You know what I'm ready for? All of these gosh darn holidays to be over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Scrooge or anything. I love the opportunity to get together with people to celebrate and such. It's just that the last few holidays (Easter, St. Pats, Valentines...) are major calorie holidays. Between candy, alcohol and comfort food I will admit I get overwhelmed.
Personally, the biggest problem of those is the candy. I have a wicked sweet tooth and generally once I start, I just can not stop. I'm pretty good about not buying candy on a "regular basis" but when it comes to holiday candy I'm like a moth to fire. I get drawn in by the glow and then there is no backing out. Especially with things I know I won't be able to get later in the year like Cadbury Mini Eggs or Starburst Jellybeans.
I feel like every time I'm making good progress and am happy with myself (diet, exercise, etc) I trip up and sugar is to blame. I guess we all have out demons eh? I think I'm gonna wrap up this rant now, it does me no good to complain right?
Enjoy your chocolate bunnies!
Lauren
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Reality
Reality can be tough to face. Like the fact that I had an amazing weekend but none of it would have happened if I hadn't had to come home for a funeral.
This past week my great-grandmother Mamie Hart passed away at the age of 96. In her lifetime she had 11 children (of which only 3 have proceeded her in death), 30 grandchildren and somewhere in the ballpark of 145 great and great-great-grandchildren. I think it's needless to say that her passing was a big deal. I woke up bright and early Friday to drive down to Indy so I could meet up with my dad, soon to be step-mom and brother so we could all ride together. The service was somber and afterwards we headed to the cemetery. This was quite special to me. You see, I have been incredibly fortunate in that the only grandparent I've lost thus far passed away before I was born. This weekend I got to see my Grandma Charlotte's tombstone, the closest I've ever been to her in my 23 years. Afterwards we headed to Mamie's church where they put on a potluck lunch for the family. Standing in line I learned that not only did most of my aunt & uncles get married there, they actually put in indoor plumbing because of one of those weddings! It was really neat to be in my dad's small town. As we were leaving he was pointing out all sorts of places and telling us childhood stories to go with them. I don't think I had ever heard any of them.
Later that evening I went with my mom and cousin to visit my maternal grandparents. Another somber task as my grandfather is living with cancer. Let me tell you, it is really hard to see someone that you have spent your entire life admiring and looking up to in such a weak state. It's hard to hear him say that he may not even be able to plant a small garden in the spot he prepared last fall because he just doesn't feel up to it. It makes you realize just how precious your time is. Reminds me that I need to be getting down there just a little more often. Especially when it's warm enough that I can take him some of my seedlings that are currently growing out of control.
Until next time,
Lauren
This past week my great-grandmother Mamie Hart passed away at the age of 96. In her lifetime she had 11 children (of which only 3 have proceeded her in death), 30 grandchildren and somewhere in the ballpark of 145 great and great-great-grandchildren. I think it's needless to say that her passing was a big deal. I woke up bright and early Friday to drive down to Indy so I could meet up with my dad, soon to be step-mom and brother so we could all ride together. The service was somber and afterwards we headed to the cemetery. This was quite special to me. You see, I have been incredibly fortunate in that the only grandparent I've lost thus far passed away before I was born. This weekend I got to see my Grandma Charlotte's tombstone, the closest I've ever been to her in my 23 years. Afterwards we headed to Mamie's church where they put on a potluck lunch for the family. Standing in line I learned that not only did most of my aunt & uncles get married there, they actually put in indoor plumbing because of one of those weddings! It was really neat to be in my dad's small town. As we were leaving he was pointing out all sorts of places and telling us childhood stories to go with them. I don't think I had ever heard any of them.Until next time,
Lauren
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Night moves!
Are you ready for my exciting news?! As of yesterday I switched back to night shift! Woo! I know, you probably don't think that it's very exciting, but I do! I operate so much better in the evenings than I do waking up at 4:30 am!
So, how has my life changed because of this switch? Not much really, haha. Mostly I just have to reorder my day. Now I wake up at 8 (instead of 4:30), eat breakfast, go to the gym, eat lunch and then go to work from 2-11. I get home around midnight and start all over. I love that I can go to the gym in the mornings now because it means I can take some of the group fitness classes I was missing out on by working during those times. It's also great because the time I struggle the most with my diet is at night when I pre-programmed to think "Hmm...I want dessert!". Now I'm at work and can't do anything about it! Quite a win if you ask me.
Last night was my first night on this shift and it was great. Getting there at 2 means that the rest of the staff is still there but they're wrapping everything up. So until they leave I help out with whatever they need to get done in order to go home. Once they're all gone I slip in my headphones and go about the night doing what I normally would've been doing during the day. Yes, you read that right, I get to bring in my ipod. I'm so glad they agreed to that because it really made the time just fly by.
You wanna know what the two best parts are? I get to work by myself AND I have EVERY Friday and Saturday off now! No more every other weekend and a random weekday! Plus, having Friday's off means I could head to the cactus after work on Thursdays! Pretty sweet eh?
Well, that's all for now, I gotta go pack my lunch and such! Have a great Tuesday!
Lauren
So, how has my life changed because of this switch? Not much really, haha. Mostly I just have to reorder my day. Now I wake up at 8 (instead of 4:30), eat breakfast, go to the gym, eat lunch and then go to work from 2-11. I get home around midnight and start all over. I love that I can go to the gym in the mornings now because it means I can take some of the group fitness classes I was missing out on by working during those times. It's also great because the time I struggle the most with my diet is at night when I pre-programmed to think "Hmm...I want dessert!". Now I'm at work and can't do anything about it! Quite a win if you ask me.
Last night was my first night on this shift and it was great. Getting there at 2 means that the rest of the staff is still there but they're wrapping everything up. So until they leave I help out with whatever they need to get done in order to go home. Once they're all gone I slip in my headphones and go about the night doing what I normally would've been doing during the day. Yes, you read that right, I get to bring in my ipod. I'm so glad they agreed to that because it really made the time just fly by.
You wanna know what the two best parts are? I get to work by myself AND I have EVERY Friday and Saturday off now! No more every other weekend and a random weekday! Plus, having Friday's off means I could head to the cactus after work on Thursdays! Pretty sweet eh?
Well, that's all for now, I gotta go pack my lunch and such! Have a great Tuesday!
Lauren
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A wee bit Irish!
Well my friends, I have had quite the weekend! I've been looking forward to this weekend for sometime now, because not only was it St. Patrick's Day, but my best friend celebrated her birthday yesterday! I love celebrating birthdays! I love making people feel special and what better day than their birthday?
Friday afternoon Jackie came in to town and we headed to the gym to work out with my personal trainer. That was quite a treat because he agreed to train Jackie for free since I agreed to work out on Friday instead of our normal Thursday. Afterwards we went home and made some chickpea curry, which I was not very happy with how it turned out. Going to have to find a different recipe and try that one again. We followed that up with a trip to Walmart for baking supplies and then a trip to Christo's for some pie. After pie we dived in to making Irish Carbomb Cupcakes to take to Jackie's family St. Patrick's Day party. That was quite an adventure but they turned out delicious so it was well worth it!
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| Green Velvet Waffles |
All together I had a wonderful weekend, I hope you did too! I promise to be better about posting this week, especially since I only have 13 more days to get 6 more posts in if I want to put an additional $10 in my blog jar!
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| Blowing out the candles on her Guinness cake! |
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| Rocking some traditional Irish mustaches! |
Lauren
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Overnight Oats
Okay, I think it's safe to say I have a new addiction. Overnight Oatmeal. It is just so gosh darn delicious and quite frankly I just don't understand why. You see, I have never been an oatmeal fan. I hate those pouches of instant oatmeal and don't even get me started on putting oats in cookies. That, my friends, is just wrong. However, whole grain oats are are great food because for the amount you get in a serving they're relatively low calorie and high in fiber. AKA you get to eat less and stay full longer! So, I decided that I was going to once again give oatmeal a try and since Pinterest had already shown me multiple overnight recipes I knew that was where I should start. So fat I've tried three, completely different breakfasts: Peanut Butter Jar Oats, Cinnamon Peach Oats and my own creation Pumpkin Pecan Oats. The Pumpkin Pecan needs a little more work before I release my recipe but keep reading for the other two!!
Directions (Same for both recipes): Combine dry ingredients in container of choice (mine is a Ball jar :D ) and shake to mix. Combine wet ingredients in a separate dish and then add to dry ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
PB Jar Oats - For this recipe use a PB container that has about 1 TBSP of butter left in it!
Dry:
1/2 cup Rolled or Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
Wet:
1/2 cup milk of choice, I use Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 banana, mashed
Cinnamon Peach Oats
Dry:
1/2 cup Rolled or Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
6 Almonds, chopped
1 tsp Cinnamon
Wet:
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/2 - 1 peach, chopped in to bites
Enjoy!
PB Jar Oats - For this recipe use a PB container that has about 1 TBSP of butter left in it!
Dry:
1/2 cup Rolled or Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
Wet:
1/2 cup milk of choice, I use Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 banana, mashed
Dry:
1/2 cup Rolled or Old Fashioned Oats
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
6 Almonds, chopped
1 tsp Cinnamon
Wet:
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/2 - 1 peach, chopped in to bites
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| Sneak peak! Pumpkin Pecan! |
Lauren
Monday, March 11, 2013
DIY Greenhouses!
Welcome readers! You are in for a treat today! I'm posting my very first DIY blog!
Okay, okay, maybe you're not as excited as I am but hey, that's okay. Today I'm going to take you step by step through making your own little green house so you can start plants while the weather is still too cold. My greenhouses are filled with Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Carrots but you can do this with any seeds. I have a cactus variety seed packet that I'm going to try next! Okay, ready? Here's how you do it:
1. The first thing you need to do is gather your supplies. You'll need seeds, a plastic container of some sort, paper towel or toilet paper rolls, soil and scissors. For the plastic container, I saved the containers my spinach comes in. I'm a bit of a green freak so I was going to save them regardless but they turned out to be the perfect size for this project. If you're using paper towel rolls, cut them in half! If you're using toilet paper rolls, you're going to need quite a few. I will admit I had a stockpile of them...like I said, green freak. I knew they would come in handy! Also, I soaked my seeds overnight before this project. This is not necessary but I've heard it helps with germination.
2. Your next step is to prep all of your rolls. Do this by cutting four slits in each roll (see left) that don't quite extend to halfway up the roll. Fold your newly created flaps over each other in a weave pattern so you now have a little cup. I used tape to secure my flaps. You don't have to by any means. I did because they would've driven me crazy without the tape.
3. Place all your rolls folded side down into your container so that they sit nicely, like so. Allow your cat to inspect your soil prior to filling your rolls. This is very important as cats know everything and will tell you if you made a good choice.
4. Now for the most tedious step, filling your rolls/cups with soil. I used a soup spoon for this. Fill your rolls to the top with soil and then use your fingers and gently pack the soil down. No need to press it in too firmly, be gentle. I found that once I had done this my cups were only about half full. Add a little more soil to your cups but make sure to leave a little room for whatever soil you will top your seeds with!
I hope you guys enjoyed my DIY. You can find my inspiration here.
Until next time,
Lauren
Okay, okay, maybe you're not as excited as I am but hey, that's okay. Today I'm going to take you step by step through making your own little green house so you can start plants while the weather is still too cold. My greenhouses are filled with Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Carrots but you can do this with any seeds. I have a cactus variety seed packet that I'm going to try next! Okay, ready? Here's how you do it:
1. The first thing you need to do is gather your supplies. You'll need seeds, a plastic container of some sort, paper towel or toilet paper rolls, soil and scissors. For the plastic container, I saved the containers my spinach comes in. I'm a bit of a green freak so I was going to save them regardless but they turned out to be the perfect size for this project. If you're using paper towel rolls, cut them in half! If you're using toilet paper rolls, you're going to need quite a few. I will admit I had a stockpile of them...like I said, green freak. I knew they would come in handy! Also, I soaked my seeds overnight before this project. This is not necessary but I've heard it helps with germination.
2. Your next step is to prep all of your rolls. Do this by cutting four slits in each roll (see left) that don't quite extend to halfway up the roll. Fold your newly created flaps over each other in a weave pattern so you now have a little cup. I used tape to secure my flaps. You don't have to by any means. I did because they would've driven me crazy without the tape.
3. Place all your rolls folded side down into your container so that they sit nicely, like so. Allow your cat to inspect your soil prior to filling your rolls. This is very important as cats know everything and will tell you if you made a good choice.
4. Now for the most tedious step, filling your rolls/cups with soil. I used a soup spoon for this. Fill your rolls to the top with soil and then use your fingers and gently pack the soil down. No need to press it in too firmly, be gentle. I found that once I had done this my cups were only about half full. Add a little more soil to your cups but make sure to leave a little room for whatever soil you will top your seeds with!
5. Follow the directions on your seed packets to determine how many seeds to use and at what depth to plant them. Once you've filled all of your rolls add a little more soil to each and then water them. Go easy with the water as you don't want to drown the poor guys. Place the lid on your container and you're done! Wasn't that easy?! Now
place your container in a sunny place
make sure to water them as directed.
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| Basil on left, tomatoes & peppers in the middle & carrots on right. |
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| My seeds have already sprouted! |
I hope you guys enjoyed my DIY. You can find my inspiration here.
Until next time,
Lauren
Monday, March 4, 2013
Back to the grind...
So, I have this really bad habit of not showering after I workout. Part of this is due to the fact that I have to shower multiple times at work. The other part is due to the fact that normally all I care about after a workout is eating and by the time I've eaten, I'm not sweaty anymore. I know, gross right? That's what's making me blog tonight, it's something to do other than shower. Take that how you will.
Man, it seems like just yesterday I was on vacation. Oh wait, I was. I had a wonderful week of doing basically nothing. I got to cook for my family, go to one of my favorite restaurants and eat their delicious banana pudding, miraculously I finally got the hang of knitting, I got to stop by and spend the evening with my bestie (during which we had amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and got pie :] ) and get lunch with my mom, step-dad and brother on my way back to Lafayette.
Between leaving Jackie's and getting lunch I also stopped at the Edinburgh Outlet Mall and paid a visit to the Under Armour Outlet. That place is both amazing and terrible at the same time! Under Armour is by far my favorite name brand and pretty much the only one I'll actually shell out the cash for. I managed to score TWO pairs of shorts for $12! That is a steal, let me tell you. But then I paid close to retail for a pair of sweats, so you know good and bad. Totally worth it though, these sweats are so gosh darn comfy.
I'm realizing now that I really don't have much to write about. It was a little difficult getting up this morning, but I expected that. I'm really glad I limited the amount of sleeping in I did over my vacation or it would've been way worse! Other than that, today was just another day and I think I'll leave it at that.
Thanks for reading!
Lauren
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| Spoiled rotten little thing known as Bear Bear. |
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| The menu at Tom & Chee. So much Grilled Cheese! |
Man, it seems like just yesterday I was on vacation. Oh wait, I was. I had a wonderful week of doing basically nothing. I got to cook for my family, go to one of my favorite restaurants and eat their delicious banana pudding, miraculously I finally got the hang of knitting, I got to stop by and spend the evening with my bestie (during which we had amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and got pie :] ) and get lunch with my mom, step-dad and brother on my way back to Lafayette.
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| Pappadeaux's Banana Pudding |
I'm realizing now that I really don't have much to write about. It was a little difficult getting up this morning, but I expected that. I'm really glad I limited the amount of sleeping in I did over my vacation or it would've been way worse! Other than that, today was just another day and I think I'll leave it at that.
Thanks for reading!
Lauren
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