Been a While

Not sure if you've noticed - but I haven't blogged in a while.

My last post was in April.  APRIL!  That was months ago!  I missed the whole summer and part of the fall!  I've been going through the motions of life and just letting it pass on by along with my little blog. 

 

For your reference:  April was about 400 jogging miles ago, 3 cleanses, hundreds of shopping trips, thousands of selfies, several cases of wine, about 10 lbs (gained) and 4 fad diets ago.  So much to discuss that I missed and I apologize.

 

I've come up with some blog topics in my head - but just never quite get them typed and my motivation has been low.  I have been struggling with finding my blogging voice.  I am all over the place.  One minute all I want to talk about is running, exercise and healthy living, then next minute I want to be a fashion blogger, then I want to only post selfies, next a Paleo food blogger (until the weekend rolls around and I find myself in a nacho, Miller Lite and brownie induced coma).  If you can deal with me being all over the place - then here we go!

 

Although I have been going through the motions of life these past several months and not making the most of my blog, I can tell you that I've channeled my inner little old lady and my embroidery game is ON POINT.

 

I've always loved embroidered flour sack towels and pillow cases.  They always make me think of my Grandma and my Mom.  I don't remember either of them ever embroidering, but they always had a drawer full of embroidered towels or a linen closet with embroidered pillow cases.  The smell of my Grandma Mary’s linen closet always makes me feel good.  Even though she has been gone for several years, I can still stick my head in the hall closet and pull out an old embroidered pillow case and nestle it to my cheek, bringing in the scent, and it brings me home.  I love and have always loved looking at the detail and patterns and thinking about the person who made them and who they made them for.

 

This year I decided to make my close family members all handmade gifts.  (Spoiler Alert – if you are a relative, you might be seeing your gift on here, but I just couldn’t keep it in any longer).  I am not overly crafty or creative and had to watch several YouTube videos to get this done.  My mind can think up fabulous ideas, but my hands just can’t quite get it together.  Flour sack towels and embroidery patterns were the perfect choice for me.  You can iron-on the pattern (no free handing for me), choose the colors and watch them come alive.

I’ve made about 2 dozen so far and have to make at least 3 per week to stay on schedule for Christmas.  The first 2 dozen were made while I watched all of the seasons of the Sopranos…it was kind of odd doing such a nice and wholesome craft while watching Tony Soprano whack someone who owed him money or screw a stripper….but I pressed on. 

Choosing the patterns for people was my favorite part.  I tried to match each person’s set of 4 towels with their personalities, hobbies or lifestyle.

 

Although this new found hobby has caused me to miss a few runs and gym sessions, it has really calmed me down and helped me relax and erase the worries of the day while I watch these little characters come alive for the people I love.

 

If you need me during the next month, I’ll be on my couch, stitching up a storm!

 

 

 

 

 

Lets talk about Lavender

First of all, lavender is so pretty:

The plant is mostly commercially grown for the production of essential oil of lavender - and that is what I am going to talk about today. 

I have only recently gotten into essential oils and am slowly finding my way around.  Lately I have been turning to essential oils before I make my way to the drug store or the doctor's office and usually I can find a remedy that works. 

So far - lavender is my very favorite.  I love the way it smells and feels on my skin.  Sometimes I put a drop or 2 in my hands and just soak up the scent.

I read about the benefits of lavender essential oils on skin and wanted to give it a try about a year ago.  I have these little bumps on my upper arms.  I call it 'chicken skin' and have always been self conscious and picked at them horribly!  eeewwww.  These bumps have bothered me for years - they are basically a raised rough and bumpy texture on my arms, they look like little pimples and not to sound gross, but I have taken great pleasure in popping them from time to time.  The scientific name is Keratosis and apparently about 50% of the population has it and it is most common in children.

They have always gotten better in the summer after a good sunburn or after several tanning bed sessions -  - but I am trying to treat my skin better/live healthier/bla bla bla  and wanted another solution, so I turned to essential oils. 

Each morning (or at night before bed), I rub a couple of drops of lavender on my upper arms.  I've been doing it faithfully now for about 6 months and am happy to report the bumps have gone down considerably and my arms have really softened up without getting a skin scortching sunburn!  (No, I don't have a before and after pic, sorry)  I also have been exfoilating a lot more, which helps too.  I am thoroughly impressed with what the lavender oil has done for my skin!  I also get some fairly bad chaffe marks from my sports bra when I run and have found the Lavender is really soothing to my chapped skin.

Lavender has a ton of other uses included but not limited to insect bites/burns/nosebleeds/hay fever/cold sores and dandruff.  I even read that it can help with Jock Itch!  Wooo who!  ;)

I have started using several other blends of essential oils, all from doTerra.  Their website is really easy to maneuver and has really helped me understand the benefits of essential oils.  A friend of mine, Christina,  distributes doTerra products - embrace your inner hippy and check out her facebook page - Essential Momma - https://www.facebook.com/#!/doterraheals  You will not be dissapointed!

Enjoy your Easter Weekends!  Enjoy time with your families and make the most of what God has planted on this earth for us!  Cheers!

Oh Man

Well, I've been out of blog-land for a while and completely falling of the wagon in everything in my life that I usually take control of.

1. I've been eating like a total dickhead.  

I'm staying in a hotel while I am working in Houston and can say with 100% certainty that I'm out of control!  Fast food, desserts, carbs....oh the carbs!

2.  Drinking.  Geesh.

There was a time in my life that I drank 3-4 nights a week.  Back in my 20's when I was an idiot and lookin' for love in all the wrong places.  ;)

That was before my hangovers got so bad that I can't function at work or life the next day.  Now I really don't drink all that often, maybe once a week (and only fine boxed wines and/or Miller Lite).  

Well...like I said, out of control and it all stems back to eating!!  

.....It's easy to do this when you're eating Mexican food 3-4 nights a week.  Yumm, fully dressed....

 With the margarita salt,  yum. 

Shits gotta stop.

At least I'm not getting hammered every night but good lord, the extra beer calories can't be good for my jiggly parts.

3.  Working out has taken a sharp decline.  I'm getting on the treadmill about 3x/week....maybe 2.  (It's hard to run after beers and chimichangas, y'all)

The hotel actually has a decent workout room, but it's small and there is always someone in there and it's just awkward.  (Yah, that's just an excuse for"'I'd rather lay on my hotel bed and watch TV")

4. Selfies!  My 'selfie to regular picture' ratio has taken a turn for the worst and selfies are my favorite hobby!! 

Wth??  

Isn't it funny how the worse you feel about yourself, the fewer selfies you take??   It's a sign that I need to get my shit together. 

5.  MY BLOG!!!! My brain is blank of blog topics!  My Instagram is even suffering!  

I will come up with a topic and then just decide to go to bed at 8pm in a chips and queso coma without writing a thing.

I apologize to my thousands of readers, I've missed you and will not take this long of a hiatus again.

On the flip side, I have been making the most of it somewhat while in Houston.  

Rodeo Houston goes on for almost the entire month of March.  

Yep, more beer.  

The rodeo is awesome and put together very well.  There is also a concert every night.  

We went to Keith Urban. (Totes hot and sporting a deep V neck)

It was really good.  The stage rotates, so there isn't a bad seat in the house.

Last night we went to Texas Country Music artist, Pat Green, who is one of my faves.  It only cost $7 bucks at the horse race rack.  What a great deal for great TX country music!  

When I moved to TX in 1999, he was one of the first TX country singers that I'd ever heard and have been a fan of TX music ever since.

Texas fill my soul! 

I went for a nice run on Galveston Island a few weeks back:

I was going to blog about it, but didn't and decided to watch the Bachelor instead.

Welp, traveling and hotel life has gotten the best of me.  I am hoping that writing it all down will help me get my act together.  Only 2 weeks left here and I can get back to my 'normal'. 

Until then: no fast food!!! Good lord, Krystal, do you want to button your jeans or not?!!!

Enjoy your week y'all!  Cheers to making the most of everything except Whataburger, Jack in the Box, and chimichangas!!

Frump

Happy Thursday!  Coming at you live from Houston, TX y'all!  In H-town they drink their margaritas with champagne!  

God Bless Texas.

Today I have a very especial treat!  My cousin and good friend, Johnna has offered up some great fashion advice for us and is willing to share her vast knowledge on this here little ole blog. 

Thanks Johnna!

First, before I let her take over, I'd like to tell you a little about her (she's awesome) and something very important she has taught me over the years.

#1. This girl has fantastic fashion sense!  She makes just about anything look like a million bucks!

#2.  She is a little hottie and probably one of the most healthy people that I know.

#3 Johnna actually follows college and professional sports.  She even knows all of the rules of football.  

#4.  Most importantly, she taught me about the dangers of becoming 'Frump Mama'

I was not aware of Frump Mama until Johnna told me about her.  Now I know to be very mindful  when leaving the house with un-combed hair, a stained t-shirt and an old pair of sweats.  

Never let it happen.

At first I thought 'Frump' was just a weird word that Johnna made up (she's very smart and witty, so it's not a stretch)...until I googled it.  

Oh. Hell. No.

Or, as stated in the ever so accurate Urban Dictionary:

frump

A woman who is generally not concerned with her appearance and doesn't make any attempt to look womanly or sexy. Frumps are very common in the Seattle area. They need not be overweight but commonly are somewhat "doughy" and are characterized by lack of makeup (except for ugly art-school or Goth-style makeup), poorly-fitted, unstylish clothing, general lack of muscle tone or a tan. They sometimes wear very bright red lipstick or substitute teacher cat-eye glass to make themselves even less appealing to men although they are not dykes. They'll often complain loudly that they can't find a man yet make no attempt to present themselves in a manner that might attract a man (showing skin or cleavage for instance). They might even be somewhat attractive (do-able)if they made an attempt at dressing better and wearing makeup and/or a better hairstyle.

 

First step to recovery is admission:

I've been guilty of a few of the aforementioned items more than once.

Enough of Frump Mama, here is Johnna's handy dandy little fashion tip:

Dear fellow fashionista,
The attached photos are examples of how one could incorporate a faux “motorcycle jacket” into a work outfit. This is not recommended in the banking world since that would be a stretch, but for the creative arts industries it could work. The scarf-version diminishes the biker element a bit. The faux (meaning plastic not leather) jacket also works well with straight-legged dark denim jeans and heels for after 5. Thank you for considering my submission to your blog.

Definitely no frump here!  Thank you for sharing!!!  You look great and can rock a 'faux' leather biker jacket business casually effortlessly!

Cheers to being Frump Free and making the most of your wardrobe!!  Have a great weekend!

Cold Weather Running

I completely went against my unwritten rule of "no running outside when it's under 70 degrees out" and ventured outside at 1 degree yesterday.  

Yes, that's a 1.  

Although I was born and raised in the cold cold cold and wintery state of Montana and lived over half of my life there, it only took me about 10 minutes of Texas heat to become a summertime gal.  I ditched my coat for a tank top and sandals (without socks) pretty darn fast and have since wondered how people survive in the cold!

Well on Saturday morning when my bf was out and about chasing around coyotes and doing man-stuff, I, of course was seated on the couch watching TLC Extreme Couponers (shit, that's a good show). 

Well....

I decided to make the most of it and go for a jog. Outside. In the butt cold of winter.

(Not before I hit pause on Extreme Couponers, I had to see if the lady was going to get $1,000 worth of groceries for under $10 bucks....that's some good TV, y'all)

Let's talk layers.

#1. My CWX compression tights.  

These mother truckers are the best running rights I've ever had.  Super comfy!! They make you run faster, jump higher, etc. all while helping the circulation in my legs.

Plus, I am quite certain they were invented by the same people who make Spanx (best.thing.ever). They shave at least 10" off my arse and I'm thinking of wearing them under some skinny jeans that I have to use a pry bar to get on.

#2 I pulled a pair of Adidas loose running pants on over the top and I was good to go.

Next...my feet...

My feet are usually the first to freeze and send me right back inside to the comfort of the living room.  Knowing this, I opted for a pair of my wool Cabelas socks.  My feet actually stayed pretty toasty.

Let's move up to the top...

#3 I wore a long sleeved synthetic shirt with a zip up top over it and a thicker zip-up hooded top on top of it. Yes, that's 3 layers. 

I absolutely live this running top!  It's a Nike brand and super bright green.  I feel right at home on a construction site when I wear it!  Also, it's pretty warm and reflective so everyone can see me!

#4 I got the hat and scarf at Lulemon (love that store, but it could eat up my savings account pretty darn fast if I shopped there very often) over Christmas and they are both perfect for the cold weather.  The hat even has a little hole in it for your pony tail to stick out of.  Very stylish, indeed.

#5 As for my hands....

Duh, gloves that I don't have to take off to use my iPhone!  Fan friggin tastic!!!  (Although my phone froze up on my run...good one, Apple)

#6

Ok my favorite part....

Yak Trax!  I'm probably the last person to know anything about winter outdoorsy stuff - but if I were in sales, I'd recommend these!  They are great and have saved me from slipping numerous times!!  You barely even know they are on your feet.

Plus, they make awesome tracks in the snow!!  

When I got outside, I pulled my hood on for some added protection and was off!  I lasted a good 40 minutes and overall had a great workout!  I was happy I braved the single digit temps and will definitely do it again!  Much better than sitting on the couch!

When I got home I read an article on cold weather running to see if the experts recommended anything different.....I was pretty close.

One of the things they said was to dress like its 20 degrees warmer than it really is.  Your body heat will warm you right up.

Always wear synthetic.  No cotton.  When you sweat, cotton won't allow the water to wick away and you'll turn into an icicle.

Wear socks that go around your calves, it will keep your legs warmer.

All in all, I think I did ok with what I had, I'm definitely not a pro, but managed to pull everything out of my suitcase and the few of my things that I leave scattered aroun the bf's house.

Here's a good link to help you with cold weather running:  http://www.fitsugar.com/What-Wear-Winter-Running-6287968

When you get home, make sure to cozy up next to a nice warm fire and applaud yourself for making the most of it and trying something new!

Have a great week everyone!!

Excuses

Today I'm going to tell you a few dirty little secrets that you probably don't know about me:

1.  I drink tap water and don't even think twice about it (except if there is some weird warning on the news saying not to drink it)

2.  I can't stand anti-bacterial gel hand sanitizer.  I have it in my head (or I might have read it somewhere) that some bacterias may be good for you and anti-bac kills everything, good and bad, thus making everyone in the world sick.  So, if I don't use it, I will stay healthy.  Keep that shit away from me....unless you have really sweaty hands and want to shake.

3.  I rarely use my microwave oven.  I think that it adds some weird sort of radiation to food and will eventually start making people glow in the dark. (Scary shit, I know) Plus I am convinced that food heated in the oven or on the stove tastes better. I just don't understand how it is possible to naturally heat food up that quickly. It doesn't seem right.

3a.  #3 goes away if I'm drunk and really want nachos.  Throw some cheese on some chips and let 'er melt un-naturally for about 35-40 seconds.

4.  My radio dial is always tuned to country music (preferably the old stuff) please don't change the dial, I might lose my cool on you.

5. I know every single word to the movie Top Gun, Bridget Jones Diary, and the Sir  Mixalot song, Buttermilk Biscuits.  That knowledge never comes in handy.

6.  I could go on an on but some of my confessions already make me sound like a weirdo and we all know I'm cool as shit.

Finally #7.....what this little blog post today is all about: ....I can't stand it when people make excuses, it drives me crazy......BUT......I do it ALL THE TIME. When it comes to being healthy and exercising, I am an excuse making machine.

I am all about routine.  If I'm in a routine, I can stick to just about anything I put my mind to.  If I say I'm going to workout 4 nights a week and cook healthy meals, I do it without a problem.  If I say I am going to stick to a cleanse program, no prob....Until....I have to break from my routine, all hell breaks loose and I lose my friggin' mind.  

This is where the excuses come into play....

Most of my breaks in routine come from traveling for my job.  I have to travel often, and have been doing so for years, so you'd think it would be my 'routine' now, right?  Uh....no, I like to make up excuses about it.

Excuse #1 (all excuses are to be read in a whiny voice to get the full effect)

"I'm so tired, I'm just going to watch cable TV and lay in bed"

#2 "Hotel gyms suck.  I bottom out the treadmill."

#3 "when I'm in new places it's far too dangerous to run outside. I don't know the area, I don't want to risk it.  I think I'll go to the hotel bar and talk to strangers instead."

#4. "It's impossible to eat healthy on the road.  Please pass the chicken fried steak and gravy because there isn't anything else on the menu that I could possibly eat"

#5 "packing my gym shoes takes up so much space in my bag"

I could go on and on and on.  

In the past 2 weeks I have been or will be in Omaha, Montana, Dallas, back to Omaha, then to Houston, then Chicago then back to Montana then Houston and back to Omaha then back to Houston.  

Well hell.  

That's a lot. 

Because of my traveling excuses,  I haven't been for a run or popped a bead of sweat in about 10 days.  I'm worn out, sluggish and my pants are tight.

Until today. 

I went to dinner with coworkers, came back to my room, (didn't turn on my TV) dusted off my workout clothes and headed to the gym.

To my surprise the hotel gym looked like this:

Well I'll be....Holy shit it was nice!!!!

Nicer than the gym that I go to in Omaha.  I was pleasantly surprised and ran my sweet ass off for 45 minutes and sweated like crazy.  

It felt good.

I feel fantastic now and know that I am going to sleep like a baby tonight!  Isn't it funny how you always regret NOT working out, but you never regret actually working out (or doing something good for yourself)??

What do you guys do to keep yourself healthy on the road?

I'm going to make a zero excuses effort in the future and keep it up!  Please feel free to call me out if you don't hear me talking about all of my awesome hotel workouts.

Cheers to making the most of hotel-living, pleasant surprises and no more excuses!  

Keep on the Sunnyside

I try to read a lot about foods and learn more and more about what's really good for you and what's not so good for that hot bod of yours.

Although I do have a bad habit of accepting every article on the www as the honest truth...I found a blurb that I thought was especially fascinating.

It was all about bacon and if not over-consumed, it is actually good for you.  Did you know that Bacon can actually HELP reduce blood pressure because of its mono-saturated fat content?  It also helps balance triglycerides and stabilize blood sugar.  AND can help control those bastard carb cravings.

Enough of all the science...it's also really really really good.

Follow the page 'Just Eat Real Food' on Facebook, they posted about bacon today and are absolute geniuses.  ;). They seem to site credible sources and I have learned a lot just from reading their posts.  

To quote a piece of their awesome post "promoting bacon as a red hot ticket to weight loss might seem over the top, but eggs and bacon do as up to a high-fat, high-protein, low carb breakfast. They not only help people start their day feel in happy, but can reduce hunger pangs and rev the metabolism"

So....having said all that, I was inspired and made some bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Yum.

I've been trying to master cooking a Sunnyside up egg for quite a while now.  I always get nervous and end up flipping it over thinking it's not done.  Today I tried it again.  I didn't get nervous and flip it at least....They are just not as pretty as the ones in the pictures at IHOP or Denny's.

Here's a post from the Pioneer Woman (that I found after I cooked today).  I'm going to give it a try next time.  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/03/perfect-sunny-side-up-eggs/

She makes it seem so easy!

Cheers to making bacon part of your weekend routines and making the perfect sunny side up egg!

All that bacon makes me want to go for a jog!