Shopping Ban

As I mentioned in this previous post, I have made a pledge to not buy any clothes for a month and a half. In an attempt to limit my frivolous spending to save for more meaningful things (specifically, a big trip in the middle of February), I wanted to ban clothes shopping for the month of January through mid February.

When I realized how many items I love in my closet that I do not wear often or items I forget about due to the plethora of options combined with the astounding amount I spent on clothes every month (thanks Mint.com), I knew it was time for a detox. 

So far so good, I have yet to buy any clothes in 2013! Having this extra little bit of savings is helping me to reach one of my goals... 

I realized the other day, I would rather have a world of experiences than a world of things. Don't get me wrong, I won't stop shopping but in the end its more important for me to build memories rather than hoard items. 

Monday Musings

Hi Friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had some snow here in Virginia this Friday and my plans of a day trip to Williamsburg got postponed due to the cold, snowy weather.

Friday afternoon, during the snow storm! 

Instead, spur of the moment the boy and I decided to head up to Northern Virginia to celebrate friend's birthdays! We surprised the party at Port City Brewery, where we participated in a brewery tour and beer flight tasting. 

Afterwards, we headed to dinner followed by drinks in Arlington to continue the celebration. 

(You know when the boys all get back together, beer towers are in store) 

I was especially excited to be able to meet up with one of my best friends from college, Ashley. 

All in all, it was a great spur of the moment trip! It is always nice to see friends and family and get a change of scenery every now and then! 

P.S. If you are looking for an easy meal on a cold night (especially with a cup of tomato soup), look no further, try a grilled cheese with tomato and avocado, delish! 

Hump Day Inspiration

Sometimes, especially when it's bitter cold like today, it's hard to get motivated to get on your feet. It's so much easier to just snuggle up and watch reality TV. Yesterday, I was feeling sluggish all day during work until I hit the gym and ran a nice 5k. I felt so great afterwards and reminded myself how beneficial exercise (no matter how little) really is. 

 So to brighten up this day and give you a little motivation to go out there and live the impossible, take a few minutes and watch the 2012 Sportskids of the Year. Brothers Connor and Cayden are truly inspiring, and show how love has no bounds. 

Disclaimer: My eyes got very wet, you may want a tissue handy. 

Baked Parmesan Chicken

I love to eat, but sometimes I do not love to cook. I am usually all about the super easy meals with whatever I have left in my fridge. Well, after a long weekend of eating out I wanted to make something healthy but also satisfying for dinner.

I found Baked Parmesan Chicken from The Recipe Critic and knew when I had all the ingredients and the low difficulty, it would be great to whip up for dinner. 

Mine isn't quite as pretty

Ingredients:

Chicken

Light Mayo

Parmesan Cheese 

Salt and Pepper or Lemon Pepper

Lemon Juice

Simply season the chicken with salt/pepper, spread mayo on and sprinkle parmesan cheese and a little lemon juice on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and Enjoy! I paired with cooked spinach and carrots. 

Anytime you bake chicken, mayo is a great addition to help make the chicken stay moist. I also substitute the Parmesan cheese with Bisquick to make "Chicken Tenders" but you can use just about any kind of cheese or bread crumb on top of the mayo to add a little something to a plain chicken breast. 

Also, I have to mention a delicious brunch item that I believe can be replicated pretty easily. The French Toast Monkey Cristo, from my neighborhood bar Three Monkey's, is the perfect mix of sweet and salty for a breakfast treat. It contains proscuitto, turkey, brie cheese, egg battered and grilled, dip in some maple syrup and you are good to go, delicious!  

Friday Five

This week has felt like an eternity. Luckily I have a long weekend coming up and although I have no spectacular plans, its nice to have an extra day out of the office! Here are a few things I am loving recently.

Ravens

My beloved Ravens are in the AFC Champions this weekend. I was fortunate enough to attend the home playoff game in Baltimore but you better believe I will still be cheering on my boys (especially legend, Ray Lewis) from afar.

Calls from home

Sometimes, in the seemingly unlikeliest of times, you really just need to have a heart to heart with your loved ones. I tend to forget family is always there to listen, and Mom's usually have the best advice! 

First Snowfall

Richmond has had a seriously mild winter, I could count the amount of times I truly thought its really cold out.  But snow fell and stuck last night, it was a pretty sight. (Please excuse the poor photo I snapped late last night in my pj's)

Mason Jar Accents 

I am loving my new painted mason jars and hydrangeas combo on my dresser. I needed a little pop of color and I think this worked perfectly. 

New Workout Plan

I am starting to train for a 10k and started a simple beginners training plan, that I am modifying to work with my schedule. I have already ran/walked over 12 miles plus completed two days of cycling for cross training in 11 days, can't wait to continue!

Big Girl Toys

While having a big girl job comes with a big girl paycheck, it also comes with lots and lots of expenses. Yes, I am talking health, car, and renter's insurance, car payments, rent, and all those little purchases required for living on your own (who knew I would have 3 hammers at age 22).

Well, now that I am bit more settled and have all my major "necessities" for living, I am really looking to splurge and buy a big girl toy. To help not burst my bank account, I have told myself I will not buy any clothes for the month of January, and hopefully til mid February  (I have serious sale issues, plus way too many once worn pieces in my closet).

The three things I am most seriously considering are:

Camera

I am camera-less. I have about 5 pictures of me since I have graduated college 6 months ago. While I am not one to pull out a camera at every opportune moment, it would be nice to capture some memories. Plus, I have a BIG trip coming up that this would be great for.

iPhone

My contract is up, but I do NOT want to be grandfathered out of my unlimited data plan. However, my Driod is almost 3 years old and its about time for an upgrade. Right now I don't know if I can justify spending $200 on a new phone when mine works fine for day to day use.

iPad

My laptop from college is dreadful, and while I don't use it much anymore since I sit in my cube staring at computer screen at work all day, it would be nice to play around on something other than my phone.

Please, please any suggestions of what would be a good purchase!

I'm Back

After a whirlwind of the past six months, I decided to get back into the swing of things. I really enjoyed blogging in college as it served as an outlet for me. Once I entered the "Real World" though, I got swept up in all it had to offer (nope, not as scary as I thought) which left little time to blog. However, after keeping up with all the fabulous blogs out there, I am anxious to get started blogging again and can't wait to fill everyone in!

Since I have been gone, I have had some pretty significant life changes. I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Information Technology and was blessed to get a job in my desired field, IT (any other IT bloggers out there?). My job led me to a new city, Richmond, VA and I have loved every minute of living in the Old Dominion.

My apartment, more to come on this soon!