Make It Count Monday

I've been back from my summer program for almost a week and I've spent my time reading, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, gardening, working out, a little bit of catching up with friends, and finishing up Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break by Kelly Minter.

It's been a whirlwind since I've been home and I can't believe that the summer is just slipping away. So, when I got this wonderful email from Mrs. Meyer's I just had to share.

So, now that I'm finished working out, I'm going to try this breakfast recipe for Chia and Oat pudding from Tone It Up and take it outside on my newly cleaned porch and savor a little bit of my summer morning.

How do you savor those little bits of summer?

Watermelon Sorbet

Summer feels like its here, even if the official start of summer is still a couple weeks away. All that heat left me craving watermelon and when I found a watermelon sorbet recipe I had clipped a couple years ago from a Better Homes and Garden, I knew it was the perfect recipe to try out. I had to change it up a little bit.

If you're craving a little refreshment from the summer time, go ahead and freeze this up!

Watermelon Sorbet

Ingredients:
5 c. cubed watermelon
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cranberry juice

Method:
Puree watermelon cubes until smooth and then add sugar.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan combine gelatin and cranberry juice. Let mixture stand for five minutes and then stir mixture over heat until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Stir gelatin mixture into the watermelon. Pour into an 8x8x2 pan and freeze until firm (probably 2-3 hours). When firm, remove from freezer and put mixture in chilled mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Then return to 8x8x2 pan and freeze for at least six hours.

Enjoy this frozen treat to cool you off!

30 Day Shredding - Half Way Done!!!

Well, today is the 16th of the month and because I totally spaced my workout day with E on Sunday, we are now half way through the 30 Day Shred.

Every day except for this past Sunday, E and I have shredded ourselves to exhaustion. I like to think it's working since we're working so hard.

On day 10, I measured myself again and found I had lost 6.75" overall. I think that's pretty good! As of today at the half way point, it's 8.75". Not a ton, but definitely a good start!

All of my shredding friends are working their inches off too and I am so proud of them for keeping on. I know first hand how much I'd really like to turn Jillian off sometimes! I'm especially proud of my Mom for jumping in a few days late and rocking out her shredding EVERY DAY since she started. Mom you are awesome!

For Allie's winner announcement for this week. Go to her blog here.

Also, I ran across this super random fb page because a friend had liked a picture. It's a running page or something. I mostly just looked through all the pics and loved them. It made me want to get out and run again! It made me want to kill those miles. I especially loved all the pics that looked like people running in crisp fall air. I thought about it and then I went outside and almost got heatstroke from the humidity. I probably won't run outside for another couple weeks, but this page is making me anticipate the moment of being able to pound the pavement again. Hopefully we'll be in NM soon and I can run in air that does not maintain a heat index of 110 all day long. Check out the fb page here.

All you runners and shredders, we can keep going!

I think most of us feel this way sometimes...

I'd Prefer You Call Me Reptile Girl...

So, earlier today I had my first summer class at my job. I'm teaching an art/art history class in the morning and then a guy teaches the afternoon. It was pretty hectic getting ready (read double the amount of kids I had prepped for). I was a little nervous and trying to decide if I wanted to actually try to learn all their names or just fake it for the three days I'm teaching them. The jury is still out on this topic. I did ask the kids to go around and introduce themselves. During introductions, a young lady, who I will call Monica (by the time I wanted to relate this story, I could no longer remember her real name) announced to the class and myself, "My name is Monica. I prefer to go by Reptile Girl or Snake Girl because I really like snakes." I smiled and moved on. Weirdly enough, I think she is very serious about this name change. Her portfolio has only her (super-hero) (scratch that - sidekick) name, Reptile Girl. She also signs her art Reptile Girl. If she could retain this quirky identity into her adult years, she might actually make it in the Contemporary Art  world. She has decent talent, an eye for color, and real knack for phrasing. All these attributes combined with a distinctive artist's name could take her far. Mark my words, one day you will all be wishing you could be Reptile Girl's art work that is up at auction at Christie's or Sotheby's. Until then, I will contemplate whether or not to call her Reptile Girl or avoid having to call her anything at all.

The Joy of an Overhaul

I've noticed lately that the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer always seem to be a time when people decide to change their lives and do things differently. I've decided to follow the trend and see what I can do.

Number #1 - I've overhauled my blog. I changed my design and added a gadget (I feel so fancy and technical)

Number #2 - I've started working out again. For some reason, I totally slacked off and stopped working out for about three weeks. Whoops. So, I'm back at it hard. I started running and it's a way better work out than anything else I'd been doing. Plus, I got a snazzy new work out shirt from under armour. Who doesn't love new clothes?

Number #3 - I'm overhauling my recipes. Instead of cluttering my house with magazines I have been clipping, sorting and turning them into one big cook book.

Number #4 - I'm getting creative. WM and I have decided to plan a unique and fun Xmas vacation. Right now we have three original options. We'll see which one wins.

Number #5 - I am working on not being nervous about haircuts and allowing my newer stylist to do whatever she would like to my hair this coming week (We'll see if I stick to this one)

Number #6 - I have actually planted more plants in the front of my house so everything looks much more tidy and friendly.

Well, I need to to get ready for the rest of my day, so I'll leave you to think about what things you would like to overhaul, tweak, or change in your life this summer. I'm enjoying mine so far!!