and this week I made a batch of sweet eggie cups.  Regardless of whether they’re savory or sweet, eggie cups are great to pack in lunches or to grab on-the-go!

Pumpkin Spice Bran Eggie Cups: TJ’s bran cereal + egg whites + pumpkin spice + stevia

Marvelous…  TNT training.  Ryan and I are scheduled to start TNT training tomorrow night [assuming it’s not cancelled].  I hope after 13 weeks of getting my butt kicked, I have some meaty muscles on my bones!

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s marvelous about your Monday?

Question:  What’s your favorite rainy day activity?

Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM] #2

I’ve been looking forward to Marvelous Monday all weekend since there have been so many marv-eee-lous things that have happened lately…

Operation Beautiful…  It’s my second week participating in Operation Beautiful.  To recap, every Monday I plan to write 5 inspirational messages on sticky notes and leave them for someone to find.  Last Monday I scattered the notes around the mall and today I scattered them around Crate & Barrel during lunch and this evening at the gym.  I hope that they provide someone with a little dose of motivation that make their Monday marvelous!

Ghould…  It’s that time of the year again where all things are spooktacular, bags of candy corn adorn grocery store shelves, and everyone is looking for the best Halloween costume.  It’s also that time of the year when I can’t stop saying “ghould” instead of “good” [haha]!  For example, I hope you all had a ghoulddd weekend!  I hope that you’re having a ghoulddd Monday!

Apple Picking…  Ryan and I had a simply stupendous [awesome alliteration] time with our friends this weekend at the apple orchard!  The skies were perfectly blue without a cloud in sight, we were surrounded by beautiful rolling mountains, and had rows upon rows of various apple trees to pick from, it was an awesome afternoon!  We left with a bag full of apples, a bag full of freshly made sauces and spreads, and the intentions to make apple picking an annual fall tradition!

Doctor’s News…  Have y’all figured out what procedure I had done on Friday?  I linked back to a post I wrote in February when I had one then too.  You betcha, I had a colonoscopy.  Gasp, ew, gross, butt talk!  Simply put, the doctor didn’t find anything too serious, nothing had to be removed, and my diagnosis of IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] has been confirmed.  Next up, playing around with different medications to try and get things under control.  The good news, I can still eat gluten and I’m loving anything with wheat and hearty grains!

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Wegmans…  Yesterday afternoon Ryan and I did what we do best- he skated and I shopped!  I’ve been to Wegmans once or twice before but only for a quick second.  Yesterday was the first time I went to explore.  Fresh produce, mouth-watering prepared selections, a candy aisle, an all-natural and specialty products section, and an area displaying utensils and cookware- it blew my mind…  I seriously started to wonder why we didn’t register there!

Charlie…  Ryan and I tested the limits this weekend to see how Charlie would react to being out of his “room” [aka the kitchen] while we were gone.  On Friday we started small and limited him to the kitchen and family room.  When we came home his toys were in the same spot as they were when we left, the curtains were still hanging on the rod, and there weren’t any accidents- success!  Saturday when we went apple picking we left him lose, free rein to the whole place and when we returned we were delightfully surprised that everything was still intact and there weren’t any “surprises” on our bed- another success!

Pancakes…  I will n.e.v.e.r. get tired of a stack of sweet ‘cakes!  Pumpkin pie pancakes this weekend and a stack of “kitchen sink” cakes this morning.  Similar to the concept of a “kitchen sink” salad, aka whatever you have on hand, I perused our cupboards and fridge and finished off all the bags/ cans/ jars that had barely anything left and ended up with these beauties…  I loved the combo of unsweetened coconut + maple syrup!

Power…  Ryan and I received our power bill this morning and it showed $0.00.  That can’t be possible, can it?  After listening to 20+ minutes of sleep-inducing elevator music, Ryan spoke with a representative and was told that our statement is correct!  Since we’ve paid our bill on time every month, the company reimbursed our initial deposit and put it towards this month’s payment.  Even better, we still have a remaining balance so next month our bill will be half of the normal cost- perfect timing with the temperatures dropping!

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XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s marvelous in your life?

Question:  Have you picked-out a Halloween costume?  I have no clue what to be!  Should Ryan and I do a duo costume like peanut butter and jelly?  Or Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld [Ryan’s favorite show]?!