Happy Halloween !

Hope you have a great Halloween...stay safe and...don't let yourself get too scared : )

*PS*
Keep your eyes on Norman...he's a tricky devil.

( animated movie stills from If We Don't, Remember Me )

Garage Girls: Workout #57

I am not sure any of us will up for  working out today...it is cold, it is Halloween, and I believe all of us will be helping the kids out with their candy tonight.  But, maybe, that is exactly why a workout is in order today.

     Warm-up:

     50 jumping jacks

     Workout: (for time)

     run 100m

     3x of 20 box jumps and 20 push-ups

     run 100m

     3x of 20 kettlebell deadlifts and 20 leg raises

     run 100m

     3x of 20 knees to elbows and 20 tricep dips

     run 100m

     3x of 20 jumping pull-ups and 20 reverse lunges

     run 100m

...and here is great workout song...perfect for Halloween -

Have fun : )

The BEST pumpkin carvings...

Halloween is tomorrow and it feels as if the weather has just realized what time of year it is.  It may be too late to do this yourself, but I had to share these crazy guys with you.  These faces do not consist of triangular eyes and a toothy grin.  It is absolutely amazing to see what people are able to create out of the most organic of mediums.  From funny to morbid, these pumpkins run the gambit.  Extraordinary skill and imagination surround this holiday tradition.  My favorite is #6 : )

( all images are from Multyshades )

A taste of Moogfest...

This past weekend, Jason and I traveled to Asheville, NC for Moogfest.  Besides the great music and the beautiful surroundings, we were able to enjoy some wonderful food from a few of Asheville's best restaurants. 

Here are a couple of our favorites.

Tupelo Honey Cafe

12 College Street

Asheville  North Carolina  28801

 On the day we arrived, we ate lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe on College Street. 

They brought out complimentary salt and pepper butter biscuits with blueberry compote and Tupelo honey.  These biscuits were soooo good- perfectly flaky and the saltiness went perfectly with the honey and blueberries. 

Jason and I ordered Appalachian Eggrolls for an appetizer- "Pulled pork tossed in smoked jalapeno BBQ sauce rolled with braised greens. pickled onions and shredded carrots served with Dijon dippin' sauce and a garnish of seasonal greens".    Good is not good enough of a description.   Great...wonderful...mouth-watering...may start to describe it. 

I ordered  Brian's Shrimp and Grits- "seven large shrimp served over goat cheese grits and anointed with a spicy roasted red pepper sauce".  I have eaten shrimp and grits many times...in fact, it is one of my very favorite things to eat out.  I have to say that I loved this new take on a very familiar dish- loved the combination of the spicy sauce with the cheesy grits. 

Jason ordered the Roast Beef Po' Boy - "slow roasted and seasoned thinly shaved prime rib to medium rare, then served with fried green tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cherry pepper aioli on world famous Gambino's bakery bread".  The fried green tomatoes and cherry tomato aioli added a Southern flare to this sandwich which was close to perfect.  

Sunny Point Cafe

626 Haywood Rd.

West Asheville, NC 

The next morning, we ate breakfast at the Sunny Point Cafe on Haywood St.  It was very busy, but you can help yourself to a cup of coffee and take a seat in the generous courtyard until you are seated. 

 I ordered the Greek omelet - "Three egg omelette filled with organic baby spinach, fresh tomatoes, artichoke confit, red onions, and feta cheese, served with chipotle grits and a biscuit".   My favorite part was how fresh the whole meal tasted- the spinach, fresh tomatoes and artichoke confit were perfection.

Jason had the Breakfast Burrito - eggs scrambled with serranos, green peppers, onions, and cheddar, wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and topped with warm roasted tomato chipotle salsa and cilantro crema. Served with potatoes."  Very cool spin on a breakfast favorite. 

If you are in the Asheville area, you should definitely check out these two restaurants-

Tupelo Honey Cafe

12 College Street

Asheville  North Carolina  28801

and 

Sunny Point Cafe

626 Haywood Rd.

West Asheville, NC

Garage Girls: Workout #56

source

It looks like we may have a taste of Winter later this week, so I really want to take advantage of the weather as long as we have it.  I think that low reps matched with some running is just what we need today.  We are going to to re-do workout #30 today- so dig up those previous times, so you can challenge...and impress yourself.  

     Warm-up:

     1 minute plank position
     1 minute side plank ( each side)
     1 minute downward facing dog 

     Workout: (once for time)

      10 burpees
      10 knees to elbows
      10 kettlebell swings
      run 800m

     20 box jumps
     20 jump squats
     20 butterfly sit-ups
     run 600m
  
     30 jumping pull-ups
     30 step-ups (15 each leg)
     30 tricep dips
     run 400m

     40 plie squats
     40 leg raises
     40 ring rows
     run 200m

...and here is another great workout song-

Have fun : )

Garage Girls: Workout #55

source

We are leaving this morning for Moogfest in Asheville, NC.  It has been an incredibly hard week, and I can't wait for a weekend full of great music, great food and some quality time with my best friend/husband. I am out of commission for at least another week, but I am going to leave you with a workout worthy of guilt-free rest and relaxation for the rest of the weekend.  You are welcome : )

     Warm-up:  

     1 min. plank hold
     1 min. downward facing dog
     1 min. wall sit

     Workout: 6 rounds for time

  
     25 burpees
      run 400m
 
    

...and here is another great workout song-

Have fun : )

Have you seen this?...a trampoline bridge in Paris

The French architecture firm Atelier Zündel Cristea proposed this trampoline bridge across the Seine river for the ArchTriumph "Contemporary Bridge in Paris" competition.  They won 3rd prize for this innovative idea.  Can you imagine bouncing across the Seine?  More than that, I would be the one sitting off to the side watching.  I can't imagine a more fun place to be...maybe because it is so awkwardly placed in this historical, but modern city. 

(all photos from the Atelier Zündel Cristea officail website via Juxtapoz)

Garage Girls: Workout #54

source

I need a boost.  I have been running on empty for a while now...been sidelined per Dr.'s orders for a couple weeks.   I am going to continue to posting MWF workouts though...and hopefully I will catch up when I have been cleared to start back.  Already itching for a great workout.  Enjoy it for me : )

      Warm-up:

       50 jumping jacks

      Workout: (3 rounds for time)

       50 walking lunges

       40 sit-ups
       30 box jumps
       20 jumping pull-ups
      10 burpees

       run 300m

    

...and here is another great workout song-

Have fun : )

Apple picking in the mountains...

The mountains in Fall are beautiful...but, apple picking in the mountains during Fall is amazing.  We drove up to the Sky Top Apple Orchard in Flat Rock, NC on a beautiful day and enjoyed all Fall had to offer.  About 8 different varieties of apples were being harvested while we were up there.  Some of our favorites includes Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Black Arkansas (which was Jason's favorite).

We walked through rows and rows of apple trees looking for the best apples to fill our baskets...

 ...and met some new friends along the way.

 Sometimes, the signs were "counter-intuitive"- Jason's favorite word : )

We searched high and low, and inevitably, high was where we found them.

And creative was what we had to be...

By the end of the day, we had found plenty of apples to take home with us.

Up the mountain, we went again.

The kids loved seeing how the orchard was harvested and how the best apples were picked out of the bunch to be sold. 

For a job well done, we treated ourselves to some fresh apple cider doughnuts.  They were sooooo good. 

 I can not wait start fixing some of my favorite recipes when we get home- apple crumble, apple chips, apple dumplings, apple sauce and apple cake...to name a few : )