Sunshine on Rainey Days

Fitness Friday: Update on Week 2

2012-03-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

So far, so good, surprisingly. This week, even though it's the same routine as last week, seems to be a bit harder. Perhaps it's because I'm really trying this week. During week 1, I was just getting used to the exercises and wasn't very sure of my abilities. This week, I know that I'm stronger already than I thought, so I'm pushing myself a little harder, while trying to work on my form more.

A few things I'm noticing after this week:

1. I am noticing a little more definition in my arms. It's still not where I want it, but I can tell it's there.
2. No six pack yet (lol), but I am noticing my pants are fitting slightly better. There's not as much flubber around my middle.
3. My legs are super muscular already, but they are becoming a little leaner already.
4. I'm slooowly starting to lose a little weight.
5. Since I'm doing all this work, I've been naturally more careful about what I'm eating. That doesn't mean I don't cheat once in awhile, but I try a little harder.
6. I bought soy protein powder, but was told not to use it everyday. I'm going to try making a smoothie twice a week.

I've also found that it's helping me to talk about my progress with my coworkers. My boss has done the program before, and I tell her about my progress frequently. That keeps me motivated, because I don't want to tell her that I couldn't hack it.

Next week is the last week of this particular routine. Let's put the spin on it that I'm not halfway through Phase 1. That sounds good.

How's your workout going?

Blending!

2012-02-26T11:54:00.000-05:00

1. My new bloggie friend, Sarah at The Strength of Faith recently got a Hamilton Beach Single-Serving Blender and blogged about the wonderful smoothies she was able to make with it.

2. My real-world friend, Matt, suggested I get some whey protein to help with muscle repair after my intense P90X workouts.

3. Everyone and their sister has been obsessed with making smoothies lately.

Conclusion I made from these things: I had to buy myself one of those blenders and make myself some protein shakes!

Source: squidoo.com via Lorraine on Pinterest

Today was that day. An early morning trip to the Den of Evil (i.e. Walmart) supplied me with a blender and some soy protein (was cheaper and came in a smaller package than the whey protein). I totally forgot to take a picture of the smoothie I made after my workout! Crud! Rest assured, though, that it was lovely. All I used were frozen strawberries, vanilla yogurt, vanilla soy protein and milk. I probably could have left out the vanilla yogurt, but I had it and needed to use it up and it did help the creaminess factor. I'm excited for this new blender because, while I have a food processor that would do my blending for me, it's big and heavy and I never wanted to get it out in the morning just for a breakfast smoothie. Now I have a nice, little blender that will make just enough for me. I have some frozen pineapple, so I might incorporate that tomorrow. I need to buy some blueberries and raspberries, as I only tend to eat these types of berries blended into something like this.

Now, onto the wonderful world of blending!! Yippee!

Social Drought

2012-02-26T08:16:00.001-05:00

Hmm, I think most of my posts recently have either been photos or exercise updates. Part of me thinks I should make a change to that, but part of me says that this is what my life is right now (well, more the exercise than photos at the moment), so that's what I should write about. Then I think, surely there is more to my life than that, right?

Answer: well, not really. My life has been in a rather boring state for the last couple of months. I have been home A LOT, and for me, being home often means being by myself. I'm not necessarily complaining. I love my home and there's plenty to keep me busy there, but I'm just wondering how long my social drought will last.

I seemed to have reached another one of those life changing stages where I need to go out and find new, single friends. I do have a couple of single friends, but I seem to get into different stages where I need to make an effort to find new people and, to be honest, I'm tired of it. So I've found myself in a mostly solitary mode, which is almost entirely by choice, because I just don't want to do the work of finding new friends.

Now, don't get all offended if you're one of my current friends. I'm not dropping anyone. It's just that most of my friends lives are in a different stage than mine, so that means they are not as available to me as before. My choices now seem to be, find new friends or find a boyfriend. You tell me which would be easier to find? Lol!

So, all this is to say that you'll probably just be getting exercise, photography, and home renovation posts for awhile longer. Nothin' wrong with that, I guess.

Fitness Friday: 1st Week Down

2012-02-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was trying to figure out just what to do to chronicle my P90X journey. I want to stay motivated to continue on to the end, and from past experience, just knowing that I'm going to the beach in June isn't going to be enough. So I decided I am going to track my weekly progress on here.

So... I finished my first week of P90X and here are my observations:

1. It's hard, but not impossible.
2. I'm already stronger than I thought.
3. The first and last workouts of the week, "Core Synergistics" and "Kempo X" are the hardest for me.
4. I need to work on my form during Ab Ripper X. My lower back bugs me afterwards, and I've been informed that my back is probably not staying as straight as it should.
5. I haven't started to notice any change in my appearance, other than a little shoulder definition that is only visible at certain times. It will happen, I just have to be patient.
6. I need to take my measurements, as my weight went up again after all the strength training. It's definitely muscle mass, so I need to focus on measurements rather than weight.

I have also been trying to eat healthier, although I'm not following the P90X diet plan. Limiting my sweets and snack foods and trying to drink more water and eat more fruit is my main goal for this diet.

I'm also trying to keep my stomach sucked in as much as I can remember during the day. I was never one of those girls who learned to do that, so it's not second nature to me. Keeping it sucked in will help my ab muscles and my posture.

Oh, I did throw in a day on my 100 Push-ups program this week too. I finished week 5. I'm still doing girlie push-ups, but I'm doing a couple regular push-ups during P90X... just not getting down that far yet.

Here we go again...

2012-02-22T07:59:00.003-05:00

To be honest, I actually didn't realize today would be Ash Wednesday until yesterday when people started talking about what they are going to give up. Oops! Some people think giving up things for Lent is just a Catholic thing, and maybe it is, but I grew up Catholic before switching to Protestant, so I still like to keep a couple of those traditions alive, because let's face it, it's definitely can't hurt to give something up for 40 days as a representation of sacrifice for God.

A lot of people just use Lent as an excuse to start a diet or exercise program. I've never really had success with giving up sweets for Lent, but I'm taking a different approach this year. I'm going to try to give up sweets, because I haven't really been eating a lot of them anyway. My main goal will be to stick with my P90X exercise program, because I know once the novelty wears off, it will get harder and harder to stick with it. I feel like if I keep it in my mind that I am doing these things not only for me, but because keeping my body fit and healthy is an honor to God, because He didn't make me to be filled with junk and be lazy, than maybe that will be a better incentive.

So, here's to a successful and thoughtful Lenten season.

Oh So Sore

2012-02-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

Today was my third day of P90X Lean and I've gotta say, as long as I listen to my body, this program isn't too bad. Oh it's hard, don't get me wrong. I was sore after my first day and continue to be sore as of today (and probably will be sore in other places tomorrow) but in general, it has not been as bad as expected.

Maybe the fact that people had been telling me how crazy the program got my expectations up so high that the actual reality isn't as bad as I thought. Basically, I don't overdo it. I figure, it's only my first week and I'm doing these exercises for the first time, so there's no reason to go crazy on them yet. Today was my first day of doing two workout DVD's: an hour long Shoulders & Arms, and a 16 min. Ab Ripper X. To be honest, I should have gone heavier on the weights for the Shoulders & Arms. I have 5 lb weights at home, but I was at my parents this morning and did it in their basement, and my mom only owns 3 lbs weights... not nearly enough. 5lbs is usually a good weight for me when I'd doing lots of reps. I'm going for lean muscles, not bulky ones, so less weight/more reps is the way to go for that, I've heard.

Ab Ripper X was the one I was most afraid of. I've had people tell me they puked the first time they did it. I watched the video ahead of time and it did look tough, but one thing stuck out to me. Tony Horton, the instructor, said that they were doing 25 reps of each exercise, but that "we" didn't have to do that many. So I set a limit. I was not going to do more than 15 reps. Some exercises I could only do 10, but most I could do 15, and probably could have done more, but I just stopped. There will be no puking for me! I hate puking and haven't done it in years, and I'm not about to start now. I don't care if that isn't extreme. I'm not doing it.

So, all in all, this program is going well so far. The real test will be starting tomorrow when I go back to my regular work day on top of fitting in the hour workouts, but I can do it. I'm realistic enough to know that there will be days when the routine will get screwed up. I already know that Wednesdays will be my rest day, even though that's not the normal progression on the workout guide. I have choir on Wednesdays and don't get home until 8:30 or 9:00, so I'm not going to workout that hard at 9:00 at night. Knowing this and having a plan should help my adjustment. We'll see.

I am a Beast!

2012-02-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, maybe not, but I did just complete the first day of P90X this morning, and I didn't do half-bad. I am doing the "P90X Lean" version of the program, which is supposed to be just as hard, but just geared more towards women and people who don't want to look like body builders when they're done. It's apparently more cardio based, although today didn't feel like cardio.

My first day was the "Core Synergistic" DVD, which as you might guess, works your core, but also is pretty much a full-body workout. I kind of liked it, not because I thought it was easy, but because when one part of my body was exhausted, he moved to something else and gave whatever I'd just worked a small (read: very small) break.

Now, I wasn't screaming with pain by the end of it like I'd been expecting. I think this was mostly because I was cautious my first time out. I listened to my body. I knew when there was an exercise that I wouldn't be able to do, so I just tried one or two reps, then stopped for a bit, and then maybe picked back up for a couple more towards the end of that segment. I'm sure that's not the way I'm supposed to do it, but I have 13 weeks of doing these exercises, so I'll get better throughout.

I'm excited about this program. I'm not an extreme fitness enthusiast by any means, but I do want to be strong. Working with physically fit people makes me want to be physically fit. Running didn't work out so well for me, so I need something new. I honestly didn't sweat as much in 1 hour of P90X as in 30 mins of jogging, but it's not for lack of working hard... It's just a different kind of exercise and I guess I deal with the P90X kind better.

So, my goal is to do my week "Fitness Friday" updates with this involved, and then probably an update every day while I'm trying out the new DVD's for each workout. I forgot to take a "Before" pic... which I wouldn't share on the Internet anyway, but I'll be able to see my results, and if I start seeing some good ones, I might post one.

Wish me luck and pray for me!!

Fitness Friday, P90X Style

2012-02-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone! Happy Friday!!! It's a long weekend for me and I'm so excited about it. I should also be a little scared, because I'm starting a new fitness experiment this week since I will be free from work for 3 days... I'm going to start P90X!

My new boss at work is a fitness nut, but she injured her shoulder a few months back and has not been able to do nearly as much as she used to. I had heard, prior to her starting at our office, that she'd been doing the P90X program and I asked her about it. Well, she offered to let me borrow it! It took a while for her to remember to bring it in, but she gave it to me yesterday and I've been reading the book and watched the first two DVDs last night.

I gotta tell you, I'm a little scared. Haha. The first workout is not very fast-paced, but it still looks like it is going to burn like none other. There are actually three different ways you can do P90X: Classic, Doubles (for crazy people), and Lean. I was thinking about just doing the Classic version, but after watching last night's exercise, I might do Lean instead. Lean still does all the exercises, but I guess there just done differently so that it focuses more on cardio than on bulking up your muscles. I might watch the video that goes with the first exercise of the Lean phase tonight, just to see which would be a better starting point for me.

One of the things that might scare people off is all the equipment it says you'll need. It says to get a pull-up bar, but I'm telling you right now, I'm not doing that. Haha, I am, however, going to run over to the sporting goods store on my lunch break and see about getting some resistance bands with a door hing attachment for faux pull ups. It also says you need a full set of dumbbells, but again, I'm not going to worry about that. I'm just going to use the couple sets that I have and do more reps if I need to step it up. My boss assures me that you can tailor this workout to what you can do and what you have... I just might not look quite like the crazies in the video when I'm done, but I think I'm okay with that.

It's all about knowing your body and planning. I'm not starting it tonight, because I want to be able to give myself enough space between workouts to rests... and I already know that if I started tonight, I'd have to do another workout tomorrow morning since I have plans in the evening... not an attractive proposition.

So, assuming this goes well, I will keep you posted on my progress (or lack thereof) each week.

I'm also in week 5 of my 100 Push-Ups program, but that'll probably get put on the back burner until I see where P90X will take me.

Pray for me!!

W&WW: Food Photography

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hi! I'm really excited about my submission today! Actually, I have 3 submissions. After my friend left my house the other day, I decided to try a little food photography with a leftover strawberry. I made my own backdrop out of computer paper on a chair in my living room near a window. The whites aren't as white as they could be, being that the paper was thin and the chair was black, but I still like the look I got.

I also thought the red strawberry looked a little heart-like for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day Goodies

2012-02-13T07:06:00.000-05:00

I am typically one of those single girls who hates Valentine's Day. However, I do like the colors pink and red, and I do have co-workers and family that I love, so I decided to make them some treats for this, my least favorite holiday. That's how much I love them.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It looked so cute with all it's pink and red goodness I just had to make it for the guys (and the couple of girls at my office).

Source: bakedperfection.com via Lorraine on Pinterest

The ingredient list is pretty simple and were actually all things I had in my pantry... other than the M&M's, of course. I was a little worried when I spread the batter in the pan that I didn't have enough...

...but as you can see, they baked up nicely and were perfectly fluffy and smelled awesome.

I baked them for a slightly shorter time period than was suggested, because I like gooey brownies (and blondies) and these came out perfectly! They were cooked, but still very moist.

I might have to make another batch, because I only got sixteen squares out of it and I'm pretty sure these will go quickly. In fact, maybe I'll just take the first batch in today and bring in more all week. In my office, not everyone comes in during the day, so to make sure everyone gets one, I might have to bake all week.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: 2.12.12

2012-02-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yay! It's another successful "Scavenger Hunt Sunday"! I'm really getting to love this challenge. I may not be the best photographer in the world, but with each challenge, I can see myself getting a little better.

{Gold}

I was having a bit of fun with my makeshift backdrop that I made out of simple white computer paper and a chair.

{Spicy}

Red Pepper was the closest thing I had to something spicy in my pantry this week. I wanted to make Chicken Tikka Masala and use it for this item, but I just didn't get there.

{Fabric}

The new sheets on my bed do not really fit correctly, hence when I woke up the other day, they were all bunched up. I love the pattern.

{Facial Feature}

I think this shot is cool, but slightly freaky at the same time. Does this also qualify as a selfie? Ha!

{Shadow}

I pulled from my archives for this one as well... it's a little grainy, but I can't think of a more beautiful sight than palm trees reflecting off the water by moonlight.

Fitness Friday - Seeing Results

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest, I haven't been running. I just don't have the motivation to do it, mostly because I've found exercises that are more convenient for me. Running has to happen at my parents' house, whether it's outside or on a treadmill. There is just not a good place for outdoor running at my place. Plus, I wasn't improving in my running, and it started to bum me out, hence the lack of motivation.

However, I have found that strength training is my new thing, and I'm doing really well at it! I know I still need to incorporate some running or some form of cardio into workouts, but right now I've been focusing on strength. I've been doing the 100 Push-Ups Program, and I will begin week 5 on Monday. I can tell my arms are getting much stronger and leaner. It's exciting stuff! I've also gotten into the habit of exercising while I watch my evening TV, which is something I never really did before. It's great! I can watch TV, yet not feel bad about the amount of time I spent doing it! Yay!

In other news, my new boss offered to let me borrow her P90X program! Yippee! I'm not going to make any promises to myself. I hear it's reeeeally hard and I might not even have all the equipment needed. We'll see once I read what I have to do if I'm going to be able to deal with it. I'm excited to try it though! I think knowing that my boss will know if I'm doing it or not might keep me motivated to keep it up... plus, if I do it, I will finish it around my birthday, which would be an awesome gift to myself.

So I'm doing it. I'm working hard and I feel pretty good! How's everyone else doing?

The Milk Controversy

2012-02-08T21:45:00.001-05:00

Could someone explain something to me? There's all this hype all of a sudden about drinking almond or soy milk over dairy milk, but unless your lactose intolerant, I really don't see how it is better to drink almond "milk" or soy "milk" over natural dairy milk. I went to the grocery store the other day and looked in the organic section. Those so-called "milks" are not all that natural. If you look at the ingredients, sure there is almond milk, but there are also a lot of chemicals in the stuff, probably to make it more "milk-like".

It has been my philosophy for a long time that whole foods are better than "health" foods (things that were invented as alternatives to the originals). Sure, dairy milk was made for cows, but considering the fact that we are both living creatures, I can't see how drinking cow, goat or any other kind of animal milk can be bad for us.

Am I missing something?

Wild & Wonderful Wednesday: Dreaming

2012-02-08T07:07:00.000-05:00

I wanted to participate in Kim's Wild & Wonderful Wednesday, but I keep forgetting to take pictures in the middle of the week that aren't for the Scavenger Hunt. So, I pulled from my archives (because Kim did, so I know it's okay).

I switched my desktop picture from something Christmasy to a picture from my wonderful vacation to Maui in June 2011, and ever since, I've been dreaming of warm days and beaches (even though I'm not really a beach person).

I just loved the colors on this black sand beach. You don't need to be a good photographer to get great shots in Hawaii. It just happens.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 2.5.2012

2012-02-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

My Scavenger Hunt this Sunday seems to be all about close-ups.

{Strike a Pose}

This little guy is sitting on my co-worker's deak. I was stationed there one day this week while she was out, and decided to have some lunch hour fun.

{Footwear}

I very rarely wear these shoes, but every once in awhile, the outfit calls for them. Sassy!

{Shiny}

I really like this one! This is a necklace that I wore to work the other day, piled on my dresser.

{Hobby}

One of my favorite hobby is reading. My newest and most exciting purchases is my very first copy of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare".

{Color Me Green}

This is from my archives. I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade a couple of years ago and this guy was by far my favorite spectator.

Fitness Friday

2012-02-03T07:31:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Welcome again to my Fitness Friday update.

Things have been a little stressful this week. I've been trying to get a mini-vacation planned with a bunch of friends, and that always leads to confusion. Plus, work has been crazy because it's the beginning of the month, and they've been taking my other clerk away from me one day a week to help in another office, which makes things a little tougher sometimes.

Anyway, my push-up workouts have continued and have actually progressed to week 4, which means that I have done up to 26 push-ups in a row (and then some short breaks, then more in intervals). It's been tough, but I think the fact that I'm doing girly ones is kind of helping.

I'll tell you right now, I haven't been running AT ALL. I don't know why, I just don't have the motivation to do it. I'll probably get back to it this weekend... I hope anyway... but I'll probably have a massive setback (not that I've really been progressing in that area anyway).

I kind of freaked out the other day that I wasn't losing weight and I was going to cut out all gluten for a couple of weeks to see if I maybe had an allergy. It's funny how as soon as I had a plan in place, I started losing a bit of weight, even though I hadn't actually started the plan... soooo, I don't think I have an allergy. I think I just have to cut down on my carb intake again and make sure I'm getting enough good food during the day, and I should be fine.

So, there you have it, my fitness update for the week. I hope you all are doing well!

My First Attempt at Pie

2012-02-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

I got a pie pan as a Christmas gift from my parents this year, and last week was the first time I tried to make a pie. Apple, to be exact. I used the Pioneer Woman recipe... but I think I kind of messed up a bit.

You see, I used wheat flour instead of regular, all-purpose, so that definitely messed with the texture.

My bad. Oh well. Live and Learn.

First, I used wheat flour and shortening to make the dough

Then, I put the dough ball in a bag and stuck it in the freezer for awhile (actually, while I went to lunch with a friend)

After lunch, I mixed the apples with flour, brown sugar, and some other stuff that I don't remember off the top of my head.

Then, I poured the whole thing into the pie pan, which was lined with the offending crust, which actually had to be pressed into the pan because it was too crumbly and I couldn't roll it out. Argh!

Ta-da! It actually turned out very pretty... however, the crust did not hold up and I needed to cook it longer because the apples did not seem done. It was my first attempt, so I'm pretty happy with it.

Change of Plans

2012-01-31T08:01:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to change my plan slightly. I'm going to start the gluten-free thing next week, because I want to use up some groceries and I'm going to track my calories like my friend Laura suggested, in case I'm not getting enough.

Hm, so stay tuned.

January in Review

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be fun to do a monthly review this year. I made a few resolutions, and as a way to keep up with them, doing a monthly review of my progress will be helpful.

So, here's how I've been doing thus far:

1) Continue with "Couch to 5K" - I am still working on this, but it's taking me a lot longer than I'd hoped (definitely not the 9 week program it was supposed to be). I'm not stressing, and I am continuing with the process.

2) Add in Strength Training - I'm doing very well in regards to this. I have started the 100 Push-ups Program, and have incorporated other forms of strength exercises into my normal routine. Sometimes I do them after I do my running, some days I alternate cardio and strength, which is probably preferable, but sometimes it just works out better to combine them.

3) Read the Bible in One Year - I signed up to get the daily reading schedule from http://www.biblegateway.com/ and this has been really helping. I'm being honest here, this is not my favorite resolution. I don't always WANT to read that much Bible each day, but I'm trying. Sometimes I have to do it in stages, and that means that sometimes I forget that I didn't finish that day... but I just keep going on each day. I don't go back to ones I've missed because that would just discourage me and probably set me back even farther.

4) Take More Photos - Well, this is obviously a success, even if I never took another picture this year, but I will. I have started participating in two photo challenges: Wild & Wonderful Wednesday (hosted by my friend Kim) and Scavenger Hunt Sunday (hosted by Ashley Sisk). I'm sticking with these ones for now, and I'm not going to focus on taking a picture every day, but more with the themes of these challenges. Either way, both help me to think about the pictures I'm taking and SHS helps me with ideas each week. I'm loving it!

5) Travel to a New State - Well, this one hasn't happened... YET. Discussion is still happening about Las Vegas, although no concrete plans have been made. Hopefully, that will happen soon and then I can say that this one will be accomplished.

6) My Novel - This is the only one I haven't even looked at yet. I might take another look at the actual novel and see if I can edit it further. I always get nervous that it's not very good, even if someone tells me it is. I need to find some other reputable publishers to send it too, but this is where I get frustrated, because so many of them are vanity publishers, and don't want to have to pay someone to publish my book, unless I just decide to self-publish, just to have my own copy and a couple extra for friends and family.

Speaking of books, another goal I have that was not originally on my resolutions post is to read 20 books in 2012. I know I will get 11 done by reading for book club, and I just recently bought my very first "Complete Works of William Shakespeare," so I am working my way through that. It's quite possible that I'll make it to 20 by the end of the year. I'm sure going to try.

So there you have it, after one month in 2012, I have made pretty good progress on 5 out of my 6 resolutions. Hopefully, February will be the month to tackle that 6th one so that my next month review will see positivity in all areas.

Why is this not happening?

2012-01-30T18:30:00.001-05:00

I hate acting like a hypochondriac... but, I think something is wrong. I have been working out for months and I am not losing more than 2 lbs. of weight, only to gain it back a couple of days later. For awhile, I was thinking it was just muscle weight, but it's been a looong time and it is not balancing out.

I'm not going to make any self-diagnosis, but I think I'm going to try cutting out certain things from my diet here and there to see if anything happens. I really hate to do this, because honestly, I eat like a bird. I don't snack and I maybe eat a piece of fruit and a sandwich for lunch. I probably have one sweet thing a day, if that, and I don't drink pop. I also try to eat as many whole foods as possible, avoiding the processed stuff.

In earlier years, I would have just assumed I wasn't losing weight because I wasn't exercising enough, but that is certainly not the case these days. I'm more physically fit than I've ever been in my life, but yet I still weigh the same as I did last year.

I can tell that I'm losing inches, so that's a plus anyway, but it's just not happening at a rate that I think it should be... just because I eat a bigger meal one day should not mean that I gain two or more pounds and can't get it off for another week or more. Something is amiss.

So, starting now I'm going to give up gluten for a week or two and see if that helps. Wish me luck!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 1.29.12

2012-01-29T21:25:00.002-05:00

I almost didn't participate in Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week, because I didn't think I had enough. Lo' and Behold, I discovered some pictures I forgot I'd taken that go pretty well with the items this week.

{Smile}

This little precious makes me smile every day. She spends most of her days napping right here.

{Artificial}

This was just taken tonight and I did a quick edit on it in Picasa. I love the look of it!

{Repeating Pattern}

This one may be a stretch, but I loved this funky light at a restaurant my family went to this week.

{Stand Alone}

My family went to a racetrack this week for a birthday. This poor guy never even placed the whole day.

{Rusty or Old}

This was pulled from my archives and edited real quickly. Actually, these probably aren't that old, as they are in a restaurant that is probably no more than 30 years old, but they sure look ancient.

I'm so glad I got to participate!

Fitness Friday: My arms are falling off

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

It's Friday!!! Yay!

My update this week is that running is not going any better, but I am doing really well at the 100 Push-Ups Program.

I've modified the 100 Push-ups program just a little bit so that I am doing "girl-style" push-ups instead of "correct" push-ups. To some people (like my male coworkers), this is not good and cannot POSSIBLY be difficult. Haha, I'm saying this because yesterday, I said to a couple of them, "Guess how many push ups I did last night guys!" and when I said 68 (not all in a row yet. I'm only on week 3), they were all impressed. Then, when I said they were girl-style, they were all "Oh, well now I'm less impressed." They were just teasing me, of course, and I had to put on like I was soooo offended that they were not impressed by me. I kind of play the whiny girl around them sometimes, but that's just the way we roll and we all know we're teasing and we all like each other like family.

Anyway, after they were teasing me, I said I was going to try doing "manly" push-ups that night and report back how many I did. I actually did 5, which isn't that bad for someone who doesn't do them EVER. I'm sure I didn't get as low to the ground as I'm supposed to either, but I did the best I could. I think my new goal might be to add a correct push-up or two at the beginning of each 100 Push-up exercise I do. I'll see how it goes.

On the eating front, I've also been doing very well there. I have a few friends that are giving up sugar, but I have not made that commitment, however, this whole week I have not eaten much sugar at all (at least in the form of sweets). I've eaten yogurt, which has sugar, but I can't think of much else. I'm not making this a goal for myself, for one because I feel like I'd just be jumping on the bandwagon, and for another, because I just don't feel I need to. I eat pretty well, as a general rule, and as long as I'm watching my portions and at least trying to limit my snacking/sugar intake, I feel pretty good about my eating habits.

I've started losing a couple pounds. Nothing significant and I'm not getting my hopes up for a rapid weight loss, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a couple more.

So, that's my Friday update! Have a great weekend!

Wild & Wonderful Wednesday 1.25.12

2012-01-25T07:06:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot it was Wednesday! Oh my... this week is flying by.

I took this picture yesterday. It's not great as far as skill, I'm sure, but it's just so sweet. This is my baby, Chloe, doing what she does best... sleep.

...and because I can't leave her out, the other baby of the house, Callie, except obviously this was taken in the summertime. I didn't see much of Callie yesterday.

Happy Wednesday! Have a great Hump Day!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 1.22.2012

2012-01-22T08:05:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Welcome to my second installment of "Scavenger Hunt Sunday". I'll be honest, I did a little running around and quick thinking to get these up, this challenge has really been helping me think out of the box, so I'm glad I got it done.

{Day in My Life}

I didn't really know what to do for this one, because my everyday life is pretty boring, and I can't even take pictures of what I do at work everyday (confidential, ya know). So at the last minute, I decided to take a picture of one of my daily routines. I once heard it said that you should focus on one feature on your face to excentuate, and my eyes are what I've picked. This pic isn't perfect, but I actually love the way the applicator brush sparkles.

{Black & White}

This one is kind of weird, I'll admit. It's actually one of my living room lamps, converted to B&W. I just wanted to try something abstract for this one.

{Colorful}

What is more colorful than a Mexican Restaurant, I ask you? I love these lights outside "On the Border" last night after having dinner with a friend. If only it had been warm enough to eat outside... instead, we got a snow storm.

{Sunset}

I phoned it in a little on this one and went to my archives. No sunset will ever beat a Hawaiian sunset, especially when we're in the dead middle of winter on the mainland and every day is just gray.

{Four}

Sorry, but I went back to my archives for this one too... taking 4 extra photos was just not going to happen for me this week. These are delightful little chocolate deserts I made a few weeks ago. Sooo rich and delicious!

Next week's items:

1. Smile

2. Stand Alone

3. Rusty or Something Old

4. Artificial

5. Repeating Pattern

Thanks for stopping by!!

About Me

2012-01-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

Melissa tagged me in this little "About Me" game. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I actually don't even have 11 other people to tag, so I'm just going to answer her questions and if you'd like to do it too, answer the same questions she asked me! I know, I'm really being creative here, huh? I'm lame.

11 Fun Facts About ME

1. I have hitchhiker's thumb on my left hand, can make witch finger, and can make all my fingers feel like dead fish. Weird.

2. I have had 4 surgeries on my ear to correct my hearing.

3. People say I seem more like a city girl, but yet I would hate to live in a big city... I don't do crowds.

4. I wanted to be a figure skater growing up and even took lessons for a bit.

5. I get really nervous about driving on roads I'm not familiar with, but driving in snowy conditions doesn't really phase me. I think I have that backwards.

6. I am not a phone person.

7. I am really into pink right now.

8. In college, my group of friends assigned ourselves Friends characters who we were most like... guess who was Phoebe?

9. I work well under pressure and enjoy being busy, but I think at heart, I'm really a lazy bum.
10. I'm not addicted to Pinterest like everyone else seems to be... in fact, a lot of times I forget I have an account.
11. I am generally not attracted to the typically "sexy" movie stars, such as Brad Pitt. I'm much more into excentric figures, such as Johnny Depp. An exception would be James Marzden (sp?). That boy is beautiful!

Questions from Melissa

1. What are your biggest pet peeves, not including traffic issues? (We all have traffic issues.)

My biggest pet peeve is probably lateness. I don't mind a couple of minutes and I have been late on occasion, but when a person is 15 minutes late or more, and does it on a regular basis, that reeeeally annoys me. It especially annoys me whenever I have told the person about it, and it continues to be an issue.

2. If you could go on an all-expense paid vacation & take one person, who would you take & where would you go?

I would love, love, LOVE to go to Ireland... and if it's all expenses paid, I might as well take a little European tour and hit Ireland, England, Switzerland, and Slovakia. Basically the only thing I want to do in England is go to a Shakespearean play at The Globe, so that could just be a day trip. As far as who I would take... that's a hard one... I would definitely want to take my college roomie, Dawn, because we've talked about going to Ireland, but I'm not sure if she'd want to go to the Globe, so if not, I would fly my friend Susan or Kellie in for that leg of the trip (they're my theatre peeps).

3. If you could do anything you wanted for your next birthday, what would you do? (Money is no object & everything is okay to eat!)

Oh my, money is no object!!? Well, then, the first thing I'd do is go to a fancy spa for the day. Then, because I hate shopping, I'd have a personal shopper come in to the spa with some selections of outfits for me to try on. Then, I'd get a limo to pick up me and all my friends and we'd go down to Pittsburgh's South Side Works, where we'd go to dinner at Claddaugh's Irish Pub, then maybe over to Haufbrahaus for beers and their fun birthday shot drinking plank thingy (there's a name for it, but I can't remember). Then, because I'm sure there are some nice clubs there, we'd just have a blast dancing and hanging out until we all got tired, which, let's be honest, would probably be around midnight because I feel old these days.

4. What is your favorite play or musical? If you do not have one, how are we friends? (Totally kidding. I don't watch football, it all evens out!)

Seriously, this one is soooo hard! I used to be such a theatre nut, but I haven't done a play/musical in years. Regardless, I love going to SEE plays/musicals, so there are so many. For the longest time, my favorite musical was "My Fair Lady", but in recent years, I've come to adore "Wicked","Avenue Q", and "The Newsies". Wicked has a great message and is very endearing...Avenue Q is, well, just funny. The Newsies brings back fond memories of college.

4. What are some of your favorite girl names? Favorite boy names?
For girl: Fiona or Charlotte
For a boy: That's harder because so many boys names are used so often. I think I like Oliver (nickname: Oli) or Isaac. I'm sure that will change, though.

5. What is the biggest lesson you have learned in life?

People don't need to know everything, because people don't know my story and will not always understand. Some things are better kept to myself.

6. What is your favorite recipe? (Link please!)
This may sound weird, but it is Braised Red Cabbage. It was just such a delightful surprise.

7. What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?

"Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" Love it, although the sappy romanticism was a little much at times.

8. Who is your favorite author or speaker?

I would say that I love Jane Austen and I would have loved to have heard C.S. Lewis speak.

9. Which bloggie friends do you hope to meet in real life?
Well, I have already met Melissa in real life, so I guess next on my list would be Sarah and Linds, who are co-contributors to Girl Talk, where I also contribute weekly.

10. What is your nervous habit?
My mother would say it is giggling, and I suppose I would have to agree. I get really nervous around people and have to concentrate on looking them in the eye and not giggling. I'm a work in progress.

11. What do you hope will happen (that could happen!) in 2012?

I have some private hopes for 2012 that I don't really want to share on here, but mainly I just hope it is a good year, full of new experiences with good friends.

Fitness Friday: New Challenges Ahead

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

As you know, I've been working on the Couch to 5k program for a lot longer than the plan is supposed to take, but I've been okay with that. I've decided to take it slowly and just work through each new step in the program gradually, instead of freaking out that I can't do it. Running is not something I'm good at, so I'm not going to kill myself trying to get there.

However, this does not mean that I can rest easy, now that I've given myself a pass to not be a good runner. I'm still running every other day, but I have also incorporated a new challenge into my routine. I have started the "100 Push-ups Program" and I'm much more confident in this endeavor than the running. In this program, you are given 10 weeks to accomplish 100 push-ups. You are also supposed to do what they call "correct" push-ups. Well, that's just not going to happen right now. I'm doing this program using "girlie" push-ups and I am just fine with that. My goal is to get better upper body strength and maybe a little arm definition, and I can accomplish that goal doing my own style of push-ups, thank you very much. Maybe after I finish the program, I'll be able to do correct push-ups. We'll see.

I really like setting goals for myself in exercise and I am okay if it takes longer than it should to accomplish them. Does it get frustrating to not be running for 30 mins straight at this point? Yes! Am I going to push myself past what I know I'm capable of, just to get there? No!

I'm excited for this new push-ups challenge. I'll post pictures if I end up getting some definition in my arms.

Oh, and if you didn't read my last post, I walk/jogged a 5k on my treadmill on a whim last night! First time I've done that many miles since I actually participated in a 5k back in October. I can't say I did any better, but I didn't feel sick afterwards, so that's a plus.

Here's to goal setting! Have a healthy and productive weekend, everyone!

Power Surge

2012-01-18T21:10:00.002-05:00

When I got home from work today, I made the mistake of sitting down after dinner. I didn't eat a lot, or even badly for dinner, but all of a sudden I felt heavy and knew it would not be a good jogging night. I had planned all day on doing a workout, since I'd missed it yesterday because of helping my dad with my bathroom reno (which is almost complete! Yay!). At the point when I sat down, however, I did not feel like doing anything but curling up in a ball and going to bed.

I forced myself, figuring that if jogging wouldn't happen, I would just walk for a mile and then doing some strength training. Just a casual workout was all I needed tonight. I will admit, jogging didn't really go well tonight. I could only run a very short amount of time without stopping, which discouraged me pretty quickly, but I kept going, walking and jogging in 5-10 minute chunks, depending on my stamina at that point, until I got to 2 miles. At the 2 mile mark I thought that I hadn't really jogged very much (or at least it just felt like it) so I was going to keep going until I reached 3.1 miles (5k). I did it, but it took much longer than I would have liked. You know what, though, it doesn't bother me at all. The point is, I did another 5k tonight without even planning to, and even though it wasn't a "race", I very rarely go more than 2 miles on the treadmill because I get bored. I was very proud of myself for going that distance.

Afterwards, I still did some strength training, so all told I did about an hour and a half workout. Not bad for someone who didn't even want to exercise tonight.

Resolution Help

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I know you're sick of hearing about resolutions at this point... so let's rename them goals for this post, shall we?

One of my "goals" for this year was to read the Bible daily. I decided to try the Bible in One Year again, because, well, I haven't done so well with it in the past.

I've done pretty well so far this year. I've missed a couple of days already, but in general, I'm keeping up with it. The other day, however, I decided to give myself a little help. I got on http://www.biblegateway.com/ and signed up for a daily email with the sections of the day in there. Soooo helpful! I'm hopeful that this will really keep me on task, since I check my email every day.

I've been doing really well with my goal to take more pictures, too, as evidenced by the slew of photos on this blog in recent days. It's only the start of the 3rd week in 2012, so there's a loooong way to go... but I'm optimistic about this year. I think this will be a great year and I hope it won't end on Dec. 12 (lol!), because I'd like to see it through the whole year.

Okay, happy continuation of your goal completion! Have a great week!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 1.15.12

2012-01-15T07:47:00.000-05:00

I decided to participate in another photo challenge! I've been doing really well with taking more pictures this year (okay, I know it's only been 2 weeks, but humor me) and I really think I'm doing pretty well with my little point-n-shoot. I decided to participate in this particular photo challenge because it gave me 5 prompts to look for throughout the week. That helps tremendously for someone who's life is very routine.

This week's items were: Stacked Up, Winter Wonderland, Sweet, Hole, and Frozen

{Stacked Up}

I was off sick for a couple of days, and while I was sitting in bed, I decided to practice my crocheting. This is a stack of coasters I made for my living room.

{Winter Wonderland}

When I saw this prompt, I was concerned because it hadn't yet snowed this year...buuut, Friday it finally did! I like the antiqued look of this photo. I didn't even do that much editing. I like that about winter. Everything is muted.

{Sweet}

These little beauties adorn the buffet table in my living room 24/7... unless I've eaten them all... which has happened.

{Hole}

This was actually a photographic mistake gone fantastically right! This was the side of a pink pale with little flower cutouts. I took a close up with the flash on and it washed the whole thing out, but I love the way it turned out!

{Frozen}

Originally, I was going to take a picture of some ice cream, but today I got in the car and noticed the ice on one of the windows. Lightbulb moment, shall we say!

I really enjoyed participating in Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week. The prompts are really helping me look at everything around me with more interest and scruntiny.

Coasters

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my 100th post here at Blogger! I wrote for a couple of years over at Wordpress.com, but switched over here earlier in 2011. I've had a great experience so far and can't wait to improve on it more. I have switched back and forth between blogging venues over the years, mostly because I always get to a point where I feel like my blog needs to be refreshed. My goal over here at Blogger is to keep everything upbeat. I used to use blogs as a "journal" where I didn't really care what I wrote and would vent about anything or anyone. Yeah, obviously that was a problem. I've grown up and gotten my whiny baby years out of my system. Now, I want this to purely be a place I go to catalogue the good stuff: Recipes I try, Lessons I've learned, and projects I've made. Speaking of...

Remember when I said I decided to crochet via YouTube tutorials while I was sick? Well, here is what I made! I made 8 of them for every surface in my living room. It's technically a granny square, I assume to use for making whole blankets, but I decided they would work great individually for coasters. They aren't perfect, but I think I did pretty well for being the first thing I've crocheted other than a straight basis crochet stitch for about... um... 5 years.

I once made a baby blanket for my cousin when he and his wife had their first blanket. I used a similar stitch to this to make a seashell pattern. It was beautiful when it was done, but literally took me almost her whole pregnancy to finish... and it was supposed to be a 5 day blanket. Ugh! Ever since then, I've never tried anything like that. This was a nice way for me to ease back into it.

You know, I never really get on YouTube, but it can be pretty useful for things like this. It was so much better than having someone sit there and teach me. I had no one to impress or frustrate other than myself (and trust me, I was plenty frustrated with myself at times). I'm going to have to think of more things I want to learn and check out YouTube to teach me!

Fitness Friday: Delay of Game

2012-01-13T07:50:00.003-05:00

When I was making my "resolutions" for this year, I didn't even think about worrying about my exercise habits for this year. Even though I haven't noticed much weight loss, I can honestly say I'm probably in the best shape of my life since last year. I don't dread exercise anymore, and while I can't say I love it, no one has to force me to do it.

However, the first 2 weeks of January have been hard as far as exercise goes. Both Tuesdays and Wednesdays of this new year, I had some sort of sickness. The first week, it was insomnia that left me unable to function. This week, it was the flu. Needless to say, I haven't exercised nearly as much as I should have. This week, I haven't exercised at all. Last week I did a few times, but made no real progress in my C25k program. I'm afraid I'm going to have another big setback from being sick this week. I can't do anything about it though. Of course, I didn't make myself sick, so I just have to get over it and then start back on the plan again. I think it's safe to say I'm not really following C25k anymore, but I'm still keeping it in the back of my mind, and if I do ever get to running 30 mins without stopping, than I will consider myself successful in completely that program...

The strength training portion of my new exercise goal will be better though. I don't feel like that takes as much out of me, so I might start back with walking this weekend and then doing my normal strength routine before getting back into running. I've even considered starting the "One Hundred Push ups" program, so I might start that this weekend and see how I do.

All I know is, I can't let a little thing like the flu get me down. It can delay the game, but it won't stop the game. I've gotten to a place in my life where I'm satisfied with the way my body looks. Sure, if I look in the mirror, there are still some things I would like to improve, but overall, I look good to myself. That took 20 some years to accomplish, but it finally happened.

So, just like I said last week, I'll keep on truckin'. No pain, no gain.

W&WW: Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

2012-01-11T09:38:00.002-05:00

I haven't been feeling well the last few days, so even though the weather has been gorgeous, I haven't gone outside much at all. However, I have been productive. As you can tell from the above picture, I have been crocheting. I only ever learned to do a basic crochet stitch, but I have been looking into fabric coasters, so I just decided to make some. The basic stitch was pretty boring, so I got on YouTube and found a instructional video for a granny square. It took me quite awhile, but I finally think I'm getting the hang of it and have made 2 nice coasters. My camera batteries died, or else I'd put a picture of them in this post, but stay tuned.

Fun with Picasa

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

I was having fun with one of my pictures from last week. This is the cover of the most recent book I read. I was playing around with the exposer to make it more interesting and I like what happened.

{before}

{after}

It's just fun. It's not any great feat of photography, but it's fun to experiment.

Book Review - "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"

2012-01-08T11:32:00.002-05:00

Per my request, I received the book, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) for a Christmas gift and read it during the first week of January. I was not disappointed in terms of it's cuteness and amusing antidotes. It's hard to critique something when you know it's a true story.

However, if it wasn't a true story, I would have said, "Oh my goodness, no man would ever act like that." "Oh my goodness, that certainly is an unrealistic amount of black cloud you had over your first year of marriage." If it wasn't a true story, I might write this book off as just another cheesy romance novel, but because it's true, I had to love it, because it makes me think that there might be room for a real romance in the world, and it shows that even with the best romance in the world, life gets sucky sometimes, but that's okay. You get through it.

You see, this is the story of Ree meeting her cowboy husband and subsequent first year of marriage from hell. I must admit, the first part (the dating part), I found to be a little much. Being a single girl, I did tend to roll my eyes and wonder how they had any friends left by the time they got married since it sounded like the never saw anyone else during their whole relationship. I thought multiple times, "Okay, enough with the talk of how he kissed you, how he looks, and the adorable little things he said to you when he called you at night." Gag me! However, it was sweet and it was nice to know that there are still some men out there that aren't afraid to tell a woman how they feel.

The best "story" came in the second part, after they were married. The poor things had quite a trying first year of marriage. I felt so bad for them, but being that she has become famous and now has 4 cute kids, I'm assuming everything turned out okay.

All in all, this was a romantic, easy read to start the new year. I definitely recommend it if you need a little renewed faith in the romance department... although, warning, it might make you gag on its syrupy sweetness at times.

Although, did anyone else who read this kinda sorta hate Cowboy Tim for awhile? I did. Maybe it's because I don't have brothers, but if I ever end up dating a guy with a brother, he will know from day one that if he treats me the way Tim treated Ree, I will not be as submissive to the hazing.

1st Week of January

2012-01-07T16:59:00.000-05:00

I'm still working out how I'm going to do this "More Photos in 2012" resolution I've made, but at least for the first week of January 2012, I was pretty good about taking one picture a day. Some days they were actual photography style photos, other times they were just snapshots from something I did that day. Either way, I like chronicling my weeks this way.

So without further ado, my week in pictures:

{Jan. 1}

I set up my basement to be my "Wii" room. One of my resolutions is to workout with what I have this year... meaning my Wii, exercise videos, and my parents' exercise machines. No extra money will be spent on exercise this year!

Callie found her new favorite spot. She's been there almost everytime I walk in the room this week.

{Jan. 2}

Today was the first snow of the new year. I went outside and played around with my camera. I got a lot of nice snow shots, which I have been posting all week, but this is my favorite.

I also played around with getting bokeh before the Christmas decorations went down. This was the day that I finally got it! I was so proud of my little point-n-shoot.

{Jan. 3}

My first day back to work after New Years... this is how I felt.

{Jan. 4}

After going home sick on the third... this is how I felt the next day. I kind of like this shot. It's kind of funny, yet artsy at the same time.

{Jan. 5}

I didn't pick up my camera at all this day, until I got home from work and this was what my bathroom looked like... I thought this was a good shot of the day, purely because it shows the craziness going on here right now.

{Jan. 6}

Again, I didn't know what to take a picture of, so I took a picture of a book cover and then played around with editing.

{Jan. 7}

Laura put a link up on Facebook for a "Green Monster Spinach Smoothie". I was off to the grocery store anyway, so I decided to try it... it wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll be making this a diet staple.

So there you have it. My week in pictures. I might try to do one of these each Sunday.

Keep on Truckin'

2012-01-06T18:52:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on the Fitness Friday post today, and originally, I didn't have anything to post about. I'm trucking along on my running and at first, that's all I could think about. Then I realized, that is my post. I'm still truckin'.

When I accidentally took a week off from running, I hit a major setback in finishing "Couch to 5K". It was almost as if I'd never run a day in my life. I know I'm not made to be a runner, but come on! I should have had more stamina than that, right? Well, I tried not to let that bother me too much, and just started to build back up again. Since then, I haven't really followed the C25k running plan, because I have no idea what "week" I'm supposed to be on and I'm not willing to let myself see that I've set myself back more than 2 weeks. I haven't even looked.

My goal before I start back up to the actual C25k rules is to make it to 20 mins again without even stopping once. I realized that while I had gotten to 20 mins. of running before, that was usually with a complete stop to catch my breath at about 10 mins. While I still counted that time, I realized that I've got to work on running that whole time. At this point, I can run 15 mins (plus 5 mins walking at the beginning) without stopping to catch my breath. That is a victory for me. I've also learned that if I don't stop, I have more endurance than if I stop for a short period of time and then start again. That short stop makes my body crave relaxation, and it protests when I start running again.

All in all, I think I'm making progress, even though sometimes it doesn't feel that way, because I was up to 20 mins running before. This has been such a long process and it's a little discouraging to know that in order to keep up my progress, I can never quit and then start up from where I left off.

But... I keep truckin'. I've even added strength training to my workouts like I planned for the new year. I'm doing well, even if sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

Photo #5 - Texture

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, something a little different! I really like this one because of the colors, and the fact that you can see the texture of the scarf pretty clearly. My little camera doesn't do half-bad, does it?

Insomnia is yucky

2012-01-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

Sheesh, I started the new year off right {sarcasm}. Monday night I didn't sleep, at all. I maybe got to sleep for an hour around 3:00AM, but nothing after that. I picked my butt up and went into work anyway, but it was clear by lunchtime that nothing good was going to happen. I had a headache, stomach ache, and was just all messed up because of lack of sleep. I went home and laid around, but didn't want to actually sleep because I wanted to be able to sleep Tuesday night. Well, I went to bed at a normal hour, but again, didn't sleep again. I had even taken melatonin before bed, which has sporadic effectiveness for me... and Tuesday night was a no go. So, at 3:00 AM, I was so exhausted I did the only thing I knew to do. I took Benedryl. It knocked me out, as I knew it would, but at 7:00AM when my alarm went off, I knew I was not going into work again. I don't even fully remember calling my office, but I did and went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until 11:00. I felt pretty good after that, but was still getting stomach aches once in awhile throughout the day.

By 6:00 that evening, I felt much better and decided I should do some exercise to try and tire me out for sleep that night. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill, some crunches, push-ups and lunges. It was a good hour workout.

I did sleep last night, although I still couldn't get to sleep until about 12:30, but that's better than nothing. This insomnia thing is no good. Hopefully, today will be busy enough at work to wear me out a little bit... although I say that with a grain of salt because I don't want it to be a bad day.

I'm crossing my fingers for a good night of sleep tonight.

Oh, side note, I've actually done pretty well on taking a picture a day so far. Most of the ones I've been posting are from 1 day, but I'm going to try a collage of pictures from this past week on Monday, and some I have not posted yet. I think a collage might be the easiest way to go... maybe.

Photo #4 - Winter Scene

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Another one from our first snow the other day... I know, I was on a roll.

Photo #3 - Steeler Country

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

The first snow day of the year, I took a few pictures outside. I like how this one turned out.

It also shows the loyalty of our house. :-)

Photo #2 - Funny Callie

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I actually took this photo on New Year's Day, as you can see from the date in the corner. This is my precious kitty Callie. Callie is... how shall we say... special. One of her favorite things is to lay in whatever small area she can find. This is a Christmas present box.

Another thing she likes to do in the box... chase her tail... in the middle of the night.

That's why she's special, and special to us, despite all her quarks.

Photo of the Day - #1

2012-01-02T15:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got the bokeh, and I can cross that one off my to-do list.
Today we got our first snow of 2012, so I decided to take the opportunity to take some pictures.

I've taken quite a few nice photos today, if I do say so myself, but I'm going to only post one right now. I need to pace myself.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!! I've heard a lot of people say that 2011 was a bad year, but for me, it wasn't terrible. I went on the vacation of a lifetime, redid my kitchen and bathroom, and got a helper at work who has made everyday... um... entertaining, to say the least. Yes, 2011 was a pretty awesome year for me, but I'm hoping 2012 continues with the trend. My friend, Dawn, sent me a Christmas card and in it she said, "Praying that this coming year will be our year!" Darn right, Roomie!

I decided not to have a New Year's Eve party like I did last year... just too much chaos in my house right now with renovations happening all over the place.

I wasn't going to do a resolutions post, this year, but I thought of a few things that I want to do in the coming year and some goals I want to achieve, so I guess that means I have them.

1) Continue working on my "Couch to 5K" program... and finish it! I have found that I get quite bored running on my treadmill, even with the TV on, but I'm hoping that once I get up to running 3 miles on it, then going back to running outside will be a little easier once the weather gets warmer.

2) Incorporate some strength training with my running (or other cardio). I know you must do both in order to really see results, but so far, I've only been running and using my mom's weighted hula-hoop once in awhile. I need to come up with an action plan.

3) Travel to a state I've never been to. I discussed briefly going to Vegas this year with a friend, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. If it doesn't, I'm going to try to come up with another plan. While I'm single, I need to travel. It's what I want and need in my life right now.

4) Take more photos. I'm not a "photographer" like some of you, but I do think blogs are more interesting with pictures, and I'd like to get better at recognizing a good photo opportunity when it presents itself. Practice makes perfect, and I intend to practice.

5) Read the Bible in one year. I've been pretty slackery in picking up the Bible these last few months. I think I need a plan to make me do it. I've started the Bible in One Year program before, but this year, I'd like to do it the whole way through. We'll see how it goes!

6) Figure out something to do with my novel. I sent a query letter out to a literary agent months ago. It was only supposed to take 3 months to get back to me... I haven't heard anything and it's been over 6. I'm assuming they didn't like it. I need to either find another place to submit to, or just self-publish for my own enjoyment. I already have an idea for another book, too. I'm going to be busy this year.

I think that's a good and do-able resolutions list, don't you think? I'm over half-way to finishing #1, and I've already started thinking about #2. #3 is more dependant on others... but I can have a hand in the planning. #4, as you can see from my posts last week, has already started as well. #5 and 6 are probably going to be the ones I have the most trouble with, I'm embarrassed to say, but I'll give it a go.

What are some of your goals for 2012?

2011 Review

2011-12-31T11:28:00.000-05:00

I’m relatively new to the blogging world… well, in that I was never a really serious blogger, but I’m trying to become one now.

A lot of bloggers have been doing a “Year in Review” and I thought that would be fun, so here it goes!

January:

I started off 2011 with a New Years Eve party at my place. This was the biggest party I’ve had here and we had lots of fun!

I started my own personal cooking challenge using a Christmas gift "5 Ingredient Fix". I got over half the recipes done before I kind of pooped out.

Most excitingly, I finished and started submitting my novel. The submission process has since stalled, at least for the moment, but I am going to get back into that this year.

February:

...was pretty much a continuation of January, except I started getting into exercising much more.

I also hosted my first (and last) Pampered Chef party... never again.

March:

I went to Philly for a friend's wedding. His wife is extremely adorable and we have become fast friends! I just wish they lived closer so we could hang out.

I also quit the gym, and I am still soooo happy I made that decision. Sure, I loved Zumba, but it was just not worth the money I was putting into it.

The most exciting thing that happened in March... we hired a new secretary at work!!! My life hasn't been the same since.

April:

I finished the reno on my kitchen! It's sooo pretty!

May:

Well, of course, my birthday is in May, so that makes it pretty fabulous.

I had my first experience with a hula-hoop... I'm not good at it, but we had fun trying!

Laura's photo

I also started jogging outside for the first time, which is not great for the ego.

June:

The only thing that matters in June... Hawaii! Oh how I still miss it. I never thought I'd miss a beach vacation so much, but oh how glorious it was.

July:

I got my wisdom teeth out. Even though the actual process wasn't bad... I ended up injuring my jaw and for the next two months, I didn't even want to eat, it hurt so bad to chew.

August:

I officially switched over to Blogger. I've liked it on here, but doing my little yearly recap makes me realize that I do miss my Word Press blog a little. I had really started to do something with that one. I'm going to have to work on this blog more to get it up to speed.

September:

I stupidly thought I could train for a 5k in a month. I started training for my first 5K in October, but I have since realized that it takes more than a month to become a runner.

October:

I completed my first 5K in 43 mins. Not great, but not bad for a first timer. Then, after that was over, I decided to start the Couch to 5K program again... still working on that.

November:

Nothing exciting really happened in November, but I started adding more photos to my blog. I have a lot of friends who love photography, and having pictures on their blogs make the blogs much more interesting to read. I decided I need to do that, even though my photos are not as good as theirs. I definitely enjoy it.

December:

I started a reno on my bathroom! It's still a work in progress, but I'm so excited to see the finished product.

There's my recap of 2011! I hope you all have a very safe and happy New Year's Eve and I'll see you on the flip side!

Looky!

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I did it... kinda! I took this idea from Kim, figuring that if I could get my little point n' shoot to focus on what was in the foreground, I might also be able to get a little bokeh. I think I actually acheived it somewhat.

In this one, I was just playing around with some editing. I thought this one was kind of fun.

This photography thing is kind of fun!

Warm Thoughts for Cold Days

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got another sweet gift from a friend for Christmas! I love it!
In case you aren't sure, it's pictures from our trip to Hawaii last summer.
I used to think a person could have too many mugs, but after my last couple of mug gifts, I'm changing my tune!

It also came with delicious Starbucks Instant Coffee mix and hot chocolate!

What a perfect way to start my day.

Bye-Bye Walls

2011-12-29T06:05:00.000-05:00

The tile (and consequently, the walls) are coming down today in the bathroom. I'm a little bit sad to see it go... but only because for some reason, I love the rosy pink tile that forms a chair rail to line the ugly gray tile.

I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do with the walls once the tile is gone. I have to see how the new drywall connects to the old (if a seam will be ultra-noticeable). One thing I do know, though, is that even though I'll kind of miss the old look in a nostalgic way, the new look will be even better!

I can't wait to get my last big remodel behind me. From there, it will only be little improvements here and there, and won't be anything that will need to be done right away.

So, bye-bye pink tile. I'll miss you... kinda.

Photo Experimentation

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have some friends who have tried a "photo a day" challenge in the last couple of years and I always kind of wished I had enough going on in life to take a picture everyday.

I'm considering doing something like that in this coming year. I know I'm no expert photographer, and I don't kid myself or anyone else that I'll ever be as good as my friends Laura or Kim, but a person can't improve if they don't practice, so I figured I could try it out, and you all that know what you're talking about could critique me and teach me what I could do better. Learning is the goal here.

Anywho, here are a couple of photos I took at Christmas dinner on Sunday. I actually don't think they're too bad, aside from the fact that the one glass has a big smudge on it. Do you like them? What could I have done to make them better... or what could I do in editing to my my point-and-shoot pictures more interesting?

First Photo Challenge!

2011-12-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

I'm participating in my very first photo challenge! I'm going to preface this by saying I'm a novice who only has a point-and-shoot... so please don't be too critical of me. :-)

Since Christmas is over, I figured I would focus more on my "winter" decor.

These may not be professional, but these make me happy to look at, and that's all that matters!

Black Clouds

2011-12-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

Oh my, I know I try to keep this blog about happy or encouraging things, but sheesh... sometimes black clouds hide the sunshine all day! I'm going to tell you about my horrible, rotten, no good, very bad day today because it's almost laughable how bad this day was.

Let's start from the very beginning, shall we.

I woke up at 6:00 today, because I realized that extra half hour just helps me be more productive in the morning... somehow, I still got out the door later than usual today.

Because it there was a slight dusting of snow on the roads and they were a liiiittle bit slick, people forgot how to drive. Typical. I got behind someone who acted like she'd never seen snow before. I was already running behind, so this started the day off just right.

Then, I got onto the road my office is on, and the traffic was stopped. I was stuck behind a garbage truck, a BART bus, and about three other cars... no one was passing the garbage truck. It was 8:27 and I start at 8:30. UGH! I called my office and explained the situation... even though I knew no one would really care. I'm NEVER late for work.

I got to work at 8:33. The day was going okay... but then the my boss started getting on my nerves. I may have gotten a little snippy with him once or twice. I wasn't insubordinate, but just not my typical self... sometimes one just needs to stick up for others. There are multiple stories about it, but I don't like to talk about work on here.

After work, I went to my parents' for dinner, then left their house to take a book to a friend. About a mile from my parents' house, I passed a "Road Work" sign, but it was dark and I didn't see any lights ahead or anything to indicate that the work was still going on. All of a sudden, though, a construction worker in a reflector vest ran out into the center of the road, I guess to stop me... which worked, because I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting him. Seriously, these guys had NO WORK LIGHTS!! How were they working in the dark?

Then, to top it all off, four deer walked out in front of my car in my friend's neighborhood. Luckily, I was going slow enough and I saw them coming from the opposite side.

Luckily, I made it home safely, but I am ready to just sit in bed and drink a beer... What a day!

Christmas Part 2

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

My family went to my aunt's house for Christmas dinner. I took my little point-and-shoot camera and new tri-pod with me and tried my hand and some better shots than usual.

My mom made gift bags for my 13 yr. old twin cousins and gave me one too! It was fun of little doo-dads, some funny little things that I'd only ever do with the girls, but this little Christmas tree was one of our crafts. I went all fancy on it and made a rainbow stand and dual-colored garland. Yep, I'm an ARTIST!

My cousin, Livi, got a fancy camera for Christmas. She's discovered she's into photography, so she researched cameras and actually got one! I was so happy for her, because that was ALL she wanted. She was taking pictures left and right. I even "taught" her how to do bokeh, thanks to Laura. I'll show you the picture when she sends it to me, Laura.

Christmas was good this year. Everyone liked their gifts, it was fairly low-key and low stress, and in general, we all had a good time.

Your Opinion is Requested

2011-12-27T22:17:00.000-05:00

Okay all, I changed my template. If you remember what it was before (with the grass and dandelions across the top), which do you like better?

Ultimately, I'd like to have a more customized site like some of my other friends have, but I'll probably have to have someone who is good at Blogger help me out with that.

For now, do you like this new, simpler design or the more springy design?

Scarf Love

2011-12-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

Look at the pretty scarf my aunt got me for Christmas!

Oh, and I also love my new tripod! Now I can participate in Wear a Dress Tuesday without so much hassle!

I'm a happy girl!

(Oh, and yes, I realize this IS Tuesday and I'm not wearing a dress... but it's casual week at work, so I felt like wearing jeans.)

Christmas Part 1

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Of course, Christmas isn't about the presents. We know that. Honestly, though, don't we all like getting and giving presents, just a little bit? Yes, yes we do.

Christmas morning was spent at my parents' house. There are only three of us, but this was the aftermath.

Isn't my parents' furniture awesome! If they ever downsize, I totally want the purple couch.

I got a lot of great stuff from my parents! They are fantastic! One thing though, stood out from the crowd, even though it was probably supposed to be a gag gift.

This is Penny the Pig (as I have named her). She walks and sings "Do You Hear What I Hear?" in a faster rhythm than is normal... oh, and in between each line, she OIKS! How cute is that?! Who comes up with this stuff? An added bonus of this gift, it was fun to taunt my parents' cats with it. My cat hid behind the couch when it started following her. LOL!

The rest of Christmas was pretty interesting, but that will come at another time.

I Need a Little Christmas Now

2011-12-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

I have been watching Christmas movies and indulging in all things bad for me the last couple of days. However, it's still not snowing! Ugh!

Oh well, I guess I should be happy for the mild weather. I guess.

Here are some of the gifts my coworkers got me. I figured I should showcase them, because they are just so darn festive!

The little bear candle from Tom. His name is Paws. Isn't his little hat so cute!?
(Oh, I almost got some bokah in the background of the first shot... close, but no cigar.)

My coworker, Donna, is a fabulous designer of all things flowers. She's made all my wreaths that my friends admire, and now she's made me a lovely table arrangement.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Fitness Friday: Back on Track

2011-12-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

I knew it was going to be hard during the holidays to stay on track with my "Couch to 5K" program. If you've been reading about it, you'll know that I've experienced some back pain. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take a couple of days off because of it... turns out, with a packed schedule of pre-Christmas activities that week, I ended up skipping an entire week!! Not good! My original plan was to finish all 9 weeks of the Couch to 5K program by the end of the year... um... yeah, not going to happen.

On a positive note, I felt MUCH better after that week off, and I really have not had any lasting pain since then. However... it was really discouraging to find that after one week of not running, it was almost like I had never run in my life. I had started employing a technique my coworker advised to cover the timer on my treadmill so that I wouldn't be watching the clock. The first few times I did that, I pretty easily made it to 10+ minutes before even looking. The first day back to running after the week off... I was dying after only 5 minutes. Ugh!

I've been pushing myself this week, and as of today, I'm back up to running two 10 minute chunks with a 3 minute walk in the middle... that's at about week 6. Sometimes I feel like I'm never going to get out of week 6 of this program... but I'm determined.

On another positive note, I think I have figured out the breathing problem. For me, I need to run with my mouth open. I know that's really not the best thing to do, but for some reason, it works for me.

It pains me to say, but I'm not sure running is ever going to be "my thing", but, I'm determined to finish this program and then see where it leads me.

I'd say this week was full of some lows, with realizing how much time I'd lost, where it left me in my progress, and just feeling some overall discouragement; but as you can see, there were some positives, and I'm determined to focus on the positive. Happy exercising!

How do I respond?

2011-12-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

I found out some bad news today about a friend's health. I had been prepared for it, but had hoped it wouldn't happen. I'm concerned and upset for him... but I'm not exactly sure that my response came across as genuine, and that makes me self-conscious.

You see, I'm not a crier, and I'm afraid that what I said sounded a little fake. It wasn't though... I just hate to get dramatic when I don't know the full story. There is a lot of hope, and this person was upset, but not pessimistic, so I didn't want to be all crazy about it.... but I'm just worried that he thinks I don't care.

My general rule is that while I express my concern, I try to drop it and move on to happier topics, once I feel like the person is done talking about it. I only do this because, if it were me, I wouldn't want people dwelling and being all sad around me. If they want to talk, I will listen of course, but I don't want to aid in their dwelling on the negative. Does that make sense?

Does it sound like the right thing to do? I don't have much experience with these types of things, but I'm really kind of obsessing over my response. Anyway, if you could please say a prayer for my friend and his family, I'd appreciate it. They have a lot of anxiety right now.

Bathroom Redo - Part 1

2011-12-18T19:17:00.000-05:00

Hi all! Here's a little update on what I've been up to in the past week.

This is my old tub/shower. It's a jet tub... but it has to be from the 1980s and the surround is ceramic. Yuck!

Here's a little peak at some of the many flaws of the tub. Beautiful, no?

I had a leak in my tub when I first moved in, so my dad took the front panel off in order to investigate... this is what happens when you try to remove something like that.

Ugly, ugly fixtures! Also, please note how the faucet is off center from the drain... the shower head was even farther over to the right. What were they thinking!!?

Construction underway! That is the underside of the old bathtub.

This whole process took about a week. I'm ultimately redoing the whole bathroom, but it's a step-by-step process.

Meanwhile, check out my incredible NEW tub!!

TAAAA DAAAAA!

Look, the fixtures line up! They're shiny and pretty too!

Stay tuned as I continue this reno process.

Foundation Faux Pas

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have not worn foundation on my face for a couple of years now. Every once in awhile, I get the bright idea that an occasion calls for it to make my face look more polished. I have realized, though, that now that I am no longer used to wearing foundation, it just has the effect of making me very uncomfortable and by the end of the night, kind of makes me look old and sloppy.

I don't really understand this, because I put very little foundation on... in fact, tonight I went to a work Christmas party and just dotted some concealer all over and rubbed it in. It looked fine, but felt funky after the first few hours and when I got home, I personally thought I saw wrinkles under my eyes! I'm 28 people! I should not have wrinkles under my eyes!

Therefore, all this is to say that I will try to continue with my "no face makeup" rule. I still wear eye makeup and lipstick, but that's it.

Has anyone tried face primer? It sounds really weird, but I tried in once at a friend's house and it felt really good. Supposedly, you put it on under your foundation and it keeps it looking smooth. I'm not sure if it would be worth buying for the rare occasions I feel like I need makeup, but if anyone has opinions, I would welcome the feedback.

Blah

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello faithful readers! I'm sorry I've been a little lacks on the posting lately. I've just been feeling a little burned out lately, and I'll be honest, a little down. It's probably just the winter blues, but I just haven't had much to post about lately. I like to keep this blog upbeat, but with how I've been feeling lately, I wouldn't have been that way.

Anyway, check out my Fitness Friday post on Girl Talk (button on the side). I haven't been very good at my running this week. Life's been a little disrupted with the demo of my only bathroom at my place, so my exercise schedule has been a little off. I'm sure once I get back into the swing of things, I'll feel better.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some prayers if you think of it. I'm just feeling blah (for various reasons) and I'm not really sure how to fix it. Thanks! I'll hopefully be back to my regularly scheduled programming once this bathroom is back together and my mood lightens.

I Did It!

2011-12-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

I should probably save this for "Fitness Friday", but I was just so excited last night that I can't hold it in.

I have been dreading the third workout of week 5 in Couch to 5K for weeks. After a 5 min. warm up walk, I was supposed to run 20 minutes without stopping. That seemed like a big jump from the previous workout where I ran two 8 minute jogs with a 5 minute walk in between. It just didn't seem possible.

I whined to a coworker about this and he gave me a tip. He asked me if I run on a treadmill, which I do. He said, "you probably spend a lot of time watching the clock, huh?" Yep, I do. He advised me to cover the timer with a towel or something so that I can't watch. So yesterday, I took one of those rubber exercise bands that you use for resistance and tied it around my treadmill.

And it worked! Before I knew it, I had run 11 minutes. I did have to stop for a minute at this time because I was getting a bit of a cramp. I just stopped long enough for the cramp to subside, than I covered up the timer and kept going. I was watching tv while I ran, so I said, "I'm not checking the timer again until the next commercial." By then, I had reached 18.5 minutes and was nearly done!

I finished my 20 minutes and had gone about 1.5 miles. I run pretty slow, because according to the program, I should have run 2 miles, but I'm okay with that. My goal is endurance, and I can work on speed later. My back hurts a little today, but not nearly as much as it has, so I think I might be getting better.

So yay! On to Week 6! By the end of this week, I should be running for 25 minutes. We'll see, but I'm slightly more confident in myself now. BOOYAH!

Christmas Tea

2011-12-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

I think it is safe to say that Christmas Tea has become a tradition. My mom has a friend who loves this kind of thing, and asked us to come along one year and we've been doing it for about 3 years now. It's really girlie and fun and it gives us a chance to check out different places around our area.

This particular tea was held at Antiqui-Tea in Pittsburgh (I couldn't find their website). The food was excellent and the decor was so cute.

I know this tea cup is a little bright, but I just wanted to show off how cute this was! I love my cup! The teapot was set on a little metal stand with a candle underneath to keep it heated. Very cleaver!

Traditional Christmas Tea fare. Tea sandwiches on the bottom, croissants and tea cakes in the middle, and desserts on top! Yum!

A closer look at my desserts. Sooooo yummy!

My momma and me after tea. Aren't we so cute!

Christmas Tea is a fun time. If you have a group of girls that like to be girlie, you should definitely do this with them sometime. It's usually a little expensive, but if it's a once a year deal, it's worth it for the experience.

Fitness Friday - Progress and Pain

2011-12-09T06:56:00.001-05:00

It's the second Fitness Friday and look! Lindsay made us a button!

Today, if you want to pop over, we have a guest post. It's very encouraging if you're feeling like you're having trouble getting started with an exercise program. You can do it!

I've been trying to keep my Couch to 5K updates to Fridays now that we've started this. I'll let you know how it's going. I got through the 2nd workout of week 5, which is running two sets of 8 minute chunks. Surprisingly, I did it! I was super excited.

I haven't run in a few days, because I've encountered some lower back pain. I'm trying to get that under control a little more before I start my biggest challenge so far... running for 20 mins. straight.

I haven't taken measurements this week either. I doubt they've changed in the last week, so I might just do it once a month.

So.... this is kind of a boring Fitness Friday post, but I'm chugging along. I was pretty excited to run 8 minutes without stopping, so that was my excitement of the week.

Okay, go read Katie's post over at Girl Talk, and then get exercising!!! Have a great weekend!

Photography Practice

2011-12-08T18:55:00.000-05:00

Hey Laura, just wanted to show you that I practiced one of your photography tips from your post tonight! Not too bad, right? Now, I just have to get out my book to figure out how to shut off my auto focus and figure out what apeture is and maybe I can make my little point-n-shoot do nice things for me.

Weekend in Pictures

2011-12-07T07:14:00.001-05:00

My friends, Laura, Kim, and Melissa have already posted a bunch of pictures from this past weekend, but I have a few that are slightly different, so I thought I'd add to the Girls Night posts!

Laura taught Mel how to shoot in manual mode with her fancy camera! She even taught me a little on Sunday, but I have a point-n-shoot, so I can't really say I paid attention that well.

Kim being a goof-ball

The paparazzi on Girls Night

Laura is so sophisticated

My attempt at an "artsy" shot.

More to come from the rest of the weekend! Check out the other girls blogs if you want to see other pics from our weekend.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-12-04T11:28:00.001-05:00

This weekend has been soooooo busy. I'm exhausted! I love entertaining and hanging out with friends, but when it all happens at the same time, it's crazy!

Friday night, Laura had a girls night at her place. It was so fun! I left with a headache from all the laughing.

Saturday, I had a book club luncheon and had 10 women at my house. It was a much more subdued crowd, but no less fun! We had a great time hanging out and discussing our plans for next year's book club.

Saturday night, I went to a surprise 30th birthday party for my best guy friend, Matt. It was good times! There was good food, lots of people, and fabulous entertainment in the form of the musical stylings of Matt and his sister Ashley. I didn't get out my camera at all for this, but only because his mom took my purse and coat and I couldn't find it again until it was time to leave! Haha. Thank goodness I trust those people!

Fitness Friday

2011-12-02T09:33:00.001-05:00

In lieu of a button for our new feature over at Girl Talk, I will just share a link here for Fitness Friday. This is a new feature my friend Laura came up with to help us girls stay accountable to our fitness goals over the holiday season.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I've been trying out the Couch to 5K running program over the last 5 weeks. I kind of got stuck at week 4, but I'm to the point where I feel like moving on to the next. Unfortunately, my back's been out of whack the last few days, so I've been giving it a rest, but I'm nervous that starting week 5 after taking almost a week break will be nearly impossible. Argh! I'm frustrated, but I'm going to give it my all when I get back to it (hopefully today sometime).

Laura suggests taking our measurements instead of focusing purely on our weight. This seems like a good plan, because I have not seen any change in my weight since starting to run... in fact, I've gained. I know it's probably just muscle, but it seems like a lot of extra weight. I've noticed that I've dropped weight this past week that I haven't been exercising, and I think that is both due to loss of muscle mass and the fact that I've started watching my sugar intake a lot more over the past couple of weeks.

I don't feel like posting my measurements here... but I think I'm going to measure and see if I notice any changes. I'm skeptical, only because I've already been working out for some time, but any loss is better than none.

Good luck in your fitness goals everyone! If you're interested, join us next week for Fitness Friday, or write your own post about it, then log on to Girl Talk (button on the side) and comment on Laura's post.

Christmas Love

2011-11-30T19:36:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to add more photos to my blog. I only have a point and shoot, but I tried to do a little editing in my Picasa site.

I decorated my house for Christmas this past weekend! I loooove Christmas!

These are three of my favorite ornaments on my tree. I needed some filler ornaments, so I picked up a bunch of pink balls at Walmart! I'm so glad I picked them! That snowman was purchased a couple of years ago at a craft fair, and Santa was a gift. Love them! (a little soft focus was my editing here)

The pretty gold flowers on the HUGE wreath above my "fireplace". It was made for me by a coworker, who is amazingly talented when it comes to flower arranging. (a little "warmify" action here).

Joy to the world!! The Lord is come!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm a little scared...

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you might have seen a status update where I asked for prayers for my back. The short and sweet version: It hurt! I even went to the chiropractor and it helped, but then the very next day, it started hurting again. I'm not sure if it's from my attempts at jogging or if that's just the way my back is now.

However, almost immediately after posting that status, my back started feeling better and I had a very good run. Soooo if you happened to see that and said a littler prayer for me... THANK YOU!

As far as week 4 of C25K goes, I'm still working on it. I can tell I'm getting better, but I still can't quite jog for 5 minutes yet. I tried to jog at my higher speed today, so that may have been why, but I did do better than I thought I would at the higher speed, so I consider today a success. The other good news is that I can run the 3 minute chunks without batting an eyelash.

The thing is, I looked ahead... and I'm a bit scared. Okay, a lot scared. I need some strategy, if you've got anything. One of my things is to start watching what I eat a little more. I'm going to try to drop some weight to make myself a little lighter on my feet. That's really all I can come up with, though. Any suggestions?

Kim V, I really appreciate you telling me how you had trouble getting from the 3 to 5 minute mark. That made me feel like not so much of a poop. Haha!

Week 4 Is a Beast

2011-11-26T16:32:00.001-05:00

Yep, the title says it all... that's why I am going to continue with week 4 into next week...

This pains me a little. I really wanted to stick with the program like it is and finish it by the last week in December. However, I know that I don't HAVE to push myself. I have no races looming and I can basically take as long as I want.

I just don't like that I'm not even at the halfway mark yet and I'm still having issues. Oh well. I know it is better to stay with this workout until I can actually do it completely before moving on. Less chance for injury that way, and I'm less likely to get discouraged and drop out completely.

Anyway, I'm having no problem running the three minutes at a time, but when I get to the 5 minutes at a time, I can get to about 4 before I want to stop. Sometimes I can make it to 4.5, which you would think would just make me say "only 30 more seconds!" but I don't. I walk. Curses!!

I will get it though! Then I can move on. That will be my incentive. Just take it a week at a time and make it my goal to get to move on to the next week.

Thankfulness

2011-11-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

Everyone seems to be writing the obligatory "What I'm Thankful for..." post, soooo why not jump on the bandwagon.

I'm thankful for:
- My family - They may be crazy and frustrating sometimes, but they're mine.
- My house - I am so thankful that God gave me a family that let me live with them until I had enough money to afford a place of my own. I'm still truly in love with my little townhouse and I'm thankful for a handy daddy who helps me upgrade and fix things when they break.
- My friends - I have some really fun and unique friends. I'm thankful to still have many friends from my college years and even a few that go back as far as high school. In fact, two of my best friends come from that era in my life that I usually try to block out.
- I am thankful for my health and the ability to improve it each day. I'm not the most athletic girl in the world, but I am setting goals and those goals will help me to be a healthier person.
- I am thankful for the opportunities I've had to travel in the past year and in the year to come. I got to go to a place I never dreamed I'd be able to afford last summer (with previously mentioned high school friends) and I have plans to travel to another state I've never been to this coming summer!
- I am very thankful for my job. The job itself can be frustrating, but I am thankful to work with a great group of people who respect me and care about me. I couldn't ask for better coworkers!

I'm thankful for so much more in my life, but I won't bore you with it here. It's so easy to complain about what we don't have, but it's good to have at least one day a year where we realize we're actually doing pretty well, don't you think?

Thanksgiving Stuffing

2011-11-23T20:12:00.001-05:00

Now that my family is having smaller holiday meals, I have started contributing a dish. This year, I decided to make my favorite Thanksgiving side dish: stuffing!

I used a Martha Stewart recipe for Bread Stuffing with Sage, because Martha knows her stuff. No matter what you think of her ethics, woman can cook!

First, I prepped by cutting up the four ribs of celery.

Then, I cooked the celery, 1 onion, sage and celery seed in butter until everything is tender.

I forgot to take pictures of a step in between, but basically it was mixing chicken broth, eggs, and the celery mixture in with 2 loaves of stale white bread and put it in a buttered baking dish.

This is how it looks all toasted up in the oven!
This stuffing was a big hit with my family. It tasted just as good as stove-top stuffing (according to my cousin, she liked it BETTER than boxed stuffing). Yay! Martha did not fail me.

Stumbling

2011-11-22T21:20:00.001-05:00

So today started Week 4 of C25K. I must say, it didn't go extremely well, but then again, it could have gone worse. I could not run the full 5 min. increments. I got to about 4 minutes and wimped out... but I still went on and kept trying each time I got to a 5 min increment.

My plan, although it will mess with my original goal of finishing before the 1st of the year, is to just continue on with week 4 until I can do it a couple of times. I'm hoping that doesn't take too long. I'm still having a hard time breathing, but today it felt more like I'm having a lung issue more than I just can't do it. I might be getting sick... but every time I say that, it never ends up happening fully, so who knows.

All I can do is keep trying. Pray for me, my lungs, and my legs. I really want to do this. I don't LIKE running, but it's a personal goal now, and I really want to accomplish it, even if it doesn't lead anywhere in the end.

Thankful Heart

2011-11-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is Thanksgiving week, and today, I want to talk about something in my life I'm very thankful for in my life.

This is Rainbow Bridge at Grove City College. I always said this college was perfect for me, because one of my nicknames is Rainbow, and there is also a Rainey Drive in town right by the college. Even if you're not a photographer, you can always get great shots at The Grove.

I'm thankful that God saw fit to send me to Grove City College for my undergrad. Going to GCC changed my life in so many ways. I don't necessarily credit the college itself with this, but it was totally a "God thing" that I went there. Even with the difficulty of my classes and the fact that I never felt as smart there as I did in high school, I never regret attending. There were some rough times there, but it was worth it in the end.

I met some life-long friends there,

I got a good education.

I grew up, a lot.

I became a stronger Christian.

The biggest thing for me are the life-long friends that I made. Many of them were integral in helping me grow as a person and a Christian. I am surprised, but I still keep in touch with many of my college friends and still love them dearly. When we get together, it's as if we saw each other yesterday. My life wouldn't be the same without them.

I couldn't have asked for a better college experience, all in all, and I'm very grateful to God for changing my mind when it came to my education.

Week 3 Run-Down

2011-11-20T19:37:00.001-05:00

Here's my weekly update, kiddos!

Week 3 is at an end... maybe. I am going to TRY the workout for week 4 starting Tuesday, but I honestly don't know if I'm ready. If not, I'll be dialing it back and continuing for a few more days with Week 3 workouts.

Week 3 was tough, which is discouraging because that's not even halfway through the program... how the heck am I ever going to get to the end if I can't even run for 3 minutes without wanting to stop? Today was a little less of a struggle, but that's only because I jogged a little slower in order to keep my endurance up. I made it, though.

Week 4's Schedule:
- 5 minute warmup walk
- Jog for 3 minutes
- Walk for 90 seconds
- Jog for 5 minutes
- Walk for 2 1/2 minutes
- Jog for 3 minutes
- Walk for 90 seconds
- Jog for 5 minutes

This seems like a lot to keep track of during a run... I don't know how to use my watch to do intervals, or if I even can, so when I'm on the treadmill, I try to think of the timing in my mind. This week will be a lot of back and forth for different lengths of time, though. We'll see how it goes.

French Toast

2011-11-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

Last week, I'd wanted to make French Toast but then realized I didn't have eggs. Then, I bought eggs, but realized I didn't have vanilla. My, it was a vicious cycle.

However, this morning I did not want eggs and I didn't really want cereal. I had one piece of bread, so... what's a girl to do? Even though I did not have vanilla, I made French Toast.

I used:
1 egg
A little milk
A liberal sprinkling of cinnamon
A packet of sugar

It turned out pretty well... although, I admit, vanilla probably would have helped. No worries, though. I slathered it in syrup so it was plenty sweet.

All in all, I think it was a good attempt at spontaneous cooking. I give me an A-.

Beginning Week #3

2011-11-14T07:18:00.001-05:00

It appears this blog has become all about Couch to 5K recently... hm. For those of you that are bored of this... Sorry. It's just what I have to talk about right now.

Anyway, I ran my first workout in Week #3 last night and man...it kicked my butt! My legs are starting to get sore already! I had to run for 3 mins straight during my workout, which is a lot when you're not used to it. I got through it, but I'm definitely anticipating having to add a workout before moving on this time.

In other news... well... there is no other news. I had a nice, relaxing weekend but didn't really do much except some shopping with my mom. I found 2 pairs of pants and a cute sweater dress. Usually, I look like a sausage in those sweater dresses, but this one is nice and loose. I will have to wear it for Wear a Dress Tuesday this week.

Well, tonight I go back to Zumba after a couple of weeks away. This is a different Zumba class than I used to go to, and it's not as fun and not as good of a workout, but with trying to run, Zumba is not as big of a priority to me right now. Maybe when I get to the point that I realize I am insane and can't run, I'll go back to my old Zumba class.

Okay, happy Monday!!!

Week 2 Recap

2011-11-12T08:57:00.000-05:00

I finished up Week #2 of C25K yesterday. It went just fine, although at times I was a little out of breath. Luckily, I had 2 mins. between each run to recuperate.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I will start Week #3. I'm a little nervous, I'm not going to lie. Here's how the workout breaks down:

- 5 Min Warm up walk
- Jog 90 secs.
- Walk 90 secs.
- Jog 3 mins.
- Walk 3 mins.
- Lather, rinse, repeat

The jogging for 3 mins is what scares me, obviously. At my old treadmill speed, I don't really think it would be an issue, but I've made the determination to keep my speed faster than normal. This more closely resembles the speed I jog outside, although it's still probably slightly slower. I have a feeling I'll be adding a workout this week, but we'll see.

Oh, and joy of joys, I think I'm actually starting to lose weight! I'm not sure what it is that's different from before, but whatever it is, it's working.

Of course, I'm just losing weight to gain it again in a couple of weeks on Thanksgiving, but oh well.

Happy Veteran's Day!

2011-11-11T09:18:00.001-05:00

Just thought I'd pop on here and say THANK YOU to all the veterans who have served our country so well. You certainly deserve more than just one day to celebrate your awesomeness.

Apparently, there are a lot of restaurants serving free meals to veterans today (according to a guy in my office), so yeah, don't pass that up! Oh, and if you're not a vet and you see one, maybe say thank you to one personally. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

#20

2011-11-08T17:55:00.000-05:00

This is probably going to be my one and only post that makes it big in the internet world, but of course, everyone's all fired up that the Duggars are expecting their 20th baby. Here is my only input on the subject. Who are we to judge? As far as I can tell, they are not on welfare and are perfectly capable of raising all those children. As long as the children are being well cared for, who are we to say they need to stop? I bet there are more people in the world than we realize with a lot of kids. They are just the only ones to go public about it.

I know a lot of Christians that are being very judgmental about this. Just let them be and how about this, pray for them. I know as public figures they bring all this on themselves, but seriously, if they are trusting God, why are we giving them such grief? Maybe their views are more extreme than some of ours, but there are worse things they could be extreme about than having lots of children.

Just chill, people.

Kitten Cuteness

2011-11-07T18:51:00.000-05:00

I just thought I'd share this cute little picture I took of my kitty, Chloe, in her favorite spot. She loves to curl herself up on the pillows behind my mom's head. The other day she decided to bury her face in Mom's hair as well.

My kitten melts my heart.

P.S. She's actually not a kitten, but to me she looks like one, so she will always be my kitten.

Week 2 Begins

2011-11-05T10:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, sorry I've been gone for a bit (if you even noticed). I decided that one way to keep me motivated to keep going with this Couch to 5K program is to keep you updated on my progress, but not to overwhelm you with an everyday account of it.

Today started Week 2. These workouts are: 5 min. warm-up walk, then alternating 90 secs running and 2 mins walking for 20 mins. I'm still wondering whether this means 20 mins. total including the 5 min. warm-up, or not including 5 min warm-up. I've been including it, but I'm starting to wonder if that's the right track. Any input from the people who have done this program before?

I have to say, I had a bit of a tough time with this one today. It may just be the day, because really, 90 secs. of running is not that big a deal, even for me. I'm not going to make any snap judgements about my stamina based on the first workout of this week. However, if I get to day 3 (the final workout of the week) and I'm still feeling weird about it, I may add a 4th workout.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty confident. I've also added a bit of hula-hooping to my exercise routine. I'm not very good at it, but I do it while I'm watching TV for one half hour show and I'm hoping to see some improvement in my stomach area. I've also realized I need to start being a little more intentional about my diet.

That being said, I'm going out to a sports bar/restaurant with my friend tonight and will probably partake in a beer... soooo, the diet thing is obviously not the strictest part of my routine. :-P

Alrighty, there's my little update. I'll update you again at the end of week two and let you know how I made out.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

2011-10-30T21:08:00.000-04:00

...Try, try again.

I am happy (and a little nervous) to inform you that I am back on the "Couch to 5K" program. If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you might remember that about a year ago, my friend Laura got a group of people together to try this program. By the end of it, only Kim had survived. I believe Laura got shin splints (correct me if I'm wrong, Laura) and I got severe arch pain in my feet from not having very good shoes.

After jog/walking the 5K a week ago, I decided I want to make it a goal to do another one and jog the whole thing. I'm never going to run marathons or probably anything above a 5K, but I think I can at least be a decent jogger.
I live in the north, so I plan on using my parents' treadmill instead of running outside this winter. I'm just a wimp like that. Plus, it seems to be easier on the knees and I can watch TV while I do it. Win Win, if you ask me.

Tonight was only the first night, but I'd say I did pretty well. I did not get wiped out and even upped my speed to about 5, which I don't normally do on the treadmill (I get scared of falling off). Tomorrow will be a Zumba night and then Tuesday, I will do run #2 on the schedule. I'll keep you posted and let you know if I make it this time.

Motivation and Inspiration

2011-10-27T20:03:00.000-04:00

It's very true that God brings his children encouragement in many different forms. For the last month or so, I've been feeling very spiritually unmotivated. I've been slightly down, which in turn lead to not really "feelin' it" as far as spending time in prayer or reading my Bible. I was being brought down by many different people and also by my own self-doubt.

I've never been a big TV news person, but my mother has drilled into me that it is good to get the news first thing in the morning so you're not totally in the dark of what's going on in the world. I agree with this, but let's face it... the news is depressing! They're starting to show pictures of dead zoo animals in Ohio and of people being shot in foreign countries. Really, who wants to see that at 7:00 AM? That's really not going to help my attitude for the start to my day.

So, recently, I've made a switch. While eating my breakfast one morning a few weeks ago, I started flipping through channels for something less depressing to watch. I stumbled on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting". Well, really, it's re-runs, so I think at the time they had 18 kids, but whatever. My point is that ever since I started watching this show in the morning, my outlook in life has been so much brighter. I just think the kids are great, the parents are just always so pleasant and some of them do pretty funny stuff that just makes me smile.

The nice part is, by starting to smile more in the morning, and by watching good, wholesome people on TV for once, my attitude towards the people at work is changing. My language has even gotten better without me trying. I know you find this hard to believe, but I have a bit of a potty mouth at times. Honestly, it comes easily when you work in a law enforcement office. However, without really worrying about it, I've pretty much stopped swearing at work. It's more or less a miracle! Haha!

I've even started my journaling, Bible reading, and praying again. I'm not sure if I should attribute all of this to a TV show, but I definitely see God's hand in giving me encouragement in the form of a media source that I use everyday. He knows what we need, and he gives it to us without us even realizing it.

Sick Day

2011-10-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

Few things make a person happy when they're sick. I mean, sick basically means sadness, right?

Wrong! Well, okay maybe that's a stretch, but during my sick day today I found a couple of things that made me a little less miserable.

1. Flannel pjs all day long
2. Pretty blue sky out the windows
3. Mom's chicken noodle soup
4. 8PM "snack" of a grilled cheese sandwich and root beer

Doesn't that sound glorious? Obviously, if I did this kind of thing everyday, I'd get fat and lazy, but when you're sick, no one cares!

Spread a Little Sunshine

2011-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Thank you everyone for your kind words on my last post. I'm over being embarrassed about my performance and am to the point of feeling pretty proud of myself for not quiting when I knew I was getting behind. I have a tendency to embarrass easily, and especially when too much attention is coming my way. I HATED the spectators cheering me on (even though they did it for everyone). When I told my dad about it, he said "Well, just think of it this way. They weren't the ones doing the 5K, were they? So you were doing something they couldn't." True, Dad. True.

Anyway, today is a new day and I'm left with no real deadline or goal to work toward. However, I've already started thinking about new goals. I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond" where he makes a list of things he wants to do before he dies. I think I'm going to make a list like that and, even though I told Kim yesterday that I don't think running is my thing, one of the top goals on my list will be to completely run a 5k race. This may take me years, since endurance isn't one of my greatest qualities, but it will be a long-term goal.

I feel like my blog is starting to become a fitness blog of late... which is great, but I really want to make it about positive goals and life events. I want to exude the essence of "Sunshine on Rainey Days". I love thinking positively, and lately, that's been lacking in my life. So many times I let people get me down, but I strive everyday to prevent that from happening. So, look for more positivity and sunshine in this blog. It's coming your way!

Recap

2011-10-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

The 5K run is now finished and I must say, running is not my forte. I did about what I expected, so I didn't disappoint myself, but I've gotta say, it was awfully embarrassing at the times when I was walking and would come up to the spectators. They're all yelling "You can do it!" I can't say exactly what I was thinking, but it amounted to, "Shut up!" Also, wouldn't you know that the two times I saw people snapping my picture (I assume for the newspaper), I was walking. GRRR! I can't imagine they'd put me in the paper, but that'd be just my luck. I'm praying that does not happen.

The only other embarrassing thing is toward the end, I wasn't sure which way to go (because I obviously wasn't with a bunch of other runners) and had to be told "other way." Kind of embarrassing. Oh well, you live and learn. I'm not upset. I fulfilled my goal. I ran a good portion of my first 5K race and I finished in under 45 mins... 43 to be exact... it might have been less if I didn't have to double back when I started going the wrong way. Bah!

I'm not sure that running is going to be my thing. My mom said when I called her to tell her, "Sports are just not your thing, Rainey." Thanks, Mom. I feel pretty stinking accomplished and if I do it again, I'll be better next time because I will have trained longer.

My friends, on the other hand, did awesome!! Kim (in the green) and Matt (um... the guy) both ran it in about 30 mins. They only had one person separating them on the time chart. I'm so proud of them. I'm proud of them because 1) Kim's knee was bothering her and she didn't think she'd run the whole thing. 2) This was Matt's first ever race too and he just got over being sick. Woo! I wish I had made a little better showing, but oh well.

Now that you know how it went... I think I'm going to go take a bath and lay down for awhile. Maybe Mom's right... I shouldn't try to be athletic. I hurts too much.

Tomorrow is the Day!

2011-10-21T17:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess since the world doesn't appear to be ending today, I'll still have to run the 5K tomorrow. :-P

I'm feeling pretty good. A lot of people might think I'm making this into a bigger thing than it's worth, but to me, it is kind of a big deal. I've done a bunch of charity 5k walks before, but I've never attempted to run in one. You can ask my friend Jenny. My motto has always been "I don't run unless someone is chasing me with a weapon." I can easily WALK 3.1 miles. No problem. I would barely even break a sweat. Deciding to run part of this is a big adventure. As I've said in previous posts, my airway is small, thus making it really hard for me to endure long periods of running. This really hasn't changed much with my 5k training. I still cannot run more than a quarter mile without having to catch my breath. I'm not worrying about this anymore, though. I'm not out to beat anyone. My only goal is to make myself proud, and I have already done that during my training. Jogging a mile in 13 mins is something I thought I'd never do. Could I be faster? Sure! Do I care that I'm not? Nope.

So, with that said... pray for me tomorrow, would ya? Pray that I have the wisdom to not push myself too hard. I don't want to pass out. Please pray that my legs will hold up and that my lungs might work a little extra tomorrow. Thanks all! I'll let you know how it goes... and maybe even post a picture!

One Week

2011-10-15T20:14:00.000-04:00

One week from today is the Art on the Run 5K, and I'm a bit unsure how this is going to go. I knew from the beginning that I would not be running the whole thing, but I'm a little bit discouraged about even running a mile of it. I didn't run hardly at all last week, which is bad when you only have a 5 week training schedule, but my back was really bothering me and I didn't feel well off-and-on all week. So today was my first run and I didn't really think it went as well as I'd hoped. I ran on the treadmill because it was so cold and windy out. Basically, the result was that I went a longer time running, but didn't quite do as well in total running time as before. Like, say I can run a quarter mile outside without stopping, inside I can run about a half a mile without stopping.

Anyway, I'm excited to be doing this with two friends, even though I'm sure they will both do way better and I hope they don't hold back because of me.

P.S. The no sugar thing has basically been a bust. I'm still limiting myself, but the none at all thing didn't really last. Oh well. I'm not too broken up about it.

Hiccup

2011-10-11T19:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought maybe I exercised too much yesterday. I ran in the afternoon, and then in the evening I went to Zumba and on my way home, my stomach really hurt. I figured I just over-did the exercise.

Turns out, I think I'm just sick. It's still hanging around and now I feel all groggy and a little tingly... BLAH!

Good news: I didn't overdo it when I ran.

Bad news: Well, I'm sick. Plus, if I'm sick, that means I probably won't run for a few days and there's only 2 weeks to go until the "race". Sigh, oh well, at least I don't have delusions of grandeur and don't plan on trying to win this thing or even do well.

Alrighty, just thought I'd keep you posted on my lack of progress today. Oh well, tomorrow...or the next day... is another day.

June Cleaver, Eat Your Heart Out

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

I felt a lot like June Cleaver Sunday afternoon. I went grocery shopping right after church and then decided to make a turkey meatloaf recipe that I'd found on http://www.foodtv.com/. Noticeable differences between June and I: My hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail instead of being perfectly curled and sprayed, and I was in bare feet, instead of 3 inch pumps. Other than that, though, totally June. :-)

A very long time ago, I got a loaf pan after hosting a Pampered Chef party. Until today, I never used it. I just don't cook a lot anymore. This weekend has been a total bore, so I decided I had to do something... hence deciding to cook and use my now-not-so-new goodies.

Anyway, the turkey meatloaf turned out pretty well. Here's what I did.

Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 onion (recipe called for a whole onion, but I thought that was a lot)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper (recipe called for regular red pepper, but I had a jar of roasted)
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup (Heinz, of course)
1/2 tsp salt
1 can tomato sauce (I actually forgot this... not sure if it would have made a difference or not)
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together milk and oats

Finely chop onion and red pepper

In a large bowl, mix turkey with all other ingredients and the oat mixture (use 1/4 of the onion at this point). Make sure everything is well combined.

Put mixture into a loaf pan and pour tomato sauce over it. Put remaining onions on top of the loaf. Bake for 1 hour or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Let rest for about 10 mins after baking.

It turned out pretty well, but I bet the tomato sauce would have given it a bit more flavor. I also should have chopped my onions and peppers a little better. I am someone who is not the least bit impressed with my Pampered Chef Food Chopper. It just doesn't work well enough for me. Oh well, I'm impressed with everything else I got so far.

Getting faster!

2011-10-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

I am by no means ever going to be a long distance runner. I just don't have the chops for it. However, I continue to "train" for my first 5K in 2 weeks.

My last timed jog/walk: 14 mins. Today's jog/walk: 13:17 mins! I realize that's still not a great time, but for me, it's pretty fantastic. I walked the last two miles with my mom (who has backed out of being my training partner).

Hopefully, I'll continue doing this after the 5K, because I'd like to do another one next year and perhaps actually run the whole thing... but I'm not going to get ahead of myself. Whatever ends up happening for THIS 5K, at least I know that I've kept up with the training and gotten better than I ever would have if I didn't have the deadline hanging over my head.

In other news, the "No Sugar Challenge" is going rather well. I've messed up a couple of times, but for the most part, I've at least greatly limited my sugar intake, which was really my ultimate goal. I've already lost a couple of pounds from doing that.

All in all, a very good health day for me. Oh, Zumba tonight too... I hope my little legs can take it.

Girl Talk Hop: Fall Recipes

2011-10-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

Girl Talk Hop is back! We're starting off with a Hop we've done before, but is oh-so-fitting for the season. Favorite Fall Recipes is today's topic.

Mine is one that I haven't made yet, but when my grandma made them for a recent family wedding, I remembered how much I love them.

Pumpkin Drop Cookies:

Cream together: 1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Butter (softened)

1 Egg

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin

Add: 2 Cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cup nuts or raisins

Using a tablespoon or large medium sized cookie scoop, drop batter onto greased cookie sheet and back at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen depending on size.

Obviously, these are extremely easy to make. I would suggest putting some kind of icing or glaze on them, though. Depending on the size, if you don't put an icing on them, they might end up looking like a bowl of chicken nuggets... I've had this experience before. :-P

Time Change

2011-10-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

My "No-Sugar" Challenge has been postponed until probably Monday. I didn't realize that when I decided on a whim to do it, that I was starting it on my mom's birthday. That meant, if I didn't eat the cake my grandma made, I would have offended her. Trust me, that just wouldn't have been worth it. I don't have an addiction to sugar. I just thought if I challenged myself to not have ANY for one month, I'd lose a few pounds. That's really it. So, I will start on Monday instead and actually, might just go to the day of the 5K I'm in. That gives me exactly two weeks without sugar. Then we'll see if I will extend it. I've just never been big on cutting out all of something from my diet. I have found that the best way is just to watch that I don't overindulge. I'm trying to watch my sugar intake and also my bad carb intake (pasta and bread). Other than that, I pretty much just eat in moderation.

Speaking of the 5k, I ran/walked a mile yesterday and cut 16 seconds off my time. Now, to me that doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it does mean that I ran slightly more than I walked, and that is a victory nonetheless. I did the mile in 14 mins, and while that is really slow for a run, I have to remember that I did not run the whole thing. I can't yet and that's ok. It is frustrating, though. While some of my friends seem to run the whole 3.1 miles with relative ease, I can barely do a mile without wanting to pass out. The reason it's frustrating is that I'm not out of shape. I exercise almost everyday. I eat pretty well. I'm used to cardio workouts, which you'd think would help me endure running. So, while it is getting slightly easier, I'm still kind of frustrated.

I need to remember that my goal is to run the mile by the 5k, not to run the whole 5k or even beat anyone to the finish line. It's a "race", but people will be walking too, so while I won't be the first, hopefully, I won't be the last either. Life is about making goals and not being unrealistic. By the next 5K, maybe I will be able to run the whole thing, but for now, 1 mile will do.

Frustrations

2011-10-04T22:59:00.000-04:00

Hm, I just realized I wrote 2 posts in the past week with "Sugar" in the title. Weird.

Well, speaking of sugar, my first day went really well. No sugar whatsoever! Tomorrow, however, I already know will not go as well. See, I forgot that my grandma was having my family over for my mom's birthday. I didn't have to worry about sweet stuff for my mom's actual birthday, because my mom is actually not a sweets person, but my grandma will surely make a chocolate cake. I plan to eat only a small piece, and obviously no other sugar the rest of the day... but it still a little frustrating that I picked a birthday week to start this "Sugar Free Month" thing.

Running did not go so well today. I did run, but not very much. I'm still having problems with tightening in my chest and throat when I run and I think it's worse when it's cold. Oh well, I'll work on it Thursday and Friday. Those will be nice days anyway. Maybe it'll be warmer and I can test my theory. However, at 9:00 AM at the end of October, I will probably be running in cold temps, so I might as well get used to it.

So, there's just a small update. I'll let you know by the end of the week how my challenges are coming.

Sugarfree

2011-10-04T07:26:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try something. I decided yesterday that starting today, I'm going to try to give up sugar for the month of October. I know, it's Halloween season and candy is all over the place, but that's not until the end of the month, anyway.

I haven't been losing weight, even though I've been jogging to train for this 5K I'm doing, so I'm starting to think it's something other than muscle weight. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've also not had as much energy and my stomach has hurt the last few days. I might just be getting sick, but I figure it doesn't hurt to try something new, and obviously giving up sugar is a good thing, if I can do it.

I think I can, but my biggest problem is at work. Sometimes I'm not thinking and reach in the candy jar while I'm talking to someone... gotta be more intentional about that. Sometimes my boss or a coworker will bring in doughnuts, and I feel bad not eating one since the paid for them and want us all to eat one... so hopefully I'll be able to do this. I may slip up once in awhile, but I'm hoping that I can stay pretty much on course and I'm hoping I can drop a couple of pounds at least so that I can be slightly lighter for the 5K.

Speaking of that, please say a little prayer for me. The breathing thing while I run is not getting any better, and it's not getting any easier to run the mile. I've had to take a couple of days off, which I should be doing anyway, and would like to do it tonight, but it seems harder than it should be and I'd like it to just start being easier already. I'm not looking to win the 5k. I'm not even looking to run the whole thing. However, I'd like to run at least a mile and I'd like to do it without feeling like I'm going to pass out.

Ok, wish me luck with the no sugar thing and have a great Tuesday!

Annoying Attraction

2011-10-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

I went to a family wedding over the weekend and I had an experience that I feel like sharing.

I was dancing with my cousins, having a good ol' time, when some old guy came up, grabbed my arm, and said "My child bride left me to dance on my own. Dance with me." I'm not sure if he was drunk or not... he probably was... but I did not want to dance with this guy. #1. It was a fast dance... I don't really dance one on one during fast dances. #2. I was dancing with other people already, so what gave him the right to try to pull me away from them? #3. Um, dude, I'm too young for you. I'm flattered if you noticed me and thought I was pretty, but seriously, use better judgement.

Why do I attract old men? This always happens. Do I get asked to dance by random men my age? Nooooo. Do old men come up and just expect me to want to dance with them, as if they're doing me a favor? YES! Ugh, it is just so frustrating.

Anyway, eventually, I got sick of this guy thinking we were dancing and trying to partly dance with my cousins while still being "nice", so when I thought he had turned his attention to someone else, I went back to my families table to get a drink and basically hide from him. Turns out, I heard later that he was actually mad that I left!! What? Seriously! Come on, guy, you were obviously drunk and you didn't even actually ASK me to dance. You told me to. I don't care if you were a harmless old guy. Dance with your wife. Not me.

TV Season

2011-09-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

Well kids, we're in the beginnings of a new season of television. My DVR has been working overtime for the last couple of weeks, and I've had to make some choices on what to record. I've heard a lot of people say that there's nothing good on TV anymore... and maybe that's true if you're only looking for one type of thing. However, I think there is quite a bit of creative television on, you just have to know where to look.

If I could only watch a few shows this season, so far, I would pick these:

1) The Big Bang Theory - This show will always be at the top of my list (at least until something else as funny comes on the air. Seriously, I often can't breathe from laughing so hard when I watch this. Amy Farrah Fowler (sp?) is my new favorite on this show. Her character is played by the girl who played Blossom back in the early nineties and she's great!

2) Modern Family - Some people may not like this show, and at first, I wasn't sure I got it either. However, it is really clever and there is a character who fits everyone's style. Personally, I like Mitchell. He's just so anal and tries to be spontaneous, but it just doesn't work.

3) The Office - I think I'm going to like this show again. I got pretty bored of it the last couple of years, but after this past episode, I think I might like it again. I guess I should fit this one into the maybe column, but no matter what, it's very clever and I think it spits in the face of people who say there's nothing good on TV anymore.

There are other shows I like and when this season comes around, I generally turn into a couch potato, but you know what? I'm okay with that. I've gotten to a point in my life where I don't watch TV all the time, so when there are things on I want to watch, I watch them without any guilt. Are there more productive things I could be doing? Sure! However, most can wait until I'm done with my shows.

The one thing I will say is that some of the new stuff this season is pretty blah. I've watched 3 new shows and already turned them off midway through. The characters have been irritating, or snotty, or just plain unlikeable. I hope this is not a trend. I have found that the good shows are the ones with ensemble casts that work well together, the ones that don't focus all their energy on one specific character.

So, if you're a TV watcher, what are your favorite shows this year?

Sugar High

2011-09-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

I am in the midst of finishing laundry from a few days ago and not watching tv, so I figured I would post some pictures of the second half of my evening with my friend, Dawn, and her two new kitties. Well, the second half has nothing to do with the kitties, except they were playing and being adorable while we were in the kitchen, but I wanted you to get some perspective.

My friend has been taking cake decorating classes and I happened to see one of her books out on the table. She was all ,"I have a cake in the freezer. We could decorate it." I was all, "Heck yes we should do that," and she was all, "I will go get it. I hope it doesn't have freezer burn."

Our work station is in full swing

I piped all those little flowers... unfortunately, doing it on a glass plate instead of wax paper... not smart

Finished product! We had a few broken flowers due to the no wax paper fiasco, but I think it still looked pretty nice.

Close up of one of the pretty flowers. Not too shabby, eh?

We had a fun time and it was totally unexpected for me to be decorating a cake there. I love random fun! Oh, and the cake did not have freezer burn. It was marble cake and It. Was. Awesome.

I'm Doin' This!

2011-09-28T19:11:00.000-04:00

Well, as the three people who read my blog know, I've been practicing for a 5k Fun Run at the end of October. I haven't officially registered yet, because I wasn't sure if I'd be fit enough to do it and wasn't sure if I'd have anyone to hang with while I wasn't jogging. Well, tonight cinched it, because not only did I realize that I am a pretty decent sprinter, if not long distance runner, but I also happened upon a lady in my parents' neighborhood who plans on walking the same race with a bunch of her teacher friends. So, if all else fails and I choke at the running part, at least I can find them.

Tonight, I ran about 3/4 of a mile out of my two mile walk/jog. I would pick a spot down the road and run to that spot. Then I would walk for a little bit, then pick another spot and run again. Not only did I jog tonight, but I actually pushed myself to full out run. I think I actually did better this way.

Does anyone have any tricks for keeping even breathing while jogging? I find that my throat starts to close up when I try to breathe in through my nose, so I've been breathing through my mouth the whole time and I'm not sure if that's good. Any thoughts?

I'm off work tomorrow, so I plan to do another jog tomorrow. I know, I know. People will tell me I shouldn't run everyday, but to be honest, I haven't jogged in a week, so it will be nice to get a couple of days in now.