big reveal!

today is the big reveal of our four winners homes. our designers just got back to the hotel from a full night of design work. yes, it is 7:45 am.

this has been the craziest week i can remember. possibly more crazy than my wedding. it was only me getting married, and i know me.

this is 4 women we just met. 4 rooms. 3 different towns.

we've taken double digits worth of u-turns. probably about 40.

we've seen more cows than i can count.

but this is about to be fun. we'll see the women's faces when they seen their new room makeover and they are going to just squeal with happiness. :)

i'll let you know how it goes. i'm off to about 20 minutes of yoga - my first exercise of the week - so my body doesn't revolt against me.

bulk superstores: friend or foe?

i don't know about you people, but we don't have a membership to sam's or costco.

my parents have had sam's cards for as long as i remember, so i know the joy of samples on a saturday bulk purchase savings.

miles and miles of oversized purchasing goodness.
source.

i've heard rumors of gift cards for memberships to these places? tell me, is that lame that i kind of want one? or is it a good investment?

we cook alot and don't eat tons of frozen or processed foods, so i guess i do wonder how it would be helpful to us.

do you have any thoughts on the matter?

even whitney port loves the samples.

source.

yoga attempt.

while i'm away, i'm not sure what kind of access i'm going to have to the hotel gym for running. so between thinking about that dilemma in addition to wanting a little something different to do in my off days from running, i attempted a yoga podcast.

i've never been flexible. nor have i ever had good balance. i did expect to have some trouble. i did not expect to fall no less than 10 times in the 20 minute timeframe.

but despite my obvious shortcomings, i enjoyed it. and i think i'll keep trying at it till i either a) get better - enough to not embarass myself even though no one is looking, or b) decide it's not for me.

so if you're looking for a quick and somewhat moderate workout, check this out. i'm going to keep trying from my hotel room. {don't worry, fellow germaphobes... i'll put a towel down on the dirty floor since i won't be packing a yoga mat in my suitcase.}




source.

oopsy daisy.

i must share with you why i was late for my flight this morning.

i got up early so i could spend extra time with mr. smith and the smith furbabies before leaving. i rushed around finishing my packing, played with puppies, had breakfast with the husband. i even made pumpkin bread for my fellow travelers.

she's got it together, right?

we load up the car at the perfect time. we would be exactly 1h10m early for the flight.

we get about 1/2way to the airport when i look down at my feet.

and realize i never changed shoes. i'm wearing slippers. to the airport. for a work trip.

oh - my luck. at least i only live 10 minutes away.

so i was late, i arrived at the gate when boarding was well underway.

oopsy!

tyler, texas.

as you read this, i'm headed to tyler, texas for work - or i'm already there. we're doing a big room makeover for 4 winners of a contest in that area. the winner + 3 of her friends are getting one room each of their home made-over by 2 interior designers and a team of me, a couple co-workers, and our ad agency. kind of cool.

fun fact: tyler is in smith county texas. i'm gonna own that town. :)

here are some pics of tyler tx to get myself excited.

town history.

downtown at night.

a theater in tyler.

a home on the tyler azalea trail.

and in case you're wondering, i'm going to miss mr. smith and the furbabies like crazy. it will be an interesting experience, but i am already looking forward to friday when my flight lands.

menu SUNDAY.

this menu SUNDAY will be far from exciting. i leave tomorrow for tyler, tx for work. mr. smith will be on his own for most of the week. i get back friday, but then we leave for lexington for a UK game... C-A-T-S! CATS! CATS! CATS!

here's the plan though.

sunday: leftovers or we might go out. not sure yet!

monday: mr. smith makes chili or something that will last him a few days.

tuesday - thursday: fend for ourselves.

friday: dinner in lexington before a fun basketball game at rupp arena!!

saturday: baked pasta with butternut squash and ricotta (a WW recipe)


one sad, lonely little recipe below! enjoy your week!
_____________________

Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta

POINTS® Value: 5 Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 25 min Cooking Time: 60 min Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	20 oz butternut squash, fresh, peeled and cubed*
	1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
	12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, penne
	1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
	2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
	2 tsp minced garlic
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
	1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped, divided
	1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
	1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended
	1/4 cup(s) chopped walnuts, toasted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  
  
• Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.
  
  
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.
  
  
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 teaspoons of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.
  
  
• Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
  
  
• Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

Notes

• *Look for a 20 ounce bag of fresh, already peeled and cubed squash from your supermarket. If you can't find any, cut a medium squash in half lengthwise and place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Scoop squash out of skin into a large bowl, mash with a spoon and proceed as above.
  
  Alternatively, you can microwave cubed squash, covered, in a shallow microwave-safe baking dish or container with 1/4 cup of water, until cooked through; mash squash in a bowl.

fall leaves and accomplishments.

source.

i love days that look just like this. it just so happens, that's pretty much what's going on today. except it's sunny too. and 70 stinkin' degrees. heaven, i tell you. heaven.

and - today i attempted the 20 minute run. did it go well? yes. did it meet my wildest dreams? no, not wildest. did i do as well as i realistically thought i would? better.

here's how it went.
-5min walking warmup.
-ran 13ish min.
-felt my calves tightening, stopped to stretch for <1 minute at the 1.7 mile mark.
-ran another 5ish minutes, app. 1/2 mi.
-decided either my lungs or last night's dinner was about to come up.
-walked 1min.
-finished it out with another 1min running.
-walked the rest of the way home. no clue how long this was.

all in all, it was 2.6 miles. {i know this because i drove it this afternoon just to see.}

i'm proud.
i made it.
and i think i'll just move on to week 6.

fabulous friday: a christmas carol.

are you jealous that i already get to post about this? haha - it comes out today but i saw it on monday. in all its 3d glory. for free!

you remember i won free tickets here for being a crazy...

so mr. smith and i scarfed down our brie, turkey, and apple grilled cheeses with tomato soup as soon as i got home from work, then we headed to our local opry mills theater for some christmas fabulosity.

and for those of you planning to go see it this weekend, you will love it. the 3d is amazing! i've never seen an entire movie in 3d, and i was kind of nervous it would make me sick at my stomach. cue the "she's such a weirdo" comments now.

first of all, when we walked into the already-packed theater, there was a band of cute little ladies singing christmas carols in their crazy christmas sweaters at the front. i was instantly smiling.

jim carrey was spectacular. there was not a hint of the overused ace ventura voice.

and in the 3d effects, the snow fall looked real. like you could reach out and touch it. which was super fun for me and all the other 5-year-olds in the theater, having not seen good snow in some time.

i totally didn't expect this to be funny. but of course, what jim carrey movie is not funny? when you see it, this scene in particular, had me laughing out loud.


so, friends, make your friday fabulous and go see a christmas carol! and maybe pick up a gingerbread latte on your way. :)

christmas list.

i don't really have a list this year. we just got so many amazing and over-the-top wedding gifts, there is really nothing that we need. well, i shouldn't speak for mr. smith. there's nothing i need.

but want - there may be a few. aside from this shameless plug little hint, i really haven't told mr. smith or anyone my christmas wishes. so via this blog, i might give ideas to friends, family, mr. smith, you for things that would make my warm christmas heart smile.

today's item of choice: an oversized black blingy watch. like these.

Fossil Analog Black Dial - $85

Juicy Couture Lively Watch, Black - $250

Guess Black Ion Plated Watch - $135

luckily for mr. smith or whomever, i happen to love the cheapy one the best. that's a first.

evviva il vino!

do you ever have one of those days when you think this and only this will get you through?

source.

i had that day today. and yesterday. and the tuesday through friday before that.

i need something similar to a life overhaul.

{except for my husband. he's more than a little awesome-in-every-way.}

evviva il vino!

an actual running update.

treadmill adventure aside, i'm absolutely adoring running.

i never in a million years thought i would say such a thing. if you'd told me i'd say that a year ago, i'd laugh in your face and call it rubbish. but it's true.

today i started week 5 in the couch to 5k plan. this week is actually pretty tough.

day 1: 5min run, 3min walk, 5min run, 3min walk, 5 min run.
day 2: 8min run, 5min walk, 8min run
day 3: 20 min run, no walking

i'm just not capable. i know it. i would die. so instead of giving up, i'm extending this and altering it. this "week" (or however many days it takes) is going to look a little more like this for me.

day 1: 5min run, 3min walk, 5min run, 3min walk, 5 min run (did that yesterday... not too bad)
day 2: 7min run, 4min walk, 6min run, 3min walk, 5min run
day 3: hopefully i'll do the 8min, 5min, 8min. but if i'm dying, i'll do the best i can, then repeat till i get it right.
day 4: 8min run, 5min walk, 8min run
day 5: 20 min run. i'm going to do everything i can. but if i stop at 10 and walk for 2min, i refuse to feel defeated. i'll just keep repeating till i can do it.

honestly, i don't know how long the 3 workouts of week 5 will take me - hopefully not a full 2 weeks but if that's what it takes, that's just going to have to do. i'm determined to follow through, i'm just not sure this little body can do exactly as they say in the time recommended.

so... good news is that i'm still in the running game. bad news, i haven't been in the fitness game, um, ever, so this won't be easy for me.

i'll keep you posted on my progress. and ps - your comments and encouragement TOTALLY make a different.

oh and another ps... this whole dark at 5:15pm thing is going to be troublesome for me. i don't know that a 5:45am alarm is going to work out so i can run in daylight. we shall see...