Things I'm doing today.

• Hoping to finish up Christmas shopping if not today, then tomorrow.
• Work on finishing up the handmade Christmas gifts for Sean's family Christmas.
• Clean and organize my closet.
• Wrap gifts.
• Make homemade lemoncello for friend's Christmas gifts.
• Go to the gym.

All in all, sounds like a well rounded day.

Stairs, day 2.

There are 132 stairs. Made it to the 5th floor before I got tired. Made it farther than yesterday before getting tired, so that's a win. 

I like my daily stair challenge. Again, going down it the easy part. Today I tried going down faster without falling. It was a success. 

Boom. 

Stairs, day 1

Day 1 completed. 

I lost count on the number of stairs when a door on the 4th floor was opened on me. 

I'll maybe not lose count sometime?

The stair challenge

So, at work I work on the 7th floor of a building.  Me being all creeped out and scared of elevators has really been testing me these last three months.

Side note, it's been THREE months at my next job.  Time sure flies.  I digress.  

Anyway, 7th floor.  I think my goal for this week is to take the stairs (going up) at least two times this week.  Going down is the easy part and I've been trying to incorporate that into my routine anyway.  Going up is the tough part.  It's 23 stairs a floor... I think.  That's 138 stairs.  It will be a good way to get my heart rate up right before work and it will make sure I'm super awake and ready to start my day.

Also, I have a weird stair counting obsession.  I've done it for as long as I can remember.  Whenever I go up or down stairs, I have to count.  I always lose count at work because there's so many stairs.  For example, there's 12 stairs in my parents house.  There's 5 stairs in the first section (from the top) and 7 on the next section.  There's 16 stairs going from the parking lot to my apartment.  There was 48 stairs going up to my 4th floor dorm room my junior year of college.

I know, it's a weird obsession and habit.  I can't stop it.

I'll update you on my little challenge at the end of the week.

P.S. Whoa!  I posted.  Hot damn.

Tuesday Thoughts

Thoughts from today's gym session. 

I need to either go to the gym in the morning or later in the evening. Definitely NOT at 4:45 in the afternoon. Worst idea ever. It was so busy. I either need to get my butt out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to work out right away or go around 7 or 8 at night. 

I imagine the guys who think they're so tough with their grunting and muscles are listening to someone like Billy Joel on their iPods. It makes me giggle. 

That is all, for now. 

Today's agenda

Gym. 

Shower. 

Grocery shopping. 

Cleaning. 

Christmas gift knitting. 

All in all, going to be a well rounded day. 

Things I've Learned

Things I've learned while working in the insurance industry.

• Have a quality, standard insurance carrier.  (Most important!)
• Don't be an idiot.
• Know that driving on any road, parking lot, grassy field, etc. is really a death trap and accident can (and will) happen at any moment in time.
• Car accidents are not black and white.  They're actually really one big gray area.
• Drive defensively and there is no such thing as over cautious.

Things I ponder on my drive home decompressing from my day of dealing with other people's car accidents.

• Knowing that at any moment in time another vehicle could smash mine to smithereens.  It's terrifying and panic attack inducing.
• I play out accident scenarios in my head.

There's more to come on this in the future probably...

Boots

I bought a new camera today and then came home and immediately took a picture of my kitten. 

Sean and I were in Kohls and he walked over to Best Buy instead of following me around as I looked at clothes.  I've been searching for a new camera for months - ever since my old one started randomly erasing photos.  Sean let me know Best Buy had some cameras on clearance.  I walked over there and he showed me the Nikon Coolpix L610 that was on clearance.

Done and done.

Sometimes...

Sometimes...

• It takes your mother commenting on a blog post to get you writing again.
• I feel like I don't have very much to write about.  
• I'm happy with a hair cut, but mostly I'm not.  I think I'm too picky and maybe expect too much?  No, wait.  I expect punctuality and I did not receive that this evening for my hair cut.  I don't even know why I bother with my current (perhaps old?) salon.
• It takes me 25 years to figure out a fundamental personality trait.  Sean recently pointed out to me that I am a "rule follower" and it has just blown my mind.  I did not know this about myself and he so easily pointed it out.  When I tell people this, they are not surprised at all because they already knew it.  Why didn't anyone tell me this how much of a rule follower I am?
• I want to lay in bed all day and snuggle with my kitten.
• Most days I have a very strong desire to be busy doing stuff.  Mostly trivial things I think.
• I rock at flossing daily.  I've only missed a handful of nights since my dentist appointment in July.  My dentist should be excited about my gum health.
• I struggle with reading things right in front of my face.  Hopefully my new glasses that will be coming in a week and a half or so will help with this.
• I am thankful daily for the amazing job I have.  I'm thankful for the happiness that it has given me and major stress reduction.
• I write blog posts about absolutely nothing.  

And sometimes, this is a synopsis of my life recently.

Goals

My goals for the next week:

• Go to the gym at least 3 times
• Clean the apartment top to bottom

That's about all I've got.

Man, I'm boring.  Sorry about that.

Five Things on Friday

1. I'm so happy it's Friday.  I'm exhausted.  I haven't figured out a good work-life balance yet and I'm all thrown off.  I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow and possibly feel refreshed, unlike now where I feel like I'm going to fall asleep.

2. It's a long weekend and the only plans I have is to go to a bingo hall with a friend tomorrow night.  I'm excited for the low-key weekend.

3. Still loving my new job.

4. It's been a long week...

5. I know I mentioned we got a Keurig, but I want to reiterate how much I love it.  I use it every single day and am currently drinking coffee I just made.  It's so convenient!  I highly recommend it.

Have a nice weekend!  Sorry this is so short, I am just too tired right now to even think.

Weigh on Wednesday

I'm having trouble rotating my picture and I'm short on time so this will just have to work.  Okay?  Okay.

252.4 lbs

Down 1.4 pounds from the last weigh in.  I'm okay with it.  The Minnesota State Fair is here and I ate more than enough food on Saturday, so I'm happy with a loss at all.  

Happy Wednesday!

Five Things on Friday

1. It's Friday!  I made it through my first week at my new job.  It really flew by and I love it even more than I did on Wednesday.  The people there are SO NICE and welcoming!  Also, Centennial Lakes Park is across the street from my building and it's fantastic.  It's like a secret garden.  This was today's lunch view.

I love this!

2. I got some super random Bible study invitation in the mail.  It was addressed with my maiden name.  No idea how or where this little (well I imagine her to be little) old lady got my name and address.  It also doesn't list any sort of church affiliation on it.  Seems a bit sketchy and creepy to me...

3. I have swimmer's ear.  Whomp whomp.  I used to get it all the time when I was a kid, but haven't had it for a few years.  So painful!  But, my internet search (a.k.a. Pinterest search) for a home remedy has been helping.  It's 5 to 10 drops of equals parts rubbing alcohol and vinegar.  It doesn't hurt as much today as it did yesterday.

4. Gary the Grand Am (my car) is getting working on by my father tomorrow.  Gary is getting new front rotors and brakes.  Shall be a grand time.  Lemon tree is also looking super sad.  She will be staying at my parent's house for a bit because she needs heat and humidity.  There's no where for me to put her outside currently in our apartment, so she's going to sit on my parent's deck for the remainder of the summer/early fall.

Sad lemon tree...

5. The Minnesota State Fair started yesterday.  I did not place at all in the three baking competitions I entered.  Ho hum.  Everything was perfect, too.  It saddens me.  Sean and I are going to the fair on Sunday, so we'll have to see if my stuff made it into the refrigerated display cases at least...

Have a nice weekend!

Weigh in Wednesday

Ugh...

With starting my new job this week and getting up earlier I completely forgot it was Wednesday today.  And I didn't weigh myself and subsequently, no photo. 

I'm sorry, friends.  I'll get back to weigh in Wednesday next week when hopefully my brain in screwed on correctly.

Also, side note.  I love my new job.  I'm not really doing much yet, but I already love it.

Five Things on Friday

 
1. I made a fun graphic!  Thoughts?

2. I'm hanging out with my best friend tomorrow and I'm SUPER excited out it.

3. Today is my last day at the job I held for three years.  End of my first adult job.  It's memorable and terrifying and I'm so excited for the next chapter!

4. I have happy hour with some work friends tonight and I'm looking forward to keeping these friendships going even after my last day.

5. Remember that time I registered for 14 items to enter into the Minnesota State Fair Creative Activities?  Yeah, those items are due on Sunday and I'm busy on Saturday.  Looks like I'm not making 14 items, but instead will make as many as possible.

What are you doing this weekend?

Getting real, real quick

I'm going to get real around here.

Have you noticed my lack of posting?  Have you noticed I only post on Wednesdays and Fridays?  This has got to change.  And I've got to let you all in on a little secret.

I am a habitual starter of things that I never finish.  It's true.  Ask my husband, he'll tell you.  I'm super horrible at starting projects, weight loss, exercise, ideas, etc. and I hardly ever finish.  I've got to get this to change.

Ugh, I need to get over this.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  I struggle with this majorly.  Does anyone have any inspiration?  It's not even strictly related to weight loss and exercise.  It's related to the foods I eat, things I do, everything.  It seems I get sick of the routine and repetitiveness of something.

Ugh.  That's all I have to say about that.

In an effort to get out of my not finishing things rut when it comes to blogging, I need to push myself to blog more often.  Here's to starting.

Weigh in Wednesday

Well, it's about time I get my act together and post for today.

253.6 pounds - week 5

Down .2 pounds. And that's okay with me. Sean and I ate out a lot this week. Wedding, anniversary dinner, breakfast on Sunday, last night... The list goes on. Because of the eating out, I'm happy I've maintained for the last week. 

Back on the wagon. New day, new beginning (or some other motivational crap like that).

Sorry for the short post. I want to get back to enjoying my evening while not at work. The last two weeks have been some of the busiest weeks at work and I'm ready to be done.

One Year

It has been one year today that I married my very best friend.  I can't imagine life without him.  Let's recap that day, shall we?

First, Sean patiently waited for me for our first look, even when Charlie came running.

Finally, it was time to see each other.  The pictures from our first look are my favorite from the entire day.

I cry when I get emotional at all, so there were many very happy tears.  We posed in the church.  I love the next photo, minus everyone upstairs.

We had a fantastic wedding party.

We had the cutest ring bearer and flower girl.

We then got hitched.

We took pictures with our families.

We danced our first dance to this song.

We dance the remainder of the night and fun was had by all.

Five Things on Friday

It's Friday, finally!  It is just me, or has this been one of the longest weeks ever?  Maybe it's because I'm counting down the days until I start my new job... Let's get this started!

1. First up, a oldie but a goodie song to get you pumped for Friday.

2. Sean and I are going to a friend's wedding tonight.  I still need to figure out what dress I'm going to wear.  Maybe I can contemplate that all day.

3. Tomorrow is our first wedding anniversary.  It's hard to believe that a year has already flown by.

4.  Did I mention a couple weeks ago Sean and I gifted ourselves a Keurig for our anniversary?  We've used it every day since we got it.  Definitely worth the investment.

from my Instagram feed (and yes that is a piece of Pyrex holding the K-cups)

5. It's going to be another busy weekend for me.  Sunday is Juniper's baptism and I'm excited to see my family again for a second weekend in a row.  On Monday, my mom and I are going to ValleyFair.  She's staying at our apartment on Sunday night and then we're headed there Monday.  I'm looking forward to it!

And a bonus one!

6. I jogged at the gym yesterday (and it was fantastic), but on the way to the gym there's a Goodwill that I regularly shop at.  There was SIX pieces of vintage Pyrex there.  I bought four of them.  All brown in color.  The two I left there because I had one of them already and the second one was kind of scratched on the bottom and definitely had been dishwashered because the glazing wasn't very shiny.  Super excited about the new Pyrex.  I'll post pictures of it soon.

Beginning - 30 Day Challenges

Well, the first day of my 30 day challenges are complete. The squats were easy, simply because I don't mind doing squats. It is the push-ups that I know are going to kill me.

Much to the dismay of Boots, I'm headed off to the gym now. I leave you with a cute kitty picture. 

Weigh in Wednesday

Clearly, it is Wednesday.  I definitely did not want to weigh myself this morning because I knew it wasn't going to be below what last week's weight was.
 

253.8 pounds - week 4

 

The scale is up one pound.  I've got no one to blame but myself.  I haven't been giving this the 110% that it requires.  I haven't been working out.  I've been a lazy pile. 

 

But!  In my laziness last night, I was browsing Pinterest.  I found a 30-day push-up challenge and a 30-day squat challenge.  Each 30 day challenge has five different variations of the squat and push-up.  This will keep things interesting!  I've printed out the charts and directions for each variations and will be starting this tomorrow.  First up, I have five push-ups, one of each variaton, and then six reps of each variations, so 30 total squats.  By the end of the 30 days, 50 push-ups will be done and 200 squats done.

Anyway, that's my tentative plan for now.  Now, who wants to do push-ups and squats with me?!

Five Things on Friday

1. I quit my job!

2. I'm super excited to go to Charlie's 3rd birthday party on Sunday.  He was so cute last week when he called me and asked if I was coming to his party.  Speaking of Charlie, I was cleaning some files off of my work computer and I found this photo compilation of Charlie I had created a few years ago:

Look at how adorable he is!

3. Sean and I picked up a watermelon from Trader Joe's on Wednesday night.  I cut it open last night and it was probably the reddest, most ripe watermelon I've ever seen.  It's also the most delicious.  Sean informed me it's his favorite fruit, so this is the second one we've consumed this week.

4. Speaking of food, being in Minnesota means eating produce seasonally.  I love this time of year when the strawberries, peaches, pineapple, watermelons, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all in season.  I obviously prefer fruit over vegetables and I love all of the fruit that is in season.

5. Weight-wise, I my goal for next Wednesday is to be in the 240s.  I weighed myself this morning, and let's just say that I'm headed in the right direction!

What are you doing this weekend?  Sean and I are going to an art festival with some friends tomorrow and I'm definitely looking forward to that.  The next three weeks we're pretty busy, so it's going to be a whirlwind for the first few weeks of August.

On quitting my job...

Remember last Friday during my Five Things on Friday post I had said I had an exciting morning?  Well, I had a job interview.  Then, I got a phone call on Monday morning to come in on Tuesday for a second interview.  And then I got the job on Wednesday. 

What  a whirlwind.  An exciting whirlwind!  Also, terrifying.  This means I'll be leaving a place where I've been comfortable (and unhappy) and getting out of my comfort zone.  It's very scary and nerve wrecking, but exhilarating at the same time.  I can't explain it very well.

From someecards

A friend at work recently quit this week as well and she pinned this on Pinterest.  It makes me smile.  I'm moving on to bigger and better things.  My last day at this job is August 16 and then I begin the new job on the 19th.  I "officially" put in my resignation notice today. This is the first adult job I've had that I quit, so that's why it is so scary.

I'm very excited!

Weigh in Wednesday

Good morning, friends!

It's Wednesday, so you know what that means...

Week 3 - 252.8 lbs.

Yup, 252.8 -- same as last week.  You know what?  That's okay with me because I ate like crap all weekend long.  I'm just happy I didn't gain any weight because of my crappy eating and lack of exercise. 

I eat really well during the work week.  My breakfast that I've had for the past week and a half (peanut butter on wheat toast, coffee and cream) comes in at 416 calories every day.  Then, my lunch which has either been a Lean Cuisine or yogurt and fruit usually comes in 300-400 calories.  I like to "save" my calories for dinner because that is the meal I like to have the most food.  I drink a ton of water during the work day as well and I'm not so great about hydrating when I'm at home.
 

Lately, I've been struggling with thinking up fresh and new dinners for Sean and I.  Last night, I made stuffed peppers and cauliflower.  While it was tasty, stuffed peppers are not my favorite thing in the world.  If anyone has a good, healthy recipe collection/website, let me know!  Also, I need to harvest some kale at my garden and have no clue what I'm going to do with it.  Make some sort of soup perhaps?  Ideas?  Comment below!

Five Things on Friday.

1.  I had a pretty fantastic morning.  Sleeping in until 7 a.m. will do that to you.  I'll know more in a few weeks if this morning was as great and I thought it was.  Half work days for the win.

2.  There's been a few random rain shower down pours today.  I love it.  It's sunny outside and then the next minute it's slightly gray and pouring.  It really is beautiful weather.

3.  I colored my hair this week.  Instead of blonde, I'm back to dark brown.  It's a change, but it feels good to be "me" again.

4.  Sean has the weekend off of work, so tomorrow we're going to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market with a couple friends.  I'm definitely looking forward to it!

5. Oh!  I did a bunch of gardening last weekend and I need to take pictures.  I'll probably get over there sometime this weekend and if I remember to bring my camera, I'll take some pictures.

I'm sorry this is boring with no pictures this week.  It's been a busy and hectic day thus far.  What are you doing this weekend?  Anything exciting?

Weigh in Wednesday

Happy Wednesday to you!  I'm definitely in a good mood this morning.  Look below!

 

Week 2 - 252.8 lbs

 

Yup, I'm down 4.4 pounds from last Wednesday.  That makes my grand total of 5.4 pounds lost since renewing my lifestyle change. 

 

I still have a long ways to go, obviously, but this is definitely a good start.

 

Have a lovely day!

On Biking.

This post should really be called, "On why my legs hurt yesterday."

 

The past two Sundays when Sean has worked, I've biked to meet him at Freewheel when he gets off work.  Then, we do a 10 mile loop back home.  It's quite enjoyable.  I like biking with him.  He knows I'm slow and is okay with it.  Last weekend I apologized for being so slow the first time we did this loop.  He said it's okay and that he was slow once too.  He said the only way to get faster is to keep biking.  Makes sense.

On Sunday morning, I was gardening for a couple hours which involves a lot of bending over and squatting.  The hamstring on my right leg was so tight yesterday and still is a bit today.  The bike ride after gardening maybe have helped a bit or it might have made it worse.  Either way, my legs were tired yesterday. 

There really isn't a point to this post.  Wait, no there is.  I wanted to post a picture of our 15.63 mile bike route.  I intend on keeping this up and picking him up from work one day a weekend.  The hills are good for working my butt muscles (weird). 

See you tomorrow for Weigh in Wednesday.  Good things are coming via a scale picture.  :)

Five Things on Friday

It's finally Friday, yay!

1.  One of my new favorite products is Origins Clear Improvements active charcoal mask.  Basically, I put it on my face, let it dry and my skin gets all tight and then wash it off.  Apparently the active charcoal in it is supposed to clean junk out of your pores.  I'm not sure how much I believe that, but I've definitely seen an improvement in my skin since I started using it.  I ordered it from Birchbox when I had a 20% code.  My face is naturally slightly reddish in tone and when I use this once or twice a week I notice the redness has gone down.  I've used it 6ish times thus far and clearly not very much has been used.  It's kind of expensive ($23 from Birchbox) but this bottle is definitely going to last me a long time.

My massive man hand

2. Boots had her 5th birthday yesterday.  Yes, I'm an obsessed cat lady, but I'm only obsessed with my cat.  I made her a kitty cake (Joy the Baker style).  I layered tuna and some dry food.  She loved it. 

Birthday kitty

3. My tomatoes at my garden plot are coming in nicely.  I need to take some photos for the blog.  I also need to stake them up better because they're kind of a mess.  My peas are done and I need to pull them all out.  Sean works on Sunday, so maybe when he's at work I'll go to the garden and work up a storm/sweat.

4. Speaking of gardening, my dad and brother have a growing contest of something every year.  This year, I'm participating and we're growing beets.  My first round of beets did not come up.  At the urging of Travis, I planted a second crop and they're now a couple inches tall.  Maybe when I do some major weeding of the garden on Sunday I'll take pictures of everything.

5. Sean doesn't work tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous - projected high of 76 degrees (!!!).  That will be a lot nicer than the 95 degree days we've been having.  There's stuff going on in our neighborhood this weekend, so maybe we'll walk around and check it out.

Have a lovely weekend!

Weigh in Wednesday - Week 1

Good morning!  I was on the fence about doing Weigh in Wednesday this week, as I mentioned previously, but I was curious and then decided to post it for accountability purposes. 

By the way, I really hate posting pictures of my feet.  You may or may not know I do not like feet.  At all.  I don't especially like my own feet.  I definitely do not like anyone else's feet either.  I think I've given Sean a foot rub like twice, ever and vice versa.  Don't get me wrong, I like a good foot rub, but the thought of other people touching my feet gives me the willies.  Sorry for the side story, but it is going to be an adjustment posting pictures not only of the scale, but of my feet too.  Sorry for the gross-ness.

Back to the point of this post. 

 

Weigh in Wednesday - Week 1: 257.2 lbs

I know it has only been two days so I stepped on the scale not expecting a change at all, really.  But down a pound and I am not complaining.  I've had two perfect eating days calorie wise and I'm really happy about that.

 

For the first time in my life, I think I understand this.  I understand and want this more than I did the last time.  I now understand this post Liz from One Twenty Five posted.  I understand how she talks about her weight, eating, and exercise are the one thing in her life she can control.  I get that and I'm feeling that way too.  I can't control if I get hired (or not) for a job I really want.  I can't control a lot of things, but I can control how I nourish my body and I take comfort in that.  I get it now and I know I didn't understand it before. 

 

I know what you might be thinking.  How can this time around be any different from when you started two years ago?  Really, I can't explain it, but it feels different this time.  Maybe it's the fact that my wedding ring has been feeling tight, especially when my hands are warm since my fingers get more sausage like when it's warm.  Maybe it is the fact I can only really fit into three pairs of my jeans, all of which I've bought in the last six months.  Maybe it's the dream (nightmare) I had about having to get into my wedding dress again for some party and it wouldn't fit at all.  Maybe it's a combination of all of this, but I feel different this time. 

 

Anyway, sorry about this very (unintentional) long post.  It definitely wasn't planned!  Have a lovely Wednesday. 



On starting again...

Remember this post?  I was so inspired then, so inspired then to lose the weight.  And I did lose some of it.  But not all that I wanted.  Then I gained some of it back.  And now I'm almost back to where I started.

I've decided I'm going to do weekly weigh ins.  I first thought of doing it Friday, but if I move it to Wednesday, I'll feel more accountable over the weekend.  I struggle most with eating and logging what I eat at My Fitness Pal on the weekends when I'm not at work and have the structure of breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned out for me.  So Wednesday weigh day it is.

These weekly weigh ins I've decided I'm going to do something different from last time.  I'm actually going to post a picture of the scale from my weigh in.  I've gone back and forth about this so many times.  But, you know what?  It's just a number.  A number that doesn't (shouldn't) define me.  A number that defines me too much in my head.  To overcome this fear of other people knowing exactly how much I weigh and letting that number define me, I'm going to post it.  And it's terrifying. 

This time around, again, I am asking for your support. 

I haven't decided on a goal weight specifically yet.  I think I will know when I get there.  I'm going to be experimenting with some new lower calorie/carb recipes that hopefully I can blog about over on Jacques (yes I know I haven't posted there in months). 

Anyway, below this morning's picture of my starting weight.  I haven't decided if I'm going to do a weigh in this week since Wednesday is only two days away...

Starting weight - 258.2

My daily calorie limit on My Fitness Pal is 1,610.  My breakfast this morning consisted of a fried egg, lemon chobani, and coffee with a splash of cream - 274 calories total.  Lunch is a Lean Cuisine and grapes.  I touched on it last Friday, but dinner is going to be all about portion control.  Also, making healthier dinners is better for not only me, but Sean as well.  This time around, I'm not going to restrict any foods since I feel that is setting me up for failure.  I'm going to go about this from a portion control aspect. 

Come along with me on my journey or just watch from the sidelines.

Five things on Friday.

I'm changing the name of my Friday posts.  They've morphed from five favorite things to just five things going on right now in general.  Hence, the change.


1. Check out this video.  Hilarious.

2. Yesterday, I had an unexpected vacation day and made a ton of banana bread a.k.a. five batches.  Part of our carpet in our apartment had to be cleaned because of a water leak from the apartment above us, so I was at home making sure the cat didn't escape.  The freezer was full of bananas that needed to be made into banana bread, so I baked up a storm.

3. I'm making it a goal to bike to places as much as possible this summer.  So far this week, I've biked 16 miles.  There will probably be another trip to the garden this weekend for sure (3.5 miles roundtrip) and then a trip to the gym (7 miles roundtrip).  Maybe I can convince Sean we should go on a Sunday biking adventure, who knows.

4. I finally found lemon Chobani at Cub Foods yesterday.  Lemon is my favorite Chobani flavor and I haven't been able to find it in months.  Cub had a coupon for 88 cent cups of Chobani so I stocked up on lemon and blood orange flavors.  My breakfast this morning was delightful.

5. I'm jumping back on the weight loss bandwagon and I'm trying to keep my meal portions in check.  This is the biggest thing I struggle with.  I'm happy to have found my favorite yogurt flavors yesterday and that will make breakfasts a lot easier.  For work, I've stocked up on some Lean Cuisines.  I know, they're full of sodium that doesn't help weight loss, yada yada yada.  But.  They're great for portion control and they're easy to throw in my bag in the morning right before heading out the door.  I've gained back some of the weight I lost pre-wedding and I'm struggling with body image right now.  Check back next week for more weight loss and lifestyle change updates. 

I think that wraps up this week!  I hope you have a great weekend!

How is it Wednesday afternoon and we're swinging into the middle of July ALREADY? 

The days are supposed to slow down a bit in the summer and that is definitely not happening for me.

Friday Favorites.

It's Friday, already?!  I think because of yesterday's holiday today really came quick.

1. Sean and I went on a bike ride yesterday.  It was lovely, but hot.

2. My shoulders got a little sunburned because of said bike ride.  The sun really made me tired though and I slept really great last night.

3. This is so funny to me.

via QuickMeme

4. Also, this is funny because I love Pride and Prejudice so much.  Not to be confused with my Mr. Collins of course.

via Period Drama Love!

5. I think I'm going to stay home all weekend.  There is a festival going on in my neighborhood and it's insanely busy.  Driving the car anywhere is a no-go because they block off the road to get to our parking lot.  Annoying.  I love where we live, really I do, but when it's nice and there's things going on in the park it gets a little crazy.  And then I don't like living where we do.  Win some and lose some I guess...

Happy weekend to you!

Friday Favorites.

On Sunday.  I had a busy weekend.

1. I'm an aunt for the third time to a beautiful niece.  She is quite adorable and I can't wait to see what her personality is like when she gets older.

2. I was in a friend's wedding on Friday afternoon/evening.  It was fun and nice to see some people from college.

3. I was hungover yesterday.  No bueno.

4. I made chocolate chip cookies this afternoon for Sean to bring to a work picnic this evening. 

5. I'm in the process of cleaning our apartment.  Currently, the kitchen floor is almost dry and then all I have left to do is dust.  Dusting is what I do last when I clean so sometimes I half ass it and it is starting to show.  I need to get it together. 

Have a nice rest of your weekend!

Summer song obsession.

I have a new summer song - Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell.  It's catchy and I love it.  Robin Thicke and Pharrell were on Ellen yesterday and I've heard the song on the radio, but it's been stuck in my head since yesterday.  P.S. There's couple bad words and an adult phrase spelled out in balloons at the end... just a warning.

My Patriotic Pyrex.

I have two pieces of vintage Pyrex I refer to as my patriotic Pyrex. 

1 1/2 quart Federal Eagle bowl

1 1/2 quart Americana casserole with lid

My mom found both of these for me.  The thrift stores in Mankato always have Pyrex.  I have never NOT found a piece of vintage Pyrex while there.  Both patterns on these bowls are gold.  I'm about a third of the way done showing you my Pyrex collection.  For my other posts, check out here, here, here, and here.

Friday Favorites.

1. I got a haircut a couple days ago.  I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  The only person who could ever cut my hair exactly the way I wanted is 147 miles away.  That a long drive for a haircut and I wish there was some way to justify it, but alas, there is not.

2. Most days I legitimately have to think about how old I am because I can't remember if I'm 25 or 26.  Sometimes, I have to do the math.  I'm 25 and this should not be happening.  Is this normal?  Sean says it happens to him too.

3. It's been a long week at work, so I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.  Assuming this furball will let me...

My baby Boots

4. Sweet Jesus, the girls that live above us are incredibly loud.  I'm pretty sure someone and/or something is about to fall through out ceiling.  Hopefully next year at this time we won't have people living above us.

5. I registered for the Minnesota State Fair Creative Activities competitions.  I registered 14 lots so far this year.  I think I'm going to be the lady that needs a wagon or cart to carry everything in to the drop off.  I don't have to make everything for these 14 lots, but I wanted to register at least since there is a registration cut off in August.  Now comes the time where I begin to taste recipes.  The guys at Sean's work love when there are treats, so a lot them will be going there.

Well, I think I'm going to go and bake something.  Have a nice weekend!

Friday Favorites.

1. Impromptu pedicures with a friend from work today.  My feet are extremely ticklish and it turns out, so are hers.  We laughed and had a good time.  And yes, of course I got bright pink on my toes.  Also, my feet are so smooth!

2. I received my June Birchbox a couple days ago.  I got an awesome lip color from the Laqa & Co Lil' Lip Duo.  It's bright pink, so obviously I love it.  The past two mornings before work I swiped it on the lip color lasted all day at work.  I'm impressed with it.  I am definitely going to be ordering the full size duo from Birchbox so I can try out the second color!

3. I just finished reading Sisterhood Everlasting, the fifth book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.  It was fantastic and a great ending to wrap up the whole series.  I'm looking for more books to read this summer, so suggestions are welcome.

4. I'm going to attempt to make peach cobbler tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes...

I can't think of a number five, so we're calling it as four being close enough.  I'm going to take a nap or at the very least, fall asleep on the couch until Sean gets home from work.

Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Favorites.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. I forgot to mention that I found a BETTER sewing machine at Goodwill.  A couple weeks ago, I stopped in and saw it with a $24.99 price tag on it.  More than I wanted to spend.  Then, last week I went in and it was still there along with another one.  There was no price tag on the one I had wanted a few weeks prior.  Sad face.  So, I asked an employee how much it is.  She verified no one else in the store was buying it and then slapped a $9.99 price tag on it, the same as the one right next to it on the shelf.  Lovely!  I did have to order a power cord off Ebay, but it works like a dream.  I donated the first one I found back to Goodwill over the weekend.

It's  Necchi 4575

2.  I made curtains for our guest room out of the lovely table runners Barbara, my mother-in-law, made for our wedding.  One of the first wedding things I pinned on Pinterest was of some beautiful fabric that I love.  I took two table runners and sewed them together.  Very basic curtains, but I love the fabric so much and I'm happy to have it hanging up in our home.  Picture shown below.  The left curtain is tucked back so Boots can sit on the dresser and look out the window.  She watches cat T.V. every morning while I get ready for work.

Kind of dark, but you get the idea.

3.  I'm totally turning a pair of too short pants into capris this weekend.  It will be lovely!

4.  I just got the mail and the Pyrex Barbara was mailing to me arrived.  So exciting!

5.  I'm looking forward to Saturday -- tomorrow.  I have some gardening (weeding, thinning out plants) to do so hopefully the rain will hold off for at least a couple hours.  It's been raining so much!  I don't mind because I haven't had to water my garden very much, but I'd like for it to actually be sunny outside and have blue skies.

What are you up to this weekend?

Just to let you know...

I'm interrupting this Pyrex fest to let you know that my legs and butt hurt a lot from squats and leg raises at the gym yesterday. 

Also, you know this move? 


via Healthline


It burns so good.  I did as many of these as I could on Monday and a few more yesterday.  It is excruciating to sit up from a laying down position, a.k.a. get out of bed.  Yesterday I only did six of them, but after the first three I wanted to scream out in pain.  Like I said, burns so good. 

Sitting at work all day today is only going to make my legs stiff.  I need to remember to get up and walk around every so often.

Are there any strength training moves that are making you sore right now?

My Most Used Pyrex.

I have two Pyrex bowls that definitely are my most used.  They are the bowls that came with a mixer.  I've seen the mixer at a Salvation Army once with my mom, but obviously didn't buy it and I can't remember the brand of the mixer.  I use these mixing bowls multiple times a week.  They are my go-to Pyrex bowls.

No pattern on these ones.  Both are really great sized.  I see these all the time at Goodwill and other thrift stores.

The smallest bowl is my favorite out of the set.  It's the perfect size for mixing up a batch of pancakes.  I'm guilty of putting these in the dishwasher.  That's a huge vintage Pyrex no-no.  I've now been hand washing these though because I don't want to glaze that keeps the bowls shiny to wear off.  It doesn't seem the dishwasher has damaged them though, so I'm happy about that.

Next up, I'm going to show you my two newest pieces. 

My Favorite Pyrex.

I have a little piece of vintage Pyrex that is my favorite.  It's just a little guy.

Friendship pattern Cinderella Round Casserole #473 - 1 quart

I just love it!

There are a few scratches on the red and orange pattern, but this is by far my favorite Pyrex pattern.  I love the little birds and I love the design.  The clear lid of mine looks like someone had put in the the dishwasher a few times, or used something too abrasive to clean it.  The design on the lid is a bit faded. 

It isn't in perfect condition, but I'm okay with that.  Not everything that is 40 plus years old is in perfect condition.  This is the first piece of Pyrex I found last fall at the Goodwill closest to our apartment.  I used to say that I never found Pyrex at that Goodwill, but now that isn't true.  I found two more pieces yesterday that I will show you soon. 

Anyway, now I've shared my favorite Pyrex pattern and piece in my possession.  I hope you all have a glorious Sunday!

Friday Favorites.

Where has this week gone?!  It was just last Friday, I swear.

1. A couple weeks ago I talked about a coconut oil hair treatment.  Last night, I tried it out.  Yes, I think my hair was more hydrated, but by this morning it felt basically the same.  Other than making a huge mess in my bathroom sink and counter, it didn't really do much.  Maybe give it a go and test it out for yourself?

2. I'm going to try making these, spicy roasted chickpeas.  Last night I went grocery shopping and bought a couple cans of garbanzo beans to test it out.  I found this recipe on Pinterest months ago, but haven't gotten around to making it yet.  The pin had suggested using ranch seasoning instead of a spicy seasoning and that sounds delicious. 

3. This was totally me last night hauling in groceries:

some ecards

Sometimes, I like to use my big blue IKEA bag to carry in multiple grocery bags.  I throw that on my shoulder and then carry everything else with my hands.  The crappy thing is, there are a total of 4 doors and 16 stairs from my car in the parking lot to the inside of my apartment.  Yesterday, it was rough and I thought for sure I wasn't going to be able to carry everything in.  But, I did it like a champ.  Grocery shopping is easier when Sean is there to help carry in everything.

4. Have you heard of Target's Cartwheel?  It is a customer loyalty program where you select items to receive 5 or 10 percent off of at the register when the cashier scans your bar code.  I used it for the first time last night.  Using that I had saved only $1.29 with Cartwheel, but I was able to use mobile coupons as well as Target and Manufacture coupons.  All in all, I think I like Cartwheel because it is saving us money in the long run.  For example, I picked up some Clear Men Scalp Therapy shampoo for Sean.  Each bottle was marginally $5.19.  Well, Cartwheel took off 5 percent off the original price, so making it $4.93 a bottle.  Then, I had a manufactures buy one get one free coupon and the cashier took off the original $5.19 price.  Next, I had a mobile coupon for $2 off one bottle making my grand total drop from $10.38 for two bottles of shampoo to $2.93.  I felt it was a win in my book.  Check out Cartwheel if you're an avid Target shopper!

5. I'm thinking about working some more on de-cluttering and downsizing material things in our apartment.  Sean and I love where we live, but next year I know they're going to raise the rent - yet again.  And I've had enough of it.  Our rent is $75 more a month than it was when we first signed our lease.  This is our third year here and we love it, but it will just be getting too expensive.  I'd like to find a house to rent at a decent price or we may have to consider downsizing back to a larger one bedroom apartment.  If we go back to a one bedroom apartment, we have too much stuff, so we'll see what happens.  It's a good thing we have until spring 2014 to figure this out! 

Have a nice weekend!  Hopefully the sun comes out.  My garden appreciates the rain, but I definitely do not right now.

Friday Favorites.

1. I got my hair done last night.  It is the most blonde my hair has ever been and I love it.  I told Sean that it's like he's with another woman.  I thought I was funny but he wasn't amused.  Men.



Blonde!

2. Buzzfeed's 33 Unwritten Rules to Follow.  Hilarious and I completely agree!

3. Sean and I are going to a wedding tomorrow.  It's in South Dakota and I'm really excited to see my friend get married.  It will probably bring back memories of our own wedding, so that should be fun too. 

4. You've all heard of Jergen's Natural Glow, right?  It came out when I was in high school and I can remember using it, but it had a very distinct self tanner smell.  I used it on and off in college and put up with the smell.  I don't know about you, but my Super Target gives out samples of things (usually food) on Saturdays and Sundays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.  I couple weekends ago when I went there I was given a sample of Jergen's Natural Glow, but now they've made it without the smell.  I've used it and loved it.  My sample size bottle is basically gone and I'm going to run to Target today to get more.  I know, I know.  For someone that doesn't like to use a bunch of chemicals on my skin this is really crappy for me.  But I'd rather not have skin cancer.  Have I mentioned my recent mole removal?  No?  Well, that is a whole separate post.  I'll go into more detail later.  :)

5. It's Friday before a long weekend, so I need something to bump on the radio.  Enjoy. 

P.S. You're welcome for getting that song stuck in your head. 

Pinterest truth.

I saw this on Pinterest tonight.

via tickld

If for some reason you lived under a rock during the '90s when the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was on TV, here's a video for you.

Best dance ever.  You're welcome.

Friday Favorites.

1. eos Shave Cream.  A friend from work told me about this and I love it.  It doesn't lather like other shave creams, but instead is almost lotion consistency.  It makes my legs super soft and smooth.  At Target, it is about the same price as other shave creams I've used.  I recommend it!

2. I'm going to my parent's house this weekend, this afternoon really.  I'm super excited because Sean and I haven't been there since January.  Sean has to work, but that just means I get to sleep in my childhood bed in the middle.  Just like I used to. 

3. I'm going to attempt making homemade deodrant soon.  A quick Pinterest search says this is totally possible.  I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I have most of the ingredients already anyway.  The only thing I need is coconut oil, which I am out of anyway.  Most recipes I've seen call for coconut oil, baking soda, corn starch, and any essential oils you want.  A few drops of tea tree oil help because it's anti-bacterial.  I've heard peppermint oil gives it a nice clean scent.  I have the tea tree oil, but will need to find some essential oil somewhere.  I'll do a post about making it and then let you know about my results.  I'm trying to make as many natural products as possible and not use any unnecessary products and chemicals.  We'll see how it goes.

4. Speaking of coconut oil, I've heard that if you melt a few teaspoons of cocnut oil and then put it on your hair for 30 minutes, then wash, it really moisturizes dry, damaged hair.  I'm going to give it a go once I remember to pick up some coconut oil from Trader Joe's.  Maybe this weekend or early next week.

5.  I'm going to leave you with a video of a song that I've been into lately.  The Current plays it and it's on Live Current volume 8 which I got when I became a MPR member in October.  Anyway, enjoy the song!  I know I do.

Have a nice weekend!

Newest Pyrex.

I'm going to share my three newest (old) Pyrex dishes.  I found them all at the same Goodwill.  I used to NEVER find Pyrex at this particular Goodwill until the last few weeks.  Also, I apologize for the crappy photos.  My camera battery is dead and I took these with my iPod.  Clearly I need to work on my life skills a.k.a. charge my camera battery.

To identify Pyrex patterns, I use this website.  Take a look below!  Next, I'm going to show you my favorite piece of Pyrex I own.  

Butterfly Gold pattern

Butterfly Gold 2 1/2 quart Cinderella Mixing Bowl

Butterfly Gold 4 quart Mixing Bowl

Verde pattern

Verde 2 1/2 quart Cinderella Casserole