Rainy Sunday - Is Winter Peeking In?

This weekend has been awesome. It began raining Friday night and hasn't really let up much since then. Yesterday, as part of my routine housecleaning chores, I washed the sheets from the bed, but this time, when I made the bed up again, I added a newly purchased, soft as whipped cream fleece blanket, to the bed. It was one of those spur of the moment, don't really need it, purchases from Costco a few weeks back. I slept better last night than I have in months. The slider to the patio was open, and I lay in bed all snuggled warmly under my clean sheets and soft blankie, with my down comforter on top, cat purring next to me, Molly on the floor below, snoring softly. The sound of the rain hitting the patio, the wind chimes tinkling from the light winds made it all just PERFECT.

I also did some cooking, something I usually do most weekends. I don't eat out much, and I almost always take my lunch from home to work. I save lots of money this way. Money which goes to my traveling budget!!! Anyway, Sam had posted a picture of some garlic confit that her cousin had made for her, and my mouth had started watering the moment I saw it. I dug around in my veggie bin and found but one head of garlic, but that was all I needed to try some confit of my own. There's not much more to say about that. It was easy, and the house smelled divine, with garlic simmering in olive oil, bay leaves and peppercorns. I also made a big batch of quinoa with vegetables, and a big pitcher of fruit smoothie - rasberries, orange juice, fresh plums.

Well, now I'm ready for a snack and a nap.

Shredded

I am at Day 11 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred exercise program. You all know Jillian, right? The maniacal but soft-hearted trainer on Biggest Loser? Anyway, she has this DVD called 30 Day Shred and it's all about doing 20 minutes of intensive cardio/strength exercises every day to grow stronger, leaner and more fit.

The DVD has 3 levels - and you start with Level 1 and work your way up (hopefully) to Level 3 at about day 20. Today was day 11 - and my first day on Level 2.

One would think that kickin up some exercise for a mere 20 minutes a day would be a piece of cake. WRONG-O!!!! This workout video will kick your butt in more ways than one!! I have never dripped so much sweat in my life - and I thought I was in decent shape!! Again, WRONG-O.

Anyway, I've noticed an improvement in my stamina since day 1. I'm a bit stronger. Day 1 I could barely do 5 pushups. Day 11 I'm doing 20 with little sweat. Go me. I've lost a whopping 2 pounds in 10 days!!! It's not so much the pounds I'm looking to lose - it's the being in better shape that I'm after, goal-wise. I think I'll get there.

No Hoarding Allowed

Every time I watch an episode of Hoarders, I have this massive compulsion (yeah, don't go there...) to go find something in my house and throw it away.

Tonight is no different. 10 minutes into the show and I'm in the kitchen during a commercial break, tossing out 1/2 my plastic ware that's stuffed on the bottom rack of my dishwasher (no, I don't use my dishwasher for washing dishes - due to the lack of enough cabinet space in my kitchen, I store plastic and glass ware in there instead). I mean, I've lived here for 10 months now and I rarely use any of the plastic stuff. I almost exclusively use the glassware instead - I don't like putting plastic in the microwave to heat up my leftovers for lunch at work - so why not just get rid of that crapola?

Go me.

October already?

Excuse me, but what the heck happened to September???? It flew by so fast, I can't hardly remember it. Wow.

Well, some minor news. Molly started her first day at her new day care place today. About midway through the day, I got a picture message on my cell from the owner of the day care. There Molly was, my cutie patootie sitting in the sun on the grass by the fence, her trademark big smile on her face. How sweet!!

At the end of the day, when I went to pick Molly up, she was in great spirits, tail wagging, full of Molly kisses, just happy and content. Can't ask for better than that!!! Right now, she's "retired" for the evening - she's had her dinner, and has plotzed herself down on her pillow bed next to my bed - and she's snoring away.