Hello Monday!

 
  Good Afternoon!  I hope you are well rested and ready for the upcoming week like I am, Not!
Hubby and I had a fabulous, but busy weekend.  We did not leave the house at all yesterday and accidentally took a late nap, around 6 pm, so we did not get to bed until late last night which made for a hard time getting up this morning.  Thank goodness for coffee!

  Did you go to the races on Saturday?  Derby Day!  How fun.  We took my father in-law who loves the races. We try and go with them at least once a year.  My mother in-law was too exhausted from the events of the last week and enjoyed a lovely day at home.  This was my first Derby Day experience and I loved it!!!  My friends and I decided next year we are going to go all out. I have access to a box seat so we are going to reserve it, get dressed up and all wear hats.  I loved seeing all the outfits with matching (and some not matching) hats.  The gentlemen looked so dapper in their seersucker suits and bow ties.  Loved it!  Now, you do not have to get all dressed up to attend Derby Day.  I saw many 'I'm not sure you should be allowed out of the house with that outfit on', but all in all it was a good mixture of both.  I was not a big winner, but then again I am not a big gambler.  I did place bets in the 10th race and the 11th, which was the actual Derby.  The Derby race was awesome.  The long shot came in and the crowd was excited!  All 70,000 of us.  I told you it was crowded!  Very much looking forward to next year.

  Saturday morning was the Catholic High School 5K race.  Hubby and I volunteer, as we have two boys who attend school there.  We usually participate in the race, but since we were going to the track right after, we did not want to exhaust ourselves.  It was tons of fun.  I love the dog walk and the kids run.  They are so cute.  The person who won is a student at Catholic.  He ran it in 19 minutes!!!  I was beyond impressed.  He was not even out of breath.  Wow is all I can say.  I am proud to say my awesome ultra runner friend, Jeanne, won her age group, again, for the 3rd year in a row.  Her time was a very impressive 24 minutes!  Love her.  She is awesome. 

  The weather here is terrible!  It is freezing outside.  No topless for me today.  Last night we had horrible thunderstorms.  I hate them.  Hubby knows this and is so sweet about it.  He cuddles me up close and sleeps closest to our patio doors to protect me.  I seriously love this man. 

  I have decided to stay off facebook for this week.  Nothing prompted this decision, but I feel like I need a break.  I will post this to facebook, but that is all my participation until next Monday. 

  Tip of the day and then time to sign off.

  Try to stay off the scales.  Once a week is about as often as you need to weigh if even that much.  You need to pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.  Are they looser or tighter?  Looser:  keep doing what you are doing.  Tighter:  something needs to change.  The scale is just a number.  I can weigh myself 3 days in a row and come up with a different number each time 2 or 3 pounds either way.  Can get a depressing so concentrate on the pants that were a bit tight.  Fitting better???  Awesome!!!! 

  Enjoy the rain and have a lovely Monday.

Hugs!
 

I do eat, I promise

Good Morning!  Looks like another beautiful day in Central Arkansas. Ahhh, I am ready to say so long to winter.  I am NOT a cold weather person.  Give me 100 degrees any day. I want to visit winter, not live in it. 

  Tip of the Day:  Avoid extra fat in your healthy eating plan.  If you are like me, I love the world of sauces and condiments, but they add extra fat and calories to an otherwise healthy meal.  Little choices like these make all the difference.  Stop the cheese sauce on the broccoli.  Choose mustard instead of mayonnaise.  Use a vinaigrette dressing(not too much) over the cream based ones.  It's the little things people.

  So yesterday was lovely, and  I was able to put on shorts for my WRA training.  I had quite a few "nice legs" (thanks!  love that one), but quite a few "do you ever eat"???  Now, I know these people are well meaning, but yes, I do eat!   I then went through my yesterday's eating to justify my skinniness(arggghhh!!!) .  I did not have the best eating day, nutritional wise, but here it is: breakfast:  skipped, except had decaf coffee.  I do not recommend the skipping of meals, but I had a rich dinner the night before and I knew I was having an early lunch.  For lunch hubby and I split a Mediterranean pizza and Greek salad and I had half and half tea.  (Read the details in yesterday's blog).  After lunch, we threw a baby shower at work for a co worker.  I had lots of veggies(love those veggie trays), and about 6-7 cake balls.  They were awesome.  A friend at work, Michelle Armstrong, is the queen of cake balls so I had to indulge.  For an afternoon snack I had a small cup of a cheese cracker combination.  So, I do eat.  Dinner was at Zaza's where I had their salad of the week, which was amazing!, with my cousin by marriage, Katie.  Love her!  So see, I do eat.  They asked me what my secret was, and I said portion control.  Now ignore the cake balls, but I usually eat half of a meal when I go out and eat on a smaller plate.  It is cost effective and no one should ever eat that much food. Remember the plate size discussion from yesterday?  I also try to do some sort of exercise every day.  Even if it is parking further away from the store.  Movement is crucial.

  I am so glad it is Friday!!  Having lunch with my Village girls today and then getting my hair done(long past due) and having happy hour with my YaYa's.  I am very blessed to have so many wonderful friends.  They keep me grounded and full of laughter. 

  Have a wonderful weekend!  We are off to the horse races tomorrow with my father in law.  Wish us luck!!!

Hugs!

Yummy food

  What a beautiful day in Central Arkansas!  Sunny and 81, top down, gorgeous!!!  Get outside soak up some Vitamin D.  Most of us are deficient in Vitamin D, so go soak some in.  I am working today, so I am making sure I can squeeze in little breaks outside and tonight is Women Run Arkansas so it will be a wonderful night for it.  Love those ladies and all they are accomplishing.  I am so glad I get to be a part of this group.
  
 Down to business:  Tip of the Day:  Use a smaller plate.  Why you ask?  Portion control.  It is easier to control your portions when you are using a smaller plate.  It is also a mental thing.  You fill a smaller plate, finish it and know you are done and feel satisfied.  Now, just make sure you do not go for seconds.  :)

  Thank you for your kind comments and concerns regarding my in laws.  They are doing better and are slowly coming through this.  Now it is more of an emotional thing although there are still physical signs of the attack.  Said attacker is still in jail and I personally hope she rots there. 

  I love living in Arkansas, especially Little Rock.  Growing up, I always wanted to get away, and did, but now that I am older I would not want to be anywhere else.  Now, I love travelling, but this is my home.  One of the things I love are the multitude of food choices we have here.  Go out and try our locals and chains.  You will not be disappointed. Last night, hubby and I went to Maddie's in Riverdale.  Wow!!!!  Great service, nice atmosphere, and amazing food.  For starters, we had the smoked salmon dip served with pita triangles.  They were not chips, but were nicely baked.  It was delectable.  I honestly could have eaten that as my meal and been satisfied.  Hubby had an Andygator beer(yum) with his meal and thoroughly enjoyed it.  For dinner, I chose the Potato and Smoked Oyster Chowder and hubby had the BBQ Shrimp with smoked cheddar Grits.  It did not disappoint.  The Chowder was served hot(I have had issues with this before at other places, so this deserves recognition) and it was seasoned with Maddie's own special blend of spices which was perfect.  There were plenty of smoked oysters and potatoes.  Highly recommend.  Hubby's dish was just a excellent.  The shrimp were cooked just right, the grits were roll your eyes in the back of your head good, but the sauce!  Oh my, the sauce!!!!  So heavenly.  Just enough sweet with a smidge of heat.  I admit, I took the left over pita triangles and sopped that stuff up!  Not very miss manners of me, but I could not help myself.  Please pardon me for my indiscretion.  Please, go try Maddie's, you will not be disappointed.

   Today, hubby and I went to Newk's soft opening in Midtown.  It is beautiful and spacious. A Newk's!  In my backyard!!!!!  We just need a Macy's, a Nordstrom's, and a Sak's and I am good to go.  It was a limited menu, but it was nice to try something other than my standard Black n Blue Salad I always get, because it is awesome!  We had the Greek Salad and Mediterranean Pizza.  The salad was fresh and the right amount of dressing.  It is mixed in so if you do not prefer it that way, make sure you request it on the side.  The pizza was good, but I will admit, the chicken was a bit dry.  I did not keep me from enjoying it though.  The salads are huge and enough for 2 meals if you are doing the portion control tip(as you should be) I gave you at the top of this blog. One of my favorite things about Newks is the circle bar.  You can choose pickles, bread sticks, garlic cloves, just to name a few nibblers they offer. We spoke with the franchise owner who has Oxford roots (hubby used to live in Oxford) so they had a great time chatting.  What a nice guy.  His name is Jim Lynch and lives in Bryant.  He has plans to open Newk's in Northwest Arkansas so watch out my Fayetteville and Bentonville friends. You are in for a treat.  

 Ok, time to get back to the grind of the work day.  The scanner is calling my name. 

Hugs!!!
 

Privacy????

  Good Afternoon!  Life has been a bit crazy these past few days, but we are muddling through.  Let's start with today's tip:  Do not leave out a food group on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.  If you are following a plan that eliminates one, stop it!  Right now.  Just stop.  We need all of our food groups to perform/help all of the different functions in our body.  If you eliminate one, you could be doing long term damage to yourself, so Stop!

  Today's rant, comment, whatever you want to call it.  I first want to say, this is my opinion and mine only.  I also am sorry if I offend anyone, but I need to get this off my chest.  

  As some of you know, my in laws were involved in an incident on Sunday night that was very unpleasant.  To highlight, they were injured by another person while dining out and the two sons who were in town ending up taking them to the emergency room for the injuries they sustained.  I met the two sons at the emergency room(the third son lives out of town) to help take care of my in laws.  We were all very distraught, to say the least, about the incident and did not get home until 2:30 am on Monday.  We were all wanting to get through this and put it behind us.  Well, thank you to our local news station, they decided to broadcast the video of the incident.  They first called my in laws for an interview, which they declined.  The news station then proceeded to go to the sight of the incident and was able to retrieve the video from the surveillance cameras.  So our now, very private family event has become public, very public.  We(the family) found out through text messages, emails, phone calls and facebook messages and posts about said video.  I was horrified!  Now, let me say that I do appreciate the outpouring of love my in laws have received during this time.  I appreciate the good intentions and kind words.  What I am upset about is the amount of times people felt they needed to share this video.  It was posted multiple times on my mother in-laws wall, we received it in emails and inbox messages, and someone even shared it on her blog!  I have only watched the video once and I was sick to my stomach.  Hearing about the incident and seeing the marks on my in laws were bad enough, but now I had the privilege(I say very sarcastically) of watching it.  It was so much worse than I expected.  What happened to privacy?????  End of rant.

  How is your day going?  Hope you are having a lovely Wednesday.  The sun is shining here and if it warms up, I will be going topless this afternoon!!!!  (I have a convertible, get your mind out of the gutter)   Give someone a smile or a wink today.  It may just brighten their day.

Hugs!

Cancer free!

  Excellent news this morning.  Jake's test results came back normal!  I was so pleased to hear this news and so quickly.  Last time we had to wait 5 days, so thank goodness for quick turn around.  Thank you, for all your kind words and prayers.  They were much appreciated.

 Had a fabulous time at Foamfest.  I loved speaking with all the beer fans and met John the Beer Snob, so what a fun time.  They have some great pics online, so check them out! 
   http://www.arkansasonline.com/galleries/18217/album/578962/?page=4 We had some great beer, besides the Leap of Faith offerings.  I had an excellent Honey Meade from someone I cannot remember(I need to look them up!)and a yummy Cucumber offering from Rebel Kettle.  Leap of Faith was well received and I found my new calling, beer wench!!!  Just kidding, but it was tons of fun.

  Other than that, my weekend was filled with watching the princess(my daughter Ellie who is 13) play soccer and lots of resting and watching tv.  I did, finally, get some new running shoes.  I tried on about 10 pairs(no joke) and found a pair that worked.  They are very colorful and I will post a picture tonight on my facebook page.  Needless to say, you will be able to see me coming day or night.  The hubby and I did try a new to Little Rock restaraunt last night, BJ's Brewhouse.  I have been to the one in Houston and was excited about their arrival in Little Rock.  We sat at the bar, and Erik, the bartender was very friendly.  We sampled a flight of BJ's offerings, and we were not disappointed.  My favorites, in order, were the Nutty Brewnette, Berry Burst Cider, and the Brewhouse Blonde.  Go check them out.  For food, we just had a couple of nibbler plates.  We had an excellent mozzarella and tomato salad and the Calamari. The Calamari was fresh and not chewy (which is sometimes the case).  I am excited to try them for dinner.  The pizzas look mouth watering.

  Tip of the day:  When you are venturing on your healthy lifestyle, do not compare yourself with anyone.  We all lose weight differently.  Some slower and some faster, especially men and women.  Be in competition with yourself only.  Now, that does not mean you cannot have a buddy or two or three to workout with, just do not compare results. Encourage each other and celebrate each other's victory and give a hug when a discouraging result happens, because it will. 

   Have a lovely  Monday night.  It is Women Run Arkansas Clinic night and I am excited.  I love these ladies!!!

Hugs!!!

They removed what????

   I am going to start with the tip of the day and then get on to other things.

 Tip:  When starting a lifestyle change, please make sure you are incorporating an exercise program along with healthy eating.  Doing one and not the other will ensure slower results.  Find an exercise program you can work with so you will stick with it.  Not sure what program you like?  Let me know.  I will be happy to help! 

  Now happy news!  Tonight, hubby and I will be helping our friends, Jody and Stephanie Mains, promote their home brewing business, Leap of Faith, at Foam Fest.  This is a local event held at Dickey Stephens Baseball Park that promotes local breweries and home brewers. It is also a benefit for the Arthritis Foundation so it is a win win.  This is Leap of Faith's (also co owned by Dave and Cynthia Ragan, but they are in Chicago) first public event so we are honored to be a part of it.  It will also be my first experience in a Little Rock Taxi as I am not into Drinking and Driving and neither is the hubby.  If you are able, come on out.  I am super excited to not only help our friends, but to sample some local brew as well.  My son told me last night that women do not drink beer.  I said this one does!!!

  Speaking of my son, Jake, he is such a trooper!  We went to the Dermatologist to have two moles examined.  My sister has been diagnosed with Melanoma recently, so we are a bit hypersensitive.  He had 2 moles removed a few months ago, thankfully they were benign and we have been watching the growth of other ones which prompted yesterday's visit.  The dermatologist decided the two moles were suspicious looking so they(a doctor, a resident, and two nurses) removed the two moles to be biopsied.  So, we wait yet again, for another non cancer diagnosis.  Although I know in the back of my mind it will be fine, there is still a small part of me that is crazy worried and that small part tends to take over, so please pray, send good thoughts, meditate or whatever it is you do for a non cancer diagnosis.  As a reward for being such a good patient(he always gets raving reviews from doctors and nurses) I treated him to Sushi, one of his favorite foods.  We ended up at Sushi Cafe.  I highly recommend this place.  The Sushi always tastes fresh and is presented so beautifully you feel like you are really eating fancy.  We ending up eating 3 rolls, about 30 pieces of sushi in about 23 minutes.  I know this because Jake timed us.  I guess we were hungry and really enjoying ourselves because we barely spoke except to discuss the proper way to use chopsticks.  I suck at using them and Jake is becoming quite proficient.  All this is to say, I love him and am very proud of him!  He has been through quite a bit in his 17 years and has handled everything in stride.

  Well my blogging friends, which I have my first follower, Thank you, Shelli Segura!!!!  Love you!!!, enjoy your weekend, love on your family and friends and be safe!

  Hugs!

I'm baaaack!

 Yes, my blog is back.  This skinny girl is ready to go again.  So many things have changed since my last post, um 3 years ago?  Yikes!  To my credit I have been busy.  I have married(to the wonderful Mark), gained two step children(that is a total of four all together, although the oldest, who is 20,lives with his mom-it's apparently too crowded at our house), moved, and graduated from college.  All in that order I might add.  I married in May of 2012 and life has been quite blissful with a few curveballs thrown in to keep me grounded.  Blended families can be a challenge, but we are navigating the waters quite nicely, I think.

  I graduated in December of 2013 with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education.  I really enjoyed all of my classes and I have learned so much in regards to the world of eating right and exercise.  I do not like the word Diet.  First of all, it has the word "die" in it and that starts off with a negative conotation and who needs that.  I will still be sharing tales of the things I encounter as a skinny girl and why they bother me so.  I will also be sharing some tips on how to create this healthy life style for yourself.  What is different about my tips that you have not heard before?  Who really knows.  But, information you hear from someone else may motivate you more than the other. 

   My tip of the day.  Eating right.  Easier said than done?  If you are like me, I need a clear picture of what to do and how to do it.  I follow as best I can, because we are not perfect, the eating program recommended by the USDA called "choose my plate".  It is basically the food pyramid revised.  I discovered this while in school.  It works for all ages and is very easy to follow.  These days with our busy lifestyles we need easy and simple.  To get started go to:  www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.  Let me know what you think!  

  Funny story, I say sarcastically.  I had a job interview this morning.  I finished and went to one of my favorite places to eat, Terri Lynn's BBQ on Rodney Parham.  I am a foodie, so I will be promoting some of my favorite eating experiences.  I live to eat not the other way around.  I love food.  The whole experience, colors and flavors...mmmm, but I digress.   Terri Lynn's does not open until 10:30, but I went at 10:00 anyway because I saw the doors open and was hoping for some sympathy.  As it happens, they said come on in and they will serve me.  Yippee!!!!  I was jumping for joy.  They have a fabulous turkey sandwich called the Sharon and yummo!  I ordered my food and  the nice lady rang me up.  She asked if I wanted chips or a piece of pie.  I declined, because those things are not necessary, good, but not necessary.  She replied "No wonder you stay so skinny if that is all you are going to eat is a sandwich".  Now, was that necessary????  I just politely smiled back and did not respond.  I do get so tired of people commenting on my skinniness as if it were a problem.  Call me sensitive, but I feel I need to defend myself for being skinny.  I would love to come back with something not so nice, but it is just not in my nature, usually. 

  Anyway, enjoy the blog, comment if you would like, but please be nice.  Haters are not welcomed.

Hugs!!!