Snow Day Accomplishments

Happy Hump Day!

How was everyone's Snow Day?  Mine was pretty bueno!  I accomplished a lot of things…both of substance and less than substance…


1.)  Lesson Plans for next week are fini!  I have a super exciting weekend planned with multiple Girls' Nites and a Ladies' Lunch!  Now I can relax and watch the most controversial Super Bowl Ever

2.)  I made banana chocolate chip bread.  I'm still proud of this lol

3.)  I watched 12 episodes of Parks and Rec since last night…

4.)  I wore these to work out today!  Thank you Reebok sale!

How cute!?  Pants with clouds!  I lurve clouds!

5.)  I went online shopping and bought these pants!  Thank you Gap…although I should probably put the debit card away…

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The.best.pants.ever.  They don't even need to be ironed!


6.)  Found out this was a real thing…glad I put the debit card away…

Oh Lawd!

7.)  Schweaty gym sesh complete with an Erin Triathlon-  Cross Trainer Elliptical (shamelessly reading Self it was an easy cardio day)+Pilates+Barre.  Achy legs will be here tomorrow!

How much fun did you have on your Snow Day?!  Let me know what you all did!


Enjoy your Wednesday!

xoxo,

E

Philadelphia Restaurant Week

Happy Snow Day!

We're off from worky work today.  I must say I am always a Snow Day Champion.  I want snow days more than anything.  I love waking up to a phone call that says you are off from work.  It's just so nice to roll back over and wake up at 9:30.

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Today I woke up and baked some completely unhealthy banana chocolate chip bread!  **I did squeeze some almond milk in there though so I can eat** #lactoseintolerantgirlprobz

Twas Delish

**Yes, RHOBH is on because I use Snow Days to clear the DVR**

Speaking of television, I'm addicted to Parks and Recreation!  I am on an Amy Poehler kick right now and have watched over 4 seasons in 3 weeks.  CHAMPION STATUS RIGHT HERE!

The famsquad and I are also watching Sons of Liberty on History Channel.  It's okay, (enter history major eye rolls here) I like that they are telling the stories of Revolutionists that are not as famous.  I would have done the backstories of each revolutionist then interwoven the stories through their friendships and relationships--but alas, they didn't call me :)

So this past weekend before the non snow ruined my weekend in Maryland with Amanda (snow party foul) Jess, my dad, and I went to Philadelphia Restaurant Week.  Last year we tried really hard to get there but with grad school and snow and student teaching, it wasn't in the cards for us.  Well, this year we made up for that.  Philly Restaurant Week (PRW) is a 2 week event where a huge number of restaurants put out a $35 dinner menu/$20 lunch menu chocked full of their well known dishes.  Reservations fill up quickly and sometimes you have to eat at 8:45 pm on a Friday night.  **cough cough us cough cough**

Jess decided on the restaurant and she made a baller choice.  We went to La Viola Bistro for din din.  She picked it because, "It has the most extensive menu."  AKA something picky Erin will eat.  She said she, "saw the salad with goat cheese and knew I'd like it".  Smart girl. 

It was crazy awesome!  The restaurant was super cute and fancy and cityish.  It is a narrow restaurant in Rittenhouse Square (fun fact the other La Viola is across the street) with many rooms that seem to go back forever.  They also have a downstairs party room.  I think there was a birthday party going on at the time.

Here are the deets of the eats.

2nd course was a pea soup.
Yummy yummy yummy!

Arugula, tomato, goat cheese, artichoke, and lemon/olive oil/balsamic vinaigrette dressing salad.
I've copied that salad this whole week for lunch.
Insane!!

Salmon with marinara sauce, mashed potatoes, and spinach.

Jess got a mushroom trio.  We didn't think it would seriously
be a pile of mushrooms.  It was a giant pile of mushrooms :)

Always smiling when it's a girls nite involving food :)

La Menu 

Padre and I got the Dark Side of the Moon cake.
Out of this world!

Dinner was great and the night was beautiful.  A light snow was falling and it was very chic.  How was your weekend?  How are you spending your snow day?

Love Love Love,

Er

Reading, wearing, watching, listening, eating

Happy Tuesday!

Today I'm copying one of my favorite bloggers Gina and being a lazy blogger.  These posts are kinda my favorites because I'm a nosy girl and I like finding new things to read, wear, watch, listen to, and eat.

Reading  

Yes, Please  by Amy Poehler.  Love her.  She was always one of my fave SNL ladies.  Molly Shannon Mary Catherine Gallagher will always have my heart.  Amy Poehler is like that silly best friend that you always need in your life.  Reading her book is the perfect mixture of true emotion (the divorce chapter made me sad and laugh all at once) and easy reading humor.  Her honesty and goofiness shine through.  When anyone else reads a book by a famous person, do you read it in their voice?  I do.  Apparently the book is also an ebook and Amy actually reads it.  Pretty shaweet!

HIIT IT!  Gina Harney.  I started reading her blog listed above a few years ago and I'm hooked.  I love her.  She's so funny, cool, and awesome.  Like a best friend in a blog.  She's a healthy lifestyle blogger, but not annoying, preachy, or restrictive.  Girlfriend loves Scandal, wine, and chocolate…gotta love that.  Her book is part cook book part exercise book.  It focuses on HIIT eating and exercising.  I've been using her recipes (veggie marinara, baked breakfast cookie, and turkey lentil muffins) this week and I'm hooked.  The food is delicious, can be frozen, and is all healthy and filling.  Her food doesn't taste "diety" because it's not…it's whole and healthy.  Everything fills you up and keeps you satiated for hours.  I can't sing her praises enough!

Wearing  

Pink jammies from Victoria's Secret.  These are my Christmas jammies and I'm so in love with them because they're pink and grey striped, cozy, and warm.  Also, I'm sporting some mismatched socks.  Looking hawt over here :)

Watching

The Bachelor.  I'm kinda loving Chris but I can't believe how much of a kissy boy he is.  It's week 2 and all the girls have been kissing him!  Crazy train!  I also don't know who I like best.  I kinda like Tracy and Trina, but I'm not sure yet.  

Agent Carter.  Is anyone else watching this?  I'm missing Scandal and Nashville and trying to fill the void with this.  I'm also a huge Superhero dork (I once attended a 12 hour Marvel Movie Day with my dad.)  You all also know that I'm kind of in love with Captain America.

Don't Judge!

I think the show is kinda ehhh, but I'm already invested so I'll stick with it.  

Parks and Rec.  I'm going to ride this Amy Poehler wave all the way out.  She's awesome.  Plus, when did Chris Pratt get super attractive?  

Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta, my dad and I watch every Friday night.  We're cool and we know it :)  My dad usually picks the best dress…with an insanely high accuracy rate I might add.  I'm such a proud daughter

Listening

Currently I'm obsessed (along with the rest of the world) Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud.  Have y'all seen the video?  It's perfect!  The dancing, the lyrics, the melody--all perfect!  As a dancer I get super judgey of people dancing in music videos.  I don't consider twerking a dance skill, so when I see beautifully choreographed excellent dancers dancing, it makes my little heart pirouette with giddiness.  

Since I'm always a true country fan first, I've been jamming to Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe's Lonely Tonight and Brad Paisley's Shattered Glass.  Blake and Ashley's jam is the perfect song if you're trying to convince yourself that you should text your ex.  Brad's song is a girl power anthem.  

Also, I can't get enough of Meghan Trainor's Lips Are Moving. 

Eating  

GRAZE!  I recently cashed in one of those Graze vouchers that I read in Health Magazine and I really like it!  It's $7 a box (I order twice a month and that includes shipping) and you get to pick a box of 4 healthy and proportioned snacks.  I have munched honeycomb flap jacks and dark rocky road.  Honeycomb flap jacks are like little granola bars but lighter.  (AMAZING!!)  Dark rocky road is a nut combo with dark chocolate drops.  In.  LOVE!  I also have a Brooklyn Bites (not too sure I'll like it.  It's savory and I'm a sweets fein.)  I also have Eleanor's Apple Crumble tomorrow.  Yum, yum, yum!  Can't wait!  It was actually really sweet because I forgot I ordered it and then it came in the mail yesterday.  Not a bad Monday in my book.  You should definitely try out this company.  

What are you ladies and gents doing now?  Feel free to link up and let me know!  I'm always looking for a new book, eat, show, song, etc!

Love Always,

E

Weekend Recap

Happy Oxymoron Day!

It's doubly struggle-city over here because it's my first day back at work after 12 days off for Christmas vacay.

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I lurved vacay :)  I am ready to go back to my little nuggets.  They're kinda fabulous and I missed those little friends.  They brighten up my day with their sweetness, jokes, and stories.

Does anyone else feel like when you're on vacay you can get up at whatever time?  I woke up multiple times to go to Zumba or spinning before 5 am, but put me on a work day?  I'll see you at 6:15.  I can NEVER wake up before 6 on work days.  I think my little friends require more energy than an hour of booty shaking fun.  

Does everyone love the blog's new make over?  She got a new background for Christmas!  Pink+Grey=My room's color scheme.

Who is excited for tonight?!  It's Bachelor Monday!  After Christmas, Bachelor Monday is my favorite winter holiday :)

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Hubba Hubba Prince Farming!  I'll be watching tomorrow because I have to go to a meeting tonight.  I have high hopes for this season.

Anyway, this weekend was a total blasty blast!  I got to see some of my favorite people in the world.  

On Friday, my college roomie was able to come over and we did what all cool people do when traveling to Philly…

Take super cool pix in front of the Art Museum :)

Maybe we even sang the Rocky theme song whilst running up the stairs…I don't act like a tourist or anything.  I actually like running up the stairs whilst singing Rocky.  I do it every time.

Fun fact**When I was running my half marathon and ran past the art museum, they played the Rocky theme song.  It gave me an extra boost to kick it.  

Ra and I decided to go to the museum.  I love this museum, and after 5 field trips and a handful of personal trips, I have come to be infatuated by the talent of those artists' who have work displayed in the museum.  Five years of French and one performing arts class in college are the extent of my art knowledge.  Ra decided we should visit museums with Kate Middleton because her major was Art History.  I agree.  It would help if she returned our calls…

Anyway, while we were perusing the paintings we ran into an actual art fan.  Like he gets art.  I'm partial to Degas because I love ballet and having 20 years of ballet experience, I get his ballet art.  BUT this guy?!  He was looking at Picasso's Three Musicians and was talking about the angles, the age old debate mustache/smiles, and the tone.  He says he comes here to check in with the painting.  How cool is that?  The fact that he knows where the painting is located is impressive enough!  Ra and I left feeling more cultured and cooler than when we walked in.  I also felt a little dumber and uncultured because I couldn't hold a solid conversation about Picasso.  You want Degas?  I'm your girl!  Every French project I wrote about him.  The only thing I know about Picasso is that his daughter designs Tiffany & Co. jewelry ;)

Anyway, after the museum we headed off to dinner.  We went to City Tap House in Logan Square.   If you are in the Philly area (or are planning a super cool vacation to my beloved city) you NEED to run to this place.  If you like craft beers this place is right up your alley.  We're not beer drinkers at all, but the place did not disappoint.  The restaurant was big but had that small intimate feel that I like.  The ambiance was amazing--I love me some exposed brick and leveled seating areas.  The food was face rocking.  I'm a picky eater and the selection was extensive…even to me.

I rolled with the kale and sweet potato salad.  The best part?!  They had GOAT CHEESE!  This little lactose intolerant lady was jumping out of her seat with excitement!  The salad also had Asian pears and walnuts.  The dressing was a maple bourbon vinaigrette.  I loved and savored every bite. It is second place (only to my beloved Seasons 52 BBQ Chicken Salad.) for my favorite salad of all time.  

After dinner, Ra and I both said, "We miss our salads."  Le sigh.

You didn't think we'd pass up dessert did you?
Hello S'mores dish!

The prices were pretty standard city dining.  My salad was $12.  The only thing that was kinda pricy was the dessert.  That little plate was $9.  Mehhh, I could have gone to the Cheesecake Factory for a $9 slice of heaven.  

**Side note** I'm not a beer girl, but they had Jack's Cider and it tasted like apple juice.  I highly recommend this for my non-beer girls.

For my birthday, Ra gifted me all kinds of healthy juicy things.
Powedered PB and Chocolate PB--face rocking.
Cacao Nibs-if you like dark chocolate (I don't discriminate against any chocolate--except White because it's not chocolate) you'll love these!
Macaboost-Great for smoothie helpers or just stirred into some almond milk for a flavor punch.

One of my favorite people in my favorite city!

Saturday was a nice an easy day.  I went to Panera for a green tea and to read a book on teaching non-fiction writing.  I was poked by a small child, stared at by a small toddler, and sat behind the world's most awkward first date ever!  The guy asked the woman, "So what's your financial situation?"  #notappropriate.  I got to go to Whole Paycheck as a treat!  I got some road trip necessities.  

Sunday was a long day.  My mom and I went to upstate PA for my cousin's (I'm his sponsor) Confirmation practice.  

I road trip like a champ!  Dorkiest but coziest outfit ever!!

You don't wear yoga pants under your wrap dress?
You don't wear dorky socks with your super cute sparkly glitter slippers?
NEWS FLASH!  You're doing life wrong :)

I made the pb that Ra gave me for a little road trip snackage.  Twas delish!  I also ate cacao super cookies.  They are like raw Samoas.  Insane in the membrane good!

I also watched 30 episodes of Boy Meets World!  I only have 112 left on the DVR!  I watched the episode where Shawn joins the hugging cult!  Ra and I exchanged BMW texts with exact quotes.  We're soul sistas!

How was your weekend?  Do anything fun?  Are your kids going nuts from this long break?

Wish me luck while I try to get my kids to focus on school after the long holiday!

xoxo,

E