The dark rain clouds are lingering this morning, making me feel oh-so-cozy as I sip on a cup of hot coffee and blog away.
(I’m seriously in love with Godiva’s pumpkin spice coffee. Maybe my favorite coffee ever?)
My cozy feelings would multiply quite a bit if it wasn’t hot and humid outside, but since I’m indoors I’m going to pretend that it’s a blustery 55 degrees. Brr!
The fall is the time of year when I miss living in Illinois the most. Well, I miss it a lot on Christmas morning, too. (It was so weird to see Christmas lights on palm trees when we first moved here.)
The fall was always so fun in Illinois because the leaves would actually change color (imagine that!) and visits to the pumpkin patch required coats and scarves.
But Florida winters don’t make me want to die inside, so there’s a trade off, I guess.
Workout
I have a feeling I am going to be plagued with Jello arms again later today. I did another upper body workout that utilized the TRX straps like I did on Friday. Those straps really work my arms in a whole new way that I am loving.
I rushed through my workout a bit because I wanted to have plenty of time to awkwardly roll all over the foam roller on the gym floor. My hamstrings are so sore from Monday’s leg workout and all I wanted to do yesterday was foam roll them to help ease the soreness a bit.
It felt so good! My hamstrings already feel less tight. Walking around like a duck is cool and all, but I’d rather not waddle when I walk.
Breakfast
Thanks to a little prep work, today’s breakfast came together in 10 seconds.
In the mix:
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 6 ounces strawberry Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk (I used 2 percent)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
After sitting in the fridge overnight, this combination was thick and creamy! I love the way chia seeds seem to increase the thickness of overnight oats by 1,000 percent.
I also had a toasted English muffin with a bit of pumpkin butter on the side.
Little Critters
As I mentioned above, the storm clouds lingered this morning and as Ryan and I drove to the gym, the roads were wet and slick.
I was driving this morning and drove extra slow through our neighborhood so as not to hit any toads hopping in the road.
Our new neighborhood seems to be the toad capital of the world and every morning on my walk with Sadie I see at least five toads squished on the road and feel awful for the little guys!
I’ve loved toads ever since I was little.
Growing up, my family’s house backed up onto a pond. In the summer my neighbors and I would always play near the pond and catch tadpoles and toads. (The boys would catch garter snakes!) My favorite toad was one I named “Big Guy.” He (or she?) was awesome.
Whenever a toad hops into our garage, I have no problem picking it up and placing it back outside. Get me near a cockroach on the other hand and I freak out!
Questions of the Morning
- How do you feel about little critters? Do frogs and toads freak out out? What about bugs?
I know snakes are universally creepy to people, but I had to laugh when one blog reader told me she took a week hiatus from my blog after I posted a picture of a snake we saw on a hike because she was afraid it would pop up again. Too funny!
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I’m in Central FL too right now and while I don’t mind the frogs and lizards I am NOT a fan of the spiders that sneak into the house when its nasty outside. Luckily my dog usually finds them first but if not I keep a bottle of hair spray close by to slow them down, otherwise they run at you really fast and thats just not helpful.
Oh my gosh we have been seeing little lizards outside and INSIDE our house lately! We have started naming them Guerrmo. Luckily they are tiny and would do no harm but it is borderline nasty!
I kind of love frogs, but if that were a picture of a spider, I might have to sh*t myself. It should be illegal for spiders to live.
Nothing bothers me-frogs, spiders, snakes, etc-except for roaches. I HATE them. If there is a roach in my house I am paranoid for weeks after its gone. I’ve called a neighbor over to kill a roach for me because I was alone and I will just not go near them. I’ve lived in south Texas and Hawaii and now I finally live in Maryland where roaches aren’t normal to have. It’s seriously my favorite thing about living here.
I am actually perfectly fine with frogs, toads, lizards and creatures like that… but spiders and other types of bugs? I don’t think so! I am such a pansy
I have so many of those ugly toads around my house. Blegh! I’m always afraid to let Jersey out back when the froggies are out because I’m afraid she’ll think it’s a fun chew toy, when in fact if she ate one it would kill her! Very scary stuff!!
I am totally with you on the little critters!! I have been known to swerve for toads, frogs, butterfies. My husband thinks I am a maniac, but I feel better that I at least tried to avoid killing a living thing.
Falls in the Midwest are nice, but winters are miserable!! You are so lucky to have mild winters in FL!
I grew up in a rural area so I’m pretty used to small critters. That being said, some bugs and spiders freak me out for sure. I always find small toads kind of cute.
I love frogs and toads! But I hate spiders and ants and flys!!
I hate bugs, little animals, insects, frogs, anything. I can’t help it!
Oh I would LOVE to have a winter of 50 degrees! I like snow, but not when I have to be a grown up haha.
The only bugs that freak me out are pincher bugs and millipedes. ew! Everything else I can deal with. I’m freakishly good at catching flies.
The leaves didn’t even change colors this year in Chicago – they went from green to dead on the ground! So sad.
I.Dislike.Bugs.
In our neighborhood, there is a pond and it never fails… there comes a point in the year where Crickets multiply like the plague. UGH!!!! Hate those things! They will be in random places… front door area, side of the house, on the gate key pad… and catch you off guard!!
I miss living in Ohio during Fall/Winter!!! Seriously, all these holdays just aren’t the same in this hot muggy weather 🙁
I’ve never tried overnight oats with flavored Greek yogurt before; just plain. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been a fan!
Ugh, I can handle almost anything in this world except snakes!! It’s completely irrational but i can’t help it–I’m petrified!
Speaking of critters, did you hear about the mountain lion in Boulder? I put the picture on my blog this morning, but a woman took a pic from inside of her house as her cat stared through the sliding glass door–right at a mountain lion on their back deck!!!
I had the Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee today also. Very good!
I grew up in the country where bugs and critters were part of life, but I can’t stand them today. I freak out at spiders and hate snakes. This coming from a girl who used to collect lizards and try to keep them as pets. Silly.
I don’t know if I could pick up a frog these days! When I was younger it would have been no problem, but not anymore! Lightening bugs are my limit with creepy crawly things! I’m impressed with your bravery though!
Ok Julie, 55 degrees is NOT blustery. 🙂 Living in IL, the temps today are 45, it’s raining and this morning’s run was the BOSS. Best running weather is mid-50’s!
Plus the new Garmin Forerunner watch helps with the happy feelings to distract me from the nip in the air. Illinois/Chicago this fall has been especially colorful, too!!
Sorry, that probably doesn’t help with your nostalgia. At least you can wear open-toed shoes all year long without looking like a nut job!
My mom collects frogs, and I like turtles, so I’d say we are pretty okay with critters! Except for bugs….ew.
The first part of your post resonates with me, I just wrote similarly about holidays out West vs. back East. I always got so homesick and craved the holiday-ness of my home when I was living in Arizona once fall hit. I’d go crazy and decorate and buy lots of fall and winter decor and candles and cook with seasonal (read: reminds-me-of-home) foods.
Little bugs and frogs kinda do creep me out! 🙂
I love ALL critters! I love snakes and froggies and lizards (oh my!)
I am on vacation in Naples right this second. (and the weather has been miserable, boo!) BUT, I am having a blast with all the frogs and lizards in the back yard! So cute!
I can handle frogs and toads but that is about it. I hate rats, mice, squirrels, snakes…all of them! Ick!
I didn’t read all the comments, so someone may have already told you, and if you’ve been in Florida for a long time, you may already know, but if not… DO NOT LET SADIE NEAR THE TOADS! They are very poisonous to dogs – if she bites one, or even licks it, it can kill her. If it happens, rinse her mouth out as well as you can with the garden hose and get her to the vet ASAP. My dad’s dog almost died from catching a small toad – the vet bill was over $1000 and she had to spend the night in the pet hospital, but she is still here, so that’s good. Unfortunately, while sitting in the waiting room while she was having emergency treatment, we heard stories of 3 dogs who had died from the toads.
AH! I definitely didn’t know that! Thank you SO much for your comment! Scary.
I wish it was warm and humid where I live! I live in MN and it is 38* outside right now – brrr! Want to trade? 🙂
I am okay with creatures that hop and slither (for the most part), but I can’t handle bugs either. Cockroaches are the nastiest thing I have ever seen. If I saw one in my house, I would promptly move out! Spiders are just as gross, but unfortunately we have a lot of those around here.
I hate cockroaches and large spiders. Other than that I like little creatures! I actually have two hermit crabs as pets!
Ahh it’s not Godiva it’s Gevalia.
Wish you lived near me I have TONS of that coffee and some sort of Pecan coffee as well that we will not drink. LOL
Little critters WIG ME OUT. My old apartment has a mouse that liked to chill in our kitchen—he got very, very brave after awhile, and I was NOT a fan.
We grew up near a creek so there were always squished toads on the road!
I feel the same way. I’m from NY and now live in Louisiana, so whenever a cold front comes through I get really excited, while everyone else groans and stays inside. I miss the cold weather and actual changing of seasons.. and the snow!
Frogs freak me out! I always think they’ll be so slimy – but they’re not. Weird. VA doesn’t have many frogs, but we have TONS of squirrels, and they gross me out too!
I’m the same way as you about bugs (we used to have cockroaches in our apartment, hence our new apartment!), but I don’t mind mice, rats, amphibians, even snakes. Spiders and other bugs will always be my husband’s job!
I also miss seasons changing – I’m from the Bay Area (no snow, of course, but still seasons), and now we live in LA – YUCK. 70-80 degrees all year!
I don’t really care about snakes but I HATE toads and frogs. We have tons of them in my neighboorhood (I live in FL too) and they actually sit outside our door sometimes and wait for us. I named them Freddy and Frieda. Now they had babies =O I HATE bugs even more. I will scream as if I’m being murdered when I see a bug.
That coffee sounds SO GOOD! But they don’t sell it north of the border… I’m up in Vancouver and feeling deprived!
I LOVE little critters like toads and frogs. I think they are cool and they keep the bug population down. I have two creepy spiders hanging around here right now and they are NOT ok.
Did you know that toads taste bad to dogs as a defense mechanism. Which is good, cause dogs shouldn’t eat them. I have seen one of our dogs pick up a toad and spit it back out. The look on the toads face (ok, maybe I made it up) was priceless. Like, WTF just happened!
The Kidless Kronicles
Stopping by from the Blonde Duck.
What a sweet blog you have. I could def use some healthier recipes in my life.
I am following you on twitter now via flgirlnewlife.
I have no problem at all with toads or frogs or that sort of thing. I can remember being at Disney one time after a good rain storm and trying to avoid all of the teeny tiny little frogs jumping around Epcot 😉 I DO NOT do bugs however… I don’t mind small bugs like boxelders or something like that, but I can’t stand big spiders, etc. (so glad I don’t ever have contact with anything like a roach…)
I totally hear you about missing the cold weather sometimes – I’m from Boston and now live in Los Angeles. It’s cooling down at night here so that always reminds me of home a little. But when everyone back home is talking about the snow and ice, I’ll be glad I’m out here!
Ahem…it was a spider photo you posted and my head is itching just thinking about it again…It’s a good think I <3 your blog 😉
ahhhh! i thought it was a snake. totally forgot and couldn’t find the comment to look back on! i thought that was too funny. 🙂
Those overnight oats look great. The strawberry combo sounds great instead of my regular old plain.
That is crazy that you see toads on the road! I hate bugs more than anything! I scream to my fiance when he’s home if I see one. Otherwise, I’ll suck them through the vacuum. I can’t kill them!
did you know they actually make a vacuum specifically for bugs??? it’s called the bug vac!! 🙂
Hate cockroaches with a passion. Borders on a phobia.
I adore frogs/toads. A couple years ago my fiance got my 2 fire bellied toads and I love them. My girlfriends, not so much. 🙂 The guys? They want to know when it’s time to feed them live crickets, a.k.a. ‘National Geographic Time’
BLEH!!!!!!!! I HATE frogs/toads and about died when I saw that picture. They are my #1 hated animal!
I used to spend my summers at a pond in Maine and my cousins and I loved to catch the toads/frogs/tadpoles that lived in the pond. We would put them in a bucket and watch them jump over each other before we put them back in the water.
I wasn’t able to pick up the large toads though; we left that to my cousin Tony. 🙂
I don’t mind any bugs except June bugs and wasps. June bugs get stuck on your skin, like leech style! I had an iguana for 14 years and it freaked a lot of people out because I used to kiss her.
Hey it took all my energy to get that pic of the snake out of mind so I could sleep after seeing it. Snakes are not a funny fear. Okay maybe a little. : )
Most critters don’t freak me out but if I don’t normally see them and they sneak up on me I will scream. In Costa Rica around every corner is an igauna. I screamed everytime. Hahahaha I wasn’t scared of them just startled.
Bugs, spiders, etc those critters freak me out!
so happy to recently have found your blog when i was scrolling thru shape mag’s 20 healthy eating blogs! re: the oatmeal above, do you just simply mix those ingredients and pop in the fridge? no “cooking” or heating, right? thx for the inspiration.
I’m a biologist, so I am fascinated by “little critters” (and big ones!) and love to try to catch them to admire when I have the chance, although I’m always careful to return them to the exact spot where I found them. Love that you have a fondness for toads!
Just a warning to be careful with Sadie around the Bufo toads. I grew up in South Florida and the poison from the Bufo toads can be very dangerous and even fatal to dogs. Luckily she doesn’t seem to be the type to bite down on one.