There's Hope For Me After All, Buddha!

Remember I said I was going to sign up for a Mindful Meditation class? Well I did! I searched for one in Fresno and it just so happens that the 'Center for Mindfulness' in practically right across the street from my house, and they meet on Wednesday evenings. Talk about fate! I went for the first time last night and it was pretty awesome.

I wouldn't consider myself to be one of those new age gurus by any stretch of the imagination, but I figure if half the world is out there meditating on a regular basis, maybe there's something to it. I go in (late, as usual), and there are about 20 people sitting around this room being all still and quiet. the atmosphere is so soothing...dim lights, candles, warm colors....there was even a pleasant but not overpowering scent of incense. I decided then and there that I was going to convert my living room to look just like this because it would make me eternally happy.

So I sit down, close my eyes and start breathing. The lady heading the meditation's voice was calming and she gave tips and tricks on how to get your mind to focus on your breath instead of everything else that's going on in your brain. This was very helpful, because I really suck at meditating. It's so hard to concentrate. But she kept saying not to judge ourselves if we can't stay focused and just try again with the next breath. I guess you're not born with the ability to meditate and you only become good at it after a lot of practice. That makes me feel better.

We did sitting, standing and walking meditations. I have tried meditating before but only while sitting or lying down. The standing was okay but the walking was really challenging. You are supposed to look at the ground, walk ridiculously slow, try not to crash into the person in front of you, hold your hands a certain way, and try not to fall over from being unbalanced. And while you're doing all of this, you're only supposed to be thinking about your steps. Pffft. Much easier said than done.

All in all, it was a very positive experience. The things the leader was saying made me think she was reading my mind. She made me feel better about a lot of the things I've been struggling with lately and it was exactly what I needed. If for no other reason, it was just nice to sit in a calm environment and relax for an hour, not worrying about what was outside the room waiting for me when the hour was over. But it was much more than that. I think this class is a keeper.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Buddha is Looking Down on Me and Shaking His Head.

This weekend wasn't a complete and total waste like last weekend was....I managed to get some stuff done like laundry and chopping up a million pounds of fruits and vegetables that I bought the other day. I'm hoping that in this state they will be easier to throw in the blender or juicer and I might be more motivated to do so. I also recently invested in a new frying/sautee pan which I put to use tonight to prepare most of my meals for the upcoming week. I breaded chicken breasts in breadcrumbs mixed with ground chia and flax seeds and fried them in coconut oil, which is supposed to be the new best thing for you. I made some egg white and turkey sausage McMuffins on whole grain muffins, and the most delicious sauteed swiss chard you could ever imagine (see below).

I cleaned the kitchen (and messed it up again), did laundry, caught up on my DVR shows, and art journaled a little while basking in the amazing weather we were surprised with over the weekend. I cleaned up dog poop and tended to my garden (which consists of 5 plants, but I'm thinking of expanding because I hooked up the watering hose and potentially might be able to keep something alive).

I also slept. A lot. Like a stupid amount. I don't know what my problem is. I still have that weird vertigo thing going on and I have a doctor appointment on Tuesday, so hopefully it will get fixed soon. I also realized that my addiction to Bejeweled Blitz is becoming a real problem. I can drain my entire phone battery playing that stupid thing, then charge it and do it all over again. I was sitting outside intending to enjoy the weather, but the whole time I had my phone in my hand wasting my day away. At one point I put it down and attempted to be mindful of what was going on around me; living in the moment like they always say you should. That didn't work out very well. I tried to concentrate but the squeaky noise the neighbor's gate was making was driving me insane, as were Peabrain and George barking at every little noise they heard. I tried to focus on the sun hitting the green trees and the ripples in the pool, how good the warm breeze felt around me. I tried to take deep, cleansing breaths. It worked for about 30 seconds, then I started thinking about what I was going to make for dinner, about all the projects I have to make to sell at an upcoming event, and how I had to go in and fold laundry. I saw a plane fly overhead and wondered where the people were going, which made me think about my recent trips for work. Then I started thinking about work. At this point I probably stopped breathing all together and started trembling because I missed having my phone in my hand SO much.

I think I need to take a Buddha or meditation class. I'm going to look for one tomorrow.

Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese from Allrecipes.com

I am not lying when I say this is the best vegetable dish I have ever tasted. I skipped the butter and didn't have wine so I substituted chicken broth instead. Oh yeah, my onions were the dried up kind and I used shaved parmasean which melted a little and made it extra delicious.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sauteed-Swiss-Chard-with-Parmesan-Cheese/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 2 cups Change Servings

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Spring Cleaning in La La Land...

I'll admit it. I'm a dreamer. I have pictures in my head of how I believe things should be, and I have a hard time accepting it when people tell me I'm being unrealistic. Call me spiteful, but when someone tells me that I can't do something, I will do everything in my power to prove them wrong. Maybe it's a little sick and twisted, but I really enjoy proving people wrong.

This quality has served me well in the past. When I started my quest to become an artist, some people who supposedly 'loved' me laughed at me and told me that I was an idiot. Instead of believing and giving up on my dreams, I made the conscious decision to remove these toxic people from my life and surround myself with people who encouraged and believed in me. It took a while, but today I have a great job doing what I love and what I'm good at. I've had this job for more than a year now, and I still have to pinch myself now and then to make sure I'm not dreaming. I get to make a good living by surrounding myself with art and ceramics all day. In my opinion, things can't get any better than that!

A few months ago, someone told me that I was trying to change the world and that it was never going to happen. Of course, my response was 'why not?' Surely I can if I try hard enough, right? Well, I am starting to realize that maybe he had a point. I recently gave a lot of time and energy to trying to make a good situation out of a bad one. I allowed it to consume most of my free time and I was sure that if I gave it my all and had faith that things would change for the better. Unfortunately, my plan failed. Luckily, the whole experience taught me something very important so I don't regret any of it. I learned that even though I might not be able to change somebody else's world, I still have all the power to change mine.  

All of this prompted me to take a look at how my life is today. All is well, but somehow I've allowed some toxicity to creep its way back in. For the most part, I have amazing friends who are encouraging and want the best for me and I appreciate them more than they can ever imagine. There are a few people, though, that have been bringing me down with their negative energy and I'm getting tired of letting that happen. Life is too short to be anything but happy, and if that means distancing myself from the people that are trying to prevent my happiness, then that's what I need to do.

Consider it done. Here's to moving forward and never looking back! And to never giving up on your dreams.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Easter Calories

Happy Easter! I have been craving Peeps and Cadbury Eggs and Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs all day, but luckily I didn't have any on hand. I ended up melting some chocolate chips and dipping fresh strawberries into them which was a relatively satisfying alternative. Too bad my choices weren't that great the rest of the weekend....

It started on Friday when I had the bright idea to bring home Chinese food. I went to this new place and ordered fried rice and lemon chicken. I had never had Chinese lemon chicken before and it sounded like it might be healthy. It was not. Deep fried delicious chunks of chicken breast covered in a sweet lemony sauce....one of the best things I've eaten in a long time but definitely not healthy. It still wasn't healthy when I ate leftovers for lunch the next day.

Then, yesterday I was planning on staying home and eating some of the homemade turkey cabbage rolls I made earlier in the week, but my BFF ended up coming over and we went for a power walk. Sounds great, right? Well we armed ourselves with marshmallow vodka mixed with diet coke in Del Taco cups. It was a great walk! But by the time we got back my self control was completely gone and I was hungry. Cabbage rolls were DEFINITELY not happening....Domino's was calling my name. So I called them back and ordered pizza and cheesy bread. Ate quite a bit of it too!

I woke up this morning with a stomach ache, horrible heartburn, and absolutely no energy whatsoever. There's no doubt in my mind that the marshmallow vodka had a little to do with it, but by the time I went to bed last night the massive quantity of pizza I consumed soaked up all the vodka and just left me feeling bloated and sleepy.

I know I've said this before, but I'm really considering cutting out the booze. I can have a sip of wine and I lose all control over food consumption. If I ditched the alcohol, not only would I be saving those calories, I'd also be avoiding the bad food choices. Plus I wouldn't feel like a gigantic piece of poop the next day. It seems like an obvious choice to me.

I'm glad I'm not a pothead. I can't even imagine the crap I would eat if I were one.

Can you believe I'm considering heating up leftover Domino's right now? I need help! LOL

I'ma Steal my Neighbor's Scale

I just realized that I haven't written anything since my sudden burst of mushiness last week. Ugh, what got into me, anyway? That hopefully will be my one and only sappy post this year. Unless it's about my dogs. I don't mind being sappy about them.

So I haven't written because I've been busy, which is a good thing. I'm coming out of a three day weekend and I'm happy to report that I was somewhat productive. Not only that, but I also managed not to completely sabotage my diet and exercise routine. Saturday I actually intentionally got some exercise by Zumba-ing a little and moving furniture around in an attempt to put together a small pottery studio area for myself. I was exhausted when I was done so I had to burn at least a few calories. I also spent the Amazon gift card that my sister gave me for my birthday on a set of Zumba toning sticks, which will make my sporadic workouts even more fun and challenging.

I also knocked out a couple of projects that have been sitting around my house for the last couple of months. They were getting in the way of progress, so now that they are completed I don't have to work around them anymore. Of course, all of the things on my to-do list for the weekend didn't get done, but there's always next weekend.

And the best part of the whole weekend? I weighed myself on my neighbor's bathroom scale and it said I am about 2 pounds lighter than what my usual scale says. Score! I need to get me one of those.

I Am Not Dead Inside!

So far, I've been focusing mostly on things I've been doing that are good for my body, and doing things that are good for my mind and spirit have taken a back seat. Today I want to focus on something that recently transpired that has been really great for my spirit. But first...I need to provide some background history.

Three days after I moved to Arizona about 16 years ago, I met someone who ended up being my boyfriend for the next 3 years or so. Obviously it didn't work out because we're not together anymore, but I have fond memories of our time together. I also have not-so-fond memories of fighting like cats and dogs with him, but that's another story. We were together at an important time in my life. I had just left the comfort of my parents' house in NJ and embarked on my journey to become an adult. I moved 2500 miles away from everything I knew and loved to where I didn't know a soul and all I had with me were my ferrets, my bed, and a couple of frogs. I blindly rented a studio apartment to move into, and after a 8 day long cross country trip in a Budget rent-a-van with a perfect stranger, I ended up on my own in Mesa, Arizona. Luckily I met this person within a few days, and before long we were inseparable. We explored all of Arizona and parts of Mexico, traveled to New York, New Jersey, Utah, New Mexico, California and Florida, got a couple cats, built kitty furniture together, and shared our mutual love for all things weird and scientific. Being that we are both super goofy people, we'd make up songs and strange noises and funky dances and just laugh like idiots. Ahh, those were good times.

We definitely had our share of problems. My mom passed away during this time, which neither of us dealt with very well. He kind of had a dark side and some anger issues, which I got really tired of. He wanted a family and I generally fear children and commitment in general. We were young and thought the grass was greener on the other side so we went our separate ways. With the exception of a handful of conversations through MySpace a few years ago, I really haven't spoken to him or thought too much about him since.

A few weeks ago, I got a random Facebook message from him.We caught up a little and I found out that he still lives in Phoenix, has been married and divorced more times than Ross on Friends and he has an 8 year old daughter. We have been talking via phone and text messaging ever since and I've got to admit...I'm not hating it. It even has me wondering if I had actually met my soul mate 16 years ago and just didn't realize it until now.

Today we live two different lives, 500 miles apart from each other, so we'll never have the chance to find out what might have been. But it sure has been great reconnecting with him and reminiscing about the great memories we have together. The whole experience has made me feel a little less 'dead inside', and more hopeful about the future...what could possibly be better for my soul than that?

My Arms Feel Like Wet Noodles.

There just so happens to be a fitness center at my place of employment. I asked for the combination to get into it a few weeks ago and finally dragged myself in to it the other day with the intent to give myself a great workout. Sadly, I got confused and left right away...

I'm not going to pretend that I know my way around a gym, but I'm not completely clueless, either. I've been to the gym many times in the past, but I usually make a beeline to the elliptical machine and maybe try out a weight machine or two. But the equipment in our fitness center is nothing like I have ever seen before. In the middle is a large universal machine that is from 1972. There's a treadmill and a bunch of dumbells...a bench or two...but it's no LA Fitness. That's okay, though. I'm not complaining. The fact that there is this facility about 20 paces away from my desk and it's free to use is fantastic. I just needed someone who has been in there before to show me the ropes.

Today was the day! I went in there with two of my co-workers who go every morning at 10 am and spend 15 minutes a day pumping iron. I can do 15 minutes! That's nothing! Fifteen minutes a day is 75 minutes a week. That's a whole lot better than the 0 minutes a week I usually spend lifting weights. Today I focused on arms and shoulders, and tomorrow I'll switch it up and do legs. I'll be buff in no time!

I am very excited about this. I don't have to spend money on a gym membership that I'll never use because it takes too much effort to get in the car and go to it. I don't have to find an hour or more in the day to spend working out. If I combine this with my lunchtime walk, I'll actually get some decent exercise every day. And that's with barely even trying. This is my kind of regimen.

Today I did about 6 different exercises for my back, shoulders and arms. They now feel like wet noodles. Stay tuned to hear me whine about how much my muscles are aching tomorrow!

Why Would Anyone Remove the Cinnamon Crunchies?

Fridays make me nervous. A few of us girls (and one boy) here at work have implemented something called "Bagel Friday", where every Friday one of us goes and gets bagels for the group. I used to love Bagel Fridays, but now that I am trying to watch what I eat I know that starting off with a bagel first thing in the morning is not good for my diet. Even with light cream cheese, the Cinnamon Crunch bagel I ate from Panera was 550 calories! So now, I have to be extra careful about what I eat for the rest of the day, and since it's Friday (which is always a cause to celebrate) and I want cocktails and happy hour appetizers, this is an issue. I managed to muddle through yesterday, so hopefully I can do the same today.

So, I go to log my bagel calories on MyFitnessPal and I search for this: 'Panera Cinnamon Crunch'. A list of items matching my search comes up, the first one being 'Panera - Cinnamon Crunch Bagel (Crunch Topping Removed)'. Really? Why would you do that? You might as well get a plain bagel if you are going to take the crunchies off. They are what make the bagel delicious! I would skip the bagel and just eat a bowl full of cinnamon crunchies if I could. Is removing them really saving that many calories? What does this person do with the removed crunchies? Throw them out? God, I hope not! Send them to me! I will take them in a heartbeat! Please, help me to understand this craziness.

I would have posted a pic of the bagel and the crunchies and the light cream cheese that was on it, but before I had a chance to I ate it. Sorry. Maybe next Friday!

I'm going to embrace the theory that one glass of red wine every day is good for your health.

Boy, have I been cranky lately. I'll admit it, it's hormonal, but it just happens to be coinciding with a couple of crappy days. I was especially crabby last night, but luckily a very good friend of mine put a glass of wine in my hand and once I drank it I felt so much better! It also might have had something to do with my hour long bitch fest I threw his way before the wine, but regardless I was all better afterward.

Fast forward to today. I was doing much better overall....it was actually a pleasant day. I went grocery shopping after work because I needed food for the dogs, so I figured I'd go to the place with the good produce and get some healthy food while I was there. I bought enough produce to feed a small army, but it all looked so good. I got enough for juicing, salads, eggplant parm, cabbage rolls and probably another meal or two. I came home, put it all away, ate dinner, and whipped up some apple crisp. Then I realized that something I've been working really hard for slipped farther out of my grasp. I won't get into what it is, exactly, but it annoyed me and rattled my already fragile and cranky mood.

I got to thinking about the glass of wine I had yesterday and how it made me feel so much better. Should I do the same thing today? I've read over and over again how one 4 oz glass of wine per day is supposed to be like a health food. That fits in perfectly with my new, healthy lifestyle! According to this article from Food and Wine, one glass a day will do all of this stuff!

Promotes Longevity

Reduces Heart-Attack Risk

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Lowers Risk of Stroke

Cuts Risk of Cataracts

Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer

Slows Brain Decline

So as long as I stick to 4 oz, I'll be okay, right? That's more than enough because I can usually feel it go straight to my head after the first few sips. In fact, I have been sipping it while writing this and I already forgot what I was so cranky about. I think I'm going to like this plan.

Cheers!

Cupcake Avoidance....Exercises in Willpower.

Needless to say, after last night's festivities, functioning properly today was a little bit of a challenge. I got up in enough time to show off my new Valentines at the event, but my overindulgence of alcohol and nasty Del Taco at 2 am left me feeling less than stellar. I couldn't even think about eating anything for awhile after I got up, but as I was on my way to show my goodies, I realized that I was ridiculously thirsty and thought a Sprite would be just the thing to make me feel better. So I swung by the McDonald's drive through and got one, and figured while I was there I'd get something to eat too. I opted for a double cheeseburger with no onions. No fries with that, either, I might add. The funny thing is that I didn't even like it. I used to love them, but this time for some reason it was just nasty. Maybe my taste in food is changing and I'm starting to like the healthier stuff more? Yeah right, it must have just been a bad burger...

I still managed to have a 700 calorie breakfast with the burger and the full sugar Sprite, and I'm now feeling gross and ashamed of myself. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A few lights actually. The first one is that later in the day, my friend Alexa and I walked past a homemade cupcake bakery that I had never seen before and she asked whether I wanted to go in for one. I actually declined! I couldn't believe it myself. I have yet to experience one of these delicious creations from ANY cupcake boutique, even though they have been around for years. So for me to come across my first opportunity to indulge and say no is nothing short of a small miracle!

Dinner time rolled around and I was thinking it would be nice to get take out from somewhere. I contemplated getting Chinese food, pizza, a sandwich from Whole Foods....but I talked myself into going home and eating some of the leftover healthy meal I had made the night before. Once I got home, though, I was overwhelmed again with the desire to have a pizza delivered and started looking at options online. I was about to make the call and then from out of nowhere came a sudden burst of willpower that I didn't even know I had. I got up, ate the healthy meal and forgot all about the pizza.

Sound too good to be true? It was. I had ice cream for dessert which combined with my McBreakfast put me way over my calorie allowance for the day. I did top it with fresh blackberries instead of hot fudge, so that's encouraging. Plus it is the weekend, and calories don't count on weekends. Right?

Off to a Good Start...Now Don't Blow It.

I may actually be getting into a groove! I ate a healthy breakfast and lunch, logged all my calories into MyFitnessPal for both meals, and took a 15 minute power walk at lunch...all before 2 pm! I'd be happy with myself if that's all I did today that was good for me, but I know there will be more to come later. I know for a fact that dinner is going to be healthy because I am going to eat what was leftover from last night (chicken sausage, onions, peppers and potatoes). There's always the possibility that I will pop in my stretching DVD, but I say that everyday and it rarely happens (I even brought it to Las Vegas with me thinking I might do it in my room, but I was so busy eating, drinking and gambling in my free time that I never even gave it a second thought. Oh well, I'll just have to try harder next time). I may even fit in an art project or two, which is always therapeutic and therefore good for my soul. The possibilities are endless!

I'm Retiring From Being a Human Garbage Can.

According to my calculations, I gained about 4 pounds in the 3 days that I was in Las Vegas. That is disgusting, but I can't say I am surprised. I actually thought it would have been more. The sad thing is that it will probably take me 4 weeks to lose them! That is so not fair! I just added an extra month to my diet and exercise program because of a measly 3 days of making bad choices. Why can't it ever be the other way around? Why can't I eat like that for a month and lose it in only 3 days? This sucks!

Considering there's not much I can do about it, I made sure to bring healthy food with me to work for the week. I brought my leftover soup, Greek yogurt, apples and oranges. I know I pledged to eat nothing but air sandwiches for the next week, but I got hungry.

I was craving sausage and peppers for dinner so I stopped at Fresh and Easy to get some groceries. I love Fresh and Easy. They have great food (tons of healthy and easy to prepare choices) and great prices. They even issue a coupon every few weeks which is even more enticing. I like going here because it's a smaller store and it doesn't take all day like it would if I went to a real supermarket. Plus they have the best hummus in the whole entire world. Unfortunately, their parent company, the UK's Tesco, is probably going to shut them down because they aren't as profitable as they had hoped. I will cry if that happens.

I settled on some mild chicken sausage, bought a container of already chopped up onions and peppers, a package of mushrooms and some little tiny tri colored potatoes, then sauteed them in olive oil. It was really good! I even have enough for 1 or 2 more meals.

After entering all of my caloric intake into MyFitnessPal for the day, I was only at 1266 which is pretty damn good if I do say so myself. I was also still hungry and was craving something sweet. Real shocking, I know. After carefully pondering what I should eat to solve this problem (normally I would do something like eat a plethora of marshmallows or enough chocolate chips and almonds to double the amount of calories I had already eaten), I opted for a bowl of Rice Krispies with organic chocolate soy milk and some fresh blueberries. It totally hit the spot and I was still under my calories for the day. Who needs marshmallows when you have chocolate soy milk? Not me!

Detoxing With Butter and Sugar

For reasons that I still don't completely understand, I was booked on a 7:30 am flight to Fresno this morning which means I had to be up at 4:45 to get to the airport in time. Las Vegas airport is not user friendly and my co-worker and I wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time so we could get out of there. Even though I went to sleep at about 9:30 pm the night before, I woke up still in a food and bloody mary induced fog. The thought of eating anything ever again wasn't the slightest bit appealing, but a nice cold green tea Frappucino from Starbucks seemed like the perfect thing to drink to help soothe my extremely pissed off digestive system. I love those things. They taste just like green tea ice cream, you know the kind you get at a sushi restaurant. So I got one.

I passed out on the plane and by the time I got home and woke up from my 3 hour nap I was hungry again.I opted for a couple pieces of toast. Cracked wheat sourdough toast. With real butter. What? I don't want to completely shock my body! I have to wean myself off the crap slowly.

Later I decided to go through my fridge and kitchen cabinets and cook up a big pot of soup. The ingredients consisted of rotisserie chicken, refried beans, cheddar cheese soup, chicken broth, salsa, corn, lemon juice and spinach. It was actually pretty good! I love making these kinds of soups...I usually throw in any meat in the freezer that is on the verge of getting freezer burn, any vegetables in the fridge that are about to decompose, and whatever cans of stuff and spices I can find in the cabinet that might make it all taste better. Some are more successful than others. This one was a winner. I ate it with a sprinkle of cheese on top and some tortilla chips. I made enough for three more lunches this week, some to freeze to eat at a later time, and to give the dogs a ladle full each on their dinner.

Let the detox begin!

Epic Fail, Unless Sleeping Counts

Today I can't think of anything I intentionally did that was good for me, but I think it happened by accident. I was exhausted after working today and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to take a nap. My plan was to sleep from 7:30 until about 9:30 or so, then get up and do something. That never happened. I woke up at around 9 with the TV and the lights blaring and I tried to stay awake, but just couldn't. I was so tired. So I turned the lights and TV off and went to sleep for good. And it was glorious. A king size bed, nice fluffy pillows, no dogs with their butts in my face or trying to push me onto the floor...I guess I needed it. The lack of sleep and overabundance of beer from the night before caught up with me. Oh well...tomorrow's another day.

Get Healthy With Chocolate Covered Strawberries? Sign me up!

I came across this great article today about 20 simple ways to improve your health. Although they are minor changes, apparently they can add up to big results. I was thrilled to see that playing the drums was #1 on the list, considering I've always wanted to do that. I think I'd be pretty good at it, plus I always imagined that it would be extremely stress relieving. This just confirms it. Now I have to get me a drumset and an extra noise insulated room added on to the house so that my neighbors don't evict me from the neighborhood.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/slideshows/20-simple-ways-to-improve-your-health-in-2013

The other thing on the list that I always wanted to do was become a morning person. I am queen of the snooze button and can sleep until noon every day if I was able to. And I get 8 hours of sleep every night! I have the best intentions to get up early and face the day, but when the alarm goes off I want to throw it out the window. One of these days I need to buckle down and try it. But I highly doubt it will be anytime real soon.

Today I am choosing 2 things from this list to do....actually it's really only one thing but it covers two of the ways at the same time. I will be waving off the unrealistic goal of avoiding sweets at every turn while I am taking care of my skin by eating dark chocolate covered strawberries! This is something I can do every day without even trying. I'm going to have the nicest skin in the whole wide world!

Oh, and I also opted for this delicious and satisfying lunch instead of heading to roach coach for a chicken burrito. Yes, that was intended to be sarcastic, but in reality these things aren't that bad. I like the mint and lemon ones the best.

Blog, Resurrected.

Today I announced to the world (or at least to the people who read my other blog, The Peculiar Palette) that I will be completing a new 52 piece art project this year. Not only will making more art be good for my spirit, it will also be good for my body since if I'm keeping my hands busy they won't be able to stuff my face with junk food. Plus, ever since I started working again full time I have been slacking off on posting to The Peculiar Palette, so this project will motivate me to post at least once a week and get it back up and running. Here's my first post of the year, and a sample of what you can expect to see if you become a regular reader (which I hope you do):

Ceramic Painting + Art Journaling = Bliss!

As you probably already have figured out, I am obsessed with anything and everything art related. I am an artist, but when people ask me what kind of artist I am I have a hard time answering. I am a painter, a scupltor, a potter, a ceramicist, a woodworker, a maker of mosaics, a furniture refinisher, an art journalist, a polymer clay artist, an interior decorator, an art quilter, a jewelry maker, a Zentangler....I'm sure I forgot to mention at least a few things. But, what I love to do the most is to combine any and every one of the above art forms into something new and different.

I love 'being into' so many different things because I never get bored or run out of ideas for projects. And it seems like I come across something new that I want to try on a daily basis. For instance, a year ago I had never really worked with low fire ceramics or painting with commercial glazes on bisque. Since I got my job at iLoveToCreate®, though, this is a huge part of what I do. My head is exploding with design ideas and product combinations I want to try at any given moment. Any unpainted bisque pieces I come across at work don't stand a chance against me and my paint brush. In fact, my boss has to calm me down quite regularly and remind me that my job here is to be a ceramic product salesperson, not a painter (although to my delight he has been letting me work on some non-sales related creative projects with my new BFF in Fresno, David Hoff, Duncan® product expert and ceramic painter extraordinaire. I may even be travelling around the country to teach!). But I just love it. And I'm hoping that my excitement about all of this ceramic painting will inspire other people to want to try it, which will in turn increase sales....therefore I really am doing my job! But I digress....

The other art form that I have been obsessing over is art journaling. I have always been an admirer, but I have a hard time keeping up with it. I'll do a few pages and misplace my journal. I'll find it a year later and do a few more pages then forget about it. But that all changed during a recent trip to NJ for a work trip. I got stranded in the Chicago airport for several hours and went to the bookstore to kill some time. I happened to come across a Moleskine blank journal with watercolor paper pages in it, which was great because I had just recently bought a pack of Peerless Watercolors which I happened to have with me. I bought it, headed to the bar for a glass of wine, and journaled for hours until my flight finally left. I went from being miserable about being stranded at the airport to as content as could be, doodling all my cares away.

I am so glad I found this journal. I travel quite a bit for work which means I spend a lot of time in airports. I always bring my watercolors, journal, Micron markers and a aqua brush pen with me and pass the time making art. It's pretty fantastic.

Anyhoo....now that the new year has rolled around, I decided to give myself a little bit of a challenge. Since painting ceramics and art journaling are my new favorite things to do, I am going to start combining the two. I'm going to make a series of 52 plates, one for each week in 2013, as a way to document what happens in my life this year. Of course I will share each one on my blog for you to see. I'm really excited about this project and can't wait to get started on the second one!
Here is my debut piece which states my New Year's resolution for 2013...'I resolve to do one thing every day that is good for either my body, mind, or spirit'. It will hang in a prominent place in my house so I am constantly reminded of it. Now I should have no excuses not to keep this resolution instead of abandoning it in the first week like I did all of the others I've ever made. It has been 8 days and I've stuck to it, so things are looking good!



This project was made with a Duncan® OhFour® Bisque plate, Cover Coats®, French Dimensions™ and Pure Brilliance®.

I Should Have Served Cheese with that Whine.

Wow, apparently I was in a funk yesterday when I wrote that post. The good news is that after it posted, I cranked up some happy tunes, grabbed my paint roller and painted the hallway while dancing around, causing three dogs to stare at me as if I had lost my mind. That's okay though, it's not the first time they've looked at me like that. Not only did I finish the entire hallway, I also put 3 coats of primer on the hutch I am refinishing and prepped my mosaic for grouting, which I will be doing today. It's amazing what a little music can do. I didn't play my Zumba game, but between the dancing, moving furniture, paint rolling and all the other things I did, I broke a decent sweat and my thigh muscles are burning today. That's a very good feeling.

An even better feeling, though, is being able to cross the hallway off of my to do list. Now I can hang all of the pictures that have been leaning up against random walls and stuffed in closets for the last 8 months since I moved in, and eliminate the stress I feel every time I have to step over them. Score!

PS... Today is this blog's one week anniversary and I posted ever day as promised. This is the first New Year's resolution I ever made that lasted this long. Yay!

Bad Lighting and Healthy Food

Today has been a nice, relaxing Saturday. I slept in then took a nap, caught up with my cousin on the phone, took the dogs for a ride to Harbor Freight for some painting supplies, and worked on my latest mosaic project. All of this activity has made me work up an appetite, so I decided to make a healthy dinner of baked cod with broccoli, carrots and sauteed mushrooms on the side.

Although my intentions were good, my cooking skills...not so much. The veggies came out great. I didn't even have to smother them in butter. But I really don't know what in the begeezus I did to the fish. All I did was brush a little olive oil on it and season it with a little sea salt and pepper and broil it for about 15 minutes. Apparently that is the perfect recipe for rubberized fish.

I can't remember ever having cod before that wasn't chopped up and turned into a fish stick, so for all I know this is the way it's supposed to be. If that's the case, I can guarantee I will never be having it again! I was hoping it would be nice and flaky and delicious, not hard, chewy and tasteless. I'm thinking that I probably cooked it too long but fish kind of freaks me out so I wanted to make sure it was nice and done (although I love sushi... go figure). I think next time I will try a sauce or something to cook it in because the way I made it plus an additional squirt of lemon juice just didn't cut it.

Oh well, I tried. I still did my one thing today that was good for me by choosing to eat healthy. And the good (meaning bad) news is that I have leftovers for tomorrow. Yippee! Can't wait!

My Pal, Fitness.

There is this amazing website called My Fitness Pal that you can join for free and keep track of your diet and exercise. You take a short assessment and tell them your weight loss goal, then they calculate how many calories you should be eating per day to attain that goal. They have a huge database of foods including restaurant dishes so you can keep track of every single little thing you eat. You can log your exercise too and it will keep track of how many calories you burn. It's a really great tool. They even have a smartphone app so there should be no excuses as to why you didn't log something.  I have been a member of this website for years, but my use has been intermittent at best. I do pretty well for a week or two, then have a day where I consume everything in sight and I don't want to see the total calories I ate that day. Then I'll do the same thing the next day, and the next....you get the picture.

So today I decided I would start tracking my progress again. I logged into my MyFitnessPal page and it remembered me...it even greeted me by telling me how long it has been since I logged in and that I might need some encouragement. It also told me that I should make some friends on the website because people who partner up with others tend to stay on track better and lose more. I don't think I'm ready to share every detail about my weight and what I am eating with other people, though. It would seem too much like a competition and if I'm not in the lead I'll probably start starving myself or fudging the truth about the progress I'm making. That seems counterproductive to me. I'm just going to start small...if I just remember to log everything for a week straight I'll be happy.

I have yet to finish logging for today. I did great until lunch time, but when I got home I was so hungry that I started picking at everything in my fridge and now I have to try to remember it all. I'm hoping it is so difficult to remember everything that I'll make sure to eat fewer things tomorrow so I don't have to spend so much time doing this. If it's not easy I'm probably not going to do it, so I have to make sure it's easy.

I'm off to see how many extra calories I consumed today. Until tomorrow....

Something's Fishy....

By now I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the multitude of benefits you get by taking fish oil supplements. Talk about a miracle pill! By taking one or two gigantic horse pills full of the stuff per day, I can ward off cancer, depression, the effects of aging, arthritis, heart disease, inflammation, AND improve my eye sight (check out the complete list here). The only problem is that I can never remember to take them.

I started off by taking them in the morning. I'm better at taking pills in the morning because I just make it part of my routine. Then one day, a few hours after I took them I drank something carbonated and started burping up fish. It was so totally, disgustingly gross. It was like I ate a couple of cans of the nastiest seafood flavor of Fancy Feast you can buy. Obviously this was not going to work. I even tried the odorless ones and they are far from odorless.

Then I got the bright idea to take them before bed. It was genius! They are completely digested by the time I wake up and I don't have to deal with any of the unpleasant side effects. The only issue I had with this idea was remembering to take them so I hardly ever did. I'm not going to fight off any diseases that way!

Today I made it a point to move the bottle of pills AND a bottle of water to a convenient place on the night stand next to my bed. That way there's no way I'll forget since they will be right in my face. I'm even going to start giving them to my dogs, since back in the day my vet recommended giving them to Dora to help with her bad hip joints. Which I did for a while, but eventually forgot about that too.

I'm really hoping that one of the benefits turns out to be improved memory. Apparently I can use it.