Finally!

I lost 4 pounds! It was after a strict 3 day diet, so hopefully it doesn't come back, but it's nice to finally see the scale move a significant amount.

Hopelessly Healthy

This title may seem a bit 'off' and it is, but it is how I am feeling lately.  I have been trying to lose weight for more than a year with no results.  I've tried everything to nothing and see no change up or down, hence the title of this post.  Losing weight isn't the only reason to make life changes.  I am healthy, but hopelessly fat (apparently).

Recently I started doing 21 day fix.  Today marks day 21 and here is what I have learned:

EVERYTHING is a Carb (thanks Mean Girls)

My left side is significantly stronger than my right

I wasn't eating as many vegetables as I thought I was

Protein makes you poop (A LOT)

You don't really need condiments on most foods

Working out can make you feel good

The things you think are good for you are not always

I love the way Autumn (the creator of 21 day fix) says booty

Balance is hard

I hate that little blue container!  It houses all my favorite foods (cheese, avocado and hummus) and you only get ONE allotted per day

I am way more conscious of eating CHEESE because of THAT DAMN blue container


I am going in for round 2 beginning June 1, why this day?  Because I need a break from bowls and colors and I just want to enjoy my food the way I used to.  Did I mention EVERYTHING is a Carb?!!!  I will measure myself tonight, so that might change my mind and I'll start a new cycle tomorrow.  Stay tuned...

Short And Sweet

Just like me is the title of this post. Today was a good day. It started off uncertain, but finished sure. I got lunch from my boss, a beautiful card and gift certificate from coworkers and had dinner with some old friends who seem to have not changed a bit. Today I am thankful for good fellowship, good food and a roof over my head on this chilly night.

Toe Jam

Why am I writing this? A feeling, a thought, a wish that it would just go away... Jam is something good that usually evokes a sense of tastiness, strawberry being my favorite. Toes, even though mine are pretty cute, do not make you think of tasty things, so we should change toe jam to toe slime or some other unappealing word more appropriate of its repulsive nature.

The Day after Resurrection

Happy (day after) Easter!

I'm posting this a couple days late, but I started writing it at the right time lol.  I spent the day doing my usual Sunday things...cleaning, cooking and prepping meals for the week. This process usually takes at least half the day, but for some reason I was in the kitchen significantly longer this time.  For this marathon session, I had two packs of chicken breast, 1 whole chicken, 1 pack of ground turkey, 1 pack of ground beef, beans, 2 red peppers, 2 green peppers, mushrooms, some broccoli slaw, a bunch of onions, a cucumber and some tomatoes.  I used every slow cooker at my disposal, including the small red one I had but away in the cabinet.  I made Salisbury steak (for yesterday's dinner), Slow Cooker Baked Beans, which I will use to top some baked potatoes later in the week.

Chicken strips of the Greek and cilantro lime variety grilled, sliced and individually frozen for future sandwiches and salads, Crepes, Greek Pasta Salad and Veggie Quiche with a hash brown crust.

BEWARE of the "cheap" bags of bulk onions that seem like a good deal at a time.  $1.29 for 3 lbs. of yellow onions, but only half of those were unusable.  I forgot to get a red pepper from this store, which was on sale for $1.  I was upset as I really needed it and had to pay $1.99 per pound for one at another store, but it turned out that one pepper weighed half a lb. so it came out to be the same price and the per lb. pepper was actually a larger, greater quality.  I will be buying all my produce by the pound from now on.

I broke down the whole chicken, slow cooked then shredded the breasts for chicken salad and Bbq pulled chicken, which also topped those baked potatoes mentioned earlier. Cooked the legs and thighs, along with a sweet potato for Charlie and make stock with the back.

The two packs of chicken breasts were used to make these three bagged meals:

Chicken Cheese steak Melts

Lemon Chicken and Chicken Hash

Chicken Hash (cooked)

My lunches this week consist of Asian Salad, Chicken Salad with grapes, cranberries and apples, Greek Chicken Pita and the Veggie Quiche.

My full weeks menu including what I planned for snacks is available here:  Menu Plan - Week of 04/06/15.  And with this post I am reinstating:  Today I am thankful for... Having food to plan and prep these meals for this week and weeks to come.

The hustle continues...

I am on a mission to get my life back in order.  The catering company will help me do that.  So far, I haven't received a great response, but I'm trying not to let that discourage me.

Both Louis Vuitton scarves are still for sale on Ebay in Blue and Pink.

I really hate to sell them as they are so beautiful.  I truly am not a scarf person but probably would have worn them at some point.  I don't want to hurt the feelings of the agent who gave them to me either, but I could really use the money in other ways.








I had no luck selling the phone cases as I'm sure most people have moved on to bigger and better phones than the S4, but they're still in my possession...









The AVON products are still listed on craigslist as well.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. 

Evolution Of My Smart Phone

NOKIA, probably the first manufacturer of the cell phone and still around today, provided me with my first phones, the last four in the picture above.  Notice how the sizes got smaller over the years?

I loved this phone, especially being able to change the colors/patterns with interchangeable cases and keypads.  I did hate that ugly antenna though.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

These are my actual Nokias which I must have in my possession somewhere as this picture was taken just four years ago.









When a sleeker, smaller version that could do the same thing came out, I was all over it.  I think I kept this Nokia the longest.

It was the Iphone of its time.  I'm not sure, but I think this is the one that created a new customization obsession for me... CHARMS!

Enter Sidekick II, made famous by various celebrities including Paris Hilton, and was my very first "smart phone".  As any side-kicker knows, this was more than a phone. It was a community. In fact the love of this device brought together a whole circle of friends aptly called sidekick geezers; a group of "older" people with a device marketed to teenagers, whom I still communicate with today.  I took joy in customizing this phone with skins, rhinestones and my beloved charms.

Once it was outgrown, came the Sidekick 3 (which I still have), followed by the Sidekick 4G (LX original), my all time favorite, which survived numerous drops and a swim in dishwater (pic below is after I took it apart to fix it)...

bit the bullet after being thrown into a wall by my sister's then husband who was mad she wouldn't let him see who she was texting, really?!!!!

Yes I am still bitter about it, even though I ended up getting a tattoo of the next installment, the Sidekick LX, 2009 edition.  While this one wasn't necessarily better, I knew it was the last one I would ever have, so the tattoo was done in its memory.  I am planning to add R.I.P. to it as well.

Note:  The only sidekick I did not have during this time, which wasn't really a sidekick anyway was the slide, because lets face it, its not a sidekick without the "kick".  The slide was just wrong.

I do miss whipping out that device though and having anyone who didn't know ask "What's that?" then being so smug in telling them all about my cool phone.  But, Microsoft ruined this phenomenon as they do with everything else and our beloved data plan diminished until it was no more.

So, I was forced, after much consideration to get the G1, the most sidekick-like phone on the market at that time.  The android operating system turned out to have a coolness all its own.











Next came the My touch 4G Slide - the one with the best keyboard and also a pretty good camera.

But, I left it for the Samsung series.  Starting with the Galaxy S III, my first non-exclusive to T-mobile, full touch device.  I actually looked for keyboard cases for this one just in case I needed it.

It was followed by the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5, which I currently have.  I plan to keep this one for a while as the progression of phones from large to small has been reversed as evident by the evolutionary pic above.  The S5 provides a large enough display and more than enough integrated features to keep me satisfied.

What day is it?

Hummmmmp Day!  Hump, work, hustle, whatever you may call it, here are my "hustles" of the day:

This scarf I am selling on ebay!

The cases that I can't seem to get rid of, also on ebay!

All this AVON inventory...

Plus more

The thought in the back of my mind that is finally coming to fruition... MY catering business!

Random Pt. 2

God forgive me... Ugly people should stop posting pics thinking they're cute and other people should stop telling them they are.

 I miss my sister.

 Is pork really as bad as I once thought it was?

Why does was change to says every time I type it? Thanks autocorrect.

Pets and parents are the only ones who love you unconditionally.  

Being told something you already knew, in reality still hurts like hell.

Hashtags are pretty cool.

We try to convince ourselves that the last time was the last time even though we know it isn't and will never be.

The start of spring was colder than the start of winter.

Maybe things don't always have to match.

A preview of a bigger post about cell phones

posted from Bloggeroid

Random

List of random things on my mind today...

Just once I'd like to go to the store and not look at the prices.

I want to go back to a time when we thought 4gb was a lot of space.

Kids will never know the joy of twirling a phone cord while on the phone with the one you "love".

I miss my sister.

Stop signs in Detroit are apparently just a suggestion.

I want to relive 2010.

I wish someone would buy my darn S4 cases already!  They're listed on Ebay and craigslist.

I work too hard.

Nothing makes me feel better than music!

One day I will live to work and not work to live.

Social media has taken over our lives and corrupted our youth. 

Only in Michigan can you see two different people on the same day dressed for two different seasons. 

I kind of like working out, but I do not want to have to do it for the rest of my life.

If you are one of those people that tells a fat person they're losing weight because you think it makes them feel better... STOP IT!  All this does is make them feel worse when they see that they really aren't and some people are just happy being who they are. 

I need to stop focusing on others' grammar.

That's it for now.  I'm sure I'll come back with more later, maybe I should do this daily hmmmm...

My Morning Routine

I don't know why I wanted to post this, maybe just as a reminder to myself, but anyway, this is what I do (almost) every day.

Wake up, look at the clock and determine whether or not I have time to go pee and go back to sleep or just get up, usually the latter. 

Let Charlie out, try to wait for him to come back, but can't, go pee.

Let Charlie back in, feed and water him.

Take lunch out of the fridge, which usually includes breakfast too.

Wash my face, brush my teeth, get dressed, brush (at least) my hair.

Take my meds/vitamins etc.

Kiss charlie bye, which usually results in him turning his head away because he's mad I'm leaving.

Put on the appropriate pre-selected outerwear.

Grab my perfectly organized bags, phone, keys and I'm out!

I did not mention shower, because...no I am not a "dirty" girl, unless asked to be. I just do as much as possible at night, including making sure my outfit, shoes, accessories, glasses and outerwear match and are ready to go so I get as much sleep as possible... See above.  I plan meals weekly so I know what I'm taking what day.  I have OCD as most people know, so my whole life is a series of lists and plans.  I will be posting my weekly meal plans again on my other blog:  The Frugal Organizer very soon.

Struggle

I said I would post any and everything even if just a word, so today, a word is it... Struggle is what I feel in every aspect of my life right now.

Red Band Society

A simple little show that turned out to be so much more than I thought it would be. Kids are just kids no matter where they may be, how their relationships evolve or whose spoons them. I took a special liking to the most unlikely character, Emma who was hospitalized for anorexia. Her relationship with her mother reminded me of my and Raja's and while she doesn't have an illness, our communication has changed and this show has made me realize more than ever how badly I need to fix it.

Prayer Changes

I've written a prayer for plans before and some of them actually came into fruition. Right now I don't know what my future holds. I cry and I pray, I cry then pray some more. I feel like everything is crashing around me, I've felt this before, how I got though it I really don't know. I'm not even sure I actually did. My daughter needs me and she won't admit it, but even if she did, I'm not sure I could help. There's a new feeling, I must really be in a terrible place. Praying some more...

Today...

I was emotional about almost everything. I didn't even get out of my pajamas and I, yes I baked! I made chocolate cherry cake and peanut butter muffins from scratch. I even ate real bacon in all its porky good and badness. Then I watched this movie... Mom's night out. It was good and unexpectedly inspiring. It's been forever since I've written anything, here or otherwise. How many times did I promise to rectify that? I even started three other posts recently that I've yet to finish. Well this is my attempt at doing it once and for all. Be it a story, a thought or even at times just a word, I'm writing it. I want to make my life have meaning even if only to myself. I have friends that I hardly ever see, and I miss them all terribly. I miss my daughter and my bdwpbff (you know who you are) too. I have so many thoughts, ideas and plans in my head, just dying to come out. Everything will be revealed in time. Stay tuned...

Things 2013 taught me

I know the year isn't over, but I felt like writing and this is what I came up with. 

A random list of what I have learned in 2013 (so far):

I am my brother's keeper

Social media has made it way too convenient for those with the most offensive, racist and insensitive views to "share" them with the world

The key to crispy sweet potato fries is cornstarch (eventhough this didn't work for me)

Baking isn't so hard

My mom really loves me

How did I ever live without Pinterest

You can make anything into a quesadilla

I do not know some people as well as I thought I did

I have a pretty boring life

Writing IS my calling and I am determined to make it so

I cannot do anything without music

I am ME just the way I am and I am all I need to be ME

Animation is cool

My daughter actually listens to me and values what I say, think and feel

I have friends in high places

You may not always get what you want, but you'll always have exactly what you need

Inspiration can sometimes come from the most unlikely places

I have super (cleaning) powers

A best friend isn't really that if they don't consider you to be the same

The days I try least are the days I do best

I can go through every possible emotion in one day and come out fine

To be continued...

There is no substitute for a face-to-face conversation

2014 has to be better

No matter how much money I have, it never seems to be enough for what I need

I will always be misunderstood

Grammar "Rules"

Ok, these things have really irritated me for some time now...

Yaaaay is not the same as Yeaaaah!

To and too are TWO different words.

There, their, and they're are not interchangeable, same goes for where, were, and wear.

It is she and I NOT me and her.

Weather describes how hot it was yesterday, Whether is a conjunction.

An idiom is not the male version of idiot! Although, most women might disagree.

An Effect is the cause of how a love lost Affects you!

Then and Than only differ by one letter, but I promise they are NOT the same word.

You're getting on my nerves with Your incorrect usage of the English language.

You can have GOOD friends, but you must speak WELL.

That is all for now...

Giving Up

A while back I posted a status on facebook that said ” I give up”. I didn't explain it at the time, but there are a lot of things in my life right now that I have been desperately trying to accomplish, with no luck.

In my past experience, when I give up on something it usually comes to fruition. So, here is a list of the things I was referring to in the previous status...


Attemping to make AVON a real business

Getting a pet

Having a successful relationship with my best friend, whom I'm not so sure even wants to be that anymore

Growing my hair out

Getting my master's degree (although I didnt try too hard on this one)

Having a career and not just a job

Decorating my home as I envisioned it

Taking a REAL vacation

And so many others that are floating around in my head...

What a (this) Girl Wants

This post is dedicated to my best friend, the love of my life, who will always be even if we never find our way back to each other in that way again.

I want to be the last thought on your mind before you go to sleep and the first thought when you awake.

I want to go on a date with no distractions, just the joy of you and I being with each other.

I want to cuddle on the couch and watch friends, while you comb my hair the way only you can.

I want to watch you cook dinner because you in the kitchen is Sexy.

I want to know that I'm the only one you'll call baby.

All those sexy things you know I love, the unspoken thoughts that you can read right through, yeah those, bring them back (and a few more too).

I want to send shivers down your spine with just the sound of my voice.

The little texts or notes to let me know you're thinking about me and want me to have a great day are missed.

I want to hear you say "I Love You" even though I already know its true. 

I want to take a trip somewhere neither of us has ever been.

I want to be kissed in the sweetest way, just to say, have a good day. 

I want to be missed.

I want to sing to you and have you hanging on every word.

I want a "Love Like Denim"

I want to hold your hand though the walk we call life. 

Our love should be what others aspire to have.

To infinity and beyond...

In short... I want to be ADORED!

With love comes pain, with pain, come pleasure.  Pleasure me and I'll pleasure you, just the way you want me to. The journey has been long and the road has been winding, but our path is right where its supposed to be and whatever becomes of it, I will not stray.  This is not the end...