Time for bed

But real quick update...

1. Work is crazy crazy right now. Just when I thought it was busy, it started getting exponentially busier...now I know what busy means...and in a few weeks, I will say the same thing about now being easy.

2. Lady is so awesome. She adds such entertainment to our already stressful enough crazy lives. She's so fun to come home to! Right now she's running around our living room like she has lost her mind. Most of the time, she's sweet and snuggly. She has now learned how to sit, lay, and shake! She's such a good girl. She is settling down a little more every day.

3. I am going to be so busy until Dec. 6 when our Christmas concert is! Tomorrow is our "bonus rehearsal #2" from 8-11 (but I have to get there EARLY to make enough coffee for our entire choir). I have already made up my mom's breakfast casserole that I will stick in the oven in the morning before my shower. I am also picking up 35 chik-fil-a chicken biscuits per request of my boss...I have to say, they sound disgusting but they are GOOD. Oh dear. What's happening to me? I used to be repulsed by anything fried. If you had told me a few years ago...oh, never mind...;-) Also, too bad I'm on a diet...but it is paying off!

4. I am going to be working extra hard to get everything done by Wednesday, then Thursday bright and early (6am to be exact) my plane takes off for Norfolk, VA where I get to see my best friends from college!!! I am SO excited. This is the first time we'll all be together since our wedding day! I am so incredibly pumped for that weekend. I am definitely ready to have a weekend full of memories with my girls. We live so far away from each other - 3 in Wheaton, IL, 1 in VA, and me here. Kristin's wedding is going to be so beautiful and I am excited. I'm playing my violin.

Well, I have to get up in a little bit so goodnight! We had a fun dinner with some great friends here. Life has its ups and downs for sure, but I am just focusing on the fact that I feel surrounded by wonderful family and friends.







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Dieting, Puppy, and Work

You know when you diet but don't tell anyone in case it fails? Well, I have been doing that for years...so here it is.
I am dieting. I will be in a noticeably smaller size in result of this.

There. Now you can all point and laugh at me if it flops. This extra pressure is going to help. We decided that we were going to do the South Beach diet and follow it precisely. We are on day 2 of phase 1. I am having sugar withdrawal and anything carb related, but overall, I am feeling good. I have a low-carb cookbook and found a few blogs with south beach phase 1 recipes, so be checking my blog soon for lots of low carb but tasty recipes to try. I feel disgusting. When I came to Wheaton as a freshman, I weighed more than 40 pounds less than I do now. 40. That's a lot. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but this time I mean it. I am in for the long hall, and it's going to be a lifestyle change. No, I'm not going to stay away from carbs my whole life (gosh I like pizza and pasta waaay to much for that). But I realized how many carbs I have been eating every day...it's all about balancing. If you have eggs and toast for breakfast, have a half of a sandwich (1 piece of bread) and grilled chicken or something non carby for dinner. Not cereal, toast, a sandwich, cookie, and lasagna for dinner...those have been more along the lines of the things we have been eating.

The point that hit me the most was when I was shopping with my sweet friend in Oxford and went to about every boutique. I sort-of fit into one shirt and that was it...only because of its billowy nature. I tried on lots and lots of clothes. I also have realized I hate every recent photo of myself. That's no way to live life! So this diet is for real. Our grocery bill was painful, but it will prevent our random "I don't have time to cook" Wendy's dollar menu runs that were so healthy...ha.

I have also learned through Steph's 365 Crockpot blog that you can cook just about anything in a crock pot. I found lots of crockpot low-carb recipes! When you are a working woman working 40-50 hr weeks and a busy law student, there's no time for time-consuming meals. Most of the time I am pretty hungry once I arrive home. Mondays I get home early, at 4:45ish, Tuesdays at 5:30, Wednesdays at 9pm, Thursdays at 6:30, and Fridays I'm home, so I don't have a whole lot of time to cook before we're hungry and tired. We can't afford the eating out thing very often, and our bodies can't either, since there are limited low-carb places around.

To save money, I have meal planned for the week. Excuse the page numbers, those are for me for my cookbook.


SATURDAY:
Lunch: Low-carb chili
Dinner:
Caprese Salad and
Chicken Breast with Orange Basil Pesto (110) (this was VERY good!)

SUNDAY:
Lunch meat & cheese spinach salad with light Italian dressing
Steaks and sweet potatoes

MONDAY:
Lunch: Salad or lettuce wrap
Dinner: Dill & Spinach Salmon (365 blog)

TUESDAY:
Lunch: Thai Grilled Chicken (p. 146) (grilled on Mon. by Madison)
Roast Chicken w/ Spinach-Blue Cheese Stuffing (page 124)

WEDNESDAY:
Lunch: Salad with lunch meat and cheese and veggies
Dinner: Church dinner (which happens to be grilled chicken! Yay!)

THURSDAY:
Lunch: Lettuce Wraps
Barbecued shrimp (Slow Cooked) (365 blog)

FRIDAY
Chicken & veggie no-rice "stir fry"
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sweet Potatoes (page 204)

SATURDAY:
Dinner: Peanut Chicken (south beach country club blog)

I really need to get in to blogging so my blog posts aren't so long! Props to anyone who made it this far...

And I leave you with some recent photos of our baby:

Lots of energy: