The Little Things:: Like a HUGE dinner!

Happy “Coma day” friends! I hope you didn’t eat so much that you are still feeling it today! I know I kept it in moderation and was so proud of how differently I ate this year compared with Thanksgivings past! Hubs and I had a wonderful day full of little things that made it amazing!

We got up early and got everything ready and a cookin’! This jump of the gun led to us having “dinner” at about 1:30. We liked it better as Thanksgiving lunch (I was aiming for around 3-4, so we weren’t that early) and I think that is what helped our tummies not go to bed so full!

I love the smell of celery cooking! About to add the onion to complete for the stuffing addition!

While I let that sweat it our in the skillet, we were able to sit down and enjoy tradition we started a few years ago: Panera for breakfast! Talk about yummy:

Yummy cranberry walnut bagels with cranberry orange cream cheese

We of coursed watched most of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade… before we realized our turkey was almost done!!

Back in 2009 we bought this roaster when we hosted Thanksgiving in our tiny little apartment and knew a turkey just would not fit in the oven. It produced the best turkey then, and this year was no different! Thank you Rival, for helping make Thanksgiving that much easier!

There of course were Naps::

My boys napping during the parade!

Then it was time to get ready for a delicious feast and celebrate all the things we have to be thankful for:

I knew the counter space in our dining room would eventually come in handy! Also, notice that awkward three dish buffet? Another thing to be incredibly thankful for! All our food stayed nice and warm!

Then the turkeys came out and cooled down! Yes, we went with two tiny turkeys, didn’t even eat one, and have plenty of leftovers! I was not juggling a huge turkey though!

Don't they look pretty on our Turkey Plate?

Of course, I was most thankful that the table was able to be set for two with our Thanksgiving plates that were in storage in VA last year, and our nice glasses! It was so special to share another Thanksgiving with my amazing husband!

This is one of the most beautiful things to be thankful for: Dinner with my husband!

Then of course we have our world class carver::

He is a Pro... for the most part!

The funniest thing to happen all day happened while he was carving away! You can kind of tell the electric carver is plugged in on the wall behind him. All of a sudden it stopped working and Hubs said “That’s awkward!! It must have overheated!” All I could think of is “Well, why don’t you use a regular knife? It’s a five-pound turkey for heaven’s sake!” We bantered back and forth and then at the same time realized and said “Oh, it’s unplugged! Problem fixed!

Of course, no Thanksgiving is complete without dessert! We went the cobbler route::

Deliciousness in a bowl!

I hope you enjoyed your day, friends: wherever you are and whoever you were with! I’m off for breakfast with my love (which will consist of cookies in the kitchen) followed by Pilates and DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS!

Follow me on instagram (TheYoungRetiree) to see it all go down live Have a happy weekend! Don’t forget about 30% off in my shop until 11pm tonight with “BLACKFRI30″ then 25% tomorrow with “THANKS25″!

Thanksgiving 2011 :: So Very Much To Be Thankful For

Most of you will not be reading this on Thanksgiving, as you will be spending time with your loved ones, cooking up a storm, and of course watching those NYC Rockettes on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade! It is so important that we pause and remember all of the things we are thankful for in our lives on this busy day, during this busy season, and of course throughout the entire year. So often we get caught up and we forget what is really important.

The day becomes about baking the right pies and if we’ve having corn or carrots (both of which are high in sugar and should be eaten as a vegetable in moderation!) and if we are stuffing the bird or just baking the dressing separately. We are so caught up in the sales ads in the paper and getting ready to leave the house by 9 to get in line at the doors of our favorite stores.

This year, my heart is so heavy and calling to mind all of those things I have to be thankful for is what gets me through. There are a million reasons to complain::

• deployment looms over our heads and every second can so easily become one second closer to D-Day instead of one more precious second with my Prince Charming.
• We have sparse decorations and I am neither crafty or wealthy enough to decorate the way I want. It is hard to remember we’ve been “together” less than a year, and as Newlyweds nobody has every decoration they ever wanted! As we break our our Christmas Decorations though we will discover we have more than some folks married 15 years have and the spirit will fill our house!
• We are away from family and my heart aches to be with them… they are with me in spirit though, even though we shall sit at a table for two.

There are a million reasons to be thankful::

• Our health! We both have good health and that is certainly not something to take lightly.
• Our Family! It might be just the two of us right now and our three furbabies, but it is our little family and we are always there for each other.
• A roof over our heads: we are blessed with a house big enough for our love!
• Food in our bellies: we will dine this afternoon on quite the feast! (and then again tomorrow… and then again on Saturday!)
• Creativity: I have found such joy working in my shop! The process of coming into my little space and creating something is amazing. I can’t wait to grow my supply inventory and learn some new techniques!
• The love we have for each other! I have an amazing husband who takes me for all the good and all the crazy. Who could ask for anything more?

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! What are you thankful for?

30 Day {Instagram} Photo Challenge :: Day 3, Happiness Is

When I saw the prompt for “Happiness” today, I wondered how I would create a picture exemplifying it. Then it hit me when I was in the kitchen this morning. This is the happiest time of the year! Friends, family, loved ones gathering and sharing in the joys of time together. This Christmas is our first one together as a married couple and that makes it even more special. For me, happiness is::

This means that very soon we will be baking real gingerbread cookies, decorating the house for the holidays, listening to classic Christmas music and enjoying our final days with each other before deployment. We need to make the most of these happy days and when the house smells as amazing as it does now, there’s no way we can’t find happiness!

What is your happiness?

30 Day {Instagram} Photo Challenge :: Day 2, I Can See You Smile

If you are like me, you hate posed smiles. There is something so awkward about the way your eyes crinkle, even if you’re not trying too hard because you are trying. I was none too thrilled that on day two of this challenge I had to face this and get a smile. I thought long and hard about catching a Fiona smile, but she doesn’t like to cooperate when she knows I’m trying for something. Instead, I snapped this on my way to pilates this morning::

I also find it really awkward that Instagram (or is it the iPhone?) flips my pictures! For instance: My house is on my right side and the fence is on my left, which means they should be on the other sides in the picture. Awkward. Maybe there is a way I can fix that.

I hope you all had a reason to smile today, friends! Tomorrow is all about happiness in the challenge!

PS:: Are you on Instagram? Come follow me! I’m TheYoungRetiree!

Pilates Feet :: Case Of The Mondays!

We’ve all heard the famous expression from the film “Office Space”:: “Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays!” We have maybe even used this expression for how we feel after a great weekend, returning to work. I might not be going to work, and I am definitely not headed to Chotchkie’s, but I am dong something on this fine Monday morning to bring myself out of those all too familiar “Mondays”! I am joining Skinnie in celebrating something that is a pick me up!

For me, it will be my very first full length Pilates class! Last Thursday was a mini introduction and let me tell you: it was definitely no joke. Friday morning I was sore all over my body (in that good, stretched out way) and even in places I never knew there were muscles (like my armpits!)! Saturday afternoon it subsided and I was back to feeling pretty good. Yesterday I headed up to get a pedicure since my ToeSox would show of my toes: they had to be pretty! I like to consider it a treat I get for sticking to this new work out regimen!

I am super excited to get into a great routine and how are these socks not an incentive? They were a little awkward on my feet at first, but I wore a pair around the house yesterday to get used to the feel on my feet and in-between my toes. The worst part is my pinkie toes are awkward and stay tucked in the little toe thing. Oh, well. Don’t look at me while I’m working on ma fitness!

Oh, and I love the little place here in town where I get my nails done::

How can I be down in the doldrums when I look down and see sparkly toes looking back up at me? Is that not absolutely fabulous? With one toe in front of the other I will walk through this busy week keeping my head high and will not have a case of the Mondays this week!

What is picking your spirits up on this Monday, of a very busy week? Head on over and share your thoughts!

30 Day {Instagram} Photo Challenge :: Day 1, Favorite Food!

By now everyone has seen “challenges” for this, that, or the other. I have participated in a few and found one tonight while waiting for my dinner to come together that I absolutely adore:: 30 Day Instagram Photo challenge! A quick google search led me to a clear and crisp image of the challenge::

I am excited to participate in this and think it will be another way to call to mind all those little things throughout the week that call for celebration, no matter how small!  You can join in, even if you aren’t Instagram obsessed like me! I’ll try to post every evening but in the very least will post the next morning! Day one, favorite food:: Chicken! I could eat it every day! Tonight, we are having it with a (hopefully) awesome sauce we got while we were visiting Savannah::

Speaking of which, let me get back in the kitchen! It should be marinated enough and ready to go in the oven!

It’s Gonna Be A Party, Y’all… Tomorrow!

That is correct, tomorrow there is going to be a party, but I wanted to get the word out today (for all you weekend bloggers)! The weekend is almost over and we are getting into a really rushed time of year. There are so many things for us to be Grumpkins about. Yes, Grumpkins (this is what Hubs and I call each other when we’re being grumpy)! Fear not though, Skinnie has come up with a perfect opportunity for us to put our Grumpkiness away and start the week with inspiration to have a positive week!

 

Impromptu Date Night | Al Fresco

About a month of so back we discovered a cute little shopping center just down the road in Bonsall. We aren’t even sure if people live in Bonsall since we mostly drive through on our way to Oceanside, but we’re sure people do! We have passed this shopping center on several occasions and it just kind of looked unimpressive. Even after going through it we aren’t entirely sold. There is a pizza place where we get the most delicious pizza in town from and an over-priced Chinese restaurant with awful service. There is a mini movie theater and a Jack in the Box. There’s a tiny little grocery store.

Then there is an amazing little Italian restaurant: Al Fresco! We went a few weeks ago to their Sunday champagne lunch buffet. We figured it was the perfect way to sample their menu, and we fell in love! So last night we had an impromptu date night where we got dressed fancy and we headed out.

I love my husband in his purple shirt!

It was such a nice date night! We were able to sit and enjoy each other talking about our days and just laugh with each other! We needed a good date night like that!

When you first arrive they bring out bread sticks and a saucer with sauce in it. The brought us three bread sticks and Hubs ripped the third one in half, place half on my bread plate and said “Now that’s love!”

And you know what… it is! Sharing food with each other, making sacrifices for each other. Huge ideas in marriage exemplified over something as small as a bread stick. We get it right sometimes! We also got it right with dessert::

The most delicious Canolli I've ever had!

I hope you all are having an amazing Friday and enjoy the weekend. Even if you can’t afford to go on a fancy date night: get dressed up, sit at your coffee table, and share bread sticks! Create memories with your loved ones. Do something a little different from your normal routine! Enjoy the little things!

*I’m linking up with Lindsay! Go to her blog to check out the little things other folks hold near and dear!

Fit and Flab-u-lous Through Pilates!

Happy {almost Friday!} Thursday friends! Let me tell you what: I have been slacking on my fitness and am happy to report I am getting down to business and using deployment as the perfect time to submerse myself into Pilates! (Deployment goal #2!)

This morning I headed up into Temecula to an amazing in-home pilates studio and was completely won over my brand new Yoda! Sandee does personal training in pilates, spin and barre, but she also does small groups (maxing out at 5 clients) throughout the week. I am signed up for three more sessions for the rest of the month and then will be going to three times a week in December! Come deployment I fully intend on heading in Monday through Friday to get myself off the couch and out of the house! Maybe even going in the morning and sometimes back in the afternoon if she succeeds and gets me into the Spin craze! 

I was amazed at the muscles I felt working during our mini-introduction session this morning. She was so informative, letting me know why we were doing each move, what the benefits of them were, which regions I should be feeling it in and where I should not be feeling it! She gives such attention that I think it will be a blessing having her in my life.

My goal: to need a smaller wedding ring by the time deployment is over! My engagement ring might be able to be resized… but our wedding rings are stainless steel and can’t be. Yay for new ones!

OH, plus I get to wear these super awesome pilates socks::

 

And yes: I am still all about the instagram and you all will be sick of it before I am!

On a much less healthy note I am having a new chicken recipe tonight for dinner. Sandee gave me a diet plan and I am not quite sold on the extreme change from where I am right now. Our dinners usually consist of a meat, rice and a veg. Her meal plan has just protein and veg for dinner. This is the first change I am going to attempt. Oh, and pre-bed protein shakes instead of pretzels and juice. So, stopping at GNC today on our way home. In the meantime, a post-pilates nap is in order!

I am really excited about these new changes and accountability Sandee provides me with. When you’re paying as much as I am for it, you don’t not go! I’ll be sure to share the journey with you all!

(oh, and I will share how my fatty garlic chicken recipe goes too!)

Gifts From Canada :: Package Pals!

Package pals? What?

A month or so ago I signed up on a pretty awesome little blog to be a part of a gift exchange called “Package Pals”. I was paired up with Shutterbug in Canada and sadly, as of yet, she has not gotten her package Who knew sending something to our northern neighbor could take so long!

I’ll share more on my package at the end, but for now, this is the sweet package I got in!

I thought their mail labels were pretty awesome!

Oh, I guess you want to take a peak at the awesome-ness that was on the inside though, huh? Ok, here we go:

BEAUTIFULLY packaged gifts!

Oh, But you want to really see what was underneath the pretty ribbon and paper? Me too! I ripped into the packages and was in for quite the treat from my package pal! Check out these cute things:

awesome stamping markers!

 

An awesome little Canadian mini t-shirt, cookie cutter of the Maple Leaf, and some Canadian coins! I was so excited at how shiny they were that I did not get a picture of just them... perhaps I'll instagram it later!

There was one more little goodie in my package::

Shutterbug's favorite candies... and the hunt begins to get some more

 I had such a fun experience with this swap and it brought me some great joy during a very frustrating time in our lives. I had so much fun shopping for Shutterbug while we were on vacation back home in Virginia… and then couldn’t use what I had bought! She hasn’t gotten her package yet… but I’ll tell you about it down below!

———————

Growing up in Virginia I thought it would be really cool to send her some peanuts. I planned the whole package out and our shopping while we were back home, then recalled she let me know she was allergic to peanuts! Strike one.

I then thought it would be really cool to get her some Salt Water Taffy, which I happen to really, really enjoy. I could almost go as far as to say it’s my favorite candy! If you look on any box of Salt Water Taffy (even the stuff they sell out here in California) it will tell you (most likely, I’m sure there are exceptions) that it was made by the Forbes Candy Company in Virginia Beach, VA! I wrote a note about how it just reminded me of going to the beach as a kid, even when we went up to the Jersey Shore (and not the MTv one) we could get Salt Water Taffy from good ol’ Va Beach!

Wouldn’t you know like the second or third ingredient is PEANUT BUTTER???? Thank heavens I thought to check, right before I packaged the treats!

So instead, I sent off this:

Sand Dollar shaped soap, a sand dollar we found out here on the beach down in Coronado, a beachy candle, and a star fish soap dish/ring plate.

 I hope she loves it when she gets it… even though I couldn’t include my favorite treat!