WAIW: The Holiday Cheer Edition

Fact: I love Christmas season. I love the lights, the festive spirit, just about everything. (The one exception to this is the certain genre of Christmas music that involves modern-day singers doing covers of old Christmas songs. That I definitely don't love.)

In DC, things just don't get very festive -- I'm not sure why DC lacks holiday cheer, but it always bums me out. Adding to that, Brandon and I have been too busy during the last few Christmases to get all done up in holiday decor, but this year that's changing.

This year, my friends, I've gone into a holiday decorating frenzy.

I bought pine-scented candles.  I picked up a glittery little mini-tree from Trader Joe's. (Nevermind that a dear friend once referred to glitter as "the herpes of crafts projects.")

I painted some scented pine cones gold. (A girl's gotta have some arts and crafts, y'know?)

And now, after a delay due to my feeling like total crap for the last week, it's time for the crowning glory: the tree.

We don't have much space in here, so we can't get a full-size tree. But we can get a medium-sized tree, and so help me God, we're going to do just that!

My mom, knowing how desperate I am for a tree that stands taller than your average two-year-old, has been doing some reconnaissance for me. She said that the Home Depot back in my hometown of Colorado Springs has 4' trees, and that's the perfect size. So, tonight I shall drag my poor husband to our local Home Depot after work to pick up some foliage. I figure I need some tree decoratin' to make up for yesterday's close encounter with some wet concrete. (Shameless self-promotion moment: if you're having a rough day and want to read about something funny, check out that post. You're going to at least smile, and possibly even laugh - money back, guaranteed!)

Because my mom is awesome, she not only did tree reconnaissance, but she also sent me a box of Christmas decorations -- basically, she's more than happy to contribute to Operation: Holiday Cheer. Mom FTW!

Although it's still in process, I suspect that Operation: Holiday Cheer will be a success. THERE WILL BE (EXPLETIVE) CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN OUR APARTMENT, DAMMIT! (This statement is only slightly less absurd than the "The beatings will continue until morale improves" sign I was tempted to put up in an office where I used to work. That office shall remain nameless.)


And now, having bombarded you all with Christmas decor, it's time for What I Ate Wednesday, the hottest little cyber-potluck in this series of tubes we call the Internetz. Hosted by the lovely Jenn from Peas & Crayons, it's basically the bomb diggity.


Per the usual, I had my pre-workout cup of chai:

Post-workout green smoothie featuring kale, nonfat Greek yogurt, frozen bananas, strawberries, and mango:

I tend to eat throughout the day, so I had a wiiiiide range of snacks/mini meals including gluten-free oats with chia seeds, molasses, and almond milk; a slice of home-made turkey, Swiss, and spinach quiche; and an apple with almond butter.

Lunch was chicken, rice, and veggie soup:

Since we both had to work late and didn't feel like cooking, we went out for dinner (thank you, DC-area restaurants, for rescuing me from the perils of cooking while exhausted and cranky). I had a salad with grilled chicken, almonds, onions, and cranberries:

Dessert was particularly exciting for me (isn't it always?): a Garden Lites Veggie Muffin (AKA: the most miraculous creation I've ever encountered - it tastes like a brownie, but OMFG it has vegetables in it) with some frozen Greek yogurt. Deeeee-leeee-shus.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday!