Orientation Blogging

I'm blogging from the orientation because I forgot to post while I was at home on our lunch break. My lunch consisted of leftover chicken with some hot sauce and a salad. I wasn't too hungry because I had a muffin and an apple halfway through the morning at orientation. I also just ate another bran muffin and banana for my afternoon snack. I'm really hungry today! Luckily, we are provided with lots of tasty free snacks throughout the day. Well...time to focus on super exciting policy and procedure!

Getting Oriented

Busy morning and now I'm off to the third day of orientation. I will be able to write better posts this afternoon, unlike this very short and sweet post. Enjoy your morning!

Taco Salad

I have never really tried taco salad until lately. I always thought of it as unhealthy and stayed well away from it. Well, today I tried a big plate of taco salad and it was awesome! It consisted of lettuce, jalapeno cheese and tortilla strips. The kit also came with some delicious spicy salsa ranch dressing. I would really like to try making a taco salad on my own sometime, but for now the kit was delicious!

I also had a half chicken breast that was a little dry but a good source of protein. I can't complain!

Tomorrow is another full day of orientation. It will be a long day, but it should be a great learning experience. I'm really excited to start this new part time position. I can't wait to work with children and start doing something fulfilling with my life!

Not Chilly Enough For Chili

For whatever reason, I am so hot today! I can't seem to find a way to cool off. Nonetheless, my mom's homemade chili was calling...no screaming my name for lunch! I was so hot that I decided to eat it cold. Despite not being hot, this chili was incredible! My mom and her mom (my grandma) make very tasty chili. I hope they have passed their skills on to me!

As for the rest of my afternoon, orientation ended early today. I have some serious plans to: a) lay on the couch, b) cram in as much cable television as possible, and c) spend some lazy time with my two loves. Sounds like a great day to me!

What do you like to do on your days off? How do you unwind?

Empty Plate

Notice what is missing from this picture? My breakfast! I went to say goodbye to mom who stopped in for a sleepover last night and when I came back, my breakfast was gone. I suspect a canine culprit! Looks like I won't be enjoying my last two Pomegran Plus waffles this morning.

Bagged Lunch at Home

I totally forgot to bring my bagged lunch to the orientation this morning! Lukily, we were given an hour and a half for lunch...plenty of time to go home and eat up my bagged lunch!

The orientation is going really well so far! I can't wait to start and finally establish some sort of routine out of my hectic life. I'm hoping that after this week, things will start to slow down and I can relax with my wonderful little family!

Stolen

Ok so we didn't actually steal our new lamps, but at $10 each, they were practically a steal! We are very happy with the way they turned out and they match our bedroom decor to a T!

For the next four days, I will be away at an orientation for the new part time job I have accepted. I will post as best I can, but I will not be able to post as often as I uaually do.

Wish me luck and have a wonderful day!

Hiking Day Trip

Our morning started out with a little cup o' java big iced coffee from McDonald's! One large vanilla iced coffee made with milk for myself and one with caramel for Casey.

We finally arrived at the park and decided to hit the trails.

We chose two fairly adventurous and difficult trails because I think all three of us needed the workout. They were only 2.0 km and 1.5 km, but they were steep and sandy.

Of course, what would a hiking trip be without acting like goofballs?

 

Zeke followed suit...

We had a lot of fun hiking today! The weather was perfect--not too hot, not too cold. I would have loved to stay out longer, but a little run in with an entire trail's worth of poison ivy dampened our go-getter attitude. We decided to play on the side of caution and call it quits after the two trails. Fortunately, none of us have had any reaction to the large amounts of poison ivy! Casey already knows he's immune to it through work and I've always had a sneaking suspicion I'm not allergic either, but it's nice to know that none of our family has a reaction! All in all, a very happy Bee!

After leaving the park, we hit up a local favourite for some greasy lunch/dinner food. I had fried shrimp with fresh cut fries, while Casey had mozzarella sticks and a hamburger. We also split a vanilla milkshake. The portions were so huge, I barely made a dent in this bad boy!

At least now I have about 3/4 of that box waiting for me tomorrow at lunch!

That's about all for tonight. I'm still full from our very late lunch, so dinner is going to be miniscule or non-existent. I think we're just going to spend the evening relaxing on the couch in front of my aunt's television. Yay for one week of cable TV!

Have a great evening!

Like a Kid Again

This morning made me feel like a kid again. I slept in a little bit (even if that means sleeping in until 7:30am) and was lazy around the house for a while. Then, I made myself a bowl of cereal that took me back to my childhood...Sally's Honey Graham Bliss!

Okay, so I never really ate cereals like this when I was young, but it reminds me of what it would be like if I had grown up with sugary cereal! It was delicious, but a little too sweet for my liking. It was definitely a nice treat, but I think Casey can finish the rest of the bag!

Today we're off to Grand Bend to visit the flea market and take Zeke on some hiking trails, permitting it doesn't start to rain. I can't wait for our little family trip!

Zombie Night

Tonight, Casey and I met up with one of my best friends from high school and her husband for dinner. We checked out a restaurant none of us had been to before. Conveniently, it's just down the street from our apartment building and well within walking distance. Thank you downtown! I must have been thirsty because I drank several glasses of water and two cups of tea. Yikes! For dinner, I ordered cirtrus salmon with a rice pilaf and grilled vegetables. It was delicious!

After dinner, Casey and I came home to have a movie night together. It's been a while since we've spent some quality "us" time, and what better way to spend time together than to watch a good zombie movie. Our movie of choice? Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

I really like the Resident Evil series, but this one has to be my favourite of the four (or five?). It was nice to relax with my husband, but now it's time for bed!

Flatbread Epiphany

My epiphany occurred today at work as I was eating my lunch...homemade flatbread! I threw some Rustic Multiseed Flatbread into my lunch, along with Greek yogurt, an apple and a carrot. The ingredients are so basic and it looks relatively simple...why can't I make my own flatbread crackers? Perhaps an upcoming recipe you should stay tuned for!

POMcakes

After a pomegranate-inspired breakfast yesterday, I was further expired to create a pomegranate breakfast of my own using the super cheap POM Wonderful juice. What else to make but POM Wonderful pancakes, aka POMcakes!

POMcakes
-Pancake mix
-POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
-2 egg whites

Pour desired amount of pancake mix into a large mixing bowl. Add two egg whites to the mix. Begin mixing and add POM Wonderful juice until batter has reached desired consistency. Pour batter into frying pan, flipping pancake when each side has reached golden brown. Serve with pancake syrup, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, berries, etc.

They may not be the most visibly attractive pancakes I've ever made, but they were really good! Nice and rich with a hint of pomegranate. I also had yet another a sliced orange on the side. Don't worry! I'm officially out of oranges. I just needed to eat them all up before they went bad.

Office Inspiration

Julie's latest post at Peanut Butter Fingers made me start thinking about our home office desk in the corner of our bedroom. Because we don't have the space for a separate home office, our desk right now is just sitting against a blank wall in our bedroom. I really want to decorate it to set it apart from the rest of the bedroom, but I'm jut not quite sure how. I found a few pictures that will hopefully serve as inspiration for our future "home office"!

Nighttime Routine

I really want to bring Dreamland tea into my nighttime routine. Even if it doesn't technically put me to sleep, it still helps me unwind and prepare myself mentally for sleep. It doesn't taste the greatest, but I think I can get used to it!

What do you make part of your nighttime routine every night?

Out of My Mind

I was so busy today, I didn't have time to photograph my lunch. That's alright; I don't think a handful of cereal and a large iced coffee counts as a decent lunch.

Dinner went unphotographed as well. I had leftover chicken and pasta salad from yesterday. It was alright! And since I had no food pictures to share with you, here is another adorable picture of Zekey!

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Love

I think pomegranates are trying to sneak their way into my life. On our last grocery shopping trip, a box of Nature's Path Pomegran Plus organic waffles appeared to be calling my name as I walked past. I couldn't say no; I just had to buy them!

And yesterday, while picking out our deli-style dinner, I noticed a shelf full of POM Wonderful juice with a big sale sign over top of it. 50% off folks! I've always wanted to try POM Wonderful, but it's so flipping expensive! Even the small bottles I bought were $2.50 a bottle on sale from $4.99. Yikes! I guess POM will be a nice treat, but not a regular staple.



This morning I opted to make the Pomegran Plus organic waffles with a side of orange slices. It was very tasty to say the least!



I am officially in love with pomegranates!

Deli Time

Let's just say with house sitting, dog sitting, work and a bad headache, I didn't feel like making dinner tonight. We hit up the deli section of the grocery store and came home with this bounty! Barbeque chicken breast, loaded potato salad, Sicilian pasta salad and Southwestern salad.

It was great and we even have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch! Now we're off to take Zeke to obedience class. I hope he does well!

PS - The Musings page was updated this evening!

Make It Quick

My lunch today consisted of a pbj sandwich on sprouted multigrain bread, Greek yogurt, an apple and some sweet peas. It was delicious, but now I'm back to work. I can't wait to be done! I always get bad headaches here. No fun!

Survivors

Well, we survived the tornado warnings and intense weather. I hope everyone else in neighbouring towns are okay!

I took the three dogs for a walk this morning. Yes, three dogs...at the same time. It was a struggle at first, but we got a rhythm down quickly! Zeke fell into a natural leader position while Linkin stayed by Tubbs' side the whole way. We made a great team!

I decided to make a filling breakfast this morning because I have a feeling the work day is going to be long. I made myself a bowl of Early Rise hot cereal simply by microwaving it with some water. Then, I added in a splash of milk and some peanut butter. Zeke was sad when I couldn't share any, but it wouldn't be fair to the other dogs. He'll just have to wait until next week!

You can thank my aunt for providing the beautiful breakfast bowl!

Finally, I gobbled up four Gummy Vites. Regular multivitamins make my stomach queasy, but these gummy vitamins are delicious!

With Rain Comes Wind

Let's just say it's been quite the evening. I hope you are all safe and sound in your homes. Have a good storm-free night!