30 Day Photo Challenge – Update 3

Hello Friends –

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since I started the 30 day photo challenge and it’s time for my last post. You can read about the challenge here, here, and here. Enjoy!

Day 21 – Whatever I Want – 2/5/13 I love me some Wawa French Vanilla Cappuccino. I’m not supposed to have any coffee at work; the effect is almost like someone on speed.

Day 22 – Daily Routine – 2/6/13 I’m a list maker. Almost every day, I write a list of what I hope to accomplish that day.

Day 23 – Drink – 2/7/13 It was pizza night with my pals at RRCW. So I enjoyed some sassy wine with some of my favorite sassy runners.

Day 24 – A Smile – 2/8/13 I was going through old pictures and I found this of my niece Dana. I miss the high-pitched, squeaky laugh that accompanied this smile. She’s all grown up now (insert sad face).

Day 25 – Eyes – 2/9/13 Here’s my eyes, wonderous as usual.

Day 26 – Blast from the Past – 2/10/13 I was out at the thrift shop (anyone else obsessed with that song?) looking for frames for a gallery wall I want to create in my family room and I happened to stumble upon a collection of cassettes and this fine gem. Anyone down for the New Kids Dance?? If only I had my Sony Sports Walkman (sad to think that my nieces/nephews will never know what a cassette tape is).

Day 27 – Messy Hair – 2/11/13 I let my hair air-dry and it’s half straight, half-wavy and looks like crap. Here ya go; just keeping it real folks (and I look like I’m posing for a glamour shot with my 80’s Jersey mall hair).

Day 28 – Morning – 2/12/13 Here’s the sunrise on my way to work; I was just thankful it looked so pretty.

Day 29 – Gratitude 2/13/13 Since I’m a list-maker, I made a list of everything I’m thankful for. Sometimes writing it down/verbalizing it, is just necessary to remind yourself that life is good and the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere.

Day 30 – Me 30 days later – 2/14/13 Happy Valentines Day. While waiting for my morning tea @ Starbucks, I took this master. I wonder if my niece Dana would be proud of my duckface (disclaimer – I was in line waiting and the car was in park; safety first folks).

I have to admit it was kind of fun doing this everyday! I may have to do this again, if I ever get a fancy pants DSLR camera (Hint, Hint Eddie). Enjoy your weekend!

30 Day Photo Challenge – Update 2

Greetings Friends,

I’m back with my 30 Day Photo Challenge Update. I can hardly believe that 20 days have gone by so quickly. You can read about the challenge here and my first update here. Feel free to follow me on instagram at #shannonsshenanigans30dayphoto.

Day 11 – Favorite Dessert 1/26/13 – Hands down it’s Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream. I don’t have it all that often, but it’s so good. Try it – you’ll be hooked.

Day 12 – In My Closet 1/27/13 – Here’s my master closet. You might remember it from this post back in 2010. I’m still hoping to eventually get my dream closet (and by dream closet, I mean transforming the existing space to be more functional and organized). But in case you couldn’t tell, my OCD tendencies show that I organize my clothes by color and then by sleeve length. Call it a sickness

Day 13 – My Front Door 1/28/13 – Here’s my front door, from inside my house. It was too cold to take the picture from the outside.

Day 14 – Books 1/29/13 – Here’s some of the books I’ve read. I have a strange fascination with WWII and political books.

Day 15 – Where I sleep 1/30/13 – There’s my bed, where all the “magic” happens (if you’ve never saw MTV’s Cribs, you probably wouldn’t get that reference). The bedding is a little too matchy-matchy to the walls, and I’d love to update the furniture (we’ve had it for 11 1/2 years) and get something with richer wood tones.

Day 16 – Hands 1/31/13 – three things I noticed about this picture; (1) I desperately need a manicure; (2) my ring needs to be cleaned; and (3) I’m overdue for some new Michael Kors gear.

Day 17 – Favorite Food 2/1/13 – Pizza Steaks. Yummmmm……nomnomnom

Day 18 – Clouds 2/2/13 – I took this when I left the gym Saturday Morning. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but very bitterly cold. I can’t wait until spring (44 days to go – I think)

Day 19 – Shoes 2/3/13 – I caved and bought fake uggs. I needed a warm winter shoe and most of my shoes are ballet flats. Not good in the snow. They are surprisingly comfy, but I will not spend the $$ for real Uggs.

Day 20 – Mailbox Love 2/4/13 – This is what I got in the mail. Can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bill? Can you pay my auto-mo-bill? Yeah, nothing but bills and junk

I saw that my niece is doing her own challenge on Instagram – anyone else joined in?

101 in 1001 update – January 2013

Greetings Friends. So I’m back, pretty dedicated as I’m nearing the end of this challenge. Here’s what happened in January 2013:

#11 – Take a Cooking Class – this is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I’m officially signed up, with one of my BFF’s Megan. We are scheduled for a 2/25 class and I’m looking forward to the hilarity that’s to come of this. I have a feeling we might end up like this clip from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (for the record, I would not be the one with the soap on the chicken):

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 2 – Soap on a Chicken – Video – Bravo TV Official Site.

#18 – Take a picture every day of a month and blog about it – so right now I’m just over halfway through my 30 day photo challenge. You see the first 10 pics here, the next 10 should be posted by the end of next week. If you have Instagram, you can follow along by searching #shannonsshenanigans30dayphoto

#54 – Try 10 New recipes – I’m sure I probably had this complete last year, but since I was lazy on a blog hiatus, I can’t quite remember what I may have made that was “new”. So a few weeks ago, I made Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup. It was fantastic. I even made my own garlic croutons (I took rolls that I had in the freezer, thawed them out, cut into cubes, and mixed with melted butter/garlic powder. Baked at 350 for 10 minutes) and they were awesome too. I’m thinking about making it again this weekend, except this time I would puree the veggies for a smooth soup. Also, I found out that the soup freezes well too, just make sure you thaw it out slowly in the refrigerator.

I also tried this Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers recipe from Skinny Taste. I used the exact ingredients, however, I decided to cook it in the crock pot (chalk it up to my love affair with my crock pot). Um, it looked and tasted like dog food. Maybe next time (that is IF I try this again), I will follow the recipe exactly. It sounds like it would be good.

#96 – Paint a piece of pottery to display in my house – Back on January 12th, I had a girls day out with my sister Kelly and my niece Makenzie. I had bought Makenzie a gift certificate for a local pottery place (she is quite the little artist) for Christmas with the intention of having day out with them. I painted a vase, complete with a monogram ‘M’ (because I’m obsessed with all monogrammed things) for my front hallway. Kelly painted a chocolate bunny and Makenzie made a heart trinket box. Here’s pics from the day:

Any new recipes worth trying? Feel free to share!!! Take care until next time!

30 Day Photo Challenge – Update 1

Hello friends. So I’m here with my first update of the 30 day photo challenge. You can follow along on Instagram using #shannonsshenanigans30dayphoto. Here’s what I captured during the first 10 days:

Day 1 – Self Portrait 1/16/13. Forgive me, it was 6:45AM and I about to head out the door to work.

Day 2 – Someone I love 1/17/13. It’s Eddie. He’s the best (and although he hates when I take his picture, he went along with it – and he’s studly)

Day 3 – Where I live 1/18/13. Good old Washington Township. I thought about taking a picture of my house, but everyone seems to know where this water tower is. I thought this was much cooler than my house.

Day 4 – Family Pets 1/19/13. Here’s Mario & Mia. Cue the collective “awwwww.” I love my furbabies.

Day 5 – Best Friends 1/20/13. I actually snapped this pic about 2 years ago, but I love it. We’re the three best friends that anyone can have. I love these girls – they are like sisters to me!

Day 6 – Childhood Memory 1/21/13. I grew up down the street from Piskers Bakery. I was the queen of buying day old stuff. It was just as good as fresh and it was always 1/2 off. (See Eddie, even I can be frugal)!

Day 7 – Nature 1/22/13. It snowed the night before, so here’s the rose-bush I planted last fall all covered up in the snow.

Day 8 – Transportation 1/23/13. Here’s my ride, a 2012 Nissan Rogue or “Ro” as I lovingly call her.

Day 9 – Something I love 1/24/13. Getting pedicures. Check out my awesome pedi-sox (great for winter). In case you’re wondering, the color is called “Russian Navy” by OPI

Day 10 – Night 1/25/13. It was cold and snowy. Even though I generally hate the snow, this actually looks pretty (and most of it has melted away already).

30 Day Photo Challenge

I’ve always been interested in photography, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching it on pinterest. I found a 30 day photo challenge, so I figured why not, as it’s #18 on my 101 in 1001 list. Here’s my list of what I hope to accomplish in the next 30 days – starting today:

Day 1 – Self Portrait
Day 2 – Someone I love
Day 3 – Where I live
Day 4 – Family Pet
Day 5 – Best Friend
Day 6 – Childhood Memory
Day 7 – Nature
Day 8 – Transportation
Day 9 – Something I love
Day 10 – Night
Day 11 – Favorite Dessert
Day 12 – In My Closet
Day 13 – My Front Door
Day 14 – Books
Day 15 – Where I Sleep
Day 16 – Hands
Day 17 – Favorite Food
Day 18 – Clouds
Day 19 – Shoes
Day 20 – Mailbox Love
Day 21 – Whatever I want
Day 22 – Daily Routine
Day 23 – Drink
Day 24 – A Smile
Day 25 – Eyes
Day 26 – Blast from the past
Day 27 – Messy Hair
Day 28 – Morning
Day 29 – Gratitude
Day 30 – Me, 30 Days later

I’ll use instagram to post pics, and follow up with a blog after every 10 days. Should be interesting to see how this turns out. Hope you all join in on the fun!

101 in 1001 Update 2

Greetings Friends. Remember how back in August 2012 I did part one of my 101 in 1001 update? Well, I decided to finally get off my lazy arse and do part two (please forgive the excessive British phrases/sayings – I’ve been watching a lot of Love Actually – my poor babes has had to listen to me say “bloody” “rubbish” and “arse” a whole lot). I have just about 6 months to finish as much of this as possible, so here goes:

#25 Get a Family Photo at Christmas – epic fail. I’ve only had 3 Christmases to do this. Since there isn’t another Christmas between now and the end of my 101 in 1001 project, I guess I’m SOL

#26 Write a Letter for Eddie to Open on our 10 Year Anniversary – Complete; back when we went to Boston, I gave Eddie a nice long letter celebrating the last 10 years of wedded bliss. Here’s a look at my nifty origami, but sorry,not spilling the oh-so-mushy-deets of this letter

#40 Go see Miami/Notre Dame game in Chicago – Complete; back in October, Eddie and I took a trip to the Windy City to see this “neutral site” game (and I say “neutral” because this was essentially a home game for the Irish). Miami got a shellacking, I froze my arse off, but we still had a blast. Here’s a pic from the game:

#47 Run Ben Franklin Bridge Challenge – Complete; I almost didn’t do this race, but my pal Jess with the Road Runners Club in Woodbury (RRCW) talked me into this. I barely made it as there were less than 300 spots left before the race was filled to capacity. Here’s a pic of my finishers medal

#48 Run ½ Marathon – Complete; after I finished the Broad Street Run in May, I was on an extreme runners high and registered for the Rock N Roll Philadelphia ½ Marathon. I had a blast, but I have to admit I didn’t train nearly as well as I could have for it. I won’t exactly rule out another ½ marathon, but I will say that if I decide to do this again, I will plan for an early spring or late fall race. Here’s my medal:

#49 Paint the half bathroom – complete. For some unknown reason, I decided to tackle the half bathroom and the family room. I had been complaining for ages that I hated the color (an electric blue) and wanted to soften it up. In the process, we also removed the old medicine cabinet and put up a new mirror and replaced the light fixture. I’m in the process of looking for artwork, but this is already a huge upgrade. If you look at the photo on the left, you can see the remnants of the blue, and here’s the new room on the right & below, all prettied up (I still need to add some artwork – feel free to give me some suggestions)

#55 Eat Lobster – complete; when we were in Boston for our anniversary weekend, I was convinced I had to have lobster. So we went to The Barking Crab (recommended by a Facebook friend). Given my aversion to messy foods, I opted for the Lobster Roll (lobster meat on a hot dog bun). Perfect. Maybe one time I will give in and get messy and eat a Lobster the way you are supposed to.

#58 Get involved in a community activity – Complete. Back in March 2012, the Woodbury Heights Fire House (WHFD) burned down. Members of the RRCW decided to create a 5k run and donate all the proceeds to the WHFD rebuilding fund. I was proud to be a member and able to give back to the community (even though I don’t live in Woodbury Heights). Looking forward to the 2013 event!!

#84 Upgrade Remaining Ikea Living Room Furniture – Complete; when we bought our home in 2004, we went from an 1100 square foot condo to a near 2000 square foot home. We needed furniture to furnish all the rooms, so we opted for some Ikea pieces. After a while, we decided that we wanted to upgrade to more “adult like” furniture. Don’t get me wrong, Ikea was great for when we moved in, but most stuff isn’t actual wood and after a while some of the stuff started to look cheap (well, at least what we had). So thanks to Mr. Craig and his list, we sold what we had in the living room, and bought new tables/TV stand. It’s fabulous and I love, love, love it!!

#85 Clean out iTunes Library – complete; back in February 2012, I had to clean up the iTunes Library. My sister so generously gave me access to her iTunes several years ago. There was a lot of randomness (including my niece Dana’s former obsession with High School Musical) – so I had some clean-up to do. I went from nearly 3000 songs down to 2500 (including what I’ve purchased and/or uploaded from my own CD collection). I also cleaned up my playlists and gave every song a genre (the few that didn’t have any).

#91 Renew wedding vows in NYC and have dinner at Carmines – FAIL; considering we spent our anniversary this year in Boston, we didn’t get to NYC. Although I would love to do this someday, I had a great time with the babes in Boston, so I don’t regret this failure.

#95 Read a book series – complete; back in May 2012 I totally jumped the Fifty Shades of Grey bandwagon. I read all three books within 2 weeks. I’m dying to see the movie – anyone know how much longer until this comes out?????

So as of the end of 2012, I have completed 40 tasks, have 10 in process, and failed 3. I’m hoping over the next six months I can at least get to 75% completion – a girl can hope, right? Lots to do in so little time. But I should be back next month with an update. Woo hoo! Have any of you taken on any projects lately? Do share, I’d love to hear about it!

2013 Resolution

Holy cripes, how did it become 2013 already???? 2012 was such a great year for me and it was hard to let go, but all good things must come to an end, eh? After seeing lots of Facebook posts on resolutions, I was inspired to get back into them. In late 2010, I posted a “resolution” for 2011 (more like a rant), but I’ve worked hard at some of it. So as a follow-up to that post, here’s what I have in store for 2013:

1. Work on time management.
2. Jump back on the blog-wagon
3. Spend more quality time with Eddie.
4. Work on saying “No”

Naturally, I’m with everyone else who would like to lose weight/improve health, control spending, organize every aspect of my life, etc, but those four are my top contenders. In thinking about each of these four resolutions, I found an underlying theme. I spread myself too thin, take on too much, and worry about other people’s wants/needs/expectations that I don’t leave time for myself. I need to focus better on me and my family (Eddie & the fur-babies) and everything else will fall into place. Ultimately, this will make me happy, and as I often say, life is too short to be anything but happy! To all of you out there in the world, I wish you nothing but success/happiness on your own endeavors for 2013!!! Make it the best year yet!

A Blessed Christmas

Seasons Greetings Friends! As I sit here waiting for the babes to get ready for dinner, I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the great things I have in life! I’m very thankful for my husband of over 10 years! Together we have built a beautiful home, with two awesome fur babies, and we are very blessed for our life!

I’m very thankful for my awesome family! “We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!” I’m also blessed with a fantastic circle of friends. Without you my life would be incomplete!

So from my home to yours, I wish you all the blessings in the world, not just at Christmas, but every day! Merry Christmas!!!

Boston/10 Year Anniversary Trip

We went to Boston last weekend to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. I want to take a second to say a big giant “Thank You” for all the likes/well-wishes via Facebook and text messages.  That was so sweet of you to think of us on our special day.  The last 10 years has been an incredible journey for both the babes and me, and there was no other place we wanted to celebrate than in our favorite city (yes, I still love NYC, but there’s just something about Boston that I love). 

Friday we drove up, checked in and went to one of our favorite places to eat – Beantown Pub.  Naturally, I had to have my Sam Adams’ Red Brick Beer (you can only get it on tap in Boston – you can’t even buy it a liquor store).  Here we are enjoying our beers:

Afterwards, we headed to the Sam Adams’ Brewery, but yours truly got sick.  I guess the combo of lunch, beer, heat, and exhaustion kicked me in the rear.  Not exactly how I planned on spending our Anniversary, but Eddie was a good sport, so we headed back to our hotel to rest before dinner.  I gave him my letter that I wrote in honor of this special occasion (for the record, I broke out my 12 y/o self with the oragami folding):

For dinner, we went to a place called The Barking Crab.  I heard about it from watching Man vs Food, and it was also recommended by a friend on Facebook.  I tried Lobster for the first time ever; given my aversion to messy meals, I opted for the lobster roll (basically lobster piled onto a hot dog roll).  It was delicious!!!

Here’s Ed, mid-bite.  Nothing like getting all up his personal space!!

Afterwards, we walked around the harbor and just enjoyed the scenery.  We stopped for a bit and reflected on the last 10 years and what we hope for the next 10 years. 

We cabbed it back to the hotel and went to a local bar that we visited before called Jacob Wirth’s.  The last time we were there my BFF Val and I stalked a random celebrity (very D-list, but whatevs).  This time, we happened to be there on piano night.  There was a guy named Mel playing the piano and everyone would shout out different songs for him to play and everyone would sing along.  Eddie and I got a lot of laughs out of it.

Saturday we got up and went to breakfast, then we headed to out to Faneuil Hall/Marketplace and did some shopping.  Afterwards, we went on a cruise from Boston to Salem, MA.  For those who don’t know about Salem, that’s where the witch trials took place and it’s also the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne (author).  Eddie wanted no parts of the Witch Trials, so we just walked around and enjoyed the scenery and stopped at Salem Beer Works for lunch. 

{If this picture doesn’t scream “Yo Shan!” I don’t know what does}

After getting back to Boston, we headed over to the North End (Boston’s “Little Italy” as Ed kept referring to it) and went to Mike’s Pastries.  From what I was told, this place had hands down the best cannoli’s ever.  The Babes (being my resident expert in all things Italian Culture), disagreed.  I thought it was good, but he thought the shell didn’t taste right.  We also got a Lobster Claw and a piece of red velvet cake.  They were all phenomenal (and I’m not much of a sweets eater).

We then headed out and about in the North End and happened to stumble along an Italian Festival/Block Party.  I really wish we were both hungry to try the sausage & pepper sandwiches, the fried dough, or the pizza.  All of it smelled fantastico!

We finally settled back to the hotel to enjoy our pastries and the hotel staff was nice enough to send us a wine and cheese platter in honor of our 10 year anniversary. Ed had me call the front desk to make sure we weren’t going to be charged for this deliciousness before diving in (seriously, he couldn’t leave his cheap ways back in Jersey??).  Thankfully, it was complimentary and we dug in. Besides, if there’s cheese right in front of my face, how can you expect me NOT to eat it!!!

Sunday we got up early and went for breakfast and walked all along Commonwealth Ave.  Seriously, this is my most favorite place it the world.  You can see why in my pictures below.  What I wouldn’t give to live in one of these homes (and to have the funds that go along with it)!!!

Sadly, it was time to head home.  It was a little bittersweet because I would have loved to stay, but we had to get home to our doggies (and yes, I missed them terribly).  But of course, we had to make one last stop on our way home to get our pizza on:

All good things must come to an end.  I’m fortunate for the memories and look forward to going back soon (in fact we are going back up in 2 weeks for an overnight trip for the Miami/Boston College football game, but this is a very, very short trip).  Have any of you taken any good vacations this summer?  Do tell!

101 in 1001 update – part 1 of 2

So I’m highly embarrassed that I have not updated this in nearly a year.  So much has happened, and quite frankly most nights it’s hard to get on the computer, and thanks to my babes for my iPad, I’ve been too obsessed with Pinterest (and now Instagram) that I do nothing but that….lol.  With that said, here’s a brief update as to where I am on my 101 in 1001 challenge:

#4 – Run the Broad Street 10 Mile Run in Philadelphia – In 2011, I failed this task thanks to over-training, so I was more determined than ever to finish.  My goal was to finish in under 2 hours.  I finished with a chip time of 1 hr, 55 min.  Minus the need to go potty along the way, I felt that I did really well (so well that I wasn’t even sore the next day).  I’m already looking forward to the race next year as it was probably one of the best races I have ever run. Here’s me after the race (and right before the Babes complained that he was “too tired from all the walking he did”):

#9 – Plant a perennial garden in my yard –   Thanks to Facebook, I received some suggestions on what to do with the bare spot in my yard. I  added some azalea bushes (which stay green all year after flowering in early spring), some Coral Bells, and some tulips for the spring.  So far I’ve nearly killed one azalea bush (how is that possible?), but I’m working on bringing that puppy back to life.

#26 – Write a letter to Eddie for him to open on our 10 year wedding anniversary (08.17.12) –   Well, I’m almost complete (meaning that I’ve channeled my inner-nerd and wrote an outline of what I wanted to say like it’s a damn term-paper).  There are so many loving memories/emotions that were present while writing this.  I’m just so thankful for him and the life we’ve built together.  I can’t share this one, like I did last year, just because it’s a bit too personal to share with the whole bloggy world (and I like to have some privacy…lol).  Happy Anniversary Babes – xoxo

#31  – Have my picture taken with Santa Claus –   On 12/3/11 (yeah, I can’t believe it’s really been that long since I blogged), my friends Mike & Sara had their baby girl’s first birthday party – a Winter ‘One’derland.  No winter party is complete without the jolly old fella, so being the mature adult that I am, I had to get my picture taken.  Check out all my cheesey-ness here:

#37 – Have one weekend a month for an entire year without any commitments – Dunzo and I have to say that was one of my favorite tasks.  The two weekends for November/December were 11/12-11/13 and 12/10-12/11.  I’m still trying to continue this, because I know my schedule fills up fast (hell, I have plans well into December already) and I think it’s important to take time for yourself.

#40 – Go see ND/UM Football Game with Eddie in 2012 – well, it’s official.  We are going to Chicago to see Notre Dame/Miami Football Game.  This has been on the Babes radar since 2004 (I think, college football games are sometimes scheduled so far in advance).  I’m pretty excited because I’ve never been to Chicago.  So bring on the deep dish pizza and hopefully a Miami win for the Babes.

#43 – Watch all Godfather Movies –  I’m 2/3, I watched Part I on 8/5, and watched Part II on 8/10.  Most people were shocked that I was married to an Italian and I had never seen them.  I blame the Babes for this one.  He showed me a scene about a horses head in someones bed and I totally spazzed and refused to watch. But since it was on the list, I felt I had to do it.  I will note a few things – (a) they are great movies (despite the whole horses head thingy), (b) Al Pacino was H-O-T (which confirms my attraction to short Italian men) and (c) in typical girl fashion, I recognized every reference to ‘The Godfather’ that was in the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’ (Eddie said those references weren’t true or that he didn’t remember them, but I found them ALL).

#48 – Run a half marathon So basking in my runners high after completing the Broad Street Run, I registered for my first half marathon.  On September 16th, I’m doing the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia.  Sounds pretty cool, but I wish they had a better headliner than Cobra Starship (last year they had Bret Michaels, and I love me some hot 80’s hair-band frontmen, even if his hair is the finest European weave).  I’m pretty excited, but I sincerely doubt I’ll ever run a full marathon (I like to think I’m only 1/2 crazy…lol).

How’s everything going – are you enjoying your summer?  I know I am!