Birthday And Thanksgiving in one!

So yesterday was my birthday!! It was also Thanksgiving. Since we don’t live near family and it is just the two  of us right now, our Thanksgiving is a lot different than most peoples. We started off our morning by participating in the Turkey Trot

The news said it was the coldest Thanksgiving in 20 years! With that being said, it was my first 5k. I am working on getting into shape and have been going to the gym on a regular basis. My goal for the run was to finish in 40 minutes. According to my Polar FT4, it took 41 minutes to finish the race. This included how long it took me to even pass the starting line, along with a bathroom break for my husband and a quick stop for water. I am guessing that my actual time was closer to 35 minutes. This was a HUGE accomplishment for me!!! So obviously, I needed to reward myself with a Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks 🙂

And on to presents! My best friend did something different this year for my birthday. She sent me a box and had one present for each day of the week leading up to my birthday.

It was killer to wait  the whole week! I mean I can wait for Christmas and stuff, but it was the biggest tease ever to have these sitting on my kitchen table and only being able to open one at a time!! Before I show y’all what each gift was, I feel like I need to share the face that she bought me a charm bracelet about a year ago. And here goes…

So my charm bracelet is now full 🙂 I also love frogs and wine! My best friend knows me too well! My husband bought me a jacket. And I used the money from relatives to purchase a new flat iron.

We did go out to eat for Thanksgiving since we had agreed not to cook this year. It was the first time either of us hadn’t had a home cooked meal for the holiday, but both agreed it was too much work and too much went to waste with it only being the two of us. Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!! Have you ever participated in a Turkey Trot? Have you ever sent (or received) gifts where you could only open one at a time? If so, did you enjoy it?

XO

Hollie

 

“Hands Down” gift

 

Twas the week of Thanksgiving and all through the land, each person works hard to held a helping hand!

Everyone deserves  an appreciation gift now and again. I try to give my “staff” appreciation gifts for each holiday. For Thanksgiving, I bought each member of my room Christmas hand soap (that way they will be ready for the next holiday). Luckily for me, I only have 5 staff to provide for.

I traced my hand and typed out signs that say “Hands Down you’re the best therapist around!”.

Punch holes in each piece of paper and feed ribbon through. Tie around the top of the soap.

And then enjoy!

Such a cute little pun on washing your hands. And everyone loves some Bath & Body works hand soap. It is the only soap I use in my household. A simple gift that is fairly cheap (on sale 7 for $20). Each person seemed to love it! Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!!

XO

Hollie

Enchiladas

This is a meal that I often make on weekends. It’s not a hard to make by any means, but it is a little time consuming. When I get home from work and the gym each evening, I want a dinner to be ready within about 30 minutes. With that being said, this meal consists of 12 enchiladas which is two meals for me. I put half of the meal in the freezer and save it for a different night.

Ingredients :

12 soft taco shells

1 lb ground beef (which I always substitute for ground turkey)

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

cheese

Sauce:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

salsa

1 1/2 cans of milk

First, brown the meat and follow the instructions of the taco seasoning. While this is preparing, start making the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a pot and cook on medium until warm.

Add refried beans to the meat and cook until mixed in.

Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Begin filling your shells with meat and rolling them up. Place in the pan.

Add cheese on top. Use as much as you like. I feel I used too much in this batch, but some people like a lot of cheese.

Pour the remaining sauce on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. And enjoy 🙂 These are in no way authentic Mexican enchiladas, but they are still yummy and simple.

XO,

Hollie

Pepperoni Rolls

Sometimes, us wives need a quick dinner during the week that everyone will love, including the kids. Pizza gets old after a while. This is a simple meal that adds a little bit of a twist on pizza nights!

The ingredients are simple!

2 packages of frozen dough (found near the frozen pastas and Texas Toast)

1 package of Mozzarella cheese (or more depending on your taste)

1 package of Pepperoni

and optional pizza sauce

The frozen dough that I use says to place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use and let sit at room temperature for an hour before rolling. Your directions may be different based on your dough, but follow those first. I divided each package in half. This makes for one big pepperoni roll which you can cut at the end.

Roll dough out in a rectangle like shape.

If you want pizza sauce, add it now! My husband loves the sauce but I do mine plain!

 

Add pepperoni

 

 

and cheese! If you would like to add some Italian seasoning, you can do it now or at the end. I chose to add mine on top near the end of baking.

Roll the dough long ways

and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. I like to turn mine over for the last couple minutes to get the crispness on the top as well.

And there you have it! One of these is plenty for me! My husband can eat about 1.5. For kids, I would guess that about half a roll will be plenty. It’s quick and simple. Not so healthy, but hey! Sometimes those make the best meals. I hope you enjoy 🙂

XO,

Hollie

TGIF

So this has been a rough month at work. We have lost some staff and I am becoming overwhelmed!! Ahh! I can’t wait until Thanksgiving break. But at least today is Friday! This is the day I am able to put a little bit of personality into my work clothes. As a girl who wears scrubs most days, it is much needed!!

(Please disregard how huge my thighs look in this picture) So today I was able to wear jeans and Sperrys. This is one of the most comfortable outfits I own!

In addition to the usual routine of Friday, my site manager also bought everyone Sonic happy hour drinks 🙂 who doesn’t love sonic drinks?! I also came home to a package from my daddy 🙂

Anyone who knows me knows that I love hearts! However, the nut bowls must be a new product. How adorable are they?! The snowman was specially made for me. The cowboy hat was added to be a touch of Texas. Check out http://www.simonpearce.com for more products. (Yes, I had to do a shout out!).
For having such a rough month so far, today ended well for me. Hope your week went well!!

XO

Hollie

Recycling

I love to recycle!! I started about 2 years ago and will never look back! About this time, I was concerned with how many bags of trash 2 people went through in a week. Should we have really been using 2-3 bags of trash a week? That answer is no!! At this point, I decided it was time for a change.

I do not recycle everything that I can (or should), but I do my best to “go green” when it’s available. I recycle cardboard, glass, plastic, and cans. All junk mail goes into the fireplace. I currently have to take my recycling to the location and purchased my own containers

I was also able to implement a small recycling program at my work. We now recycle plastic and cardboard.  The smallest changes help when you “go green”…but I will discuss that later! Do you recycle? And if so, what products?

XO

Hollie

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy spending money on laundry detergent every month or so. In my household, we average about 5-6 loads a week and sometimes more than that! So I found the perfect solution….make it myself!

Some of you may be thinking “yes, but does it work?”. And to that, I say it does! I feel this cleans as good as any other detergent you purchase from the store. My skin is sensitive to certain detergents and I was nervous the first time I made it. But this is batch two and I haven’t had any problems. The first batch lasted me almost 5 months!!

The ingredients are simple.
1 box Borax
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
1 tub Oxy Clean
2 bars Fels- Naptha

The most difficult task is shredding the fels-naptha bars. It’s a little bit of an arm workout. I like to do mine while watching TV.

Shout out to my WVU Mountaineers!!

After that, it’s simply mixing. Combine all the ingredients in a container large enough to hold it and stir until well combined.

Place in a jar with a lid for storage. And you’re finished! You have successfully made your own laundry detergent. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.

I save the scoop from the oxy clean and fill it about half way for each load. It works wonders 🙂

XO

Hollie