COWabunga, dude!...

(Yeah, that title is totally from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bet you didn't even know I was cool enough to know that, huh? Well, now you know. I'm really cool. Go tell yo mama.)

So Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A--- basically my new favorite fake-holiday. For those of you who don't know what that entails, CAD means if you dress up like a cow, you get a free meal. Which for me is better than a present under the tree, because (A) I get to dress up like a cow, (B) I get a free No. 1 combo with a DC, the waffliest waffle fries evah! doused in Chick sauce, (C) I don't even feel guilty about all those calories because I freakin' worked my behind off to get that meal, and (C) I get to dress up like a cow.

But I already said that, didn't I?

Well, here was the finished product. And guest-starring in this Chick-Fil-A post is my cute-to-boot sister-in-law, Christine. Affectionately known as Steen.

Hope you enjoy!!! (We sure did.)

Steen gettin her Cow on in the car.

Don't hate me cuz I'm beautiful, ya know...?

Got our cows all in a row, it seems.

The tail end of our Cowventure.

I know it's difficult, but please forgive me for my terrible puns. I mean, if my 18-year-old brother-in-law can forgive us for dragging him to Chick-Fil-A at closing time dressed up like cows, you can forgive me for those teensy-weensy bad jokes, right?

Of course, right!

Happy Monday, ya'll!

When you wish upon a blog...

Dreams really do come true. For example, do you remember when I spotted the loveliest cardigan of my pretty-things-made-of-wool dreams??? Well, here's a refresher if ya don't. Bonus: I won't even judge you for not remembering about it. I will judge you just a tidge if you didn't read it. Because it was kind of a cute little post. I liked it very much and laughed loudly at my own jokes.

But before I sound too pathetic---A half-week after posting that lil' number, I came back to work (after several sick days, remember? No? That's okay... kind of...), and what do you think was waiting at my desk for me?! The cardigan!!! I could hear its little echo from inside the packaging (if you are still confused that means you still have not read the previous cardigan post, and now I am definitely judging you).

There was a little note on the packaging with loveliness on it from Vicki (Thank you, Vicki!!!). I couldn't believe my eyes when I held that perfection of knittedness in my pudgy little hands (yes, they really are pudgy) and realized that it was mine! And that it came from my boss. Because SHE ROCKS hardcore. Seriously, she does. I have pictures to prove it.

And so, without further ado, I give you....

And now a question for the fashion fiends out there. This happens quite often with the most loveliest of things. They are purchased and then I have absolutely no idea how best to wear them. I stuck a big cream flower in mah hurs this time, and it went over well at the office. But I would like to spice it up a little bit. Do the lady justice, ya know? (By the lady I mean the cardigan. Personification is essential when dealing with items of this caliber of beautimousness, don't ya think?)

So, what would you do?

(Oh no, now I have that City High song about ladies of the evening stuck in my head...) Help a sister out! ;)

steps to a more svelte you

...and by "you" I mean me.

Disclaimer: I am not a health guru by any stretch of the imagination. However, I have done some homework on the topic of health & fitness, tried numerous times & tactics to motivate myself, & 1 1/2 years ago I married an awesome guy who loves to be healthy. This is the plan I have come up with for reaching my health & fitness goals. And if you're anything like me (LOVE sweeties, large carbonated drinks, carbohydrates, have a hard time sticking to rigid diets, and generally dislike cardiovascular-challenging activities) this may work for both of us. We'll see, I suppose.


Step 1: Treat yourself.

Before embarking on your journey to a most excellent you, have a night all to yourself with a few of your favorite things. Mine just so happen to be (from left to right): Reese's cups (large), Bluebell Dutch Chocolate ice cream (which must be eaten mixed with a tad bit of milk so there's a little creamy crunchiness in every bite...mmmm!), angel hair pasta doused in garlic & herb spaghetti sauce & lots of melted cheese, & and extra large diet Red Bull (which does, in fact, taste like carbonated Sweet-Tarts), & last but not least (even though it is not pictured here) is a bag of hot kettle corn.Oh! and new sparkly nail polish. But we'll come back to that.

Enjoy treaties of your choosing--slowly and preferably not all at once--whilst doing a favorite thing of your choice. 

Mine happened to be watching classic films on Netflix.

Then stand buck-necked (I know that's not the word. But what if there are children reading this!?) in front of a large mirror & notice how you feel about the current state of affairs. Then put on something lovely to sleep in & know that tomorrow you will feel slightly better about that same state of affairs.

Now, this is key: (1) Before going to bed, write down your fitness & health goals somewhere you can easily view them every day. I wrote my weight goals & timeline with dry-erase marker on my slidy mirror with a picture of what I want to look like at the top. (2) Jot down a list of activities you want to accomplish on day 1 of "Getting Svelte." They should include some exercise & an eating plan, but it is also important to list other goals in there, too. For example, my list looked a little bit like this:

-Get out of bed at 9 am

-Crunches & push-ups

-1 egg and half a peach for breakfast

-Cardio for 30 minutes

-Cleaning

-1 bottle of water, tomato slices, and grilled chicken strips for lunch

-Shower & get fine 

-Dinner with family

...

This may seem over-done or nit-picky, but the first day of any health goal is key to success. If you start strong you are way more likely to keep going strong. And lists are awesome! Don't you just LOVE crossing stuff off a list. Best. Feeling. Ever. Sometimes when I am writing to-do lists, I even write stuff down that I just got done so I can go ahead and cross it off again. But don't tell anyone, because that sounds kinda pathetic, ya know?

Step 2: Get yo' game face on, girrrrl!

When you wake up in the morning, determine to bring your A-game. Do those crunches; eat that boiled egg or cup of cereal or whatever; get those shorts on & get your buns on that elliptical (or treadmill or in the pool or pushing a mower... ya know). Just do what you do. And do it with a vengeance!

If you are having trouble getting motivated, might I suggest blasting the song "Fergalicious." Then every time you get distracted from your goal, want to stop those crunches b/c your abs hurt, or want to eat 5 donuts instead of the 1 you promised yourself, sing-talk the words "I be UP in the GYM just workin' on my fitness! He's my witness. I put yo' boy on rock rock. And he be linin' down da block just to watch what I got!"

Seriously. 70% of the time it works every time.

Step 3: Cut & stacked. Just like yo' abs is gonna be.

 I am pretty sure this is the most important step...

Make healthy snacks easily accessible!

It must be done. When you buy a hunk of celery, cut it up! Right away! Put it on the top shelf. That way when you're feeling snacky & you look inside that fridge, it is right there within reach. I prefer jicama, so I cut up a fatty stack of that. Also red peppers are pretty filling & super vitamin-rich. Those jellos are 10 cals a pop. That's what's up.

Do some research of your own to find out how many calories your favorite snacks have in them. Then plan accordingly. Don't keep tempting foods around, cuz you know they're gonna get gone. Even if you hide them, you WILL find them again. Duh.

If you want more tips on what to eat and how much, just ask. But for me with a full-time job, I like to eat a portion large enough to satisfy my belly & nothing more. Once I feel that my body is content (not my taste buds or my eyes or my PMS), I have to stop eating. If I need something just to taste, I will chew a stick of Trident or drink some water (or a Pepsi Max, more likely). In between meals, drink lots of water. That will keep you from snacking as much.

Step 4: Get your kitchen on.

Get creative with your cooking. I figure if we are going to be eating smaller portions & have to do it while cooking with as few fats, sugars, & carbs as possible, we might as well have a little fun with it, right?

My favorite thing to do to come up with yummy healthy meals or snacks is to go to AllRecipes.com and hit up their "Healthy" recipes section. Then I find a general idea that looks interesting or convenient, and I usually alter it to make it more healthy or more appealing to me. For example, the picture above is a mini-meal inspired by a recipe for Caprisce Insalata, which is tomato slices topped with a hunk of fresh mozzarella, a basil leaf, sea salt, & freshly ground pepper. Well, I didn't have sea salt or basil leaves, & I didn't really want to put a hunk of mozz on a piece of tomato because... well, do I need a reason? So I decided to put a breakfast spin on it & beef it up with some egg. The finished product was 3 tomato slices topped with 1 scrambled egg with teensie bit of mozz & a pinch dried basil mixed in, a little garlic salt, ground pepper, & cayenne pepper. Very scrumdiddleyumptuos, if I do say so myself.

Bottom line, if you are going to put in the effort to cook healthy, it might as well satisfy your creativity as well.

Step 3: Channel your inner Fergie.

 Some of you may be thinking, what is her deal with Fergie?! No, I don't have a woman crush on her. But I do like her 'tude. She knows she's got the goods. And she works it. Now, I'm not about to go sporting that outfit she's got on, but I wouldn't mind trying those abs on for size. But I thought for starters, I would Fergie-up my nails. In just a few minutes & with nothing but a little polish, I made myself feel 

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S. 

And in all honesty, that's actually the most important. When you look good, you tend to feel good. 

--------

But no matter what goals you may set, what size waist line you have, what you eat--- the real objective is to be good to yourself. Take care of your mind & body so they can always take care of you. If you happen to look better in a swimsuit, become a better cook, & have really great nails along the way-- hey! more power to ya, sister! 

Wide-eyed Friday...

Just a few discoveries to share... 

(Even if you don't think they are real discoveries, try to pretend that they are.)

(1) Tinted shades: $3.99. 

Feeling like a Die Hard character every day: Priceless. 

 

(2) Ummm... the Man-Half can play the guitar.

And it's hot.

For reals.

(3) Leftover packaging becomes very useful on a rainy day.

That's why I don't clean out my car as often as I should. (Yep, that's why.)

(4) When eating food you are not entirely familiar with,

it's very important to know exactly what you are ordering.

(5) Railway tickets here will cost ya $1.25 plus a tip.

--------------------------------------

My apologies for the lack of postage this week. I was dying.


Just kidding. Seriously though, we accidentally ended up in an emergency room, and they told us I had pharyngitis. Which sounds pretty serious. But it's not.


I'm okay now. But you can still send flowers chocolates and ice cream if you'd like.


Happy Friday to all, and to all a good night.

Oh, how I'm dreaming...

...of this place...

 

 Clint, can we pretty please go here someday? 

Tomorrow??? 

Okay!!!

(None of these photos were taken or are owned by me personally. If you would like to know where a particular photo was obtained, I will locate the link for you.)

Wide-eyed Friday...

(Don't know what a Wide-eyed Friday is? Well, neither did I till I wrote this lil' diddy. My humblest apologies for slacking off last Friday. I sort of promise it won't happen again.)

And here's the wisdom, righch'ere:

It's okay to not like a store but to LOVE something they are selling. (Oh the deep thoughts, I know. But keep on reading. Maybe it gets better. But probably not.)

Take, for example, Lands' End. I am not in love with the store. But I do get their catalog every month, and I maybe keep it in my closet and copy some of the outfits occasionally. I do not love Juicy Couture; in fact I think most of their stuff is a-lil-too-much. And I'm not just talking about the price tag. But I do love this JC sequin shirt-dress. Isn't it a stunner? (It would be even more stunning 't'were it on sale, no?) And perfect for the girls' trip to Vegas coming up, right? Maybe belted with skinnies or some leggings and heels or as a swimsuit lounger... Who knows? The possibilities are endless! And those sweats! Good heavens-- I could get down in those, for realz.

But see there, now I've gone and gotten myself all distracted. The real reason I bring this up on a wide-eyed Friday such as this, is because I found the cutenest cardigan ever today. At a boutique I don't particularly care for that much which I found out about via the lovely blog The Lookbook (which I do care much for).

And without further ado, I give you the greatest cardigan ever! ever! ever! ever!

See what I mean? It totally deserves its own echo. But sadly, I will not buy this little number at this particular time. Because Clint is not a doctor yet, and I am a receptionist. And it is not my birthday or Christmas or Easter or Valentine's Day or Wife Appreciation Day. It's just Friday in the middle of the summer in the stinking hot middle of Houston where energy bills are like Dementors. They suck out your soul. (And yes, I am totally stoked for the final installment of HP. Don't mock, please.)

So the point of this little wide-eyed finding (congratulations to those of you who are still reading!) is--- don't limit yourself. You may not like the store, but you may love something in it. Similarly, you may not love a particular person, but you may find something about them that you like. And that goes for cities, jobs, classes, restaurants... you name it.

Give yourself a chance to enjoy the start of a glorious summer by finding something you love in something/place/one unexpected!

(If you need help, start by watching Beauty & the Beast, Pride & Prejudice, then Anne of Green Gables+ Anne of Avonlea. Serioulsy, they will cover all the necessary bases.)

Did you have any wide-eyed Friday moments? Any pearls of wisdom to help a sistah (or brother, I suppose) out?

Yes, I'll take Love on the rocks. Shaken, not stirred...

This past weekend was a whirlwind. As you can see, the Boss Man (which is the name I have just now christened the man-spouse with when he is wearing a tuxedo) and I went to a wedding. <Insert shout out to the newlyweds who are now on their Hawaiian honeymoon!> Because my better half was a groomsman, we were involved in every part of the festivities. Every. Part. Which made for a long weekend-- a fun weekend-- but a long one.

Here's the thing, okay? I'm awkward. Like not in a conversation so much (well sometimes in a conversation, I suppose), but sometimes in large group settings or anytime that I don't really serve a purpose... I get awkward. I thought for a teensy second as I wrote this that I haven't always been this way, but I really have. Dangit. For example (and this just happens to be a conversation example, unfortunately...), once upon a time a guy asked me out on what I thought was a pity-date, so during the date I tried to let him know how much it was okay if he wasn't really into me by talking up a gal pal of mine and even suggesting that they get together sometime. Awkward (sorry dude-who-shall-not-be-named). But you see, I was confused as to my purpose on that date and was therefore--AWKWARD. 

I confess this to help clarify the wedding festivities situation for you. Clint was a groomsman; I was a groomsman's wife. Clint grew up with the husband-to-be and 1/4 of the people in the room. I grew up with no one in the room. Not even with Clint. And to make the matter slightly more awkward, I was wearing my tallest heels and Clint was barefoot. I looked like a giant. And Clint's not even a short person. I really am just a giant. A GIANT I TELL YA!

Anyways, anywhere the groomsmen went the day of the wedding, that's where you could find me, walking 10 steps behind and looking like a total creeper. And sweating because it was literally hot enough to melt my face off. (And when I say literally, I promise it is not a misnomer. It really did melt my face off. Hence the lack of pictures of me at the wedding.)

Don't even get me started on my awkwardness as the reception. I didn't know whether to mingle with Clint's old guy friends, excuse myself to go chat with the "old" married women club in the back, or dance it up with the groomsman whose spouse was out of town but didn't have anywhere else to mingle except on the dance floor. I opted to do a little bit of each. Except I only danced when Clint could dance. Didn't want to appear any more awkward than I did already.

But upon reflection I have determined that next time I am in an awkward situation, I will simply do all in my power to make it awesome. Awkward and awesome, as Clint likes to say.

So my goal from now on is to take every potential run-in with my old companion Awkwardness, give her a little face lift, and rechristen her as Awesomeness.

Starting with some new shades. Which cost me 4 bones on the men's rack at Ross and have the potential to make me look like a female cop trying to be a bad-a (which can be really awkward). But in light of these new realizations about my awkward self, I have chosen to put on my favorite lipstick, fluff up my hair, add a little 60s glam head-scarf action, and let these cheap-o-sunnies make me feel really cool. All the time. Like a drive down the Ortega Highway with the top down. And that is awesome.

Oh oh oh, also this video rocks. It's awesomely awkward, I would say, and totally motivational. Especially if you are currently trying to get off those training wheels...

Any awkward moments all your own this week?