The Weekend!

We had a weekend of no plans. We started off attempting to eat seafood at Mike Anderson's Friday but the wait was ridiculous at 6:00 so we just headed across the street to ole faithful aka Caliente. Jose, maker/inventor of the Jose Special, is a Manager now so he doesn't bar tend. He stopped by our table to say hey & I asked if he could make me one & he said of course. I haven't had one in awhile.

It was delicious. So delicious that I had 2! The rest of the crew came in at different times & by the end of the night we were all there.

Saturday we brought my car to have the oil changed & went to Sam's. Nothing too exciting. Allison was running errands in Baton Rouge so I went with her to The Big Squeezy for a Greena Colada.

It's really delicious!!! It wasn't on the menu the first time we had it but it is now so we can recreate it at home.

 

Allison also bought a bag of cheesy kale chips without the cheese.

They're organic & have all healthy stuff in them & nothing at all that's the least bit cheesy. We're very confused as to how they get the cheese taste. They were different but I liked them.

 

Once I got home Dean was watching the LSU game & we decided that we'd go to Mass Sunday morning. Mainly because I had a hat on & I didn't feel like washing my hair & fixing it. Lazy much? I ended up falling asleep on the sofa while reading & I slept for 3 HOURS. Seriously? It's not like I didn't sleep good the night before & I certainly didn't exert any energy Saturday. Once I woke up we went to dinner at Portico. They just opened a new location near us & I had a Groupon. I wasn't planning to have a drink since I had 2 Friday night. I don't like to drink my calories. But then I saw this on the menu.

 

An Arnold Palmer & More - it had vodka in it & was very good. Definitely a good summer drink.

 

There were lots of things on the menu that sounded good. I decided on the Low Country Shrimp. 

DELICIOUS!! Grilled shrimp in a really good sauce over cheese grits. You could get mashed potatoes instead of grits if you want. YUM!!! We'll definitely go back.

Sunday we went to Mass, Trader Joe's & Walmart, the usual routine. Yes, I even took another nap. This one only 45 mins. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. However, I made a deal with myself, I could nap but I had to run when I got up. I did.

Good run even though I felt a little nauseous. I probably should've eaten a snack before. I had a salad for lunch & I'm guessing that's not good fuel! Anyway, I felt good & was pleased with my time since the last time I ran was a week ago. The weather was gorgeous too.

While I was running Dean was grilling. 

Yes, it's only the 2 of us. We'll be eating leftovers for awhile & no I don't eat hot dogs.

How was your weekend?

Toodles!

Friday!

This week went by fast for me. I'm not complaining. It means we're one week closer to tax season being over which means one week closer to getting off early on Fridays!

A few weeks ago when I ran the St. Patrick's Day run, Allison's friend & co-worker, Karen invited me to join them for a Painting With A Twist class. I don't normally do a lot during the week because you know I'm a mawmaw & need my sleep. What I've figured out is regardless of how much sleep I get I still want more so there was no reason not to go. We  met for dinner at Dempsey's & then headed over to the painting class.
Here we are with our creations - me, Allison, Karen & Shauna. It's amazing how good they look from a distance. Up close I don't think mine looks all that good but it was fun. I was in bed for 10:20 & was dead asleep at 5:30 this morning when it was time to get up. I believe the word "WHAT?" was uttered when Dean woke me up. No clue what was going on.

I've always had very vivid dreams. You know like the ones where I wake up & I'm taking pictures off my bulletin board (when I was in high school) or the time that I woke up holding onto my window sill because I was dreaming a wall was falling on me. Last night was about Allison's future niece, CC. I dreamed that I was gallivanting all over town looking for a baby yoga mat to give to Andrea (CC's current incubator). For some reason I was adamant about this. It would make a little sense if Andrea or I were really big Yogi's but we're not. WEIRD.

We don't have any plans this weekend. The LSU games are in Florida. I took this picture while at a red light on my way to work this morning.

Lovely right? Of course when I got to work it was raining harder than I've seen in awhile. It's cleared up but there's still a lot of rain in the forecast. Great. Hopefully I can go for a run at some point this weekend. I ran 3 miles Monday & was planning to go Wed. but it was cool & really windy & I just wasn't feeling it. Some days are just like that.

Have a good weekend!

Toodles!

Pee Wee sings Billie Jean

The weekend was jam packed & I'm tired. Dean said from the time I woke up Sunday morning at 9:00 (yikes) until I left at 11:15 I said "I'm tired" at least 25 times. Can't help it. I was tired then & I still am. The weekend started with Caliente Friday night before the LSU game.

One glass of Sangria & a few chips & salsa. The weather was perfect so we were able to sit on the patio.

The fish tacos are sooo good! I get soft corn tortillas to make them healthier &  veggies instead of rice. Yeh that's a little cup of queso that comes with it. Sometimes I dip my veggies in it & sometimes I don't eat it at all. We went to the LSU game & they won.

Logan had a game Friday night & they won too so they were playing at 10:15 Saturday morning. It was so cute to watch.

Logan is one of the taller kids on the team although he's younger than some of the tiny ones. They're all adorable. Saturday turned out to be very hot.

Logan looks like he's yelling in this picture. He was actually yawning. Yes, in the middle of the t-ball game. Have I mentioned that this kid NEVER STOPS?? He started hollering "Coach, coach". I think we were all holding our breath to see what was going to come out next. I think we all just about passed out. He said "I'm tired". Huh??? Unreal. We decided he was hot. After the announcement he proceeded to take his hat off & start fanning himself.

He hit good & was on base several times.

He was on the pitcher's mound for this game.

He wears the same number my brother always wore. Once the game was over (they won) he wanted me to come to his house to play so we did. He showed me how he rides his bike with two wheels now (without training wheels). I can't believe how old he's getting. He'll be 5 at the end of May. It really is amazing how fast time flies.

Once we got home it was time to get ready for Mass, after Mass we had a quick meal at Raising Canes. So good but so not good for you. I even had a Dr Pepper & a refill. I had a late night ahead of me & needed all the help I could get. After we ate we went to the LSU game. About 8:00 I went home to change clothes. We were going with a big group to the Varsity to listen to the band that was playing. Everyone chipped in & we rented the balcony which was so nice because it was just our group & there were tables, a bathroom & a bar so no waiting in line. Definitely the way to go. Our friend Jackie organized the whole thing.

The band is called the Molly Ringwalds. They're really popular in the Baton Rouge & New Orleans area. They're an 80's cover band. When Jackie told me her plan the first person I thought of was my friend Allison. She LOVES everything 80's so of course she wanted to come.

Me & Allison.

The guys in the band dress up.
The picture isn't very clear but he's dressed up as Dee Snider.

And there was Pee Wee Herman. It really was hilarious to see Pee Wee sing Michael Jackson & do some of his dances.
Suzy, me & Cindy.

Me, my brother Scott, sis in law Lydia and our friends Brandon & Tonya

This picture of me & Dean cracked me up. I'm pasty white, he's cajun & is always at least 10 times darker than me. I get a little bit of tan, he has more of a tan. Seriously, it's annoying!

I think the concert ended somewhere around 1:00. Luckily, we live within about 10 minutes of the Varsity.

Sunday I was back at the ballpark for Logan's t-ball game. They were playing in the Championship game. They lost but that's ok. They got a trophy for 2nd place.

Eating was awful for me this weekend. Everything was delicious but nothing was good for me. I was so exhausted & my head was pounding & all I had a taste for was pizza.  It was sooo worth it!

Toodles!

Five on Friday!

Yay for Friday! We have a busy couple of days planned but all fun. LSU Baseball tonight, T-ball & LSU Baseball tomorrow along with a concert tomorrow night. Let's just say I anticipate a lot of sofa time Sunday. It's supposed to rain so I'm hoping for a good nap. How pathetic is it that I'm looking forward to a nap????
I picked up some different bars at Trader Joe's last week. This one was DIVINE!!! It wasn't processed crap either.The ingredient list was apple, dates, cinnamon & a couple others. Really, really good.

It's really hard to take pics of stuff under fluorescent lights. This was cranberry & almond & it was AMAZING too! Highly recommend.

Then there was this.
When I was leaving work the other day this car was parked next to me. There was a plethora of fast food crap on the passenger side. Not just on the seat either. The entire area where your legs & feet normally are was full of this stuff. I went from being completely grossed out (imagine how that car smells) to completely horrified (how has this person not keeled over from the consumption of all of that crap?). It appears that the owner of the car is an equal opportunity fast food junkie. Wendy's, Arby's, McDonald's were all represented.  BLECH!

THIS is awesome. We saw it at Sam's a couple of times & never bought it because I didn't want to spend $110 (we have a king size bed). Well, $100 is way less than buying a fancy new mattress. Love it! The bed is soft & comfy & I don't notice when Dean rolls over during the night.

I don't know what's up with the coloring of this picture. Tulips are my very favorite flower.  I bought these at Trader Joe's Sunday. They had so many pretty colors!

This is a more accurate picture of the color of the flowers. Pretty huh?

I'm linking up with Christina at Carolina Charm

Have a great weekend!

Toodles!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

How was your weekend? We finally had somewhat decent weather. When I say somewhat I mean it wasn't 50 degrees. There was some rain but we were able to spend some time Saturday working in the yard. I'm ready to plant some things but I don't trust that spring is actually here. It was in the 30's this morning.

LSU wasn't playing at home this weekend so we had some free time. Friday night Dean boiled shrimp & they were delicious. I'd much rather have boiled shrimp than crawfish.

After working in the yard Saturday I did an arm workout which has left my arms TIRED! I guess that's the sign of a good workout. Between that & the yard work it made for a really good Sat. afternoon nap. We had dinner at Caliente.So good! It was actually my only "bad" meal of the weekend & I didn't even overdo it on chips & salsa. That rarely happens.

Sunday morning was our usual Mass, grocery shopping routine. When we got home I did an ab workout. It was hard but I didn't go crazy because I knew I would be running later. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa Sunday afternoon too. When I woke up it was time to get ready for the race.

Love, love, love  my compression socks. I won this pair from PRO Compression! Cute huh? There was a Facebook contest. I have several pair that I've bought from them & I love them. They have cute colors & always have some sort of holiday sock. They even have the short "sport" socks that are compression. I always wear those on my long runs. Right now PRO Compression has a special - 40% off if you use the code SPRING. They didn't pay me to say that. (I wish). I really love the socks & I'm always looking for a deal.
There was a kids fun run but Cael (my friend Allison's son) wanted to run the 3.17 with the rest of us.

The kiddos, Shauna, Karen, Allison & me before the race. This was a small race  but so fun. The course was on private property for the most part. There was a pretty lake with ducks but lakes with ducks mean you have to watch where you step. Part of the race was running in a field. There was a path but parts of it had gravel. Not ideal. Especially for my foot situation. My first thought was "does this count as a trail run"? Allison said "YES!". 

I was worried about the weather. It was in the upper 60's when we started. I generally do much better when it's cooler than that but surprisingly I didn't sweat a lot. There was a breeze & the occasional drizzle.

This was the first time I've ran in a month. My foot felt really good last week. It bothered me during the run & it's bothering me today but it's not awful. I haven't decided if I'll continue to rest it or start doing some short runs. We'll see. The race was 3.17 mi. & I finished in 31.43 which is a 5K PR for me. I wasn't expecting that at all. I keep thinking if  I would've been able to run the last month I may have done it in less than 30 minutes. It was a true 3.17 too. At least my watch said so.

I was the 20th overall female. I don't know how many total runners there were. I forgot to look again before I left.

After the race there was food & drinks as usual.
Me & Allison after.
Me, Allison, Shauna, Cael, Caroline, Karen & Catherine.

All in all a great Sunday Funday!   Toodles!

A Guest!

Here's something you've never seen here before - a guest post. Caitlyn is all into health & fitness & nutrition like I am. Yes, I know. My real life peeps are still in shock over how into all this I am. Anywho - Caitlyn wrote a post about all sorts of things I want to know about but am too lazy to research. The problem is there's too much "stuff" out there. I need a synopsis & that's what we have here!

Hello everyone, I'm Caitlin, a full-time SAHM, nature lover, writer, and health nut! Traci has been generous enough to have me on her wonderful blog. Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite tips on Calories 101! If you have any questions feel free to email me!

Calories 101: Eating & Burning

It’s amazing when I think about how food affects my life. When I eat more calories than I expend, the number on the scale goes up. If I eat fewer calories, the number goes down. Some health experts say that if you want to stay fit, it’s all about calories consumed and burned. But in studying healthy eating and fitness, I have learned that it is more complicated than that. The type of calories I eat matters, as does the type of exercises I do.

Calorie Basics

Food calories are a chemical measurement. In short, one food calorie (sometimes shortened to kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of water by one degree Celsius. Good to know, but that makes almost no sense to me from a dietary standpoint. So, I think about it this way. Each calorie in a portion of food provides energy for me to expend in digestion, body function or exercise, or store as fat. The more energy provided in the food related to its weight, the more calories I have to burn off or store as weight.

Calorie Types

Of course, each kind of food provides calories from different sources. Most calories come from carbohydrates, fat and protein. While it may seem obvious that carbohydrates have more energy, since starches and sugars are energy-dense, the reality is a little more complicated. Each gram of protein or carbs contains four calories. Each gram of fat contains nine calories. For years, nutrition experts said to count calories and focus on limiting fat, since fat is denser in calories than protein or carbs. However, recent research indicates this is not always the right path. In fact, current recommendations suggest limiting carbs and increasing fat and protein consumption to reduce insulin production and keep people satisfied longer.

Body-Mass Index

Speaking of weight maintenance, much ado has been made of late about a person’s body-mass index, or BMI. BMI is a calculation related to a person's height and weight, and is a useful basic assessment of a person's weight. People with a BMI under 18.5 are considered underweight, 18.5-25 is considered normal, 25-30 is overweight, and over 30 is obese. However, BMI does not tell me a lot about my health or physical fitness. When I was first working out and dieting, I gained muscle faster than I lost fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so my BMI went up before it went down. That’s why BMI is only one useful tool in any health plan.

Calorie-Burning Metabolism

Eating a healthy diet is great, but it isn’t enough for most people, and certainly not enough for me. If I do not exercise regularly, my metabolism slows to a snail’s pace and eating celery would pack on the pounds. A 160-lb woman running 30 minutes at 5 miles per hour will burn around 300 calories, where the same woman would only burn about half as much walking at 3.5 mph. High intensity interval training (used in popular at-home workouts like p90x and Insanity) burns about 5 times more calories than a typical cardio exercise. Add resistance training into that and you will continue to burn calories long after you’ve finished working out. But burning calories and building muscle and endurance depends on an individual’s metabolism and experience with the exercise. It’s important to do the research and find what will work for your fitness level.

To a certain extent, it is true that weight loss is about calories in and calories out. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so cutting or burning that much should equal weight loss. But in the long run, I also carefully choose the types of calories I eat and the exercises I use to burn them off.

It's me again - Thanks Caitlyn for all of the info!!

Toodles!

Long time no see!

I haven't blogged in a week? Really? I guess that means nothing earth shattering is going on in my life. Not necessarily a bad thing. Let's see if I can catch up.

I'm still not running. My foot is still bothering me. It felt much better over the weekend & today. Hopefully, we're nearing the end of this bout of tendonitis. I'm all signed up to run a St. Patrick's Day race Sunday. It's 3.17 mi. Cute huh? My friends Allison & Karen are running too so it should be fun. I even bought a cute shirt to wear.

Lent  - I gave up treats. Cookies, candy, cake, donuts, etc. I've done surprisingly well. Granted it's only been 5 days. I'm hoping that this will also help me not crave sweets. Life would just be easier that way.

Diet - After losing the weight I lost a few years ago about 8 lbs. have crept back. Some of it I think is muscle but I don't know how much so I'd like to lose about 5 lbs.. More importantly, I'd like to tone up.  Even though I'm not running at the moment I've still been working out. I've been doing more weights than I ever have. We have a beach trip planned for May with my brother, sis-in-law & Logan so I'm hoping I'll see a difference by then.

Friday night Dean & I went to the LSU baseball game. It was cold. I lasted 4 innings & then I went to the truck & read for a few innings until Dean was ready to go. I always carry my Nook with me!

Saturday we went to Sam's. We go early before it's crazy. Saturday, crazy came early. We were loading our car at 9:00 & I heard a voice say "I'm twerking for gas". I looked up to see a woman twerking in the parking lot. If you don't know what twerking it is, google it along with the words "Miley Cyrus". You won't be impressed. Trust me. I have no idea who she was talking to because there was nobody anywhere near her. I was having a hard time not staring but I also didn't want to make eye contact.

Dean worked in the yard & got a lot of things cut back so hopefully the cold weather is on its way out & everything will start to get pretty again. While he worked outside I did laundry, worked out & caught up on reality TV. We went to Mass & then to Caliente for an early dinner before the LSU game. There wasn't any wind & it felt 30 degrees warmer than Friday night when it was really only 10 degrees warmer.

After the game we stopped at a neighbor's & hung out for a bit. We haven't gotten together with everyone in awhile so it was fun.

Sunday - I did our grocery shopping for the week & my friend Allison came over. We'd been saying that we wanted to try a new juice bar in town - The Big Squeezy. Cute name right? They were giving out samples at the Louisiana Marathon & I liked it.  They have smoothies, juice & almond milk on the menu. We tried a few juices. We decided that we do not like juice with celery in it. I like celery, Allison hates celery. In juice, it's just too strong of a flavor. We ended up with fresh made smoothies.

I can't remember the name of it. Something Colada. It has banana, spinach, almond milk, almond butter, coconut oil & I don't remember what else but it was absolutely delish!!! I also bought a bottle of their homemade juice for later.
Sweet Greens is the name of this one.

Some of the ingredients. It's really good too.

I skipped the game yesterday. I stayed home & worked out, read & watched the Kardashians. I used to watch it all the time & then got tired of it but for some reason it's reeled me back in. I just love seeing what they're wearing, what their makeup looks like & seeing the houses. I've said before that I'm very interested in how rich people live. I don't know why but I figure there are worse things.

Once Dean got home from the game he grilled & I sat outside & had a glass of wine.

Isn't my monogrammed glass pretty??

How was y'alls weekend?

Toodles!

Fat Tuesday

Our Mardi Gras weekend was pretty dull. Friday night we had dinner at Caliente before going to the LSU baseball game. Saturday was another game followed by Mass and dinner at Roberto's. If you're hungry or not eating sugar you want to stop reading here.

We had shrimp & grits for an app & it was delicious!

They also have one of my favorite wines.
Scotto Family Malbec!

Then there was the main reason we were there.....
King Cake bread pudding! It was so good! My favorite is still king cake cheesecake though. I even went after work yesterday & got us each a piece.

I love school holidays because there's no traffic going to work! Schools are out here for Mardi Gras. No traffic means time for a Starbucks stop.

Grande white chocolate mocha nonfat with a pump of caramel. So good!
With weather like this I needed Starbucks. Did I mention it was 80 Sunday? Yeh.

I'm giving up sweets for Lent. No cakes, cookies, candy, etc. Because of that I thought it would be a good idea to make myself sick on candy tonight.
I didn't eat all of this. Dean ate one of the wedding cake eggs. Those were really good too!

Anyone giving up or doing anything for Lent?

Toodles!