Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Little Indulgent ME Time Today!



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I am well. How are you?

Today is a good day. I am doing a bit of surfing of blogs in my time off today and have found a couple I really like.
One woman in Britain (I think) is doing the Dukan diet and I am following her blog. I just find it interesting, I am not changing from Atkins.. here is her blog:

http://glamedup.wordpress.com/page/2/

I actually just like her blog in general. It’s fun and lots of great pix.

I have also been checking out some French lifestyle blogs. I really enjoy reading these. They make me feel happy to be a woman. I love most of the attitudes of these. Many of them are beautiful and just great eye candy. I love French culture in general. I enjoy the idea that you should take more out of life. You know.. Joie de Vivre..

I am beginning to realize as the weight is coming off that I lost a lot of my mojo. I lost my love of life for a while. My Joy. I used to be very indulgent. Obviously the indulgence in food showed on my body, but I was indulgent in life in general and a lot of that was good, I found that much of life amazed and excited me. I am finding out that when I reigned myself in, a lot of my other loves sort of dulled as well. I have been sort of living a “staid” lifestyle and I have been working on getting out of that and these beautiful blogs help me do that.



http://frenchified.wordpress.com/

http://froufroufashionista.blogspot.com/

http://frenchcharming.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-19T05%3A30%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=17

http://frenchblue-frenchblue.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html

http://lacoquette.blogs.com/la_coquette/

This one is not necessarily a French lifestyle blog but she truly has great style and I am enjoying reading it:

http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/

I just love spending a little time with a nice espresso or cup of good tea and perusing these sites.. it feels indulgent and that’s what we ALL need from time to time.

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I have been working on the bedroom again. I took a week off the painting because, well it was just driving me crazy! In my designing inspired stupor I chose many colors for the room (three colors for walls and a forth for the trim and ceiling.) I design jewelry for a living (check out my site sometime: Http://CaryMartinDesigns.com ) and just jumped right into the idea that I could “design” a bedroom just as easily.. this was CRAZY I tell you! I truly had no idea what I was doing… It HAS turned out to be lovely and truly just what I wanted and I (well myself and my husband Patrick, from here on out known as “That Genius I Married” ) am almost finished.

We got the ceiling fan and Cherry Wood blinds hung over the last couple of days and the painting is done except for a tiny bit of trim. (pix to come soon.) I still have to find a few things.. bedside tables and lamps and carpet runners, but it’s coming along and I am really looking forward to getting our bed out of the living room! It’s been a month.

I ran across a very cool pendant lamp while looking for bedside lighting:
I am in LOVE with these.. but they just won’t work in the bedroom (but one might for our entryway!):


(coolest thing ever ha?!)

http://www.artecnicainc.com/Products/Lighting#Lighting/Future_Flora


My very fav hanging light that I have had in a folder in my computer for a couple of years.. (won’t work for the bedroom but I WANT it somewhere – maybe my office but it’s LARGE!)



http://www.artecnicainc.com/Products#Lighting/Icarus_Light

And LAST BUT NOT IN THE VERY LEAST. I wanted to turn you all on to this great skin care site I found! It’s independently run (I love supporting budding Indy businesses, sort of like mine!). This site has excellent quality items (I am a serious skin care nut and am very particular about the ingredients in products.. but that’s an entire other blog!). They use top quality ingredients and have products that can run with the “big dogs” so to say.. The same pharm grade ingredients (like Renovage!), made in small batches.

I want LOTS of their products.. I think I am going to try Garden of wisdom I want a couple of their Hyaluronic Acid
Products. Maybe the Raspberry and the Honey Comb. These are just good simple moisture for your face.

I also want their Veggie Azule Face cream, Banana Healing Serum and Frakenincense Hydrosol. I can’t believe how great these products sound. I will let everyone know how great they are. They even have a facial scrub that uses the same crystals as professional dermabrasion you would pay over $200 for at a Dr. office.

http://www.gardenofwisdom.com/finishedproducts.html


Well I guess I had better get back to work.. how do you all find time to blog!?

Friday, May 21, 2010

Sanibel was a dream~


On my early morning shelling walk on Sanibel Island I ran across this amazing driftwood (I love driftwood).. it was buried very deep in the sand...

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Well, wow where to start!

Sanibel Island was a huge LC success and a wonderful, relaxing, sea air swirling good time. I walked and shelled and we ate great food. Patrick (also known as that genius I married) and I had some amazing food and drink. I think my very fav. meal was the chili butter shrimp we had at Doc Fords. This stuff was seriously food of the Gods, juicy, messy and spicy! I also enjoyed good fresh fish, raw oysters, ceviche and amazingly rich crab bisque. Came back, still in ketosis! (maintained).

I am working on my supplements. I was having issues with nausea and decided to just STOP all of it (taking so many damned pills) and start over again, one at a time. Several herbs I didn’t even remember why I was taking them.. Alfalfa for one.. what was I taking that for again?

Anyway I stopped everything except my Virgin Coconut Oil and Krill and Fish Oils.. which I never had issues with.. I did lower my CO as I do remember it used to cause nausea in too large an amount but I would always get nauseated when I took my morning supplements.

I started back on my 5HTP and my St. John’s Wort.. so far so good..
I am looking into a liquid multi called “Vibe”.. I am still researching it. I think it sounds like something worth trying, only I am concerned that it has 5 carbs. I am eating very low carb right now and wonder if I would maybe be ok with it anyway. IMO it may be a good trade for the carbs and on Atkins you start adding in 5 carbs a week as you climb the ladder. I think this may be a good trade for my 5 carbs.

http://www.rainbowminerals.net/vibe.htm

I would love to believe that if we all ate a “balanced” diet (who really actually does that?) we would not need supplementation, but I just don’t buy it anymore.. I really do believe our foods are much less nutrient dense than they were 100 years ago and here it is hard to find good local organic produce that is not twice as much in cost as the normal produce. I am already splurging on better quality meat.. I don’t think I am afford to constantly buy organic and even if we did the variety just isn’t there most of the time.


My appetite is pretty low right now and I am going with it. It always comes back. I am doing well. I am over my TOM and my water weight (I always gain 2-4 pounds) is slowly coming off.. still have a pound to go to be back to where I was.

Patrick is picking up salads from Wendy’s (the BLT salad, I love it with the Ancho Ranch Dressing) for dinner so I don’t have to cook.. I love that genius that I married!

Here are a few more pix from Sanibel:

Our little beach cottages at the Waterside Inn.. Old style FL charm. We really enjoyed them.


Our little Tiki hut. A great place to lounge and read...


Huge mound of shells early morning (it was low tide) on Sanibel. I brought home like 10 pounds! I am going to mosaic our mail box.. hell maybe the entire house!


Absolutely stunning found objects (fish bone drawbridge) castle we ran across. It was just amazing. It had a tiny shell path around it.


Thursday, May 13, 2010

Heading to Sanibel Island Tomorrow...



I am excited about the trip to Sanibel! I know it’s going to be wonderful walking on the beach and that we can take Suki with us is a plus, he loves the beach!

I really wish I was at a place in my weight loss that would allow me to feel comfortable in my own skin.. but I am not there yet, actually not close at all.

For swimming I have a two piece black bathing suit, got the top and bottom seperately on line (the top actually is sold as bra sizes), it's a bra style with underwire and looks ok and fits well. The bottom is a "miracle suit" bottom, covers my arse well and actually holds my belly in well. I highly recommend these suits.

I actually love to swim, used to be an instructor and lifeguard, so a two piece allows much better movement IMO.. I wear a white gauze long top over the suit when I swim.. it dries quickly.. it's gathered at the top with a string tie so the "girls" at least look good, they say to accentuate the positive, right?. Clothes are a bitch in the summer. It’s so hard to find clothes that are comfortable and look good on this fat chick. I have one sundress I like but that’s it and it’s sleeveless so I wear a white cotton short sleeve button up shirt open, over it.

I HAVE just bought two new knee length cotton skirts.. one green and one white. I like skirts that come to the knee. I can’t wear shorts (well I just freaking won’t.. my thighs are the worst part of my body) but I think the skirts are a nice compromise.. I like that you can’t tell how large my thighs are in a skirt, there! I said it.. I really don't love my thighs, I know I should... self love and all but I am NOT the least bit happy with them..

The skirts are somewhat fitted so I don’t find them that comfortable but they are flattering as far as clothes can be on me.. I know… I am too hard on myself.. blah blah.. I DON’T like the way I look, I just don’t. Not yet.

Anyway I sort of have a “summer uniform”.. either knee length sundresses or skirts with spaghetti camis (I have found two places that sell plus size camis in a longer length.. I bought several colors from spiegel.. I can’t think of the other place right now if you really want to know, let me know and I will look it up)..

I like the camis over the skirts with a short sleeve shirt over the cami (they are small straps. I very rarely do find a longer shirt I like. I am pretty picky.. they have to be fairly long, have side slits, at least short sleeves and a v neck. I think over the last couple of years I have found two I like. One is from one of my very fav. places Http://Athleta.com

They sell plus size up to a 2x and I can wear their 2x (I am in a womens 16 sometimes 18 - Lane Bryant 14-16). I just got in this top that I actually love and kept (I order so much stuff that always gets returned.) I am pretty excited about the new top:




I also got this cotton green skirt from Athleta:


I really like this skirt.. it has a cotton lining (light) that is somewhat smaller and keeps my tummy nicely "in" if you know what I mean and the gathers are very flattering on.. it comes JUST to my knees which I love. (I am 5' 3.5")

Anyway I am glad to have something new and somewhat comfy but I will be so glad when I can wear whatever the hell I want and NOT have to put so damned much thought into it.

So I have put lots of planning into this trip so I know places we can eat (wrote about some of them below) I know from past experience that planning ahead makes it much more doable. I don't care what people say, staying on LC on vaca.. for a foodie like me is NOT that easy. I have to scope out websites ahead of time and find a list of places we have to choose from.. freaking found a place that has all these desserts.. hope I don't even SEE that place.. anyway I am rambling..

Found several places that are very LC friendly.. one of my very fav. is cheeburger, cheeburger. I am going to get a burger with all kinds of LC happy toppings! Love burgers this way. Going to get lots of shells (working on covering my mail box in a mosaic of them), walk as much as I can and try to actually decompress.. oh and maybe shop!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone, I know I will!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Hello!!!



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It’s been too long so I decided I best get my arse in here and post.

First of all HI TIFFANY! Love you gurl.. will be heading over to your blog right after my post!

Lets see… I have been doing much better. I have been very strict in my eating because of my IBD and really am just eating meat, eggs and cheese.. I have had a few veggies.. VERY well cooked.. so far so good.

I am afraid I am back to drinking diet cokes. I think I just gave up too much. I KNOW they are the devil but I am at least drinking the splenda ones.. will work on them again later.

Thank you to my friend Fawn from LCF for the Coconut Pudding recipe (basically just a can of coconut milk (make sure to get good organic co milk with NO SUGAR).. mine is the organic 365 brand from Whole Foods.. 12 carbs for the entire can.. mixed with 1 Cup of finely shredded (I used my food processor) organic sugar free coconut flakes.

Mix this together and let it sit in the fridge overnight.. I have a bottle of coconut Davinci so I am going to check to see if it needs a little sweetening when we eat it tonight..

Coconut is so good for us and especially good for those of us with bowel issues or candida. It’s also a great way to stoke your metabolism.. I actually can feel my body warm up when I use coconut oil. Anyway, had to share…

Patrick and I are headed to Sanibel Island for a little vaca this weekend.. and ya.. we are staying on program of course.. I have scoped out a few places to eat already.. a good place called Schnappers hots for hot dogs (love them with hot peppers and mustard and cheese! Who the hell needs a bun! I usually just chop them up and eat it sort of like a salad.

Also there is a Cheeburger, Cheeburger there.. can’t beat their huge burger (sans bun) with avo, grilled onion, bleu cheese, bacon.. omg.. I can go on.. they have many toppings that are LC friendly.

I also found a place for breakfast that is pet friendly.. It’s called the Key Lime Bistro. They have build your own omelets.. OMG.. can’t beat that.

And we are going to Timber’s for dinner.. a great fresh seafood/fish place. So I am prepared (it’s the key to success you know!) and so ready for our vaca.. long walks on the beach and I might even get on a bike.. if I can keep myself from singing “fat bottom girls”.. I sure miss Freddie.

Making a briscuit I got at a Kosher butcher tonight. The owner told me an interesting way to cook it.. wrap it twice in plastic then foil (add spices first of course) and then put it in a dutch oven, put the lid on it, put it in the oven on 250 and cook 30min per pound. Mine is like 7 pounds.. so that’s over 3 hours. Can’t wait to try it.. he said it makes them very juicy.. and it’s grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free.. perfection.

That’s all for now!