What I Love Right Now...

Another feel good post to make myself remember the happy little pleasures in life when I had a really difficult week at work. On a good note, I'm off work today to relax and do whatever I want!

Accomplishments
Back in January, I was trying to run at the gym and I struggled BAD. I could hardly go more than a few minutes without stopping. On Valentine's Day, I ate a huge breakfast and then headed over to the gym. I was SHOCKED that I ran an 11 minute mile without stopping. From then on, it just kept progressing and my times kept getting better. Through the ups and downs of the spring and summer, I kept pushing myself. I recently completed my first 5k and that was a huge accomplishment for me!

Fashionable Cleaning
Who actually likes cleaning? NO ONE. But we all have to do it. So why not make it more fun? I always get a little extra joy out of cleaning with my cute gloves on...and my skin doesn't get so dry either. See the tutorial here.

Image from http://blog.timesunion.com

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter and I have a weird relationship. Let's just say I had a traumatizing experience with PB& J as a kid (long story, but I'll tell you all if you want later) so I avoided it at all costs. The only time I would eat it is in cookies, cakes, or mixed with chocolate. A few weeks ago, I was cooking with it (to mix with chocolate of course) and I licked the knife when I was done. Wait, it's not so bad...so I spread some on a slice of bread and ate it. Wow, it was good! I've been missing out! So now I'm on a PB kick and eating it all the time to make up for 28 years of hiding from it!

Purring Kitty
I could listen to that all day long. So calming and restful...

Makeup that actually covers
Fertility treatments and hormone craziness has taken a toll on my face. BADLY. I was embarrassed that I had new zits popping up all day at work and I looked like I was 16 again. No makeup would cover them and stay put all day. If it did stay put, it made me break out. Then one day at the mall, my mom suggested I try something new. I usually would have said no right away because it was so expensive, but I gave it a try. What a difference! And I use so little that it won't end up costing me any more than my old stuff!

Image from http://blog.bevello.com

Reality TV
Maybe I am just crazy reality tv junkie, but who cares? I'm not afraid to admit that I am obsessed with these shows. From MTV to Bravo to E! to A&E, I can spend hours watching my favorite shows.

So share your happy pleasures with me. What is making you happy today?

Healthy Lettuce Wraps

I've had lettuce wraps tons of times in restaurants, but I've never tried to make them myself. After trying lettuce wraps at so many restaurants, I'm happy to say that these were JUST as good as the ones you would order!

Adapted from here

Ingredients:

Sauce:
• 6 t. hoisin sauce
• 4 t. soy sauce
• 2 t. sesame oil
• 4 t. white wine vinegar
• fresh ground black pepper

Filling:
• 2 t. olive oil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• ½ t. grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 cups mixed vegetables (We used mushrooms, carrots, red pepper and onion)
• ½ green apple, finely chopped

Wraps:
• lettuce leaves (washed and separated)
• shredded carrots for topping
• rice noodles (optional for topping)

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix.

To make the filling, heat a skillet on high heat with cooking oil. When the pan is hot, add garlic, ginger and green onions to the pan. Stir fry for a few seconds, just until fragrant.

Add the ground turkey and break into small pieces. Cook until almost cooked through.

Add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Mix in the sauce and cook for about 1 minute until thickened slightly. Add the apples to the pan and toss to coat.

Remove the pan from heat.

Serve the filling in lettuce “cups” and top with shredded carrots and rice noodles.

Make sure to have extra napkins...it's very messy! But VERY good!

Here's Hubby's lettuce wrap after he took a big bite : )

Whats on the Menu Wednesday

Craft Room Organization

All my craft supplies were a mess before I started organizing. I have so many half-finished crafts and random supplies from every little artsy interest I've ever had. I even worked at Michaels in high school and still have a lot of stuff I bought back then.

So as I was hard at work updating our craft room/guest room, I came up with an easy idea to store all my stuff. Look, Kitty worked hard too.


Anyway, I wanted to store all my stuff in plastic totes with labels. For months, I searched for cute labels that I thought would work, but nothing really caught my eye. So one day I realized I could design labels to match the bedding I bought for the room. (See the sheets above that Kitty is sleeping on.) So I designed these labels below and printed out a few sheets of them.


My next dilemma: how do I get these labels to be removable in case I change what's in each tote? My solution: contact paper


Using spray glue, I glued 3 sheets of labels onto contact paper.


Once the glue was dry, I cut them out and named each one.


And here they are looking all cute in my closet






I love that I can find anything I need quickly and it's all hidden when you walk in the room!

:::blushing:::

I didn't sleep very well last night and woke up with a sore back and cold feet. But this morning when I grabbed my laptop (still in bed, of course) I refreshed my Google Dashboard and saw my smiling face up there.

I'm featured on The Hand Me Down House today! Amanda is one of the sweetest bloggers I've met and she is so creative when it comes to ideas for her house. Her unique projects always amaze me and I wonder how she even has time to sleep with everything she's accomplished!

Then I went to eat breakfast and came back to find another feature of me on Amaretto Vineyard! Jessica is a new blogger who started a blog just as she began the journey moving to a new house (like me) and to share her creativity and bargains with others (also like me). So I look forward to seeing her new home and future projects!

I'm truly honored to be chosen twice in one day! Thanks so much to both of you and all of my other blogging friends who keep me inspired on a daily basis!