What's Up Wednesday :: February 2018

It's the last Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our What's Up Wednesday Link Up!

Link up with  me, Sheaffer & Shay the LAST Wednesday of each month so we can read about What's Up with YOU!

Here we go!

What We’re Eating this week.....

Monday: Mexican Chicken Couscous Casserole


 I will be blogging this...it is a staple in our house!

Tuesday: Homemade Spaghetti, Caesar Salad & Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup

Recipe {HERE}
 Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Friday Night Pizza Night in Tahoe

I also like to make a homemade treat/snack each week for my kids to have in their lunches or after school. This week I made my No Bake Protein Energy Balls.

 They taste like Cookie Dough!
 
I am also making my Cinnamon Sugar Applesauce Muffins!

Love these muffins!

What I'm Reminiscing about.....

All the snow we had in Tahoe last winter. This winter has been so sad.
Skiing last February:

Skiing this February:

So sad....so little snow.

We are supposed to get several feet of snow this week, so that is exciting since we are heading up this weekend. We were supposed to go Presidents Day Weekend, but didn't because there was no snow. Keeping our fingers crossed for a Miracle March!

 What I'm loving.....

Running!

In 2017, I only ran 10 times...the entire year.

 In 2018, I vowed to run more. Didn’t run once in January. Oops.

Once February arrived, I decided no more excuses. 

Plus, it has been in the 70’s most of the month, so it has been so great to be outside enjoying the amazing weather.

So far this month, I have gone running 14 times. 

 I forgot how much I love running. It truly is good for my soul. Now, I just need to sign up for a race....I’m more motivated to run when I have something to train for...anyone else like that?

What We've been up to.....

February has been a fun month. We had a few trips to Tahoe planned but because of the lack of snow, we switched around some weekend plans. Presidents Day weekend we headed to Sonoma/Napa Valley for wine tasting.

This past weekend we headed to San Francisco for a weekend getaway & to celebrate my Mother in Laws birthday.

It was so fun being "tourists" in our hometown city.

We had fun checking out the Ferry Buliding.

Lunch at Gotts Roadside.

 It was delicious.

 

We slept over in the city...I think the highlight for the kids was staying in a hotel in SF.

 They loved the view of the TransAmerica building from our hotel room

 Another highlight was the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade was happening when we were there & some of it went right past our hotel & we could see it from our room:

 We had dinner at the iconic Tonga Room!

 This is a fun & unique spot in San Francisco.

 There is a live band that plays in the pool in the middle of the restaurant.

 Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law!

 The next morning we had breakfast at Sears Fine Food...a great breakfast spot in Union Square.

 Did some more exploring in the city...the weather was perfect.

Love the lanterns that were up for Chinese New Year.

 We walked through Chinatown on the way back to our hotel & a festival for Chinese New Year was going on.

 San Fransisco has an amazing Chinatown that is full of history (and delicious Chinese food!)

We had such a great weekend in San Francisco.

What I'm Dreading.....

Earthquakes!!!

 We are having a swarm of Earthquakes here in Northern California.
Last week we had over 50 earthquakes in a week.
I am dreading the fact that a BIG one might hit.
Last week for the first time in 14 years of teaching I had to do a real Duck and Cover Earthquake drill rather than a practice one. My students did awesome.
Oh the joys of living in California.

What I'm Working On.....

My students are working on a Bargain Hunting Project. They were due this week, so now I have 130 projects to grade.

 Oh, and I have to finish grading their tests from last week. The grading never ends.
#teacherlife

I am also working on my 40 bags in 40 days decluttering project!

 Feel free join...details & tips on THIS post!

What I'm Excited About.....

The Rodan + Fields February Special!!!
It's incredible & it ends TONIGHT at Midnight!
 NEW preferred customers who purchase a regimen or regimen bundle will receive a complementary ENHANCEMENTS Microdermabrasion Paste ($80 value!!!)
You will also get $20 cash back & 10-20% off your order.
As always our products carry a 60 day money back guarantee.

I LOVE our Microdermabrasion Paste and now you can try it for FREE!

There are so many ways to incorporate this high glide, oil free, salt-sugar scrub.

- Remove dull, dry skin for better product results
- Prep for tanner or spray tan
- Remove blackheads
-Exfoliate lips, chest, neck, feet and knees
-Helps with keratosis pilaris
-One jar lasts for 6 months

I use the paste 2-3 times a week for exfoliating my face.


When the paste is paired with our Unblemish regimen, you get results faster. Unblemish works on teen & adult skin.

 Lash boost is my #1 product, but Unblemish is my most popular selling regimen because it WORKS. Teens and adults can use Unblemish.

 Personally, I love the Reverse regimen...it got rid of my pregnancy melasma and sun damage that I had.

Already a Customer? Send me a new referral and If they become a PC with this special...I’ll gift you a full-size FREE Microdermabrasion Paste also!

And, because I am feeling generous....the first FIVE people who become new preferred customers today, along with getting the paste for FREE, you will also get the products at my discount!!!!!!

This is a big savings!!!

What's your biggest skin concern? I am here to help!

We have products for all skin types.

Take THIS quick 5 question survey to find out what products are best for your skin type.

Email me to place an order ASAP to be one of the first 5!

melissa_larson17@yahoo.com 

 ***If you are just interested in buying Lash Boost, I am placing a bulk order tonight and you can get it for the preferred customer discounted price of $135.
Here is my friend  & team member Tasha's 12 week Lash Boost results:

Love Lash Boost!


Email me if you want one!
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

What I'm Watching........

The past 2 weeks we were all about the Winter Olympics!

Of course I am watching The Bachelor. Who do you think Arie is going to chose?!?

 Are you team Becca or Team Lauren? I think Becca!

And,  This is Us:



What I'm Reading.....

I read 7 books this month!!!! All of them (except the first one) were so good & I couldn't put them down. Almost every night during the Olympics, I would watch and then read at the commercial breaks :)


Missing, Presumed
 
3 out of 5 stars...it was slow in some parts, but then it got good toward the end.


The Wife

Loved this book...page turner!
4 out of 5 stars


All By Myself, Alone

Who doesn't love a Mary Higgins Clark book? ;)
3.5 out of 5 stars!

Find Her
 
So creppy!!!! So good. I had to find out how this ended so I couldn't put it down.
4 out of 5 stars

Lilac Girls

My aunt sent me this book (Hi Aunt Patty!!) and I LOVED it.
It's based on a true story during World War II and it was such a compelling book.
If you liked The Nightengale and All the Light We Cannot See you will enjoy this book
4.5 out of 5 stars

Behind Closed Doors
 
Another one of my aunts gave me this one (Hi Koki!)
If you like creepy, pshycological thrillers, you will love this one.
3.5 out of 5 stars

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

I really enjoy Susan Meisener's books because she weaves in 2 stories in her novels tying the past to the present. This book was fantastic.
4 out of 5 stars.


What I'm Listening to.....

Pandora's Top Hits while Running!

One of my current favorites is Meant to Be by Beba Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
 

What I'm Wearing.....

It's a little chilly in the morning, but then it warms up, so layers are important.
This jacket is perfect for our weather.
This is my go-to jacket .

The color is perfect & neutral and goes with everything! It comes in Petite, Regular & Tall.
I have the Tall Small.
I got it HERE.
I wore this jacket when we were in Chicago in last May and it is the perfect jacket to travel with!
I wear it often here in California in the Fall, Winter & Spring.

I am also wearing These booties....absolutely loving them....so comfortable!
And, not too big of a heel #tallgirlproblems

They are sold out, but these ones are also by Lucky and are similar and on sale for under $60!!!

You can get them HERE


What I’m doing this weekend.....

Heading to Lake Tahoe to ski!
Look at the forecast...several days of SNOW!

I can't wait!

What I'm Looking Forward to next month.....

Spring Training!!!

 Kevin and I are heading to Scottsdale, Arizona to see the SF Giants play Spring Training.
This has been on my bucket list, so I am so excited to go.

 For those of you who have been to Spring Training or been to Scottsdale, let me know your tips and/or any restaurants you recommend!

What else is new.....

A new flower shop opened up in our town! I have been wanting to go there & finally did last week because the kids Speech Teacher is switching schools & I wanted to get her a Thank you gift.

I got to design the bouquet! I love how it turned out.

Question of the month is:
What is your favorite Spring Break vacation?
I have a couple answers for that.
If it was just Kevin and I, then I would say Mexico.
Before we had kids, we went to Cabo San Lucas during Spring Break and it was a BLAST.

 The only problem was our flight got delayed on our way home and we didn't get home until after midnight....then I had to be at school the next morning. It was BRUTAL!

So, since we have had kids, I have decided that we will save our bigger vacations for the Summer when I don't have to worry about teaching the day or so after we get back.

Fortunaltey, we live in the Bay Area, so we have plenty of places to visit during Spring Break that don't require flying or having jet lag.
Some of the things we have done the past few years during the Spring Break are:
Pebble Beach/Carmel
Lake Tahoe
Seascape
Santa Barbara
Usually the weather is pretty nice here in California during Spring Break..but you never know!
My favorite Spring Break I have had since having kids was last year when the kids and I did a road trip to visit 10 California Missions. We drove from the Bay Area to Santa Barbara & spent a few days there and then drove home.

You can read all about the trip HERE.
It was a mix of Educational plus lots of Beach Time.
Another Spring Break idea is Disneyland. We have done that during the Spring & it's perfect weather!
Can't wait to hear what everyone else does during Spring Break!

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Can't wait to read about What's up with all of YOU!