Just. Breathe.

...to Hell with my good intentions! [Ha. Until I typed that line, I didn't get the double meaning! I meant it to be a continuation of the blog title, but reading it by itself also works!] What a crazy couple of weeks. I'd like to say I was all good and well no my way to losing those pounds, but no. Not even close. I've eaten more sugar in the last week than I have in the last year and that's not a good thing. If it's any indication of how my self-control will be on the cruise, I'm in trouble. Last weekend we hosted the teenagers from our church for a retreat weekend. Boys and girls (about a dozen) for two dinners and a lunch, and the girls for breakfast. It was great fun, but when you cook a lot of stuff you don't intend to eat, the temptation just sits there...calls your name at night... The food was pretty awesome, though. Italian "pizza pasta" Friday night -- layers of sauce, noodles, Canadian bacon, sausage, pepperoni, and more than tw...

In most ways, this week has not given the results I wanted. Instead of starting on the 8 pound loss, I've gained two pounds. Guess losing an even 10 works better? Whatever... Granted, this was a hormonal ToM, and I could blame that. Done. I have done the planned 30-Day Shred (Jillian is Satan) every day, though, and my arms are killing me. I did take myself up to Level 2 pretty quickly because I'm an idiot I've done Level 1 several times before, just never for 30 full days. Level 2 has these things called walk-out pushups (or something like that) where you start from standing, bend and walk on your hands out to pushup position, do a pushup, then walk back and stand up. Who makes up these ridiculous moves? The weather has been awful and I'm a weather-wuss, so no running yet. It's supposed to stop raining tomorrow, and maybe get above 50 degrees, so perhaps I'll make the dog happy and get outside again. I obviously have to do something different if I'...

[My family is laughing at this title - one of my pet peeves is the apparent belief that "My Favorite Things" is a Christmas song, evidenced by the constant playing of it on various music stations during the season. Have these people never seen the movie??? Just because it talks about wrapped packages and snow...Austria apparently only has those things at Christmas. Bah.] I, on the other hand, have many favorite things and not just at Christmas! Here's a quick random list in case you are just rabidly curious. 1. Phillip Phillips' debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon -- There is not a single track on this album I don't like. I loved him on American Idol, mostly because he didn't seem to give two hoots if he won and he wasn't going to change his style to make some judge happy. "Home" is the big hit so far, but "Man on the Moon" is one of my favorites. 2. Terra Sweet Potato chips, from Costco/Sam's -- big bags, awe...

I'm not a big fan of resolutions - new year or otherwise - perhaps because of the pressure the word implies. Last January, however, I made one determination -- to get the weight off for the last time. Let's see how that turned out: I lost 35 pounds. That's a little more than half my goal. I've gone from a size 18/20 to a 12/14. I've lost 6" in my hips and 5" in my waist. My triglycerides dropped from 200 to 40, cholesterol from 220 to 194, HDL up from 25 to 60.  Other goals and accomplishments: I can run a 5K without stopping. My pace on a mile has dropped from around 13 minutes to under 12 minutes. My usual two+ mile runs take about 25 minutes. I've completely changed the way I (and the family) eat. I don't count calories or weigh portions, and I'm always satisfied when I finish a meal. I've experimented with countless new recipes, with only a few "let's not do this again" experiences. I've blogged most...

  [It's not actually that hot, but I say it in Mrs. Doubtfire's voice.] I've been visiting a new Paleo recipe site and this was one of the first recipes I tried. Given that it had snowed and not warmed up above about 45 for almost a week, I was looking for warm comfort food! This was extremely easy and very tasty. PaleOMG dot com  is the site and you really need to get out there if you're looking for recipes. The specific link to this one is http://paleomg.com/jambalaya/ . The recipe is straightforward: andouille sausage, chicken breast, onion, green pepper, cauliflower, spices, tomatoes, and chicken stock. You can also use shrimp for more authentic jambalaya, but I didn't want to clean it that night. Maybe next time. Anyway, the link gives the specific recipe, but here are a few notes from me. 1. I used a bit more (maybe 1/2 cup) chicken stock than the recipe called for. Since the exact amount of meat isn't specified (2 breasts -- is that a pound?)...

I'm back in blogging land after a little while off. Please pardon the randomness of this post. Christmas was excellent, and yes, we had snow in Texas on Christmas Day! I'm sure it wasn't the first time, but I definitely can't remember a specific time it happened. And COLD. Like 19 degrees cold. I literally sat on the couch all day and watched the traditional Christmas movies: A Christmas Story , Miracle on 34th Street , Die Hard ... We'd already watched Holiday Inn and White Christmas . I played with my new tablet (!) and completely vegged out. Perfect Christmas day. Our backyard, photo courtesy of Bug. Poor plants. Poor basketball. I did make a chicken soup that day. I've got a favorite chicken tortilla soup recipe, but I've never converted it to Paleo -- it had corn and beans in it, not to mention the tortillas, sour cream and cheese that tops it. We'd gone to a party where one of the guests brought a soup that was very close to Paleo - it onl...

I've not had the slightest idea what to write for the last several days. I've read so many postings on the tragedy of last Friday, and am not sure I can add anything at this point to the words eloquently written by others. I know that losing a child is so devastating that words seem to be completely inadequate. Knowing people care and hurt with you is precious. Honor the memories of the lost, respect the feelings of the survivors, and above all, pray for the strength for all touched by this tragedy. Maybe I'll have something to say in a few days, but for now, I'm just going to pick up with the Christmas blogging. [I just found out that peanutbutterjenny, who started this challenge, is from Newtown and lives minutes from the elementary school. She's studying to be a teacher.]  www.peanutbutterjenny.com 15. The best gift you've given . I don't know if it would be the best , but it's one I was soooo excited about it. Remember back when everything...