Who now can stand before the power of the two quilts?!?!

I made the first half, and then made the second half from scraps. I have finally just joined them together. I just have to add in the filler and frame it then boom, done, quilt. Yeah!

Quiltin' in the SummahTime!

So I started a quilt for my brother and sister-in-law yesterday. Made a lot of progress and am pretty happy with how it looks. I got the material from Joann's Fabrics. It came in one of those packet of swatches deal and I bought another of just blue solids to make the border.  I used a diamond cut out for the pattern and put it together on a cork board last night. Of course I was watching Lord of the Rings: Fellowship as I worked. Feeling very middle-earthy lately.

Ran today. I'm a little bummed out. I'm up to 114. But that's the muscle gain and I'm trying to keep that in mind as I have to keep pulling my shorts up. I am going to be a little more aware of the food I eat. Two days ago I had a pizza to celebrate the end of the horrid hot weather. Then yesterday I ate an entire package (small) of Twizzlers.  GRRR!

Here are some pics:

Close up of the material.

 Spread pinned out on the corkboard.

 Pinned out and upright.

 pinned together from behind and ready to stitch closed.

I'm thinking of making something funnier for my brother James:

DR WHO!!!

Last of the lazy hazies... hopefully.

I took today off from running. My hip (right) is a little tight. I think I'm over extending it in my stretching for ballet class. I've got to learn to slow down. But at 37 (soon to be 38) I doubt I'm going to learn it.

So far, I have eaten seven cookies, a bowl of cereal and nothing. I'm proud that I kept the eating off. But now I'm going to throw it all away with a dinner fit for a child. Chicken strips and french fries! I even got this "texas" barbeque sauce. I'm hoping it tastes like real texans.  What would that taste like, country with a hint of racism?

Back to running

It didn't feel as bad as yesterday this morning so I ran. I was smart about it this time and held back. I only ran 3 miles then walked the 4th. Feeling pretty good about it.  Had my little black-swan lunch after a nice cold shower. Now I have to go out into the heat and get some chores done.

It's birthdays at the homestead this Sunday. Me, mum, James, and Becky are all turning older on Sunday. None of our actual birthdays are on that day, it's just more efficient to do it this way, and frankly none of us ever cared enough. It's just fun to get together and eat cake... and know that you only have to worry about the ONE cake.

I'm thinking I should get Becky a cast iron skillet. I think that's a good gift. She likes to bake and cook, she's really cool and into home made stuff. So a cast iron skillet and maybe I can put together a breadcrumb mix for great fried chicken. There was an amazing recipe book from TX (yeah I know something good came from texas, I was shocked too) at the library (yeah, equally weird). It had a couple of good recipes for fried chicken.

I just got a cast iron skillet and I want to make as many pieces of fried anything this summer. I'm running and I can see how I'm skinnier already, so it's time to celebrate with yummy friend food.  Also, I think corn bread can be made that way... but that just seems wrong.

no running

Had to take today off. First: far too hot to run; Second: my legs are far too tired to take any more abuse. I woke up and just felt like I could die I was so tired. Dropped off the car to be repaired and then came home. Been a little snaky today but I can see my body tightening up and trimming down.... and best news of all I'm at 110. Hooray! So 110 of muscle must look like 100!

Sitting in an air conditioned room, very happy and cool. Oh god, it's such a blessing. This summer has been easily the worst I can remember. I'm going to take all of today off, and try to run tomorrow. If I get up early enough I can do it.  Five miles at least, six since I took a day off.

Heat breaks on Saturday/Sunday. Thank you universe!

Pacific Rim

Is exactly what you'd expect. Terrible. But I was thoroughly entertained.  I got to sit in an air-conditioned room and was treated to rock-em-sock-em robots versus monsters. Yeah, silly but you know what, every once in a while you need a little silly in your life.

I made a lovely bright and yummy pasta salad.  Great for a treat when you have been running all week.  I did get six miles in both yesterday and today, so I feel justified in eating pasta salad. Not sure what the cal count is, not sure I WANT to know!

Recipe:  Greek Pasta Salad
1 bag of colorful bowtie pasta (bring to boil then set aside to get to room temp)
1 jar of banana peppers (drained)
1 jar roasted red peppers (drained)
1 jar of Greek salad dressing (I like that stuff with the blue cover because it's got a nice bite to it)
1 container feta cheese
1 bag of stir-fry pre-washed veg (usually includes broccoli flourets, carrots snow peas)

As I wrote, you boil the pasta until nice and tender, use a fork to test and use a big wooden spoon to separate.  Drain thoroughly, then set aside. I like to put a little EVOO and sprinkle with garlic salt and basil (dried leaves).  Put is aside until room temp, test by waving hand over it.

Put in your jars of peppers and greek dressing. mix mix mix.  Yum yum yum.

Put in the fridge and let it cool over night (or go see a movie... whatever, passage of time.)

Put in veg and cheese.  I like to put it into a big tupperware container and just shake the hell out of it. Stirring is for fools!

Serve this with a nicely sliced up apple, a few baby dill kosher pickles, and handful of nuts for protein. Crazy good with lemonade in a frosty mug, or just ice water.  Yum!

So that's the food from the Anorexic foodie. Enjoy. Then starve for a week. Because I'm still at 112 and feel crazy fat, but that's the weather and that I'm running. Gaining muscle is the WORST! I don't see how these body builders handle it because I look at my legs and get ready to cry or kill myself.

Tap dancing tonight. I haven't practiced but it's just too damned hot to put on tap shoes and start jumping around. Tomorrow is ballet. I like both of them.  Thinking tomorrow I might go swimming instead of running. Or just do both, IDK.

Second day of Six miles

I'm feeling pretty good. Second day of six miles down.  Michael ran with me this morning. We tried to leave early to beat the heat.  Ha ha. Nice try says the sun. It was unbelievable. I felt like the sun as eating my skin at one point.

Ran my six. My feet look pretty beat up, but I don't car. We are off to see Pacific Rim. yes, it looks terrible, but it will be air-conditioned!

Six miles and lunch

So today I kicked up my work-out to a six mile run with a one mile walk to cool down. Funny, cool down. It's crazy hot out. My face must have been so red. Two other people came onto the track right around my fourth mile and they left just as I was finishing up. Couldn't take the heat and I don't blame them, it's awful.

This has been a rotten summer for the heat and humidity. Just nasty.

Anyway, after a nice cold shower and several glasses of ice water I made my lunch. The black swan breakfast. Poached egg, slice of toast, half a grapefruit. It was delicious again!  This time I remembered to take a picture, so it's underneath.

Cal count:  toast:  128 cals; egg:  64 cals; 1/2 grapefruit:  37 cals; Total:  229! BRILLIANT!

Weight:  112
Measurements:  thigh: 21 in; hips/bum: 36 in; waist:  25 in; arm: 9in.

Tomorrow is tap and then wednesday is ballet.  If I keep working pretty soon I'll hit perfection!

Back on Track!

Okay, so today is my turning around. I can feel myself getting lighter and tighter. Now first I'm still at 113.6 which is disappointing yes, but my body is so tight I can't believe it.

Exercise:  running five miles on the track every day.
Tuesday:  Tap dancing
Wednesday:  Ballet
Thursday & Saturday: yoga

I'd like to get really flexible so the running is a little counter-productive. But I love it. It's so great to get up and put in my head phones and just run for almost an hour. It's brilliant.  I'm thinking next week I'll push myself to run 6 or 7 miles. Since it's just the track I'm not getting the workout I would if I were doing road work, but my ankles just can't take the road any longer.

I brought my diet back under control too.  These days it's a good breakfast: bowl of cereal; lunch: tuna roll half an apple and a handful of nuts; dinner: toast a few more nuts.  Lots of water.

Today I tried something new. For lunch I had the Black Swan diet:  Poached egg, slice of toast, half a grapefruit. I actually enjoyed it a lot, and I feel full.  No bullshit. I'm satisfied. I think because the combination of starch, carbs and vitamins really satisfied all of my needs.

Resisting the urge to look

I'm avoiding the scale. I haven't been eating bad. Maybe a little bad. I had a lovely moz. tomato and basil open faced sandwich for dinner last night. Today was much better.
Two bowls of cereal (special K) fruit salad toast. That's it. Very proud.
Also took five laxatives and I've been actively downing water like a demon.
But still I feel so damned bloated thanks to the heat (and the cheese in the sandwich).

Took today off from running, had to put the car into the dealership to get the touch-screen radio looked at. They plan to fix it next week. Have you ever driven a car with no radio... ugh.

Running tomorrow. Tonight was the first ballet class. Loved it! I'm a little vain, and I'll admit I look so slim next to these other girls. I cannot believe how BIG some "dancers" get. I mean. Wow. Just Wow. I would say that other than the teacher I'm the only healthy BMI in the room. And I'm on the lower end of my BMI.

I overheard her offer pointe to another girl, so I'm now determined to get into this as well. That's my goal. Well that and hitting 100 pounds by the end of the summer.

Natalie Portman here I come. If I can just get the fat off. Why do I keep gaining weight? This sucks.

Fat Fat Go Away

So it's like I just can't get rid of my damned fat. I'm still 113. I'm taking today off from running. Tonight is my first tap class is tonight, so that's kind of a workout. Sort of.

Anyway, I didn't get poison oak from cutting down the tree. Thank God. I don't think I could have handled that.

Okay, no running today.

113 this morning, but I didn't get up until 10:30. Lazy as hell.

Last night I made this amazing open-faced sandwich. It was ciabata bread with thick slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese (sprig of basil in-between the tomato and cheese) with a little bit of salt, pepper and then drizzle of lite balsamic vinegret. It was amazing. I gobbled it down like a pig. Hopefully my brother and sister may come over here for a summer movie night and I'll make it for them. I'd cut it into small 1-inch strips to make eating easier. And serve it with a cool strawberry cocktail.

I'll post pics if I make them tonight... which I probably will as I have a half a brick of cheese and a tomato in the fridge.

I wish I was skinnier, but that will come in time. Just keep working out and eating right.

Monday Weigh-in

Okay, not that happy today.
Last night I hung out with my family and had the BEST time. We just sat around the kitchen table and talked about everything. It was the best time. I love my family. We are the weirdest, chattiest, smartest, funniest group of fucking nut jobs you'd ever want to meet. Brother and Sister-in-law just got back from their extremely rad trip to South Dakota. They saw the Mount Rushmore, the Bad Lands, and a lot of pretty America. Thy did it right, just drove out staying at national parks and campgrounds. I love that kind of adventurous spirit. Like a dork it makes me think of Frodo. Yeah, I'm a dork.

Anyway, we ate while we talked. I had a hamburger and a hotdog.

So today's weight and measurements are not where I'd like to be, but I have to keep reminding myself that the beginning of the summer is the worst.

Weight:  113.2 *fucking FATTY!!!
Hips and bum:  35.5"
Arm:  9.5"
Thigh:  21"
Waist:  25"

I'm gaining muscles, which is pushing the fat to the surface and making me look a little puffy. My arms look kinda flabby to be honest and I need to work on my abs. Running is good, but I have to mix it up. Tomorrow I'll run my five miles but then do a workout video as well.

Tonight, I'm going to see Jaws at a cool classics run theater. Hooray....

Frodo Lives!

Smokey and the Bandit

So I'm waiting for the sun to settle in the west and tonight's movie will be none other than Smokey and the Bandit. Yup, the original buddy flick. The original chase flick. The original Burt Reynold's mustache flick. I'm super excited.

I've got everything. Hammock and big pillow. Fire pit going. Four torches for bugs. Smores made and eaten. Ice cream sandwich on stand-by. Popcorn ready and waiting. Projector and dvd just ready for the ready set go.

I just wish I was into beer. Because this is the perfect night for a cool artisinal beer, but I'm slurping down cal free soda like a little girl. Of course, beer is fatty and I want to be a skinny little girl. So cal free soda is just perfect.

Got my five miles in this morning with plenty of sunshine. Fortunately I had recalled to wear sunscreen. I hope I'm not getting too brown. I like my lily white skin. And I like being cancer free!

Back yard film festival

I forgot to mention that my alltime FAVOURITE thing about summer is my personalized backyard film festival. I get a fire going, put up a couple of torches, make s'mores, set up my hammock and using my projector watch movies up against the side of the house.

Last night was the inagural Top Gun... not a bad way to start a summer. Tonight I'm torn. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, or Smokey and the Bandit.

Now for those of you purists, like myself, normally this would be a no-brainer. I mean, what could possibly beat four hobbits trekking through a formidable wilderness with some of the truest, and no-so-true (but pretty damned heroically true in the end when it counted most) friends to end evil all over the world?  Burt Reynolds can beat it, that's what.

I'll post picks as it gets to night.

skinnying on down

I can feel my body getting thinner. I've only gone down a few pounds, but that's probably a combination of getting muscular and trimming the fat. Monday I'll give myself an official weigh in and a measuring. I think I'll be pretty happy.

One thing I wish I could change are my legs, specifically my thighs. I'd like to get my thighs really thin, like little pins. But I'm running and they are becoming more muscular. I don't want that. Now, I have to admit this morning when I noticed the beginning of a six-pack on my stomach I was not so upset. Personally, I don't think there's a single more disgusting thing on a woman than muscles. Well, I'm sure there are, but I don't want cut arms, or abs, but especially legs! I want thin, waifish legs. I don't want horse legs.

I'll keep going and keep you posted.

110.8 but no sleep in sight

Going into the sixth day of sleepless nights. I got a whopping almost four hours last night. I'm beginning to have that "not really awake" feeling. Like I'm walking through a fog that I can't lift, or I'm wearing a heavy blanket that I can shake off.

Anyway, I can already see the difference in my body. I'm really starting to tighten up. I've cut eating down to a yogurt for breakfast and dinner and a tuna roll for lunch.

Got my hair done yesterday, so no running this morning.

5 miles down

I'm feeling a little shaky from the run and lack of food. The lack of sleep is also getting at me. I've been having trouble falling asleep, then staying asleep. I will nod off after a few hours of tossing and turning, only to wake up again and toss and turn for a few more hours. It's been a few days of this nonsense. I've taken advil PM but even that doesn't work.

Food:  yogurt, tuna roll, apple.
All I want for the rest of the day is another yogurt.

Trying to reduce and get myself smaller.

Day off

Ran yesterday: good run but it began to rain and I'm terrified of breaking my ankle on a run so I turned around and ran back. Got about 5 miles down. Still not that bad.

Food intake: Made a delicious wrap!  Hummus Tabouleh Cucumber wrap.
Take a spinach wrap and spread a generous amount of hummus on it (I used roasted eggplant) then spread a generous amount of tabouleh all over it. Cut Cucumber into two inch thin spears and roll that bad larry up.  Now, I had planned to put some Gorgonzola cheese in it, but forgot. It was great without the cheese and I'm not interested in trying it with the cheese. So I'm hopeful that I can use it in a pasta salad.

I'm at 110.8  Finally coming down!
I'm pretty confident that if I keep up the running, and keep up eating right and less I'll hit 100 by the end of summer. 10 pounds over two months is possible. It's just hard because I'm already at an ideal weight and I'm trying to run myself down to below BMI.