Suit Shopping

On Sunday we took a trip to Men's Wearhouse to find Art a suit. He needs a suit for Amber's wedding and church. Well I learned a lot about mens clothes.

• jacket sleeves should be above his knuckles
• pants with pleats can be cuffed or hemmed regular
• flat front pants should be hemmed regular
• every man should have a white, off white and blue shirt
• shoes and belt should match in color
• blazers can be a light color and pants a dark color & vice versa
• three stripes and you are OUT - you can wear stripes together but no more than 3
• tie clips are an accessory plus they hold a purpose to hold a fly away tie down
• Art will actually wear purple, but pink is NOT an option

 

 

Menu Monday

I actually did really well last week with limiting carbs and sugar. Usually I do well during the week and then on the weekends it is a free for all. I did pretty good over the weekend. I tried to eat veggies if I was hungry instead of whatever was convenient. 

I tried gluten free buns on Wednesday night and I couldn't tell the difference. Amber and Marcus stayed with us last week for 4 days, so all our meals had to be gluten free for Marcus. It was a good challenge, since I want to eat less carbs. I was able to make just about everything I wanted, but just had to make some substitution. I used eggs instead of bread crumbs for the turkey burgers and meatballs. We ate potatoes or rice instead of pasta. 

The menu for this week is:

Taco Salad
Salmon burgers & roasted veggies
Breakfast - eggs, sausage and potatoes

Art birthday is this week. I am waiting for his request of what he would like to eat. We are also going to have very hot weather, so I will be trying to make food without the oven. The forecast says it will be 90 on Thursday. 

Cookie is ONE!

Today is Cookie first birthday!!! Last year I kept trying to time my trips to LA, so I could see her. One of the first things I bought her was a big fluffy tutu and a leopard rain coat. lol Two essential things a little girl needs - tutus and leopard print! Now I am trying to plan the next trip to LA to see cupcake!

Last Tuesday I was able to spend some time with Krystal and Cookie. Cookie is getting so big and running all over the place with her cart. She met me at the door in a full run. It was so cute! She also gives kisses, which are super sweet!

Kisses!!!

 

I love this picture of Cookie raising her hand! She is wearing these adorable little jeggings. I refer to them as baby pajama jeans. Who is wearing pajama jeans? ME says Cookie. lol

 

 

 

Last Week OOTD

OOTD from last week. I keep forgetting to take pictures of my outfits each day. Still waiting on the bathroom at work to be finished with the full length mirror, so it puts a damper in my photo taking style!

I really LOVE Target tshirts. They are super comfy and I love the way they fit. I usually buy them when they are on sale for $8 or less each.

I bought the Gap leopard skirt at the outlets on clearance for about $10 bucks. I couldn't pass it up. We had a ladies meeting at our church and it was jungle themed. The tickets said to wear animal print, so the leopard skirt worked out great.

I really wanted a striped blue & white maxi dress. I haven't found one yet, but I found the striped maxi below at Ross for $12.99. Bargain! It was bright, summery and super comfy. I also thought I could throw on a taupe cardigan instead of a jean jacket for work in the summer time. I wore it last Friday and I got a lot of compliments from people at work.

 

Tshirt: Target

Jacket: Burlington Coat Factor

Scarf: Amazon

Pants: Forever 21
Shoes: Bass

 

Tank: Target

Sweater & Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Marshalls

Necklace: Target

 

Dress: Ross

Jacket: Old Navy

Sandals: Target

Necklace: NY & Co.

 

 

 

 

New Fav Nail Color

My new favorite Essie nail color is Smokin' Hot! I just bought it last weekend at Target. It is a purply gray color. Essie is the only nail polish I buy now because it lasts for 5+ days on my nails. I have shared before I use the Essie base and top coats. They make all the difference in helping my nail polish last longer.

I love that Target sells Essie. It runs about $7.79 a bottle plus 5% off with my Target debit card. You can get a good deal on it at Ulta if you have a coupon and need to pick up additional beauty products. I get Ulta coupons in the mail every couple of weeks. I have been throwing them away because I really don't need anything. I have a bad habit of going to a store when I get a coupon just because I want to use the coupon. The easiest way to fix that issue is to throw them away. =)

111

111 days ago was the last time I ran. I marked it in my phone on 1-3-13 I ran 1.5 miles. I was keep track of how many miles I ran because my goal was to get to 100 miles in 2013. Little did I know life was going to change forever the next day. On January 4 - 110 days ago I had my first biopsy, met my surgeon and life was completely changed.

Today is the first time I put on my running shoes and actually ran. I have exercised since surgery. I have walked, elipitcal and even did a cardio class, but I haven't run. I keep saying oh I am going to start running again and then I do something else. Today started off very frustrating and I needed gym time! I headed to the gym on my lunch and went to the treadmill. As the speed increased and I started to run It felt FABULOUS!!!! A part of me felt alive, back to normal for 30 minutes and the thought of cancer never entered into my mind. Thrity glorious minutes and huffing and puffing. lol

Slowly but surely I am finding my new normal!

Wordless Wednesday

Food!

I snapped some pictures of my meals 2 weeks ago. It is a little random and all over the place, but I ate some amazing food! 

Sanguchon Food Truck - super yummy pork sandwich wich fries on the top.

Sounds a little random, but it was SUPER yummy! I pass by this truck often, but never have tried it. Lately I noticed the lines are extra long at the truck. I went by one day to find a short line, so I grabbed a quick sandwich. I will be checking the truck out again.

 

We got a punch of Chinese mushrooms in our veggie box. I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I turned to Pinterest. I found a yummy crockpot barley mushroom soup. I threw some kale in it too to add some greens.

 

Quick breakfast to go on a Sunday morning. On Sunday mornings I am usually running out the door to get to church. I fried a quick egg threw it on a tortilla with kale and hot sauce. It was delish!

 

I went on to dinner in North Beach with some coworkers. I had an amazing crab alfredo finished off with cappacino and dessert. It was a beautiful night to sit outside drinking cappacino.

 

The top 2 pictures are from a Thai place near work. They have this AMAZING pumpkin curry. It is seriously the most amazing curry I have ever ate in my life. It is so good you just want to lick the entire bowl. The top pic is lamb chops. mmmmmm These 2 dishes are my very favorite, so full of flavor.

 

Homemade pizza! I blogged about this here.

Menu Monday

I am really trying to limit my carbs and sugars. My goal is not to eat carbs and sugars at all during the week. I want to limit my carbs and sugars to very minimal amounts on the weekends. I was on a major sugar overdose for the past few months. I have been eating chocolate like it is going out of style. I will eat "carbs" that are potatoes, corn and beans. They aren't processed carbs, so I don't feel they are bad.

I have done a lot of reading on sugar over the past couple years. It is so frustrating because it is in EVERYTHING. Read a label and you will see sugar or forms of sugar in almost every single container in your fridge. The problem is there are so many yummy foods with carbs and sugar. It is difficult not to eat them. I just want to limit the amount and try to be as healthy as possible, so I am going to take it one day at a time.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Arugula & Goat Cheese Frittata

Meatballs with broccoli

Crockpot chicken thighs with cream of chicken soup and mixed veggies

Turkey Burgers and homemade oven fries - I am going to make the burgers bun-less

Lunch salads this week are strawberry kale salad with goat cheese and taco salad. I eat a lot of kale or spinach salads with different veggies on the top. I have cut out meat to once a day. I love to load up a salad with beans, egg, edamame, peas, carrots and walnuts.

Anniversary Weekend

Art and I went away for our anniversary. We found this hotel in Pacifica a couple years ago that we really like. It is right on the water and has a big jacuzzi tub! Art wanted to watch the sunset together out on the patio. Well we didn't even get to that point because I fell asleep at 630pm and slept till the next morning. lol Who does that? ME that is who! I have so may issues lately with sleeping. I have been sleeping 9-12 hours each night.

We did have a nice time for when I was awake. lol We had a nice drive to Pacifica, talked, enjoyed the scenery and went to dinner at a cute pub.

5 Years Anniversary!!!!

OOTD

Here are some of my outfits from last week. I really am not a fan of the purple dress. I actually want to just donate it. lol

Top: J Crew

Jacket: Tommy Hilfiger

Jeans: Old Navy

Dress: Zulily

Sweater: Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Nine West from Marshall's

Bubble Necklace: Ebay

Top: Gap

Jacket: Burlington Coat Factor

Scarf: Amazon

Pants: Forever 21

Shoes: Nine West

Earings: Lane Bryant

Jacket: JcPennys

Tank: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Necklace: Banana Republic

Sammy's Patio Set

A couple months ago my inlaws bought a patio set with a little couch, 2 chairs and table for their back yard. It's really cute. Well Sammy loves to lay on the couch every day at their house.

Today Sammy is the proud owned of his very own patio set for our house. MIL thought Sammy needed one for the back yard on the weekends. Bahahaha she said this is his birthday present this year.

I really like it so I'm not complaining the dog swindled this out if her. Seriously though who buys an entire patio set for a dog? I can't stop laughing about it.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to the most fabulous mom ever!!! I hope your day is just as fabulous as you are!

One of the hardest thing about living so far away is missing all the holidays and birthdays. I hate missing out on birthdays. Mom has ALWAYS made my birthday special even when I am hundreds of miles away. I didn't realize that everyone didn't make a big deal of birthdays until I had moved away.  Enjoy your birthday and make sure dad treats you like a princess! =)

Wordless Wednesday

Coconut Oil

I LOVE LOVE LOVE coconut oil! I use it for so many things cooking, hair, and skin. It is my go to stuff!

A couple weeks ago I did a coconut oil mask on my hair. I watched a youtube video on it and decided to try it now months later. I heated up some coconut oil in a microwave safe container. I then took a pastry brush and started brushing it on my hair. I brushed it on the ends of my hair first and then brushed it all over my roots once I was completely finished with the ends. My roots get greasy fast, so I thought my ends could use a good soak in oil. I left it in my hair for about 30-45 minutes. I then washed it out with shampoo and then conditioned it like normal. My hair has been very dry lately possibly due to all my thyroid issues. My hair has been super soft since I did the hair mask. I will probably do it once a month. 

I use coconut oil each morning on my hair. I melt a pea size piece of coconut oil in between my fingers each morning and then run it through the ends of my hair. This really helps with keeping all the frizz gone. If I use coconut oil before styling I do not have to worry with frizz. 

I use coconut oil after I have washed my hair and before I blow it dry. Same process as before I start styling it. I take a pea size piece of coconut oil, melt it between my fingers, and run it through the ends of my hair. This helps protect my hair from heat damage. I also add additional coconut oil to the ends of my hair after I have blown my hair dry to help reduce any frizziness. 

I also use coconut oil on my skin and as an eye make up remover. I woke up after surgery to find a blister on my arm. I started putting coconut oil on my arm and a couple months alter the scar is almost done. 
I also use coconut oil to remove my eye make sometimes. If you have pesky eye make that will not come off rub a little coconut oil over your eyes and it will come right off. I also will put coconut oil on my face to help avoid wrinkles! I try to really moisturize at night to keep my skin young looking :)
I have put coconut oil on my scar where I had my thyroid removed. I use a lot of different things on my neck, so I am not sure if it is helping heal the scar or if the magic bee stuff I am use is working wonders. 

Coconut oil is my very favorite natural product for anything and everything. I have been threatening Sammy I am going to start putting it on his hair/skin if he doesn't stop itching himself. 

Homemade Pizza

I like to make pizza on Sunday or Friday nights because it is something easy to throw into the oven.  Well frozen pizza is not fitting into eating non-processed food. I want to know what is in our food. I am REALLY working hard on eating healthier food and know what we are actually eating. 

I found an easy pizza dough recipe by Pioneer Woman. Throw everything into the Kitchen Aid and mix it all up. Let it sit for a couple hours or over night. I actually put saran wrap over the stainless steel bowl and let it sit in the fridge for 2 days. It worked out great. 

I pulled it out, cut the lump of dough in half and stretched it out to fit the pan. The sauce was from tomatoes I canned last summer, threw a little tomato paste and let it thicken up.  I cooked up some sausage and sprinkled it on the pizza. I also added spinach to the pizza and topped it with cheese. Baked it for around 20 minutes an wa-la. It really was great pizza. Art told me I can't buy pizza ever again. =)

I had half the dough left, so I decided to make some sound stuffed bread balls. I stuffed the bread balls with the leftover sausage and topped it with garlic butter. They turned out super yummy!

Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe

2013 Vacation Schedule

Cancer has nothing on me! I just booked our vacations for the year.

May - Tahoe for Amber wedding

June - North Dakota for Lacey wedding

August - Alaskan Cruise

November - Hawaii

Holy bazooka I'm excited! Lots of wonderful places to see for the very first time. I can't wait!

New Must Haves

I have been gathering my new must haves for the Spring/Summer. I am on the hunt for a striped maxi, pink blazer and a slouchy bag. I have been scouring TJ  Max, Ross and Marshall's looking for a good deal. Right now I haven't been able to find my new must haves, but I will be patient to find a good deal. 

1. Striped Maxi

source: here

2. Pink Blazer

source: here

3. Cross over bag

source: here

source: here