Just the Ticket

Sometimes a girl just needs some pampering! And thanks to an awesome mom, that is exactly what I was treated to this weekend. We spent Saturday at the Aveda salon and spa where we experienced an absolutely delightful afternoon of facials, mani/pedis and body treatments! Such a fun way to relax and celebrate before baby girl gets here! Couple that with a date night with my husband and a few afternoon naps and you've got a mama who's recharged and feeling completely loved!

Now I'm off to enjoy my free morning:) And I'm thinking some pumpkin pie oatmeal is in order! Happy Monday!

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Weekend Love

Happy Friday! With a long and interesting week behind us, I am definitely ready for a long 3-day weekend! Looking forward to our photo session with Sarah tomorrow, a 5k run where I hope to meet some new potential clients, yummy dinner plans and a relaxing day off Monday. Exactly what we need. Have a lovely few days!

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Kicking My Feet Up

Take a guess at what I'm doing today? NOTHING! I can cross one thing off my list because I took today off and have absolutely nothing planned. Well, I am getting my hair done but that hardly counts as doing something:) I am relishing that I slept in past 7 and don't have a million things to get done today!

When I asked my boss for the day off he was like, "Do you have a dentist appt or something?", and then laughed when I said there was no real reason. "Who takes a Wednesday off instead of a Friday or Monday?" he said. To which I responded that Wednesdays are like a best kept secret as you get a glorious reprieve in the middle of the week. It truly is wonderful! You should try it out sometime!

Well, I should get back to my oatmeal and coffee and dream up what I would like to do (or not do) today! Though I definitely have my heart set on heading to the park and getting a good chunk through my new book!

Have a splendid day!

Mental Health Friday

Even though this week was a short one, I most definitely needed a "mental health day" today. Since I am still working my full time job in addition to building my training clientele, I've been a tad bit exhausted the past few weeks and needed a little breather from my 4am alarm. Thank goodness this is only a temporary situation until I have enough regular clients to just train, which doesn't even feel like work to me!

The day is already off to a magnificent start! After I finish my yummy breakfast, I think I'll take Abby for a walk to the park and then maybe to Starbucks for a soy chai...yum!

Tonight I'm whipping up a Chicago style pizza for dinner (from Clean Eating) complete with a bottle of wine and a few candles to set the mood! I predict it to be quite a lovely evening!

As for the rest of the weekend, we have not a care in the world. We spent yesterday afternoon talking about fun things we could do and sadly, a day trip to San Francisco is out because it's raining there all weekend. But I feel sure whatever we come up with will be wonderful, even if it's just hanging out at home together!

Happy Friday! Hope your weekend is lovely!

Christmas Cookies!

Happy Friday! I'm off today for a very special reason-I'm baking Christmas cookies, peppermint bark and all sorts of festive goodies with my Mom! Only to give most of them away as tasty gifts! We've been looking forward to this for weeks, as it is one of our favorite holiday traditions. I'm going to get a quick run in this morning, you know, to pretend I work off those pesky cookie dough calories that I will inevitably consume:-)

Do you realize this is the last weekend before Christmas?! Ahh! I am so stoked! This weekend will be full of tamale making with Chris' family, gift exchanges with sweet friends and enjoying the general splendor of the season with people we love!

Hope you have a glorious weekend!

Weekend Bliss

Good morning lovely friends! I hope your weekend treated you wonderfully!

I am so very thankful for a long weekend followed by a two day week! The past few days were very full, but with delightful things!

It began with Harvest Festival fun with my mom, mother-in-law, and Chris' step-grandma, Lupe. I found several Christmas gifts and even a few things for myself. An afternoon of shopping followed by Cheesecake Factory for lunch is my idea of a great day off!

If I have not already indulged the fact that my husband spoils me, you will know once I tell you how our date night began. Around 6pm I heard a knock on the door and found Chris holding a bunch of flowers, a skinny latte and Norah Jones' new CD!! Never underestimate the joy that comes from sweet surprises for no reason at all!



Saturday evening we attended a wedding. Chris works with both the bride and groom and he's been saying how he thinks I will really like them. Finally getting to meet them I would have to agree they are a very sweet couple! I am such a sap for weddings, and this was only enhanced as they played the song I walked down the isle to at our wedding (Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'). I may have shed a few happy tears!

There was a slight change of plans Sunday. Originally, Chris and I were going to the Raiders game with his Dad and Uncle, but realizing that I need to take my certification exam before the holidays hit, I decided to stay home and make sure I'm well prepared. I really would have enjoyed being at the game, but time is slipping away from me and I want to get this test out of the way! I am trying to schedule the exam for this Wednesday so it won't be a distraction during Thanksgiving. You should be proud, despite the temptation from our mothers to join them at the Mandarin Festival yesterday, I opted to get my workout out of the way and study, study, study. Although I still ended up with a 5lb bag of mandarines:) They take such good care of us!

And on a VERY exciting note, after a year of researching, planning for and finding the very best deal, Chris and I purchased this...


Our new Samsung 50in plasma will be at our door next Monday! I have to admit, I am more excited than I expected to be! Of course, Chris' excitement was no surprise at all!

And finally, last night I purchased Silk Nog! I buy one carton every season and savor it all month! Not being a fan of regular egg nog, I was delighted to find this lighter, less sweet substitute and now find myself looking forward to it every year!



Hope you have a very merry Monday!

Hansen Happenings

Happy Wednesday morning!

I am feeling exceptionally good today for a few reasons. The first being that it rained last night and I am loving the chilly, gloomy weather that comes along with rain (at least for now)! And secondly, today is my Thursday since I am taking Friday off for the Harvest Festival! I requested the day off ages ago to be sure I would get it! I'm just a little excited!!

Today seemed like a perfect day for a crock pot dinner so I prepared Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos this morning. Yum! And I've got to say, this blog has become a handy little reference for me when it comes to recipes we've really enjoyed. In fact, this week alone I have made Almond Stuffed Chicken, Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies!

It has occured to me that we are right in the middle of the cold and flu season and somehow, Chris and I have managed to stay under the radar and remain healthy...knock on wood. I'm really hoping it stays that way because we have much planned for the upcoming weeks!

And finally, I just can't believe how quickly the holidays are approaching! It seems a little bittersweet because on one hand, I adore this time of year, but on the other, I am all too aware of how quickly it passes. So I am making a solid effort to sit back and enjoy every single moment, Christmas movie, cup of hot chocolate, family gathering and holiday decoration. I can't wait to spend my second holiday season as a Hansen!



Savor each moment!

A Great Day Off Indeed

Productive days off make me happy! I made absolutely no plans for the day and it went a little something like this~

We slept in until about 8am, then upon leisurely getting up we walked Abby to Starbucks. We sat and enjoyed the overcast morning while sipping our latte/peppermint hot chocolate. Since then I have basically been going though every drawer and closet looking for stuff to take to Goodwill. We also posted a ton of goods to Craig's list and have already gotten calls about two things! I love de-cluttering the house!

Now I can relax and enjoy some Italian Meatball Soup for dinner!

Happy Veterans Day!

On My Wish List

It's that time of year when my Mom starts asking for a Christmas list. Yes, I still make one of those:) This year, unlike the past few, I actually don't need anything else for our house, and more surprisingly, the kitchen! When I started thinking about things I would like I of course went straight to 'my favorites' on Etsy! Just wanted to share some cute finds with you today!

These first two are from Inkandbutton. Aren't they absolutely adorable?!

The Martha Headband



The Emma Fascinator



Fingerless Gloves by FriendlyBrown. LOVE these and could so use them at work!!



Coffee Cozy by UptownAvenue. I seriously should have invented this! Probably my favorite new find!!



I am also loving this Amy Butler fabric.



Wouldn't that fabric look fab on this Birdie Sling Bag?!



Enjoy your Tuesday! I most certainly will as we have the day off tomorrow in honor of Veteran's Day! Quite a nice little treat in the middle of the week:) So it's sushi with my friend Parris tonight and sleeping in tomorrow!

A GROWING Family

Well my friends, it's Wednesday and the upcoming three day weekend is calling my name! Which means I've gone six weeks since my last day off and it is much needed! Oh, and the best part is, Lael and her sister are coming Monday and staying the night!! They're only stopping through as they head south and leave for New Zealand to live for, well, who knows:) I wish they could stay longer, but these days, I'll take what I can get with my sweet friends who are now scattered all over!

And in other exciting news that I've been holding onto for a few weeks...I am going to have another little sibling this Spring! That's right, my stepmom is pregnant for the fifth and FINAL time:) Sadly, I probably won't get to meet this new addition until next year, but I will see her prego when we go to Indiana (they recently moved from Chicago) to visit them in October! Yay! Can't wait for that trip. I wish it could happen more than once a year, but it's so worth it to see how much my brother and sisters grow each time we see them:)

I LOVE these kids!





And finally, by special request, I will post this crock pot recipe later today:) So come back and you too can try it out!

Happy Wednesday!

PS ~ 20 days 'til Fall!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I am convinced that weird weather makes for weird days!

Here in Sacramento, we have definitely not had a shortage of sunshine; appropriate for the time of year and much appreciated!! It has made it much easier to go for my runs in the evenings after work. And not to mention just being more active throughout the day. Who wouldn't want to be outside when it is a perfect 71 degrees?!

I'm not really sure what happened, but this afternoon I was working away and I realized it was raining!! Excuse me?? Where did my sunshine go? And especially right before my birthday! The weather report says it should clear up by Friday, but that's still cutting it a bit close for my comfort!

Don't get me wrong, I love big rains, just not in April. This is pretty much how I feel today:(


So what have been the effects of this strange turn of the weather you ask? Well for me, I am finding it hard to get motivated to work out tonight. Bah! I have been doing so well and pushed through being really tired at the end of last week and now this? All I can say is, it will take some major motivation from my hubby to not put my sweats on when I get home:)Especially since I have a super yummy dinner planned tonight (soba noodles with grilled flank steak). I should also mention how the strangest people come out of the woodwork on days like this! Not only was I swamped at work, but I dealt with some real crazies today!

Today wasn't all negative though. Chris actually took the day off and got to watch the Giants opener! Honestly, I was a bit jealous when he was still in bed and I was leaving for work this morning, but it really was much deserved. I am so blessed with a husband who I can be proud of! I know that he has always and will always do everything in his power to suppport us and that is such a wonderful feeling. Thank you for your hard work, my Love! I hope you enjoyed your day off!