A 3rd Fiat?

Well, Sort of!

LONG story short...it was a deal we couldn't refuse. 

We already traded in the Olive Green Fiat we just purchased about 2 months ago in of this LOADED New 2013 Abarth.  It's a sportier version and has MUCH MORE Power!  I really think this is what Dale wanted last time.  Everything worked out well with this trade.  It couldn't have gone any better, actually!

Dale really LOVED that the brakes were RED.

The color is Gray with a Black Stripe on each side.

We are thinking of customizing it a little bit - but just subtly.  When and IF we do I will certainly keep you posted!

I'm stoked because it has not only a sun roof but a screen for the sun roof!

Here's a closer look at both the wheels/brakes and stripe.

With Abarth's - even tho they are made by the same company FIAT - they do NOT bare the Fiat Logo - they have their own Abarth logo instead.

Dale also LOVES the Rims on this!  Same color as the car!  And the trademark Scorpion in the center!



This car came with the upgraded comfort package!  The seats are pretty freakin' awesome!  The seats are even heated!

It's also equipped with Beats Audio!  YES!  Dale and I have been fans of Beats for a while now.  One of these days I should blog about the headphones/headsets we have in the home studio!  They are AMAZING!

Anyways...just a few more pics of the new ride!  Dale's stoked!  We are REALLY looking forward to the upcoming Fiat Club Events and meeting new people!  Dale and I NEED that!

Here are a few links that might be of interest...especially if you aren't familiar with Fiats and Abarth's. 

Their MAIN PAGE for Fiat USA.

Abarth's Specifically.

Wiki for Fiat and Abarth.

And where we have made our Fiat and Abarth Purchases:
Auto Express Fiat of Erie.

Foods, Fiats, & Furkids

Where to begin?  LOTS to blog about today!  Some recaps from the weekend as well as some other stuff!  I guess I will start with food!  Yesterday I had a light food day.  Not only because I was busy but because I wasn't overly hungry.  I had a Raw Day - which was nice!  But it was VERY simple.  I had a mini meal of Coconut Water and Aloe Chunks and a whole grapefruit.  Last night I had a MASSIVE Salad.  Lettuce(s), Tomatoes, Radishes, Cashews, Sprouts, etc.  I topped it with a salad dressing that I will post below about along with some Nutritional Yeast.  The sprouts I sprouted myself and blogged about that previously as well.  In addition - I added a few raw sprouted chickpeas that I also did myself - in my kitchen.  A few days ago I started sprouting some Radish Sprouts that aren't quite ready yet.  Speaking of Radishes, tho, I found some at the Erie Whole Foods Co-Op that were semi-local and gorgeous!  I could resist and HAD to pick them up for $1.99 per bunch.  They were HUGE and featured 4 different colors.  I used one of the Red ones in this salad.

This is a photo of the Homemade Raw Vegan Salad Dressing I made that you can also see on the salad in the photo above!  This was incredibly flavorful and SO EASY to make!  Here's what's in this Creamy Orange Dressing:
3 Mandarin Oranges
1 Avocado
1/4 C Lemon Juice
3 T Grapeseed Oil
1/4 C Water
2 T Basil

And speaking of EASY food and beverage prep...I discovered a neat way to make a glass of Lemonade!

8 to 10 ounces of water
1 T Lemon Juice
A few drops of NuNaturals Lemon Flavored Stevia

So easy and so tasty!

I've also been focusing on 'waste-not-want-not' type things in the house - especially in the kitchen!  After making the dressing above I saved the peels of the mandarins and put them in boiling water.  The aroma filled my kitchen and it was wonderful!  I also added a pinch of cinnamon.

I also made a few lunches a head of time last night.  This was one of them.  A simple Veggie and Rice Noodle Teriyaki Stir Fry.  I used frozen veggies - here - because there isn't much to choose from in the area of fresh right now.  I used Wildtree Teriyaki Sauce to taste.  I really like their sauce because it's not very salty at all - and - of course - it's vegan!

Multi-color peppers, peas, asparagus, corn, carrots, etc.  I even topped it with more sprouts!

Saturday - hubby and I took a drive in HIS new Fiat.  Yes...that's right...we now have TWO Fiat's!  They are even the same year but his didn't have a previous owner where as mine did.  His is a 'stick' where as mine is an 'automatic'.  We found out that his gets about 4 miles more HIGHWAY than mine does...which is kind of cool!  So...I average about 40 and he goes between 40 and 44 highway.  It was a fun drive!  We swung by the shop in Erie to have them check his breaks and it wasn't a big deal - they fixed a slight noise - and they chalked it up from it sitting on the lot previous to us buying it.  After that we were on a mission to find a good Indian Restaurant.  You see...my husband hasn't been a fan of Indian Foods and I am.  BUT...this place...he really liked so I was so happy!  We ended up in Niles, OH, and went to Bombay Curry & Grill.  Everyone was so nice and there were many vegetarian and vegan things to try!  We ended up both getting the buffet so he could try anything he wanted for a nice variety and I could see exactly what it was before eating it!  For the two of us - this bill was only $17.  AWESOME!

The 'furkids' have been doing well!  I woke up yesterday to this photo op!  Lately I have had to put this green blanket on top of my pillow and he will either sleep by my head or burrow underneath the blanket but on top of the pillow.  In this photo he wedged himself in between the pillow and the sofa arm rest and under the blanket!  So silly!

 And as I was getting ready for work the other day - the other two pups were 'cheek to cheek' and I don't mean the ones on their faces - in this photo - ready to lounge for the day while I went to work.

Charlie's doing real well!  It looks like the sore on his tail is getting better and he's been fairly nice.  As many of you may know - he's a pretty feral.  We are still missing Gabby and always will - but she's with Sammy now!  One day - we will be reunited!

Eventful Weekend - Hair, Cars, & Food!

This past weekend was a good one!  I FINALLY got my hair done.  I haven't done ANYTHING to it in well over a year...maybe even a year and a half.  It needed some attention and I needed a change!

I ended up 'going blonde' AND took about 3 to 4 inches off the end! 

I'm really liking the color.  I have to say!  Apparently I have shocked quite a few people I see on a daily or weekly basis already.  I've also stunned quite a few people on Facebook. 

The weather has been and looks like it will continue to be super cold along with more snow and more winds and wind chill.  I honestly cannot wait until spring and summer! 

In other news...this past weekend we decided to buy another Fiat.  Yeah...that might sound crazy.  No...we didn't trade ours in.  This is in addition to our other Fiat.  I absolutely LOVE Fiats since I bought mine and my husband thinks they are pretty cool, too!  Of course the MPG and Gas topic is once again a hot one and twisted our arm a bit in our decision making.  Plus...we have a new Fiat Dealer a little over an hour from us.  Lucky for us my Brother-In-Law works there, too!  So...yes...it's the same year and model as our other one but mine is Black and hubby's is Olive Green.  His is NEW and only had 132 miles on it.  We got it for a SUPER AWESOME Price, too!  We couldn't resist and everything made sense on paper.  Last night I looked into Fiat Clubs.  I found out that Western New York and Southern Ontario has one so I emailed them for more info and they do a lot of different things that I think we would be interested in!  I'm pretty excited about it, actually!

When it comes to food for this past weekend I must say I was very proud of myself and my attempt with this Mexican Lentil Stew.  It's similar to an Indian Lentil Dish but with more Mexican Spices and Flavors.  Here's what's in this dish...

1 C Red Lentils
2 Roma Tomatoes
3 C Water
1 T Wildtree Garlic Galore
1/4 tea Turmeric
1/2 tea Cumin
2 T Hot Sauce
2 tea Lime Juice
1 T Wildtree Hearty Spaghetti Blend

I can't wait to try this again!  How was your weekend!?

Blissful "Techie" Journey ~ XM Devices

Just a quick post to let you know that I got a new XM Onyx Device and Kit for my car last week!  Hubby was nice enough to install it while I was at work!  Here is a photo of what it looks like!  It's MUCH different than my old one which I LOVED.  But I figured it was time to finally move on and get a new one because it fit better in and with my new car - my 2013 Fiat - or as I like to call it "The Wonder Buggy."

I've been a XM (Sirius/XM) Subscriber even before the merge of the two companies.  Mostly because I wanted to still enjoy radio without having to listen to the stations I work for (and listen to for 50 hours a week while working) and/or didn't want to listen to our local competitors and feel like a traitor!  I still get a lot of negative comments from my fellow radio people because most think Satellite Radio will 'kill' local radio.  I don't necessarily feel that way.  This is a PAID service were as local radio is ALWAYS FREE.  But I can see both sides! 

But I don't want to get into a debate about the pros and cons.  I just want to show you my new Techie-Type-Toy!

This is a photo of my old device which was an XM Roady!  It was awesome!  I LOVED it!  I'm sure I will LOVE my Onyx but it will take some getting used to change-wise.  My Roady was reliable!  I had it for nearly 10 years - if memory serves!  I never had 1 problem with it!

I'm hoping this new device works just as well if not better!  I like the sleek look and the black-techie color matches everything in my Fiat!  The screen color we currently have set to a reddish color to match the lights on the dash in the "Wonder Buggy".  The only bad part is I have to reset all of my favorites/pre-sets.  But at least there are a few more buttons to store my favorites in as I have MANY that I listen to and switch back and forth to often!

I've Never Been This Excited About A Car Before...

This post is about a week overdue but I have just had NO TIME - so sorry about that!  But I have been looking for the perfect-for-me car for a while and I have found it!  Check this out!  It's my new-to-me Fiat!  It's technically USED but gently.  It was a deal we couldn't pass up thru my BIL.  It only had 9,000 miles on it and it's a 2013!  The interior couldn't have been cleaner!  So, yes, this is my new 2013 Fiat 500 Pop!  I'm totally LOVING it!  I've never been this excited about a car before - one that I have owned, that is!  It's so cute!  It's fun to drive!  It's tiny and cool!  It's about 11 and a half feet long.  That's 7 inches shorter than a Mini Cooper and 5

inches short than a Chevy Spark.  A SmartCar is a little over a foot shorter than my Fiat but still I think this is pretty awesome!  I've been told and have been searching the gas mileage chatter on this Fiat and I'm thinking I will get between 36 and 40 mpg with it.  We haven't been able to put it to the test that much yet, tho.  Hopefully next week as this week is HELLA Busy for both of us!

Until then...here are a few photos so you can see what my new friend looks like!
We are nicknaming her "Wonder Buggy".  (teehee)

It IS a 4-seater!  It has a hatch back/trunk and the 2 back seats fold flat as well.  It's SO cute and I'm totally LOVING it!

I hope to post a few times this week but it will be hard as I will be out and about and here and there and everywhere for work!