A Few Words- Lots Of Pics!

Happy Monday,

Hope you all had a FAB weekend with the people that you love!!

Some of the blogs that I follow do a "WORDLESS WEDNESDAY" where they post a picture or a few but I decided to switch it up and post some of my favorite pictures/memories for todays' post with a where/ who for each!!!

Hope you enjoy and I promise I will be back Tuesday with some FUN STUFF!!!!

 AHHHHHH this photo was taken at the Spa in California for my Bachellorette Girls Party!! Ohh it was lovely. This photo reminds me of my besties, the sun, the spa, and having a suntan!!!! I am looking forward to the end of February when I am taking a girls trip to Florida with some ladies! I cant wait!

 Me and The MR. of course!! This was the first birthday that I spent with Joe. It was a great day we spent the afternoon at lunch with my family and then I had Joe's dad, stepmom and sister Kelsey waiting in a hotel room for him , who knew there would be so much more to come!

 YES YES YES the MR again ( can you tell I am in L-O-V-E with this guy, this is the picture from last Christmas when he found out we were getting WRIGLEY!!!! ahhh I love thinking about this. As I write this Wrigley is laying on my leg-how time flies by

 Me and Regina JoAnn Turner!!! She is my EVERYTHING. Such a wonderful WIFE, MOM, GRAMMIE and friend

 SHE SHE Madeline Jane!! This is from one of our shopping trips and a dress that she LOVED! I love watching her dress up!

 OHHH yes I HAVE to be the first blogger to talk about ST. PATRICK'S DAY right???  I love this holiday so many wonderful memories and I cant wait for this St. Patty's day the countdown is on!

My mom and I. She has done such a great job in raising me. It hasn't always been easy but she has stuck by me through thick and thin and I am eternally GRATEFUL for that. She loves me unconditionally, makes Joey, I and family her priority, is successful,  and is my best friend forever! I love you momma!!!

Hope you enjoyed this picture/semi wordless Monday

RED HOT YOGA

Happy Thursday Bloggers,

How are you doing today???

Do I have a fun post for you. Last night my and the hubby headed to HOT YOGA, have you heard of it? It was great because some of my girlfriends were there too so Joe was the MAN of the NIGHT

Well HOT YOGA incorporates a series of yoga postures and is ideally practiced in an area professionally heated and ventilated. The heated room aids in stretching the muscles and in removing the toxins from the body through sweating.

We head to Red Root Yoga redroothotyoga.com in Davenport, Iowa. We attended the hour long beginner class. When we entered the room the room was HOT the temperature was initially 95 and I loved it. I love the hear and am never warm enough, Joe on the other hand was HOT! The class was very full so that added to the heat in the room. Upon starting the instructor turned the heat done since there were so many people in the classroom.
Below are some of the poses that we did in the class:

                                                             The Triangle Pose-great for hips, arms and core

                                                              Tree- works the core, arms, and balance

                                                         The Pigeon, stretches the hips arms, and core

                                                  Downward Dog, works the arms, hips, and hamstrings

If you have a MR in your life and want to connivance him to go here is a MAN'S perspective on HOT YOGA:
-IT WAS FUN
-IT WAS A GOOD SWEAT ( I think in Man language this means a good workout. thoughts?)
-He would do it again

Here are my thoughts on HOT YOGA:
-loved have the time with girlie's and my husband
-is an excellent activity to do i nthe winters since it so cold out!
-Loved the calming effect and de-stresser that it is
-I really felt like I had a great workout at the end due to the SWEAT!
- I WOULD TOTALLY DO IT AGAIN!!

If you are wondering about me and how I smell don't- the first thing I did was shower! Ha Ha Ha
Let me hear your thoughts? Have you tried HOT YOGA?

Whats For Dinner??

Hello Bloggers,

Hope your week got off to a great start!!!

We had a great Monday night and watched The Social Network. Have you seen it?? If not I would highly recommend it. It truly shows how a simplistic idea evolves into something evolutionarily.

Make to my post tonight. What's for Dinner??
Do you plan what you make for dinner each week? If so how do you do it? Why do you do it? Do you think it benefits you?

Well as you know Joe and I have challenged ourselves to hunkering down this month and stick to our eating in plan. Overall I would say that we have done pretty well on not eating out and a big part of that I must say has come from planning our meals in advance. I visit different blogs and on some I have seen how planing meal helps with eating in and saving money on your grocery list.

With this being said I thought I would include some yummy recipes that have graced our table in January.

Chicken and Pears Over Spinach

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 ripe pears
walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 container feta cheese

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper , warm 1 tbsp olive oil with butter in a large skillet medium high heat until butter is foaming. Add chicken and and cook until golden on both sides. While chicken is cooking whisck remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slice chicken thinly. Place chicken, sliced pears, in a mixing bowl. Add liquid mixture to the bowl and toss the chicken and pears in it. Then transfer the pears, and chicken over the spinach. Add feta cheese to the top of the salad. Finally top the salad with cranberries and walnuts.

Cobblestone Chicken Pie

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium leeks cut in half
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/3 cup flour
1/2  teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can reduced sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup half n half
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons white wine
2 cups cubed sourdough bread
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook leeks, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in broth and half n half. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas and wine. Spoon into an ungreased 2 quart casserole dish. Toss bread cubes with Parmesan cheese and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle evenly on top of casserole.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until casserole is bubbly around edges and bread cubes are golden.

I hope you enjoy these recipes!!!! Have a terrific Tuesday!!!

Weekend Recap: Des Moines

Hello Bloggers,

Well we are back from our weekend trip was another great one!!!!!! Although we are both sulking around the house due to the loss of the Bears game. Although it was a great season we would of loved to watch them go the the Superbowl!! Now we move on to College Basketball which we both love!!!!

Back to the weekend, we headed to Indianola where Joey's dad and stepmom live. We had a relaxing Friday night and watched some good tv!!!

Saturday was Joey's stepmom's birthday so we were in the celebrating mood!! Tammy had a great day planned for us. After lunch we headed to Des Moines for Rock Climbing. If you are in the Des Moines area I would fully recommend checking out Climb Iowa.. It is a great indoor rock climbing facility. It was a great idea to do as a family as well. Let me tell you it is a workout. While you are climbing you are using muscles in your hands, feet, arms and legs constantly. They was a boy  there that was 4 years old and he was amazing!!
After rock climbing we headed home to get cleaned up for dinner. We headed to Las Casa the Mexican restaurant in town and meet both of Tammy's sisters and their families there. We had a great time. Tammy's youngest sister has a 1 year old daughter names Dylin- we call her Baby D though. She was a pure joy to have at dinner. After dinner everybody came over to the house and we skyped with our dear Kelsey who just moved to Hawaii. We missed her dearly and it was great getting to see her new place and feel like she was with us on the special day.  Happy Birthday Tammy. You take great care of every single one of us and WE LOVE YOU!
Enjoy the pictures below!

 Yup that is me, Climbing the wall away with my very own rock spotter below!

 Joe oh wait I mean monkey boy!! I think his long legs and arms were a BIG advantage!

 The birthday girl who rocked all the climbs!!

 Joe on the inverted wall!!

 Joe feeling pretty good after making it to the top once again! way to go Mr. H

                                                  Z-Man climbing away!

                                               Goof-Balls

                                                 My Love My Hubby

                                                  Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Birthday Girl and our wonderful Baby D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great Monday

Happy Friday!!!

WHOOT WHOOT WHOOT!!!

The weekend has arrived---- Who is Excited!!!

If you know me I am doing cheer moves right now because I am so excited!!

We are off on another getaway for the weekend! !This time to Des Moines!! I love that place!

We have some celebrating  and shopping on the agenda, can you blame me I am so excited?

Here are a few of my favorite things this Friday:

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Lisa VanDerPlump: In my very best English accent " I don't give a flying fig!"

Sparkling/Carbonated Water- I am giving up diet coke and it is the only that is saving me these days!! Try it!

Hope- Just the sheer emotion brings a smile to my face

The OWN network- is anyone watching Oprah's new channel? I love he behind the scene show that shows everything that goes into making an episode!!

Finally---My Wrigley yes I know some of you are going to be shocked that I am saying this but he is becoming my buddy since Joe has been working some long hours!

Have a great weekend!

Sick-O

Well Blogland,

Guess What?????????????????

I have been bitten by the bug, the sick bug that is! I have come down with a terrible cold that is making my head hurt, my eyes hurt, and my chest hurt.

Right now the only thing that has me pushing forward is the weekend.

I just keep telling myself that I must be better for are weekend in Des Moines.

Sorry for nothing to new or exciting on the blog. Tomorrow I will have some fun videos from last weekend at my mom;s. Have I mentioned that I love my new Flip Video Camera.

So I am signing off for the night just picture me in bed with the heated blanket on and rea surrounding me!!!
Ok maybe that is just everything that I can see right now.

One Fun Weekend

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend!!! We just got back tonight from a fun filled weekend in Chicago with my momma!! We got on the road early on Friday so we could surprise her at her office. It was such a treat to meet some of her co-workers and for Joe to see the Naperville office.

After being at the office we headed to downtown Naperville to start the weekend off with appetizers and drinks.

 My two favorites. . . Joe and Momma When I am with these two I am home!

                    Me and the Hubby!!!!!

My mom and I. I really need to give it up to her. She has been there through thick and thin, through good and bad, through the ups and downs of life and she not only loves my but loves Joe as well. Every time we go visit her she makes such an effort to take care of us and spoil us rotten with her time and attention. Thank you mom for all the little and the BIG things that you do for the both of us. You are a true example of unconditional love.

Saturday we got a big surprise and that was the news that my three cousins Grace, Caroline, and Madeline were coming over for a sleepover!!! If you follow this blog you know that I LOVE being with these babes. We had a big picnic in the house for dinner, did a spa night and watched the cake show which they love.

                   Madeline had a new favorite snuggle buddy on Saturday night. . Mr. Joe!

                  Here they are again, this was Madeline's spot for most of the night. Doesn't she look so comfy, she had to wear Joe's sweatshirt.

Here I am with all three girls watching the Cake Championship Show.

Sunday we headed to a bar in downtown Naperville to watch the BEARS. . . . WIN!!!!!!!!!!!! The atmosphere rocked with lots of fans that were cheering them on!!!!!!  Get ready Green Bay the Bears are on their way to pounce you.

We really do love our weekend getaways. They give us a chance to be with family and to feel like we have been on a mini vacation.  Next weekend we are off to Des Moines and I cant wait.

Some Fluff For Your Friday

Hi Bloggers,

Happy Friday!!!!!

As promised nothing too deep for you tonight instead I have a bunch of FLUFFY things for you.

First

"If you could plan your last meal what would it be?"
-My last meal would include the following:
-a glass of pinot grigio
-a tomato mozzarella basil salad with balsamic vinaigrette
-a piece of salmon with asparagus and hollandaise sauce
and for dessert a piece of my momma's chocolate cheesecake with a diet coke

Yes I know this is not a meal I couldn't eat everyday but it would for sure be my favorite last meal.

"If you could have a vacation home, where would it be?"
OHHHH this is a GOOOOD one, the wheels are turning in my head. First if I had a vacation home I would want it somewhere my family and friends could easily travel to and often. So I think I would choose
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Can't you just picture spending the 4th of July on this dock??? I sure could.

"If you had to watch one movie over and over for life?"
This is an easy one- STEEL MAGNOLIAS It is a total chick flick but it has my motto in it "Pink is my signature color"

"If you had one book to read for a lifetime, what would it be?"
The Giving Tree- that book warms the heart every time and keeps on giving the true life lessons that I think you need through life.

and Finally. . . .

"What is the best quality that you think a person can exhibit?"
GRATITUDE

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!! Hope you enjoyed some FLUFF

What Would You Do If You Could Do Anything

Hello Bloggers,

I come to you tonight with a DEEP question. It might be to deep of thinking, if you have had a long stressful day so if that is the case skip this blog post and come back tomorrow I promise you it will be light and fluffy!!!

So the question is:
"What Would You Do If You Could Do Anything"
This question always come to mind when I am reading blogs that people have created as their jobs/careers.

To me it is a pretty astonishing task that people have created outlets for themselves to attain advertisers, and to speak their mind, to show their passion, to share their wisdom. A year ago I had no idea that blogging was or could be a business/career. I started my blog so that my family could be kept up to date on what was going on in my life. Then about six months ago the blogging doors opened up to me and I realized that their is a HUGE world out there in BLOGLAND. You want to know about wedding planning, cooking, parenting, writing, finances, beauty, sports, celebrities, you name it is out there.I started seeing more and more blogs that had advertisers and that had shops where you could order merchandise/products.Recently I started following a blog where a married couple do DIY home improvements to their home and stay home with the child? Can you believe it. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think most people start a blog on day 1 and begin earning a sufficient income to quit their job on day 2. Blogging is hard work. To become one of those up and coming blogs you have to have advertisers, you must have give-aways, you must have a high number of daily visits and followers. Besides blogging many of these sites also have facebook pages, and twitter accounts.  When you really think about blogging, it is transforming our workforce. Everyday 688 people start a blog? Do you know how people start a registered business- 297.

So I pose a couple of questions to you my fellow bloggers:
"What are some of your favorite blogs that you follow?"
"What makes you a follower of a blog?"
" If you could blog about anything, what would it be?"

For some time now I have been wanting to start an additional blog that is all about entertaining and cooking. Months and months ago I secured the name to ensure that I could use it and to my dismay I have put off getting it started for a number of reasons. But guess what I am going to give it another shot. I am going to work diligently on it in the next month and hopefully you will visit both this blog and the NEW ONE.

I would love to hear all your thoughts and comments. Have a great day

BlackHawk Hotel Resturant Review

Hello Bloggers,

This week has literally gone by in a FLASH and it is only Wednesday!

This past weekend Joe and I had a date night and tried out the new Blackhawk Hotel and Restaurant.. This is a brand new hotel that has been restored in past year. It is absolutely gorgeous.
The restaurant is called the Bix Bistro, here is a sampling of the menu and some pictures.
These are the items we had the night we ate there:

Braised Pork shoulder

Caramelized onions and braised collards

Ambrosia” Salad

Baby lettuce, oranges, grapefruit, toasted coconut with pineapple-citrus vinaigrette
This is a new spin on the classic southern salad of chopped citrus, pineapple and coconut
Meat and Potatoes

12 oz. NY strip, white cheddar potato terrine, green beans & baby carrots veal jus
The phrase “meat and potatoes” has been used to describe the bland and monotonous nature of the American diet. We will let you be the judge.

Pan Seared Filet of Grouper

With a ragout of mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes and green beans
The vegetable ragout, similar to the Maryland succotash, is a light accompaniment to the delicate trout

We thought the food was pretty good overall. They have only been open for a few weeks, so we took that into account for the service being a little slow.

 This is the beautiful Gold Room- my good friend Keli is having her reception here in the fall and I cannot wait. We walked through it on Saturday and I can see it all coming together!

These are the hotel rooms- aren't they swanky?????? I sure think so!

Well this is a taste of downtown Davenport, Iowa!!!

Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!

Happy Friday!!!!

Well the weekend is almost here!!!

Who is excited????

Me!!!! Can you tell I am still getting back into the work mode from the Holiday's?

To honor this momentous occasion I would post some of my favorite things in honor of the weekend arriving.
#5

FUR VEST: I got one of these for Christmas from my Grammie and Poppy and cant wait to wear it.
#4
SOUR PATCH KIDS
Yes I am addicted and they are the best candy around town!
#3

Burts Bee Chapstick: During the winter months I cant get enough of this stuff they keep my lips from from looking like sandpaper.
#2
Blogging: I am adoring the blogworld right now. I have found some recent blogs that I really enjoy reading everyday and love how creative juices are flowing with so many in blogland.
#1
Gotta give it up for Mr. Haluska, he is such a hard worker, provider, funny, caring and supportive guy. He has started training for his next triathalon and I cant wait to cheer him on!

Have a great weekend everbody-keep your eyes out for the 1st Pie recipe, it is COMING!

Wanna Try Something New???

Greetings,

Well I am hear to report that the hubster and I have so far completed our dining in commitment- Yes I know it is only January 4th but it makes me laugh to think that we are 4 days strong! ha!

Tonight I have two different things for you. One will have you drooling and heading to the kitchen, the other will have you day dreaming and party planning.

Any guesses?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Well I received a subscription to Cooking Light for Christmas and it has been an immense help in planning out our meals

The first meal that I tried from the January subscription is the:
Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

- Sorry for the small picture (this is why I want to become more techy on my blog)
4 chicken cutlets ( I used chicken breasts)
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves (I used Basil leaves)
2 ounces very thin bacon or prosciutto
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges(optional)

1. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 2 sage or basil leaves on each chicken breast. Wrap bacon or prosciutto slices around the cutlet.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan;cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan, keep warm
3.Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil  to the pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken and pasta.
Calories 202
Fat 75 grams
Protein 305 grams

Let me know what you think of this recipe???

Next up
I want to tell you that I debated about posting this but I figured how could I be so greedy and not share with all my loyal readers and followers, so if you win instead of me I expect a one week trip every winter and fall to see you.

This is the HGTV DREAM HOME 2011 they give this a DREAM HOME away every year and this is the 3rd year that I entered so I figure 3rd times a charm Ha HA HA
Lets get some details on the house it is located in Stowe, Vermont
Just thinking apples in the fall, beautiful colors in the summer, snowy peaks in the winter!! Doesnt it sound wonderful

You can enter to win the house at HGTV.com and frontdoor.com twice daily and there are 44 days till it ends so get clicking. If you love to look at houses ( which I DO!!! ) take the virtual tour of this home.

To top off this sweet deal if you win you get $500,000

Best of luck to you and if you win remember where you saw this at!!!
Well Bloggers I have a big day tomorrow of dress shopping with my dear friend so stayed tune for pics!!!

Bits and Pieces

Hello,


Welll tonight I come to you with bits and pieces of various things!!! There is no one direction I have in this post rather a couple of different things that I felt like talking about tonight.

First of all I just read this book EVERY LAST ONE by Anna Quindlen

Wow an amazing book, this author layers the characters so well and I has a major turn of events that takes the book in a whole new direction. I literally stayed up all night to finish this book and couldn't stop thinking about it the next day. If you need a new book I highly recommend this one.

Next up, have you ever thought about how much you spend eating out??? Well Joe and I got to thinking the other week about how much we spend eating out, we can afford to do this but we started thinking about the things we could do if we didn't like TRAVEL, FINISH SOME HOME IMPROVEMENTS around the house SOOOO we are challenging ourselves to eating out only twice the month of January. Yes I think this is going to be a challenge but I think it will be eye-opening as well.One good thing that I can already tell is that this is going to help me become better at planning our meals. So we are tempted at eating out when we get home from work I have dinners planned in 1 week increments (now you will know why you start to see more recipes-thanks Cooking Light) I will keep all of you posted as how it is going and what we end doing with our extra molla!

Is anyone lusting after a vacation WE ARE!!!!!!! We are debating between Vegas, Arizona or New York- thoughts anyone??????

All of our Christmas  decor is down and the house looks empty now. It is funny I feel this way after every Christmas so I am searching the decor blogs high and low for some IDEAS- if you know some good ones shoot me the address.

Well those are the bits and pieces of my mind tonight!!

Have a great day!

2011 Here We Come

Greetings,

I hope everyone had an excellent start to the new year!!!! Can you believe 2011 has arrived. It is still hard for me to believe it.

But It Is Here!! I think for Joe and I 2010 is going to be hard to top since it was our wedding year but we have some exciting things planned so lets see if we can do it!!!!!

I thought for this post I would tell you some things that I am going to try to do on this blog for the upcoming year, these ideas may be grand and mighty right now but I am going to give it the best shot that I can.

First of all I am going to try ot blog frequently and often!!!! I am committing to no more than a 2 day absence unless I am on vacation. I enjoy blogging so much and I think it is good for me to have this outlet.

I am going to be posting a pie recipe once a week for this next year. Yes you read this and it is correct. My mom got me this fabulous pie cookbook for Christmas and I have decided that I am going to become a PIE MAKER! No we don't plan to eat all these pies I will probably bring them into work or send to work with Joe or drop off at my Grammies for her bridge group- stayed tune though the first one is YUMMY!

I am going to become more techy with my blog! I want to learn to add more features and change the layout frequently instead of pining over it for ours for very simple changes!!!!!

Finally- I want ot hear what you enjoy reading about!!! I just learned to check the statics of posts so I will be doing that more.

Thanks again for all the comments and well wishes on this blog. I enjoy it throughly and have discovered so much in this world of blogging!!


20111 HERE WE COME!

What are you excited for in 2011?????????