only 1 day left

my last day-off is halfway over and that makes me sad - i hate to admit that i'm bored but i am, and that's what happens when you don't plan anything... okay, i had planned on going to the pool but now it's cloudy - not sure what plan B is but i know plan C is to hit the 5:30 spin class... plan D is to make pesto for dinner because my herb garden is doing really good and as you can see by the pic, the basil is doing extraordinarily well (eric thought it would be funny to show just how big the leaves were by using his beer bottle)... :o)

my doctor's appt. went okay considering all she did was take some blood... the doc wasn't there so i couldn't ask him anything - maybe when the results come back, i'll have a better idea if it's my levels that are off or just me (ha!)... i also hit the big thrift store on the way back and grabbed a cute skirt and jean capris - every monday the store is 25% so i definitely got a good deal... :o)

my extended weekend was good - i got to hang out with my girlfriend and her kids on friday, that's always fun since i don't get to see them very often... on saturday, my mom and i went to this small art/craft show in shepherdstown, wv - i made the mistake of wearing my new birks and god were my feet/legs killing me saturday night (i suppose they're more comfortable when they're broken in?)... on sunday - eric and i went for a ride but it was pretty cloudy most of the time and i was cold (imagine that!)... for dinner, we made mac'n cheese because eric was inspired by the challenge i was watching on the food network (he says he doesn't watch but i know he does!) - it was pretty darn good and i'm sure, not very point-friendly but whatever... i think i did okay this weekend so i'm hoping to see at least another pound gone on wednesday...

well, that's it for me... i just downloaded the new coldplay album so i may put that on and go thru some old magazines before i put them in the recycle bin...

happy monday...

TGIF

happy friday, y'all... max refused to let me sleep-in past 9:00 so after a few snuggles, i got up, made some coffee, and prepared breakfast... since fridays are my bagel day - i had one with lowfat provolone cheese, 1 egg, spinach, and turkey bacon - yum yum... this should hold me off for a few hours and then for lunch, i'll have cottage cheese with blueberries and a nectarine... i forgot to mention that on tuesday night, my mom and i went to pick blueberries at this small farmette... there were 6 horses, chickens, ducks, dogs, and a cat running around so it was quite funny at times... i somehow managed to pick 6 pounds and the berries are HUGE - so i saved one container to eat this week and froze the rest... i will probably go back and pick more next week since they are so tasty when in season and VERY good for you --> low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium; also a good source of dietary fiber, and a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese... :o)

i called the doctor's office this morning since my synthroid RX has run out of refills, and they said i should come in monday and get my blood taken... i'm hoping my levels are okay but will mention my small weight gain and recent "i'm in a funk" episodes - could be nothing but we'll see... so much for having a stress-free monday (and last vacation day!)... :o(

plans for today: not sure yet - i have a shelf in my walk-in closet that needs some straightening so i may tackle that shortly... i may also call my girlfriend and see what she's up too, haven't seen her or the kids in quite some time... eric will be coming over later for dinner and then we may go see a movie (probably 'the happening')... i may also attempt the pool today but it will very hot and humid, and that doesn't always make for a pleasant experience - there's nothing worse than laying in the sun and having the sun melt your suncreen... :o(

one more thing - roni has a really good video post today, you should definitely check it out...

happy friday...

weigh-in

i'm a bit late with posting my weigh-in but since i'm on vacation, i think i have a valid reason... though i'm down 1 pound, it's not the 3 pounds that i saw last week but i blame it on going to pittsburgh... no matter how good my initial intentions are, they somehow get thrown by the wayside... such is life and am back on track - went to the gym today and did 45 minutes on the treadmill (30 mins of that was hard running) and then did about 45 minutes of weights... as for the rest of the day - i went to the pool for a few hours (first time this summer) and that's about it... :o)

pittsburgh was good - eric managed to make good progress on his motorcycle trailer so as soon as he gets the title, we can start using it for long trips... we hung out with his mom and dad, as well as numerous siblings since they seem to pop-in at various times... their cherry trees were loaded so i made a cherry cobbler for dinner on sunday (along with beer can chicken x two!) and used his mom's cherry stoner - pretty cool i have to admit (saves a lot of time!)... it was a big hit, to say the least, and i'm happy to say i wasn't offered any to take home with me... speaking of on the way home - we didn't even make it to the turnpike when a hole in eric's muffler pipe decided to blow... talk about loud! luckily there was a midas closeby so they replaced it and 2 hours later, we hit the road (again)... there were also some big storms rolling thru so i nabbed a few pics of the rainbow we saw while driving... :o)

on tuesday, i met my niece in harrisburg for lunch - i don't get to see her as often since she lives w/her mom and is busy with work and school... we had mexican (ugh!) and then shopped at ross and target which is always fun... i admire my niece so much - she was born with royally f-d up legs - one was amputated below the knee and the other has never grown properly so she'll be using crutches for the rest of her life... this disability, however, has not stopped her from doing what she wants to do - she was a cheerleader in HS and now drives a car! AND she turns 21 this december which makes me feel incredibly old! anyway, i love her to pieces and i'm so proud of her! :o)

i had to work yesterday, which was fine, though it put a damper on my vacation momentum... i was busy helping my boss with a project and also got to interview the potential designer (who is from indiana)... she seems very nice and has done some great work so i'm hoping my boss wants to offer her the position - just don't know how soon she can start considering she's out of state... and that's all i'm going to talk about work for now (and until next tuesday when i go back)... :op

as for the rest of my vacation - i have no plans... the weather seems iffy for most of sat/sun, my mom and i might go to this art/craft show and eric is dying to try-out the new mufflers on his bike (he said it's even louder than before!)... i also told him that as much money as he's put into this thing - i should be wearing it on my finger! ;o)

time to catch-up on everyone's blogs and continue my much-needed R&R... i'll leave you with some pics from last weekend - enjoy!

happy thursday...

TGIF

1hr30m to go til my (short) vacation begins... i'm very excited to be getting out of town this weekend and to be taking a break from here - i've spent most of the day prepping the other designer on things she'll have to handle next while i'm out... she's still 'learning the ropes' but i have confidence she'll be okay (gotta learn eventually, right?)...

for lunch, i had my beef ramen noodles - it was a tad better since i added some snap peas but it could still handle a bit more 'bulk'... i know, what do you expect for $.33 but still! i also had a great weight/cardio workout so i'm energized for the rest of the day... eric and i will be going for sushi tonight - i plan on ordering some california rolls and sashimi without the rice this time - i've never done before that but thought i would give it a try... yea, i know sushi is low in points anyway BUT i also know going to pittsburgh for 3 days means unexpected food and drink... god help me! ;o)

thanks for the tortilla suggestion, sarah - i did put them in the microwave for 15 sec but didn't use a damp paper towel... maybe that will solve my problem next time, or heating them in a pan might help too - thanks, pinky! :o)

enjoy your weekend and happy friday...

p.s. the scale was down almost another pound this morning - i hope it stays like that til next wednesday!

remember ramen noodles?

sorry about this sucky photo but i just wanted to let you guys know that i tried the new lower-fat and lower-sodium ramen noodles today... besides being cheap (3 for $1), it wasn't bad for a quick lunch but i would definitely add some frozen veggies and/or protein next time... i used the microwave and after 3-minutes, i had a hot lunch and if you're WW counting points - it would be around 4... i also picked-up the beef and shrimp flavors so i'll let you know how they taste... click on the link above for more info... :o)

i made some enchiladas last night (been craving mexican) but they were a disaster! i used corn tortillas, since they're great for oven-baked quesadillas (and only 1 point for 2), but for this recipe - they were crap! they cracked as soon as i put them in the casserole dish! ugh! i made them anyway but can anyone recommend a good but low-point brand of flour tortillas? the lowcarb versions seem mushy to me but maybe i should try the whole wheat or multi-grain kind... any suggestions? :op

happy thursday...

p.s. my scale was down 2-pounds this morning so whoo hooo carrots! :o)

weigh-in

i'm thrilled to report a maintain for this week - i truly feel that i would have seen a small loss had i not gone to my mom's last night for dinner... and had a glass of wine AND some strawberry shortcake for dessert (that's it for the year though!)... either way, i'm just happy that the scale didn't go up again so maybe there's hope at the end of the tunnel after all... i've run twice this week, outside, so that's progress - today was perfect, not too hot and not too sunny... :o)

things have improved a bit since last week - i finally talked to my boss about taking some time off and wouldn't you know the week that i wanted - she's interviewing a potential designer and needs me there... if this person was from DC, i would've had complained but she's out-of-state so her needs come before mine obviously since we REALLY need someone... needless to say, i'm still getting time off next week (minus wednesday) and won't be back in the office until july 1... and then it will be a short week because of the holiday - can't beat that! i haven't made any solid plans besides going to pittsburgh this weekend with eric and then meeting my niece for lunch or dinner on tuesday... eric and i had talked about camping but being it's summer, spots are nonexistent and to just 'get a room' by the beach would cost an arm and a leg... we'll think of something i'm sure... :o)

saturday was my dad's 76th birthday so my brother, his girlfriend, eric, and i made a trip to see him and met up w/my sister and my 2 nieces... we hungout with him for a while, listening to stories from my brother and laughing about all the funny things he used to do when we were young... then we had lunch and an awesome birthday cake (made my moi), with ice cream of course... i'm pretty sure he knew what was going on but it's so hard to tell these days - one moment he's good and the next, he's yelling about something or just plain irritated... welcome to world of dementia but i love him to pieces... :o)

happy hump day...

TGIF

happy friday the 13th indeed... it's been quite the day - between metro problems getting to work, there was a huge power outage downtown so my building was out of commission... i hiked-up 12 flights of stairs to find people waiting in the dark, wondering what was going to happen - we have an off-site office but for someone like me (design) that doesn't do much good... after a quick word w/my boss on the way out, i headed back uptown to hangout with eric though he was in meetings most of the morning... i sat in his office, had my bagel & coffee, and read the latest oprah for the remainder of the morning... by noon, metro was back to normal so i went back home and proceed to go straight to the gym! had a great 60-minute workout on the treadmill - went almost 5 miles and burned almost 600 calories! yay me! :o)

after the gym, i ran to this local thrift store that is absolutely huge - it's a madhouse on the weekends so it was nice to actually look thru things and not be run over by carts or small children... found a cute pair of brown, linen shorts and a pair of brown, leather birkenstocks that amazingly were only $6.99... i also picked-up a nice, nonstick skillet for eric since he never seems to have enough pans in this damn kitchen... as for the rest of my day - i watched some tv to watch the news coverage of tim russert's passing - we're a big fan of his 'meet the press' show on sundays so it's quite a loss for news world as well as the DC area... he was only 58! scary! :o(

weekend plans consist of going out to see my dad tomorrow - it's his birthday and he'll be 76 - hard to believe... we're going to have a pizza-party and then i'm bringing his favorite chocolate cake with peanut butter icing (sort of PA thing)... being the cake is only 9" round - the pieces will have to be small, so that makes me happy - it's bad enough we're having pizza but i certainly don't need to overdo things w/cake and ice cream too... ;o)

and i just want to take a moment to thank all of you that left comments on my post wednesday - i was in such a horrible mood and i know it happens and we've all been thru it, i just hate feeling that way... i hate feeling defeated and letdown but realize, it's part of the process we have to go thru in order to be successful at anything... there will ups and there will be downs, i just thought i was getting pretty good at accepting the downs - maybe not... either way, i'm going to continue and hopefully, my body will respond again and my weight will start going back down - i don't want to starve myself or do something rash because i know that's not THE answer, so i'll also be working on my patience... :o)

have a great weekend, everyone! :o)

p.s. i've thought about getting a trainer but they are rather expensive in my area - i've learned how to switch-up my weight routine every 2-3 months and i also vary my cardio as much as possible... maybe when i get promoted, i can afford something new but not right now...

weigh-in

christ, i can't seem to win lately - i was all high & mighty last week about getting back on plan and counting points, and what happens... i gained .2 pounds this week (i know it's minor but it's still a gain!)... i was doing really well up until saturday and then i bought chips & onion dip for when eric came over... and then because my mom gave me freshly-picked strawberries, i just HAD to make shortcake (because i've had it EVERY strawberry season since i was a kid)... i went to spin class on saturday but then i lost the momentum somewhere - i stopped counting, etc....

it's not THAT hard - i know HOW to do this... i've obviously been successful, or i wouldn't be where i am today, but why does it get harder? it's not like i have a husband, or kids, or work odd hours working against me - i belong to the gym at work and go there 5x week... so why the gain? so why is it bothering me now when a month ago, i could care less? i'm not really expecting answers, i'm just thinking/venting outloud... i've been in a crappy mood for several days and i just can't shake it - i'm tired, i hate my job again, i need a vacation, and i feel like my life is just at a standstill... i know i can work on this stuff but it's like "where do i start first?"... and i'm just tired of thinking in general - my brain needs a time-out...

ugh, i hate feeling like this and i hate complaining, but that's life... sometimes it just sucks for no reason and you just have to deal with it, regardless if you can change anything... ever have one of those days/weeks/months?

happy hump day...

somebody just shoot me

I AM SO TIRED... i hate apartment living, especially after almost 6 years, but what can you do when you can't afford to buy anything in a decent area... my neighbor decided to watch tv/movie around 1:00am and since i'm extremely sensitive to sound, i don't think i went back to sleep til almost 2:30... i have no qualms about banging on the wall/floor/ceiling but couldn't tell if it was next door or below me, so i had to suffer thru it... and since i was wide awake - i realized i was starving so i had a cup'o cereal, in the dark, in my kitchen (why be pissed-off and hungry?)... i need to get some earplugs (only had one!)... as a result, i am in the WORST mood today and to add to my crankiness - my train was offloaded this morning because of 'door' issues... seriously, i feel like packing it in and going home! :o(

the weather has been ungodly hot - mid 90s with the heat index over 100, maybe even closer to 110... i met my friend for lunch yesterday and was surprised to find her at a table outside - this girl hates the heat so i'm not sure what she was thinking... i hate 2 light beers, a normal amount of chips (not my usual 2 baskets-full), and a chicken salad with maybe half the dressing... not bad i thought... i made a pit stop at whole foods prior to meeting her and picked up some walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and natural peanut butter - need to go there more often because their prices were really good! as for the rest of the day, i didn't do ANYthing - it was too damn hot... :o(

saturday, i made it to spin class but there was a new/sub instructor and he sucked - his music sucked and he was very unmotivating... but instead of leaving, i stuck it out for 45 mintues and am glad i did... my mom and i changed our plans, because of the hot weather ,and hit some yard sales instead... i also put in her window a/c unit and did some other odds & ends around the place - always makes me feel good to help since i know she can't do everything by herself... eric came over saturday night and i made chicken lime burgers for dinner (from trader joes) along with a nice salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert (yes, the cake was made from scratch!)... :o)

i'm hoping the rest of my week is better than today so i'm keeping my fingers crossed... at least we're supposed to get a break in the weather by wednesday so that alone will help (i hope anyway)... i so need a nap...

happy monday...

TGIF

i'm happy that this week is almost over, it was rough coming in this morning esp. after having yesterday off but at least it was an easy day... the storms were pretty bad on wednesday, so much so that i had no power from wednesday around 6:00 til sometime yesterday... my home phone didn't work (because i have vonage) and my cellphone's battery had died so in order to have an alarm - i had to go sit in my car for about 20 mintues and let it charge... the parking lot and surrounding area was pitch-black so it was a bit creepy to say the least... yesterday, i had to shower and get ready by candlelight, that was amusing... good thing my shirts and pants matched... ;o)

the retirement party was good - they had it catered so i did the best could considering the choices... had a pulled-pork samich, some boardwalk fries (with vinegar, thank you very much), a tiny spoonful of baked beans, and a big plate of fruit salad... i had a tiny piece of yellow cake too so overall, i think i did really well and yes, i counted every single point! yay me! my brother and i got to spend time w/my dad but only long enough to feed him lunch because then we had to go... we're going back out next weekend though for his 76th birthday - we're going to have pizza and chocolate cake with peanut butter icing - his favorite... :o)

it's going to be a hot one here this weekend, close to 100 sat/sun they say... my plans are to relax tonight and then head to spin-class tomorrow morning - it's been a while so i feel the need to get back into a routine... after that - i have a few things to do for my mom around her house and then we're going to an arts festival which may be a crazy idea considering the weather... heat doesn't bother me as much as the cold but we'll see, i may be kicking myself around 2:00... on sunday, i'm meeting a friend for lunch and we're going for mexican - i'll need to make some healthy choices for sure if i want to see loss next week... :o)

have a good weekend, everyone, and happy friday!

p.s. i updated my blogroll list (sidebar) so you can now see who's in my google reader...

weigh-in

okay, okay, OKAY - I GET IT... the scale should be either staying the same or moving down but not going up each week (.2 pounds)... as much as i've needed to 'doing my own thing' for a while, it's time to regroup and refocus... i don't see what i was doing as bad or throwing in the towel but nonetheless, i seem to be creeping closer to 160 and would rather be closer to 150... i didn't think i could feel the difference but i can (in general, not in my clothes thankfully) so first thing this morning - i logged onto eTools, entered my weight, and started tracking again... so far, so good... :o)

so that is the bad news of the day... the good news is that my boss presented me with an achievement award for doing such an outstanding job on the annual meeting... i certainly wasn't expecting it so that was pretty cool - i hate getting this kind of thing but know i worked my ass off and will putting the check right into my savings account.. she said, "treat yourself to something nice" and my thought was, "i need to get out of here and take a vacation, that's what i REALLY need"... i didn't touch my tax credit money either so this will be a nice addition... i could also use a spa-day so maybe i'll plan on doing that sometime soon... :o)

my bro-in-law retired so the park is having a BBQ/retirement party for him tomorrow... my brother, his g/f, my mom, and i will be going out for the day so it should be fun, as long as the weather cooperates... i would also like to squeeze-in a visit with my dad... they say it will be close to 90 for most of the weekend so summer is definitely coming!

game 6 of the stanley cup is tonight - i'm not a super huge hockey fan but considering the penguins pulled a great win the other night, i feel it is my duty to cheer them on... GO PITTSBURGH! :o)

happy hump day...

more good stuff

for all you fiber one fans out there (that includes myself), i read on hungrygirl.com that they are coming out with two, new flavors... i LOVE their peanut butter ones but they will soon have oats & apple streusel AND oats & strawberries with almonds - sound yummy, right? keep an eye out for 'em in your store and if you happen to pick some up, let us know how they are! :o)

work has been quiet today - boss left around 1:00 so i went to the gym around 2:30, had a good weight-workout, and have been goofing-off ever sense... i know i shouldn't brag (sorry!) but it's nice to not be overwhelmed and stressed-out these days... oh, i did accomplish one thing - i upgraded to Mac OS X Leopard - seems pretty cool so far... still can't believe i've converted to being a mac person, how did that happen... ;o)

happy tuesday...

p.s. congrats to the penquins for winning last night in the 3rd overtime! go pittsburgh! :o)

okay, i feel better

i'm seeing red

so this is the newest thing in my life - meet mr. subconjunctival hemorrhage (sometimes called red eye)... he decided to pay me a visit on saturday morning and i can't, for the life of me, seem to remember inviting him... anyway, it doesn't hurt but it looks awful - my doctor said it will go away on it's own and not to worry about anything... i have to thank eric for taking such a great shot and i'm also giving myself some kudos for that nicely-shaped eyebrow! ;o)

red-eye and all, we did some yardsaling on saturday morning - we had gone to one neighborhood and nothing was set-up but on the way home, we came across another one that was pretty awesome (they even had a map with all the house participating)... love that! i found a cute j.crew skirt and black sweater set for $6, a white cardigan for $2, a small food processor for eric's house for $3 (since his died), some free tupperware containers, AND the bargain of the day - a mini-umbrella for my work bag that cost $.25 cents! yee haa! we met some really nice people and lots of neighborhood cats and dogs that were hanging out... :o)

after that - we ran home, took care of the yard, and then watched the LOST finale in the afternoon since we had some pretty bad rain storms... eric made shrimp scampi for dinner (thank-you darlin, it was yummy!) and then we watched 'knocked-up' saturday night... yesterday, we took the bike to solomons island and back so i can't complain - it was a pretty relaxing weekend... :o)

the weather is nice here today so i plan on getting outside for my hour workout... i'm feeling the need for some sun, warm weather, and a big mood-improvement... i feel like i've been doused in honey and the covered with 'blah' crumbs - not sure why... i'm hoping that going outside will lift my spirits, at least for the rest of the day anyway... :o)

happy monday...