2 Weeks

I've been checking weather.com religiously the past couple of weeks and just waiting for the inevitable: snow and freezing temperatures. According to the current 10 day forecast, it may snow here by next Tuesday (Nov 30th). I cannot believe it hasn't snowed yet and that the weather has been kind of decent (the temperature jumps around a lot, but it's been in the 40's mostly). I am thankful, but bracing myself for the negative temperatures that are bound to come.

There have been quite a few gloomy, dark days. I could do without those. They have a way of sucking the energy right out of you! I am trying to be aware of how it affects me and I try to correct it the best I can. Although it was a rather "blah" day, I still managed to keep my energy up and get things done. The trees around here look down right pathetic. The poor things have several leaves hanging on for dear life. I took a picture of our tree about 2 weeks ago and another picture yesterday:

November 6th

November 21st

It's amazing how much things change in just 2 weeks. I feel as if I didn't really appreciate my first real Autumn as much as I could have. There is always next time since I have 2 more years here. As I said before, nature around here is looking quite sad, but I'm sure it will look beautiful surrounded by snow.

Productive Monday

I pushed myself extra hard at the gym today and spent the afternoon cleaning out the Jeep, so I was kind of tired by the time Mike got home. I had a delicious meal planned and was about to get started when Mike said he wanted me to go with him to Kohl's because he wanted sweatpants. My husband...initiated shopping??? I had to see where this was going. We were there for a while and ended up getting a lot more than just sweats. We tried on silly hats, looked at really ugly snow boots, pet the oh-so-soft fleece blankets, etc. It's strange how 5 years of marriage changes you. A trip to Kohl's is our new version of a date night!

Yep, he got this hat

By the time we got home, it was well past the time we usually eat dinner. I was considering just dumping a jar of spaghetti sauce in a pot, boiling noodles, and calling it a night, but then I remembered how much I was craving the meal I had planned on making. I am always on the look out for new recipes.. especially now that I am a super stay at home wife ;D Somehow I stumbled upon Veggie Mama’s blog. I am so glad I did because she provides some wonderfully unique and yummy vegetarian recipes.

I tried the recipe for Thai Basil Vegetables that she recently posted. It was a big hit with the husband. We're both big fans of Thai food, so this recipe will definitely find it's way into our monthly meal rotation. I sort of winged the recipe and it went well. I did not use the coriander, sugar, or cornstarch. I did not measure the veggies either, I just eyeballed it. I only wish I made more sauce... I definitely will remember that for next time. The chili/garlic/ginger/soy sauce/basil/lime flavor is a-maz-ing! That paired with the crisp veggies makes for a light and fresh meal. I served it with brown rice and added shrimp to Mike's.

Worth every bit of work

Thank goodness for bloggers and creative recipes. Without them, I would likely be eating the same 7 meals each week! In fact, dinner tomorrow will also be a recipe I found from another blogger. I really wonder how people ever managed without the internet...