wild goose chase around town

While gas prices are soaring, I’ve been spending my days making laps around all of Ft. Collins, by car.  Not how I like to roll!  Today was extremely hectic, and left no time to do any of these errands by bike.  Also, they are pretty far spread out and the things I bought wouldn’t really fit in a back pack.  Want to hear where I went today?  No?  Well, humor me. 

  • Lowes x2
  • Home Depot
  • Ace Hardware x3 [including 2 different locations]
  • Sears x2
  • Bed Bath + Beyond
  • Kohls

I was on a wild goose chase for a certain type of hose for the dishwasher, and then had to make second rounds at a few stores to return things that didn’t work out.  We had the electrician at the house for 4 hours, the plumber for 2hrs and our appliances were delivered.  As soon as I returned home from running the second round of errands [plumber was at the house while I was gone], I realized the dogs had escaped from the yard!  It’s been incredibly windy here lately, which blew down our shoddily propped up fence door.  So I’m freaking out SCREAMING their names, and they come gallivanting back from who knows where, happy as clams.

And this was all by 11am.

Ay-ya-yaiiiiiiii

Now, let’s rewind a bit.

I failed to mention, that this is what I opened my eyes to, Thursday morning.  Whaaaaaat!  Actually, I was pretty glad it was snowing/raining all day.  It’s been extremely dry here lately, and there have already been a large number of wild fires.  The thing about Colorado is, it can snow one day and be 60* and sunny the next.  Which is exactly what happened.

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Also on Thursday, I tried a new breakfast!  Kath has been making me drool, with her doughy overnight smoothies.  You basically add all the ingredients for overnight oats into your blender, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, add more milk, and blend away! 

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Oh.my.oh.my. 

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I made a buckwheat + oat mix, with bananas + cherries.

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You know how overnight oats are deliciously doughy in the morning?  Well, this is just a smooth form of that.  So good! 

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I don’t have an exact recipe for this, but I did use 3T rolled oats + 3T raw buckwheat groats.  Tasted like a breakfast dream!  I topped it with maple cinnamon almond butter, almonds, coconut, and cocoa powder.  Thanks for the method, Kath!

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Thursday also included a LARGE run to Costco.  Costco isn’t nearby at all, but it is on the way to Denver.  Typically we just hit up Costco whenever come back from visiting friends in Denver.  However, this was a special trip.  I went to specifically buy a garbage disposal, only to realize we are going to have to return it.  We typically read reviews before buying any major appliance or electronic, but for some reason didn’t do research until after buying. 

50% of people said it broke within a month.  No bueno.

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What else did I buy?  Well, let me show you. 

  • My favorite gluten free crackers.  They are INsanely addicting and much cheaper than buying a single box at the store. 
  • Organic diced tomatoes.  Cheap!

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  • Tortilla chips – Chris’s favorite kind

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  • medjool dates – 2lb for $8.99, which is a great deal and perfect for making lemon ginger date bars or chomping on one before working out
  • baby bellas – all for me!!!
  • daylight lightbulbs – instant rebate, 50% off!

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  • 3lbs of almonds – It is insane how quickly I will go through this bag!

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  • 2 – 16oz containers of spinach – We go through 1/week
  • sprouted bread for the huz [i’m avoiding gluten right now] – first time trying this, he said it was really good
  • a lot of lemons – still drinking my daily lemon water, since mid-January!

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  • organic pink lady apples
  • organic granny smith dried apples – these are so freaking delicious!!! Super crunchy and no added sugar.  Just apples!

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  • organic sharp cheddar – not as good as Organic Valley Extra Sharp White Cheddar, but surprisingly delicious + cheaper.  This was the first time I found organic cheese at Costco and am pretty excited about it. 
  • cucumbers – not organic but certified pesticide free!

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And then I hit the mother-load…

  • 3lbs organic blueberries ~$9
  • 4lbs organic cherries ~$10 <—highly recommend these if you can find the at your Costco!
  • 6lbs organic strawberries, which I’ve never seen there before - ~$10  - Typically, 1lb of organic cherries can cost $5! 

Pretty pumped for all of this fruit!

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And now, I am excited to report, we are DONE with washing dishes in the bathroom.  I think I was actually excited to wash dishes today, when I realized I could use the new sink!   This sink is magical.  Seriously.  If you are putting in a new sink, consider a single basin, that is 10” deep.  It is glorious.  Dishwashing has never been easier!

2 days of dishes [I was on dishwashing strike] + room for more!

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And don’t worry.  There will soon be trim around the windows. ;)

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I cannot wait to have an errand-free day tomorrow and start to get this place organized!  Oh, and minutes ago, the husband successfully installed the gas stove.  No singed eyebrows or explosion.  Double score!

It’s 11:08pm and I’m seriously considering going to bed.

Happy Saturday!

Ashley