Wednesday - Is It Friday Yet?!?!?

Nope sure ain't! And that's all I'm say'in about that. I finally got my mojo back yesterday, I think that it was just a 24 hour funk that I was in. Let's just hope that it doesn't come back soon. I do have a prayer request for a sweet little girl name Mary Clare. She has a CHD is having her 3rd heart surgery today. Thank you all in advance for the prayers. Blessings & a Healed Heart, Magnolia

Monday - Off, Just Off

Do you ever have days that aren't bad and they aren't good either, they're just days that seem "off". Like you just can't get your mojo going. That was me today. I was just off and my mojo didn't show up today. And it lasted all day, even through my workout. And to top it all off tonight, I feel like a train hit me. So this is it for me. I'm taking my happy rearend to bed. Blessings & An "On" Day Tomorrow, Magnolia

Friday - CRAZY Day

Ok, I have to admit I don't "overexert" myself on Fridays at work. After a long week, I just really want to do mindless tasks on Fridays. Well today turned out to not be one of those days. From lunch with the supervisors to advertorials to contracts worth 10s of thousands of dollars. Yep that's how my day went. So I was so glad then 4pm rolled around and I got to the gym so that I could leave the work week behind and start my weekend. On a happier note, my workout week as really good, over 13 miles logged and over 200 situps. I'm thinking that I'm "THE BOMB" this week and pretty darn proud of myself. But on a more serious note I thank God for the opportunity, courage, determination to get it done and for him "Doing what I can't". That's been a mantra of mine for a while now.....FAITH=Doing what you can and letting God do what you can't. Just think about that for the next the next several hundred years! Good motto to have I think.
Ok so onto something that's not quite so heavy. Boar's Head Maple Glazed Turkey! My new favorite in the deli. I'm a huge fan of maple glazed deli meats (always fresh cut not packaged). So next time you're near the deli at your local grocery store try some. I guarantee that you'll love it.
So for now....

Blessings & Faith,
Magnolia

Thursday - Back on the Program

So I'm back on the program today after a break for our anniversary. The 5K schedule is still going well and I'm pleased with my results. But of course only time will tell if this helps with my endurance. I will say this walk/run schedule makes the time go by faster! And yes, I did my dreaded situps tonight. And back to the healthy eating today as well. Not that I did bad yesterday, I actually didn't go back for seconds and only ate half of the small fried pork chop! I was a nice wife and left it for my hubby to take to work today for lunch. Not to mention I didn't really need to eat it anyway.
So I decided to try another flavor of the greek yogurt. I choose blueberry this time and I have to say that it's better than the peach. I'm not a huge blueberry fan (unless it's cobbler), so for me to like this over peach is pretty amazing. So we'll have to see about the other flavors soon. Well that's it for tonight.

Blessings & Blueberrys,
Magnolia

PS. Did I tell you our power was out this morning when J got up to go to work! Can you imagine putting on makeup with a flashlight?!?!? Well I did this morning! Mascara & all!

Wednesday - Happy 9th Anniversary

Today J and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary! I can't believe that it's been 9 years, seems like just yesterday that I was getting ready to freak out when he wasn't at the church 20 minutes before the service was supposed to start. I think that I'm as white as a sheet of paper in just about all of the "before" pictures. I remember wanting to thrown up. But he finally got there and we said our "I do's". What a beautiful spring day, sunny and just a little cool outside. I couldn't have asked for a better day and I couldn't have asked God to bless me with a better husband.
So did we go out to dinner and celebrate. Nope, I actually cooked J's favorite supper tonight. You know, one of those southern dinners that contains pounds of butter and milk and something fried. Yep, one of those. More specifically, fried pork chops, sweet milk gravy & green bean casserole. Nothing healthy, but it was good and it's his favorite. And he really enjoyed and appreciated it. That's a feeling that you just can't get when you go out to some restaurant. Job accomplished. So for now...

Blessings & 90 more years (or more!!),
Magnolia

Tuesday - New Routine

So I said that I was starting a new running routine. I decided to start with a 5K running schedule and so far so good. Since I've already been running, I started on week 3 to be safe. I was sort of puzzled that I could run a slower pace on this schedule and still run the same distance. Needless to say I was pleased and I'm not getting antsy at 30 minutes. So, I'm pleased so far with the new schedule. So I'll keep you posted on my progress. Who knows, I might decided to run a 5K one of these days. Miracles happen everyday!
So my snack food of the week is

Applesauce
Low in Calories & fat
But be careful, it's a little high in sugar. Buy the single serving containers to be sure that our not getting too much. It's a great alternative to icecream.

Blessings & 5Ks,
Magnolia

Sunday & Confessions

No I'm not confessing to not goint to church (which I did), not confessing to overeating. Nope I'm confessing to detesting .... (wait for it).... yardwork! I've been allergic to rakes for as long as I can remember. I hate cutting the grass, raking, pulling weeds, you name it, I'm against it. But today, I did my once a year planting. One time a year I put out annuals & perenials in our flower beds. There are two beds at the end of our driveway that I always put annuals in to give the yard some spring color. So this year I went with a purple & yellow theme. I cleaned out the beds (pine straw comes from the Devil, I know that it does, God would not make such a hanous thing), and planted my new pretty plants. I also plant caladium bulbs in our long planter every year when I redo the beds. That also was accomplished today. Yeah me. Of course J threw in a twister this year and wanted to plant some gladiolas. Keep in mind that I have a black thumb. So we'll just have to see how that goes. But my once a year adventure in the yard is over and I won't have to step foot in the yard to work until this time next year -- WOO HOO!

Blessings & BIG OLE Caladiums!
Magnolia

Friday, Friday, Friday

Good day at work, great workout at the gym! And 200 sit ups this week (and that coming from someone who hates sit ups!), so if I can do it you can do it. So I've been thinking about changing up my workouts, actually setting a goal for myself. I have been doing some research on 5K running and training for those runs. I run an average of 12-15 miles a week, but I just feel like I need to have a goal other than beating my previous run time/distance. So I am going to start a 5K training program next week. It just feels like God has been leading me in that direction. Don't know why and I'm not questioning it. So, I'll hopefully post each day next week on how the training went on that day.
On to other things. I tried the greek yogurt that I mentioned in a previous post. I have not always liked yogurt, it's only in the last 5 or so years that I've aquired a taste for it. I'd never heard of greek yogurt before a couple of months ago, so when I saw it at the local "specialty" grocery store, I decided to give it a try. I knew that it was healthier than normal yogurt and full of protein, so what the heck. Well J and I gave it a try tonight. My verdict is that if you like yogurt and are fond of sour cream then you'll like it. Thank goodness I like both. I bought the peach flavored Chobina brand. All in all, it tasted good, but I could seriously only eat half of the single serving container. It's just that rich.
Well that's all for now.

Blessings & Dreams of 5k running,
Magnolia

Thursday - I'm Just Say'in

So no entry about eating or working out today. I'm more concerned about what happened on the Bachelor the other night. I knew that he was going to pick Emily (I read spoilers, HA!), but I was shocked by all the Emily haters that showed up on Tuesday. Boy howdy did she get some negative press. Can't blame the girl for not wanting to move to Austin right now either, I know I wouldn't with all the apparent issues they need to work on. And then I read about how the "real" Emily showed up on the After The Rose Show. Well, I have to guess that the producers of the show edited her to look a certain way (sweet, nice and very agreable) on the show. I don't think that they really showed the real Emily the whole season. I mean, I know some of the sweetest Southern ladies on this planet, and they aren't sweet all the time. So I'd have to say that the show really only showed one side of her all the time. So that's my rant for the night.

Blessings & Southern Sweetness,
Magnolia

PS. Bought some Greek yogurt to try. I'll let you know what it tastes like! & Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday & Sit-Ups

As you know I work out anywhere from 3-5 days a week. I usually shoot for 4. What I wanted to say today was this....
Do I love working out at the gym??? Yes. Are there are some days that are tougher than others. Sure, I'd be telling a fib if I said that everyday was easy. But is there one thing I do at the gym that I like a LOT less than others....there sure is .... SIT-UPS! I really don't like them, but I do them on the machine every time I set foot in the gym. Why? Because I know that they will do me more good in the long run. Flatter stomach, better fitting clothes and I feel better about myself. That's what I keep thinking when I'm doing my workouts. Just try and keep those things in mind when you are not liking a certain weight machine or a certain cardio machine. There are things that we do all the time that we don't necessarily love, laundry, dishes, whatever. Just remember the payoff in the end.

Blessings & Flat Stomachs,
Magnolia

Monday - Another Great Start

Well after gorging on Japanese Friday and turning into Betty Crocker yesterday (gave almost all of the sweets that I made away, and really don't want to eat them after I cooked them, thank goodness!), I'm back on track this week. And boy don't I feel better for it. But I thought that I would send you to another site today since I'm not the only person that gives tips & advise about healthy eating and weight loss.

So here you go....http://fitbottomedgirls.com/2010/01/12-tips-for-permanent-healthy-weight-loss/

Hopefully you can find some good advise from this site. I found it to be a good resource for myself and for you.

Blessings & Good Reading,
Magnolia

PS don't you love the name "Fit Bottomed Girls" -- LOVE IT!

Gorgeous Saturday

There are lots of lessons that I've learned in the last 8 months or so, but one that I apparently didn't learn was that when you loose a bunch of weight, along with other body part shrinking, your stomach shrinks too. I got a reminder last night. J and I went to a Japanese restaurant, since we both wanted sushi, and of course I decided that I wanted some Teriaki Chicken. Well that would have been fine except it was the "early bird" special which included soup, salad, sushi and the teriaki chicken dinner. I walked out of that place (or should I say waddled) feeling like a stuffed cow! Yes, it was all extremely good and no I didn't eat everything on my plate but I did eat some of everything, which led to my discomfort. I really thought that I was going to explode when we got home. Thank goodness for Pepto! Not that anything was unhealthy that we ate, but I just need to remember that I can't eat that much anymore.
As for today, J and I went to the home show, then took a little trip down to Five Points and then over to the Fresh Market. What I wonderful day to spend with my hunny!

Blessings & Sushi,
Magnolia

Just Because

Almost Friday & What I'm Reading Now

Woo Hoo, it's almost Friday! I love Friday afternoons, when I leave work and go to the gym, I leave all my work stress for the entire weekend, that is a wonderful feeling. When I miss a Friday working out, I feel a little robbed and not quite relaxed. So if I had to recommend a day not to skip working out, it's Friday.
So you know that I read Bethanny Frankel's book, Skinny Girl. Which I might say is a really good read...very thought provoking without being overbearing. And not to mention, she's got a great sense of humor. Well worth the money spent. I would definately recommend reading it. But I also found a book called, French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. I just started so we'll see what it's all about. Supposedly it's along the same lines as Bethanny's book, a non-diet kind of book. Since I'm anti-diet that's a good thing. And just to make things interesting, I'm also reading a Nora Roberts book too. I can't stand not to read. It's a nightly ritual with me. And to think that I used to hate reading in school and now I've read about every Jane Austin book out there and love them. Oh how times change.
So my advise for the rest of the week, buy Bethanny's book, read it and take it in, and work out tomorrow, you'll feel better all weekend because of it.

Blessings & Fridays,
Magnolia

Rainy Wednesday

So what are you giving anything up for Lent? This is a prime time to start thinking about a change. Just think about it, whether or not you observe Lent (I actually don't although I am Christian, us Baptist don't give up stuff), it's a good time to start a new way of thinking. Now you might be asking what I'm going to give up, well that's a good question, I've been thinking all day about that, and to be honest, I can't think of anything that I could/would give up. I don't eat chips, cookies or desserts on a regular basis. Unless of course it's Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt. Which I actually vowed not to buy after finishing that last 1/2 gallon. My suggestion, start with one thing a week and add something else next week. By Easter you'll have several not so healthy items already gone. And I bet you won't miss them either. Maybe give up those potato chips, then cookies next week. There are always healthy alternatives to those chips & cookies, fat free saltines & rice krisy treats are what I prefer. Also, try adding something during this time, whether it's an apple, more veggies & less meat or more exercise. Just think about how much better you'll feel when Easter rolls around and you could by that dress you were eyeing in a smaller size! Well, that's all for today.

Blessings & Rain,
Magnolia

Monday - Another Week Started

It's Monday and I've started another week. No more Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt and a great healthy day. Also, a really great day at the gym. I have to say this, and I hope that those reading don't think badly of me, but it's something that really bugs me....but if you are going to the gym to get into a swimsuit, prom dress or whatever for a special event, then just stop. The people that are regulars and are taking their health and bodies seriously think that that those of you that are there for a few weeks are lazy and slack. A few weeks of working out may get a size smaller or firm up a little fab, but what are you really doing to your body. You're actually doing more harm that good, since you'll go right back to the way you were after. If you want to get serious, get serious for life. And do it for the right reasons. How do I know, well I've been on both sides of the fence. I beg that you all do things for the right reasons, a healthy body & mind, not a swimsuit. If you start with the right reasons, please don't give up. It's hard, really hard and things come up or you get lazy, but don't give up, Satan's always at work. Just ask God to help you get through everyday.....One Day at a Time. That's my advise for today.

Blessings & True Grit,
Magnolia

Sunday - Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt

So I changed the blog for now. I decided that since I had some Irish in me that I would "decorate" for St. Patty's Day. I mean, red hair, pale skin and blue eyes, can't really get a whole lot more Irish that that. Well, maybe if I had an accent like my Chicago friend Jim, but when you were born and raised outside of Dublin I suppose that you'd have that great Irish accent. So cheers to all the Irish (or part Irish) out there.
So what's up with Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt. Well it's the best. But I won't be buying anymore anytime soon. It's hard to stop myself at just a small ramekin bowl full. I just don't want ot tempt myself like that again. So, that my be all of our lesson for the day. If you know you won't be able to control yourself, just don't buy it and keep it in your house. Especially in a half gallon container.

Blessings & No More Butter Pecan Frozen Yogurt!
Magnolia

Saturday - Time to Relax

As you can tell I try to do relaxing things on Saturday. Today was "hair" Saturday. I so look forward to getting my hair done on Saturday mornings. It's a time for me to relax and get a little pampered and I cherish that time. And not to mention, I've got a great stylist so it makes it that much better. I don't sit in the chair and worry about what my hair is going to look like after she's done. Been there, done that with other stylist and it's not very relaxing. So I'm very lucky to have T doing my hair. She really gets me and what I'll do and what I won't do with my hair. And she's a great colorist to boot. So this morning was spent getting a cup of Starbucks and a color and trim, what a great morning. (High maintenance, I've warned you guys before about that) This afternoon after lunch with J, I decided to go down to a discount store that carries some really nice brand named stuff for cheap. Well the day just got better from there, I picked up a pair of Carlos Santana shoes for $25 and a pair of Nine West for $25. Like I even needed more shoes, but I just can't help myself.
So how was your day?!?!?!?

Blessings & Great Shoes,
Magnolia

Friday - Woo Hoo!

I had another great day. Went to the gym after work and then took a spin around the mall, after exchanging a top I bought on Wednesday. What a wonderful way to end the week. I even got the jeans that I had to order in the mail today. Have to love the fact that The Gap hasn't gotten a shipment of jeans in about a month. Or at least not the ones I wanted so I had to get them to ship a pair from Independence, NC. I don't even think that I know where Independence, NC is, doesn't matter, they had my jeans and that's all that matters. They fit great and I now have 2 pair of jeans that fit well. I'm still torn about what I'm going to do with all the clothes that don't fit. I think that I'm going to keep them for a little while and then either have a yard sale or donate them to charity (which is what I usually do). We'll see, for now they are in a nice little pile in my guest bedroom, waiting patiently for me to by a rubbermaid container to put them in. Maybe I can get the container soon, real soon. So for now, have a great night!

Blessings & Good Fittin Jeans,
Magnolia

Tuesday - Other Stuff from the Last Couple of Days

Ok, so I didn't do a whole lot last night. So here goes. Just to let you know I actually had a really healthy weekend, which means that I didn't splurge on anything CRAZY. No buffets, no steak, nothing crazy, I'm actually really proud of myself since the weekend is the time that I usually blow it big time. And yesterday & today have been good days. It takes a while to get into a totally new routine, but after a while it just seems normal to me know. That is a great feeling. To be able to think about what I really want to eat, and how much I want to eat and making a good choice is a wonderful feeling. Probably better than finding a new dress or great pair of shoes half off, and that's saying a lot for me. Speaking of clothes, when you start this adventure, just remember that at some point and time, you might just have to fork over some cash for new clothes. In my case, that's saying it pretty mildly. I've only got 3 pairs of pants that fit now and 2 skirts, and considering that I have to get dressed up everyday, that's not a lot. So I've had to be creative with my wardrobe. So be warned, healthy eating and losing weight may take a chunk out of your pocketbook.
So what is my item that I can't live without today....
GOLDFISH, the kind you eat. I fill my little ramekin bowl up almost full at dinner almost everynight. I love those little cheesy crunchy fish. And they're not all that bad for you. It takes the place of a whole bunch of greasy, fat ladden potato chips.

So for today.....
Blessings & GOLDFISH,
Magnolia