Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Come The 4th of July I Just May Go acheating!



www.thepioneerwoman.com/cookong/category/holidaysJust because I've broken it off  with her doesn't mean YOU can't be friends with her...since the 4th is just around the corner I thought I would post her link..her baked bean recipe is the best and I may have to kiss and make with her and break down and make the Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Jalapeno slaw... and the Caprese salad will be a must, I may just have to sneak over to the Ranch and hang out for day but only for the day!

SLO mama is dragging

I don't know if it's the fact that it's raining and it's almost JULY!!! but this Mama is feeling pretty slow around here, maybe this will gear me up!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I've Learned

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." 
 Maya Angelou

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Quirky Confession Thursday

 Here how it's going to work, share your most fun and quirky confession, post it in the comments and keep it clean please this blog is PG lol
here's mine, easy one since we are swimming these days...

I'm 51 years old and after swimming in the pool I still love lying on hot cement in my wet bathing!

Your turn!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Short Circuited No MORE!

It's only 9:00 am and it's already 91 in the sun according to the outdoor temperature gage-it's to hot to go for my run with doggies.  Marty will be bummed but he is too hairy and the concetre gets hot on his paws.  I think I'll swim...

For the past 6 weeks us Circuit Coaches  have been doing the new 90 day challenge to fitness and weight loss at Curves-we have been following an online diet plan that watches calories, allows good fats, complex carbs, healthy proteins and fruits and lots of veggies.  We have also been working out in the Circuit at least 4 times a week, and getting at least 30 minutes of cardio outside the studio-I must say, Team Paso Curves are a bunch of diehards cause we are all working out FOUR times the requirements.  And guess what-we are all showing FOUR times the results! YAY for us! We are working hard but it's fun and the diet plan is really easy. I have tried other programs and this program blows the other programs out of the water!  I have always gotten my cardio in, but by combining it with cardio Strength training in the Circuit, the results are amazing.  Cardio burns calorie and that's great, but it only burns the calorie you use during that workout-when you add strength training to any cardio workout you ramp up your metabolism, that flame continues to burn calories even when your not working out because the more lean muscle mass you build the more your metabolism stays on fire...Working out in the Circuit at a cardio rate I burn about 350-400 calories in 30 minutes but I continue to burn more for the rest of day-THAT'S JUST FOR STRENGTH TRAINING..add calories burned from what ever cardio exercise your doing and FAT doesn't stand a chance!

My hardest time is the night when I still have that urge to snack and it's really the reason I blog or update my status on FB like crazy-I need to keep my hands busy and out of the chocolate jar!  I can see I have readers, hold on to your paranoia pants, I can't see who you are, but I can see that my blog gets visits-so in support of my snack less new life-PLEASE COMMENT....it's easy, if you don't have a blog or google account just comment in anonymous and let me know who you are-or stay anonymous....that's kinda sexy;)

Well, time to put on the Tankini, yes all my hard work is paying off...no one piece for me..I know it's not my bikini, but more time in the Circuit strength training and more Zumba and that's just around the cornor

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

It's True, Sometimes Mama DOES Need a Cocktail

And sometimes the only thing getting in my way of having one is the fact that I'm indecisive about what kinda drink I'm in the mood for.  I'm really bad at ordering drinks. When I was going through my Sex And The City phase it was an easy decision, "I'll have a Cosmo please", but truth be told a Cosmo just isn't enough of a drink.  I could suck one down in two gulps...but give me the choice of a Margarita or Mojitio's and I'm in a quandary.  I love them both so this is the perfect recipe to solve my dilemma:

I bring you....The Minted Margarita!
This serves about 8 big size drinks so if your hanging with me we'll have to keep the blender blending!
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup of water (what! water...ummm)
Zest of 4 limes
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar..otherwise known as the Nectar of the Gods
3/4 cup triple sec
2 cups Blanca or my personal fav Silver Tequila...Patron please for me...otherwise known as the Nectar to the Goddess
 In the blender combine the mint leaves, water (there it is again??), lime zest and Agave Nectar.  blend on high until the mint is very finely chopped.
Strain the mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a pitcher.  discard the solids or save them for your salad later for when your too bombed to cook...just trying not to waste food...
Stir in the Triple sec and the TEQUILA then chill, the drink silly, not you!

To serve, moisten the rim of the glasses with a piece of lime.  Dip the rims in Sea salt if you like, I do
Add ice to glasses and pour in the Margaritas.  garnish with slices of lime.

I think  I may just have to try this right now, I have everything except the Agave Nectar.....So do you think drinking when your kids are home qualifies for NOT DRINKING ALONE?  I'm kidding...but you know what it's hot as hell out and I'm thirsty!

Summertime Where We're Keeping It Easy

It's suppose to stay in the 100's for the next couple of days, so as my memory serves me I will posting some YUMMY summertime recipes that are tried and true.  here are just a couple of my warm weather favorites when you don't feel like firing up the big guns. This first dish is to die for, ripe tomatoes are a MUST..it's an uncooked pasta sauce recipe from Sardinia, my dream country, maybe I'll making tonight if it fits into my eating plan:

Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil:
4 ripe Tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound of Brie cheese, rind removed of course, torn into irregular pieces
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves or more if you like, I like, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little less if you use sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds of linguine
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to your liking and I have a liking!

combine tomatoes, brie, basil, garlic and 1 cup of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper in large bowl.  Prepare at least 2 hours ahead of time, let sit covered at room temp.

cook pasta, you all know how to do that, use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the reminder of salt when boiling the water.

once pasta is done, drain and toss immediately with the sauce.  top with fresh pepper and Parmesan cheese to your liking! This recipe serves 4-6

next, which is probably what I'll be having cause it fits into my plan, is a wonderful salad, perfect for our 100 degree weather:
I'm a lover of fruit in my salads so when I found this one with watermelon and Gorgonzola cheese I thought I'd died and went to wherever it is good Goddess go...
It's called Watercress and watermelon salad, but I make with Spring mix, but if you love watercress, and I do, make that way too-it seems spring mix is more readily available.

2 cups medium diced seedless watermelon
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or any nut you like, i love pecans in this salad too
Spring mix to serve 4
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbled

Honey orange Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing-whisk all the ingredients EXCEPT oils, salt and pepper, in small bowl
Combine olive oil and canola oil and while whisking pour into orange mixture. Season with salt and pepper and set aside
To serve: in another bowl combine watermelon, nuts salad mix and add just enough dressing to coat the greens-Serve topped with the cheese and ENJOY!!!
I was looking for my recipe for mixed green salad with watermelon and gorgonzola cheese and found my recipe for minted margaritas, may have to have those for dinner instead...I'll blog some of my favorite hot weather recipes later...off to work and workout in the Circuit! Stay hydrated!

Monday, June 20, 2011

No Parking on This Dance Floor!

It's finally summer here. I love it when I wake up and the mornings are already nice and warm while having my coffee on the porch, the nights are beautiful and we eat outside, the kids are out of school, there's no sports schedules and our pool is heated and we can swim anytime we want too- I've already gone for my run with "The Boys". I went and worked out with Krissy at Curves and I have Zumba at 6:00  The sun is energizing and makes you want go, go, go! I love it!  You can stay outside and play until well after the street lights come on.  But unfortunately there's one nagging question weighing heavily  on my mind....hmmm, stay inside and do laundry or go naked?  Happy Summer everyone, pools open!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Gotta Love the Boy!

Andrew: "hey mom, what time you going to Zumba?"
Me: "my class is at 6 why?"
Andrew: 'cause your looking good"
Me: " I am? why thanks sweet boy"
Andrew: " ya, look at your jeans, you SAG almost as much as I do"
Me: "hmmm, not sure that's a look  I can carry off as well as you do".....

Once again, I LOVE the wonderful results I'm getting from my workouts in the Circuit at Curves studio, Zumba in the Circuit and one hour of Zumba dance....I think I'm becoming obsessed....maybe after tonight's workout I should do some shopping for either better fitting jeans...or a package of boxers!
So I leave you with yet another Zumba song..this one is one of my favorites, the video is funky.  It's J. Lo and Richerd Gere.  I must say I've never been a big Richard Gere Fan, I'm more a Benjaim Bratt,  Andy Garcia, Denzel Washington, Hector Elizondo, Taye Diggs Kinda Gal:)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

From Orange Cleats to Heels, No More Tomboy for Her!

I get to go DRESS shopping with my little pea pie-yes, this news is Blog worthy because a year ago I would have never used the words "Juliana" and "dress shopping" in the same sentence....I think I see  a Kodak moment! So it's off to SLO we go...You don't  think  suggesting a mani-pedi is pushing my luck do you?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Music Made Me Do It


Could this be why my pedometer read: 7164 steps, 3.39 miles, and...wait for it ...1902 CALORIES BURNED!!  Not to mention an hour of fun and sweat...and this is only one song! YA BABY!

This Zumba stuff, it's addicting

Since I've been working out to Zumba I now find myself dancing through my runs or walks and I have a tendency to dance in  public places when I hear music with a Latin beat.  So here's the new song and dance we will be adding to our routine tonight...lets see if you can watch without shaking your hips.. once ...or twice;)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Out of the Mouths of Babes

This past weekend Jim and I celebrated our 18th anniversary so I decided to bring out my wedding album and the kids are having a blast going through it.  If you had been a fly on our wall here's what you might have heard them say:

Juliana, my cling on child said, "Mom you looked so beautiful and you still look exactly like that" (love this child)

Andrew, my tell like it is child said, "yea, you still look pretty much the same, but with mom stress"love that he can not tell a lie!)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Whatcha Watching?

I don't usually watch television "live".  I prefer to DVR my programs and watch later at night by myself.  I started doing this when my kids were younger mainly for their safety because" their mommy" was watching programing that might insight nightmares or age inappropriate sexual fantasy. (NO! NOT PRON just regular HBO programing) Now, It's become my way of getting time to myself and I enjoy the retreat.  But it's that boring time in the season where my regular shows have come to an end.  I'm waiting for HBO to bring on the new season of True Blood and Entourage,  There are no Weeds growing on Show Time yet.  Bravo isn't quite ready to start Flipping Out with Jeff  and by the way, where the hell did Rachel Zoe go anyway?   E thankfully has my favorite funny girl Chelsea Handler (whom I love and get all my hard copy news from) but sorry, I prefer Keeping Up With MY Kardashian's when they are all under the same roof. I just don't have the time to track down Chloe with Lamar, Courtney and Kim in Miami and Kim and whom ever in NY.  I mean really, who does have that kinda of time on their hands.

And Since I'm working hard at getting my Brazilian Butt back (don't laugh, I may just do it!), I've had to break it off with any Food channel whats.so.ever.  HGTV is often my fall back channel when nothing else is on but they just finished up with Selling New York, which spoiled me and now I can't watch those other shows about first time buyers or sellers. I just hate how they go into a house and the first thing they complain about is the color of room, geez, like that's a deal breaker? ..they always whine, "well I love the house, but I don't know about the colors".  I of course end up yelling at the TV like a rabid sports fan  "Really people! are YOU that STUPID, you can't paint dumb ass"...ya, I'm not a good mix with shows like that...

So the question for today is whatcha watching these days?  What wonderful shows are on Netflix or channels that I may be missing.  Is there a mini series not be must missed or better yet a show that's already a few season into it because I love watching full season's of something.

Hopefully some of you will help otherwise I may end up throwing my self over the side straight into a "Sister Wives" marathon...and we wouldn't want that now would we?

Sunday, June 5, 2011

"I'm a Peasant By Some Standards, But in Your Eyes I'm A Queen"

Hi Babe, today is our eighteenth anniversary and I could blog about how much I love you and all the many reason why I love you more and more with each passing day but, It's plain and simple to me, I love you because you LOVE ME, FLAWS AND ALL. Happy Anniversary My Love.

PS, if your still wondering about an anniversary present for me, I think I'd really like a wind machine!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Still Me, I think

A really strange thing happened to me while sitting in my car at the Starbucks drive up this past Thursday and NO I didn't get caught singing and dancing again.  It was probably nothing, but at the time it felt like something.  I pulled up to the speaker and ordered my Trenta Passion tea with three splenda  and between the time it took me to order and drive around the corner to the pick up window, I some how became confused about where I was, how I got there and what I was doing there.  While I was waiting for my order I remember getting a text from Andrew, his daily "I love you Mom just checking in" text he sends me everyday after school, I remember being distracted by the phone- shiny things tend to do that to me- and not recognizing that it was my phone and having a unsettling feeling. When the Barista came to hand me my tea and asked for the money, I was at a loss as to where I was and why this person was asking me for money and for what?  I had no recollection of driving to Starbucks and ordering, nor did I even recognize Starbucks at all... It was a fleeting moment, but a moment that had my heart in my throat with a dash of panic.  I felt confused and a little lost.

The young women handing me my drink picked up on my surprise and I was able to just joke and say something about "being a space case really needing a drink"  Now that I look back on that comment she might have thought I meant a drink of something stronger then passion tea and could she spike it with a little something special-or maybe she thought I had too much to drink already, oh well..guess I can't go back to that Starbucks now, DAMN IT, that one's so convenient.

It was fleeting but vivid, yet thank goodness it only lasted for seconds. I have been forgetful of a lot of things in the past,  just like everyone else who is over 40, but this felt different, nothing like the  forgetfulness I generally possess, like forgetting where I've parked the car at grocery store, the kids early release day (ok, only once or twice but having to wait a little after school builds character, doesn't it?)  or brushing my teeth with hair gel instead of toothpaste., ONCE, I did it ONCE!  This felt more sobering than those lost moments and to be honest, it really SCARED me for minute.

I got my drink, paid the nice lady and tipped her generously in hopes she wouldn't turn around and tell her co-workers about the crazy lady in the white hybrid. I quickly realized a couple things that probably played a huge factor in my lapse.  One, I had just worked out like a mad women in circuit training. Two, I hadn't eaten anything since my run earlier in the morning and it was now almost 3:00. And three, I was trying to do two things at once which on a good day can be a challenge for me.
I'm sure this was all there was too it-  exhaustion, distraction, and the lack of food and I would have been willing to leave it at that left, except the very next day while facebooking I completely mixed up the San Francisco Giant's with the 49's with absolute conviction I was referring to Giants....So now I may be a tad concerned.

Which brings to memory (see I still have one!) one of my favorite reads from last summer was a book called Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It's a extraordinary book about Alzheimer and effects of this horrendous disease on the person inflicted and their families..it's a heartbreakingly real depiction of a extremely accomplished women's descent into the depth's of early Alzheimer.  I cried through most of it- LIE- I cried all the way through this heart wrenching story.  I think it is a MUST read for all of us with aging parents or, oh hell, who am I trying to kid, I AM A AGING PARENT.  It is a sobering and beautifully written account on just how terrifying this disease is for the person suffering from it's horrible effects and just how important it is for the family to know exactly whats happening to their loved one and how to help.

I'm not trying to sound the Alzheimer alarm, common sense tells me my confusion came out of fatigue but it did remind me of this book and how we should all have a plan in place just in case.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

For Madeleine,


You remember the things I love, even after I have forgotten how much I love them!
You know exactly what  I'm going to love, even before I know I'm love gonna it!  You know your Aunt Lala well and I enjoying sharing the little things we share with one and other, as well as the big!  You have always brought a big smile to face and I thank you!  To me, you are  kind, gentle, smart and an incredible artist.  I'm proud to call you my niece.  Not only are you a wonderful sister to Lou, but also a great friend to all your thousand's of friends.  You are so sweet and thoughtful to your cousin's and they all adore you.

Madd's, you have such a big and wonderful heart and you carry your beauty inside as well as out . Your sense of humor's not too shabby either!  Thanks baby girl for being you, you are PERFECTION.  
I hope you have A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY.  I Love you always.  Now be a good girl and go tear up the town!
Aunt Lala

PS  Mom and you will always have Gilmore girls, but you and I will always have Cam and the Meryl Streep Episode:)

There's Not Enough Coffee "In The House Tonight"...



                         

                                                                                                                                                

I'm tried. Turns out staying up past 12:00 to catch up on my all my DVR-ed shows wasn't one of my best idea's.  But damn, who watches United States of Tara?  Can you believe that Bryce is killing off the alters and CHICKEN'S DEAD!  "Three down, three to go!" The show is GREAT this season. So I'm paying the price and even after the gallons of coffee I've consumed this morning, my ass is still dragging.  Lets blame it on Wednesday. I need  a little help to get me going: don't judge, I live with a 13 year old so my radio is tuned to 106-24/7....who am I kidding, I like the music as much as she does.  I dare you to watch this and not feel like dancing, " it get's in your bones..."
but hey, it get's me moving.  Running shoes are on, pink ipod in hand and I'm out the door...


What gets YOU moving when your dragging?