Why I've been MIA

So, it's been a hot minute since I've been around.  Well, it's kind of a big deal.  In April we found out we're expecting a baby.  We found out in the middle of my super busy work season -- during state testing, graduation and senior event prep, fall enrollment -- all that crazy stuff a school counselor does in the spring.  I was also offered (and accepted) a new job.  So, it was kind of a crazy spring.

I was consumed with that early pregnancy exhaustion where all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch TV.  So, basically nothing got done in our house throughout the spring.  Summer finally hit and we kicked it in high gear.  The room that used to be our office got cleaned out in preparation to become a nursery.  And the whole house got a top to bottom purge.  We're slowly getting ready.

But with the new job, and all the baby preparation, there hasn't been a lot of time for anything else.  And now that we're just over a month from our due date (Christmas Eve!!!) I thought it was about time to fire things back up.

Exciting things are hopefully coming on the blog.  I think I have some great ideas of a bit of a turn for the blog.  But I'm back.  And very soon, terrifyingly soon, we'll be a family of three.  Stay tuned!

Hives

I thought I had the food allergy thing pretty well under control.  I've become a champion grocery shopper.  I read labels like it's going out of style.  I ask about allergens at restaurants.  I mean I am good.  And I do other stuff to stay healthy -- I drink tons of water, I exercise, I take vitamins.  So I'm trying to do everything right.

I headed off to the gym to run yesterday after work.  Apparently I'm going to become a runner.  Insane.  Well, I'm not sure my body is with me on running.  Last Monday I ran and the next day I was donkey kicked by the flu or something like it.  Hideous.  But yesterday I got right back up on that horse.  I ran.  Well I ran/walked.  Had a nice little warm up then ran for 45 seconds and walked for a minute and 15 seconds alternating for about 25 minutes.  Then I just walked the last 15 minutes.

When I got off the treadmill I noticed my lips felt kind of funny.  But I'd put on kind of tingly chapstick before heading into the gym and my mouth was dry from mouth breathing (hot, I know) so I didn't think much about it.  When I got in the car to head home I pulled down my visor mirror to check out my face a little.  I had hives on both sides of my lips.  And on my eyelids.  And the more I thought about it, the more I thought my throat felt a little iffy.  I'm always sure that I'm not really sick so I popped a Benadryl and headed to the gas station to fill up my car.  I felt progressively worse while I was pumping gas so I just filled it up about halfway and called my sister.  I was hoping she could convince me that it was okay to drive home and I just needed to relax for a bit.

Um, no.  She told me to quit driving around and go to urgent care or the ER.  I called a family friend who lives close and she came and met me at the ER.  And then my mother-in-law came.  And then the friend's husband came.  And then my husband got there...  I had quite the party in my little room.  But it was nice to feel so many people worried about me.

Anyway, it was definitely an allergic reaction to something.  What exactly, they weren't sure.  They pumped me full of steroids and it helped almost immediately.  I was fine within an hour of being admitted.  I got a prescription for prednisone to get me back to normal.  Cross your fingers it doesn't undo all the weight I've lost.  Because now I'm at an official 25 pounds.  Cue dancing and confetti.

All I can really think that might have caused it is touching the treadmill.  I'm allergic to soy, peanuts, and sesame seeds.  A little hives are kind of normal for me.  But nothing like this.  So my theory is that someone had peanuts right before they used the treadmill.  Didn't wash their hands.  Didn't wipe down the treadmill.  Then I touched it and of course rubbed my face because there was sweat from the running and then the hives happened.  That's just a theory of course.  So, now I'm going to become the crazy cleaning lady at the gym, wiping down my machine super thoroughly.  And I'm a little paranoid so I'm working out from home today.

Sickness and Septic Problems

Guys, January has started off with a bang.  Can we please go ahead and fast forward to spring?  I'm totally over winter and all the yuckiness it brings.

I thought I was doing so well and hadn't been sick all winter.  This is a serious accomplishment, especially for someone who works with kids every day.  But I take my vitamins, I wash my hands a lot, I keep hand sanitizer on my desk.  I should've known better than to brag about it.  Yesterday I spent the day alternating between laying under a pile of blankets on my couch trying to get warm and throwing all the covers off because I was burning up.  And after spending two hours at the doctors office and the pharmacy, all I know is that I don't have the flu and my insurance is a mess.  Ug.  Seriously guys.  Not cool.  I'm back in the land of the living today.  Definitely not 100% but better than I was.  And I have pudding cups so at least there's that.

And then there's the septic tank.  Um, yeah.  There are no pictures.  It's too horrifying.

So, a week ago Sunday we noticed some water in our basement.  Just around the hot water heater.  Not a huge deal, sometimes it leaks a little.  And I'd just taken a bath.  No reason to panic.  A week ago Monday I was home because of the weather (thanks subzero temperatures and snow!) so I did some laundry.  And I was treated to my basement storage room floor being completely covered with water.  Along with a few random spots of water on the floor in the basement bathroom.  I called my dad which resulted in trying to recreate the flooding to try to find the problem.  So we discovered running the washer was the problem.  I called my dad again and told him, he said call the plumber.

Fast forward to Monday this week.  And we've learned that apparently the bath tub and the shower both cause the water to flow in the basement.  So the plumber came on Monday.  He's delightful.  He tried everything he could think of.  And I did the basement flooding trick (I'm not talking like inches of water, just a covering of the floor in one room) so that he could further diagnose.  Well, it seems the pump on the septic tank is not working.  Apparently this is important and keeps iffy water from coming up in your basement.  Oh I saw it.  Coming out of the drain in the basement.  It was absolutely horrifying.  I mean like I just walked away.  So our plumber doesn't do septic tanks so now I have to find a septic tank guy.  But at least I kind of know what the problem is and our plumber didn't charge me anything.  I could've kissed him!  He has a policy of not charging if he doesn't fix anything.  I told you he was delightful!

So, with the septic issues, I've been showering instead of taking baths.  Guys, it's winter and I love hot baths more than most other things.  Especially when I'm sick.  So, now it's off to find a septic tank repair guy.

How's your new year going so far?  Anybody else have disastrous plumbing/water issues after the crazy cold weather?  I'm not really sure the cold was related to my septic pump problem, but I'm going to blame it anyway.

Twenty

This post is brought to you by the exercise bike, treadmill, and a jug of water.  And very little chocolate.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning and I have officially lost 20 pounds!!!!  I'd been stuck at 17 for the longest time.  And I was so frustrated.  I'd been eating super healthy and working out usually at least 6 days a week.  Well this week I didn't work out Monday or Tuesday because we were processing deer.  I got back on the treadmill on Wednesday and I had a serious break through.  And then I biked the fastest 10 miles I'd ever done yesterday.  I felt absolutely great.

Then weighing in this morning just topped it all off.  I shouldn't brag, but I am just so darn proud of myself.  I keep feeling like 20 pounds isn't that much, but when I think about it I know it is.  And I know I should be proud because I've worked really hard.  I still have a long way to go but I feel like I can do it.

I have on jeans today that were way too small this time last year and they're hanging off my butt.  I need to go shop my skinny closet again.  It's just a great feeling.  I have a laundry basket full of clothes to get rid of.  I mean it's just the best.

I have so much more energy.  I actually look forward to eating the healthy food I pack for lunch and breakfast.  I crave water.  I miss it when I don't go to the gym, I never thought I'd say it, but I really like working out.  Like a lot.

So that explains my lack of DIY and crafty projects.  I've been too busy going to the gym to get my craft on.  I'm hoping to whip up a drop cloth table cloth this weekend in preparation for Thanksgiving.  What are you guys up to?  Let me live vicariously through your holiday crafts!

On Cutting Back

I love Pinterest.  I really really do.  But it's become a serious problem.  I've become obsessed.  I don't even want to tell you how many times a day I check Pinterest.  It's truly embarrassing.  Not only does it cost me to waste too much time, I always come up feeling inadequate. I end up feeling like what I have and what I do is never enough.  And I hate that feeling.

So I'm challenging myself.  I'm going to take a Pinterest break until the new year.  I know, I just heard all the air suck out of the room from shock.  But I feel like looking at Pinterest always causes me to spend money I don't need to spend and buy/make things I don't really need.  So this is going to be a holiday of simplifying.  I know, yesterday I had all these ornaments I wanted to buy.  But instead, I think I'm going to work with what I've got.

So, there's a new plan for Christmas.  I'm not going to buy any new decorations.  I'm going to use everything I already have.  With one exception.  I am going to buy some white lights with white cords for our tree.  I'm just sure that the green cords are going to look horrible on the white tree.  Other wise, it's all what's already in the house.  This isn't to say I won't make anything new, it's just to say I won't spend any money.  Anything I make has to come from existing supplies.

 

I just, I don't know.  I feel like it's all too much.  I've gotten so sucked into making my holidays Pinterest worthy that I've lost the holiday itself I think.  So this year I'm going to strive to not make myself crazy.  I'm going to decorate and have fun but I'm going to focus less on what I want and more on what I'm blessed to have.

So I'm going to walk away from Pinterest until the new year.  I'm going to read more books.  Be more purposeful.  Enjoy conversations.  And not worry so much about what I might be missing online but instead focus on what's in real life.

How bout you guys?  Anybody else feeling the Pinterest pressure?  

Because You're Worth It

I love the blogging community.  I have come across so many talented, thoughtful people that have inspired me.  One of those is Roo over at NeonFresh.  She seems like just the sweetest girl and has some seriously adorable kiddos.  If you're not reading her blog, you should be.  Go there now.  I can wait.....

So, the other day she blogged about Regina George-ing yourself as a mom.  Well, I'm not a mom.  I have a dog but in my world that doesn't count.  So, at first I thought:  great post but it doesn't really apply to me.  Oh, but it does.

If you've been around even half a minute, you know I'm trying to lose weight.  Have been for years.  Ug.  And I totally say things to myself I would never say to a friend and a friend would never say to me.  I know it's my defense mechanism.  If I make the self-deprecating comment about my weight, if I beat them to the punch, people won't say anything about it.

Except when it backfires...  And then it sticks in your mind forever.  Once upon a time I was a camp counselor.  We were doing staff training and I was out at the climbing/rappelling tower doing some kind of training.  I was working with a guy I had been friends with for a while.  I made some off-handed comment about being the "fat kid" or something like that.  And he made a comment back about my weight.  That's when I punched him.  The only person I have ever hit.  Then I told him to, um, f* off.  And I stormed off.  It was halfway through the summer before I went back to talking to him or going out for beers after work with him.  I was mad.  I was hurt.  I could say those things but other people could not.

 

Thinking I am really fat...  Turns out I wasn't.  Also oddly edited to block out kids faces and the name of the camp...

So, if I was so mad that my friend had made that kind of comment to me, why do I feel okay doing it to myself?  I shouldn't.  As a school counselor I spend my days telling girls that they are good enough.  That they are fine just the way they are.  And yet, I myself am telling myself I'm fat and not good enough.

But how do I stop?  I guess I have to start believing what I tell these girls.  I am good enough.  So what if I'm not perfect.  I'm working really hard.  I've ended (hopefully) the days of sitting on my butt after work, watching TV and eating junk food.  I feel great about working out.  I feel great when I make healthy food choices.

And sometimes I think back to high school.  I know, why would I do that?  But, even back then I thought I was fat.  I was always trying to lose weight.  I remember buying my prom dress my junior year and thinking, if only I was 10 pounds lighter I would look so much better.

 

Prom my senior year.  I would love the be the size I was back then, back when I started thinking I was fat.  Also, my dates face is blurred out in case he grows up to be president one day.

I told myself I was fat for so long that it became almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I just kept gaining weight.  I would sort of aimlessly try to lose weight but never really have much success.  I'd lose a few pounds but then celebrate by going out for Chinese.  Counter-productive.  But then 30 hit.  And something clicked.  When my husband and I have kids I want to have the energy to play with them like crazy.  I want to go to the lake with my in-laws and not feel ashamed of how I look.  I want to feel good in my skin.

 

I used to like this dress until I saw this picture.  I think this was my wake up call.

The negative self-talk hasn't stopped.  But it's getting better.  Since my 30th birthday I've lost around 17 pounds.  It doesn't feel like a lot.  When people compliment me that I've lost weight and look good, it's still hard for me to believe them because I know I still have a long ways to go.  But every day that I hit the gym on my way home from work I feel so proud of myself and I know that I'm making progress.  And that maybe it's not about being skinny, that it's about being healthy and feeling good.  The other day I biked 15 miles, the longest I'd ever done.  And I felt so crazy proud of myself.  And I didn't feel like that fat girl who felt bad for herself, I felt like I had just kicked serious ass.

So I just keep telling myself what I remind my high school girls, "You are good enough.  You are worth it.  You are perfect just the way you are."  And then I remind myself to not tack on, you'd be better though if you lost more weight.  And it's going to take all the courage I have to throw all this out there.  But, I am good enough and I am worth being healthy for.  Healthy is what matters.  So, I'm just going to keep telling myself that I'm worth it and if I say it long enough, it's going to happen.  And I will quit being so hard on myself.  Because, I'm worth that too.

30 Day Fitness Challenge

So here's the deal guys, regular Work it Wednesdays are gone I think.  They're boring.  I just tell you how many miles I've biked.  Who cares.  But I started a 30 Day Fitness Challenge on Monday and I thought I'd share it with you.  It starts out pretty easy and I think it's totally doable.  I shared it with my facebook friends on Monday and a few of them were in.  So I think it's going to be fun to keep each other accountable.

Side note, I'm also signed up to do a 5K with one of my friends right before Thanksgiving.  Eek!  We already agreed we're not really going to do much running.  She's usually a runner but has pretty bad shin splints and is out for a while.  So it will be walking and talking.  And then hopefully something warm and cozy to eat afterwards.  I've never done a 5K but I'm thinking it will be nice to have a goal to work toward.

Okay, so my 30 Day Fitness Challenge.  I found it on Pinterest a while back.  There's no link to anywhere really, but here's a link to the image.  If you know where it really came from, let me know!  I altered it a little because it didn't totally make sense to me.  And I set it up on a calendar so that it started on a Monday and was easier for me to track.  Since I started two days ago, I will totally be done before Thanksgiving so that's another good goal to have in the back of my mind.  And there are no jumping jacks.  I hate jumping jacks. 

 

Not too bad, right?  Well, the end looks rough but since it's working up to it, I think it's totally doable.  The great thing, the first couple of days have only taken a few minutes.  Like I turn on a show I've recorded and am done before the second commercial break.  Perfect!  That leaves time for folding laundry.  Which I desperately need to do...  Anybody have a laundry genie?  

So, who else is in?  I promise it will be fun.  Or at least we'll have something to show for our month.  And if you're like me, you're going to be watching TV anyway.  I just printed my calendar off on a small piece of paper and it's on my coffee table.  Except I'm traveling for work this weekend so I'll just tuck it in a book and do my challenge for the day from my hotel room.

Six Years Later

I mentioned the other day that this week was my (and my husband's) anniversary.  We got married three years ago today.  Let's back up a bit though.

We went on our first date six years ago, almost to the day.  Actually October 5 to be exact.  It was a great first date too. 

 

This is not from our first date.  This is from our first camping/fishing trip.

 And this was taken before my then boyfriend moved farther away from me.  We did long distance the first year and a half.

Fast forward some more.  We got engaged the end of February of 2010.  He proposed at the lake behind his parents house.  It was perfect.  We got married at our favorite lake in a shelter house overlooking the water.  We had our reception at the marina resort.  There was BBQ.

 

   

Basically our day was perfect.  I mean I wouldn't have changed a thing.  In the three years since, I've finished my masters degree, we bought a house, we bought furniture, we've done crazy home improvements, and I've come to understand that I have the best husband.

Every year for our anniversary we go on a little trip.  The first year we went back to the same area we went for our honeymoon (Branson, MO to be specific).  On our honeymoon we stayed at Big Cedar Lodge, our first anniversary we stayed at.... um, some golf course hotel.  It wasn't nearly as nice as Big Cedar.  Then last year we got smart.  When I met my husband, he lived at a resort at Lake of the Ozarks (they had cabins and apartments).  So we've started going back there.  And it's wonderful.  It's right on the water.  Close to good restaurants.  And on the quieter end of the lake.  Perfect anniversary destination in my opinion.

So, get ready for lots of lake pictures.

 

   

Clockwise from top left:  Dinner @ Larry's on the lake, getting ready to watch some Mizzou football, one last lake picture before we left, and fishing on the dock before the Chiefs game.

 

It's not a lake trip without fish pictures.  On the left, a 13" crappie and on the right a catfish.

 

No better place to be

   

Well, except maybe here.  Drinking wine, overlooking the river.  There was also brick oven pizza.

What do you guys do as celebrations?  Anybody else a big fan of trips for occasions?  We're headed back down there in a couple of weeks to celebrate my dad's retirement and my sister's birthday.

On Some Future Projects

I have been a total crafting/DIY slacker lately.  I haven't done a dang thing.  It's been time at they gym after work and that's about it.  And I miss my craftiness.  I miss it a lot.  So I'm trying to find a way to do both.  And maybe making a list will light a fire under my buns and get me started doing something.  Maybe.

Or maybe I'll just sit and ponder how the shirt I'm wearing today looks like something my granny would've worn....

So, what am I hoping to work on craft-wise?  I'm so glad you asked.

• A new fall wreath for my front door.  I hung my Mizzou argyle wreath on the other front door.  And I still have my black and yellow scrap wreath hanging on the actual front door.  But I want an actual fall wreath.  I'm thinking something like this.  But maybe wrapped with burlap instead of the stripes.  And of course bright fall-ish flowers.
• A gold spray painted jar to serve as a vase for fall/winter.  I'm thinking doing the bottom glitter dipped like this.  The best thing is, I think I have everything on hand to make this so it will cost me zero dollars.
• I also need to touch up the paint on my front door so I can show it off....  Yet another DIY fail.  Oops.
• And I'm going to finish my fall mantle.  I've had half finished pumpkins in my floor for the past.... Um, let's be honest, month.

Stay tuned this week, I'm going to knock it all out of the park.  Also,  Work it Wednesday is coming!  And anniversary details.  Saturday was six years of being together and tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary.  So, this is pretty much going to be an amazing blog week.

What have you guys been up to?  Can anybody tell me how to better balance blogging and working out?  Ug, I need help!  And apparently better time management.

A Dream

No, not the kind you have at night.  The kind of things you hope for and wonder if you could ever make happen.The kind of thing the practical side of you, the side that has bills to pay, responsibilities, and a masters degree, tells you are silly and not going to pay the mortgage.

You may have realized by now that I love baking.  It's one of my favorite things.  What, you say it's your birthday?!  Can I bake you cupcakes for whatever celebration you're having?  Or can I bring a pie for you to take to your next holiday celebration?  Have you had my butterscotch brownies?  No?!  Let me make you some!

So, in my silly little dream I want to have a little tiny bakery.  And just do cupcakes.  And pies, but just cream pies.  And brownies.  And anything else that sounds good at the moment.  Never full sized cakes.  Ain't nobody got time for that.

And there's a tiny little building in the town where I live that would be perfect.  It's adorable.  The building can't be more than 10x10.  I would paint the building pink.  A pretty cheery, bright pink.  With the palest of pink trim and door.  And I would have a cute little easel sign outside.  And because I'm ridiculous, it would look kind of like this.

 

Except it would have a picture of one of my actual cupcakes.  Not just one I found by doing a Google image search for a pink cupcake...

And I would name my sweet treats after people I know.  What kind of treat would you want named after you?  Anybody else have a wild dream of what they want to be when they grow up?

Keepin' it Real

I had a blog post planned for today. A couple different ones that were actually home related.  But, in the spirit of being transparent and you guys keeping me accountable in my endeavor to get healthier I'm going to talk about the weekend.

It was a massive failure in the quest for healthiness. I ate a ton of unhealthy food. Consumed a variety of rum, tequila, and wine. And was absolutely lazy. I haven't worked out since Thursday. I wore a maxi skirt and a fitted shirt to work and I'm showing off a serious food baby. It's super gross. And I feel gross.

I was planning to continue that failure this morning with a stop at Sonic for a breakfast burrito and a cherry limeade.  But thanks to some sweet blog comments from a good friend, I was reminded I need to stay accountable to myself. I probably should have read them before not getting up to work out. Then I might have actually gotten my morning workout done.

But, I'm back on track. I am going to be successful. One little set back is not going to ruin the journey. Because I am worth the effort.  So, here's to a healthy day.  I hope you guys had a restful Labor Day weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with a post about some ridiculous yard work we got done.

Small Changes = Big Change

So, I'm checking in with my healthy lifestyle change progress.  And excuse that awkward sentence.  It will get better from here, I promise!

Last week I lost around 12 pounds.  I know that is a crazy lot for one week.  I think it was the combination of the cleanse and working out every single day.  My body was probably in shock.  Lots of veggies!  What is this?  I imagine that's what my body was saying. And I'm really enjoying exercising.  I try to change and hop on my exercise bike as soon as I get home from work that way I don't have an excuse.

This week the cleanse is over and it's just straight up healthy eating.  I'm trying to keep up with the loads of fruits and veggies.  With lean protein.  And not too many processed foods.  I felt so much better last week with all the healthy food.  I hadn't realized how truly gross I was feeling when I ate crappy.

I didn't eat great over the weekend because we were at my parents house celebrating my birthday.  I was so much more conscious of what I was eating though and still tried to load up on veggies instead of other sides. 

Also, I'm adding a morning workout this week.  This morning I got up and rode my exercise bike for about 20 minutes.  I thought it was going to suck because a) I got up at 5am and I hate mornings and b) because I didn't want to turn on the TV since it was so early and wake up my hubby and my crazy dog.  But I grabbed the ipad, caught up on Facebook, Pinterest, and some blogs.  It went by crazy fast.  And then I did my little morning workout circuit.  Man, my legs were burning.  The plan is to hit the treadmill for a couple miles of walking after work and then pop in Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred when I get home.

I know this sounds maybe like a lot of working out.  I'm trying to make big changes though.  And I know the time I eat the worst is right after work.  So my thought is that if I am invested in working out, I won't want to undo my hard work by eating junk food.  So far it's working super well.

When I logged into My Fitness Pal earlier, it read that my age was 30.  That was the first time I had actually seen the 30.  Oh boy.  It's good so far.  More on that later this week.  How was your weekend?  I hope you guys are doing some amazing house projects because I am not.  This week it's going to be cleaning to get ready for the big 30th birthday bash this weekend.

Not a Diet

I am refusing to call this whole process a diet.  I don't want to just change my habits for a while.  I want my habits to become a healthier lifestyle.  So, we're going to call it a lifestyle change. 

Mug Brownies will no longer be an acceptable daily choice.  Eating chips and dip out of the bag on the couch are no longer an option.  Laying on the couch watching TV after work and doing nothing else, those days are gone.

I'm making a change.  I've spent too long being overweight and unhappy with that.  Remember how I said this is going to be my year?  Well, it is.  And I want you guys to keep me accountable.  I know there will be days that are not great.  But I need to keep one bad day from turning into a month of bad days.

To keep it real, here's my Day One picture for the Diet Bet.  Let the losing begin!

Yup, it's a weird awkward angle.  The only full length mirror in our house.  And our bed is very close to it.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to add a morning work out.  It's pretty short.  Which is good, I'm not a morning person.  I'm in a fully committed relationship with my Sleep Number bed.  Oh it's so comfy.  So so comfy.  But I'm going to have make myself get up earlier.  I can do it!

So, here's the workout.  Of course I had to make a pretty version to stick up on my wall.  You know, pretty things motivate me.

And the plan is to break my workout into smaller pieces.  I know that I don't have the motivation at this point to spend a solid hour at the gym.  I tried that for a while and the whole time I was on the treadmill I was grumpy and watching the clock.  So, the new plan is:  mini morning workout, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and 15-20 minutes on my exercise bike.

I've got this guys and I'm so excited.  Today I'm on the vegetable day of my cleanse.  Let me tell you, veggies for breakfast are not my favorite.  But I just drink water for quite a while in the morning until I'm brave enough to start eating my veggies.  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower is my favorite.  So delicious!  I toss the veggies with just a little olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Pop them in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes.  It comes out tasting like magic, not at all like broccoli.  I like broccoli anyway, but my broccoli hating husband will even eat it that way.

I've also been thinking about clean eating lately.  I'm not sure I can 100% jump on board.  There's just some things I'm not sure I'm committed to giving up.  So I'm still rolling the idea around.  What do you guys think?  Anybody else on the clean eating thing?  Or any other healthy eating plan that works well for you?

If you want, you can follow along in the fun on Instagram.  I'm going to try my hand at this whole Instagram thing, in the past, I've been a complete failure.  But, maybe this will be one more way to keep me accountable.

This is 30

I'm not thirty yet.  But I will be in less than a week.  Sheesh.  But, I've decided that instead of dreading turning thirty, I'm going to make it my year.  I am going to show 30 who's boss.  It's going to be a great year.

Similar to New Year's resolutions but better, I'm going to make turning 30 resolutions.

This is going to be a year of self-improvement.  And I couldn't be more excited.  I'm going to put my exercise bike to good use.  It's going to quit just taking up space in my living room.  And I'm going to get back to my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  I loved it when I was doing it, I just got out of the habit.  The habit is coming back though.

And I'm going to develop better eating habits.  Tomorrow I'm starting a cleanse.  I actually found it on Pinterest (of course), I repinned it from my sweet friend Geesha over at The Gray Door on 1871.  I did it back before we went on vacation.  I lost about twelve pounds and kept most of it off.  And I think it's a great way to kick off my better habits.  Interested, here it is.
Day One:  Fruits.  Lots and lots of fruit.
Day Two:  Veggies.  And a potato.
Day Three:  Fruit and veggies.  No potato.
Day Four:  Milk and bananas.  As many as 8 servings of each.
Day Five:  Poultry and tomatoes.  I also eat eggs for breakfast on this day.  The thought of turkey or chicken for breakfast grosses me out.
Day Six:  Poultry and veggies.
Day Seven:  Magic Soup.  Except the magic soup is so gross that I would rather not eat anything at all.  So I just eat more veggies because the soup is made up of veggies.

So I plan on doing this for sure for a week, maybe two.  We'll see how it goes.  The first day is really hard because I felt so hungry the whole time.  Staying busy is the key.  But it's really not bad.  And I think it's going to be a good start to healthier habits.

This year on the blog I may be switching it up some.  There will still of course be DIY, organization, and general craftiness.  But I'm going to be throwing in some health and fitness stuff.  And just some general life improvement.  I want to feel better about myself.  And I'm going to.  Thirty is the year.

Oh, and I'm joining the Diet Bet with Neon Fresh.  That kind of started this whole thing.  That and looking in the mirror and knowing that what I see in my head is definitely not what I see in the mirror.  So, the deal with Diet Bet is, you kick in $30 and if you lost 4% of your body weight in 28 days, you win part of the pot.  So, you know, a good incentive to stick with it.  I will also be using MyFitnessPal to track my calories.

So get ready for lots of pictures of my dinner plate.  And maybe my exercise bike.  Or me wearing a headband.  It's going to be a great year.

Things I Love Thursday

I am in a serious blogging slump.  A serious one.  I have no motivation.  I did, however, buy some new nail polish.  And that inspired me.  A new possible series or mini-series or something...  Maybe I'll just be inspired for today.  I love finding great things and turning other people onto them.  So that's what today is all about.

So, first, the nail polish.  One of my co-workers had it on the other day and it was gorgeous.  The perfect Tiffany blue.  It's in the green family according to Essie.  Maybe my color perception is off but it totally is blue to me.  Anyway, I picked it up today and I am completely in love with it.

So pretty, right.  You can pick it up at Target, Walmart, you know pretty much anywhere.

If you've been around a while, you know I'm a hair product snob.  I like to spoil my hair.  However, I have dandruff.  There, I said it.  Dandruff.  And it's hideous.  I'd been using Paul Mitchell tea tree shampoo and it was helping but I was about out.  So the other day I was at Beauty Brands during the liter sale and picked up some AG Control Shampoo.  It has kind of a different texture but it's amaaaazing.  And my scalp is so much healthier.

You can get AG at salons or anywhere that sells salon products like Beauty Brands or Ulta.

Root beer.  I can't get enough root beer lately.  It's just so delicious.  Also, Sonic drinks.  I'm in a fairly committed relationship with cherry limeades.  But sometimes you don't want a real drink.  Or at least a few less calories.  I've discovered that you can order a water with any of their add in flavors.  And it's amazing.  And only like fifty cents.  For a route 44.  It's pretty much the best thing ever.  You should try it.

Baked zucchini.  I used to be a strictly fried zucchini girl until very recently.  For a short while I made zucchini with a little olive oil, bread crumbs, and parmesan.  Then I discovered it's just as good with a little seasoning and some parm.  It's delicious.  And so much healthier than fried.

Summer TV.  Royal Pains.  Graceland.  Necessary Roughness.  Franklin and Bash.  I seriously love summer shows so much.  I just wish Bunheads was still on.  Or coming back.  I love it so much.

So, what are you guys loving right now?  Anything great you know about that I'm missing out on and I should know about?  

Florida

Oh man, I looooove vacation.  I love vacation so much.  We spent a week in Florida with my hubby's family.  A week of eating fresh seafood and laying on the beach with tropical drinks.  So amazing.  I'm so relaxed.  And ready to start house projects up again.  But today, today is all about Florida.  Get ready for a ridiculous amount of pictures.

We flew out last Saturday.  And spent four hours in the airport.  We had a two hour delay plus the two hours early they recommend being there.  Ug.  So, it was about 1 am before we got to the beach house.

Sunday and Monday were spent laying around on the beach.  Perfect.  Laying on the beach agrees with me. We ate lots of delicious food.  Sunday it was a soft shell crab sandwich.  With bacon and avocado aioli.  It also turns out that Florida air does not agree with my hair.  I'd gotten my hair nice and straight and cute before we went to dinner.  As we were walking, I could feel my hair getting bigger and bigger.  Not pretty.  So it was a pony tail for the rest of the trip.  And a hat.

Tuesday we went deep sea fishing.  And by we, me, my husband, my father-in-law, and brother-in-law.  I got sea sick.  And I caught a 45 inch barracuda.  Yup, you read that right, a 45 inch barracuda.  I am a fishing rock star.

Reeling him in.

Still reeling.

Our fishing guide trying to get the fish to where I could hold it for a picture.  Seconds later, the fish slid off my lap and almost off the boat.  Luckily, my brother-in-law saved it.

That is one seriously big fish.  We gave up, the fishing guide helped me hold it.

And of course a funny picture.

My husband caught a 27 inch sea trout.  That is a seriously big trout.

Hanging out on the dock waiting for our fish to be cleaned.

The fishing boat.

Palm trees.  I already miss you.

The rest of the week was just more laying on the beach with tropical drinks and going out for delicious dinners.  One night we cooked the barracuda for dinner.  We also had Spanish Mackerel.  And the sea trout.  So delicious.  We had so much amazing food.  I had oysters for the first time.  Also some super yummy shrimp mac & cheese.  One night we had lobster fondue and conch fritters.  And fresh clam chowder.  I love sea food so much.

And now get ready for some beach pictures.  A lot of beach pictures.

Hanging out in our convertible, getting ready to go hunt for shark's teeth.

Pretty sure I need this car.

Even when it's cloudy, the beach is perfect.

Palm trees while eating pizza.  And garlic knots.

That is possibly a Bubba Keg full of wine....  Nothing wrong with that.

Last day on the beach.  Before the massive sunburn set in.

Some of my sweet in-laws.

So, basically, I love the beach.  I'm kind of sad to be home.  And a little lonely, my husband is back at work.  But our vacation was amazing.  So, what have you guys been up to?  I've missed you!

A Break

I'm taking a little blog break.  We are going on vacation in a couple of days so our house is a disaster.  Piles of clothes.  Trying to get packed.  The bathroom counter is covered in travel sized bottles.  It's a hot mess.  I've been working on packing all week.  I've called it pre-packing.  You know, when you try on all the clothes in your closet to decide what's cute enough to take on vacation.  And then you make little piles of outfits.  And lists.  There have been lots of lists.

There have been other life factors getting in the way of blogging as well.  Some of them fun.  Going to get pedicures with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Hanging out with my older sister.  Going to lunch and to pick up an exercise bike with a good friend this afternoon.  And then one not so fun.

Sunday when we got home from Father's Day festivities with the in-laws, I found out my grandpa wasn't doing well, was in the hospital and was being moved to a hospice house and that it was just a matter of time.  Moments later I found out he had passed away.  A couple of months ago, he and my grandma moved to Colorado to live with their youngest daughter.  When they left, I cried the ugly cry because I knew it would likely be the last time I saw him.  He wasn't in the best of health.  I just get choked up every time I think about it.

They are not my grandparents by blood relation.  They are an even better kind of grandparent, the kind that chooses you.  They've been family friends my whole life.  We've actually known their family longer than that. They are a family my mom has always known.  We've gone to church together my entire life.  I dated their grandson when we were in college.  Even after he and I parted ways, they made it  very clear that I was still their granddaughter and they wanted me around.

At my wedding, they sat in the seats of my grandparents.  I think it meant a lot to both of us.  They are really two of my favorite people in the world.  And just the best people ever.  My grandma always introduces me to people as her granddaughter and people look so confused, they know both of our families and know that there is no actual family connection.  Well, there is but it's way distant and most people wouldn't know that.  But, as far as we're all concerned, they are my grandparents.  And it just makes my heart sad that he is gone.

I know in my head that he is in a better place and no longer in pain.  And that he's up there in heaven with all these other wonderful people that have passed away too and that they're all just so happy to be there together and he's smiling down on all of us.  But it's still hard to make it feel okay.

So, in light of that, all these big projects seem kind of frivolous.  So, I'm taking a little time to just feel kind of sad.  It's getting better.  It's getting easier.  So I'm okay.  It's just always hard to lose someone you love.

And then there's vacation prep.  So, I'll be back after next week.  And hopefully back into project mode.  I'll have lots of pictures of fun in the sun.  And hopefully a tan and a lighter heart.  And speaking of lighter things, I'll have a run down of this amazing diet I did.  I'm ten pounds lighter.  Hot dog!

A Bargain, a Cup, and Dinner

We're busy getting ready for our vacation to Florida in nine days so projects have been a little slow around here.  Today I'm getting back to it.  Not with anything exciting though.  It's going to be an extreme day of doing laundry, getting the laundry room disaster under control, and organizing closets.  And maybe a little pre-packing.

So, before I head off into the land or clothing organization a couple of things.  First, sometimes my husband surprises me with sweet little things.  A while back we were at Bass Pro and they had Duck Commander plastic cups.  You know, like the one Uncle Si drinks tea out of all the time.  *If you don't watch Duck Dynasty, you should, it's hilarious.  Well, they had pink cups and I mentioned I would love one.  The other night the hubby had gone to Bass Pro again (it's right by his work, this is a normal occurrence) and said he had bought me something.  And then he showed up at home with this.

My pink Duck Commander cup.  It's fantastic!  Best hubby ever!

Yesterday I was at Target picking up a couple of things for our trip.  When I walked into the store they had clearance alcohol right up front.  And they had the brand of wine I frequently buy.  St. James Winery.  St. James is a Missouri winery that's won tons of awards.  And puts out delicious wines.  It's generally fairly inexpensive like around $6-$8 a bottle.  Cheap, right.  But delicious.  Well, it was on clearance for $2.75.  Score!  So I bought six bottles.  I also picked up a bottle of Pinnacle Marshmallow vodka for like six bucks.   Alcohol wasn't on my shopping list but for that price, it all went in the cart.

Score!

Meal planning has been a complete success!  Even with my diet this week, our meal plan has made this week so much easier.  I don't have to scramble around for what to fix for dinner.  And since I had my meal plan when I grocery shopped, I know I have everything I need to fix dinner.  It has been so great!  I am totally loving this.  And since I'm doing this diet, I have my husband's dinner written on the left and my diet foods written on the right.  And I can check off my food days.

Meal plan success!

Anybody else completely stalled out on projects for the moment?  I think it's because my summer vacation just officially started and I'm in the "laying around, enjoying my free time" phase of summer.  Maybe next week I'll be back to being motivated.  Hopefully.

Grab Yer Waders Jack

Oh man.  It has rained so much.  I didn't really realize how much until I looked out our living room door this morning.  Our pond had a current.  And something very large, like probably at least 4 feet long, was floating down the pond.

Then I looked to the right or the door, into the front yard.  We have a low spot that sometimes holds water.  Well, the low spot is now one with the creek that runs into the pond.  Oh man.  So much water.  The water is seriously across the yard, halfway to our driveway.  The neighbors across the road, their driveway is totally washed out.  The neighbors down the road's whole front yard is under water.  It's not pretty. 

So I took pictures from my driveway this morning.  To text to my husband.  Because I am apparently annoying like that at 7am.  And I'm going to share those pictures with you.  Be glad I don't have your number of I would have been texting them you early this morning too.  These are of course cell phone pictures, so they're not great.  But seriously guys, it's a lot of water.

My front yard.  That's not even the pond.  That's just the low spot.  Full of water.

You can kind of tell how close the water is to the driveway.  It's about halfway across the yard.  Oh, that water has a current too.  Awesome.

The neighbors front yard and the overflowing creek.  This is crazy guys!

So, what are you guys planning to do this weekend?  We had planned to do yard work but I'm just not sure that's going to happen.  Cross your fingers that it dries up soon.  And that I can get back down my road to my house.  I drove through standing water on the pavement this morning.  Oops.  I do know better.