Hello Friends & a happy Monday to you all!

I must say, my Monday (which started off not so great -- thanks crappy work day) was made so much better when I came home to find an exciting package waiting for me!

Earlier this month I won a twitter/FaceBook contest from Sarah @ Real Life Runway and The Body Shop, and I've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of my prize. And today it finally came! So exciting!

Here's a look at the loot:

And a closer look at the contents:

Amazing! I couldn't believe how much was in there! Big thanks to Sarah & The Body Shop for such an amazing prize package!

What's the most exciting thing you've received in the mail lately?


Have a great night!

Hi Friends!

I hope your weekend is treating you well so far!
We are having a great time enjoying the beautiful weather, but I thought I'd pop in quickly to share this week's edition of A Little Sunday Baking with you!

Tomorrow is the Mr's birthday, so this weekend I decided to bake him a cake! Groundbreaking, I know ;)

I decided to make a basic Yellow Cake using a recipe in the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, mostly because it was the first recipe I found that I had all of the ingredients for already - score one for not having to go to the grocery store amidst the weekend crowds!

So I got myself set up, and started baking!

I must say, this recipe was so simple -- all common ingredients, no weird steps, too easy! Combine that with my precious KitchenAid mixer and this cake practically made itself!  :)

The finished product:

Haphazardly frosted, because who wants to wait any longer to eat it?? Not this girl :)

Delicious! Hopefully the Mr will enjoy it!

That's it from me!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Did you do any Sunday Baking?
What did you make?

Cheers!

Hello Friends!

Friday is upon us once again! Who's ready for the weekend? 
I know I am!

Once again, I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth to celebrate the weekend with High Five for Friday!

Here we go!

1) Doing lots of baking on the weekend means we have lots of treats to enjoy throughout the week! Nothing better than having homemade goodies to dunk in your afternoon coffee -- yum! And these scones I made last week are a great choice because they freeze really well -- I take some out of the freezer in the morning before work so that we can enjoy them later that day!

2) This delicious smelling hand cream! It is "be Delectable" Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream in the "Vanilla & Cream" scent. I received this in a beauty sample box last month (it's a full size, not a sample size), and I'm loving it for the spring -- it's not a thick cream like I need in the winter, but it's not greasy like some thinner lotions are. Plus it smells like baked goods, and we all know how much I love to bake. . .  :)

3) The return of salads in my life! I definitely tend to stick with soups & warmer foods in the winter, so I'm really enjoying the return of veggies this spring! Plus, salads look much prettier than most pureed soups  :)

4) Gorgeous spring weather! This photo is from a run I went on earlier this week -- that blue sky! So beautiful!

5) My running buddy :)
It should be clarified that I ran 4+ km without her, and then stopped home to get her for the last km -- she definitely is not a distance runner!



And there you have it!

Monday is the Mr's birthday, so we're planning to celebrate this weekend -- nothing too fancy, but fun all the same!

Do you have big plans for the weekend?

Hope it's a great one! Cheers!

Hi Friends!

Hope you're having a great week so far!

Now that Spring is here and Winter seems finally be gone for the year (fingers crossed anyway!), it seems like it's time to jump on the Spring Cleaning bandwagon.

I usually feel excited about the idea of Spring Cleaning, but as soon as I try to motivate myself to actually start cleaning, it's another story. Anyone else have this problem with follow through?

In an effort to hold myself accountable with my Spring Cleaning, I thought I'd make & share a list of the things I want to accomplish in regards to cleaning/organizing:

• Go through my closet and 1) swap out summer items currently in storage with winter items, and 2) in the process, weed out any items I don't wear to donate or toss.
• Get rid of old magazines I've accumulated over the past few months -- for some reason I never get rid of them right after I read them, and end up with piles of old mags all around the house. I can't be the only one who does this, right?
• Reorganize our kitchen shelves & cupboards and get rid of things we don't use
• Go through storage boxes & bins that are in the basement -- some have been sitting untouched since we moved into this house 2 years ago, so I probably will be throwing  out most of the contents ( if I can let go of whatever is in them. . .)

Plus, of course, doing a really good clean of the house in general.


Do you love or loathe Spring Cleaning?
What's at the top of your organizational list this Spring?
What are your best tips & tricks for cleaning & organizing?




If you're looking for some tips & products to help with your spring cleaning, check out these ideas from InStyle Magazine:

That's it for today! Have a good one!

Hi Friends!

Just popping in to say a quick hello! I hope you're all having a wonderful day so far!

I just came back from a run outside -- it is FINALLY nice outdoor running weather! Check it out :

Look at that blue sky! Isn't it gorgeous?

And there's still a lovely cool breeze, so you don't even get sweaty & overheated -- absolutely perfect! 

I want to try to get outside and run as much as possible before the summer humidity kicks in and it's too hot to even walk to the mailbox, let alone run any distance.  And sadly, it will get there sooner than I'd like -- so I have to enjoy it while I can!

I did 2.5 loops of my favorite path by myself, and then stopped at home to get this sweet face to do one more loop with me  :)

Hali isn't the best running partner, because she may decide at any point that she's had enough -- she'll just sit down and refuse to move, hence the above picture.

Luckily I was able to convince her to finish out the run -- whew!  :)

Anyone else have a dog that refuses to walk/run?



That's all for now!
Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!
Have a great day!

Hi Friends! Happy Monday!  <-- If I pretend to like Monday's it makes them better, right?  :)

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Here's our Weekend Update!

Friday night we stayed in and rented "Life of Pi".

I really loved the book, and thought the movie was just ok. Beautifully made, but for some reason it just didn't resonate with me the same way the book did. Isn't that always the way?

Still, it was an evening well spent!

Hali thought so too:

Does anyone else have a dog that loves to mash their face into yours? Hali is such a nuzzler! Not that I'm complaining :)

And speaking of dachshunds, Saturday we went to a dachshund adoption event here in town -- we're thinking of adding another one to our little family. We'll see what happens!


Saturday's dinner included this beauty:

Now that the weather is warming up, we've been swapping out our winter soups for springtime salads -- so good! It's amazing how much the weather can change our perception of what taste's good! Yum!


I spent Sunday doing a Little Sunday Baking and made these beauties:

Aren't they lovely? And they taste pretty good too :)


Weekend Workouts:

• Saturday -- 5km run
• Sunday -- rest day

And last but not least, the winner of the Goodie Box Giveaway is:
 
Comment #5 : Elise, who said her favorite Springtime activity is "enjoying a yummy coffee out on the patio of a local coffee shop! mmm, so good!"

Congratulations Elise! I will send you an email today so I can get your prize mailed to you ASAP! 



And thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway -- let's do it again soon, ok?  :)



That's it from me! Have a great day!

Hi Friends! I hope you're all having a great weekend so far!


For this week's edition of A Little Sunday Baking, I thought I'd stick with the scone theme that I seem to be fixated on, but step away from the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones -- although it was tough, because they are SO darn good!


But don't worry, these are too!

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones (recipe from the Pioneer Woman found here)

These are truly one of the most delicious baked goods I've ever eaten. I've made them more than a few times, and they are always a HUGE hit. I've even given them as gifts to friends I know who particularly enjoy them -- they've even caused a few fights over who gets to eat the last one!

The key to making these seem really gourmet and not store bought is using good vanilla bean & real vanilla extract -- no artificial flavor please! It really does make a difference, so spend a few dollars to buy the real deal. You won't regret it!

That's it from me for today! I'm off to enjoy the beautiful sunshine -- hope you are too!

See you back here tomorrow with this week's Weekend Update post, where I'll name the winner of last week's Giveaway!

Have a great Sunday!

Good morning Friends!

Friday is here again! Hope you have some great things lined up for this weekend!
Once again, I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth to celebrate the weekend with High Five for Friday!

Here we go!

1) New workout gear! Nothing motivates me to workout more than having cute new duds to sweat in! Using a gift card to buy them makes the deal that much sweeter!

2) Catching up on some of my favorite magazines -- I have this problem where I can't walk by a magazine rack without buying one, but then I let them pile up at home because I don't have time to read them. I did some major catching up this week!

3) Linking up & following some of my favorite blogs with bloglovin'. So much easier than trying to remember them all! Check out my bloglovin' page!

4) Afternoon snuggles with this sweet girl. Need I say more? :)

5) Hosting my first Giveaway on the blog! There's still time to enter! Head over to this post and answer the question by commenting for your chance to win the Goodie Box! Contest closes at 5:00 today!



That's a wrap for today! Have a great day & a wonderful weekend!
I'll see you back here with this week's Weekend Update post, where I'll announce the winner of the Giveaway!

Cheers!

Are you a bloglovin' user?

I'm pretty new to it, but after realizing how much easier it is to use for keeping track of all the blogs I like to read, I was sold!
I used to just cycle through them in my head, trying to keep track of them all -- but I must say, following them through bloglovin' is much simpler! 

If you'd like to follow me through bloglovin, you can find me here!



It's pretty dreary weather here today, and it's a rest day for me fitness-wise, so I think this afternoon I'll cuddle up with this sweet girl and do some reading!

What book is currently on your nightstand?

That's it for now! Hope you're having a great day so far!


P.S. There's still time to enter this week's Giveaway -- make sure you check it out & get your name in the draw for this Goodie Box!

Hi Friends! Hope you're having a great Wednesday! Only 2 more days til the weekend :)

This week I found a Running Room Gift Card from Christmas that I had completely forgotten about -- woohoo! Free stuff!  :)

So I headed there on Monday night to purchase some new duds to motivate me for this new season. Am I the only one who finds having cute new workout clothes a motivator? Because I totally do.

I was able to find 2 pairs of capris and picked up 2 more of my favorite sports bra (I really like the Juno model from Moving Comfort -- it's the only bra I've found that makes me feel totally secure, if you know what I mean. . .) 

Here's a not so stellar picture of the loot:

Sometimes I'm really bad at replacing workout gear -- when I put on my new bra to run today, in the exact model & size of my old ones, it felt like a completely different bra. I guess my old ones were past their useful expiry date -- whoops! Oh well, I've got two new ones now to throw into the mix!  :)


That's all for today! 
Don't forget to enter this week's Giveaway, where you could win the goodie box shown here:

I'm really loving reading your responses to the entry question (What is your favorite Springtime activity?) so don't be shy! Comment on the post here for your chance to win! This includes all of you lurking readers. . .   :)

Have a great day!