January Deals & Steals

With the holiday season coming to a close and being away on travel for two weeks, I wasn't on my A-game for deal hunting. But, I did make a couple notable purchases...

1. Vera Bradley Super Tote, $30.60. Originally $85! Sure, it's a pattern they are retiring but I couldn't pass up this deal after getting so much use out of my very similar "Miller Bag" (great airplane carry on) I couldn't resist.

2. Overnight stay at Seven Springs Mountain Resort plus lift tickets for two, $159. Being that the lift tickets were good for the night we got there until 7pm the next day, it was a deal not to be missed. Two lift tickets just for a day session would have cost us $90. Not to mention, I just went back to their website to check what a typical weeknight would cost you and it was showing $200. It's so nice to be able to pick up and do things like this at the drop of a hat.

Kathy G!

This past Friday we saw Kathy Griffin live at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C. Boy is she hilarious! By the end we were sitting there straight faced because our mouths hurt from smiling and laughing so much.

Previous to this, I just finished reading her book Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin which I really enjoyed. Now I have plans to Netflix her D-List reality TV show that I've only caught a few episodes of here and there. She cracks me up!

Dinner at our house - Ben's Broccoli Cheese Pasta

Let me introduce you to a little friend of mine...


It's a really handy little book. Do real people actual cook dinners using more than 6 ingredients? I guess they do, but quite frankly, I'm not interested. I spend enough time in the grocery store as is. Well, this week we jumped back into this book and cooked a couple dinners worth sharing. How about some pasta? Well, we tried...

Ben's Broccoli Cheese Pasta

8 ounces thin spaghetti (we used whole wheat)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 can Broccoli Cheese soup (we used Campbell's 98% fat free)
1/2 cup milk (we used skim)
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese (we used a sprinkle of fat free mozz)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add soup; stir in milk until blended. Cook over low heat until heated through. Pour over pasta; toss to mix. Place on serving platter (um, no.) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

It also suggests adding chicken as a variation. I think next time I might add in some cooked broccoli for more veggies. It was a yummy change to our typical spaghetti nights and we hope we kept it healthy. Let me know if you try it out!

We also made a quiche for the first time this week. It was an adventure.

Blogging from my couch

How cute is my new netbook? Joe got me a much overdue Christmas present...that is, my last laptop was purchased before I went to college and was practically an antique. Now I have this itty bitty netbook so I can connect to the www from the comfort of my couch.

Another reason he got it for me was because I was going away for work for two weeks and it was going to be much nicer to be able to get online from my hotel room. Thus why I haven't blogged in a while, though. I'm finally back on my own turf and have time to update everyone.

For work, we were conducting four separate trainings across the country for our survey. My roll was that of a presenter and just general helper. Two of the trainings were conducted in Atlanta, GA and the other two were in San Antonio, TX and Tucson, AZ. It was a total of eight plane flights and overall just a lot of hours. Plus, too many nights in hotel rooms. As a result, I've gotten the first cold I've had in a long time. But, I'm glad to be home. I don't know how people travel like that as a part of their job. I guess you would get use to it but it definitely took a toll on me.

We didn't get much time to sight see during the trips, but I did get out a little.

Coca Cola Factory - Atlanta, GA

The Alamo - San Antonio, TX

Tucson, AZ

Now, it's back to reality.

Well hello there, 2010.

It's a new year, how about that? I think my current job has kind of jaded me from getting excited about a new year because we start preparing our survey for the next year at least six months ahead of time. So, that means I've already said "twenty-ten" a gazillion times and now that it is finally here I can say "Phew, ok, onto 2011."

We had a nice and chill New Years Eve with friends, just the way I like it.

No new year's resolution for me this year. I have big dreams of losing my post-wedding ten (probably more like fifteen) and exercising more but I'm more interested in making better choices instead of unrealistic goals. We are hoping there will be some exercise equipment deals so we can add an elliptical to our home. As usual, we are holding out for the right price.

Anyway, this weekend we were excited to see Elon play basketball at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. The last couple of years the team has played a school in Maryland which is great for us. It's exciting to see alumni come together, even states away, and cheer for the guys. They lost, of course, but we had a good time.

Go Elon!

Tomorrow I leave for two weeks of travel for work. I'll be in Atlanta, San Antonio, and Tucson. I wish I could say I was excited to go, but honestly I can't wait for it to be over. Hopefully there will be time for a little sightseeing amongst all the work. See you when I get back....