Just. Breathe.

I woke up in the mood to write today. It's been a while since I've even wanted to start a new post, and I wouldn't let myself consider why. But, here it is: I've got 7-9 pounds that have come back on since Christmas and they will. not. leave. I don't want to make changes, therefore, I don't want to write about it. If I write about it, I have to admit it out loud, and then I'm committed. When I look back at my weight loss chart, I was this weight back in July. It's like a 9-month maintenance plan, but I don't want to maintain this weight! When I consider what I've done (and not done) in those months, it's somewhat easy to see why I'm not losing, and why, for a long time, I didn't gain. Paleo is not a weight loss method. That's right out there on any reputable Paleo expert's front door. It's clean eating, it's staying away from sugar and unnecessary foods, but it's not designed for weight loss - our ancestors we...

Happy Earth Day! I don't have a cool Google doodle to celebrate, but I'm going to go sit outside later and soak up some sun. It's a Monday (when I started this post; now it's Tuesday), and my brain is feeling pretty Monday-ish. Here's just some stuff: 1. I love our yard with its new fence. We've been working on the plants and the pool, and I'm trying to decide if I want a garden (RDub insists on growing watermelon if we do) or a compost. I just can't decide if I want to spend the time learning what I need to learn to make it work, then spend the time making it work. We're still killing weeds, but so far, we've spent more evenings out there than usual. Even my basil is happy in the revamped yard! 2. I'm running again. The weather has been nice enough and my allergies have been mild enough that I've run out of excuses (see what I did there?). It helps that Bug wants to run, too, so we've gone in the morning a couple of times....

The home improvement virus continues to assault. In the last four days, we've gotten a new fence...   [Installed by professionals, thank God -- they finished the entire thing faster than we could have taken the old one down.] ...and created a big mess in the house: [Did I mention we're having guests this weekend? That's the deadline for getting my house put back together.] ...because I decided the pantry needed to be redone. Granted, it's a little worse than usual because it's about to get ripped out.   Best husband award goes to...   ...this guy, because he always gets stuck doing the manual labor.   Just a few hours later...   Look at all that space!   It's only taken me two days to put stuff in. I apparently have a canned tomato addiction.   I'm sure I'll make changes - probably after a trip to the grocery store. I've got some serving dishes in there now, which freed up cabinet space elsewher...

Something has come over this house, and I'm not sure if it's a virus or what. We seem completely incapable of reining in our need to rework/redecorate stuff. And it's not just me! [Okay, it's mostly my ideas , but then the others jump all over it, I swear.] It started here about 3 weeks ago: Clear-out started, walls taped off. But wasn't that an awesome paint job? Bug didn't want her dresser anymore - the drawers were kinda wonky, and several of them had turned into junk drawers instead of clothing drawers. It took up a lot of room and she really wanted/needed a larger desk. Of course, as we planned those changes, I had to ask about painting -- was she tired of the blue/green/pink yet? Guess the answer. KILZ is a wonderful invention. Spring Break 2013 turned into "please, Daddy, help me with this" and of course he did. Dear Homebuilders: Putting studs where they actually belong is a helpful thing. The dresser was replaced with the cube...

Recipe post! Whoop! This is a very simple pork chop recipe that I've made a couple of times now. RDub has added it to the top 5 list, so it'll stay in rotation. Credit goes to Sarah Fragoso at Everyday Paleo -- it's from her cookbook. Apologies in advance for the picture quality - until I start using a real camera, the settings on my phone will continue to make weird colors. I'll get better eventually. Okay, here we go. Thinly slice an apple (I used 1-1/2 because mine were pretty small) and about 1/2 an onion. Melt 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat and add the apple and onion. Cook them for about 5 minutes -- the apples should still be a little firm. For the chops, all you need is salt and cinnamon. Just sprinkle both sides -- and don't skimp on the cinnamon. It may not sound like the right spice, but trust me (and Sarah) that it's tasty. Remove the apples and onions from the pan and add another tablespoon of coconut oil. On med...

It doesn't take long to fall out of a habit -- as long as it was a good one...which I consider blogging to be. Let's just jump right back in, shall we? The Monday after we got back from our cruise (SIX weeks ago! How did that happen???), I started boot-camp style training with a personal trainer. I haven't worked with Jen in a couple of years, but I knew it was time to shake things up. Jen trains out of her home, and is a Pilates instructor from way back. I always felt good when I was doing Pilates regularly, so that had appeal. She also does weight training, and we talked about a crossfit-style approach (maybe), and setting me up to do other sessions on my own. I made her agree to one very important ground rule once we settled on three times a week: I don't get makeup sessions. In the past, she's been generous if you had to cancel a session. For me, it gave me an excuse (cramps, headache, tired...) and I needed to suck it up. Money talks, and I wasn't going t...

First, my deepest apologies to the two of you who have been waiting around for Part 3. It's been an insane week and not in a good way. Second, if you are my mother or my child, stop reading now. Seriously, there was nothing happening during this part of the trip you need to know about. Third, if you were on the trip with me, apologies in advance for the editing that's about to happen. It's because I know my daughter and my mom well enough to know they completely ignored my directions above. Cozumel ! Our last stop on the cruise was Cozumel, where I've been several times before, and that I love every time we go. All of us opted not to take excursions on this stop. The ship docks right at the pier, so you can set your own schedule and just walk down to the shops in town. It's very touristy and cheesy and I love it all. We left about 10 that morning after watching the Carnival ship park next to us. You're blocking my view, honey.   If you've neve...