First Day of Spring!

The first day of spring was a beautiful day in Saint John; sunny and warm!

This was March 31st of last year…

And this was today…

There are tulips just barely poking up…

And garlic…

I think it’s safe to say that spring has sprung.

Hello Pancakes!

Husband had ordered me a gift for Valentine’s Day that ended up not shipping in time, so I got it the weekend after Valentine’s Day. What a fun package it was!

Which leads to Sunday’s breakfast…

How can you not love that?

Also included in the package: my very own Hello Kitty chopsticks, complete with carrying case…

…And yes I have used them…

 

…And a Hello Kitty ice cube tray…

…So I can have my Scotch on the Hello-Kitty-Rocks.

[We now pause for a moment of silence while my Scottish ancestors roll over in their graves]

Husband also got me a cookie cutter which I forgot to take a photo of and have not used yet. But I’m sure once I get around to making Hello Kitty cookies, it will show up on the blog.

Oh yes, my husband loves me.  :)

Also from Sunday…look what I found in the garden…

Firefly Crocus

Snowdrop

Could have done a better job with the camera settings on those…hopefully next time.

Around supper time, our herd of deer showed up.

It’s really quite something to see all of them at once.

Lastly, thinking of wearing my green boots for Saint Patrick’s Day…

 

Just seems to make sense.

Gorgeous Saturday

The weather really has been beautiful – it still gets quite chilly at night, but the days have been warm and sunny. It’s a real boost to the spirit, that’s for sure.

I’ve been debating the whole cat walking thing over the past winter. The cats love it (especially Frank) and I enjoy it too…But I need for the cats to be happy with their fenced in yard (especially Frank) and I’m not sure the walks help that situation.

However, my Frankie has been wanting to go since the weather has turned spring-like, and I have to admit that I wanted to get out into the fresh air and sunshine myself, so this morning we went.

Gosh, but it was a beautiful day…

Still the odd patch of snow, here and there, but it’s mostly gone.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time because I had an appointment for a hair cut, but we had a decent ramble.

Then, of course, I had to take Zappa out for a short walk as well.

He’s happy as long as he gets to roll around on the ground for a few minutes.

We ventured down to the end of the driveway, but then we called it a day. Fortunately Zappa was happy with that.

I drove in to town for my hair appointment. When I came out they were changing one of the flags – putting up an Irish flag for Saint Patrick’s Day, and there was a bag piper in a kilt playing Amazing Grace in front of the City Hall building.

 

I snapped a picture with my iPhone, though I don’t know whether you’ll be able to see the piper; I wasn’t very close. I got a picture of the flags later on as I was crossing the pedway from Market Square to City Hall.

Cat walks, hair cut, grocery shopping, then the rest of the afternoon puttering around the house. Talked to my Mom on the phone for about 45 minutes. Husband and I made a stir fry for supper. Just finished getting in a bit of piano practice. All in all, a wonderful Saturday!

Chickpea Tacos

Last week was chilly, but Saturday it warmed up beautifully and it’s been feeling like spring! We’re loving it!

Saturday I went out and did all my shopping, then shortly after I came home, Husband took off for a computer gaming evening with his friends. I did some chores around the house, got in a quick workout, then had a tasty vegetarian dinner. Sometimes it’s fun to have an evening to yourself!

I saw this recipe last week and it had stayed in my mind as something I wanted to try out. So, here is my version…

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 small red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp cumin

few shakes: salt, pepper, cayenne, coriander & sweet chili & peppers grill seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

I actually did this before my workout. I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

After my workout & shower, I got out the chickpeas and took off the plastic. As soon as the smell hit me, I knew this was going to be a good dinner.

I lined a cookie sheet with foil and greased with a bit more olive oil, then spread out the chickpea mixture.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven. I intended to bake for 25 minutes, but forgot to set the timer so I can’t say for sure how long it was.

Meanwhile, I assembled some toppings…

When my chickpeas were nicely roasted, I built myself a taco, using a whole wheat tortilla. And served myself a weekend-y beverage.  :)

The chickpeas are very roll-y, and a few did wind up on the floor but it was so very good!

Welcome to March

I picked these up at the Superstore weekend before last and I’ve been enjoying the colors and the scent every time I walk through the entry way.

The weather for the last bit of February was quite mild and it’s been so easy to think that spring is right around the corner.

This morning we woke up to winter again though.

I hadn’t actually seen any weather forecasts all weekend, and it was a bit of a shock to see first thing this morning, I have to say.

But, but the end of the day it had warmed to rain and all the new snow is pretty much gone – though we may get some more flurries tomorrow morning.

As much as I would have liked to crawl back into bed and hide from the snow, we had to head off to work. We left Zappa, looking very smug that he did not have to go out in the weather…

And Frank hiding in the closet, firmly in denial. Snow? I don’t see any stinkin’ snow!

Where did February go?

When I said that I was going to be blogging less, I did not intend to disappear altogether. The past couple of weeks have been kinda crazy ‘round here. I’ve been stressed out and exhausted and the days just seemed to disappear on me.

I finally started to feel more like myself this weekend, thankfully. I actually had some energy to get some things done around the house – and things were in pretty desperate shape. Hopefully I’ll catch up one of these days.

My workouts suffered somewhat, along with everything else. It was a bit of a tough schedule in February, but I did the best I could.

February Workouts:

Feb 28: Cardio Intervals[35 mins]
Feb 25: Supersets + Abs
Feb 24: Cardio Intervals[35 mins]
Feb 23: Hyperbolic RT + Abs + Steady State Cardio
Feb 22: Steady State Cardio [35 mins]
Feb 18: Supersets + Abs + Steady State Cardio
Feb 16: Cardio Intervals[25 mins]
Feb 15: Hyperbolic RT + Steady State Cardio + Abs
Feb 14: Cardio Intervals + Steady State Cardio[45 mins]
Feb 13: High Intensity Circuit x1 + Abs [35 mins]
Feb 10: Supersets
Feb 09: Cardio Intervals + Abs
Feb 08: Hyperbolic RT + Steady State Cardio
Feb 06: High Intensity Circuit
Feb 05: Cardio Intervals + Abs
Feb 03: Supersets + Abs + Steady State Cardio
Feb 01: Hyperbolic RT + Abs + Steady State Cardio

The workout schedule for March is even tougher. I’m a bit scared to tell the truth, and starting to wonder if Lindsey is trying to kill me.  Ok, not really, but the schedule looks kinda painful.

I survived my first workout after work today – the first of two High Intensity Circuits on the schedule for the week. It took me about 55 minutes to complete. At which point I was ready to collapse. Fortunately tomorrow is just Hyperbolic Resistance Training and Cardio. Just, I say. Ha!

Now it’s time to finish up a few little things and crawl into bed. Good night everyone!