Hmmm...Pinteresting...

I pin a lot. And every now and then, I actually go back and look at what I've pinned, and think, "Wow! That was a good idea! I should do that!" And sometimes, I do. These are some pins that I pinned and actually did. Sometimes they work really well, and sometimes...well, a little tweaking couldn't hurt.


Photo Credit

This is an incredible idea, and I bet someone with any sort of carpentry skills could throw it together in no time. I have no carpentry skills. Thomas has an electric drill, but that's about as far as it goes. I did, however, find a really inexpensive ($10!) pre-made version at Bed Bath & Beyond. I'm "installing" (read: dropping it inside the drawer) tonight. 


Photo Credit

My mom and I took this idea and simplified it even more. We took the kinds of greens we liked, some cherry tomatoes, cheese, and croutons, and layered them in Ziploc bags. Then we rolled the bags, squeezing out the air as we went. They keep for about a week, and all you have to do is dump the contents into a bowl and add dressing. Voila! Single-serve salad! (We add the dressing last, to keep from getting the croutons any soggier than necessary). 

Photo Credit

I don't know who pinned this originally, but I think I hate them. Not because it doesn't work--oh, no! It works alright!--but because it's rendering my single-serve salads moot!! Good Lord, this thing is amazing, and super quick. I can throw one together during a commercial break. I don't add the ice cream, and I'm picking up some baking Truvia, so maybe I won't feel quite so guilty from now on.

Seriously, it's amazing.

And so very dangerous.

Have any of you tried out your pins? Let me know how they turned out by leaving a comment below.

Ode To a String Bikini

I bought a bikini. Not just any bikini, but an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, Victoria's Secret string bikini. In grape.

For the record, I have absolutely no business wearing an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, Victoria's Secret string bikini in any color. Then again, to quote Thomas, "most people don't". Please note that he did not agree with me that I didn't. He's a smart man who wishes to continue breathing.

Honestly, I have no intention of ever wearing this bikini out in public. That's not why I purchased it. For months, I have been less than happy with my physical appearance. I'm not going to say weight, because I'm actually right smack dab in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height. I'm curvy where I'm supposed to be curvy...and, unfortunately, also where I'm not. I've gotten a little lackadaisical in my diet and exercise routine (read: I don't have one--I like to eat popcorn and watch Bar Rescue in the evenings, snuggled up with my hubby and puppy. Sue me.), and I needed a kick in the pants to make myself tone up and slim down a smidgen. Hence, the bikini.

I've always been a flat-tummied, flat-chested dancer with hips and thighs. Most girls "blossom" in their teens. Me? I waited until I was in my late twenties, then freakin' bloomed everywhere overnight. I went from an A to a C, ladies. That's crazy. Oh--and I was still dancing, so that isn't what did it. It was strictly genetics playing a cruel joke. My wedding dress looked awesome (I practically spilled out of it), but we had to move some buttons over. Since then, I've been on a rollercoaster of dress sizes, and have only just, finally, come to realize that I don't need to be the four I've been my whole life. I have embraced the curves, and I think I look kind of hot, if I do say so myself. I'm just also a little cellulite-y and puffy, and I don't like it. I want to be able to put on this bikini, look at myself in the mirror and think: yeah! I can pull this off! Then throw on a pair of shorts over it before I head over to my Mom's pool. My goals are small, y'all.

So, I'm doing something about my situation. I've decided to force myself to exercise thirty minutes a day (which I should be doing, anyway), and I'm eating more fruits and vegetables. If I fill up on those, I can't fill up on my beloved carbs and calories. I've also picked up a skin firming moisturizer to, supposedly, help hide the cellulite (I don't even pretend to hope it will work miracles, but I'll take what I can get), and some self-tanner. It's not much, but it's a start. I'm not dieting. I'm trying to live healthier.

Oh--if I actually get in that bikini, I'll be sure to take a picture...as soon I toss on my shorts and a t-shirt.

Pretty Pumpkin Pasties (and More!)

Happy Halloween Month!!! It's finally here!!! As those of you who've been around the blog for awhile know, I'm a Halloween nut, so for the month of October, AN is dedicated to all these ghostly and ghoulish. Don't worry, though! I run a clean blog, so it'll all be family friendly and totally safe for work (unless notated otherwise). To ease us into the holiday spirit, here's a fun, pumpkin pasty recipe from the folks at Mugglenet. These are not sweet treats, but would be appropriate for lunch after a long morning raking leaves or decorating the yard. Seems that Harry Potter and his little Wizarding World friends enjoyed munching on these, so maybe they'll be a hit with the tiny witches and warlocks in your world. Just look how pretty they can turn out!

 

Photo Credit: Mugglenet

 

There's also a really easy recipe for Butterbeer (that I'm proud to say isn't far off the one I came up with last year) that would go nicely with the pasty, and make the whole meal into a truly festive treat.

 

Of course, if you're like me and love pumpkin but have no time (or talent) for cooking, might I suggest Healty Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli? I've had it a few times, and I have to say, I'm hooked. Plus, it's only 300 calories and chock full of veggies, so it's actually good for you and your waistline. That's the kind of treat I like: the kind with no tricks involved.

 

Something's Gotta Give

I'm on a diet.

I'm bad at it.

This really sucks.

I'm trying to lose about fifteen pounds--enough to have a little more wiggle room in my skinny jeans, and a little less wiggle under my chin. As of this writing, I've been working on it for about a month, and have made zero progress. Just so you can understand how frustrating this is, here's a list of the life changes I've made in a month:

*I no longer drink soft drinks, save for the one I had at the movies when there was no alternative, and the diet coke I had with a salad. My only other option, at the time, was sweet tea. I went with the lesser of the two evils. Instead of soft drinks, I'm drinking bottles (plural) of water with calorie-free flavoring. I'm also downing a bottle of diet green tea per day.

*I've changed my snacking habits. I now eat two servings of fresh fruit as a mid-day snack. In the evenings, I either munch on popcorn (low-cal) or graham crackers with an itty-bitty bit of marshmallow fluff (low-cal. Empty calories, granted, but very few), or if desperate, one of those atrocious Fiber One brownies. I've cheated a grand total of three times in the past month, and never wildly.

*I've all but abandoned Starbucks. In the past month, I've been there twice. I now drink home-brewed coffee with Splenda and a little non-dairy creamer. One cup per day.

*Chicken fingers barely exist. I now get the no-finger salad when we go to the local heavenly chicken finger joint. If we have to go to the chain restaurant, Thomas and I split a meal, and I eat two fingers. I'm slowly curbing my addiction. I'm also cooking more at home, and watching serving sizes to keep everything around 400 calories.

*I have a smoothie place reward card, and there are even punches on it. It's attached to the heavenly chicken finger joint, so that's really saying something.

*There is no junk food in my house. The last of the ice cream went out yesterday. The worst thing in the pantry is a box of Little Debbie Apple Flips, and they're not that bad.

*I do sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and trampoline jogging at least twice a week--most of the time more, and walk two miles at least once, sometimes twice, per week. I'm beginning to stretch in the evenings while I'm watching TV.

*Out of desperation, I've even tried a fat burner and a very gentle two-week cleanse. There have been no side effects other than increased energy, so I'm keeping them up, but I can't swear they've done anything.

So, now I'm really making sure I don't cheat. 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet (love that name, by the way) suggests keeping a calendar, and using a sticker to mark off each day that you eat right, do all your exercising, and stick to your plan. At the end of a full month of stickers, you can treat yourself to a little happy, like a lipgloss, something cute to wear, new lingerie (oh, good Lord...that's more than a month!), or a massage. Another sweet visual reminder is this thermometer, that lets you tick off how much you've lost. My calendar is already on my fridge, so I may print this out and tack it up next to it for a little extra motivation.

Now, I know I'm not the only one out there in this situation. What are you guys doing to shed a few unwanted pounds? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

It's the Holiday Season!

So, Whoopty Doo and Dickory Dock!  Welcome back!  It's time for the Holiday Sing-Along!  EVERYBODY!!!

On Thanksgiving Weekend, the cosmos sent to me:
12 a.m online sales
11 mile-long lines
10 missed parking spaces
9 extra feet of garland
8 days of leftovers
7 trips to Walmart
6 lost tracking numbers
FIVE EXTRA POUNDS!!!!
4 Egg Nog lattes
3 freebie totebags
2 broken ornaments
And a pneumonic parakeet!


Alright, alright!  I admit it!  I exaggerated a bit.  There were only two Egg Nog lattes and one broken ornament, but that didn't fit the song!  The rest is pretty much spot-on, though.  I stayed up until slightly after midnight Black Friday to place my Victoria's Secret online order.  The Sephora order went through a little after 2:30 am.  I live directly across the street from the mall, so I could watch the crazies line up at Toys 'R' Us and Best Buy starting around 6:30 pm Thanksgiving.  They came with all manner of tents, chairs, port-a-potties (seriously)...you name it.  I could almost understand lining up that early for Toys 'R' Us, since they opened at 10 pm, but Best Buy wasn't opening for almost twelve hours.  That's insane, especially considering the sales there, and at most places, were pretty weak this year.  At least, they were around here.  Sure, you could get a Wii game for $20, but only one that was regularly priced at $20.  Disappointed.  Did anybody score anything really amazing?  If so, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

If nothing else, the tree is up and the house is decorated, although the downstair's lack of wall decor is really noticeable now.  The presents are all bought and wrapped, and I almost feel like I can exhale.  I think I'll feel better next Thursday after my Christmas gig.  I'm the musical entertainment for a charity silent auction.  It should be fun, but it's been...interesting so far.  They don't have a playable piano, so I can't have live accompaniment, which left me looking for karaoke tapes.  It's a workable solution, but not necessarily my preferred option.  Sure, I'd love to sing "O Holy Night", but not necessarily in the style of Avril Lavigne (yes, that exists).  Luckily, Thomas found some more traditional downloads for me on Amazon.  Now, I just have to figure out the best way to play them and practice, practice, practice. 

Lastly, the bird is okay.  Rufus (you may remember the last time he was ill) decided to give us all a scare and stop moving, so we spent Saturday afternoon in the animal E.R.  $200 and a very tiny X-ray later, we learned that he has a touch of pneumonia.  So now, I get to wrangle him, wrap him in a towel, and force-feed liver flavored drops to him twice a day.  Thomas keeps telling him we're going to try waterboarding him next. 

So yeah, throw in a couple of trips to Mom's house and a few loads of laundry and you have my Thanksgiving weekend.  How was it for you guys? 

In other news, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a darn good movie.  Granted, there are plot holes you could drive a truck through, but I'm fairly sure all will be resolved in the second part.  There are also enough scares and surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end.  Just try to avoid having a small child with a loud voice and inattentive mother sitting behind you.  I learned all sorts of neat things from the one behind me.  Things like:  what was going to happen in the next scene, the results of his trip to the bathroom, and (my favorite) that the vision in his left eye was better than vision in his right.  *head desk*

Lastly, if you're like me and gained a ton of weight over the weekend (and before, but let's blame the turkey, shall we?), I can actually recommend a fast food salad that doesn't suck and won't exacerbate the problem.  Wendy's BLT Cobb is amazing.  A (generous!) half-portion will run you about $3.99, and comes with spring mix lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese crumbles, egg, applewood smoked bacon, and grilled chicken.  There's also a wonderful avacado ranch dressing on the side, but I enjoyed it without.  230 calories and 13 grams of fat without dressing.  340 calories and 23 grams of fat with.  To give you some perspective on this, a slim-fast drink contains between 170 and 190 calories, and I normally need to add a 100 calorie cheese stick to it to get me by for an hour or two.  This salad has kept me full for almost three hours, and I really only want a light snack.  A half-cup serving of sweet potatoes with all the fixings (no idea how many calories!) only killed my hunger for about 30 minutes.  That's something to think about.