I was spoiled rotten this year. Sam woke up on my birthday, gave me a big hug and said, "Happy Birthday to my Princess Mom" Damn straight!
You know that book "The 5 Love Languages" that says people have different ways/languages in which they desire to express/receive love? I think my love language is gifts.
There is nothing I love more than giving my loved ones special and meaningful gifts. I just can't do standard/generic gifts for people; it doesn't feel right. You know how some folks shop sales at the end of the season, get good deals, and put away those deals away for "someone" for a holiday/birthday present? No one in particular in mind at the time of purchase, just a nice item for some nice person?
I can't do that. I agonize over the perfect gift - or at least a really good one! Christmas planning and shopping takes me FOREVER.
To that end, I get ridiculously happy to get thoughtful presents from others. Doesn't have to be anything expensive, but thoughtful gifts make me giddy. My mom always said I was the best kid on Christmas morning because I would get all happy, jump around, and teary over almost every present. I'm still kind of like that - just with less jumping.
So here's my birthday loot and why I love it!
My parents and sister/brother-in-law: Got a wonderful bag for my knitting! Isn't it great?
Bright and colorful with lots of pockets. No more carting my knitting projects around in plastic grocery bags (true story - like a knitting hobo). I also got a knitting magazine and an amazon gift card to buy knitting stuff. And I did: I got this and this. Love!
My in-laws: I got an electric meat slicer! Don't laugh. I am thrilled!!! I had mentioned to my mother-in-law that one of the things we were missing the most on our non-processed food diet was lunch meat, and just getting to eat a sub sandwich once in awhile. My husband was missing this the most. My kids love sandwiches, and I've been wanting to ween them off processed, high sodium deli meat. My mother-in-law often makes her own - cooking, slicing, freezing a turkey breast, making a roast and slicing roast beef slices, etc - so I asked her advice on how to do that. I just planned to use an electric knife to get the best slices I could. But now? I have this super cool deli-grade meat slicer - I could shave that freakin' healthy, non-processed cooked-at-home turkey breast! I can't wait to try this out, and will definitely report how that goes. BTW, I am quite accident prone. Seriously accident prone. I've gotten a black eye and dislocated my thumb while bowling. Let that soak in for a second. Andy took one look at this thing, and said, "Honey, you just cook the meat...I'll slice it. You need all your digits." He's the best ;-)
My friends: My awesome friends got me a wonderful eyeshadow palette (Urban Decay Naked Basics) AND all the stuff I need for Jazzercise. A yoga mat, a new gym bag to accommodate my yoga mat, and a new snazzy water bottle. This means I don't have to use the disgusting community gym mats at the studio any more! They love me!!
My husband and kids: So excited! A Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS watch for running! . I now will be able to accurately track my time/distance/pace/calories burned. Hallelujah! Up until December, I had been using an app on my iphone. It was fairly accurate, but I totally ruined my phone. Though I used an Arm Pocket while running - basically a fanny pack for your arm to hold your phone - the sweat eventually did my poor phone in. For Christmas, I got an ipod nano so that I can stop using my phone for music and now I have the GPS watch. I'm set for marathon training! I hope to do a full review of this product in the future.
Speaking of the husband....last weekend, we had a fabulous time celebrating our birthdays with a night on the town. With our birthdays only ten days apart, we choose the weekend in between them to celebrate together. We had a great meal at Iron Chef Michael Symon's restaurant Lola, and then a fun time at the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland. My parents had the kids for the entire night, so it was like SUPER date night.
Andy and I really do have a great time together. We were having fun and being silly while registering for our "loyalty cards" at the Casino desk. The lady at the desk was super nice, and commented on how much she enjoyed us, and told us that just seeing us made her happy. She was surprised we were married (ha!) and even more surprised when we told her we've been married for almost 19 years. :)
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The weight loss challenge is going really well, I think, with my official weigh-in at the Jazzercise studio on Monday. I have kept my word and am 1) measuring my dinner portions and NOT picking at dinner while cooking and 2) limiting my snacks to fruits and veggies (and occasionally dipping my veggies in 1/4 cup of hummus). On my actual birthday - a pre-determined "cheat day" - I got a mini size oreo chocolate Blizzard from DQ and washed it down with a glass of red wine. A little strange perhaps, but very satisfying!
One last thing: New Food Of The Week
Roasted Cabbage Wedges
I can not believe how much the whole family enjoyed this! I love cabbage, but the rest of my family does not. Andy and the boys gobbled this up. G exclaimed, "This just melts in your mouth!" Really good, and how cool to find a delicious veggie side dish that will serve the whole family for under $1? I probably used half of the olive oil called for in the recipe, and it worked out just fine.
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