What Are You Watching Lately?

For those of you asking about the cauliflower pizza recipe mentioned in yesterday's post, I've added links back in the original post, and also linking to the original recipe here. I edited this to be Dukan friendly (e.g., I used all fat free cheese, skipped the parmesean, added oregano, used plain tomato sauce with no sugar added, and topped mine with turkey pepperoni!)

As summer approaches, it seems as though there's simply nothing left on TV. I know that the wave of summer shows will hit soon, but for now we're in that in between time of season finales and summer premieres. With that in mind, here's what we are still watching as of late.

 

Game of Thrones.
Oh how I love this show. I think this season is its best yet. So much action, great storylines and I really just can't get enough. They left us hanging this week with no Memorial Day weekend episode and I am dying to find out how this trial by combat turns out. I haven't read the books, so I'm going into it completely blind...and I'm totally riveted. Peter Dinklage 4E.

Jeopardy.
An old favorite and great standby. We really got into the Tournament of the Decades which really renewed my love and desire to watch it every night. Since there's no way to watch it at 7 each night, we have a stockpile on the DVR...you know, for those romantic evenings on the couch...

Justified.
We're still plotting along with this one, and every season, I just don't get tired of it...even when the storyline gets thin and I'm not entirely sure what's going on...I still can't get enough Raylan or Boyd...And there's never, ever enough screen time of the two of them together. The writing is phenomenal and we find ourselves laughing as much as cringing at the violence. We're in the throes of season 5 and I'm quite unsure as to what we'll do when that ends since we've had this series in the hopper for the last 8 months.

That's about it for tv viewing these days. Our time is always limited in the evenings anyway, but I'd love some suggestions for Netflix or Amazon Prime viewing...any suggestions?

I am also looking for suggestions for a series to watch on our annual Aruba trip, coming up in just 5 weeks! Last November, we started Justified and it was perfection. I'm tossing around the idea of Suits or White Collar. And aside from that, I'm looking for a series to watch on my own without Shaun (for those nights he is out or wants to watch something I dislike, like the Mets). That shortlist includes Scandal and Revenge.

Please share your viewing pleasure in the comments!

I Caved and Bought a Pair of Tieks

Yep, it's true.

If you follow me on Instagram then you saw me modeling these little cuties a couple of weeks ago.

In the Great Shoe Saga of 2014, I've been on the hunt for a versatile pair of super comfy shoes.

These shoes are a small fortune by my bank account standard, and so I did a ton of research before taking the plunge. I read lots of reviews, spoke to a few people first hand and after only glowing praise did I bite the bullet with a pair of pretty tangerine Tieks.

Also, can we talk about how adorable these are? I often obsess over which color(s) I'd get next (I love the chestnut, ballerina pink and diamond white croc). Each pair has the signature Tiek blue sole and to make your high heeled life even better, they fold up into a tiny pouch for easy transport. And they come in this adorable packaging:

I'm a marketing person and so I'm totally sucked in by beautiful packaging. My iPhone photo does not do it justice.

For such an expense I know it's crazy to go with a wild color like tangerine, but I wanted a color that would pop and complement many of my clothes. I wear a lot of neutrals (blacks and grays mostly) and when I branch out with color I often lean toward blues, purples and greens. And so for me, the tangerine was a perfect choice to complement all of those options.

Tieks supposedly mold to your feet and are made of super soft and lux Italian leather which I love. In the comfort department, I like them...but can't say they are 'the one' to make all of my foot issues disappear. I can wear them for a long period of time and did ok in my mile long walk to work...not to mention a haunted jail tour in Charleston.

For me, the culprit of discomfort lies in the upper elastic area the cuts just below my big toe and into my foot bone. I often have issues with this so I'm not sure that my experience would apply to all. But I do find that after wearing them for an extended period of time, that bone feels tender and amplified...and dare I say, dangerously close to pre-bunion proportions. The elastic upper is super soft and stretchy so on the surface it's not uncomfy...I think it's just the way the shape of the upper is cut, if that makes sense.

The jury is still out on whether or not these are worth the price tag...but in the meantime, I'll continue to break them in and daydream of other gorgeously colored Tieks...

Do you have a go to pair of shoes, or are you continuously on the hunt like me?

Do you own a pair of Tieks? How do you like them? And whether you do or don't, what color(s) do you love?

PS - This post isn't sponsored nor am I being paid or perked to write about them. Just a day in the life...

What do you spend money on during the week?

Since I've made a concerted effort to bring my lunch 4 out of 5 days per week, I noticed a considerable uptick in the fullness of my wallet (and bank account). I've certainly gone through phases of buying lunch and that can add up to $10 (or usually more in NYC) a pop. Once I realized that I was easily spending a jaw-dropping $50/week on lunch alone, I got myself back in line.

Without that major daily expense, I realized that I don't really spend much money during the week. My one splurge?

Usually I spend on hot coffee, not iced, but this is the photo I had...this was a particular treat yesterday since it was super warm and amazing outside!

Coffee!

For a long while, I had even reined this expenditure in and would drink office coffee 4 of 5 days per week, allowing myself a glorious medium Dunkin Donuts hazelnut coffee on Fridays only.

Well, times have changed a little and now I find it really hard to resist my morning fix, especially since I walk right past it everyday on the way to work.

All told, I'm out about $11/week. Not exactly a drop in the bucket when you extrapolate over a month ($44) or a year ($572), but I'd happily forego a day of ordering in lunch per week to cover my weekly java fix.

Outside of that, there's not much to speak of. I have been tallying a serious online shopping habit as we begin to redecorate our apartment and occasionally I'll stop off after work to pick up a couple of dinner fixins or a bottle of wine if it's been a really trying day. And of course, I have daily commuting costs but since I purchase one 40-ride card at a time to ride the Path (totally just $1.90 per ride...less than my daily coffee!), it doesn't feel like a daily wallet-opening expense.

What about you? Do you find that you spend a lot of money during the week? Or do you save and splurge on the weekend?

I find that I spend a bit more on the weekends since we are often on the go and tend to order dinner in or pick up food while out and about!