A bed in a box?

We needed a new bed for our brand new guest room.  We looked a couple of places, but one of our biggest problems is we don't have a vehicle to move things in.  I can only get so much in the convertible with the top down -- and I don't think a bed would fit.

So our next option was to start looking at what could be shipped to us and we found a "bed in a box" at Sam's Club.  All the reviewer's were raving at what a great bed it was and how comfortable it was and yada...yada.....yada.  So what the heck.....we ordered it.

It came in two boxes.  One for the frame and one for the mattress.  Believe it or not....here's the mattress in the box.

So we carried it upstairs and began working on it.  It literally took less than 15 minutes to get it all set up.  The frame was like two cot frames that we just unfolded and hooked together.

We then took the mattress out of it's box.

Laid it on the frames -- it was only about 2 inches think.  We cut the plastic wrapper off of it and it started to expand. 

And voila`.......we magically had a brand new double bed.

We have to be totally honest......it was fast, it was easy, it was very reasonably priced, and it's COMFORTABLE!

Setting goals

I've been very jealous for the last couple of months watching my husband get up every single morning (except for maybe 2 of them) and going out walking the neighborhood for an hour.  Well.....I'm not jealous actually -- I am very proud of him for making the decision and sticking to it and he's really starting to drop some extra weight and looking good (you've always looked good to me honey).

So for the past 4 days, I've religiously gotten up and started my morning workouts.  I am finally determined to get rid of all this fat I have (and been embarrassed about) and I'm setting my goals.  I've been on the treadmill 3 mornings and went out walking with Paul this morning.

Remember that blog post awhile back about the exercise room?  Well the room got all trashed again, but we do have a treadmill in there.  I seriously am going to go out and get a bike for that room sometime this next week.  We need to get our excercise room finished and decorated just like we envisioned.  It's nice to have the equipment in there to use -- especially since the mornings are getting a little nippy.

So I figured I would publish my goals here for all the world to see....and to also hold myself accountable IN WRITING.

Goal:  By December 24th:  130 lbs. -- size 10 clothes
(I'm not going to say how many pounds that is to lose because I don't want to embarrass myself any further).

To achieve this goal:

1. I will be exercising every day for at least 1 hour. 
2. I will not drink alcoholic beverages until my birthday (I might actually give myself 2 free days in here -- just to be able to reward myself on this long and difficult journey).
3. I will be a better eater (not doing too bad here already.  Just need a minor tweak or two)

I can't wait to see what I'm going to look like all skinny in all those new clothes I get to buy!

Yay....a reason to get excited!

A vacation is coming!

Well......it's not really a vacation.  It's just kinda like a night off.

But we are getting away for a teeny tiny little bit (that's if all the stars in the universe all form a conga line and sparkle in red, white, and blue!).

The plan:  Austin, Saturday, November 3 through Sunday, November 4th

Well actually, it will probably be very dark when we get to Austin on the 3rd......but that is the day we are arriving.

We'll be driving up after Paul gets off work and heading to Austin....Woo Hoo!  Love going to Austin.  We have a room reserved at the Omni and most of our plans are for Sunday.

Sunday 9am: Staci's Edge is performing at the Susan G. Komen Run for the Cure race in Austin.  We've been listening to her for about a year now in other bands and this will be the first time we see her band peform. 

Of course, ya'll remember Paul's favorite picture from when she autographed her CD for him!

After the concert, we have plans to meet up with one of our favorite ex PZ managers for lunch.  He's been in Austin for about 4 years now and we've tried on several occasions to meet up.....and it never seems to work out.  So, we'll try again.

After lunch, we plan on spending time at a restaurant equipment store (of course), but I am also making plans to visit the Austin Antique Mall.  We went there once a couple of years ago and it is a gigantic warehouse FILLED with tons of old stuff.  After striking out in Brenham on that mission, I'm hoping to make some purchases for home decor items.

After that fun filled short weekend.....it will probably be time to head on back home.  Can't leave the natives running the village for very long or we might have problems.

Looking forward to our mini-vacation and some fun time with the husband!

Taking a day off

We were able to take a day off this week.  So the plan was to get out of town.  The safest distance we felt we could go and still be able to keep a check on things was to drive about an hour out of town.

Our destination:  Brenham, Texas

Our plan was to find items to decorate our new guest room with.  We also have a few empty walls here and there that need stuff.  Brenham is known for it's historic downtown and great antique shops. 

I love antique shops!  Not the kind filled with stuffy furniture.  The yard sale kind that's filled with 100's of treasures.  No two stores are alike and you never know what you'll find.

So first stop was a yummy lunch at a little eclectic cafe in downtown Brenham, the Funky Art Cafe.  Paul had a Pumpkin Burger.  It was a veggie burger made out of Pumpkin, Cilantro, Wild Rice, Jalapenos, and Corn.  It was quite delicious.

My choice:  Chicken and Spinach Enchilada Pie.  It was a little casserole with Tortilla Chips, Chicken, Spinach, Sour Cream Sauce, and Monterrey Jack cheese.  My oh my......that was some yummy stuff! 

We both walked out of there full and eager to begin our shopping adventure!

We spent a couple of hours hunting through old books, old dishes, old furniture, and seeing "old" things that sparked memories of childhood.  We didn't really end up with what we originally came for......but we did come with a couple of other unique items.

Paul wanted this stack of old Reader's Digest from the 70's.

He found some really hot and spicy salsa.

And of course, no trip anywhere in the world is ever complete without stopping in a bookstore and picking out a few books (why do we keep buying books??????).

Some of the best paintings are not found on canvas......but on the side of a building.

We met up with our friend who owns the Domino's in Brenham and a quick stop to our most favorite dollar store in the world (that just happens to be in Brenham) and we were ready to head back home. 

The evening was spent with a steak dinner and a movie.  The movie location changed from going to the theater to stopping at Blockbuster and laying in bed watching (much better idea).

Oh how great it was to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of our life.  We had a great day and look so forward to the next!

The big 55

Okay, if I've done my math correctly.....this is going to be my 55th birthday.

Wow.....that sounds so old.

I really don't feel that old......some days.

Well anyways, since there isn't much family here and we probably won't be able to go anywhere's far away because of the business, and because we are closed for 2 WHOLE DAYS......I'm thinking that another Birthday/Christmas trip to the casino is in store.  We had so much fun the last time we did it.

So, attention to my family who may or may not read this blog.  I am giving myself a birthday party.  I have already told Cris and Aaron to take the time off work and I was going to talk to the neighbors across the street and see if they wanted to go too. 

I threw such a great 50th birthday party for Paul......now I want to throw a great party for myself!

Planning for Christmas at the Casino 2012 is officially underway!

A half day does not equal 3 hours

Okay here's the update on yesterday's HALF day off. 

It actually turned out to be 3 hours.

We had a nice lunch, exchanged some stuff at Walmart, and went to Trader Joe's.

The end....that was it.

It was raining.  Pizza Zone was not handling the business the way they should be.  Husband ended up going into work to fix their problems.  So the half day off was officially over.  We had a grand total of 3 hours off.

Well, we'll try again next week.

Is a half just as good as a whole?

We can't quite take a whole day off today......but we're getting a half!  At this point in time, we'll take what we can get and enjoy every minute of it.

What's on the agenda?  Why all the errands that we don't get a chance to do because we are WORKING ALL THE TIME!

Today's list:  Walmart, Trader Joes, a bed store, Grant Rd. store, and whatever else we have to do today.  Maybe we can sneak in a movie today.

On a side note: I actually got to make a real dinner last night. Here's the results......oh so very yummy!

 BEFORE:  pork loin roast with cloves of garlic stuck in it and topped with Onion Powder, fresh Rosemary, salt and pepper.  Surrounded by vegetables.

Made a quick gravy with the drippings and we had an incredibly delicious meal!

I seriously love food!