Cleanse Day 7 & 8

The finish line is close.

Monday I did good for breakfast and lunch, ran 2 1/2 miles then went to Amber's for Family Dinner.

She made roasted Brussels sprouts with a garlic aioli and some goat cheese with multi grain crackers. I tried the aioli (it's basically oil and cheese) and had a little of the goat cheese because it's my favorite.

She made Caprese salad ( I had mine without the mozzarella, a pretty big deal for me I know) and stuffed peppers with couscous, mushrooms, sausage and some goat cheese, with a side of roasted green beans and bacon (no bacon for me).

For dessert, key lime pie and decaf coffee (aka another glass of water :) )

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Day 8 and only 2 more fiber drinks left. I'm feeling great, no more headaches.

I did have a bit of a meltdown today though. Last Saturday I was at Target and decided it was time to buy a Blu Ray player (my DVD player had recently bit the dust)(and then started working again) so I bought one, and she told me I wouldn't need to plug it into the internet (she lied) I took it back an hour later to exchange for one with wi-fi, and bought an HDMI cord. Only to remember, the reason I returned my Apple TV, because I only have 1 HDMI port on my TV.

So then I bought an HDMI switcher, so I could plug it into the TV and the Blu Ray and Dish into the switcher. Well the switcher did not come with a way to connect it to the TV. So now I either buy another HDMI cord, a new TV or chalk it up as a loss and return everything.

Technology hates me. Or I have yet to understand it.

xo A

Cleanse Day 6

I had a lame breakfast (because it's the weekend and I was supposed to play volleyball but everyone cancelled) so I'm just going to eat lunch a little early and do a workout video.

I went to the grocery store to re stock up. More fruits! I think I need to go every 4-5 days instead of for the whole week, because I have these really big ideas about meal plans, but then they make more then what I scheduled, and food goes bad (aka mushrooms)(and lettuce and because salads kind of get old).

I also realized I can totally continue eating "cleaner" I just need to start making my own bread. Because, that really all I want in life right now. Is bread. And maybe a glass of milk. Ohmygosh I miss cheese too (I can actually have milk and low fat cheese in moderation)(low fat anything just doesn't sound great) and I mean I can do it, not eat things for 10 days, I've also had no alcohol and that hasn't been as hard... I'm rambling

For supper I made my go to Lemon Pepper Shrimp with Orzo, minus the butter. And some lemon water.

       

 Cherries. So good. And on sale.

xo A

Cleanse day 5

I just want bread.

An entire loaf of Italian bread, or a baguette. Thinking about it is making me hungry.

Jacs and I went to the beach today in Boca Grande. Lots of water, we ate at an Italian place, we both got pizza no cheese. I had pepperoni sausage and veggies, so I suppose the pepperoni is technically cheating...well and probably the crust, but it was whole grain...

I made a homemade pizza on a whole wheat tortilla for supper, sausage, peppers, and tomatoes. I had mushrooms too but apparently they went south, and smelled horrible.

Another 3 mile run today :)

xo A

Cleanse Day 4

I need new lunches to take to work. Salads are boring and I need real breakfast.

Headaches are still a real thing, but not as bad anymore, I've hit the what, 4 day hump...

Today for hall day a few friends invited me to drink and paint. It was a lot of fun, but now that it's home, it looks really weird. Like not palm trees.

The whole group of people at the session

       

Anne, Jaclyn and I

                                       

I really like my sky. But pretty much looks like sticks...

                                                 

Thanks for the photos Jacs!

xo A

And ps. I didn't drink

Cleanse Day 3

Last day of fiber drink until Day 7 woo hoo! 

Mango and blueberries in my oatmeal today, spectacular. Some honey and cinnamon hit the spot.

Lunch, salad with chicken and lots of veggies, some leftover mango.

For supper, this lovely thing. (That's chicken and vegetables) and a nasty headache that won't go away.

        

 

Let's play some volleyball and go to bed early! (Said no one ever)

xo A

Cleanse Day 2

Today I paced myself on the water, and was much more productive, I think my body was probably in less shock thinking I was trying to drown it. I'm still ending the day +9

I almost threw up the fiber drink. But only because I was drinking too fast and added too much water. Breakfast was a win! I added cinnamon and honey today and a little extra water, it was too sticky yesterday.

                                             

Lunch, also uneventful, except I added leftover turkey burger (is that really what you call it because it's not in the form of a burger...nor would I really consider it burger...I just feel weird calling it turkey. Makes me think of thanksgiving).

Apple for a snack

I had leftovers for supper because I was too hungry to wait for the sweet potatoes to cook, so they're done for tomorrow at least. I did learn how to cut a mango the proper way though (hint: not like an avocado) (if you're wondering, yes, one time at work I tried to cut a mango like an avocado and everyone at the table watched me struggle and laughed at me, not with me, because I was not laughing. It was awful. And sticky)

Cut down the sides AROUND the pit

       

Then score the fruit (like you would an avocado)

       

And scoop out with a spoon. Genius I tell you.

       

This mango comes to me via a friends' neighbors' mango tree. Absolutely delicious.

xo A

Cleanse Day 1

I've never done a cleanse before so I don't really know what to expect today was uneventful

Had a fiber drink

Had a nasty breakfast. Oatmeal without sugar is horrendous. Nor does it look great, the bananas and blueberries were my saving grace.

                                               

I had about 5 glasses of water by lunch time and my uneventful salad, so much in fact that I was borderline unproductive with the amount of times I had to pee.

For supper I made whole wheat pasta, sauce and turkey burger with green beans and obviously a water.

       

Then I ran 3 FULL miles without stopping (except to tie my shoe) ( but not fake "I need to tie my shoe") which is a big accomplishment for me because usually I've been running intervals (and even at the Disney 5K we stopped to take photos) so, big win for me today.

Stay tuned,

xo A

Side note

I know I've talked about this before, but I hate when you buy groceries and you spend the time to pick out the best produce and it gets put at the bottom of the bag and smushed. I lost a banana this morning due to it being punctured by something else in my bag.  Sometimes I'd like to offer to bag them myself, but that sounds rude.

I read an article about how we need to be in the sun more and use less sunscreen. Huh. Very confusing as opposed to everything you've ever heard about sun exposure and sunscreen.  I think I'll stick with my 30 SPF.  http://www.realfarmacy.com/scientists-blow-the-lid-on-cancer-sunscreen-myth/

I've been missing something in my life and until Saturday, I didn't know it.

The library! Call me a nerd, but I love a good library and a good book. Thunderstorms and rain make it even better.

                                             

Magazines and going on holiday

                                    

International text messaging rates, are a real thing. And yes. They're a little expensive. However I recommend if you go on holiday and plan on meeting a tall handsome stranger that is from London, that constantly compliments your eyes, refuses to talk about Harry Potter, and plays football on the side; you should download WhatsApp and text messaging rates do not apply. [This is strictly all hypothetical of course ;) ]

So, today I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. I made a meal plan for the week and went grocery shopping and bought mainly all produce. And a few odds and ends.  I am cutting out (aka significantly reducing) dairy, processed foods, sugar...all the not good things for you. The first 10 days are a cleanse (read: ridding my body of toxins)

I guess this is what cleansing looks like:

      

Hint: it's going pretty well so far!

xo A

Bags vs. Sacks

It's not reallly quite school supply season. And there are hardly any ads about going back to college, so I'm not depressed like I usually get that I don't get to go school supply shopping. However, I did yesterday. At work we are having a school supply drive for Lee County Schools. (Why do they call it a drive? It's a box placed in the lobby that you put your things in..has anyone else wondered that? No one has to drive, it's not like a drive-thru...Do other people wonder it but not want to say anything for fear of looking silly? We may never know).

It's one of those things where, growing up we always used to fill a school bag for church to give to (well I don't actually know who got it, but the fact is they were giving it to someone in need) so I decided before all the good folders and notebooks got picked over, I'd buy my bag.

Well then I got to the store and they had Frozen folders, and One Direction, and awesome patterned ones. That I got really overwhelmed and just bought normal ones. If i knew "Lucy" was getting it, I would have gotten amazing colors and sweet pens (because I know girls care about that stuff and 99% of boys don't) but since I was unsure I went bright normal colors instead.

       

A part of me wants to make a sweet drawing in every notebook, buts face it, I'm not that great at drawing, and most kids probably wouldn't find me funny.

Have you filled your bag?

xo A

Crates on crates

So here are the crates I painted for the nursery, they didn't take too long, but it was too hot to paint outside so all of it happened in my dining room. And smelled like paint a long time. And when i say it didn't take long to paint them, i mean it didn't take a long time to do the actual painting, it took longer for the motivation to paint them (a mama in labor is good motivation). And when I say it didn't take long to do the actual painting, that's also a lie, it did. Apparently I only own one foam brush so I had to wash out and dry in between each color. But I did watch a lot of Scandal during the process. I would include more pictures, but it's pretty self explanatory and I can't find all the pictures because they are on 3 different devices...

I just bought unfinished wood crates from Home Depot, shipped right to my house, (the ultimate lazy shopper) and used leftover white primer paint from the wall stripes to paint the outside.

     

Then I used the colors I painted the boards with...

     

And painted the inside of each one. And as you'll notice the whites smudged a little, so I just had to go over some parts again. What took so long was the 2 coats of everything, and the running out of yellow paint half way through.

                                             

All 4 complete!

      

Quick and easy storage. I think when she gets older, they will throw some screws in them so they are more stable and don't fall over, because right now they're just stacked.

     

xo A

Seeing stripes

Ahhhh so I did this so long ago and I realized I forgot to share. I almost forgot how long it took to tape, and thought I was going to do my hallway stripes (I have since decided not to)

Before:

       

In taping process, I only included this one because I had to tape off the floor boards and the ceiling crown molding...

                                               

Taping off the accent wall (I didn't prime the top with white because I was painting it grey anyway)

     

Corners are such a pain

                                             

:) complete!

       

And just in time for this little nugget to be born! (A friend of mine just had a baby and I volunteered to paint the nursery, I suppose I should have mentioned that at the beginning....)

                                      

Baby Malia :)

                                      

All decorated!

       

Do the signs look familiar? I made those in January 

       

The crates are a post for another day...

       

She's such a sweetie

                         

Happy Painting

xo A

One month

It has been one month since something crazy has happened in my life for me to write about.

That's a lie. I've just been really busy at work and at play, dropping phones, learning how to use an iPhone, cooking, volleyball.

I mean let's be real, when you read this, you want good quality stories right? 

Not, I went to volleyball tonight.

I've been kind of waiting for "that" moment to know when I should start writing again, and it happened yesterday.

The mail. I talk about it a lot, I love getting mail, I love sending mail, I love ordering things online and receiving them in the mail.

Yesterday was the jackpot of mail. I got a big white Manila envelope and I was so excited, I almost missed the rest of the mail. Mostly junk. But then I saw the one

"Important information enclosed"

"Penalty for tampering"

"Warning there is a $2000 fine or 5 years imprisonment or both for any person obstructing or interfering with the delivery of this letter."

My heart sunk I almost started crying, words were said out loud. I was certain I was being audited. The letter came close to this time a few years ago. I almost didn't open it. And then I did.

                                 

Trying to get me to sell my car. People really know how to scare a lady. So official looking for junk mail.

Then I realized I actually had good mail in that Manila envelope. False. T Rowe Price things they are fancy with my 401K and that I care to read the 30 page booklet they sent.

Hope your mail is better than mine.

xo A