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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Days 21 & 22

Days 21 & 22:  HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!
Since Chris had to work this weekend, we didn't have much of a celebration but I did what I could to bring the festivities home.  Saturday night we had Corned Beef and Cabbage.  The Corned Beef slow-cooked all afternoon long in a brown sugar, beer, and whatever-the-seasonings-are-that-comes-with-it.  It was delicious!  I threw some carrots in towards the end and they, too, were yummy.  Since my Mother-in-Law's Crock Pot is not as large as mine, I couldn't get all of the cabbage in with the roast and ended up sauteing it with olive oil and salt and pepper.  I added some of the juices from the roast and it was delicious!

Today at Kroger, I fell into a trap of using the self-check-out.  I have been avoiding those as part of my no drive-throughs. The cashier's lines were backing up and a lady came and got me (with my three items) and said she would check me out "Over here."  I was skeptical that she just wanted me to use the self-serve line but she started scanning my items herself, so I was relieved.  Then she said, "You can pay here," and walked away.  I was left to complete my check out on my own with only the computer as companion.  It did not tell me to have a nice day.

On another note, the Reubons we made tonight were amazing!  We used the left-over corned beef, some sauerkraut warmed in white wine, swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing on Rye bread (yes, we did have to buy more) and used a panini press to melt it all together.  Thanks to Alli for the quick recipe!

Hope you all had a Happy St. Patrick's Day!


Days 17, 18, 19, 20

Day 17: Snacks
Once again, there was no need to forgo a drive through today.  I have found that since we no longer use drive-throughs, we have to plan for snacks to hold us over until we get home to eat our meals.  The best snack for such a time is definitely a Cutie.  Those things are so stinkin' yummy, we have to bring at least 3 anytime we are planning a snack: I can easily put two of them away on my own.  Fiona loves them, too, and they are healthy!  Check out your Smart Source 2/24 coupons for 50¢ off (doubled to $1 at Publix).  You know you wanna!

Day 18: Chase Bank
Banks were what I dreaded most in forgoing drive-thoughs for my 100 Days of No Drive-Throughs Challenge.  I have to say that it has surprisingly not been as big as a burden as I imagined.  Since drive-throughs and ATMs are so easily accessibly, there are hardly ever lines.  Not even one today, when I popped in before heading to the grocery store.  Today as I walked in and was greeted, I noticed that several of the people noticed me.  I have been using this bank since the branch opened several years ago and have never been noticed.  I've been going inside for less than a month and guess what?  They notice me.  Talk about a good feeling!

Day 19: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwhiches on Rye Bread
My grocery shopping this week consisted of items that were intended for our St. Patty's Day celebrations for the weekend.  One of the items that I only buy in March every year is rye bread and I don't know why this is: anytime it's in the cabinet, we use and love it!  Today I made bacon and fried egg sandwiches with muenster cheese on toasted rye bread with sliced strawberries on the side.  It was delicious!  So delicious, I have a feeling I'm going to need to get another load of it before our Reubon sandwiches this weekend!

Day 20: An Apology to Starbucks
I wanted to offer a sincere apology to whomever it is at Starbucks who's reading my blog and obviously got upset when I didn't write for a while.  Today when I went to get a latte, there were no parking places.  Note: NO parking places.  Not like, "Aww man, there are no close places," but like, "Dang.  There are NO parking places at all."  And since I couldn't go through the drive-through, I had to forgo my espresso indulgence and head home for a K-Cup with Irish Creamer.


Days 13, 14, 15, 16...

So, good news.  The reason for not blogging is not because I fell off the no drive-through wagon.  Things are busy and I am the type of person who couldn't just pick up at day 17 without having days 13, 14, 15, and 16 complete, so I took a little break.

While I haven't cheated and have been continuing to forgo Drive-Throughs, I may not be able to remember every day between now and last week, so please forgive me if some of the days get left out. :)

Day 13: McDonald's
I know, I know.  Eww, right?  Well, I have to say that I do like McDonald's Breakfast.  Especially their sausage biscuits.  Mmmm... So, last week, Fiona had her 2 year doctor's appointment and was so brave during her shots that we decided to go to McDonald's afterwards for a treat.  We rushed in, breathless, at 10:29 to find that yes, they were still serving breakfast.  Once again, there was no line.  And the lady taking my order was so pleasant!  She could tell we were rushing and trying to catch out breath and told us not to worry, and take our time.  They would still have breakfast food.  And, of course, they did.  We got a sausage biscuit to share and 2 hash-browns for a little of $2!  Can't beat that!


Day 14: Jimmy John's
We had quite an eventful Friday what with Fiona's new Kindermusik class, a picnic at Will's Park with sweet, adorable cousins, and finally errands all over town in preparation for my student's festival Saturday.  Our last stop was to Jimmy John's.  While the sandwich place smells amazing, I have to admit I was a bit bummed that our group had voted to use Jimmy John's again.  My previous experiences with them were always of too-doughy bread and way too much sprout filling.  That was until I ordered a number 16: the Lulu.  My mind is changed- I am a convert.  That sandwich was absolutely amazing- every bite had me wanting more- I couldn't shove it into my mouth fast enough!  I ate both halves in one sitting and was sorely disappointed when it was gone.  If you're not a believer in Jimmy John's, give them another chance with the Lulu.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Day 15: Main Street Cleaners
One of the places of business where I (used to) frequent the drive-through was our dry-cleaners.  I'm a stickler for following washing instructions on clothing (the best way to keep your garments looking their best for a long time, I believe) and have been a regular at the dry-cleaners since I was 18.  This particular Saturday, I was very happy to see they were still open on a Saturday at 6:00 as I was in desperate need of the dress I had dropped off several weeks prior.  While paying for my clothing, I recognized a man who had stopped through the drive-through.  We caught eyes and the recognition was mutual (don't worry- I'm not going into some goofy love-story ;).  He was the father of one of my former students and my student was actually in the car with him!  She was so grown up and it was great to reconnect!  Her father even took my information and said he'd be giving me a call to get her re-enrolled in lessons.  After that conversation I went back to paying and the lady who owns the shop said that happens all the time: people will see someone they hadn't seen in forever driving through the drive-through and will reconnect after years have gone by!

Day 16: Dr. Denmark
While I did not get a chance to forgo a drive-through on Sunday, I did have time to travel the roads of years past and visit a place I used to not hold so dear: Dr. Denmark's old house and office.  I suppose I was feeling nostalgic after attending a bridal shower for a friend from high school.  After the shower, I took a road home that I don't normally take and thought it was the road where Dr. Denmark used to live and operate her practice.  I called my mom and discovered it wasn't, but also found out where her old place was.  Since it was several hours before Fiona (who had fallen asleep) and I needed to be anywhere, we made the trek over to Mullinax Road.  It was super easy to find and looked exactly how it had when we were last there.  For those of you who do not know, Dr. Denmark was a pediatric doctor who practiced well into her 100's.  When she died last April, she was 114 and the 4th oldest person in the world.  She aided in the development of a vaccine for whooping cough in the 1930's and received a Fisher Award for her work.  You may know her book, "Every Child Deserves a Chance," or perhaps the easier read, "Dr. Denmark Said It."  I highly recommend either of them for a good dose of common-sense parenting advice.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Day 12: Starbucks

Sunday was a good day aside from the fact that Chris had to work.  One of the nice things about him working on Sundays is we are guaranteed to get to church on time!  The bridge that was recently constructed for North Point Church actually connects the church's parking lot to the parkway where Chris' job is located.  

We were so early Sunday, Fiona and I decided to stop by Starbucks before heading into church.  I was going to let her pick out a sweet danish for a breakfast treat, but she saw a banana sitting there and wanted one.  She showed me that rejecting drive-throughs can lead to making better decisions.  If we had gone through the drive-through, she never would have seen the banana and would have been satisfied with a sugar & carb filled pastry.  

And once again, thanks to the Starbucks workers reading my blog: I got an up-front parking spot again!

What good decisions has forgoing drive-throughs lead you to make?

Monday, March 04, 2013

Day 11: Jilly's Cupcakery!

Saturday we had Fiona's 2 year old pictures made!  I can't wait to share them :)  She is getting SO big!

Because we were busy with pictures and make-up lessons, there were no opportunities to say no to drive-throughs.  So I figured I'd talk about something else that everyone loves more than drive-throughs: Cup Cakes!!!

Chris treated me to Jilly's Cupcakery Saturday night and we were able to try some of their Irish Car Bomb flavored cupcakes!  The cake was made with a dark Guinness chocolate and the frosting was Irish Cream.  OMG- they were fantastic!  

One of my favorite things about Jilly's is the mini cupcake options that they offer in every flavor!  I also like this (feel free to jump to 1:00): 




Day 10: The Dreaded Bank.

Friday was the day I was dreading most in the "100 Days of No Drive-Throughs" challenge.  If was the first of the month and time to deposit checks from my piano students and pay ourselves out of that account.  

For whatever reason, Chris and I are still at two separate banks.  Normally it is not that big of a deal as both banks have many branches and Fiona and I are able to easily swing through the drive-throughs during our morning errands.  With mobile banking it's become even easier by simply taking a picture of the check front and back and remotely depositing the money into our accounts.  A while ago I decided to stop using mobile banking when a check from a student got deposited for $1000 over the written amount.

Back to Friday.  Fiona and I dropped Chris off at work early and made our way to the first bank.  It was nice going in early as there was barely a line.  Someone greeted us at the door and assisted us to the counter where Fiona got a sucker we saved for later that day and our endeavor to a consignment sale.  I was even able to switch over our address to our current residence which I had been putting off.  It literally took 2 minutes.

After the first bank, there wasn't time to go to the second before my Zumba class.  We went to the branch in the Kroger after Zumba and again, even at 11:30, there was no line.  We were in and out on a Friday!

On a side note, after the consignment sale we went to go get Fiona's hair cut!  She likes Pigtails and Crewcuts in Roswell so off we went!  This time she chose to sit in a "Thomas Choo-Choo."  Her haircut was in preparation for the pictures that we did on Saturday.  Look forward to seeing those in the future :)