Let's Burn!

Slept AWESOME last night.  No meds, just good, decent rest.  It was definitely a bone out of the socket causing me so much pain.  Wish I had found out sooner, but grateful to have some relief.  Super sore and stiff back this morning, but I imagine that 3 weeks out of place has caused a lot of inflammation and sore ligaments, which will take time to heal.
Walked super slow for 40 minutes with the stroller this morning.  Now I'm trying to sit with good posture to prevent any further damage.  Back to the #1200caloriechallenge today.
Breakfast: brown sugar oatmeal (160 cal)
Snack: 1 goldfish cracker (2.5 cal)
Lunch: 16 Wheat thins (130 cal) and 2 tbsp garden vegetable cream cheese (80 cal)
Snack: Roasted seaweed (50 cal)
Will add dinner this evening.

Miracle Day?

I had PT this morning with Bill.
He explained that my SI joint had been dislocated, then popped it back into joint (hopefully... I didn't hear a pop but he swears he did).  It certainly does feel better, but until the swelling goes down, I won't know for sure.  Hoping this is the miracle I've been praying for.  I'll have to do some fun little exercises and I have a follow up in one week to see how I've healed.
Saturday was my party.  6 of my good friends came from far and wide to celebrate my birthday with arts, crafts, sangria, and fancy hors d'ouvres!  I made fig crisps with fig jam, prosciutto, and mozzarella; little toast with strawberries, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction; little toasts with blackberries, goat cheese, and honey.  I also served my famous Pirate Bacon Dip with crackers, and red wine sangria and raspberry lemonade soda for drinks.  For dessert, fancy macarons.  We made tinted ball jar lanterns (Mod Podge, water, and food coloring painted on the inside, baked at 200 degrees for 10-20 minutes) and tassel necklaces (embroidery floss in hues of blue and green, white and green beads, silver jump rings, and white elastic cord).  We had a grand old time.
Yesterday I went with my Dad to see "The Huntsman: Winter's War."  Liked the costumes, makeup, and Chris and Jessica.  The plot was a little thin and a bit holey, but it was still a fun watch.
Today I'm making Italian grilled bread and cheese ravioli with meat sauce.  Should be yum!

Apres Birthday

Last night was the WORST.  Had to sleep sitting up.  So, running on a low tank, I naturally ate a donut for breakfast on my way to get my car's oil/filter changed, and to get a recall  on the fuel tank fixed.  The appointment didn't last long but the drive back sure did.  I grabbed my Starbucks free birthday drink on the way back home.

I worked on my house (I'm having a shindig tomorrow) a bit before I pooped out and watched a couple of episodes of Season 1 Game of Thrones (I'm playing catch-up as I read the books).
I made homemade chicken quinoa chili in the crockpot for dinner.  Had it topped with cheddar and greek yogurt... mmmm!
My friend asked me how my workout plan/healthy eating plan was doing.  I sadly gave a bit of a grumpy response, seeing as my meds make me gain a little water/bloating weight and I can't do much exercise until I figure out what's wrong with my back in the first place.  Can't wait to have some answers.
On a happy note: my birthday present from my husband came!!! It's a to-die-for pillbox red handbag (to match my planner, of course!)
Just watched the Jason Bourne trailer.  I love that series so I will definitely go see it.
Sad that Prince died on my birthday yesterday.

Gonna Party Like It's My Birthday

4/21/16

32!

Tuesday evening I celebrated with my sister and her boyfriend.  We went to a hibachi place for dinner and they came to our place to play dominoes afterward.  My birthday gift from my sister was the super lovely Anastasia Beverly Hills glow palette in "Gleam."
My husband's gift for me hasn't arrived yet.  No spoilers, but I do already know what it is.
I was in a TON of pain this morning.  The lowest part of my back hurt every time I moved, and deep inside my left hip where the piriformis muscle meets the sciatic nerve... yeeesh.  I called the doctor's office to see what I could do to help it.  Got a new prescription for anti-infammatory.
I took the twins to Firehouse Subs for my free birthday sub.  They didn't like my BBQ chips!  But they got free little firefighter hats that they LOVED.  We went shopping at Michael's for craft supplies for my weekend craft party.  Little Girl sat nicely in the cart and Little Boy helped me push.  I got the kids some donuts at Krispy Kreme and we waited in a super long line at CVS for my meds.

Little Girl asked for a "pink donut" but I explained that they were brown.  I later asked her how she liked her donut.  "Brown!" she said happily.
Work ran almost an hour late, so when I got home there was a bit of a rush to tidy up and fix dinner and I was still hobbling around a bit.  Husband helped with vacuuming and dishes and I made burritos.

My Mom and Dad came over with my birthday presents:

And surprised me with a princess cake.

Here's to a great new year...

Birthday Eve Recap

Today was my "Birthday Eve" as my husband called it.

I made lots of mistakes today.  Besides losing my credit card (I think I dropped it at the gas station I visited this morning), I am guilty of a) snacking on Oreos and fast food and b) not taking pictures of everything I ate.  I want to work on being better about that.
I also made some progress: I walked 20 minutes with the kids I nanny in their stroller.  (I've been suffering from some SI joint/sciatic nerve issues so I was happy to get out and walk without pain!)

• Breakfast was 1c greek yogurt, 1/4c granola, and 7 blackberries (270 cal)
• Morning snack was 2 Oreos (140 cal- ugh) and a banana (105 cal)
• Lunch was my leftovers from Hibachi (estimated at 300 cal) 
• Afternoon snack was 4 graham crackers (195 cal)
• Dinner was a surprise/some badness: the Mom of the kids I nanny brought me some Chick-Fil-A: I ate half a sandwich (220 cal) and 1/2 a medium waffle fries (200 cal) and 1/2 a lemonade (115 cal) with some Polynesian sauce (55 cal)

My grand total for the day was 50% over budget at a whopping 1800 calories.  Going to do better the rest of the week!

Day One Recap

Yesterday, Day One, was a success!

• Breakfast was oatmeal with honey and blackberries (172 cal)
• Morning snack was a cup of tea (12 cal) and 4 baby carrots (16 cal)
• Lunch was 1 slice of pizza (330 cal) and a decaf espresso with sf syrup and whole steamed milk (150 cal)
• Dinner was shrimp and chicken Hibachi with rice and vegetables (I'm estimating 300 calories for a half portion)
• Dessert was decaf coffee with sf creamer (30 cal) and 1 slice of toast with 1 tbsp of Nutella (190 cal)

So my total for Day One was 1200 even!
Go me!
My next goal is to drink more water.  I love my coffee but I think I'd better stick to just 1 a day and do water for the rest.

Here I Am!

Here I am: same lady, new last name!

My 32nd birthday is in 2 days, so I decided to get a head start on my 32nd Year Resolutions...

• live a healthier culinary lifestyle
• create MORE (doesn't have to be good, just has to be made)

So I am starting a double 100-Day-Challenge!

• Part One (The 100 Day 1200 Calorie Challenge) will be featured right here.  I'll show you what I eat every day to keep myself accountable.
• Part Two (#the100dayproject) will be featured on my Instagram.  I'll be showing you bits here as well.  My hashtag is #100daysofprojectlife.