I drive to work thru this neighborhood called the islands.
It is 2 miles made up of homes on these finger-lakes,
DREAMY!
I would love to kayak up and down each one!
Last Saturday, Olivia got some sweet Spring Training Baseball tickets, VIP no less, to the
Diamondbacks-Dodgers game in Tucson.
Breakfast, limo (ok a charter bus) to Tucson, catered lunch, meet the players and...
Take Me Out To The Ball Game.
There was this guy... with this awesome hat...
(no ring, single and wild, like OP)
so reminiscent of Olivia's yearbook picture...
I literally insisted/forced them to have a pic together!
I love Olivia... and Raula the snake, about as much as she loves Dixie!
What's not to love?
Oh that bald spot on her neck... Oh yeah, that's b/c I bought her a cute metal, double-sided charm at a boutique and put it on her collar... it was so heavy, it rubbed her naked! oops.
(photo courtesy of Emily, yes - she hand crafted that head-dress for Thanksgiving!)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
Of course, I had to make my traditional Leprechaun (lemon) Cake, mmm
It was a BIG hit at work & thanks all who provided Fresh Lemons!
Delish!
I kinda look like a Leprechaun w/ the red hair & green jacket
(my new sweet purchase from Dick's, $16)
Easy Breezy, Green & Cheesy!
Thanks to the parental unit for driving green hostess snowball cupcakes all the way to AZ this week!
When I started at my new job TPI in the fall, my new boss said, 'this place will change your life'. Secretly I wished I could get skinny like the other 3 girls that work here. Their secret, CATZ. Catz is a gym that is an athletic training center based on classes, kind of like bootcamp. The trainers, Morgan & Clark yell at you, encourage & keep you accountable. My wish came true when I got to join the January 'challenge' thanks to a lil Christmas bonus, Whoot! So, 8 weeks (technically 7 + 3.5 days) of hard work & scant eating has helped my body look... less muffin topped & much stronger! Seriously the diet is the key!!! I did bootcamp religiously last fall for 3 months & gained 6 lbs, blah. (however, I love bootcamp!) Catz 8 week program = 18 lbs down! Sweeet!!! The trainers set your goals & you have no input! scary! For every week you make your goal, you get $25 credit toward more training/classes. We have to write down all our food, every bite! Here's how 'THE CHALLENGE'went:
Week 1 - It was exciting to weigh in & try out their eating plan. Eat 4-5 x's a day, every meal is a veggie, lean protein & fruit each the size of filling up your cupped palm. Ate eggs every morning (I don't love eggs but, they are good for you) & didn't eat out at all! (that's a 1st) Of course, since I stopped drinking soda & eating sugar, it was a great week!
Worked out 6 days = 6 hrs
Loss: 8.1 lbs, made goal!
Cheats: 3 bites mashed potatoes, 2 pieces of candy & a homemade chai.
Week 2 - Ate well, added yogurt due to a necessary egg break, craved brownies.
Worked out 4 days = 5.5 hrs
Loss: 1/2 lb, made goal!
Cheats: 1/2 c. ice cream after weighing in (duh), & 1/2 c. hashbrowns w/ ketchup, mmm.
Week 3 - Was really good at eating & working out this week! Went on a singles dinner group date (mayday!). The restaurant was some indian, vegan place & nothing looked remotely like anything I’ve ever eaten! (p.s. of the 5 ‘eligible bachelors’ at this dinner… 2 were SUPER metro/effeminate, 1 was Star Trek weird, 1 was all over the girl next to him & the Mark Wahlberg look-alike was shorter than me.) yikes!
Worked out 7 days = 9 hrs
Loss: 1.4 lbs made goal!
Cheats: french fries & 4 hershey kisses.
Week 4 – Seriously worked out a ton! This is the week the smoothies began! Glenda (my coworker who made me join Catz) & I went grocery shopping & bought protein powder, fruit, naked juice & yogurt. YUMMY homemade smoothies every morning!
Worked out 5 days = 9 hrs
Loss: 2.9 lbs, made goal!
Cheats: a piece of pizza – I was in Flagstaff & they didn’t have salad! Man I don’t know if I’ve lived that one down yet.
Week 5 - Danced my guts out at the Phoenix concert, this is a FABULOUS band from Paris, so much fun! Of course, I’m a beer magnet so at the end, when they told everyone to come up on stage to celebrate with them that they had just won a Grammy the night before, someone threw their beer into the audience and… Chelsa got beer boobs! Sadly, it stained my cute shirt, boo.
Worked out 6 days = 7 hrs
Loss: 1.2 lbs
Cheats: Chai & a cookie
Week 6 – Jordan’s my dearest’s Birthday at work, made & frosted 3 dozen cupcakes!!
Worked out 5 days = 5.5 hrs
Loss: 1.1 lbs
Cheats: 2-3 cupcakes, mmm
Week 7 – It was a blur, Glenda & I did Catz every day & then went to the regular gym every day for an hour. Only saving grace – the eucalyptus sauna at her gym, I call it the Taj Mahal!
Worked out every day
Loss: .8 Lbs
Cheats: NONE! Clark screamed at me!
Week 8– Hello Mommy! Michele comes for a visit & I’m the food Nazi! My aunt’s neighbor had a jewelry party for me & I… was required to bring a cake. I know weird. Party for me, I have to bring the dessert. I made tons more jewelry & it was a blast. So I thought I would have a piece of my delicious cake (really it’s Rach’s recipe for the cholcolate bundt cake, thank you this cake is always a hit!). My cake was sitting on the table in front of me, & the wild beagle dog jumped up & ate ½ my cake! Aarrrgh! It was funny!
Worked out EVERY day for 1 ½ - 2 hrs (made Mom work out too)
Loss: 1.9 Lbs
Cheats: ½ a dog-munched piece of cake!
Total Loss in 7 weeks 4 days, 18 lbs!!! Wha-hoo! Good-bye Muffin Top!
The book about dresses that I referenced from 4th grade is precisely called The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes
So I actually found a 1st edition at the library last night!
Yeah, nerdy going to the library but hey...
It was copyrighted in 1944, Sweet!
Went home and started reading it standing up in the kitchen making clam chowder.
Happily, Rach (my Barnes & Noble BF & fellow book lover) called right then!
I had the chance to discuss w/ her! She was right in remembering that it wasn't a particularly happy ending. Hmmm, but a good lesson at that!
Finished reading it to Dixie-dog in bed, snugglin. ha! I remember after reading this, I drew and drew a little book of dresses myself, paper folded in 1/2 and stapled in the middle. I must take after Ma Mere, Miss Fashion Design major!
So I got to thinking about another book I remember loving from like, 7th grade Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Willo Davis Roberts
Also picked it up at the library and I'm going to read it this week.
As I'm talking about fav's, here is my grown up FAV! The Mercy of Thin Air, by Ronlyn Dominque
I love it b/c it is a thought provoking story about the evolution of womanhood and life 'between'... earth, the veil and beyond. It really is beautifully written!
For a review, clickhere
Growing up my favorite book was "The girl with 100 dresses". (it's now out of print and I would love to find a copy!) It was about a girl who wasn't popular and really shy but when people found out she had 100 dresses, she was suddenly special. I love dressing up and try to buy a fancy dress every summer, seriously I have a bunch! Since I find myself obsessed w/ dresses/gowns... here is my expert review on the Academy Award ensembles...
A surprising Sophisticate! Love this color (blue was all the rage) and such a sexy gown! I sing the praises of Gray! Great lines and lovely! What's happening right here? Dunkin Donuts... Wow! Demi is AMAZING in this, AmAzInG dress! This dress looks like a Tsunami, ready to hit! Different, it's cute that it's short in front, Gorgeous details Queen Latifah, Winner in this, Beautiful and Blingy!
