Dabbing in Love: Celebrating 60 years

Earlier this fall my family got together to celebrate something magical: Love. Long-lasting, unconditional, wonderful love.

October 7, 2011 marked my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Yup - they've put up with each other for over six decades. Not only have they put up with each other, they've done it with warmth and grace and have given their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren an incredible example to emulate and live up to.

So, to celebrate two of the most loving and wonderful people we all know, my dad, aunt and uncle worked together to put on a very fun anniversary party. We all got together for food and a good chat after church the weekend of their anniversary. It was such a blessing to see our family all together - well, as many of us who could make it. We got to hear great stories and laugh and eat some amazing food - courtesy of my dad and Uncle Dave who smoked some delicious pork and whipped up some amazing barbecue sauces.

Since most of use made it to the party, we took the opportunity to get a big family photo - this includes all of the children, most of the grand-children and a few "outlaws" in the form of spouses:

The afternoon reminded me of Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations from when I was younger - when everyone would gather at Grandma & Grandpa's big house on Cedar Street and we'd all cram around the tables to enjoy delicious food and good conversation. Those are cherished memories - just like the love my amazing grandparents have shared for more than half a century. (Here's hoping we have many more fun family gatherings like this one!)

Until next time - happy dabbling!

Dabbling in Crafts: Blankets for charity

(Okay - so I have a little time and I'll use it to blog and procrastinate doing other things, you lucky readers, you!)

Back in October I whipped out 5 blankets for our United Way raffle at work. I was actually pretty excited to make them and tested out a new technique that saved me a slew of time and quite a bit of money on supplies.

Since the raffle was for everyone at work and not everyone has a baby or needs a baby blanket, I decided to make a few "adult" blankets in addition to a few baby blankets. It was actually a lot of fun to pick out all of the fabric and put them together.

I went without the ribbon edging this time - simply stitching the blankets together, turning them right-side out and then doing a second seam to give them a "finished" look. I think they turned out really well!

Here are the "adult" blankets - since we're in Madison, I made a Badgers blanket and a Packers blanket. I should've also put together a Brewers one - but JoAnn's was out of Brewers fleece. (They were still in the hunt for the World Series at the time and Brewers Fever was certainly catching!)

 

Now I REALLY want to make a Hawkeye blanket for our living room - just have to find the time & the money to do it!

Here are the baby blankets - I decided to make 3. One for a little boy, one for a little girl and one that could be used for either. These were a little harder to make because the minky material is pretty slippery and the baby-themed materials were stretchier than the fleece - but they really turned out quite nicely:

The little girl material is one of my favorites and I really do like the baby feet for blankets as well. Maybe I'll have to just buy a bolt of each and start whipping out blankets to have on hand. ;)

All in all, this design is super simple - each baby blanket took maybe 30 minutes and each adult blanket took roughly 1 hour. The hardest part was finding a place big enough to lay out the material and get it all cut to size! Hopefully that Hawkeye blanket will become a reality by the end of the year. I'm really excited to put it together! :)

Until next time - happy dabbling! :)

Dabbling in Life -- A promise to blog more

I'm terrible at blogging. I admit this. While this won't be a long post - what it will be is a vow to you, my (dedicated?) readers.

I promise I will get better and blog more.


But probably not today. I *do* have a list of blog posts I keep meaning to post and they *will* get done, I promise. But, for now, you'll just have to wait.

In the meantime - a list of reasons why I suck at blogging:
My laptop is super slow.
I get bored on the upstairs computer because I can't watch tv.
I get distracted by watching tv too often to remember to blog.
I've been (sort of) busy (mainly watching tv).
I've been making super boring meals and very few crafts.
I've gone back to "regular" eating instead of sticking to the Dukan (because I am weak-willed).
I am lazy. (This is probably the main reason why I've been sucking at the blogging).

Until then - happy dabbling. Get excited for my upcoming blogs. I'm sure they will be awesome. ;)

Dabbling in Adventure: Staycation Adventures

First off - this post is LONG overdue. For that, I apologize.

Exactly one month ago today, Chris & I returned to reality after our 6 day "Staycation."

We spent the first 3 days enjoying various spots in Wisconsin and the last 3 days enjoying friends and family in Dubuque.

First up: Milwaukee for my birthday.
We started the day at one of my favorite places - the zoo! Doesn't matter what zoo it is, what animals they have or how much it costs for us to get in. I LOVE ZOOS.

I took a ton of photos, but will only share a few here:

^ Chris compares his size to a baby Gorilla.

^ I compare my size to a baby Gorilla!

^ One of my birthday presents from Chris - a stuffed Red Panda! (He says the red panda is my "spirit animal." It's true. I love them.)

After the Zoo we tried to do a tour of the Sprecher Brewery - but we were too late. So, since we needed to get to Summerfest, we trekked out to Veterans Park and snagged a paddleboat to kill a little time before the Hall & Oates concert (more on that in a second!!).

^ Loving the Paddleboat! Can't wait to try one on the Madison lakes. :)

After our paddleboat adventure, we walked along the Lake Michigan Lakefront (which is GORGEOUS) to the Summerfest grounds. It was a nice little walk.

Once on the Summerfest grounds we wandered a bit and got some dinner.
Then, for my birthday (err... the first night of Summerfest), there was a fireworks show!

^ Fireworks for my birthday/Summerfest

Then, it was the main event - the main reason for a day-long foray in Milwaukee (The City of Brewers? I have no idea what they call Milwaukee): HALL. AND. OATES.

That's right, we got to see them live for my golden birthday. It was amazing. Amazing.
While my camera battery was dead (super sad!),  my cell phone managed to snap a few photos in the concert.

^ This is from the second encore.

After the concert, we drove home for some shut eye prior to our big adventures.

Next up on the staycation agenda: 2 days, 1 night in the Wisconsin Dells!

Once we checked into our hotel room we set out for adventure. First stop: Lost Canyon.

The canyon offers up a horse and wagon ride through the Canyon. It's beautiful! One of the first rock formations we saw was the eagle:

The tour was very fun and we saw a ton of pretty scenery... but it only took us about 90 minutes. Sooo... we found a spot where you can feed alligators and other reptiles: Alligator Alley!

^ We didn't feed any of the reptiles - but got plenty of photos. They were kind of creepy!

^ This albino toad was SUPER creepy. It kept flicking its tongue out at me while I was trying to take photos - which kept scaring me!

Once we finished up our time at Alligator Alley, we grabbed some dinner and spent time relaxing in our hotel room.

We'd originally planned to go on a boat tour Thursday night, but we got to the ticket stand too late for the last boat tour of the night. So, Friday morning the first order of business (after breakfast, of course) was to hit the boat tours! We opted for the Upper Dells tour. It was GORGEOUS. (Super hot, but still gorgeous.) I took WAY too many photos to share here, but will share this one:

^ One one of the land stops, they had a dog trainer jump from one rock to another. Usually they  have a dog do it - but it was too hot for the dogs that day. They do this to emulate one of the Dells most famous photos. Very cool.

Once we finished up the boat tour we spent a little time at the outlet mall (I got some new jeans) and then climbed into the car and drove to Spring Green for "The Critic" at American Players Theater.

^ The stage. APT is an outdoor theater group. It was so amazing! I can't wait to go back for another show.

We hadn't really planned out Saturday. After sleeping in for just a bit we decided to hit up Cave of the Mounds on our way to Dubuque. I am SO glad we did. Although, now I want to go on cave tours every weekend!

Everything inside the cave was beautiful. Stunning.

^ One of the many beautiful things to see inside the Cave. Awesome.

After the cave, we hit up Dubuque for some 4th of July celebrations with friends and family. I didn't take any photos - my SD cards were full! I'm sure the next time we're in Dubuque we'll be sure to take photos of our crazy Iowan adventures. :)

Until next time - happy dabbling! Go out and get a little adventure...

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

So. I got done with this post and Chris noticed that I completely skipped part of our adventure: The Deer Park!

After we went on the boat trip, we went out into the heat to feed deer. It was awesome.

There were tons of deer and they came right up to you to take the food. It was really fun interacting with animals so closely.

Of course, the park is home to more animals than just deer (goats, horses, rabbits, raccoons, LEMURS!) - and Chris loved the three little pigs in particular.

After an hour or so, we went on with our staycation - mostly because we really needed some air conditioning! It was sweltering that day.

I promise more blogs are coming... Just have to carve out a little time here and there. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to provide a few project updates...

Dabbling in Adventure: Owen Conservation Hike

The City of Madison has an AMAZING Parks Department. This Spring/Summer/Fall the Parks Department is offering a special look into the City's conservation projects through a special series of hikes called Hike Madison's Wild Side. The series is awesome! Chris & I have only made it to 2 of the hikes - but they are always informative, fun and beautiful!

The July hike was at a west-side conservation park - Owen Conservancy. We went along and I got some really fun photos:

^ Our guide talking about the ponds and how the city's working to conserve the area.

^ My absolute favorite shot from the night. :)

^ A view of the campus area from the parking lot.

The park is beautiful. If you ever get a chance to explore it, you really should! There are some amazing trails - but don't bring your dog. The park has a coyote population and apparently dogs attract the coyotes.

Until next time, happy dabbling - and get out for some adventure! :)

Dabbling in Fitness: Yes I Will 5K!

Last weekend I ran another 5K. It was a bit ambitious, considering the Full Moon 5K was 2 weeks prior.

Regardless, I signed up for the good cause and convinced my friend Trevor to run it with me. Running with a friend is always so much fun! :)

It was a bit hot and a bit humid even though the race didn't start until 6:30 p.m. Because of the humidity (or maybe the fact that I didn't run at all between races?) I had to walk more than I anticipated. Trevor was nice enough to walk with me - even though he totally didn't need the walk breaks.

The course was nice - from the Capitol to the Goodman Pool. We ran along the same bike path we ran part of the Full Moon on so it was nice to have some familiar (and relatively hill-less) territory to run on.

Chris decided not to run with us this time - so he was at the finish line to take some photos!

^ Running in

^ Feeling so good at the end I was able to throw up double-thumbs-up!

^ Best finish time yet! :)

After the race there was a fun pool party for participants. Goodman Pool has 2 water slides - SUPER fun! Chris & I hung out for awhile before heading out to get some dinner after the race. Makes us want to spend more time in the water, for sure!

I have a few more posts in mind - so until next time - happy dabbling! :)

Dabbling in Fitness: Full Moon 5K

Last Thursday I joined my good friend Jen on her first 5K.

I was worried. She's been training - like actually training - for a race for MONTHS. I've been running like 3 times in the past 6 months. She goes running like three times a week. Oh, and she actually runs all three miles. In a row.

So, going into the race I treated it like I've treated all of my other races: just run the beginning, run the end and maybe run a little in the middle. Just finish in less than 60 minutes (because they will close the course on you).

I really wasn't expecting anything - especially since the last time I ran before the race I completely bonked. It was an awful run. And my other runs either got thunder-and-lightning stormed out or I just was a sleepy, whiny baby and stayed in bed.

Then something amazing happened.

I ran the full first mile - no walking. And I ran it at a 12:20 pace.

First - I'm fairly certain that's the first time I've ever run an entire mile without a walk break.
Second - I KNOW that's the first time I've ever done a mile that fast.

I honestly don't know how I did it. But it felt AMAZING. Even after the first mile I was able to run more of the race and improved my overall time by TEN MINUTES. Yes. 10 full minutes. I can't even tell you how excited I am about that. :)

This is the first 5K I've run at night. The race started at 9 p.m. Every other race I've run has been in the morning and I usually try to run before work or in the morning on the weekends. Running at night is awesome. I think I need to start doing it more. :)

While the actual running of the race went really well, there were a few drawbacks. First - I am covered in mosquito bites. Second - I had a few bugs fly into my eye and my nose. It's really hard to run when you've got a gnat in your eye.

Anyway, now I'm looking at a ton of other races. I definitely had a runner's high after the race and wish that it wasn't so hot and humid out this week - because I think I'd be totally killing my 1.5 mile route right now.

Until next time - happy dabbling! :)

Dabbling in Fitness: For the Love of Yoga

I've been doing yoga on and off for the past several years. My first yoga class was in college and I took it as a quick and easy gym credit. It easily became one of my favorite classes. Then I found a studio that offered 10 classes of hot yoga (Bikram yoga) for $10. I've never done anything that makes me feel so, incredibly relaxed and just plain good - inside and out.

So, after several years of not wanting to shell out the money for a studio membership, I'm back in the swing. As much as I enjoy my at home yoga dvds (they are quite good), being back in a hot yoga class is maybe the best thing I've done for myself in a very long time.

Now, the point of this post was to explain why I love yoga. Which is surprisingly hard to do...

I'll try, though.

You'll hear from every instructor that yoga is mind, soul, body. That's the total truth. It sounds cheesy, I know, but it is absolutely true. Especially when it comes to hot yoga. The body part is self evident. Yoga stretches and tones every muscle in your body. The mind and soul parts are a bit harder to explain... I think the mind part comes from spending an extended period of time in the quiet focusing entirely on yourself which extends into the soul. Giving yourself time to focus on you and only you is so good for the soul. It might feel selfish - but I've come to accept that sometimes taking time for myself is the best thing I can do for myself - and those rewards extend to the people around me because I feel so much better.

Now, I've had friends in the past who have been hesitant to try yoga because they don't think they are flexible enough or they don't think they'll have the time or a studio membership is too expensive. I've let myself use some of those excuses, I admit it. But - they are just excuses. Yoga is for ANYONE. I've been in class with women who look about 120 years old and people 3 or 4 times my size. Some people can hardly lift their legs off the floor when they start and some need blocks to sit on - but each person gets something out of their practice and slowly everyone gets closer to where they want to be.

I guess what I'm trying to encourages is anyone who has ever thought even a little about trying yoga to go for it. Find a studio, rent a mat and try it. I'd suggest a "regular" class for your first - but after a class or two or some time with an at home dvd giving a hot yoga class a chance. It sounds INTENSE - and it can be. But if you take your time, bring a lot of water and take breaks when you need them - you will experience something amazing. Every toxin, stress, fear, negative anything will be gone and you will feel transcendent. Yes. Transcendent.

Find a yoga mat! :)

Until next time - happy dabbling.

Dabbling in Fitness: Getting in a Rhythm

I blogged last time that I put together a new fitness regimen. Well, it's been a few weeks and so far, it's going pretty well.

I admit - I haven't made it to every workout, every day - but there have been some extenuating circumstances.

Last Monday I was up and ready to run at 5am - and it started storming. Not just heavy rain. There was also thunder and lightning. I'm willing to run in the rain. I don't mind thunder. Lightning? No way. I'm terrified of being struck by lightning. So, I put myself to back to bed for another hour or so.

Then on Tuesday, I couldn't bike home because it was an election night and I needed to stay at work late.

Wednesday we had a conservation hike at a city conservation park - instead of yoga. It was beautiful - I'll share some thoughts and photos a little later in another post.

Thursday was a big day! The Full Moon 5K. It was AWESOME. And I'll detail that in another post as well.

This weekend wasn't as active as I'd have liked it to be. I still didn't get to the pool on the weekend. But I DID buy a whole bunch of new clothes! Since I hit the 15 pound mark pretty much nothing fit, so I needed some new stuff and I have got to say - it feels GOOD to have clothes that fit properly again.

Monday I got in some hot yoga. I am LOVING the hot yoga. If I didn't think it would be overkill and that I'd still have a lot of quality time with Chris, I'd do it every day. LOVE it.

Yesterday I finally made it to the pool. After 35 minutes in the lap pool and 5 minutes in the current pool one thing is abundantly clear to me - I am a pretty terrible swimmer. I cannot remember how to breathe properly while swimming. I remember the crawl stroke and flutter kicks, but breathing in between is just something my body is having trouble remembering. I'm looking into options for adult swim lessons to see if I an brush up on it so that I can get more serious about my swim training.

Now, this week I'm sure you all know that it's been ridiculously hot and humid. Because of that I have wussed out on a few workouts - namely riding my bike home from work yesterday and running today. I guess I thought a little rest would be better than getting a crappy workout and making myself sick.

So - next week is supposed to be slightly cooler - so that should help me get in more of the workouts I have planned.

Now - I have a bunch more to post - so stay tuned tonight for extra reading! And, happy dabbling in your own endeavors. :)

Dabbling in Fitness: New Regimen - aaaaand GO!

First off - sorry for the lack of reading material, kids. The past few weeks have been SUPER busy. I was at a 3-day training for work (nothing exciting - I promise), then we went on 6-days of glorious time off. Which I intend to fully blog about once the "lost" SD cards get to town with my in-laws. (Brief recap: Milwaukee Zoo - AWESOME. Paddle boats - AWESOME. Fireworks for my birthday - AWESOME. Hall & Oates for my birthday - SUPER AWESOME. Two days in the Dells going on tours and doing touristy things - AWESOME. Cave of the Mounds - AWESOME. Seeing friends in Dubuque for a BBQ & Fireworks - AWESOME.)

Anyway, I promised myself that once I made it through our "6-day weekend" I'd get back on track. So far, so good. Actually, I sort of started early...

Last Sunday I went "water walking" with my mother-in-law and her friend Patty. We've done this a few times - it's just what it sounds like: walking in water. We did it for 2 hours. It was awesomely fun. Even the few times I actually swam half the length of the pool (testing myself for the tri-training) felt good. I am nervous about swim training because I've never been a great swimmer - but I think the water walking (in 9 ft of water for 1/2 the pool length) really has helped me be less nervous.

I took Monday and Tuesday off from working out (mainly because we were in Dubuque on Monday and Tuesday I couldn't bike home as planned) - but I tried to be better about what I'm eating. I think it went quite well - I'm feeling good. :)

Wednesday I jumped right in. 1.6 mile run in the morning - which felt AMAZING. I wasn't fast. I didn't run the whole distance - but I ran more of it than I thought I would and I really did feel good after I was done.

Until I was at work and needed 2 cups of coffee to prevent zombification right at my desk. 5:15 is freaking early.

After work, we hurriedly got some dinner, took the dog out and hit Target so I could get a fancy "yoga towel" (it's extra absorbent and helps you not slip around on your mat - worth the $$) before I hit my first hot yoga class in YEARS. Let me tell you - it was TOUGH. Every pore was gushing out sweat by the end of the 90 minute class. My toes and foot arches were cramping something fierce and at one point I sincerely thought I was going to cry/pass out. But, it was so worth it. So. Very. Worth it. After 90 minutes of static poses in a mega hot (105 degrees) room I was so incredibly relaxed I could hardly walk. I probably looked drunk coming out of the studio. I remember loving the bikram classes I took in Iowa City - and this was no different. Loved. It. Can't wait to go back on Monday.

Thursday I rode my bike home from work. (2.6 miles - I thought it was 3. Oh well.) It was okay. I haven't been on my bike since last fall when I was biking home on a semi-regular basis. Actually getting on the bike and getting going was no problem. What was a problem were the hip cramps I started getting about halfway home! I thought I was going to have to call Chris for a ride home! Apparently, my body's not quite up for run, yoga, bike ride on back-to-back days. I'll get there - I'm just not there yet.

Friday I *planned* to run in the morning - but stayed up super late Thursday night watching Friday Night Lights and only got like 4 hours of sleep. Hello "snooze" button! (Actually, I just turned the first alarm off and stayed in bed until 6:45 - then hit snooze continually until like 7:30. Oops.)

After having much the same reaction to my alarm this morning (internally going "UGH. It cannot possibly be time to get out of bed yet") I lounged for a bit - and then finally got off of my butt and went for a run.

Today's run SUCKED. It was more humid than I thought it would be (but, honestly not bad). My iPod froze about halfway in. I was sweating like a beast. I was going sooooo slow. I just felt blah. BUT - that just means I have Monday's run to get back to my "AAAAHHHHH" running feeling from Wednesday, right? Plus - doing so will allow me to really get to the gym on Saturday to swim.

I do have to be up front about next week - it will be a big challenge and a true test to my dedication. I am mega-busy next week with something planned every night except Monday. Which means a total rearrangement of some of my workout plans.

Monday should be "normal" - early run, pm hot yoga
Tuesday will feature early morning (6a) yoga and likely staying late at work for the primary/election.
Wednesday I *plan* to get up and run in the morning and then we're planning to attend a conservation walk at a local park.
Thursday I am running a night-time 5K (YIKES - totally not ready)
Friday I *plan* to get up and run in the morning since we have an engagement party to attend (YAY!)
Saturday I *plan* to hit to pool.
Sunday I *plan* for a "rest day" that includes a trip to Rockford for some Drum Corps. Here's hoping I won't be too stiff and sore to get out of the car!

That's it. If anyone's got any suggestions for keeping the muscle aches away - please share. I'm still a little achey from hot yoga on Wednesday. (Yup, still feeling it 3 days later. Awesome!)

I've got some non-exercise, non-diet related blogs planned in my head - but I'll have to find a little time to get them posted... If you want me to test something out (diet, recipe, craft, exercise, adventure, etc.) - just let me know and I'll oblige! :) I'm all about trying stuff out!

Until I find the time to hit the blog again - happy dabbling!

Dabbling in Fitness: Tackling a Tri

So, I've decided to try a tri. Not a full triathlon - a sprint triathlon.

Just a few months ago, the idea of a triathlon kind of petrified me. But, a few weekends ago, I went to one as a spectator (and cheerleader) and it was so inspiring to watch the athletes in action - that it made me start doing some more research.

Here are 3 of the athletes that helped me realize that I want to do this - and that I can do this:

Teresa Mackin, Brian Holzgraefe & Jamie Hersch are a few of my awesome co-workers. The trained for several months and then participated in the Capitol View Triathlon.

Now, admittedly, I'm not in nearly as good of shape as they were when they started, so I know that I need to take more time to train. So - I have a plan.

Starting after the holiday, I am going to use swimming, biking and running to get in shape. Apparently, a triathlon training program is a GREAT way to get in shape and avoid injury because of all of the cross-training it provides.

I've taken the past few weeks to really think about it and read a few articles to see what training is needed. Thankfully, because the distances aren't terribly intimidating, it doesn't take a terribly intensive training program to get ready for sprint tri. You start with a half-mile swim, transition onto a bike that you ride for 12 miles and then finish off with a 5K. And by training for all three - you're hitting all major areas of your body when you work out.

So, I've got some of the 5K running training down. I know that is a do-able distance for me. I'm fairly comfortable biking - although I haven't biked more than 3 miles at a time for a long time. The swimming is the part that I think I'll be the most nervous about - but if I start working up to the swimming part of it all now, I think by next June (the next Capitol View Triathlon - the race I hope to be ready for) comes around, I'll be comfortable enough to do the swim.

Now, I have read several training guides, but this one from Women's Health looks fairly comprehensive and easy to follow - plus, it uses tips from Barrie Shepley, Canada's former Olympic and National Triathlon Team coach:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/triathlon-women?page=1

In addition to the swimming, biking and running, I'm planning to work in some yoga to keep my muscles limber and loose. The local yoga studio I have always wanted to try is offering new students their first month of unlimited yoga for $40. Hopefully that will help me find a few classes that are at convenient times and work well for me. :)

I also recently read an article about making time to exercise that had some really good tips. The biggest one: Make an Appointment. I think if I tinker around with my schedule before and after work a little, I'll be able to find the ideal balance for working out/training. Ideally, I'll run 3 times a week, bike 2 times a week, take 2 yoga classes a week and swim once a week. The key will simply be to find the best balance with work and spending time with Chris & Dexter.

(Here's the article: http://mobile.active.com/mt/www.active.com/women/Articles/6-Steps-to-Kick-Start-a-New-Workout.htm?cmp=17-7-852 )

I know that my plan is ambitious. But, I think if I'm able to stick with it, it will be good in the end. Besides - it gives me an opportunity to get into a routine before the winter - so that I can more easily substitute in gym workouts for running and bike riding - and if I'm in the routine of running as the weather changes, maybe I'll actually put my cold weather running gear to use! :) Additionally, by starting with the training now, I think I'll be in better shape to take a "break" if needed over part of the winter and I can start up again in March (since the training plan is 12 weeks long).

Once I get closer to the triathlon, I'll need to start thinking more about gear. I don't think I'll purchase a special road or triathlon bike - there are local stores that offer rental bikes. I need to think more about purchasing a wet suit. That is another item that can be rented locally - and I want to know for sure if I'll use the wetsuit routinely before I invest $200-300 in one. There are lots of gear options, just like with any sport, but I think for my first triathlon I'll be okay without purchasing too many high-end items. Plus - I can put some of the lower-priced items on my Christmas list! :)

In the meantime, I need to keep my motivation. For that, I'm going to need help! Ideally, I'd have a couple of friends willing to sign up and train with me - but I know that a triathlon can be really intimidating! (See my reaction earlier this year: YIKES!) So - if you see me in real life, ask me how training is going. If you read my blog regularly (instead of seeing me in real life) and I don't update - comment and ask me how it's going. And if I seem discouraged about the training - offer up some words of encouragement - they really do help!

So until next time - when I'm planning on an awesome post about date nights! - happy dabbling. :)

Dabbling in Dieting: A bit off course...

After running the Race for the Cure I went a bit off course. It's been quite busy around here lately, making it much harder to stay true to the diet. While I have slipped into some old habits (drive-thrus and french fries and eating out every night with no exercise to combat all that extra not-great-for-me food), I have found it a little comforting that I haven't gained back too much weight. 3-4 pounds.

Despite my backslide (which likely isn't going to right itself in the next 2 weeks - which I'll get to), I did try a new activity this weekend. Water walking.

My mother-in-law introduced me to this over the weekend while we were in Dubuque for the weekend. We went on Saturday and Sunday and it was quite fun! Basically - you just walk back and forth in the pool. Since the pool at the Y in Dubuque has a deep end, we did wear floatation belts - which I think really increase the resistance in both the deep and shallow ends (the water pulls against the belt and you also have to use your core and leg muscles to stay upright and touching the bottom of the shallow end). While it doesn't feel like you're working very hard while you're in the water, you sure can feel it when you get out!

I think the water walking is a great way to ease into something else I've been wanting to do - swim. I've never been a great swimmer, but it's supposed to be such a great full-body workout that I really want to get into it. Plus, two weekends ago I went to watch the Capitol View Triathlon and now I totally want to do a sprint marathon next year! And to do that, I've gotta swim.

Now, I don't anticipate being able to totally get back on track until after the 4th. I'm in some training for work this week and we're going out to lunch each day (today we had some pretty darn good Indian food). Next week Chris & I are celebrating my birthday and our anniversary (a little belated) by spending time in Milwaukee and the Dells and I just don't think I'll have the self-control to stick to the diet while on "vacation."

So - renewed dedication to the diet and working out starts July 5.

The renewed dedication will probably see a few modifications. If I start working out as much as I keep telling myself I will, I'll probably need to work in some carbs. I'm planning to get a yoga studio membership, swim on the weekends and work in more runs and bike rides during the week. The goal is working out in some way 6 days a week. Nothing drastic - but at least 20 minutes every day. A run, a bike, a swim or a yoga session. Plus, on the weekends I'm sure I'll want to fit in a hike or two... :) It's ambitious, but I just want to take advantage of everything that's around in the summer and get in a good routine before too much time goes by. We'll see how well I do...

Once I'm back in the swing, I'm sure I'll be back to blogging more - especially once I start the swimming and yoga on a regular routine!

Until next time - happy dabbling!

Dabbling in Fitness: Race for the Cure

With just 2 weeks to go, I signed up for the Race for the Cure. After signing up I had a few hesitations... first fundraising - I've never been good at it; second was training because I've been very lax in forcing myself out on runs the past several months.

My original fundraising goal was $100. After just one day with a sign up sheet at work - I had to raise my goal. Not just double it - but triple it! In the end, my co-workers and a few others really came through in donations and pledges - I raised $435 for Susan G. Komen! That made me feel great! It's so inspiring to know so many people willing to give what they can to a good cause - and it helped me really dedicate myself to making it through the full course.

Another reason to do it: my friend Trevor said he'd run the race with me! We don't get to see Trevor too often - he's usually off filming for the company he works for - so it's always nice to catch up. And, it's especially nice to have someone to run alongside on a 5K. Trevor was kind enough to go as slowly as me and take the very long walk breaks with me. I kept wanting to tell him that he didn't need to run with me - but he seemed to not mind and we were having a good time chatting as we ran. Hopefully the next time we race together I'll be in better shape and can run the full race course!

Anyway - race day was GORGEOUS. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. It was quite humid, but not too hot. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people running for a good cause - and seeing all of the breast cancer survivors was especially inspiring.

The race course itself didn't really have any hills and there were plenty of people along the course cheering everyone along. Hopefully for one of my future races I'll have a few cheerleaders of my own - either along the route or at the end. I think seeing a familiar face along the way would be a great motivator.

I didn't have a great time - 52:18 was my time. (That's like an 18 minute mile! Yikes!) But it did feel good to be out running. Today I'm a little sore - but I attribute that to then walking around downtown and doing a LOT of crouching to get photos of the classic cars at Cars on State.

Since Chris was working the event, he wasn't able to get a photo of me crossing the finish line - but he did get this fun shot after the end of the race:

I did treat myself to a non-diet lunch after the race: Chicken sandwich and a Pimms Cup at The Coopers Tavern. Best chicken sandwich I've ever had - it had chipotle mayo and avocado spread and it was the kind of sandwich I dream about. Totally worth the splurge. :)

Until next time - happy dabbling! :)

Dabbling in Dieting: A weekend off

This past weekend I took the full, long weekend "off" of the diet.

It was GLORIOUS.

Friday night we ate at Sprecher's for Christopher's birthday. In addition to eating a burger on a bun for the first time in 3 weeks, I had my first beer in over three weeks. Well, technically, it was a mixed drink and by the end of the night I'd had the Wisconsin Cosmo (beer mixed with Cranberry-Cherry soda) and 2 more beers:

Mine is the big glass - Chris had the Abbey (the beer in my drink) in the smaller class next to it. This is so good I had dreams about it. YUM.

After dinner we went bowling. It was a BLAST. I always forget how much fun I can have while bowling - even when I stink at it. :)

Oh - the last time I blogged, I was stuck at seven. After I blogged, I lost another 2 pounds. :) Giving me even more confidence to wear my specially-purchased outfit for the big birthday dinner:

While Chris calls these my "hot pants" - they aren't *quite* that short. But they are short - but they are also a full pant size smaller than the last pair of shorts I purchased - so WOOHOO! :)

Saturday morning I had a donut. One glorious, plain, cake donut. It was SO good. It was also free because we were audience members for the Whaddya Know radio show on NPR. That was a fun time! Michael Feldman is a funny guy - and it was nice to sit and laugh for 2 hours. We followed that up with a trip to the zoo. We both LOVE the zoo and our good friends Jen & Jamie joined us for an afternoon wandering and looking at adorable animals. Always a good time.

Then we drove to Dubuque. Dinner at Vinny Vanucchi's in downtown Dubuque with Chris's parents. Nothing on that menu is Dukan friendly. EVERYTHING on that menu looks AMAZING. I ordered the Pasta ala Vinny. SO good. It's pasta topped with shrimp, crab, scallops and lobster bits - all drenched in an olive oil and hot sauce based sauce. REALLY good. Oh, and they have this amazing garlic cheese bread that I ate 2 full pieces of because it was sooooo good. Unfortunately, I couldn't eat all of my pasta (huge portions), so Chris got to eat it for lunch this week.

Sunday we went to the movies - I resisted the popcorn and the nachos and the mini-donuts. We went out to eat with our good friends Nick & Marisa at a Dubuque place called Crust. LOTS of pasta and pizza. Also, they bring out a basket of fried pizza dough before your meal. SUPER good. I didn't have anything fancy - chicken pesto - but it was quite good. The lemoncello martini was alright. (Basically just a lemon drop martini - only a little warm. Meh.) Everyone else's meals looked really tasty as well. After dinner, we had drinks - again I imbibed 3 drinks - none of which were sugar, carb or calorie free. They were delicious. :)

Oh - and I dressed up - because I had these awesome new shoes!

(I REALLY love this photo. I think I look great!)

Monday morning I was ambitious: I got up at 7:30 for an 8:00 yoga class! It was GLORIOUS. I love yoga classes. I enjoy doing the dvds at home - but going to a class is even better. I get to learn new moves, meet new people and have a teacher there who can help if I'm having trouble. The class at Body & Soul was gentle, but effective. I was sore on Tuesday! :) After the yoga class, I went for a "run" with Dexter. It was quite hot & humid, so we went less than a mile and probably walked about half of our little route. But, in my defense, there were lots of hills.

Leftover pasta for lunch (from Crust) followed by mini-golf! The course was a lot of fun - even if it was super windy. Nick & Marisa joined us and we all hit some balls on the driving range. Because it was quite hot (heat index was 92 at one point), I indulged in a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Bar. It was wonderful. :)

Dinner that night was closer to being on the diet - steak, corn on the cob, cottage cheese and a small salad. It was very tasty.

So - after all of that eating and eating and eating (and paying little attention to the diet), I wound up gaining back 3 pounds. Oops.

Luckily, I've decided to do 7 days protein only followed by 7 days veggies + protein - so this week I'm already down 4.2 pounds - with no exercise since Monday.

That means, despite a full cheat weekend of overindulgence, I'm down a total of 10.8 pounds since starting the diet (roughly 4 weeks ago). Since February (when I was told by my doctor: "Lose 30 pounds) - I'm down 15 pounds! That means I'm due a massage! :) Woohoo!

Now, I know I need to do better on the exercise. I have a 5K in 2 days. (Uh oh.) I know that I'll be walking at least part of it. My next goal: Run the entire route of a 5K. I'd like to be at that point in time for the Zoo Run Run in September - hopefully way before that! I think I can do it. I just need to be better about making out to actually run. Maybe there'll be time to do that tonight before it gets dark... Or maybe I'll succeed in waking up early tomorrow morning so I can beat the 90 degree heat...

Until next time - happy dieting! :)

Dabbling in Dieting: Stuck at 7

So - it's been 2 1/2 weeks. And I'm stuck.

I've lost 7 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks - which is AWESOME. I realize that - I have people at work telling me they can see a difference and that I look great and that is so incredibly nice to hear. It makes me feel great!

But I haven't lost any additional weight since the attack phase - and that is frustrating. I've been REALLY good about not cheating. While I did have a margarita on Friday - I made the decision to get the "skinny" (diet mix) one instead of something with more sugar and calories. Even though I would seriously give my entire shoe collection away (and pretty much anything you'd ask for) just for one serving of french fries or one baked potato - I've not ordered any potato products or cooked any at home. That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. I LOVE potatoes. I can't even explain how much I love them. It's probably unhealthy.

I keep telling myself it's a combination of 3 things:
1 - hormones. That monthly "gift" changes the hormones in your system and can make it harder to lose weight. Okay.
2 - muscle mass changes. The Jillian Michaels dvd is a strength training dvd - which is supposed to build and tone muscle mass. Some of that work *might* be counteracting weight loss reflected on the scale.
3 - inconsistent exercising. While I'm usually really good about working out 3 or 4 days a week - I need to be better about doing it 7 days a week. I need to run more (I have a 5K in 12 flipping days...) and I need to stop wimping out on yoga in the morning and pushing off the 30 Day Shred dvd until "tomorrow" because I'm tired or busy or whatever. I need to make a stronger commitment...

But - week 3 hasn't been all bad. I've been doing all protein again this week because I'm going to take this weekend "off" for Chris's 30th birthday celebration. I'll try to exercise some self control because I don't want to gain back all 7 pounds in one weekend... and I'll try to work in some exercise over the weekend as well. So, in doing that, I've figured out a few things that *seem* to be working for me.

Breakfast - warm oat bran with milk and one packet of Splenda
Lunch - 2 poached eggs
Snack - one cheese stick or a few bites of crab
Dinner - protein only - I'm trying to stick to fish or chicken... I've decided I should only do beef one time a week. I feel like eating lots of beef and lots of dairy as snacks is potentially another reason the weight loss has slowed.

I also created a DELICIOUS new smoothie:
1/2 cup plain frozen yogurt
1/2 cup fat free skim milk
Large dash cinnamon
Blend together until smoothie.

It is so simple and SO delicious. I can't even explain it. I can't believe I hadn't tried it before. It works wonders to satisfy a sweet-tooth craving and is just enough to be satisfying if you REALLY want a snack or dessert after dinner. Chris likes them too! Which is surprising - every other smoothie I've made with frozen yogurt he hasn't liked. :)

As a bit of a reward to myself - I bought 2 new pairs of shoes and planned out 2 extra fun outfits for Chris's 30th birthday extravaganza. I'll make sure he (or someone) gets a few shots of me all decked out in the figure fitting outfits and the super hot new shoes (which are pictured below - you didn't think I'd be able to stop myself from posting the shoes, did you??)

Until next time - happy dabbling (and dieting)!

Dabbling in Adventure: Doggie Weekend! (Plus - beekeeping!)

As I mentioned last time, we spent the weekend focused on Dexter.

Saturday: New Harness, Puppies on Parmenter
Now, we should've known better than to take Dexter to PetSmart before going to an event centered around dogs...

He was CRAZY excited. Last weekend Dexter broke his harness - so we needed a new one. We took Dexter in to PetSmart to try on the various harnesses we liked because we wanted to make sure we got one that fit. Big mistake. he was so distracted and wanted to play with EVERYONE. We managed to find a harness (Kong harness - it looks pretty sturdy) and get out of the store pretty quickly.
Then we went to the OccuPaws Puppies on Parmenter event. To start out - we were behind the big group walk. We tried meeting some of the guide dogs in training, but as part of their training I guess they're not supposed to be as social as our little monster, so the trainers were a little hesitant to let the pups socialize with Dexter.
We started the walk and it was going pretty well. Dexter was happy to meet dogs and their owners. Chris and I were happy to trade off going into the participating stores and restaurants - and we even found a few places we'd like to check out again. Then Dex got a little spooked/upset by another dog. And after that a puppy guide dog in training jumped at him (wanting to say hi and play) - that's when he growled and snapped at the puppy and we had to go home. :(
Dexter didn't stop the less-than-wonderful puppy behavior there. While Chris and I were out, he climbed up onto the counter and grabbed my sealed tupperware container of cookies - and ate them ALL. (Chris thinks he was able to jump and knock them off - but I think they were pushed too far back for that.)

Despite that - we still decided to have some fun on Sunday: Dogs on the Square.
Dogs on the Square is a fundraiser for Capitol K9s - the MPD K9 officer program. It was AWESOME.
You get to walk around the square and have your dog participate in different challenges. They were all pretty basic - but some stuff Dex hasn't done before - like go up and down an a-frame ladder (like on dog competitions!) and going through a tunnel and jumping hurdles. He was a CHAMP! He nailed every challenge. (Well, except the "leave a treat" one - Chris had to hold the leash tight to keep him back - but who expects him to leave a treat that someone just puts in front of him??)
One he was SUPER good at was the tennis ball find - one of the MPD officers rubbed a tennis ball in her hands and Dex had to find the one with the smell. He ROCKED it!

Aside from the challenges, the MPD K9 officers also did demonstrations. The dogs are super highly trained - and it was impressive to see them do their stuff up close (although, I NEVER want to experience a take down by a K9 officer - YIKES).

Now - even though it was HOT and humid - and Dex basically refused to drink any water all day - he was the PERFECT dog. He was polite to all of the other dogs. He wasn't overly excitable. He waited patiently in line (well, most of the time) and he only stole one treat. He was well behaved even when we went inside Tabby & Jack's on the square - leaving all of the toys and bones at snout level alone!

After Dogs on the Square, we brought Dex home for some time in the air conditioning. While he cooled off, Chris and I went across town to hang out with our good friends Ryan & Christie - and their adorable daughter Ceci. Ryan and Christie tend their own honeybee hives in their backyard - and this weekend Ryan got new bees! They asked us to come over and help with some of the beekeeping. It was super cool! Chris did most of the helping - and I admit - I'm a little jealous I didn't offer to help instead...

While Ryan, Christie & Chris tended to the bees (they were making sure all of the hive trays were clean, that the bees did okay over the winter and rotating the trays to keep a more consistent/even honey production) I took pictures and played with this adorable little ball of energy:

We painted, played baseball, played on the swingset and played Ring Around the Rosey until I was too dizzy to stand up! It was so much fun! :) We always say that we don't see the Kings nearly enough - and it's always the truth! They're always a blast to hang out with - and we usually end up getting to do some pretty cool stuff with them - like beekeeping. Seriously, did you do anything nearly as cool with your weekend?

Before I hit "publish" and dive into a blog about the Dukan progress (or, rather, lack thereof), here's one of the beekeepers in action:

Until next time - happy dabbling (in adventure)!

Dabbling in Dieting: Dukan week 2 - Ups & Downs

This week was slightly harder than I expected it to be for a few reasons: We were out of the house (and had to eat early and fairly quickly) two days this week. Additionally, a pure protein day seemed SO hard after having veggies the day before.

I know I blogged on Tuesday - so here are the ups, downs and a recipe I tried out.

Wednesday was awesome. It was a veggie day. We were able to work out after work. I really don't have much to say about it.

Thursday was tougher. Pure protein day - BUT I was able to test out something new for lunch (and get away from a plate full of cold luncheon meats).

Thanks to a suggestion by Marisa, I made a pure-protein approved tuna salad. I paired it with an oat bran "bun" that I got a recipe for off of mydukandiet.com.

For the tuna salad:
Small can tuna (packed in water)
Heaping tablespoon plain greek yogurt
Spices to taste.
Simply mix it all together. I only used fresh ground black pepper - but some other spices to jazz it up would be good. Chives would be super good.

For the bun:
Baking powder1tsp

 Egg1

 Fat Free Natural Yoghurt150g

 Oat bran2 tbsp

 Saltpinch

 Wheat bran1 tbsp

Mix the egg with the yoghurtAdd the bran, salt and baking powder and mix.Put the mix into two equal cups, that can be used in the microwave.Put into the microwave for 6 minutes, full power.Take out and put both of the buns onto a plate, upside down.Put back into the microwave for another 1-2 minutes.

**I didn't have any wheat bran, so I substituted an additional tablespoon of oat bran.
**150g of yogurt is roughly 1/2 a cup.
The bun is a little dry for my taste - but it was good and a decent enough substitute for a piece of whole grain bread/toast.

Doing this GREATLY improved my lunch enjoyment on a pure protein day. Another tip: hot proteins are better if you're eating them alone. Marisa also gave me a tip that saving her favorite proteins for PP days made them go a little easier. I think it's a good tip. I also noticed that (especially for dinner) having a denser protein (like steak) alone for dinner is more satisfying than a lighter-weight protein by itself (like fish).

Thursday night was a little tough. We went to an awesome charity event for my co-worker John Beard. He is raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the Man of the Year campaign (donate here: https://wi.dojiggy.com/pledge/index.cfm?585F22080E7E7E7B77060563701304452459440F7C7E78030577). He hosted a trivia night - moderated by Michael Feldman from NPR's "Whaddya Know" - at a local restaurant. He had some very lovely looking food trays brought in - a cheese tray and a hummus and olive tray. SO HARD to pass those up. (I admit, I had some cheese. A few small pieces.) Also, there was free beer - I opted for water.

Today I *did* cheat. Sort of. For lunch I had a Chicken Caesar Salad from Panera. Naturally, the dressing is not fat free. And I ate the croutons. Mostly because I forgot that I shouldn't eat them. Oops... Otherwise today's been pretty good. I was basically too busy to think about being hungry - so I'm pretty sure I wasn't! :)

There have been some down spots in the week. When I weighed myself yesterday morning - I'd GAINED a pound. WHAT?! Yeah. This morning I was the same weight. After losing weight without really thinking about  last week, to gain a pound was mentally a stumble. I didn't work out at all Thursday or today - but that's kind of my MO. Work out at the beginning of the week, get tired and stop working out. Boo. I'd better quit that attitude for the next 2 weeks - I've signed up for Race for a Cure on June 4!

Speaking of - please consider donating to my Race for a Cure campaign: http://www.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/MSN_MadisonAffiliate?px=10236151&pg=personal&fr_id=2090
I don't have a big goal -- $100 -- but I'd like to surpass it over the next 2 weeks!

One unexpected thing did happen today that made me feel REALLY good about my progress: out of the blue a co-worker gave me a really nice compliment - saying not only do I look "great" - but "noticeably WOW great." It's nice to know that not only do I feel more energetic and self confident because of the progress I'm making - but it's also visible to others. (And beyond that - to people who see me every day - which usually makes the steady progress a little harder to notice!)

While I've been LOVING the protein+veggie days this week - I think I'm going to switch over to the 5 PP days + 5 PV days for the next few weeks as my alternating PP/PV plan. Here's why: next weekend is Chris's 30th birthday and we have tons of fun stuff planned out and I'm sure I'll slip - and I'm sure that it'll make PP days MUCH harder. So I'm allowing myself next weekend as a "free" slip up weekend. I'll blog about what happens...

Also coming to the blog after next weekend: hopefully some awesome new pics of shiny new shoes and the outfits I'm planning for the party extravaganza. :)

Outside of Chris's birthday, we have some busy weekends planned. This weekend is all about Dexter. Tomorrow we're going to an OccuPaws (they train guide dogs) event called Puppies Parmenter. Sunday we're going to a fundraising event for Capitol K9s (Madison's K9 officers) called Dogs on the Square. Sunday's event has obstacles and other activities for dogs! Should make for an "active" weekend for us all. Then the weekend after Chris's birthday I'm running Race for the Cure. It'll be fun! :)

Well, we need to find some dinner soon... so until next time - happy dieting, dabbling and whatnot! :)

Dabbling in Dieting: Return of the Veggies

I've never missed something as much as I missed vegetables last week. Holy cow! I was having salad dreams.

Yesterday vegetables returned to my life and I am SO happy about it. I celebrated by having a small salad at lunch and another at dinner. And by snacking on sugarsnap peas and sauteing mushrooms for a side.
(*As I'm writing this, I realize that "peas of any kind" are still on the no-no list. Oops.*)

For dinner last night I simply made up some salmon like I did last week and then sauteed the mushrooms in the Walden Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette that I bought this weekend. I did use too much dressing for the amount of mushrooms - but it was still tasty on the salmon. I do have to say - for fat, sugar, carb, calorie and gluten free -- both Walden Farms dressings I purchased are quite tasty. There's a slight aftertaste I can't *quite* identify - but it's not overpowering and the dressings themselves are good. (They aren't as good as a thick Blue Cheese dressing - which is admittedly my favorite - but they're better than almost every other fat free dressing I've ever tried.)

One thing I did yesterday that I've decided I need to be careful of in the future: eating lots of cheese sticks for snacks. I think that's probably a dangerous habit to get into. While I did find 5% milkfat mozzarella sticks, there are probably much better choices for a snack. BUT that the last one (cheesestick #3) I had before we left the house for a concert kept me from breaking down and getting a bowl of potato chips. I might miss potatoes more than anything. Either that or black beans. I LOVE potatoes (I'll eat them raw, fried, baked, boiled - you name it) and actually still have part of a small bag we purchased before the diet that I will likely need to throw away - and seeing them and the bags of potato chips in the cupboard is a bit difficult. Seriously - I think if I slip during Phase 2 it'll be for something made out of potatoes.

Anyone else have a weakness food right now?

One mental set back - my weight loss has slowed WAY down. However, when I picked up the Dukan book at Target and read part of it (get ready for an overshare...), it does say that you should avoid starting the diet within a week or so of your period. Mine started today. So I'm blaming the hormones for my minimal weight loss over the past few days. Well, that and the fact that I've been a tired, lazy bum and failed to exercise for four days in a row.

The not exercising HAS changed despite the fact that I am EXHAUSTED from those previously mentioned hormones. Yesterday I did manage to get up a little early to work in an abs yoga workout (15 minute yoga dvd). Today I was too tired to do that - BUT this afternoon I got an overwhelming urge to go for a run (WHAT?!) - so I went for a short run after I changed. I logged 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. AND I did it with only 3 walking breaks! That's quite an accomplishment because I have never, ever claimed to be a runner. And even when I was "training" for a 5K last spring/summer I took way more than 3 breaks every time I ran (although, I was running double the distance). Despite that, I'm proud of myself for resisting the urge to sit on the couch and watch tv and actually going out to run.

Speaking of running - I've decided to run the Madison Race for a Cure on June 4. Any locals who want to join me are more than welcome!! :) My friend Trevor says he'll run with me (he's been running like a fool lately and did a race up north this past weekend) - and for that I will be forever grateful! It's kind of depressing to sign up for a race and not know if you'll have any friends there to start with or know will be cheering for you at the finish line. (I'm usually behind everyone I know when I run - I'm uber-slow.) If we get a group going we might even start a "team" to raise a little more money for Komen.

Well, I should start prepping some stuff to eat tomorrow/later in the week. And make some dinner even though I'm (surprisingly) not hungry at all.

Until next time - happy dieting/exercising/dabbling... :)

Dabbling in Dieting: Dukan Day 7 - End of the Attack!

I did it. I made it 7 days on the Attack Phase. I'm still hardcore craving things that crunch - but I get veggies tomorrow and I've already started planning out a nice little snack involving some snow peas. :) Talk about a healthy reward!

This morning I was only down 0.4 pounds - but that's fine! :) It means total for the full week I'm down 5.8 pounds - which I'm just going to go ahead and round up to 6 pounds. I think I'd be down a little more if I'd done more working out the past few days - but I think since I didn't feel very good towards the end of the week it was a good idea to take it easy. I'll be back on the work out attack in the morning. Oh - and since February, I'm down 9 pounds! Woohoo! :)

Today wasn't too bad. I had a couple of large bottles of water - and three plain hamburger patties. The tough part was being at a friend's barbecue. A former co-worker is in town visiting, so we all got together for some celebrating and visiting. Everything that everyone brought looked AMAZING. Guacamole, chips, veggies and dip - oh, and some Sweet Escape Cupcakes. The host - Jacki - makes these incredibly delicious and incredibly creative cupcakes. I have no idea how I managed to not eat every single cupcake... but somehow I made it several hours without gorging myself on even one. I mean - she makes cupcakes with Reese's peanut butter cups baked INSIDE. So flippin' good. Maybe when I reach my goal weight I'll order a dozen and share them with people who'd like to celebrate with me. ;)

Anyway, I must be in the swing of protein only at this point because I was able to resist chips and guac (YUM) as well as the cupcakes. I just ate plain hamburger patties with some chopped onions. Which were also pretty darned good. I'm so glad grilling season is officially here!

The barbecue was so much fun - always nice to spend a few hours with really great company.

After the barbecue, we went grocery shopping. Somehow I managed to resist buying EVERY vegetable I saw. I also found some salad dressing that was suggested by Marisa (the friend who started me on this journey): Walden Farms - all of their dressings are fat free, sugar free, carb free, calorie free, gluten free. I grabbed a bottle of Honey Mustard vinaigrette and some Balsamic vinaigrette. I'm excited to try them on veggies as well as try them as sauces on some of our protein meals!

When we finally got home tonight I wasn't super hungry, but a little snacky and my sweet tooth was in full force after thinking some more about those cupcakes. So, I whipped up a double batch of oat bran cookies.

Now, these are a little more muffin than they are cookie - but they're still super good. I made a double batch because one batch only makes about 6 cookies.

Here's the recipe:
Baking powder1 tea spoon

 Egg1

 Oat bran3 table spoons

 Sweetener1 table spoon

 Yoghurt2-3 table spoons

Instructions

1

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

2

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl into a thick and smooth mass.

3

Pour the mixture into a baking tray or muffin form

4

Bake the mass for about 15minutes at 180C

5

Tip For a crunchy version: after 15 minutes remove the cookies from the oven and than remove them from the muffin trays carefully. Place the cookies upside down in the oven again and bake them for another 10 - 15 minutes. Now the cookies are soft inside and crunchy outside.

**180 Celsius translates to 356 Fahrenheit
**I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavor per batch.

They're nice and a little bit sweet - but not too sweet. Plus one or two is just enough to take down a craving. Especially with a small glass of fat free skim milk.

Now that I'm on the "weight loss phase" which alternates protein+veggies and protein only days I will probably just do a few updates throughout the week(s) instead of every day. Hopefully you'll all be able to survive without daily (or multiple per day) posts! ;)

Well, it's about time to hit the hay so that I'm bright-eyed enough for some yoga in the morning - so until next time - happy dieting!