PB Fluff Brownies

So I haven't been feeling well the last week and yesterday I really hit a wall, so i decided to take it easy and take a sick day.  Sleeping until 12 was amazing but then I had a whole day of nothing to do and no energy.  So what to do... BAKE!  I found a recipe online awhile back that mixed a few of my favorite things and decided to give it a try. 

Peanut Butter Fluff Brownies

(Yes this is a stock photo because I wasn't smart enough to take one before they were all eaten lol)

• 1 box brownie mix (13*9 pan size)
• Ingredients on box mix
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup marshallow fluff

1) Mix the brownies according to the box directions and pour into greased 13x9 pan
2) Place PB and Fluff into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute
3) Stir the mixture until well mixed and place into brownie mix in 4 lines
4) Use a knife to swirl in the PB/Fluff mixture
5) Bake according to the box direction ( I had to add an additional 3 minutes)
6) Enjoy

These were so good and my whole office really enjoyed them!  Def will now be a staple in my baking arsenal, and who can beat how easy they are?

A few of my favorite things

I don't really expect anyone to be reading my blog, or to be interested in my life really; however, I figure I might as well introduce myself a little better just in case.  I am a photo whore (if you ever saw my FB you would agree) so I figured pictures of my favorite things would probably be best! Also these are in no particular order!

1) My sister:  Without going into some long drawn out story about my family all you really need to know is they are a mess.  In the end though this girl has basically become both my daughter and my best friend.  Don't think I would be here without her even though she drives me nuts.  Also this is probably one of my favorite set of pics ever!

2) My Girls:  I have have many many friends come and go through the years but I am so lucky to have the amazing friends that I do.  The girlies on the left are my high school girls that have been there for me through everything.  They are all wifed up and one is expecting her first baby so sometimes I feel out of the loop but I still love them and miss them since they all live a few hours away.  The right girls that fill my weekends and every waking moment since they are my roomies and I wouldn't have it any other way!



Spoiled with 3rd row seats from my BF

3) Sports: Football is king with hockey being a close second.  I am a hardcore Chicago Bears fan and Detroit Red Wings fan... growing up on the west side of Michigan gave me the opportunity to look at both Detroit and Chicago to pick from lol

4) The beach:  really there is no place I would rather be on any given day then on an amazing beach with a drink!

5) My BF:  I could go on and on about how amazing of a person he is to me and how he has made me even better but I will spare the details for another post.  This pic was taken on our first date almost a year ago and I have been this giddy ever since. 

6) My puppy:  Baby bear was given to me as a gift when I first graduated and moved on my own to a whole new city.  He was my baby and my best friend and he tragically died at only 2 from a stroke.  I still miss him and talk about him a little too often.  Haven't been able to get myself to get a new one yet and he will always be my baby!

7) And on a lighter note PB:  Yup pretty sure I couldnt' live without my JIF.  I try to eat pretty healthy and although I know there are better options out there I put PB on everything including just a spoon!  This is my typical snack at work since Yes I do have a jar in my desk!

Those are just a few of my favorite things!!  Hopefully if you actually do read this you know me a little better now :-)

Welcome to cold weather running

I hate winter.. ask anyone.  I was raised in MI but have always been a California girl at heart!  Yesterday I had to do my 8 mile run which I surprisingly did with not too much trouble, until mile 4 where is started to downpour in the 50 degree weather.  Not exactly sure how MI missed the fall memo this year, only a week ago it was hitting 90 and then this morning I had frost on my car.  I however decided that this was the perfect time to bust out my new running jacket that I bought a few months back.  Running in mittens can sometimes be a pain just because the temperature can fluctuate so much but this coat solves that problem!

So cool you just flip over the little cuff and voila you have mittens!!  Very happy I bought this and that I can finally use it.  26 days to go until the big race!!!

Adventures of a newbie runner

First thing you should know:  I would never ever consider myself a runner or someone that enjoys running.
Second thing:  I somehow ended up making friends with and dating runners!

So after running my first 5K in December 2011 (and by running I mean running for 1.5 miles, wanting to die, then run/walking the rest) I somehow was convinced that I should sign up for the Detroit Free Press half-marathon 2012

First 5K with my BF

I have learned a few things while training for the half marathon (which is now 30 days away).  One, is that just as I have always know I really dislike running.  Two, is that my dedication to a training marathon is pathetic. And three, that thanks to a lifetime of dance my hips and knees are f'd.  But through all of that I have been running.  Not as much as I should but I have done it.  Last night was my longest run yet at 5 miles

I know I still have a long way to go but it was nice to do something that I have never done before.  13.1 will be ridiculous but I know that crossing that finish line and sticking that stupid sticker on the back of my car will be a big moment!!  And then after that I can go back to my yoga, zumba, kickboxing, and LIGHT running workout routines that I have loved for so long.

Where to begin.....

So here it goes... my first attempt at the blogging world.  I have been reading so many blogs lately related to everything I love that I decided to start my own.  Figure this will be a place to organize all of my thoughts, recipes, fun photos, goals, and anything else.  Basically to keep myself from clogging up my FB I will be clogging up my blog LOL. 

I chose this name because for the first time in ages I am truly looking forward to everything that is to come in my life.  I am at that happy little age where everyone around me is either a bride to me, mommy to be, etc to be, and I am everything just without the plan!  I have my degree, a wonderful (yet sometimes frustrating) job, a man that I am way too lucky to have, friends that want to drink as much wine as I do, and overall my life is better then I could have imagined.  I look forward my BF and I's vacations (which we take too often), my next book club, my friends weddings, happy hours, new shoes, and my next great recipe.  So for now I am just everything to be, I have so much to look forward to and can't wait to share it all.