Packing

Yesterday I came back from visiting my parents! I'll post the details of my trip on Thursday. I thought I'd take today to write about my packing strategy. I'll start with this story...

Instagrammed while Driving to Boston

During my last semester of law school not yet Hubs and I went to Boston to visit with our college friends. I packed frantically for our weekend trip and when we got to my friend's apartment I realized I had contact lenses on my eyeballs but no case to put them in when it was time for bed and no contact lens solution to keep them from drying out overnight. I ended up buying over priced contact lens solution at a convenience store and using cups. I also realized I would have a problem later that summer. I was sitting for the Maine Bar Exam in Maine on Tuesday and Wednesday and then going down to Boston to sit for the Massachusetts Bar exam on Thursday. I was already stressed out thinking about the bar exam and I was so sure I'd forget something so I started making a packing check list with everything I need when I travel so I wouldn't ever forget anything I needed.

So the first thing I do when getting ready for a trip is to print out my packing list (this is a link to the list I used uploaded to google drive), check the average weather for the area, and write down any special things I need. Like for the bar exam, I needed so many Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Gatorade Energy Chews. (Also, I needed not to lose my mind but that's not something you can pack.) For my trip home, I needed to remember to bring paperwork home for my dad to fill out.

The Planning Process

I look at the average weather, think about how long we'll be there, and I think about what I'll be doing on the trip. Knowing all this informs my deliberations upon what to pack. I usually don't start packing things until a few days before but I try to check to be sure that I have enough clean underwear to pack and to be sure that anything I really want to bring with me is clean earlier so that I have enough time to clean things. Hubs just throws everything in his suitcase the morning of. He is not known for wonderful outfits. 

As the time for the tip gets near I pull out everything and see how it goes together. I try to make sure all the colors go together so that I can remix my outfits on the go if need be and I try to stick to one color as my neutral color. I usually stick with #navyornothing but over Thanksgiving I went with black. Really thinking about what colors I'm packing helps me pack lighter and makes my travel wardrobe more wearable since I can mix and match what I've brought.

Folding Clothes

Usually, I just fold my clothes and put them in my suitcase. If I'm traveling far away I have Eagle Pack-It Garment Folders that help me fold my clothes nicely and save space supposedly.

My Travel Sized Toiletries

The night before and the morning of I start packing my toiletries as I use them for the last time. I empty out my purse of all my liquids and fill up my quart sized ziplock baggie. I keep a large gallon size bag full of travel sized toiletries and travel containers in my bathroom so that it's easy for me to find small containers to use in my travel size bag. I purchased a wonderful travel sized loose powder holder on eBay. I also love GoToobs for making my own travel sized containers of my favorite products. I try to refill them when I get home so that they're ready to go for my next trip.

Sometime You Have More then a Quart's Worth

The morning of, I double check my packing check list to be sure I've got everything and I squeeze it into my suitcase. I am a germaphobe and I think feet and shoes are the most discuqting thing in the world so I wrap those in plastic bags before putting those in my suitcase. (I feel so grossed out when I see pictures of other people packing and they have their dirty discussing shoes on their nice clothes in their bag! Ewwwwww!)

My Suitcase All Packed Up

My suitcase is carryon sized (22" long) but when I travel on smaller planes sometimes it needs to be checked at the gate so I try to make sure that there's nothing in my large suitcase that I would be afraid to check. I also like to make sure that everything is strapped down so that nothing falls out if my suitcase accidentally opens up.

My Law School Backpack and Favorite Travel Companion

I refer my back pack as a carry on for most traveling. It's  got a convent pocket for my laptop that makes it easy to take out when I go thru security. It's also easy so much more comfortable for me to have an even load on my shoulders when going thru the airport, especially if I have to make a connecting flight.

When I travel I try to wear my biggest clothes. So on my trip home to Chi-beria I wore my warmest coat and my Bean boots. Those would have taken up so much space in my suitcase so it made sense to wear them. I also always try to wear my easiest to take off shoes so I don't have to bother with suitcases when I'm in the security line. I also try to leave my bag of toiletries on top so that they're easy to get to too.

I Made Grandma's Cookies "Healthy"

I've been trying to make a breakfast cookie so that I have something low fat and low sugar to snack on when I get a craving for something sweet so I fiddled with my Grandma's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to make something I could eat everyday that wouldn't raise my HDL and blood glucose levels to dangerously high amounts. 

Ingredients

Heaping 1/2 c applesauce, unsweetened

1 1/4 c oatmeal (I use quick cook)

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla

1/4 to 1/2 c light brown sugar (I think 1/3 c is best for my taste buds' preferences)

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda (in a box)

Scant 1/2 c (3 oz) Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Warm the apple sauce and mix with the oatmeal. Let sit for up to 10 min. to soften. Mix in sugar and liquid ingredients. Mix in flour, chocolate, and baking soda. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies. 

Instead of chips you can use nuts (pecans are my favorite). Use up to 1 c. nuts alone or 1/2 c chocolate chips and 1/2 c nuts. Feel free to try doubling the recipie, I halved it from my grandma's recipie while experimenting.

Hubs really loves these. I love them too. I'm so glad I gave this a try.

February Thankful Thursday and Best of Instagram

Blood Donation OOTD
Ugg boots are the best at keeping my freezing feet warm.
Wearing short sleeves so the nurses can get at my veins.

1/30 I found a job listing I was excited about and I applied for it.
1/31 I donated blood. I was able to find a great use for the kitchen style crushed tomatoes I bought by accident.
2/1 Hubs and I watched a movie together. Our friends came over and we went to Tim Horton's.
2/2 We Skyped with our college friends while watching the Super Bowl.
2/3 I went to a job fair and wrote a cover letter for a real lawyer job!

Our Backyard on One of the Snow Days

2/4 I called my old nanny for her birthday. I got a call back from one of the recruiters at the job fair. It's not a lawyer job but it is a job.
2/5 Snow day! Hubs stayed home.
2/6 I have an interview with a firm! I got more contract work. I did five loads of laundry.

Bundling Up! Dressing in the Winter is a Multi Step Process
Wool Socks, Long Under Wear, Regular Clothes,
Warm Sweaters, and Arctic Rated Outwear Wear

2/7 I had my last shot before I move on to matinence allergy shots! I had a nice chat with the director of career servicces at the law school and got more books about hanging out my own shingle.
2/8 We went to Five Guys and OrangeLeaf (froyo) with Hubs' collegues.
2/9 I sold two things on eBay! Yeah for money!
2/10 I had my second shift as a volunteer tax preparer. Hubs and I had some good quality time together.

My Interview OOTD & Rocking my New Hair Cut

2/11 Got a great hair cut! I am so happy to have a stylist I trust.
2/12 I had two job interviews and I heard that another application would be passed on to the hiring manager. I took charge at the the Junior League New Member Meeting and rallied my subcommittee.
2/13 Snowday! Hubs came with me to the allergist so I got to sit with him while they waited to see if I had a systematic reaction. I am starting on the most concentrated vial of immunotherapy and soon I won't need shots every week.

2/14 Snowday! Ben bought me doughnuts and Dunkin gave us a carnation. (The carnation ended up lasting over a week and a half!)
2/15
2/16 We watched Minority Report together. It was a good interesting movie.
2/17 I watched Despicable Me 2 while donating blood. So funny!
2/19 We went to the theater and watched the Lego Movie. It was great! We got fresh snow. I just love fresh snow.
2/20 I got a free slushie at the gas station.

Random OOTD #lillypulitzer #jcrew #tiffanys

2/21 Looked at office space and started trying to get a quote for malpractice insurance.
2/22 It was warm (45) and we went for a walk. It was nice.
2/23 We went sledding.

An Abandoned Factory.

2/24 I was so productive yesterday. I got a lot off of my to do list and I fixed my broken Bose headphones.
2/25 So excited for Taco Tuesday on Wednesday. (See above where we saw the Lego Movie.)
2/26 I was so anxious about Junior League neighborhood meeting. It was at a member's home and I didn't know that member and I wasn't sure who else was in my neighborhood. But it was great!

LL Bean Signature Dress + Ugg Boots =
Little House on the Prairie Look

New Year's Resolution Updates
I did not exercise at all except for going for a walk and going sledding. I also didn't use myfitnesspal to track my food intake until this week. But hopefully I can keep up with tracking. I stopped drinking enough water using my water bottle really helps so I have to fill it up even when I'm at home. I'm flossing and using my Clarisonic pretty regularly. I am still so full of envy but I am working on finding the joy in my own life as you can see from my Thankfuls above. I am working on saving money. We averaged $36 a week on groceries (food items only) this month according to Mint! We did stockpile non-food grocery items (vitamins, paper towels, toilet paper). Over all in terms of saving it looks like our net income for February was positive so that puts us a little closer to owning a home!

How was your month? How are you doing with your new year's resolutions (if you had any that is)? What do you think of all my crazy facial expressions in my OOTDs?

Sledding

We got quite a bit of fresh snow this past week. We got back up to about two-ish feet of snow. Some of it was incredibly wet and hard to shovel and some of it was really light and fluffy. Then we got a thaw and it was so warm. A lot of snow melted but we've still got a little less than a foot of snow cover, even in sunny spots.

So during the thaw we went sledding when it was 45º and there were puddles on the ground. I may or may not have been two warm in my ski gear. My in-laws have a spot. There's a great sledding hill in one of the nearby towns and when we got there we were the only ones there!

Hubs and my MIL where both terrified of sledding down head first but I wasn't.

A horrible wipeout. Everyone wipedout on this sled. I was so glad I had a lot of padding. Fun fact. My ski pants are from the summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. They still fit (but are tight). I have no idea why I worry about my weight.

How was your weekend? Did you get out any enjoy the outdoors?

Black Bean Tacos

Mr. H LOVED this accidental creation.
We had an extra jalapeño and leftover chicken broth and
I decided to make tacos with black beans for the filling.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup dried black beans, soaked (about 2 cans cooked black beans drained)
1 jalapeño pepper diced
1 to 2 onions diced (I used 1½ small onions because I also made blender salsa)
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ Tbsp paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cumin
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
½ tsp seasoning salt
½ Tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 c. broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable your choice)

Directions
Saute onions and jalapeño in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until soft. Add soaked beans, broth, and spices. Bring to boil then simmer covered for an hour or until the beans are cooked through. (If you use canned beans you do not need to cook the beans as long.) If there is too much liquid with the beans after simmering for an hour take off the lid the pot and turn the heat up to medium to cook off the extra liquid.

Serve the beans on tortillas with your favorite condiments (pinterest blender salsa and sour cream) and veggies (olives, tomato, and iceberg lettuce). Or try serving it over delicious cheesy Mexican rice.

I just tried recreating it to test the recipe I wrote down after I the first time I made this and it is pretty spicy! I was at my limit. If you need to keep things mild omit the cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and reduce the amounts of chili powder and paprika. If you don't want to mix up the spices yourself or buy them all you can use a packet of taco seasoning instead of the spices in the recipe.

I had originally thought to make black bean tacos  because ground beef is really expensive but I love tacos. I've been subbing black beans into other "Mexican" recipes where there's ground meat like Skinny Taste's Taco Stuffed Succhini Boats and Budget Bytes' Beef Taco Pasta (like Mexican Hamburger Helper) and so I gave it a go with tacos. I usually use the equivalent of a can of beans per pound of meat when substituting because most cans of beans weigh just short of a pound. Generally, half a cup of dried beans yields the same amount as a can of beans.

Step by Step Photos

Cooking the veggies

Adding the spices

Starting to Simmer

Done