#100HappyDays Day 7: Laughing about silly things, like finding out I'm Camilla from the muppets.

Day #7

Days don't have to be extraordinary to be amazing and today proved that point. Mike and I took a break to fill out some of the funnier quizzes that have been floating around Facebook and I learned that I would be Daenerys from Game of Thrones (dragons, please and thank you), Amy Farrah Fowler from Big Bang Theory, Hagrid from Harry Potter (I do love animals), and Camilla from The Muppets. I actually didn't know very much about Camilla and at first I was a little bit peeved (in fact, I tried to re-take the test 4 times but I always got Camilla) so I did some research on her and she actually is pretty cool. At one point during The Muppets Movie, she yells "mouth to beak resuscitation," which is a great line and I have enjoyed yelling it out for no apparent reason.

#100HappyDays Day 6: A Steaming Hot Bubble Bath

Day #6

During Chiberia all I could think about was taking a pipping hot bath filled with bubbles. Yet, of course, the temperatures outside made getting steamy water into our condo really difficult and we had to make do with tepid showers. Now that it is up to a balmy 41 degrees, I finally was able to revel in a hot bath complete with a cat spying on me from the safety of the dry bathmat.

 

It is surprisingly hard to find bubble bath these days. Now, everything is a shampoo/ body wash/ bubble bath combo and, in my experience, the bubbles from those mixes are measly and dissolve very quickly. I went out today specifically to find bubble bath and the only straight-up bubble bath produce I could find was actually in little pouches to be used as Christmas Tree ornaments (I think that is a super cute idea!). Anyway, since Christmas has come and gone, these puppies were on supper sale so I stocked up on them. It doesn't matter to me if I smell like holiday treats all year long! Thankfully, not only are these bubble bath pouches cute, their bubbles are very robust. I had a great afternoon soak and am feeling more relaxed than ever.

#100HappyDays Day 5: A Healthy Dinner

Day #5

This afternoon, Mike and I went to CorePower Yoga to do a sculpt class, which kicked our butts. The class was led by one of my favorite instructors, Conor, who also teaches CrossFit class so you know the workout will be an intense one. We came home exhausted but also pretty proud that we survived the workout. Our reward: a healthy dinner of fish tacos!

Mike and I love cooking at home and on occasion we make the following recipe:

Emily and Mike's Fish Tacos
Feeds 1 hungry couple

Ingredients:
4 fish fillets (we used Tilapia this time but Maki Maki is another firm fish that works well)
1 Tablespoon paprika
Zest of 1/4 of a lime
1 Tablespoon marjoram
1/2 can fat free refried beans
1/2 cup shreded cheese (Mexican blend)
1/2 cup salsa (We love Paul Newman's Mango Salsa because they donate all profits to charity and have won distinction for making their donations go far)
1/2 ripe avacado
1 bellpepper
5 tortillas


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place fish fillets in nonstick pan and coat with lime zest, paprika, and marjoram. Cook for 20 minutes or until fish flakes.
As fish cooks, heat tortillas and spread heated refried beans on them. Slice bellpepper into strips and sautee for about 7 minutes; add to tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on tortilla. When fish is done, let rest for 3 minutes. Divide and place atop the tortilla and finish with slices of avacado and a spoonful of salsa.

Finally, make sure you dig in before the cat tries to take a lick.

My Quest to Perfect Our Condo with Apartment Therapy's The January Cure

In addition to attempting the #100HappyDays challenge I have also been following along and keeping up with Apartment Therapy's The January Cure. The January Cure's goal is to help you organize your house, get it clean, and keeping it clean. Every day has a specific task, such as scrubbing your floors or tackling a pesky closet. For the most part, these tasks haven't been too onerous for me (Monica Geller is my spirit animal) but it is a great reminder to do the daily things that need to get done. A few days ago, The January Cure said that we were to chose one of our long term projects and start tackling it. I chose to tackle our hallway closet, which was stuffed to the brim with coats for every season, gloves, scarves, purses, shoes, and umbrellas.

To tackle this project, I purchased rubber tubs and a three-drawer plastic organizer from Target today. I filled the three-drawer plastic organizer with hats, gloves, and umbrella (each in a different drawer) and one of my tubs with our spring jackets. This allowed me to actually see all the scarves and purses that I have. I firmly believe that if you can see your stuff, you're more likely to wear it. I also saw how much more room I have in my purse and scarf organizer (oh... room for more stuff!).

I ended up having one extra plastic tub, which made its way to our spare bedroom closet where it is now holding rarely used linens and towels. Honestly, the cleaner my house, the better I feel and I am feeling really great right now!

#100HappyDays Day 4: The Combination of Pizza, Beer, and Football

Day #4

Today scored pretty high on the frustration front but Mike made the evening a whole lot better by ordering one of our favorite pizzas (the Almost Gourmet with added shrimp - because I add shrimp to everything) from Pizza Capri. The great thing about Pizza Capri is that it right next door to our condo so getting take out just requires us to go out the backdoor. Mike was able to pick it up during one of the many commercial breaks of the Seahawks and Saints game. We paired it with beer from a good local brewery, Two Brothers' Prairie Pale Ale.

Mike loves watching sports but I wasn't as huge a fan of football until our household starting keeping stats on footballs with bird and cat mascots. Since we are a cat household, I always root for the cats! Sadly, the Saints ended up loosing. Thankfully, the Patriots are up next, a team my mom and I really enjoy watching. We're hoping this one goes our way!

#100HappyDays Day 3: A Piece of Belgian Chocolate

Day #3

For Christmas, Mike's grandparents from Belgium brought us each a box of beautiful and delicious chocolate. Each piece is a work of art: the physical appearance of each is spectacular and the taste is even more divine. We try to just eat one piece a day but Mike is much better at that sort of self-control than I am. My box is half empty but his still shows off the beauty of the compilation (thus, I had to borrow his box for the photos).

 For my piece of chocolate I chose a piece with a raspberry ganache inside. When I was little and we bought fancy chocolates, my mom always insisted that we savor each one, letting it melt in our mouth. I followed this advice yesterday. I'm really looking forward to making the rest of my box last, or at least sneaking a piece or two from Mike's when mine runs out.

#100HappyDays Day 2: A Warm Hearth

#100HappyDays Day #2

One of my favorite aspects of our house is our gas fireplace. I'll turn it on in the morning while I drink coffee, read or write during the day, and snuggle up Mike or Otho in the evening. Feeling the heat of the fire wrap itself around you like a hug is so soothing and comforting. The snuggles by the fire are an added bonus and, as you can see from the photos, they aren't always reciprocated.