not for the squeamish

in prep for my vacation next week, i went for a bikini wax after work - i don't do this sort of thing on a regular basis but it's nice not to have to worry about shaving 'down there' while at the beach... anyway, there's a nail place on my way to the metro so i stopped by and the woman took me right away... i'm not shy when it comes to things like this, so hiking up my skirt and having a stranger wrap paper towels around my underwear isn't a big deal... i mean really, how many of these do you think she does in a day/week/month? anyway, it seemed to be going well and she even used the tweezers to catch any stragglers so i thought that was a good sign... 10-minutes later, she was done, and i was smooth as a baby's bottom... :o)

when i got to my car at the metro station, i did a quick check and low and behold - she had missed quite a bit plus it was uneven! WTF! i paid $35 for this uneven mess? i knew i should've checked before i left but no, i just wanted to pay, and be on my merry way... so being that i'm a perfectionist - i ran to the store and grabbed a wax kit to "fix" what she had missed... besides it not working very well, it really hurt so i had to rely on the old tweezers... now i'm sore but at least even on both sides now... moral of the story - when you go for a bikini wax, make sure the right side matches the left side... ;o)

happy hump day...

p.s. i only watched some of how to look good naked because i was watching the DNC...

5 more days

just a quick post to say hello... not much has been going on so i don't feel the need to post every day... my weekend was good - productive on sunday for sure, getting things ready for our camping trip and doing the usual chores (laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.)... eric worked on his truck pretty much all day sat AND sunday so it was just me and the kitties pretty much... the transfer of zoe, back to my sister, went well - i haven't heard from her since so i hope the adjustment is going okay... we had lunch at the olive garden (my sisters fav place) and i had salad, 2 breadsticks, soup, and NO desssert... we also stopped at the outlets for a bit - i wanted to run into the Coleman store but they're going-out-of-business o not much was left... i did grab a cute mini-totebag and some new sandals at LL Bean though, and that was it for my shopping adventure... eric and i have much to do this saturday so i've been adding things daily to "the list" as i think of things we'll need... luckily, the campground is only a few miles from town so if we DID need something, we can go get it but it's nice to have as much as we can, packed and ready to go... I'M SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT... :o)

food/exercise has been okay - i went to spin class on saturday and had a great workout... the class was packed and even though i was there 10 minutes after the gym opened, the list was half-full and all the good bikes were reserved... i still had a good class though - love it when the instructor is fun and plays good music! food-wise i could could be doing a lot better and i can definitely feel it, but i'm not going to worry about it esp. a week before vacation... it's not like i'm eating terrible or anything but there's been some sour cream & onion chips, an ice cream samich, peanut butter cups, etc. that could've been avoided... such is life... i still have yet to read those books that i bought a few weeks back so i'm going to dive into those as soon as i get back (they are NOT appropriate beach-reading)... :o)

happy tuesday...

p.s. don't forget --> how to look good naked is on tonight! ;o)

TGIF

sorry that i haven't posted since monday, not much has been going on that seemed blog-worthy but since it's friday, i thought i should stop by and at least say hello... work has been quiet but busy - the new designer starts on monday and i'm VERY excited because that means a lot of the upcoming work will be split among 3 of us, instead of just 2... i'm also looking forward to the upcoming evaluation process since i'm up for a promotion - my boss has told me time and time again that i will be promoted, once our dept. is fully staffed again, so i'll have my list ready when it comes time for my review... :o)

speaking of work, my company has formed a 'green team' to help make the office more environmentally friendly... we've done some small things like swap paper products for recycled, add more recycle bins for newspaper and mixed-paper, etc. but we're hoping to do more like install filters for our water so we can cut-back on delivery service... an e-newsletter is in the works for next month and this is the banner i came up with... i enjoy working on fun projects like this since i can have more creative freedom, hopefully the newsletter will be something i can add to my portfolio... :o)



speaking of creative things, i've run across some nicely designed websites and thought i would share...

—www.giant.com --> grocery store (md/va) that has revamped their logo and website - love it!
—www.labelwatch.com --> compare ingredients, products, and all sorts of stuff
—www.sparkrecipes.com --> tons of well-organized recipes or calculate your own
—www.danispies.com --> a great food & recipe-related blog with amazing photos

my weekend plans are rather minimal at this point... eric is having "the boys" over at his place so i'll be solo tonight - no biggie, i have a list of some camping stuff i need to buy so i'll be shopping after work... tomorrow, i'm going to hit the gym for spinning and then i'm meeting my sister for lunch and returning zoe (her cat that i've been cat-sitting)... she is worried about taking her to the new house because (1) it's still not done and (2) her hubby is being an ass and has a new rule of "no pets in the house"... their other cat, oreo, has been missing since they left for vacation - he either got eaten by a coyote (which have been spotted where they live) or he wandered off and someone took him... anyway, i'll be sad to see zoe go because i think max has enjoyed having the company but i'll be very happy to have less hair on my carpet... as of now, i have no plans for sunday and will probably head over to eric's... :o)

have a great weekend everyone... :o)

where i spend my day

hope you guys had a lovely weekend - i don't know about you but the weather in MD was gorgeous... i just HOPE that it stays like this for our vacation, which as of today is only 13 days away... god, it can't get here soon enough... anyway, saturday was fun - i got my haircut (very short) and then spent the day w/my mom yard saling... i'm wearing one of my big purchases as we speak: a brand-new, banana republic pencil skirt, with the tags still on --> only 50 cents! from there, we stopped by to see my brother and his g/f and then grabbed some dinner... saturday night, i stayed home and watched both the redskins game (GO SKINS!) and the olympics - i think i may have shed a tear when michael phelps won his last gold medal... how exciting! :o)

yesterday, i had a nice sleep-in considering i had not one, not two, but all THREE cats at my apartment... at one point, though for not very long, they were all on my bed which was very cute... later in the day, i headed over to eric's and we watched some of the race, checked on the garden, made dinner, watched 2 episodes of 'long way down', and then watched 'the notebook'... man, i forgot what a tear-jerker of a movie that was! even eric wiped away a few... ;o)

work was busy today - got another research pub to work on so most of the day was spent formatting charts and tables... i did make a point to get to the gym and had a good 30-minute workout on the elliptical so at least i gave my eyes a break... i'm in the process of sauteing some chicken for my salads this week and then it's off to watch some of the olympics...

anyhoo, thought i'd share some pics of our yummy dinner last night, my walk to work this morning, and what my office looks like... since i've been blogging for over 3 years, i figured some of you may be curious to see where i spend my days... enjoy! :o)

pizza with homemade sauce and veggies/herbs from our garden


eric's contribution to dinner


DC is the first city in the US to have the SmartBikes ($40/year and you can use them for 3-hours a day)


i can't wait for this man to move out!


this is my office door - can you tell i like cats?


this is my desk - notice the organized but cluttered bulletin board


other side of my office with framed watercolors i painted


my nieces love to contribute to my alien collection


my nieces also give me their 'extra' barbies


view from my office window


here's me looking studious with glasses and new hairdo

gimme some mustard

quick post since i have a full-day ahead of me, eric just left and will be going on his solo-bike adventure today... yea, i'm a bit jealous that i won't be going with him but i know he enjoys doing stuff like this - can't be tied at the hip ALL the time... the weather is going to be perfect today too so who can pass that up... anyway, we had fun at the fair last night - i achieved the two things i wanted too - getting a corn dog and visiting the animals... yea, i'm a country-girl at heart - what can i say... enjoy... :o)

what does your favorite color say about you?

so i found this online color-based personality test and thought i would give it a try (it's free)... no surprise at my results, see below... :o)

Best Occupational Category
You're a CREATOR
Key Words: Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature. Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.

###

my week has been okay, nothing great, nothing bad, and sort of middle-of-the-road... i DID have to work on my annual evaluation, which is always fun, but i completed it this morning and sent it back to my boss... yesterday, she told me that her boss gave me a compliment after a senior staff meeting - something about how impressed he was with what i had to say (about the annual report stuff) and that i should speak up more... d'uh, nothing new there - i'm so NOT a talker in meetings but i guess i need to work on that... ;o)

tonight i'm taking a girlfriend out to dinner for her birthday, we're going to this great italian place so i'm looking forward to that... tomorrow night, eric and i will be going to the fair and watching the demolition derby - yea, sounds a bit hokey but i think it will be a lot of fun... i haven't been to one of those since high school! scary! saturday, i have a hair appt. and then i'll be spending the day with my mom - should be fun since there will be arts/crafts and multiple yard sales involved... and as for sunday, no plans as of yet - i believe my sister will be back from vacation so maybe i'll be taking zoe back to her... ;o)

hope you're all having a great week... happy thursday...

go USA!

had a nice weekend though we were on the road friday, saturday, and then sunday - the weather was gorgeous, almost chilly at night, so it made for great sleeping... we didn't get to my sister's cabin until after 11 on friday night - we were both exhausted so we were in bed rather quickly... saturday morning, we went for an hour+ hike and this time i actually saw some wildlife (unlike last time), two deer were running thru the woods and crossed in front of us... i made blueberry pancakes for breakfast (eric was rather impressed) and then we headed over to my dad's... it was one of his 'good' days so that made me happy - he was talking a lot (about bricklaying) and pretty awake so the visit was well worth it... i left the nurses some homemade zucchini bread, i hope they liked it... :o)

from there, we headed to eric's parents and then soon after we arrived - we were back in their van, heading to dinner... his mom didn't feel like cooking so we grabbed something to eat at this nice golf-course restaurant... as for the rest of the evening, we were able to watch 3 different fireworks shows from their side porch - not bad for living in the boondocks of pittsburgh... sunday morning, we did some things around the house, moved the cows to a different field, hooked up the trailer, loaded a recliner for his sister, and hit the road (after picking blackberries and blueberries)... we were home by 7:30 and then i was back in the car, heading to target so i could buy school supplies for the charity we were supporting at work... $74 later (huh?), i was finally home and done for the night... oh yea, i froze 3 gallon-size bags of tomatoes - i soon won't be able to get anything else in my freezer! since i was wide awake - i watched some of the olympics and feel so lucky to have seen the men's relay team win the gold medal... that was the most awesome relay to watch - i was so happy that i screamed (sorry neighbors!)... :o)

my boss was out of the office today so it was pretty quiet... i went for a nice jog on the mall and wore my new running skirt - not sure if i like it or not, the biker shorts (underneath) kept riding up... perhaps if i had a polyester-blend instead of cotton it would work better? any recommendations? i bought it online so maybe i should stick to buying things in the store next time... ;o)

well, it's time to get back to the olympics - see below for some new pics... enjoy! :o)

TGIF

happy friday indeed! i'm so looking forward to this weekend since the weather will be much cooler but i'm not looking forward to being away from home, again... eric and i are headed to the cabin tonight and then plan on spending some time w/my dad tomorrow... after that, we're going back up to pittsburgh so he can bring back the motorcycle trailer - should be a slow ride home that's for sure (even slower if the bike was actually ON it)... so yes, i will be gone yet again but at least i have the next 3 weekends to look forward too (and then we leave for the beach!)... 23 MORE DAYS! :o)

i forgot to mention that i tried the 3rd new flavor of yoplait this week - pineapple upside down cake - and boy was it delicious... i really thought that it would be my least favorite but i have to say, it's top on my list - there were lots of pineapple chunks and it had a great flavor... i highly recommend trying them all... i also saw an ad for a new flavor of WW's yogurt - boston creme pie (which they stole from yoplait i'm sure) - has anyone tried that one? for 1 point - it's makes a great afternoon snack... :o)

i think it's been a while since i've shared some of my new, favorite websites so here's what i've been reading lately... enjoy!

—the martha blog - always something tasty and beautiful to see here
—team sugar - here you can customize your articles by interests
—natalie dee - hilarious comics with a twisted sense of humor
—kath eats real food - after losing 30 pounds, kath decides to go back to school to become a registered dietitian and shares some great photos and recipes
—vita juice daily - a nice looking site with a lot of great links
—food network addict - if you love this channel like me then you will love this site!

have a wonderful weekend everyone... :o)

weigh-in

well, it has been 4-weeks since i officially stopped counting points and i told myself that i would not be stepping on the scale every week... i succeeded in that department and have to admit it's been really nice not worrying about what number was showing up and/or how it was going to affect my day... my goal was to concentrate on HOW i was feeling instead of having the scale TELL me how i was feeling, if that makes any sense... all my clothes are still fitting and though i need to work harder in the cardio dept (who doesn't?), for the most part - i'm doing rather well... and like i said yesterday, july was very busy for me and being away every weekend certainly didn't help things - my goal for august is to get back on a normal schedule... anyway, onto the results... :o)

july 9: 157.2
august 6: 157.8
result: +.6

since i had forgotten my last weigh-in number - i have to admit that i freaked out just a little when i saw that number this morning... my first thought was, "what i have done? am i really going to be able to not keep track AND maintain my weight?" but then i took a deep breath and remembered why i was doing this... after 3 years of slowly losing and then basically maintaining for the last few months - i really wanted to focus on the me of today... would i love myself more if lost 10 more pounds? no, because i would be the same person that i am right now but with a new wardrobe... :o)

last nights how to look good naked really hit home to me because it showed how easy it was to let something like thigh-size or hip-size be a distraction from your daily life... how many of us chose not to go out because of how we looked, or chose not to buy a new outfit because it wasn't the 'ideal' size? does anyone really notice? does anyone really care? and the answer to that, my friends, is no but it's all on how you CHOSE to view things... are those things WORTH worrying about and stopping you from doing things you love? how much TIME have you wasted worrying about cellulite when in reality - most of women have it! again, i'm just expressing my opinion in hopes that others will realize there's more to life than what the tape measure may be saying... feel free to chime-in on this conversation... :o)

regarding yesterday's 5:00 meeting - i can't really say it went well because the president basically said he didn't like my design... he REALLY likes last years and granted - it's a good design but my goal was to freshen it up, add more color, and NOT have it be identical... i have to remember that he's the client and though i almost burst into tears - i tried my best to not take it personally... after the meeting, my boss said he came up to her and expressed concern about how his reaction might've sounded... io know where he's coming from but it just makes me so mad when i try to improve on something, and it ends up being nixed... anyway, i now have to rework my design and show him something when he gets back from vacation - at least i have a few weeks... :op

since i missed my pilates class, i had some extra time when i got home so i made stuffed tomatoes, from our garden, as well as another batch of pesto... i must have 6 containers in my freezer and i'm sure there will be more before summer's over - i don't mind because i LOVE it... see photos below... :o)

stuffed tomatoes with ground turkey, onion, green pepper, yellow squash, a dallop of goat cheese in the middle, and some breadcrumbs ontop... totally yummy!



another basil leaf from my herb garden...



happy hump day...

are you kidding

ugh, i am so pissed right now! i have to go to a meeting at 5:00! who has meetings after 5:00 besides the damn president (whom the meeting is with but still)... now i'm going to miss my pilates class and i was SO looking forward to it... seems i really overdid things on sunday when i was over at eric's - i weeded all the flowerbeds in the backyard AND mowed the grass... i'm not sure how long i was out there but probably a few hours and man are my legs, arms, and neck sore (so much i didn't go to the gym yesterday or today)... i need to learn to take things easy but it felt so good to be outside and getting some exercise... i hope i feel better by tomorrow, that's all i have to say... and i hope the president likes my annual report designs or i'll really be pissed... :-P

sorry, just had to rant there for a second... deep breath... okay, moving on... my weekend was good - i was able to do a lot of R&R which was nice and very much needed... friday night, eric and i got hooked on this documentary staring ewan mcgregor and a friend of his called 'long way around'... they rode their motorcycles from london, thru eastern europe/asia, over to alaska, thru the U.S., and then ended the trip in NYC... it was an amazing story and really fun to watch so if you're into riding, i think you'd enjoy it... :o)

on saturday morning, eric and i went for a long walk - he doesn't go with me very often so i was very happy when he said, "i'll come with you"... it was a cool and sort of drizzling so it was the perfect weather for exercising... after that, i had breakfast, did some laundry, and then relaxed until the mid-afternoon when we went to see his nephew play in a soccer tournament... the weather turned ugly and we got rained on (and the bike) but all was well when it was time to go home... for dinner - we tried out a salvadorian/tex-mex restaurant and it was really good (no fried ice cream though)... entertainment was 'lifeforce' (sucked) and 'hellboy' (pretty good)... :o)

on sunday, as mentioned above - i was miss backyard gardener for most of the day... we watched some of the nascar race and then some of the skins/colts game later but other than that - it was another chill day for me... i froze about 4 quarts of tomatoes and they're still coming-in, so i think i'll have plenty for making sauce and salsa... we had burgers on the grill for dinner and a nice salad - dessert was light coffee ice cream... yummy! :o)

since i won't be going to class tonight, that gives me more time to work on stuffed tomatoes for dinner... i've already had cherry tomatoes and mozzarella for lunch so i'll probably turn into one very soon... i haven't been on the scale in weeks but since tomorrow will be one month since officially 'not-dieting' - i'm going to see where i am... i know i've gained a pound or two but nothing major - my clothes are still fitting so i think i'm doing okay... july was very busy for me and i was away every weekend, so being home more will definitely help in the food-department... now if i could just get my workout schedule back to normal, i'd feel much better... stay tuned... :o)

happy tuesday...

TGIF

happy friday, everyone! i just got done with lunch (tuna/bean/veggie pita and yogurt) and i was thrilled to find the 3 new flavors of yoplait last night in my grocery store (discussed here)... i brought the strawberry shortcake today and though it was very tasty - it was heavier on the strawberry than shortcake, if you know what i mean... anyway, i can't wait to try the pineapple and raspberry cheesecake so stay tuned! ;o)

i received an email yesterday, asking if i would be interested in reviewing a new book by wendy chant, who's a nutrition & fitness expert (view her website here)... the book is called Crack The Fat-Loss Code: Outsmart Your Metabolism and Conquer the Diet Plateau and since i'm not really following a weightloss plan - i was hesitant about saying yes... i replied back to the publicist and explained my situation, and she said she'd love to have a different perspective, regardless of what plan i was or wasn't doing... who knows - maybe i'll learn a thing or two, so stayed tuned for that review as well... :o )

my weekend plans are pretty open, as of right now anyway... eric and i may go see his nephew's soccer game tomorrow and if so - i hope we can sneak-in dinner afterwards in annapolis... we went to this great place on the water last year and their crabs are awesome - haven't had any this year and time's running out... other than that - we have 2 movies to watch ('hellboy' and 'lifeforce') and that's it... sounds wonderful, right? oh, i have a LOT of tomatoes to freeze, so they can be canned at a later time, but that's not really 'work'... i will also be bringing both cats to eric's this weekend so i hope it works out - i'm hoping with his bigger place and us being around more, norman won't be so fixated on zoe... wish me luck! :o)

have a great weekend and happy friday...