These are a few of my fav-oh-rite things!

Oh Sound of Music, how I love thee.

I have been planning to do a Favorite Things post for a while, just never had the time. Since my last few posts were short and light on pictures, I figured now was as good a time as any. Unfortunately for ya'll, this ain't the kind of Favorite Things edition that gives everyone a new car. I'm just a little less fortunate than Ms. Winfrey. Just a little. I hope some of my blogging friends will do a post like this soon too, I always love hearing about and trying new things.

Here's what I'm loving these days:

 

Kenra dry shampoo

I picked up this mini bottle at Ulta last weekend to try. It was about $9, but I have a feeling it'll last a while. The larger bottle was $22, but I wanted to try it first. I love using it after a workout because this girl ain't washing her hair every day. I do not have the time, nor do I care about my hair THAT much lol. All in all, it works great. Worth the $9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lettuce Wrapped Anything

Leigh Ann gave me the idea with her yummy-looking turkey and hummus lettuce wraps, and I had seen tons of lettuce wraps on Pinterest. My favorites so far are taco's on lettuce leaves (pictured above) and Chinese Cashew Chicken Wraps, which I just realized I didn't post the recipe for. Will get on that soon because it was amaaaaazeballs. This weekend I want to try Buffalo Chicken wraps. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

 

 

 

MAC Lingering Eye Brows pencil

I believe everyone should use an eye brow pencil or powder. Even blondes. Well. Everyone except caterpillar brows should. I didn't learn this fun fact till I worked at a makeup counter. I have extremely dark and thick hair, so I would've never filled in my brows. But of course, I wax, so there are some less than full spots. It happens. I'm not saying go buy a Crayola marker and fill them suckers in, but you'd be amazed at how well a filled in brow frames the face. I like this pencil because it's not super harsh. I've had it since April and it'll probably last me till next April. Aside from their amazing eye shadows, this is the only product I use from MAC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBQ Pop Chips

I think these might be better than regular potato chips. And they're only 100 calories per bag. I rest my case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OPI Nail Polish

Disclaimer: These are not my nails. My nails are far more chewed up and kid-like, but I love this color, Dim Sum Plum. All my nail polishes are OPI because they have the best colors and last the longest. I do have a couple Essie colors but that bottle is too small for $8!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quinoa

I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Quinoa to try because I was hearing so much about this "superfood". I will say it's an acquired taste. My husband, who eats just about any part of any animal living, doesn't care for it. I love it though, and it's a great alternative to brown rice. I cook mine in water then season with garlic and the Mrs. Dash Mediterranean blend, but I plan to make fried "rice" with it soon. The bag costs about $7 but literally lasts forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xersion Athletic Capris

These are hands down my favorite pair of short/capris/workout pants I've ever owned. You can find them at JC Penney for $20 a pair. They don't ride up or annoy you during your workout like I've experienced with other brands. Don't be afraid of the tightness-they are very forgiving! I have a black pair and a gray pair but I'll soon be buying more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luna Bars

On days where I have an intense workout, these are my go-to afternoon snacks. They're filling without being ridiculous in calories, and they're made especially for women! My favorite flavors are Chocolate Dipped Coconut and Chocolate Peppermint Stick.

 

 

I know I'm way behind in this topic, but some of you may not have done it in a while. So tell me, what are some of your favorite things?

Dead Last but Losing Fast...a little cheeseball humor for you

Ya'll, I am so busy floating on cloud nine right now, it's only 8:15am and I've spilled coffee on myself twice.

I lost three pounds this week. Three. whole. pounds. That's a BIG loss for me. The girl who has been playing lose a pound, gain a pound for months lost three pounds in one week.

I owe it all to running. Well, not all. Counting calories is a big factor too, but I've been doing that for months. It's running that gives me the boost. I told ya'll that shit is a fat murderer!

I will be honest and say, I went into yesterdays 3.5 mile group run scared to death. Three was hard enough last week, so I knew that extra point five mile would be the death of me.

I started off really well though. Ran the first full mile before having to jog/look like a speedwalking granny in the mall. The last mile threw me completely off because I got SO nauseous and contemplated stopping on the side of the road for a nap. I kept going though, whether it was jogging or walking because I was going to finish. For a while, there was a group of runners very far behind me. I am not going to be last, is what I kept thinking. I ended up being last because when I had pushed too far, I had to slow down, and I guess they kept a steadier pace. I didn't care though. I was going to finish.

The coach ended up meeting up with me on that last half mile and talking me through it. She is such a motivation! At one point she said, "See that road down there, you're going to run till we get there." It seemed so far away but with the running coach next to me, how could I not run? I ran my heart out and felt like crying (again) but it felt SO good to finish that 3.5 miles.

I felt more nauseous after we were done so I walked around a while and drank some water. Leigh Ann came to check on me because I went MIA to sit next to the water fountain (LOL). We of course, forgot to take a picture for our blogs but we will definitely get one tomorrow morning. We're meeting up for our weekly Saturday run and I have to say, I'm excited about it. You read that right. I'm excited to run. Now that I know I can run that first mile like a champ, what's another mile and a half? No, I'm not being cocky, because it'll be a turtle's pace 2.5 miles, but I'll finish and that's all that matters to me now.

Well, that and murdering some more fat!

Stay tuned for yet another post this afternoon about a few of my favorite things at the moment. I promise it'll be more interesting that my speed walking granny updates!

Useless Post with a little Boo Boo

Good morning readers! I am in a great mood this morning for the sole reason that it's almost Friday. Last weekend was crazy busy for us, so I am looking forward to a very laid back weekend. My only plans are for a 2.5 mile run with Leigh Ann Saturday morning, grocery shopping, and another workout on Sunday. That is all, and I cannot wait. I do have alot to do around the house, but I'll do that in between all the nothing that I'm really looking forward to.

This week has been a total shit storm so I'm ready to recharge and get some me time in. Being an only child, I truly love being alone sometimes. The fact that my husband works out of town every other week really really works for me. I love him to death but I do love my quiet time.

Speaking of shit storms, who watched Honey Boo Boo last night?

I just can't get enough of this horrifyingly inappropriate family. I wish I could adopt Honey Boo Boo and make her entertain me for hours. I do wonder, though, who looked at this kid and thought, "She belongs in pageants!" Oh that's right, her mom with the neck crust...GAG.

I really have nothing of any importance to talk about today, but I am planning on a huge post tomorrow. Of course it will feature fun facts from today's THREE POINT FIVE MILE run (hopefully better than last Friday's post), but I am working on a "favorite things" post because I realized how many items I use on a day to day basis that I love and would love to share with ya'll. So, I promise, tomorrow's will be better!

Before I go, I do have some good news. I finally lost a freakin pound! After weeks of frustration, working out, eating right, doing everything I thought I should be, I still played the gain a pound, lose a pound game. Finally though, I lost another pound. Not even the one I keep gaining back! I did a holla for a dolla dance and happily ate my chocolate rice cake while my husband ate ice cream. I am hoping this running will pay off and I can drop a good 10 pounds in the 9 weeks of this running clinic. I read that Mama Laughlin lost 30 pounds training for a 5k in 9 weeks so I'll be realistic and hope for 10. Of course I still count my calories in My Fitness Pal and do other work outs, but I know running is a fat murderer, so come on fat, get the hell out!

More weekend, less Mondays

Well here we are at Monday again. I don’t know about you, but my weekends fly by WAY too fast, as it usually does. We had a lot going on this weekend, so I feel like I still haven’t had a chance to relax. That’s what next weekend is for though!
Friday was a rest day for me, gym-wise.  I was still worn out from my 3-mile “run” on Thursday with the running group I just joined. My husband and I went to dinner because we knew that would be the only time we’d have to spend together alone all weekend.

 

Saturday morning, Leigh Ann and I decided to meet up at 7:30 to go for our 2.5 mile run that was next up on our 10k training plan. I have to say, this run was SO MUCH BETTER than Thursday’s. I know Friday’s post about that run was super negative, but that’s how I felt at the time. It is what it is, people!

Saturday’s run wasn’t nearly as bad, though. We did our stretching exercises then took up at the same time. We knew our pace would be very different because Leigh Ann runs like a gazelle and I run more like a wooly mammoth, but we followed the same path. I think running alone with my music made it so much easier for me to focus on my breathing and not worry about what the other runners were doing. That’s what messed me up Thursday. I wasn’t mentally prepared. When other people stop to walk, that doesn’t mean I have to stop to walk. I ran for a long while without stopping this time, and only walked when I absolutely had to. My pace was about 3 minutes faster than Thursday’s run!  Towards the end, I decided to run till I was done, no stopping. Well bless Leigh Ann’s heart, she came back for me. If not, I probably would’ve stopped again. But I saw her smiling face running towards me to bring me a towel. We ran back together so I finished strong. A much better feeling than Thursday’s finish. After our run, we stretched again then did this ab workout from Pinterest:

Burning Core Pyramid

50 crunches

50 crunches

40 mountain climbers
30 side crunches

20 in and outs

10 scissors

20 in and outs

30 side crunches

40 mountain climbers

50 crunches

Yall. This is my new ab routine. I am still sore two days later. Amaaaazing. I will be a Victoria’s Secret model in no time.

 

After our workout, I headed home to shower and eat something then ran around the rest of the day like a chicken with my head cut off. We planned to have friends over and cook at home so I needed groceries. I also waxed my eye brows, got a new batch of protein bars and made a trip to Hobby Lobby for Halloween décor. After that was all done, I did three loads of laundry, washed some dishes and cleaned like the President was coming over.

My husband was in a class for work most of the day, so he didn’t start cooking till around 4:30.

I wanted to have something out for everyone to snack on while the food was being cooked so instead of my usual chips and dips, I put out this tray:

 

I was kind of afraid no one would eat it so I planned to take the leftovers as snacks to work all week. WRONG! It was a hit and I had to refill it twice.  *pats myself of the back*

Sunday morning I woke up with my husband at 6 because he had another class to go to and he is the loudest person I’ve ever met. Once he’s up, there’s no sleeping in.  Love him anyway though, loud and all! After his class we met up at his neice’s third birthday party.  She’s going to be a big sister in October, so this was a big birthday for her-last one as an only child! Speaking of October, check out my new October/fall decor. I made those apothocary jars myself!( thanks Pinterest) I'll switch out the contents for Christmas and Mardi Gras so I can leave them out.

 

The rest of Sunday was spent cleaning up from the night before and reading The LolaPapers. I was SO tired from the whole weekend that we went to bed before 10.

 

This morning was my two mile run.  Not my best but it’s done and out of the way.  I didn’t have a route picked out, I just ran in my neighborhood. Womp womp. It was so foggy this morning, I didn’t want to venture out too far and get my a** run over! This was my view when I got started. It was so thick!

 

 Another two miles under my belt!

 

Now that I've babbled on and on, I'll end this post with a picture of my breakfast on the run, grapes, wheat & flax pita, ff cheese, turkey bacon and egg whites:

 

 

Am I invited to your BBQ after I scrape myself off the pavement? 10k Training, Day One

First of all, can we just address the irony of running outdoors while the sweet sweet smell of delicious Barbeque floats in the air? Damn you and your delicious barbeque.

In all honesty though, “running” those three miles and smelling people cooking did not make me hungry. No, it made me want to puke. But when I am uncomfortable, I always turn to humor. There's my joke of the day people. *bows*

Yesterday was an eye opener to say the least. I am up to about a mile and a half on the treadmill running, at a slow pace, but running none the less. Leigh Ann and I signed up for this running clinic through her gym that would train for a 10k over 9 weeks. I figured if I could run atleast a mile and a half to start, the adrenaline and motivation from the group would push me harder than running alone. That was until I ran outdoors (for the first time, a week before the clinic). What a slap in the face. Running outside is 94.236% harder than running on a treadmill. My neighbor put it in perspective for me when he said “Running on a treadmill is easy because you’re just picking up your feet. Running on pavement forces you to pull your weight along AND pick up your feet”. Oh, never thought about like that. Glad I realized the week before I have to run 3 miles to start.

I ran outside three times before the running clinic, and was never able to run more than 0.25 miles at a time. Still, I felt fine about the clinic, and was actually excited about it. I will confess to yall what a judgemental evil person I am and say when I arrived at the gym,  saw all the others I thought, “Well atleast I won’t be last”. I ONLY felt this way because I feel like after all the gym time I’ve put in, I’m in decent shape and some of these people claimed to have never run before. There were two older women in the group and I stupidly thought, well, I’m younger and in better shape, I just don’t want to be last. We got our training plan and did some warm up stretching.

 

I stayed excited about it till about 3 minutes in. I mistakenly started out running faster than my usual slow and consistant speed. I wanted to keep up with the pack. I was about the 4^th or 5^th runner till I had to stop and walk. I should’ve pounded it out till the very last second before I thought I might die.  I didn’t though. I stopped. I saw others walking and figured it was okay. Another mistake. Comparing myself to others again. Two of the girls who said they’d never run before were now several houses ahead of me. I kept going though. I alternated walking and running for the first mile and a half before it turned into mostly walking. My lungs ached, my legs throbbed and I was mad. I was so mad that I was in such worse shape than I thought. Everyone was running circles around me and I couldn’t even see the few that were ahead of the pack.

There were about 4 of us toward the end, and the two older ladies were a little bit behind our group. I ended up literally turning my music down to barely above a whisper because it was distracting me. One of the running coaches stayed behind with us, trying to push us to keep running, not to stop, to focus and breathe. Breathing was so hard for me. I couldn’t for the life of me focus on just breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. It made me so light headed but I couldn’t keep it under control. The running coach ended up holding my phone for me because it was just in my way. I only had it for my music and I wasn’t even using that.

I was still trucking along though, running and walking. Then about 2 miles in, a woman running my same pace the whole way tells me this is her first day running. And she was wearing new shoes. And was new to working out. She passed me up and I never saw her again. A big enough blow in itself, till the two older women left my ass in the dust too.

I am so, so ashamed to admit this but I was literally in tears at the last mile. I wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably, but I remember trying as hard as I could to keep it together. I was so mad though. So mad at myself for thinking I was in shape. So mad at myself for letting myself get this OUT of shape. So mad that literally everyone had passed me up. Yes, it wasn’t about finishing fast or finishing first. I just didn’t want to be dead last. And here I was, dead ass last. And not just by a little bit. By a lot. I was embarrassed, I was frustrated, I was in pain, and I just wanted to quit. I thought to myself, “If I hadn’t paid this much money to do this, I would never come back.” But honestly, I’m glad I paid. If that’s the only thing that’ll keep me going back, so be it. I don’t want to be miserable trying to just finish a run. But I don’t want to be miserable and obese even more. It sucked. Simple as that. The whole time I was running I thought, so negatively, and I hate that.

I felt so foolish thinking “I am a runner” and pinning all these cheesy motivational running quotes, reading a book about a marathoner, researching all this cool running gear I wanted. When in reality, I can’t even come out second to last in a pack.

I managed to snap one picture while running, just to show how far behind Negative Nancy I was. At one point I actually thought, “I bet everyone is thinking ‘atleast I’m not dead last’!” It was a sh*tty feeling.

 

Now, even though this post is super negative (although it is the complete ugly truth), I want you all to know that I’m not stopping. Our next run scheduled on the training is a 2.5 mile run on Saturday. I am still going to do it. I know I can’t run 2.5 miles nonstop, but I will try to run as far as I can without stopping. When I need to walk, I’ll walk. I know I will improve. I know by the end of this, I will be able to do the run I did yesterday much faster and run for way longer. After all, I used to only be able to run a minute before I had to stop. I know I will improve. I know it will take time.  I will continue.

 

I know I will make progress.  I know I will improve. I know I can do this. I think I can, I think I can. Quitting will hurt no one but me. I committed to this and I will finish. It will take time and patience but I can do this. I have to do this.

Running is a journey.

I figured this deserved its own post because..well, it's the biggest thing I've committed to in a long time (well, besides that whole marriage thing..) I also want to write about it because my poor friend Leigh Ann at Elle Noel is probably way tired of giving me "don't be afraid" pep talks. Sorry girl!

She told me about this running clinic that her gym is starting this Thursday. I learned that I didn't have to be a member, but could still sign up to train to run a 5k-or so I thought. All this time I was on board 100%, super excited because I've started and quit the Couch to 5k program more times than I can count. My runs have never surpassed a mile, but I figured 9 weeks to work my way up to a 5k would be a piece of cake. Well, a few days after pumping myself up and not giving this clinic a second thought, Leigh Ann says, "Oh, it's a 10k, not a 5k!" I had been confused the whole time. Whoa. I can't run a 10k. This is my first problem. If I don't think I can, then I can't. Simple as that. But I know now that my body is capable of so much more than I ever thought. I am already going farther and faster than I ever imagined, so who's to say I can't run 6 measly miles? I can do this. And I will.

For me, running is 94% mental. I have to psych myself out or I won't finish. It's funny how sometimes I can bust out a mile like it's nothing, and sometimes, three minutes in, I feel like I'm going to pass out and die. I just have to remind myself that my legs won't stop if my mind stays focused. I recently created a board on Pinterest called just keep running because I realized most of my workout pins were centered around running.  I felt like I needed somewhere to go for inspiration before a long run that I don't feel like doing. Here are a few of my favorite pins:

 This one struck a nerve with me because I am a SLOW runner. That's okay though, because I'm a runner none the less!

 

 

This is something I need to copy and post to every surface I see all day.

And just for fun:

YES, SIR.

I know alot of you aren't runners but I want to document this journey because I think you will be able to relate. Losing weight is not only a challenge physically, but mentally. I know that I can do this. I have to do this. Sometimes I might need support because it will be hard. It will, in fact, suck really bad. I know you girls got my back though! The clinic is once a week on Thursdays, with "homework" in between. This Thursday is our first group run. I'll keep you posted!

Have a great week and I'll be back tomorrow:)

Well lookie here...

A few housekeeping items first. Are you following me on Facebook?  What about Pinterest? Oh, and I am "evangelineevents" on Instagram  and @evangevents on Twitter. I know it can get confusing because some of my user names go with my business name, so I'm figuring out that alot of you were wondering who the heck keeps commenting on their pictures. No, it's not a super stalker who happens to know a little too many details of your life. It's meeee. (Not sure which is creepier.)

Anyway, now I can get to this. Since the scale hasn't been moving, I've been super disappointed and frustrated. I've been doing the whole "lose two pounds, gain two pounds, lose two pounds, gain two" dance for far too long. Since we all know I love a good selfportrait, I decided to compare one from today with one from about a month and a half ago. Ya'll, this made me so happy. While I'm not nearly where I want to be, I definitely see some differences. I think seeing myself every single day didn't allow me to see any changes. This can be so discouraging, amiright? The picture on the right is what I saw in the mirror today.

Like I said. Long way to go but it's sooo nice to finally see a change. Those tanks underneath are the same brand in a different color and the same goes for the tank on top. Here is another painstakingly embarrassing photo I took, for myself really, as a "before" for my next goal. Shrink down those monster arms!

Arm progress pic coming in the next few weeks! I can't wait to have more progress that I can document through pictures. Thank you to all my readers for your amazing support!

Now, onto weirder things. I go through strange phases where I become obsessed with a food and crave it all the time. I've had a pb2 phase, a clementine orange phase, a crockpot phase. All weird, non make sense. My current phase is a real doosie: imitation crabmeat. Gross, huh? Uhhh, hell no! I am obsessed. I think it's because of this ball of delicious, get in my mouth now, that's what she said, goodness.

This would be a snow crab salad (salad being used very loosely here) at my faaaavorite sushi restaurant. It's basically fake crab meat, avocados, some special delicious sauce and crunchy flakes. Super unhealthy but super yummorific. I could literally eat this every day. I'd be as big as a house, but happy and full. So, to feed my inner freak of nature, I started looking for ways to fill my craving without filling my clothes with tubs of lard. I found this at Walmart:

You get four huge pieces of crab meat for only 80 calories, 6g of proteins and zero fat. While I know it's not as good as real crab meat, it does the trick for me. Today I ate two dipped in a tiny bit of low sodium soy sauce and the other two cut up in a salad. So good.  I also bought shredded-style crab meat to make a recipe a found on Pinterest, California Roll in a Bowl. Sounds amazing right? I plan on making it for lunch tomorrow.

I also found a ton more recipes to tweak on Pinterest that I'll be sharing next week.

Speaking of amazing finds, I just ordered this sassy workout tank from Abundant Heart Apparel on Etsy. Even cooler, if you like them on Facebook, you get 10% off your purchase. The owner of the shop, Jenna is super nice and very fast.

I hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday and I promise to post tomorrow to make up for my lack of postage in the last couple days;-)

Skinny Stovetop Lasagna

I have a delicious and super easy recipe to share! I found this recipe on Pinterest  and decided it was worth a shot, with a couple changes to suit my taste.

http://pinterest.com/pin/225250418833743700/

I used the ingredient list for the bulk of what I used, but changed the spices up quite a bit. I ended up not even following the recipe at all, so I think that grants me right to name it and call it my own.

 

Skinny Stovetop Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 LB ground turkey
6 oz. lasagna noodles (about half a box)
1 C mushrooms, chopped
½ C. Ricotta Cheese, reduced fat
½ C. Mozzarella Cheese, 2%
2 regular size cans Italian Diced Tomatoes
½ C. tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
Dry parsley
Sea Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cajun seasoning

 

Begin by browning ground turkey in a large skillet. Season turkey with spices of choice. My go-to is always sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and Cajun seasoning. 

 

While turkey is browning, bring a pot of water to boil. I add a touch of sea salt to my water to keep pasta from sticking. While all this is going, in a separate skillet, sautee mushrooms with minced garlic on low/med heat. You will do this for about a minute, till mushrooms cook down and garlic is fragrant.

 

Break noodles into four pieces each add to boiling water.

Boil for 4-5 minutes or until al dente. Add drained tomatoes and tomato to ground turkey and keep on low. When mushrooms and garlic are done, add to tomato and turkey mixture. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until tomato sauce is heated through.

 

Add lasagna noodles to mixture. At this point, you can add about

1-2 teaspoons of dry parsley if you like. Stir well. I tasted my sauce and added more seasoning. After sauce is cooked through, spoon ½ C. ricotta throughout skillet. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. The original recipe called for Parmesan but I left it off to save calories.  

So I went a little heavy on the ricotta. Am I the only freak of nature that could happily eat ricotta from the container with a spoon? Probably.

 

Very carefully stir mixture, just to incorporate cheese, not to blend thoroughly. I tried to lightly stir just three or four times so as to still get bits of ricotta in each bite.

 

I accidentally bought Italian seasoned ground turkey this time and regretted it with the first bite. Though it was still really good, I really don’t care for Italian sausage and that’s exactly what the turkey tasted like. I know making this again with regular ground turkey will be even better. The original recipe didn’t call for any type of meat, but I like meat so I added it lol..

I also subbed wheat lasagna noodles for regular, which I just found for the first time. My husband couldn’t tell the difference. You could make this with any type of pasta, but I think using lasagna noodles keeps your pasta serving in check. I could’ve easily used a whole box of penne in this dish.

It only took me about 20 minutes to make (but it sure made for a huge sink full of dirty dishes. Hey, I made dinner, S had dish duty..sucker!)

 

I figured this recipe to make about 5 large services or 6 regular people servings. We eat big at my house (obviously). This is a large serving for only 397 calories.

 

 

I was so full after I ate this. I will definitely make it again, just this time, I’ll make sure I buy the right turkey. Enjoy!

Cheeseburgers, wine, Taco Bell, oh my!

Good morning everyone, including all my new readers! Thanks to Holly over at Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally for the shout out last week. You have made my blog go from 1 reader to almost 20. And you look AMAZING after your 30 LB loss, congrats sista!

This weekend was not good, diet and exercise wise, which I am totally okay with because it was a wonderful weekend. Sometimes you have to indulge and let your hair down. Mine just happens to be 10 feet long. I am back at it this morning though, counting calories and taking names.

Here’s a rundown of the weekend:

Friday night, we hung out with our neighbors. We love these people and just started hanging out with them a lot, so I’m pretty pumped about it. Plus, it’s so nice to be able to just walk home after hanging out with them all night.  JD, the husband of the duo, grilled the most amazing steak I’ve ever eaten. Julie made sautéed mushrooms and twice baked potatoes. We had a blast with them, and before we knew it, it was 3am! That’s like, 20 hours past our bedtime. I took a screen shot of my MyFitnessPal that afternoon because it was equal parts hilarious and sad. Gotta plan out your wine calories before you figure out what to eat all day.

 

It’s funny because I am not a drinker. I normally can’t even finish a glass of wine. I calculated three glasses and only had about 1 ½.  Saturday I planned to do my running outside, for the first time ever. I am a treadmill wh*re, so I know I need to get outside to prepare for my 10k in November. Instead, I took a nap on our new down feather couch. Who could resist that? I got ready for a night of wedding coordinating and may or may not had a cheeseburger from McDonalds.

I knew Saturday would be a long night because this was the biggest wedding I’ve ever assisted with. There was a fireworks display at the reception, three bars, an outdoor dancefloor under a huge tent, and a photobooth. I’m sure I’m leaving a lot out, but as a wedding planner, I find I can talk about weddings for days, and I know not everyone is like that. My poor husband is all wedding’d out. Here are a few pictures from the event.

 (Wedding planning brings out alot of emotions, people! This is my silly fellow-assistant Jay)

 

Sunday I popped out of bed at 7:30 and suckered my husband into going out for breakfast. I wanted a mimosa, oddly enough. Plus, the weather has been fabulous all weekend and this place has outdoor seating. We have been experiencing a super hot summer, so to be in the high 70’s for us is a treat.

 

After breakfast, I headed to my S’s aunt’s house to do her makeup for her daughter’s bridal shower. I worked at a makeup counter in college so I am still the go-to makeup artist. I did the bride’s makeup then headed home to get ready for the shower. I tried Mama’s curling technique with my straightener and it turned out pretty good. I have thick, long hair so it didn’t curl as well as hers, but I think I’ll invest in a curling iron soon. Here’s a shameless self-portrait.

 

The girl who monogrammed my bridesmaids’ robes did this cute insulated tote and kitchen towel for me, and I filled it with the couple’s favorite beer. Aside from the obnoxious tissue paper, I think it turned out pretty cute. I kinda wanted one for us!

 

After the shower, I did thirty four three loads of laundry and then S and I sat on the patio to take in some more of the great weather. He grilled chicken and chicken sausage and we tried this new beer he found.

 

Yes, folks. I drank three times this weekend. That’s three times more than I usually drink in a month. I will be attending my first AA meeting next week. Okay kidding, but I am so not used to all that alcohol. Plus, each beer was 200 calories. As good as it was, I will not make this my drink of choice. Do you know what I could eat for 200 calories?

 

A list of the damage done this weekend:

Steak and twice baked potato

McDonald's cheeseburger

Taco Bell Nachos Surpreme & a soft taco

Wedding Food

French toast (that was so not worth it)

Two mimosas

Wedding Shower food

Leftover fries and a chicken finger (S brought home from lunch)

Two bottles of 200 cal beer

 

While it's frightening to see it all listed out like that, the damage is done and I know I need to get back on track. I was doing so well and I know I can start back up again. Here's to a new week! Keep an eye out for another post tomorrow. Have a great Monday everyone.

TGI Wish it was Friday

Well can I just get an AMEN for having three whole followers now? I used to have zero, then I had one, now I think my big goal will be FIFTY whole followers on day. I like to dream small. Just kidding!

Well today feels like a big fat Monday and I'm just not feeling it. Two days off for the "hurricane" and a three day weekend made this girl not want to come back to the real world. Oh well, such is life.

To my three fabulous readers, I'm sure you've noticed a tiny difference.. Okay a huge difference in my blog design. Thanks be to G*D, I got a facelift for this thing finally. Another one of my favorite blogs, Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally, is responsible for the wonderful-ness that now graces your eyeballs. Holly's husband is now doing blog design for an excellent price. I am so happy with it! If anyone is interested in his services, shoot them an email at holly.j.stanfield@gmail.com. You won't be disappointed. He is very easy to work with and super fast.

In fat girl news, I sadly don't have time for a work out today. Yeah, I could've woken up at the crack of dawn to pound the pavement, but I chose to hit snooze 32 times instead. I get off earlier than normal today but have a meeting right after. I just recently joined a group called the Junior Auxiliary and I have to say, these ladies have done nothing but impress me since I met them. It's a local chapter of women who do volunteer work, focusing on under-priveleged kids. Each month they bring a healthy snack to the Boys and Girls club, they hold free art and fitness workshops, they collect Christmas gifts for the less fortunate and my personal favorite, they collect prom gowns, accessories and shoes and create a boutique experience for girls who can't afford to go to prom. How fun and amazing is that! I can't wait to get more involved. They also hold monthly meetings and socials that allow all of us to get to know one another. I will admit, I was terrified the first time I went. I'm the girl who thinks all women judge me and I figured it would be all "clique-y". I was 100% wrong though. I think every single woman there made it a point to introduce herself to me and hold a conversation. What a pleasant surprise! I mentioned before that my husband and I don't exactly have a tight-knit, hang out together every single weekend group of friends, so I really wanted to meet new people. After each meeting, the girls go out to dinner to socialize and I think I'll join them this time. I won't get home till probably 8:30 or so, so no gym time today. A girl gotta sleep.

Due to my chronic snoozing problem, I didn't have time to make my usual egg white and turkey  bacon breakfast so I stopped at McDonald's. I got an Egg McMuffin with no cheese and a fruit and yogurt parfait. Pfft. Or should I say, a spoonful of yogurt. It was literally a shot glass size container and it was 150 calories. Needless to say, two hours later I was hungry again and I can't go to lunch till 12:30 today. So not worth it, ya'll. Next time I'll just hit snooze 31 times and make some damn egg whites.

I hope you're all having a wonderful Monday Tuesday and not counting down the hours till Friday like I am.

And the long weekend sadly comes to an end..

Is it just me or does it feel like Sunday? Gotta love a long weekend.

My weekend was productive, work out-wise. Otherwise, not so much. Saturday I was supposed to go tailgating with friends for the first home game at my alma mater. No such luck though, it rained and poured. Instead of sitting on the recliner and watching movies like I secretly hoped to do, I went to the gym and got a really good workout in. Ya'll know one of my favorite things to do is take a good self portrait at the gym. Oh, you didn't know that? Well behold:

(yeah, I'm aware I look like a creeper in the first picture, but it's the best side view pic I was able to get. I am happy with these pictures because I do see progress. I have a long way to go, but progress is better than nothing!)

And a little red face, sweaty mess action for you. You're welcome.

After the gym, I came home and showered then decided to brave the frightening world of rabid baboons coming at me like they haven't eaten in a week and I have a porkchop in my pocket. Also known as, the mall. (So I like to exaggerate..)

I decided to visit JC Penney to buy another pair of those workout pants I have as featured above. I love those pants. I don't even know what brand they are, but they rock. I feel like a Spandex super star in them, ya'll. They don't ride up while I run and they don't leave me feeling like a busted can of biscuits. Win/win. I also went to MAC to pick up a couple of eye shadows I was out of, then got the hell out of that circus. 

Sunday was another success. I had another early morning workout followed by grocery shopping for the week. I don't know why, but I love grocery shopping. I think it's a stress reliever for me. I always try to go when my husband is at work so I can waste 2 hours in there doing my thang. Yeah, freak of nature alert. Don't judge me! 

I came home and did some laundry, relaxed a while then back to the gym to work on booty and legs. It's those spandex super powers ya'll. Whatever works. This morning I woke up and got in another sweet session. Proof:

Beautiful, right? I had lunch with a friend today and ordered the most delicious salad in the world. It had grilled chicken, romaine, spinach, roasted red peppers, grilled mushrooms, zucchini and squash. It was filling and yummy and I didn't come home and raid the pantry for atleast 45 minutes.

I managed to squeeze in some more shopping. Oops. But my friend told me about a sale going on in which scarves were being sold for $4. What kinda crazy person passes that up? Not I. I bought 4. Gotta be prepared for winter. Just because it's 95 degrees now doesn't mean it won't be below 70 one day..I hope..?

Well that's all for now folks, I hope you like the new blog! It's alot easier on the eyes now, thank God. More on its designer tomorrow. Tootle loo!