Monday, July 1, 2013

Red, White and Blue, Y'ALL!



Hello Everyone! I’d like to start by giving a birthday shout out to my Dad! His birthday is on Wednesday.  We are going to see Bob Dylan and a few other bands so I hope it’s a good birthday for him!


Also, I would like to say an early happy birthday to America!  I am ever so grateful for all the men and women who have served our country.  I hope you all have a safe and fun time celebrating this week!



As you may remember, I didn’t post last week because I was in Orlando for a work conference.  We stayed at the Gaylord which was nice.  They had a place where you could look at turtles and alligators.  We mostly worked but we did get one night to go to Downtown Disney which was nice.  We ate at the House of Blues and walked around.  Before I left for Orlando, my weight hadn’t fluctuated much.  I knew that I wouldn’t eat great there so I didn’t weigh this weekend.  I’m going to do my best to be a good girl this week and see where I’m at on Saturday.  I will definitely have a recipe to share next week.



So, the first picture that says “Everything will come out alright,” was spotted by me in the bathroom of a sports bar in town.  I am smart enough to know that this is a play on words that can apply to what you do in the bathroom but it also struck me as quite poignant.  It could be that I was playing Bingo and drinking beer but this graffiti made me stop and think.   I was going through my phone the other day and found a picture of myself that I had sent to Jordan a few months back.  In the picture, my eyes were swollen.  If I ever cry before I go to bed, my eyes swell enormously almost to the point where I can’t open them.  I was being a bit dramatic by sending Jordan that picture which if you know me is no surprise.  The point is, the picture was taken only a few short months ago and I could not tell you exactly what made me so upset.   It’s interesting how there are moments where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  When you are pushing through something, you don’t always know that there’s another side.  I can certainly apply this to my weight loss journey, especially right now because it’s so hard to keep the weight off, but the struggle to know that everything will actually come out alright is a difficult one.  When a toddler falls and gets hurt or is punished in some way, they think that in that moment, their lives are horrible and they will never get over it.  We all know that within a few seconds, that toddler is laughing or playing again and that moment of terror is over.  Adults are the same way but sometimes it takes longer than a few seconds to move on.  We throw tantrums and place our problems on a pedestal thinking that there is no greater problem on the earth than the one we are dealing with.  I think this selfish behavior is perfectly normal.  I am trying to remember the “other side” right now.  I’ve been kind of mopey lately and I know why but I also know that “everything will come out alright.”  I don’t know if this mentality comes from getting older or if it’s the fact that I have people in my life that are always there for me like my family and friends (like my mom, Dad and brother and other family, Jordan, Cassandra in the picture, Nish, David) so no matter what, I can look to them and they can go through it with me.  I also try and have perspective.  I see so much pain and suffering in the world and it’s important to remember we are all so tiny in the grand scheme of things.

I didn’t mean to get all sappy but it’s amazing what kind of wisdom one can gain from the bathroom wall in a bar.  Again, I hope you all have a great holiday.  I am determined to jumpstart the weight loss again so it’s time to work hard.  Bye everyone!


“Been some bad times I’ve been through,
Damage I cannot undo,
Some things,
I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don’t really matter,
Life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.” Lessons Learned- Carrie Underwood






Monday, June 17, 2013

Slackin'

Hi Everyone.  I have to admit, I’ve slacked this week.  I don’t have a recipe or much time to dedicate to the post.  Also, I will be in Orlando for a work conference next week so there won’t be a post next Monday.  When I come back, I hope to have my crap together so I can provide you with some food tips and I also hope that I’m in a better mental and physical place than I am now.  I have a lot on my plate and I haven’t been dealing with it like I should.  I took in far too many calories this weekend.  I have pledged today to start taking better care of myself.  I want to make sure I don’t go hungry but that I don’t binge eat.  I also want to consider what ingredients I’m putting in my body. I need to renew my initial drive for weight loss and staying healthy and I’m ready to do that.  I didn’t have much change on the scale this week.  It’s time to get to work.  As usual, I’ll keep you up to date with my progress. 




I know I haven’t shared a recipe or talked about food much at all but I did post a couple things to at least look at.  Father’s Day was a success despite the gift I got my Dad which he can’t use.  I found the picture of him and I when I was a baby.  I thought the short shorts were hilarious so I included it.  Also, my mom and I took Grayson to the river on Saturday and she had a blast playing in the water so I included video of that.  I got lots of friend time too.  Jordan and I spent time with his family yesterday and my friends and I went to see an 80s cover band on Saturday.  I’m so blessed to have an awesome support system in my life.  I hope you all have a great week and I will post again in a couple weeks.

Bye y’all!

“I want to darken in the skies
Open the floodgates up
I want to change my mind
I want to be enough
I want the water in my eyes
I want to cry until the end of time

I want to let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down
Let the rain come down
Make a brand new ground
Let the rain come down tonight.” Let The Rain-Sara Bareilles




Monday, June 10, 2013

Dog Days Of Summer...



Hi Everyone! Since I won’t be posting until next Monday, I wanted to go ahead and give my Dad and early shout out for Father’s Day.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Love you!  I weighed on Friday and I had come down a few more pounds which is great.  I still have a ways to go to get back to my lowest weight but overall, I’m just happy I was headed in the right direction.  I only have one scheduled off day this week for a party at work but other than that, I’m on the ball!




I don’t know about you all but I love a cocktail from time to time to relax…especially in the summer time.  I also love the Hungry Girl so I combined those two passions and made one of her cocktail recipes this weekend.  It was an apple-cinnamon cosmo.  It was good but the first batch I made, I put the cinnamon directly in the shaker as instructed and it was a little grainy.  For the second round, I probably added a few calories because I added a little bit of caramel to the bottom of the glass and rather than putting the cinnamon IN the shaker, I coated the rim of the glass with cinnamon and sugar and it was quite tasty!  It was also easy to make.

I know I shouldn’t show this but it was so delicious, I just had to.  My mother made spaghetti and homemade, mozzarella-stuffed meatballs for dinner last night and they were AMAZING! She is the best cook.  Thanks for feeding us all the time, Mom!



My parent’s new “puppy” Grayson is a Great Dane and she is already huge at 4 months.  Her favorite thing to do is to take all of the cushions on the couch  and throw them on the floor.  She also met a turtle on a walk this weekend which was pretty funny.  You can take a look. 


Lastly, I celebrated my friend David’s birthday this weekend and I will next weekend too.  Happy Birthday, David! You the BEXT!  I hope everyone has an amazing week! Bye!

“It’s you, it’s you it’s all for you
Everything I do
I tell you all the time
Heaven is a place on earth with you
Tell me all the things you wanna do…” Video Games-Lana Del Rey






Monday, June 3, 2013

Add Some Color To Your Life



I don’t have a recipe this week but I did want to share a new product.  I discovered Yasso Frozen Green Yogurt Bars at Target.  There are several flavors.  I’ve only tried the coconut and I loved it.  If you are not a fan of coconut, I would obviously recommend a different flavor but if you are a fan, and you are on a diet, these bars are decadent.  It’s creamy and has flecks of real coconut in it.  It’s only 80 calories so it’s a nice dessert to have on hand.  I loved it.

Over the past few weeks I have taken multiple pictures of things that I’ve done.  I went to the beach, did some dog-sitting with one of my favorite dogs, had decadent food and drinks, hung out with friends, celebrated my birthday and just last Saturday, I ran in a 5K called Color Me Rad.  The 5K was the worst venue I’ve ever seen for a run.  It was loaded with steep hills.  I am still sore from trying to huff and puff up and down those monsters.  It was also hot and after two color-themed runs, I think I’ve decided I’m not a huge fan of powdered pain going in my face, up my nose and in my lungs.  On the other hand, if the themed runs get people moving and excited to be exercising, there is certainly a place for them.  I have included a lot of pictures below from my ventures.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, you may have already seen them.  I’m back in the swing of things so my posts should look more normal from now on.  Enjoy the pictures and I will post again next week!


















“If you have the last hands that I want to hold
Then I know I’ve got to let them go

‘Cause maybe in the future you’re gonna come back
You’re gonna come back around
Maybe in the future you’re gonna come back
You’re gonna come back


Oh, the only way to really know is to really let it go…” Maybe-Ingrid Michaelson

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hiatus

Hi y'all! I just got back from the beach so I'm basically giving a quick hello and to let you know that next week I'll be back with pictures of the happenings in the past couple weeks, food and other miscellaneous things. I haven't weighed because I have no interest in punishing myself.  I've had way too much to eat and drink so I'm going to straighten up tomorrow and let my body get back to normal.  I'll weigh on Saturday to see what the damage is and then go from there.

I want to wish my friend Nichole a happy, happy birthday today.  I hope you and Jordan are having an amazing time in New York!

Have a great week y'all!

Bye!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Happy Birthday To Me, Y'ALL!


Yep, it’s my birthday today and next week I will coming back from the beach so this post and the next will be a bit short.  I didn’t weigh because I know better.  The food I’ve had over the past few days wouldn’t be pretty on the scale and I want to enjoy my birthday week.  I won’t weigh this weekend either but I’ll make sure to weigh the 25th to see where I’m at.  I am enjoying the lax atmosphere as far as food goes but I’ll be happy to get back to normal.  I just feel better when I eat right.  As I’ve mentioned, there are a ton of people with birthdays in May and both my little cousin Alex and my Grandpa will celebrating this week so shout out to them! 



This week I’m sharing less of a recipe and more of a Pinterest-inspired idea.  I bought the miniature pre-made graham cracker crusts which I think are less than 150 calories and the Key Lime Pie yogurt for the Key Lime Pie effect but you can use any kind and just made a mini pie.  The crust broke apart because the yogurt was too heavy but it tasted good so I didn’t care that it was a bit messy.  I also added some lite Cool Whip to top it off.  It’s simple, easy and quite tasty.






I had a great time this weekend with family and friends.  My mom and brother made me a delicious dinner on Saturday with the best red velvet cake ever and I also celebrated with friends.  I’m so blessed to have amazing people in my life that care for me!

I’m headed to a birthday lunch with my mom today so it should be good!

I hope everyone has a great week.

Bye!

“Cake, cake, cake, cake…” Birthday Cake-Rihanna




Monday, May 6, 2013

WONTONS!




I’ll go ahead and confess that there was no weighing this week and there probably won’t be until closer to the end of May.  I’m just trying to hold on at this point.  I ate terribly this weekend but I’m trying to pick it back up this week.  This weekend, I will celebrate my birthday and then the next weekend I’m going to the beach so I don’t have high hopes.  As usual, though, I’m exercising and practicing safe dieting as much as possible during the week.  My birthday is next Monday and I always eat what I don’t normally get to eat during the year during my birthday week so I have pretty much planned every terrible calorie I will consume that week.  I’ll bounce back in June y’all, May is always a bad month for me. I celebrated Jordan’s birthday this weekend.  The pictures were part of the celebration. I made him some hot pink cupcakes and then I took an idea from his Pinterest board and made it.  It’s basically a simple frame from Wal-Mart.  You put fabric or paper of any kind where the pictures go and label them like a weekly calendar and you can use dry erase markers to write on it.  He loved it so I was happy.  I want to say a quick Happy Birthday to my friend Nish.  Her birthday is Saturday! Also, I want to tell my mother an early HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Love you mom! I'm sure I'll have pictures for next week of all of this weekend's events.



The recipe this week is brought to you by Pinterest.  I know you are shocked.  I don’t know why I have spent a small fortune on cookbooks because I pretty much have accepted that my life is one big Pinterest project at this point.  This recipe is simple.  You take the mini wonton wrappers, put mozzarella and basil in the middle, fold them up and bake them.  I used pepperoni instead of basil which obviously added calories but the basil I had was bad.  I just used the instructions on the wonton package to bake them.  I dipped them in marinara sauce and they were delicious.  I love this olive flavor from Giada.  If you like olives, you’ll love it and it’s not that high in calories.  This recipe was quick, easy and delicious!





My friends and I also celebrated Cinco de Mayo this weekend.  Our waitress gave us mini sombreros so we had a lot of fun with those.


Jordan, my mom and I saw Rock of Ages in Birmingham this weekend from their Broadway Series and LOVE IT.  It was such a fun show with a cute story and awesome music.







I was being very silly last night and drove over to my parents in my onesie pajamas.  They really don’t expect any different from me.  I was in the mood for a photo shoot and their new dog Grayson decided she wanted to be good and sweet for a few minutes so the above pictures are a result of all that. 

It was a good weekend overall.  It’s always a good weekend when you know the people closest to you are really the only ones that matter!

Have a great week! I found out this morning a printed journal has accepted 4 of my poems for publication so it definitely made my Monday better!

Bye!

“It is what it is.” Everyone I know right now.