Hola Mexico

FINALLY! John and I have been needing a vacation. In just 110 not so short days, we will be at the Valentin Riviera Maya in Mexico! It's an adults only resort on the Playa del Secreto. I researched all-inclusive resorts for months. Months, I tell you! After awhile, they all start to look the same. I also put a lot of stock in reviews of the resort. Probably too much stock really. A place could have 20 good reviews and then 1 bad one would spoil it for me. So, I stopped reading and made a decision. We actually used a travel agent to book the trip, which I have never done before. It was a very pleasant experience and her price beat any other I found online, which was super exciting. So, for 4 nights in October, you can think of me sippnig margaritas by the pool, hoping I don't burn.

P.S. I was trying to post a beautiful picture of this resort for you faithful readers but then a virus attacked my computer and I got yelled at.....even though it wasn't my fault. :( Pictures in 4 months months when we return. Pinky swear.

Dress - take two

I love wearing dresses in the summer. Well, I like dresses all year but in the summer, I don't have to pull on tights to stay warm. This is the second time I've used Little Red Roost's tutorial. I forgot how simple this was to sew up. The most difficult part is attaching the skirt to the tank top with the elastic already within its casing. I had to go back and re-stitch a wonky seam.

Nice full body shot, photographer.

This yellow tank top is OLD! But, it was still in good shape and because of the shoulder width, I don't have to wear a strapless bra with it. A win everyday in my book.

At the risk of this fabric being slightly Prairie Home Companion, I used it for the skirt anyway.




I've had it in my stash for years. No joke. I know it came from Joann's and I love a good paisley but I also know that sometimes the longer fabric stays in my stash, the less enamored with it I become. Does this happen to you, fellow fabric hoarders? When I go shopping, everything I purchase is immediately labeled "MUST OWN." And then as months and years go by the fabric remains unsewn and I'm wishing for the receipt so that I might return it. Anyway, I hope I'll be happy wearing this. I even upgraded the original apptern slightly and added pockets! This was super simple and can be done even after the side seams of the skirt are sewn. You have no idea how happy these pockets make m. A spot for my cell phone and credit card, two things most needed in life.

Recipe Re-blog #25

Big week in the kitchen! I must have been feeling ambitious because I tried three new recipes. We also brought back Super Summer Sunday Salad Supper! Eating a salad for dinner is very exciting for me. I always feel like I'm being super healthy.


BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing: Oh my stars, this was a hit! I wanted to bathe in this dressing. Just because it has creamy in the name doesn't mean you can't lighten in up with fat free or low fast sour cream and mayo. I was able to use a lot of fresh cilantro from the garden too. My cilantro plant is going gangbusters so I find myself searching for uses while it's growing...and free! The BBQ chicken part of it was just simple grilled chicken but there was also a corn succotash mixed in that had a lot of flavor. Please try this!

Rosemary Cornbread: I already had this recipe printed out for a future baking but decided at the last minute, like before I ran my 5 miles on Sunday, that it would pair nicely with the salad listed above. And so, Super Summer Sunday Salad Supper becomes SSSSS with bread! For some reason, I have always wanted to make my own cornbread but always seem to reach for the Jiffy (good ol' Jiffy). Because my garden's rosemary is also going gangbusters I thought this would be a good use for my first foray. I had all ingredients on hand and it mixed up quickly. It was tasty although a touch dry. I may or may not have cut the oil amount down which is probably where my lack of moisture came from. Next time, full allotment of oil. We ate half the loaf and were good little fitness freaks and froze the other half.

Renaissance of Tuna Casserole: My friend Rachael Ray comes through again! My sister turned me onto this recipe when I visited earlier this month. Instead of my typical Wendy's drive-thru run immediately upon landing in Austin, she had leftovers of this waiting. How nice! I guess that's what happens when you arrive at a normal hour. This came together lightning fast. I even sprung for the sun-dried tomatoes which I normally wouldn't do. $4 a jar! They really added a nice layer of flavor. Not a very saucy dish but that's okay, the taste makes up for it. I substituted shells for fettucine because that's what I had. I also realized far too late that I was out of peas. Blast! But, this was a good little pasta dish.

Va-va-va-valance

Truth be told, our master bathroom is not very masterful. Though it has space for a double sink, there is but one to wash in. It boasts an extra large shower complete with seating (for what?) but no tub. One day, we'd like to do a complete tear out and make it nicer. For now, the bank account would only allow for a $4.00 upgrade.

I purchased a half yard of this geometrically patterned canvas from JoAnn's recently. That's where the $4.00 comes in. Though the picture is a bit blown out, it's black and white. In the interim, we'd like to paint the cabinet under the sink black until we can start with a blank slate. I'm also trying to talk John into letting me paint the door on the inside of the bathroom black. The outside in the bedroom would stay white. Not making much headway in that discussion.

The bathroom has a single garden window. It's not very large but does let in some much appreciated natural light. If only you could open it to let the steam out post shower......

With said fabric and about 15 minutes time, I sewed up a sleek valance. The hardware was already mounted from the previous owners.

Ta-da! Not a vast improvement but at least it's something, right? Little by little, more home-y things are being accomplished. I have a feeling this is a never-ending process.

Hoppy Beer Tasting

This past Saturday night John and I had a dinner and movie date. The movie was Green Lantern. As much as I love Ryan Reynolds, you can pass on this one. Dinner however, was at The Pub, a semi-local chain that has since worked its way back into our good graces. On a previous visit (back in 2008 probably), we had terrible service and there was really only one thing on the menu we liked (fish & chips!). The only reason we decided to give this another go a couple months ago was because they serve Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap. YUM! So much better than in the bottle, even for a non-bourbon fan like me. Luckily, sincen that first trip they've also expanded their menu a bit. That doesn't stop me from ordering the the fried fish though. Gets me every time!

This time, the exact same fish sandwich I had ordered last time came on rye bread. Why? And I had to pay extra for cole slaw. I should have known. But, the Pub is still on my OK to Eat There list for the following reasons: Crispin and this delightful paddle full of beer samples! If you like apple cider and can find Crispin, you must try it. Its distribution, though brought to us by Sam Adams, is extremely limited. The Pub happens to have this on tap too. Two points for the Pub. But, we also branched out and tried the following four beers in 5 oz. samples for just over $5.00. Very reasonable, eh?

Tasting notes from Left to Right. Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Maybe you can't tell from the picture but the glasses are mini!

Belhaven Stout: This Scottish beer was sort of Guinness-y. Very smoky and dark, obviously. My least favorite of the bunch but would be good had I been in a dark beer mood which, in the summer, I'm usually not.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle: This was simply delightful! Not only is it brought to us by my people but it was very floral with hints of jasmine. Even John liked it. Light and sippably summer.

Hoegaarden: The clove in this one is insane! The orange slice reminded my of Blue Moon but otherwise, nothing like that at all. This was my fave with the Thistle coming in a close second. Must seek out in stores.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter: Dark yes but very smooth. And you definitely taste the vanilla, which I appreciated. I hate when a beer tastes nothing like it's advertised.

Can wait to go back and try more? What have you been sampling lately?

Pinwheel, Pinwheel Spinning Around

Do you people remember that show Pinwheel on Nickelodeon? I'm going to put it somewhere in the mid to late 80's. Good times. Anyway, I sewed this Pinwheel skirt weeks ago but was too lazy to iron and photograph myself in it. Sorry. I had this Pinwheel Skirt from Elle Apparel bookmarked for a really long time before I actually put Lipstick Linen to sewing machine. Really, that's what it was called at JoAnn's, $7/yard with a coupon. I have never worked with linen before. All I knew was that it has a tendency to wrinkle. This is a very thorough tutorial but I still prefer to sew with a pattern. I ran into trouble right from the start when I was cutting out my fabric pieces. I purchase exactly two yards, which is technically all you need, however, it took some fancy layout work to be able to cut all the pieces to size. I spent a long time trying to figure this out and doing the math involved with my measurements which are nowhere near as tiny as the designer's. At one point, John came into the living room and said, "It's never good when I come in here in the middle of a project and you have your head in your hands." I had been that way for a good 15 minutes trying to sort things through. Eventually, I got it.

The sewing went okay except either I missed a step or I sorely miscalculated two of the panel measurements. I ended up having to put an extra pleat in the back. The pleats that create the pinwheel were easier than I thought they'd be. One of the most difficult parts was the placement of the trim along the pleats. And I thought that would be easy. I'm still not sure I got it right. They don't really meet up where they shoud. And I don't know that I'm super happy with the end product.

It's too big in the waist and needs to be taken in. Also, my pinwheel waves in the front don't sit flat. And I think it makes me look hippy, as in big in the hips, not like a hippie. I guess I'm just disappointed that I worked so hard and the skirt from the tutorial looks so nice on her. I'm glad I tackled this project because it gave me the opportunity to attempt a custom fit, something I'm not great at, I learned. I'm hoping I can alter it to where it's wearable. Otherwise, it was a lot of toil for nothing.

Side Note: I need a better camera. And a better photographer.

6 Week Six-Pack

Do you have Time Warner Cable and get the Exercise On Demand channel (426 in Ohio)? If so, and you're looking for a good ab and really all muscle groups, you must give this a try.

It's Jillian Michael's 6 Week 6 Pack. If you don't have On Demand, you can also buy it here for $10. If you have never seen The Biggest Loser, Jillian is one of the trainers on there and also brings her workouts to the home viewer on TV and DVD. I'm no stranger to her by any means. I think I've tried all of them: 30 Day Shred, No More Trouble Zones, Yoga, one with a kettlebell. Though her "motivation" can sometimes be annoying, I always feel like I worked hard afterwards which is key for me when doing strength. Any time I have ever lifted weights at the gym, I always left feeling like I should have done more. I can honestly say, that Level 2 of this workout is the first time I've ever wanted to throw up after strength. Don't worry, I didn't.

Admittedly, my abs are not my trouble area (that would be my thighs) but, I am nowhere close to a 6 pack so I figure I've got some work to do. Jillian explains that working all muscles and throwing a little cardio in there also all harkens back to having a strong core. This comes with two different 30 minute workouts, Level 1 and Level 2. I really like both of them and even got John to do them with me the other day (he loathes strength).

If you're looking to mix it up in the circuit workouts, give this one a try.

In other news, I'm REALLY trying not to weigh myself until July 1st. I didn't make John hide the scale this time. I'm just working on my will power. I'm also back to food journaling with the Lose It app on my iphone. I fell off the journaling wagon for a bit there and didn't like the scale's repercussions. But, I know if I start weighing right away I'll only get discouraged. Here's something shameful. The other day I forgot to bring my banana to work. Instead, I ate 3 pieces of hard candy (mmm butterscotch) because it had the same amount of calories. Terrible, just terrible. This is like on Fridays when I skip the milk I normally drink with dinner so I can have an extra glass of wine. Yes, I'm aware that I'm depriving myself of necessary nutrients by doing this however, if you stay within your calorie range Lose It doesn't move the bar over to the scary red area and stays within the happy green line. Lose It doesn't seem to care about the added sugar consumption so I guess, for now, I don't either.