This Is How We Do

Hello Darlings...

I tend to get obsessed with things...

and right now

I 

am 

obsessed

with

THIS KATY PERRY SONG AND VIDEO

(My children say that I am "Mactarded" (and yes I know that is incredibly un-PC) and "Computerstupid" so it is quite the coup that I managed to insert that video there for you! )

I am an unabashed total Katy Perry freak fangirl...

(My children find it disturbing and despite Kesha Barbie's blog name she does not care for pop diva's like Katy and Kesha...they make HUGE fun of me for it)

But I don't care what anyone thinks...I love her!  

I think she is gorgeous and funny and she seems quite charming...she has terrible taste in men but everyone has to have a flaw, right?

(My children think I have terrible taste in music...I wish that was my only flaw)

I went to a Katy Perry concert with GOTTESS a few years ago (see the blog "Last Friday Night TGIF" for a recap of our adventure...and having just read it again it's not a bad blog)...Susu and KuteKerry and MarvelousMisty were there too...

We danced and sang at the concert and all proclaimed our love for Katy (or maybe that was just me)

(My children were mortified that I went to the concert because their friends saw me there and I was wearing a scandalous blue dress and had blue nails...)

So Katy is sorta my girl-crush...she's my drug of choice when it comes to pop and I think her videos are wonderfully entertaining. And as someone who does costumes I totally live to see what she is wearing in her videos and concerts and performances...

And there is where I have finally managed to roll around to what this blog is about...it's not about Katy Perry...

(My children think I need to take their ADD meds because I tend to be so rambly and roundabout...my son has threatened to crush one in my morning coffee..I don't let him make me coffee for that very reason...)

Oh yeah...back to this blog...

ADD

not fun for an adult...

and not that is not what this blog is about either...

OK, here goes... this is what the blog is about...

well not yet...let me tell you why I am blogging today and then we will get to what this is about...

So yesterday I find the Katy Perry video and become obsessed and so this morning as I am bopping along to the song on my way to have my daily dose of joyful death at the hands of the mighty Revolution Studio instructors (thank you Jen it was a most excellent way to kill myself today!) I am listening to the song and thinking:

great blog title

and then I'm all like "you should write a blog about this and you need to blog because when you blog you get creative and you need to get creative because GOTT is expecting big things from you on the costumes this year and you need to be rolling on it and right now you are terrified and worried you won't be able to do it so get the creative juices flowing and write a blog and get on the Pippin stuff...."

(yes that all went through my head at the stoplight)

So I thought...ok self...write a blog...

no...

write 7 blogs

in 7 days

that will make you get your creativity up

and

MAKE THEM ALL HAVE KATY PERRY TITLES

So there  you go...I am going to have a little challenge with myself and you have to put up with it...

BECAUSE THIS IS HOW WE DO...

(My children will now hide their heads in shame that I will be writing all Katy Perry song blogs...oh wait they do that anyway...blog or not)

Now that I have wasted 5 minutes or so of your time you are probably asking yourself:

"Hey what do I get out of this other than the fact she needs ADD meds and her kids are probably right that she has a Katy Perry obsession?"

Well I will tell you my darlings...

because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog...

I like to share...

I like to send out love...

I like to send out positivity...

I like to send out support...

I like to get your thoughts provoked...

I like to challenge you...

I like to tell you stories (for a good one go back and re-read "La Femme Parallel"...it's the one about my daddy and the bidet episode...)

So for the next 7 days I am going to try and do some of that...

I do get obsessed with things...because THIS IS HOW WE DO when you are me...

right now I am obsessed with:
Katy Perry and this video
spinning
my homemade teriyaki salmon
my crazy sauce
blueberry jalapeno margaritas (guess what...recipe included in this blog!)
So You Think You Can Dance
spinning (it needs to be put here twice...)

(My children think my obsession with spinning is crazy but they have weird obsessions too but I am too good a mom to list them)

But you know, it's ok to have little obsessions...things like a song that rocks you out or a favorite form of exercise...

as long as your obsession is not following Justin Bieber I think you are just fine...

or stalking someone...stalking is not ok...

So now after all of this preamble I present to you my blog on "THIS IS HOW WE DO" (yes, I am still going to make a point)

THIS IS HOW WE DO:

So today a longtime dear friend posted on his blog that tomorrow will be his 16th anniversary of teaching his first spin class (see...I made it about spin again! not really...).  In his blog he posted a photo of a mix tape (remember them?  mix tapes? on a cassette?  if you don't I need to pat you on your darling head).  He used cassettes back then for his music

Bless.His.Heart.

I cannot imagine how much work that was...

because THIS IS HOW WE DO it now: COMPUTERS

you just get your happy little self onto a music sharing/buying site and load em up...I can make a playlist in minutes...the hardest part is deciding song order...

if you had to put it on cassette you had to make no mistakes...no re-arranging songs...one shot or you ruined the tape...

I remember the days of mix tapes...if someone made you a mix tape they really really liked you...

because those suckers took time...and effort...and a lot of changing or records...

All of this got me thinking about HOW WE DO things...and how technology has changed us

I love the ABC show "The Goldbergs"...it is such a lovely glimpse into the world of the 80's...it's not just the clothes and set decor...it's the things they talk about

like:

renting videos (now we can just pay per view on our tv's from the comfort of our living rooms because THIS IS HOW WE DO that with the world of the DVR...and yes we have Red Box)

rewinding videos (you do not have to rewind a DVR...and raise your hand if you ever had a little machine that rewound the video super fast for you)

Programming a VCR...or better yet: A BETAMAX!  (raise your hand if you had a Betamax...I did...we all need to go face the corner in shame...and if you are too young to understand why I need to pat you on your darling head).  Programming a VCR was a beast...it was like running NASA...and you could only tape one program at a time.  Now we have awesome DVRs that can tape 4 shows at once and are easy to program...at Casa Bonita we have the Hopper because THIS IS HOW WE DO a lot of tv at this house...I mean Sunday night is a nightmare with Food Network Star, Witches of East End, True Blood, Halt and Catch Fire and some Bravo Housewife show all on at the same time...

using a REAL phone or pay phone to check in (we have cell phones now...and think back to the last time you left your phone at home or in your car...how naked did you feel?  That is because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we spend all our time with our smart phones)

shopping at the mall (ok we still go to the mall but for me most of my shopping is online (thank you Amazon and Sephora) and I rarely venture out to the horror that is the Galleria...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things now: we click a few buttons and it comes to the door...and someday it may be delivered by a drone...

Technology has changed us...we move forward...and sometimes it is great and sometimes it takes away a bit of sweetness...

so today I am giving you two gifts...because THIS IS HOW WE DO things on this blog!

Gift 1: a "mix tape"...now I can't personally give each of you a mix tape, but here is a playlist of some good songs that will get your body grooving  so download them and use them to run, spin, lift, or just sing in the car to:

"This is How We Do" by Katy Perry (duh)
"I'm a Freak" by Enrique Iglesias
"Chandelier" by Sia
"Rather Be" by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynn
"Empire" by Shakira (JayVee gave me that one)
"I Will Never Let You Down" by Rita Ora
"Classic" by MKTO
"Sissy that Walk" by RuPaul (yes, THAT RuPaul...it's so fun! KuteKim used it last week...so fun!!!!)

Now here is gift 2:
My Blueberry Jalapeno Margarita recipe

sadly I measure NOTHING...I mean NOTHING...I just throw stuff in the blender...so i am gonna guess the measurements here and you adjust to your liking...this is for one margarita...again, adjust things to your liking because THIS IS HOW WE DO things when Anice gives us a recipe

in your blender put:

a handful of blueberries
1/2 small jalapeno thinly sliced (you can remove seeds)
1 TBS agave nectar
juice of 3 large juicy limes

now give it a whirl and taste it...yes, no tequila yet because THIS IS HOW WE DO it so we don't mess things up once the tequila is in and waste darn good tequila!  If you like a sweeter rita you can try adding more agave nectar or if you have a bit of blueberry liqueur add that...

add more jalapeno if you like more kick...for me 1/2 of a regular sized jalapeno is good but I like spicy so THIS IS HOW WE DO it at Casa Bonita

if you like how it tastes add some tequila...I guess about a shot's worth?  maybe one and a half?

whirl your blender...

once you have your base done add ice cubes and turn it into a frozen rita...

you can also put this all in a shaker and muddle the blueberries and jalapeno and agave..,

I have added cilantro before but just a very few leaves..I like the sweet heat of the blueberries and jalapeno...

pour into a glass... I like to rim mine with red Hawaiian salt and lime zest

Here's a photo:

Ok my darlings now that I have proven my love for Katy Perry and the fact that my ADD is on super high level today I will close out this blog and see you tomorrow...I don't think I made a point but I hope I entertained you and you had fun...just like Katy's song...

Inspiration Song: I bet you will never guess that it is "This is How We Do" by Katy Perry!  I love the song and video..the twerking ice cream cone makes me laugh...

Bye Darlings....THIS IS HOW WE DO things in my world...we just get on the computer and let the words flow...sometimes it is good and sometimes it is...meh...but I want to inspire you to have a little summer fun before September gets here...

The Warrior

Hello Darlings...

I'm feeling chatty so you get another blog this week...

So today a friend called me up and wants to discuss some challenges she is facing in her life...she's a dear friend and just what her challenges are are so not for this blog...but let's just say she has a pretty full plate.

I listened to her and gave her my "well this is how I would/did handle that" and then I told her:

"you inspire me...I look up to you...you can do this...you have fully earned your Wonder Woman Underoos so put them on and plow ahead"

(for those of you young readers that don't know what Underoos are they were underwear in the 70's and early 80's that were printed with Superhero logos so you looked like you were wearing Batman's or Wonder Woman's uniform instead of just boring tidy whities...)

Here is a photo and thanks to wikipedia it just happened to be Wonder Woman!

And I know my friend is wearing those Wonder Woman panties and she will get through what is ahead of her and knowing her...

SHE WILL DO IT BEAUTIFULLY

She's just one of those women who is so outwardly beautiful that it is surprising when you find that the woman inside is even more beautiful.

And she has a marriage I am envious of...you can FEEL their love and support for each other...

and don't even get me started on her kids...

I love her for the way she parents and gives selflessly to others...

I love her for being my friend

SHE IS A WARRIOR

So after we hung up I started thinking about other friends of mine who are warriors...and what they are doing with and in their lives may take more than just putting on Underoos...

I have one friend, I shall just call her Beauty...

she's another one of those stunning women that is more beautiful on the inside than she is even on the outside and this woman qualifies as GORGEOUS...like stop-dead-in-your-tracks model pretty...like I kinda have a girl crush on her because she is so awesome...

She has cancer...

(sigh...big huge sigh)

We aren't close friends...we don't socialize (although I would love to have wine with her anytime) and our kids are different ages but when we see each other we always visit and I adore her.

When she posted she has cancer I literally sat on the floor of my bathroom and cried...

it was a gut-puncher...

But then I read what she had to say and the tears dried and I walked over to my bedside, lit a candle, and prayed...like on my knees (which are really crappy so you know I love her if I hit my knees) and I asked God to help her and her family get through this.

I can't do much to help her other than to send her loving vibes and pray...and sometimes I wear pink to my spin class so I can focus on her and try and send her my power at that moment.  Because she has a lot to get through...

but she will do it

and she will come through it

and one day I hope we can smile over wine when we say "remember when you had cancer..."

I feel so stupid complaining about my knees and getting shots in my knees when this poor angel has to have poison in her veins to kill what is trying to hurt her (I will not say it is trying to kill her because that gives the cancer too much power!).  This woman is battling cancer

SHE IS A WARRIOR

So my Beauty...I hope you read this and know you are on my heart...every single day...and you can tell your sweet girl that the extra hugs I give her when I see her are my way of hugging you...

You will win this fight...you will kick cancer in the ass...

And I love you for being the awesome beautiful woman you are

When I think of Beauty I think of my friend who I have referred to as Wonder Woman on this blog.  She is the one who kicked ovarian cancer in the ass.  She's a friend and even if she didn't kick cancer in the ass she would still be one of my warrior women because on one of the hardest days I ever had with my mother...where I cried and sobbed and threw things and said I couldn't take her (my mom's)drinking and bi-polar issues anymore, well Wonder Woman just picked up the key I practically threw at her and hugged me and told me it would be ok.  

I love her.  

She is a good friend to see beyond the crazy.  

And she kicked ovarian cancer in the ass...

SHE IS A WARRIOR

I have another friend who decided to go on what some might consider a drastic diet...she is doing a medically supervised liquid diet.

It is working for her...she's losing weight and starting to feel good about herself again.

It's not a diet I could do.

I have had my jaw broken twice (by doctors...long story about TMJ) and the liquid shake thing makes me want to vomit.

And I couldn't give up my wine...I spin for wine....(hey KuteKim we should put that on a t-shirt for very special Rev girls...)

But she is doing it...and I am so freakin proud of her I could bust.

I would never have that kind of willpower...I couldn't sit at a table full of people eating and be satisfied with a shake.  Heck tonight when The Cutest Boy in the World wanted pizza for dinner I ordered it and I made salmon for myself and still I ended up taking 3 very healthy bites of his pizza...

She is doing it for herself...to feel better and to feel better about herself.

It's a hard road going from being the fat chick to healthy, but I fully believe you have to do it the way that works best for you.

Everyone is different...

I had to go the exercise and healthy eating route.  It was slower but that's the only thing that works for me...

I tried Atkins...I thought about gastric banding...I did consider this same program she is doing...but for me it had to be a lifestyle change and eating pretty clean (except for wine) and exercise is the only way for me to stay at a healthy weight.  I know this because in the last year when I backed off my exercise and invited a few more Whataburgers and Popeye's fried thighs into my life I gained weight...far too easily...

so now I am back to eating clean and I have only had whataburger once in 3 months...and it was a whata jr (by the way a double meat whata jr without cheese is only 450 calories and is very satisfying)

So my beautiful friend is taking her road to health and adding in some fitness and I am so proud of her I could bust...

I love her so much...and I love that she is doing something I could not do

SHE IS A WARRIOR

Sometimes we have to be a warrior over little things...KuteKaren just moved into a new house...on a new street...

AT& T told her she didn't exist...or rather her house didn't...

she pretty much told AT&T to go to hell...and hook up her damn phone...

she may be small but she be mighty...

and she's someone I always want in my corner.

When I lost my mom she marched herself over to my house and she got me to scrape myself off the ground.  Less than 10 days after I lost my mom we had a very big fundraiser at the school and I had a large part in the putting together of the fundraiser.  I sorta had to be there.

But I was on autopilot.

KuteKaren booked a hair and make-up appointment for me and took me to get fixed up because I didn't have the energy to do so.  She made sure I looked good.  She brought me wine during the party and kept me on my feet.  She sat across the table from me and kept me going...

I have never ever forgotten that act of kindness...

because those of you who know me know I am all about getting up in the glitter when I have the chance to...and my mom was too...and my mom would have turned over in her grave if I showed up at that party in my pajamas.  And KuteKaren knew that about me...and she pretty much walked for me when I couldn't...

I love her for it

SHE IS A WARRIOR

I have a sweet beautiful friend who lost her father recently.  Her mother suffers from dementia.  Her dad was her mother's caregiver.  She and her sisters have always been close...they have a beautiful connection.  They are such a close loving family.  She  and her sisters are doing what they can for their mom...

dementia is a terrible thing and if you haven't experienced it...well, I hope you never have to...

but those wonderful daughters are helping their mom and pulling through their own grief to make her life better and easier and all the while they are raising their beautiful children...

I have lost parents...it's not easy...but this is an extra road to walk that is full of stones and pitfalls and it's a long hard road...

but they are doing it...and I don't hear her complain one bit...

I love her for it...

SHE IS A WARRIOR

I have a lot of warriors in my life...

My Aunt Jane who loves me despite all my stumbles and shows me how to be a better person just by living her life...she is the best person I know

JayVee kicks me in the ass when I need it...both on and off the bike...she loves and supports me and pulls no punches whether it is my weight or something stupid I am doing...

my Revolution Studio girls: Marvelous Mel, KuteKim, Sweet Charisse, Sydney Sunshine, Jen the Awesome...they make me find my inner warrior in spin and get me thinking about how I can improve my life outside the studio...

GOTTESS is always in my corner...even when she needs to help me handle GOTT...

My friend DivineDawn has taught me how to be a good football mama...hell she is taught me just how to be a good mama and person...she is a warrior for her kids and her marriage is amazing...and she is beautiful...and I need her in my life...

I have so many amazing beautiful friends...I have wonderful children I love that I have taught or that are the children of my friends...I see them do amazing things every day...

we are all warriors...some of us have HUGE battles to fight (cancer, death, weight) and some of us have small ones...but inside of us we can all be strong and power through...

Find the warrior inside you and kick whatever obstacle that is in front of you in the ass...

because you can...

Inspiration Song: "The Warrior" by Scandal...a little 80's song that is about love but these lyrics ring true:

shootin' at the walls of heartache, bang, bang, I am the warrior
yes I am the warrior and victory is mine
The warrior...the warrior

and because tomorrow is Warrior Wednesday at Revolution Studio and whenever I go and spin with Sunshine Sydney I leave feeling like a real Warrior...because I just defeated anything inside me that says a 50 year old woman who has gained back some weight can't kick the bike in the ass...

Bye Darlings...you know the old saying "pull on your big girl panties and deal with it"?  Well my Warriors...PULL ON YOUR WONDER WOMAN UNDEROOS AND KICK IT IN THE ASS...nothing can defeat you...and if you need help I will pull on my Wonder Woman Underoos and my gold bracelets and we can kick whatever needs kicking...

Independent Woman Pt. 1

Hellloooo my darlings...it's been a few weeks...

Another provocative blog title, no?

Usually I wait until the end of the blog to explain a title but today I want to start with a little story..

So back in about 2000-2001 Queen B wrote these lyrics:

(yes, I know that some of you may  not know of the royalty I speak of but I am referring to the one, the only, the amazing dazzling Beyoncé)

The shoes on my feet, I've bought it
The clothes I'm wearing, I've bought it
The rock I'm rockin', I've bought it
'Cause I depend on me if I want it

 

The watch you're wearin', I'll buy it
The house I live in, I've bought it
The car I'm driving, I've bought it
I depend on me, I depend on me

 

All the women who are independent
Throw your hands up at me
All the honeys who makin' money
Throw your hands up at me

 

All the mommas who profit dollas
Throw your hands up at me
All the ladies who truly feel me
Throw your hands up at me

The song was part of the "Charlie's Angel's" soundtrack and then appeared again on the Destiny's Child album "Survivor"

(yes, I know they are not really albums anymore but rather cd's but to me they will always be "albums")

I enjoyed that album and movie and I liked the song when it came out...I thought the lyrics were powerful and of course the fact that it was a Beyoncé song made it a hit with me...but at that time it was just a song...just another fabulous Beyoncé song..

(yes, I know it was Destiny's Child and totally no offense to Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, but for me it is all about...Beyoncé...)

Now that I have established I am a Beyoncé fan I will get to a point...

(yes, I know it has taken a while...)

Up until a few years ago it was just another "woman power" song to me (this is where you start humming "I am Woman" if you are of a certain age).

but now, as a divorced woman living on my own (along with 3 cats and a part-time Cutest Boy in the World and Kesha Barbie off at college) the words resonate more powerfully with me...

Because now I live in a house I bought myself...chose myself...but I will admit I didn't decorate myself because D'Nice helped me with that one...but at least in this case I got to choose what I liked without regard to pleasing a partner...

The clothes in the closet...the shoes in the closet...hell the whole closet itself: I BOUGHT IT

The car I drive I chose it and bought it...when I did the ex asked me why I chose it I said "because I have always wanted one"...it wasn't about HIS choice for me it was about MY choice for me...and I have always wanted to have a Toyota 4 Runner...

(and yes, if you know me, you know that I named my car "Beyoncé" because I think my car is sleek, sexy, powerful and pretty...just like Beyoncé)

All of my life I have preferred to be part of a group and sought the approval of others. 

When I was younger I was almost never the leader and just wanted to be part of the group.  When I got older I learned I liked sometimes being the leader but as long as I was included I was usually happy. 

(and yes when I was in high school I was so desperate to get to "hang out" and drink beer with the cool kids that I took an empty beer can and filled it (after cleaning it) with diet Dr. Pepper and pretended I was drinking...because if I really had my Daddy would have killed me...and there were a lot of deer between me and the hangout spot...all went well until a football player busted me by grabbing the can and taking a swig...)

But one thing I haven't gotten past is the need to be told I did something right...

I had a total breakdown of fear and worry that my costumes for "Beauty and the Beast" would not live up to the mark but then when GOTT told me he was proud and my sweet friend MarshaMarshaMarsha (who's daughter was in the show) and my amazing friend the Divine Miss Tam told me I did a good job I finally felt I had...

hell I can't stand to exercise on my own---that's why I spin. 

(and yes, I also spin because it is my favorite way to make myself feel strong and powerful along with getting and keeping me in shape)

I tend to constantly need reassurance...I guess that is why I feel so compelled to give others reassurances...

(and yes, every time a spin instructor calls me out or comes and stands in front of me to urge me on it is totally what makes the pedals keep going)

I don't particularly enjoy being the "single girl" at the party...sometimes it would be nice to have a date with me...and I have turned down some opportunities because I don't want to go alone (things like a ball or a trip).  I am usually fine at a party but when it comes down to being alone when everyone else is a couple I am not exactly comfortable...and I miss having someone to dance with or be my date

(and yes, my ex never danced with me so I don't know why I would miss that but maybe because I never really had it)

Heck I can't even decide what I am ordering for dinner until I know what everyone else at the table is having so that I can assure myself that there wasn't a better choice...

(and yes, if you have had dinner with me you know this routine...and that 9 times out of 10 I still order salmon...or a very very rare filet...

But there are some things that have helped me to become an independent woman:

I don't mind being alone in my house...that has never bothered me...I have almost never been afraid at night except when I read "Silence of the Lambs" when the ex was out of town...that sent me to my mom's house overnight

I like being able to choose what I eat for dinner and not have someone tell me that they don't want to eat that or that the house smells after I cook salmon...what ends up on my plate at dinner is my decision and mine alone

(and yes, I did admit that I have to take a poll at a restaurant but I'm talking about home cooking here)

And I don't mind whipping up a full meal for myself...I fully believe in eating healthy and part of that is that I cook myself a nice meal...so just about every night I have a nice dinner and glass of wine even if I am all by myself

I like that I have the closet to myself

I am fortunate and blessed that I have the money to pay for my home, clothing, car, and food and don't have to depend on child support or alimony to pay for it...

I don't consider my political views to be strictly right or left-leaning...I'm an independent in the middle because I think gay people have the right to get married just as much as I do but I also like the fact I can have a gun...

And I was fortunate that my parents showed me that you have to make your own happiness and not depend on others and to make my own decisions

My dad did not want me to attend Texas A&M (even though he briefly went there)...but I knew it was the place for me and I was totally determined that I was going to go there even if he would have chosen a dozen other colleges (several of which I was accepted to and only agreed to apply to so he would let me apply to A&M).  I defiantly told him I would go to A&M or nowhere at all...and that I would major in agriculture.

(and yes he was a rancher and it is ironic that he did not want me to go there and study that)

I watched my mother whine and whine and whine for years that she wanted to get married again and have a partner...yet for all her whining she really became so independent that I don't think there was really room for a permanent partner---at least not one who lived with her.  For someone who had divorce thrust upon her and would have easily stayed married to my dad forever and loved being a wife and mother, she became quite the independent woman.

(and yes, I know I endlessly blog about wanting to have a man who has blue eyes and dimples and drives a big ass truck so I guess I am a little like her in that way)

But when I was married I was not happy and thankfully I found my inner independence to know that I would be happier alone than in a marriage that wasn't working and had lost the love.  I asked for the divorce and knew I would be ok...

I have my children...I am not alone...but I am independent.

And I hope I have taught them to be the same way.

I look at my beautiful talented bright daughter and even though we challenge each other at times when I look at her I see a very independent little soul.

She died her hair green...and then blue...

she refuses to shave her legs

(and yes that one bugs me but I have learned to choose my battles)

she dresses in a very unique and different way that totally works for her and she dazzles me

she attends a school in the northeast that is a tough school to get in to and she felt it was a better fit for her than a more mainstream university that most of her classmates decided to attend

(and yes the Aggie in me loves the fact she turned down the University of Texas)

She is finally learning to walk away from situations that make her crazy and not care if other people tell her they don't like her unshaved legs because she isn't going to change.

My daughter is a rock star of an independent woman...

And I am so grateful she is...

because given my need for the love and approval of others I am glad she is not that way...

and I hope the students I work with will also learn some things about being an independent woman from me...I love my girls and I remember how hard it was to be in high school so when they come to me with issues I try my best to tell them to fly on their own (and my precious "Hummingbird" (she knows who she is) I want you to remember this and know I love you very very much! And I am always here to watch you soar...)

I feel like I am sort of like my political views...somewhere in the middle...I like things about being a single woman on my own but I do enjoy the company of others and I do hope that some day I find that blue-eyed man with dimples who drives a big ass truck that will not complain when I cook salmon and will be ok with my obsession with spinning and putting costumes on children doing musical productions...

I come as a package...I have two children who are first and foremost in my world and that I will always put ahead of anything else...but I am independent enough not to rely on them to provide me with happiness and fulfillment...

And I have learned that "Independent" does not mean "Alone"...it means that I make my own choices and take care of ME...and I am free to do so...so yeah...Independent to me means...

FREE TO BE ME

So Queen B...I feel ya and I am throwing my hands up at you...

(and yes, I always will....)

And since I have been giving you some recipes lately in this blog I will tell you about my new obsession that my ex would have hated and my children won't get near:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Now basically you risk cutting fingers off to do this but it's worth it...I think maybe you can get by without cutting the squash open but this is how I have done it and the independent thinker in me thinks it is just fine...

So heat your oven up to 400...

Line a pan with foil.

cut the ends off the spaghetti squash and then cut it lengthwise down the middle.  Scoop out the seeds.

Place the cut squash cut side up in the pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and liberally sprinkle with pepper...

bake at 400 for an hour or so until it is fork tender

Let cool and then take a fork and shred the strands out...

at this point you can do many things but I love to saute it in a little olive oil and minced garlic with a little cumin...sometimes I add mushrooms and it's delicious with a little leftover protein (steak, chicken).

and if I am in a pasta mood (and not able to haul myself to George's Pastaria for my favorite pasta) I oven roast some grape tomatoes and garlic cloves with a little olive oil, salt and pepper (you can do this when you roast the squash) and once the tomatoes are popping and opening up and the garlic is soft take it out of the oven and roughly mash it with a potato masher.  Add in about a teaspoon of agave nectar (tomatoes benefit from a little sugar but I am off sugar these days).  If you want it to me "Mexican" add in some oregano and cilantro...for Italian add in basil and parmesan...use a blend of red and yellow tomatoes for great flavor...

top the squash with that roasted tomato mixture and happiness will occur...

So there you have it...it's easy and I love it...no one else in my house will eat it but I don't care...

Inspiration Song: "Independent Woman Pt 1" by Destiny's Child...because those lyrics resonate with me now and I love me a Beyoncé song for inspiration...

Bye Darlings...be INDEPENDENT...not ALONE but in control of you and your choices...I don't think Beyoncé let's anyone make her choices for her and neither will I...

Age of Aquarius

So in a previous blog many moons ago I said:



"when the moon is in the seventh house and jupiter aligns with mars and peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars"...



raise your hand if you got that?



what?
2 of you?



I have to admit something somewhat shameful here...



I totally loved The Fifth Dimension...



ok, maybe not "Up Up and Away" so much but oh the rest of it...yes, I did love it...



"Age of Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine" (which is really from the musical "Hair")
"Stoned Soul Picnic"
"Wedding Bell Blues"
"One Less Bell to Answer"
"(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"



I wanted to be Marilyn McCoo...that is until she did "Solid Gold" and after that...notsomuch...

although Solid Gold was a pretty awesomely bad show...remember The Solid Gold dancers?

raise your hand if you danced along with them...



what?
2 of you?



MarvelousMargaret PLEASE say you did...

(she and I like to dance in public to embarrass our children)



Growing up in the 60's was fun...although I don't remember a whole lot about it...and no, even though sometimes I feel old enough to have been around when dinosaurs roamed the earth it was not because I took all kinds of mind altering drugs that I don't remember it...it is that I was a VERY YOUNG CHILD

I have much more clarity about the 70's...because I was a a bit older...
I do remember my mother's fashions in the 60's and 70's...
and her hair

or rather her hairpieces...



At that time my mother had her natural hair color...brunette...so all of her wigs and falls and little hair things were brunette.
She went blonde in the 70's and spent years trying to achieve golden perfection although once or twice or twenty times she ended up a pretty bad shade of orange or a bad version of "ash blonde".



My hair has always been blonde...and that is what it will be until I go grey...although I have flirted with the idea of strawberry blonde which no hairdresser has ever agreed to because they know better than me...and they know I will cry...so blonde I stay...but I might just order me a red wig on QVC and have a taste of it...



When I was a child my mother always allowed my sisters to have long luxurious hair and I was forced into whatever horrible short haircut she thought would be cute...


and each and every one of them was...



perfectly awful...


No let's make that: "AS BAD AS A TRENDY HAIRCUT CAN GET AND SADLY HEAPED UPON A POOR UNFORTUNATE GIRL THAT ONLY WANTED LONG LUXURIOUS HAIR AND NOT SOME UGLY SHORT HAIRSTYLE"



So what did I end up with:
pageboys



blunt chin length bobs with bangs



but the worst...and this is a tie:



THE CAROL BRADY SHAG (I sobbed for hours after that one)


and


THE DOROTHY HAMILL (I sobbed for days after that one)



Raise your hand if you were forced into one of these travesties of hair fashion...



what?
2 of you?



My sisters were never forced to have scissors taken to their hair...they were allowed to grow their hair long but my mother never let me...maybe that is why I like mine long now.  Any time it would start to grow out she would find some excuse to force me into a haircut.



Once she told me that if I got the shag/pixie/bob whatever horrid haircut she wanted me to have that I could have my ears pierced.  So I allowed the horrid haircut to happen...and then went to the doctor and got my ears pierced...



And then she let my sisters get their ears pierced...

THE VERY NEXT DAY

and

WITHOUT HAVING TO HAVE SCISSORS TAKEN TO THEIR HAIR TO GET A HORRIBLE UGLY SHORT HAIRCUT THAT MADE THEM LOOK LIKE A BOY



David Cassady had longer hair than me...actually the entire cast of the Partridge Family had longer hair than me...(and oh how did I want to be Lori Partridge with her long straight thick gorgeous shiny brown hair)



except Shirley (the Mom)



because I was sporting that same ugly haircut...



UGH

raise your hand if you remember the Partridge Family...or had a crush on David Cassady and his puka shell necklace...or Shaun Cassady...

what?
2 of you?

Hence I was obsessed with her wigs and wiglets.  I would go around the house for hours in her long dark brown fall...happily perched to the back of my white blonde hair...



I wanted to feel that hair all around me...



I think that was part of my attraction to wanting to be Marilyn McCoo...she was gorgeous and had long hair that she could swing around.  It made no difference to me that she was black and I was white...I thought she was the very image of beauty and glamour...because she was...and I am betting she still is...that kind of beauty never truly goes away...fades maybe...but never goes away...


And you won't be surprised that my other beauty obsessions were Ann-Margaret and Vanessa Redgrave (in her Camelot "Guinevere" look)...both redheads...


But not once did I ever want to look like Goldie Hawn in her Laugh-In days or Twiggy with her pixie or Mia Farrow with her Vidal Sassoon pixie...nooooo I much preferred Lynn Anderson and Dolly Parton and their full heads of long blonde hair...and Barbie of course...


But I did have a "Twiggy" doll...but I always wanted her hair to be long...


Raise your hand if you remember who Twiggy was...


what?
2 of you?



My mother slowly transitioned from brunette to blonde by spending a fair amount of time doing the "frosted hair" look...



oh...no...

(shaking head)

oh...no...



The only good thing about that was that my mother would have "frosting parties" and her friends would come over and bring wine and frost each other's hair...that is until they drank too much wine and had me and my sisters pull their hair through the frosting caps for them...



I was highly coveted as I was fast and gentle...and never pulled too much through...
(and there are women who read this blog that will back me up on this)



although with all the Mateus Rose and Lancer's Rose they were drinking I'm not sure hair pulling was a problem...



It was hideous stuff (and by that I mean the frosted hair and the very bad wine)...a few looked very pretty with it but my mom...notsomuch...it was a bit harsh on her...things got better when she transitioned to highlighted lighter hair...and then blonde



She always had a thing for hairpieces...her hair was thin and got thinner from all that bleach...so if she was dressed in the least she usually had some sort of wiglet in place.



When she passed away I took her wiglets to the funeral home and instructed the lady there to put one or two in her hair so she looked right.



Yes, I sent my mama to heaven in her Manolo stilettos, her favorite Dana Buchman pants suit, a sweater in her favorite color (or at least my favorite color on her), her Lancome eyeliner and Estee Lauder lipgloss...AND HER WIGLETS...



I know my Mama is proud of me for that...



I have the rest of them (the wiglets and falls) that I didn't bury her in...they don't match my color but...I don't know...they were such a part of her.



She was quite the fashion plate...even in the 60's.



Right now I would totally kill to have her pink/purple Pucci velvet evening gown...to me it was the very essence of 60's glamour...along with a long fluffed up fall...and false eyelashes...



I don't know what happened to it but I wish I still had it...Ke$ha Barbie would rock it...



She had several dresses that looked like they belonged on Goldie Hawn during her "Laugh In" years (Please tell me you remember "Laugh In"...what? 2 of you?)...I wish I had those too...not that anyone needs to see me in polyester mini dresses with big bell sleeves...



She had a lot of flowered shift dresses...



and one dress that I really remember was one she wore to my cousin Tio's wedding...I was the flower girl and my mom was fairly pregnant with my brother.  She bought the dress a few months before she wore it and never bothered to try it on.  When we got to Fort Worth for the wedding she did try it on and it didn't fit (my brother was a BIG baby) so she went and bought a girdle to wear to fit into the dress and to keep my brother looking not so big in utero.



She passed out.



But it was a really pretty brown lace dress.

(and yes, I know there is no way that you can think a brown lace dress is pretty but this one was...in a very Jackie O sort of way)



Speaking of Jackie O, my mom had quite a great collection of sunglasses.  I still wear some of them...not from the 60's but she had a drawerful and once in a while I pop a pair on to think of her.



In the 70's the fashion got...uglier...



For me it was a lot of polyester double knit



For my mom it was a lot of polyester double knit



For my dad it was a lot of polyester double knit...and some godawful jumpsuit things he wore on Sundays...

my brother had matching ones...



I'd kill for a photo of that...



I had a lot of those polyester double knit shorts and pants...just some really hideous stuff...

Just watch The Brady Bunch...see what Jan has on?  That was me...


Except that I wasn't allowed to have Jan Brady hair...


but sometimes I did get to sport a yard ribbon in my hair if it was longer than a few inches...we often had our hair tightly pulled back in a half up/half down look with a yarn "ribbon" in our hair...


raise your hand if you remember "yarn ribbons"


what?
2 of you?


how about "doobies" (that's what we called those ponytail holders with the big plastic balls)


again...just 2 of you?


I never minded maxi dresses or halter tops...in fact I still love them...but sadly the maxi dresses all made us look like Laura Ingalls or Holly Hobby and I never rocked a halter as well as Cher did...


Raise you hand if you remember Holly Hobby...


what?
2 of you?


Raise your hand if you know who Laura Ingalls was...and if you don't get on Wikipedia right now...


I am sure my children will one day look back on the fashions I foisted upon them and tell their friends "my mother dressed me in the most gawdawful stuff"...but I never made Kesha Barbie cut her beautiful hair off...oh no...


I really wish I could have dug up some of the old awful photos of me in these fabulous looks and haircuts but heaven only knows where they are in storage right now...maybe they should just be burned...


And as for 80's fashion...


well...that is a whole other blog...maybe 2...


So if you will all excuse me now I am going to go put on a maxi dress and make my long blonde hair look like Ann-Margaret's and I'm gonna wing out my eyeliner in a perfect cat's eye...


what goes around comes around...but hopefully it is better the second time around...


I hope that for fashion...and for my romantic future...


Inspiration Song: "Age of Aquarius" by the 5th Dimension...originally from the 60's musical "Hair".  It is sung in medley with "Let the Sunshine In" which I may also use as a blog title if it doesn't stop raining around here...I loved the 5th Dimension...


Bye Darlings...aren't you glad we have survived some bad fashion and hairstyles...and the words to the song aren't bad advice:


Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius! Aquarius!


Ok so maybe that last part is about drugs...
don't take drugs...


but find your peace and harmony darlings and make peace and harmony with your past fashion mistakes...

Can You Do This?

Hello Darlings...


since my last blog post I have had a few of you ask me about spinning and I have even inspired a few of you to try it...and that my lovies is the entire purpose of this blog:


I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU


and if I can make you laugh while I do it then mores the better...


Now just because I think that spinning is the most fun and effective way to burn calories, well that is just my opinion...and we all know what opinions are like...


Frankly I just want to inspire you to MOVE...to shake things up and find yourself in a place where you feel happy, healthy and fit.


It's not about losing weight or having a hot body...


well, maybe it is a little...I paid for a hot body and almost wrecked it and I am single...but what I really am seeking for myself is fitness...and hot body...


If running is your thing then by all means run your patootie off...but for me (and my crappy knees) I need the non-impact of spinning for my cardio workouts.


When I first started on my road back to fitness in 2010, I was a 300 lb miserable woman who looked 50 and felt 60...


I gave myself a month just to diet but it soon became apparent that I needed to add cardio and weight and strength training to the mix.


So when I was about 280 lbs I found a t-shirt big enough to cover my butt and a pair of very large pants and I hauled myself to the gym and got on the elliptical machine and worked out for an hour.  Stupidly I believed what the machine said my calorie burn was....


WRONG


If you don't believe me...next time you are at the gym turn on the treadmill (I learned this from a trainer) and don't get on it...just set it on...and watch the calories burn...


To accurately tell how many calories you are burning YOU NEED TO WEAR A HEART MONITOR.  I learned this from the amazing Coach Dimples back when he was training me (and the only reason I'm still not yelling at him on an almost daily basis is because he can't hear me in Colorado where he moved...I forgive him because he moved to have a life with the beautiful woman he loves who had a job opportunity there...but boy do I miss him...and yelling at him...)


So I thought that maybe today instead of telling you just to do something I might give you some tips on HOW to do it so that you might be further inspired to go and try something...


So if you want to try SPINNING (and JayVee and MyTommy and SuSu since you are the gurus of spin if you have any comments or need to correct me feel free to do so!)


1) find a studio...make sure it is convenient to your house!  If you have to travel more than 15 minutes from your home or work you won't go...you might go SOME but not as often as you like. 


2) Decide if you want to join a spin-specific studio or try classes in a gym.  You can get an excellent class and instructor either way...some of the best instructors are actually at gyms and not at spin studios.  The advantage of a gym is that you can do things other than just spin.  The advantage of a spin studio is that the classes tend to be very consistent in style so that no matter what time you go or instructor you have you are guaranteed to get a good workout.  Many studios offer a free first class or a week of unlimited classes at a reduced fee...do it!


3) If you are at a gym, check out the class schedule and try to find a time to peek in (if there is a window) and where you can hear the instructor.  Everyone has their own style---some are drill sergeants, some are spiritual motivators...and some just kick your ass....I really suggest you find an instructor who teaches in a way you are comfortable before you try it...if you have a bad experience the first time you may not want to go back.  If I walked into a spin class with a drill sergeant who played a lot of country music I would never get back on the bike...but that's just me...Personally I love an instructor who gets off the bike and in my face to motivate me and/or busts a move dancing around the room...it gets my energy going...yesterday MarvelousMel gave me oodles of moral support with by just coming to the second row and holding my hand for a sec...that may seem silly but it was like a hug when I needed it....and JayVee has no problem motivating me by standing next to me and upping my tension when she knows I need a push...or calls me out that I am doing great...


4) What to wear: I think it may be better to tell you what NOT to wear than what to wear.  I would not suggest running shorts for your first class...they are for RUNNING.  You will see some people wearing them but I doubt you will see an instructor do so.  Bike shorts are definitely a good way to go but I would avoid those with the built in gel padding if you are doing a "soul cycle" type class with a lot of choreography---that padding will get in your way when you are trying to do slides and tap backs.  Just plain bike shorts or any style of tight fitting workout pants will do.  My favorites are capris from Lucy (their perfect core).  You want something that won't ride up or twist about.  As for underwear I suggest a thong or go commando or underwear that aren't going to constantly make you want to "fix" yourself...not kidding.  A t-shirt or athletic shirt for men is great.  For women I would recommend a sports bra and tank or t-shirt...something that won't expose yourself when you are bent over the bike.  Just remember you will be getting your sweat on so dress for it...


5) a word about shoes: you will get a far superior workout if you wear bike shoes with clips.  Before investing in a pair I suggest you see if spinning is something you love doing...it's not that they are all that pricey but the will cost more than a few bucks.  Many spin studios require cycle shoes and will rent them to you for a low cost.  If you find you are loving spinning then go to a bike shop and get a pair with the clips or many studios also sell them so check those out as well.


6) bring a water bottle with you....you will need it!


7) Arrive early for your first class.  This is sooooo important, especially if it is your first time to spin...but even if you are a veteran if you are at a new gym or studio you need time to familiarize yourself with the bike and studio itself.  Get there at least 20 min early and if there is a check-in or instructor in the studio let them know you are new.  Each bike brand is different...I love the Keisers at my club (that is one set of settings I have to remember) and Revolution uses a Schwinn (setting #2 to remember) and DEFINE uses a different kind of Schwinn (setting 3 for me to remember).  You need time to get on the bike and check your settings and get a feel for it.


8) If you are spinning for the first time PLEASE TELL THE INSTRUCTOR!!!!!  This is so important!  He/she needs to know you are a newbie...that way the can help you adjust your bike and familiarize you with how to ride it.  It's not like riding a bike...it's riding a SPIN bike.  He/she can help you learn how to click in with your clips, how to find your settings, how to work the computer (if the bike has one), and help you understand the different positions.  Trust me THEY WANT TO KNOW YOU ARE NEW TO THIS...it will make it a much better experience for you.  And if you are a veteran spinner but new to a studio, gym, or class please let the instructor know...they may have some valuable info on how they structure their class...plus its just good manners!


9) now you gotta figure out where you want to ride...do you want to hide in the back? be a front row powerhouse?  stay in the middle?  be near where the fans blow?  be away from the fans?  See yourself in the mirror? Not see yourself in the mirror?  Some studios have you "book" your bike so you have a reserved spot...other's is first come/first served.  Get there early enough to look around and see where you want to ride.  For me it is front row but not where I can see myself in the mirror and I do not want even the tiniest breeze of a fan on me...Some studios bring the lights way way down so you are almost in the dark...for many people that is freeing...


10) many studios have gel seat pads for your use...use one the first few times...you will be more comfortable. 


11) speaking of comfortable, let me just let you know it is not...it is hard, and that saddle feels like a rock the first few times...and you are gonna get sore and tired.  That is what Advil is for.  Take your advil and go back. 


12) the instructor is going to tell you how fast you should be going (most ride to rhythm) and how much tension you should have on your bike.  The first few classes you take will be hard...I'm not going to lie to you, so don't feel bad if you have to back the tension off a bit or sit down.  It's ok...it's a hard workout.  So ease off the tension if it is feeling too hard, or take a seat if you need to...BUT make it your goal to stay up, or stay at the tension the instructor is suggesting.  AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT STAND UP IN THE SADDLE WITH NO TENSION ON...can you say torn ligament surgery? 


13) The instructor will help you understand the different positions...you do not want to be draped over the bike like your towel...you want to keep your butt over the saddle when you are up...you don't want to be wiggling around like my cat does before he pounces...do not grip the handle bars like they are a joystick on a video game.  The handle bars are there for support and positioning but not to support you---that is what your legs are for!  Your core and legs will support you...some instructors may even have you take one hand off the bars (but you should never stand and not have at least one hand resting on the bar).  Lightly rest your hands on the bar and make sure you can wiggle your fingers.  Your feet should be "flat" and not pointed down (like riding a regular bike).  You should have a 20% bend in your knee when it is fully extended...


14) So you find a studio, get there early, are appropriately dressed and have water, meet the instructor, get situated on the bike...and then you do the class and at the end...YOU WANT TO DIE.  Guess what?  I don't really know of anyone dying from spin class.  It will be hard but it won't kill you and it will get easier.  It will never ever BE easy (if it is don't go back to that class) but it will GET easier.  Go home and take Advil and go back again within a couple of days.  And if you didn't love the instructor or class, go back to a different instructor...it may not be the spinning you didn't like but just the style of the instructor.  Whatever you do I urge you to go back and try it again...don't let it be a "one and done" thing!


and my last suggestion:
15) Take a friend with you...it's not a social hour by any means but having a friend ride next to you is great moral support and you can feel proud together.  It's very motivating to be there with someone you know.  Yesterday JayVee and I took a class together (that is why she is an awesome instructor---she takes classes from others so she can "grow") and we had so much fun pounding away.


So there you go...some tips to help you get started...


And hey if spinning is not "your thing" then I urge you to check out other forms of group exercise.  I have found that if I have a class I have signed up for or a session with a trainer booked that I have no excuse.  When I'm afraid I will "wimp out" and not go to a class I make sure I sign up online so it's paid for and I can't back out...


I know this is a super boring blog but since some of you have asked I thought I would help you out and see if I can't get a few more of you to try this awesome form of working out. 


Trust me, I usually feel like I want to die during class...I curse JayVee and the Revolution girls and SuSu under my breath...and I pray for it to end...but then somewhere my brain takes over my body and I find that I am proud of myself for being able to work so hard and not die.  Sometimes class passes so quickly that when we start to cool down I can't believe 45-60 min (depending on the class) has passed.  Other days one song in I'm asking myself why the hell I am there and I want off the damn bike...but for the most part I go, sweat my ass off, have fun and get proud that this almost 50-year old former fat girl can do what I do.


I wish I was the kind of person who could eat whatever she wanted and wouldn't gain an ounce...but then again I am not a 16-year old boy.  My son can down his weight in chicken wings and not gain any weight and if I LOOK at the chicken wings (or whatever) I gain the weight for both of us...heck if I just SMELL something like chicken wings I gain weight...sigh....


So for me I need to do cardio and weight training 5 days a week or the weight creeps back on...I found it out the hard way when I cut back to twice a week and the weight crept on...but then it quit creeping and sneaking up on me and went into full  attack and it suddenly things got ugly...I started to resemble Princess Fiona in her ogre state and not Barbie anymore...


So for the past month I have upped my exercise and have been eating really pretty darn clean.  I have been eating so much salmon it is a miracle I am not pink and walking backward (like a salmon swims upstream).  I have several ways I prepare salmon but I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest from an excellent food blogger and it is my "go-to" now.  It's a yummy teriyaki marinade (I think it would also be great on flank or skirt steak or chicken or pork chops) and has a sriracha cream sauce.  I changed the sauce to my own sriracha "crazy sauce" (see last blog) but the marinade is spot-on.  Even if you don't like salmon you might find you do if you try this.  I suggest letting it marinade for 8-24 hours for maximum flavor.  Just remember to make the marinade ahead of time because it must fully cool off before you throw the fish in it.


Here's the link to her blog...it truly is damn delicious
http://damndelicious.net/2012/05/30/teriyaki-salmon-with-sriracha-cream-sauce/


So my darlings I hope I have inspired some of you to try spinning or push yourself to go again if you tried it once and didn't like it.  If you belong to the HRC I will meet you any Tuesday/Thursday for JayVee's class if you want to try...and if you don't belong to the HRC but live in Houston and want to try out Revolution or DEFINE I will meet you there for moral support...


AND IF YOU LIVE IN HOUSTON AND WANT TO TRY REVOLUTION THERE IS A SPECIAL RUNNING ON GILT.COM (GILTCITY...GO TO GILT.COM AND GO TO CITY AND THEN CLICK  HOUSTON) FOR 5 CLASSES FOR $55 (INSTEAD OF $100)...THAT IS A HECK OF A DEAL.  YOU MUST BE A NEW CLIENT TO DO THIS---AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT SINCE YOU ARE BUYING 5 YOU WILL COMMIT TO GIVING IT A REAL CHANCE!
http://www.giltcity.com/houston/revolutionjunhouston


Inspiration Song: "Can You Do This?" by Aloe Blacc...it will get you going...its one of those songs that makes me want to dance around like Snoopy...


Bye Darlings...get on your bikes and ride! (maybe I should have called this "Fat Bottomed Girls").  Just give spin (or a trainer or group exercise) a chance...and feel free to message me if  you have questions...

Changes

I love throwing something up there on the blog title that will scare some of you...

so you see that and go....

"uh oh what now?"

I've made a lot of changes in the last few years:
lost over 100 pounds
got divorced
sent Kesha Barbie off to college
started working at a new school
sold my beloved house and moved into a new one

But lately there have been a few more changes in my world...

and to be perfectly honest if you keep up with me on facebook pretty much none of this will be a surprise...

but lately I have been thinking about changes, and making changes, and changing things that I need to fix...

like the fact I have been divorced 2 years and 3 months and the judge granted me the use of my maiden name back and until now I haven't changed my driver's license or any of that legal-type stuff to say "Shelton"...

but on June 10

I took myself down the the DPS and fixed it...

done...

the next time I get a speeding ticket (I am Bobby S___n's daughter) that cop will be writing it to "Anice S____n"

Believe it or not that was easy.  I did the "get in line online" thing and only waited 10 minutes to see the awesome lady who made the change and took my photo...

name change...check that off the "to do" list

So now that my DL says my name I am fixing my credit cards, etc.

Believe it or not American Express was more trouble than the DPS...but, and maybe this should give me pause, Chase and Citi (for my Visa and MC...yes, I have a few...) were just a little "change my name to this" and "save the change"....

up next: Social Security and the passport

not that I am going anywhere but you never know...I could win a game show prize or meet a man (who drives a big ass truck and has blue eyes and dimples) who wants to whisk me away to Costa Rica...

it could happen...

the game show I mean...

the man part is....well, that is a whole other blog...

I called my Aunt Jane to tell her what I had done.  Because you see...that day would have been my mom's 70th birthday. So instead of wallowing in self pity that I no longer had her here with me I decided to do something she would be proud of.

It was a very liberating feeling to know that I am no thoroughly and legally me.  I didn't do it because I dislike my ex-husband, I did it because I want to really start my life over and part of that was no longer having to spell a name that pretty much contained every letter in the alphabet.

Other changes...

My closet.  Yes, my closet...

I had a perfectly nice closet in this house but given that my last 3 homes have had really well organized closets I bit the bullet and I hired a closet company to come in and re-do the closet.  I now have a really well-organized space that works perfectly for me.

And yes, I totally take up 100% of the space and there is no room for anyone else.

So if some man who drives a big-ass truck ever becomes a permanent part of my life we will have to figure out what other closet in the house isn't inconvenient for him...

but I am not planning on that so I feel zero guilt that I have this big closet all to myself.

There is room in my life for a man...

but not his clothing...

When I moved I "purged" a bit but I was so busy packing everything else up I didn't really pay much attention to my clothes.  So once I took everything out of the closet for the new one I had all my clothes on rolling racks in my great room.

and boy did reality smack me upside my little head

I have too many clothes...and I have clothes that never need to be on my body again.

This year I am about to turn a very scary number...and because of that I realize now that some of the things I could get away with in my 40's won't look so great when they are being sported by a woman of a certain age.

So those went into the donation pile...

And so did things that won't fit right since I had my improvements made by Dr. Bonnie Baldwin.

And a few things that were hopelessly out of style (they are going into the costume closet at the school)

And a few things that made me say "what the hell was I thinking?" when I looked at them again.

I've also changed my workouts a bit.

I got really really lazy and found myself only working out 2X per week...and if JayVee wasn't teaching or I was subbing sometimes that was only once a week.

And so sure enough weight has crept back on and I am mighty unhappy with myself about it.

But in a sense I am glad it happened because it taught me a few things:

1) I must exercise 4-5 days a week to maintain a healthy body
2) I need to change it up and not just do one sort of workout
3) I can eat what I want...but only if I am working out at least 5 days a week
4) I can eat what I want as long as I keep it pretty clean and only have one or two cheat meals a week

Soooooo...I decided to try out a new spin place to kick in some more classes and for a change of pace.

No one, and I mean no one, is a better or more creative spin teacher than JayVee.  But she only teaches it twice a week.  And because of my crappy knees I can't do some of her other classes that require a lot more bouncing about.

So on her recommendation (yes SHE sent me there because she loves me and knows what is good for me) I tried out Revolution Studio.

Bam

that was a good thing

I love it...the instructors are spot on and in 45 minutes I get a great spin class and come out of there drenched in sweat and ready for those lovely lavender frozen towels they give us.

It's a "Soul Cycle" concept and it's done in the dark.

It's a lot of techno and hip-hop music.

It's not for everybody.

But I am loving it and since I have added some classes there to the ones that JayVee teaches the weight is melting off.  JayVee teaches in that same "soul cycle" format but with a little more intensity, a little more choreography, and for an hour.  So I was prepared for the Revolution classes and their intensity.

And to add to the "change it up" my friend SuSu now teaches spin at DEFINE Tanglewood on Sundays so I am adding her to the mix.  She does an awesome job and she had me shredding the calories last week when I took my first class from her.

You can only get JayVee if you belong to the Houston Racquet Club, but if you are looking to try spinning and want something fun and intense I highly recommend Revolution Studio (Memorial City or Sugar Land) or DEFINE (many locations).  They have similar formats and styles at both studios but with a few differences...check them out...you will get a great workout and have fun doing it.

Another change for me has been that this is the first time in my life that I have been completely alone for a long period of time.

Kesha Barbie decided to stay in Boston and get a job for the summer so she's not home.  And The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) is off at camp being a junior counselor.

So it is just me in the cats.

There are some days that the only voices heard in the house are from the tv...or when I talk to the cats.

They don't answer back so it's usually pretty quiet.

It's sometimes a bit lonely but KuteKaren and RoyBoy and SuperSarah have been dragging me out a bit at night.

Last night I had my "Big Gay Night at the Theater" because I went to see "Xanadu"with a group of wonderful and very fun friends (I love you boys!!!!!).  I went with SweetyTodd, De-LIGHTful Adam (he is a lighting designer) and Robert Scissorhands (he is a hair stylist and jewelry designer) and we all enjoyed watching the  Divine Miss Tam bring the house down as an evil muse.

If you live in Houston I urge you to go and see "Xanadu" at Stages.  It's appropriate for ages 12 on up and you do not have to be a fan of the movie to enjoy it.  It is the most fun I have had at the theater in ages and it was actually my second time to see it last night...and I am considering going at least once more before it closes.

I will confess that the movie is one of my guilty pleasures and I have a playlist of nothing but the songs from it on my iPod so I am a fangirl...but even if you have "Never Been Mellow" or enjoyed the "Magic" of Olivia Newton John I think you will take "The Fall" and become "Suspended in Time" while you watch the show.  And seeing "Evil Woman" the Divine Miss Tam work her "Strange Magic" on the crowd is reason enough to go.  You will "Suddenly" find yourself "Dancin"'All Over the World" (or at least to the parking lot) and I promise you will be singing "Xanadu" in the shower and wake up saying "I'm Alive"...

(Come on people...I just managed to get like almost every song from the show into one paragraph...go see it for that alone).

And now I will end this blog with a life-changing recipe..

Ok, so it won't REALLY change your life but I made if for my friend SweetSu and JayVee and they both agree that it is good on everything.

I agree...

It's a touch creamy, a little sweet, and nicely spicy...

We call it "Crazy Sauce" because it is crazy good and it sounds crazy when you see what the ingredients are.

I never do measurements but here is what you need:

Mexican Crema (you can use sour cream but Mexican...and not Salvadoran or Honduran but MEXICAN Crema is the best. They sell it at most groceries but my favorite is the La Michaocana store brand)
Sriracha (and it has to be Sriracha)
Agave nectar

So put some crema in a bowl (say half a cup)
now squirt in some sriracha...how much you put in depends on how spicy you like things...for mildly spiced I would say put some in and stir and if it is the color of raw atlantic salmon you are good.  For a spicier flavor add more...but start at "raw salmon" color.

Next squirt in about a teaspoon of agave nectar.  I know it sounds weird but TRUST me on this...the sweetness is necessary...and it just works.

Now adjust things to your liking.  If you are using sour cream and not crema I would add a dash or two of salt.  Mexican crema is lighter and saltier than sour cream so add a bit of salt...

now put it on everything...

It's especially good on salmon (especially if you teriyaki marinate it first) and chicken..but really it goes with everything but dessert...

you're welcome...

Inspiration song; "Changes" by David Bowie.  Because sometimes you just need some ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in your life and you have to "turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes"...but don't let them scare you...make some changes to improve your life...I try and do it every day...

Bye Darlings...be proactive and make the changes you need to so you have a better life..sometimes changes are thrown at you but the ones you decide to do on your own can truly take you to a better place...or at least more room in the closet...

Simple Joys

Hello Darlings...

lately I have been taking joy in some things I wanted share with you...some are things that have happened, some are products, some are places...

stuff...

And at the end of the blog there is something I have never done before...I am doing a product give away!  Read on for more details...

These days I am determined to find joy even in things that I might not normally find joy in...

Like today...when I subbed for 5th grade...it was field day...

normally that would not make me joyful...and frankly I feel I still deserved hazard pay because I was standing around where 11 years olds where throwing things like footballs, basketballs, and hula hoops.

But I found joy in watching them get excited and have fun...it was fun watching the tiniest little blonde girl prove that she pretty much is the beast at sports (she never missed a basket and she beat everyone at ring toss with the hula hoop...and then some...)...I found joy in the fact that the weather was PERFECT and I didn't end up with a "farmer's tan"...it was a joyful day...and I got to spend it with some sweet kids and some amazing teachers I look up to.

I"m finding joy as I sit in on casting our shows for next year...like when the biggest kid in the room insisted he get to read for "Tiny Tim" (we are doing "Christmas Carol") or when the super quiet young man got up and had me in tears laughing...or when a child I have known since he was in kindergarten is continually surprising me with his acting...or when I got to sit next to another child I have known since she was in kindergarten and as I realized that she is a grown woman now and off to college I have had the joy of sharing this last year with her (I love you CrewBossCass).

I found joy on mother's day...not just from my children..and they were awesome (The Cutest Boy in the World cooked me breakfast and brought it to me in bed)

but from my ex-husband

um...

but not in the way most would expect (like he did something nice...)

no...it was more surprising and I'm still laughing at it...

basically...

he sent me a text meant for his girlfriend

not kidding

you read that right

he sent ME a text meant for his girlfriend

my joy came from the humor of it

and the fact that I could absolutely care less that he has a girlfriend (other than it chaps me that he found someone before I did)

I knew it because not for me because the text was NICE

not that he isn't nice to me but it was waaaay friendly than I ever get or ever got even when we were married

it was all friendly and happy and even had an exclamation point

not kidding...

once I realized it was NOT for me but rather for someone else

and I stopped laughing my @$$ off

I sent him back at text saying "I don't think you meant to send this text to me lol"

at least it wasn't a "sext"...

and for that I am truly grateful and joyful

(shudder)

I'm taking joy at making homemade goat cheese...I found a recipe and it is delicious and creamy and a bit tangy but not overly so...and you can flavor it however you like...and I use fresh lemon juice as the acid...here's a blog that explains how to do it...

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/how-to-make-goat-cheese-recipe.html

Of course I am taking great joy in my new house...and I am almost ready to "show" it to you...but if you are looking for painters, or an electrician, or some carpenters---message me and I will pass along their names...they are awesome...

Lately I find great joy in going to the, for lack of a better term, "latino grocery store".  The one by me is called "La Michoacana" and I love shopping there.  The produce is good and cheap, I get great avocados for less than 50 cents each (sometimes as little as a quarter...they are the small ones but the perfect size), they have great fajitas, and I can get in and out in less than a quarter of the time I spend at HEB.

I am very fond of their "pollo para tacos" and "beef para tacos"...it's meat that is slivered up for you and all you do is throw it in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and you have a "street taco" when you add a little green salsa...bueno...

and they have awesome corn tortillas and I am very fond of their La Michoacana brand of "queso quesadilla"

The Cutest Boy in the World and I have taco night almost once a week and it's a no brainer to shop for and put together...

if you want to find one near you here is their website:

http://www.lamichoacanameatmarket.com/en/

If you have any kind of ethnic market near you I urge you to go in there and explore...you might find some great food at great prices that might shake up your usual meals...

and if you want more specifics on how to do your tacos, etc just message me...

Let's see what else...

I take simple joy (actually GREAT joy) in the fact that the two top-selling NFL jerseys post-draft are Johnny Manziel's and Michael Sam's...but that deserves it's own blog...

I find simple joy in some new findings in the way of alcoholic beverages...

I picked up some peach vodka from a Texas vodka producer  (Lonespur Texas Vodka) and it's awesome...I plan to make some fun summer drinks with that one...I tried it with a little blueberry liqueur for a dessert martini...joyful...

I'm not usually a whiskey girl at all but I find that Cooper's Mark honey bourbon whiskey has a smokey, sexy, slightly sweet taste that makes for a delicious occasional nightcap...like at the end of the day when your ex-husband sends you a text meant for his paramour...

And lastly on the alcoholic beverage front I share with you a nice red wine I am enjoying:
Chateau St. Cosme "Les Deux Albion" Cotes du Rhone

yummy...

And the olive bar at Whole Foods has long been a place of simple joy for me but I recently discovered their "sweet" olive blend with almonds and raisins...and yes, it is supper yummy when chopped up and put on top of that homemade goat cheese on a crostini...

I take a lot of simple joy from my cat "Dragon"...he amuses me and is super affectionate and so very sweet...

although last night at 3am when he decided to lodge his "teaser" toy into a chair so he could play with it (it has a bell on it....arrrrgh) I was not taking ANY joy in him...

And now for my unpaid endorsements...but these are things I really love..two are beauty products and one is something my son can't live without...

The Cutest Boy in the World lives in athletic shorts...and his favorite shorts come from a company called "Streaker Sports"...what makes these shorts special is the fact that the fabric is super lightweight and dries quickly and IS NOT MESH but also because THEY HAVE POCKETS...he lives in them...check them out the company is a good old USA company and their stuff just gets better and better with each washing...he loves the t-shirts too...if you have seen my son "out and about" then you have seen him in his Streakers...

http://www.streakersports.com/

Lastly I want to share two beauty products that not only give me simple joy in making me look better but I pretty much use them every single day...

First up is Oscar Blandi Dry Teasing dust...

finally a product that gives me the big hair I love...and it stays...it's the best of the "dusts" I have tried and I am an addict

Here's a link to Sephora:

http://www.sephora.com/product/productDetail.jsp?keyword=OSCAR%20BLANDI%20Dry%20Teasing%20Dust%20P378139&skuId=1510163&productId=P378139&_requestid=137377

but you can get it other places...

My other beauty obsession is my lashes...it's all about the hair and lashes with me...and I have finally found a product that gives me the look of false eyelashes without having to put the falsies on.

It's called Younique Moonstruck 3D fiber lashes...

amazeballs...

you put on your regular mascara and then...when you want to pump up the volume...and add length...

you brush on the gel and then you comb on the fibers (I have contacts and have had no issues) and then you seal it up with the gel...

and then you get supermodel lashes

My friend Jill turned me on to them and she set up a "virtual party" where you can go and buy them...no since I don't believe in using my blog to serve myself in any way other than mental therapy I am going to GIVE AWAY a set of the fiber lashes...

that's right

I'm doing a give away...

the "party" last for 10 days so feel free to go onto the website and buy away..you will be hooked...

but if you leave a comment here on the blog or on my facebook page that you want to be in "in" on the giveaway, simple let me know and on May 25 I will put all of your names in a hat and draw one out and that person will get the lashes...I already have a set to give away...

but I really urge you to shop for yourself...you will love them!  And the price is good...

here's the link:

https://www.youniqueproducts.com/JillWatson/party/199439/view

I swear these are amazing and I get tons of compliments and the best part is I can use them to look naturally pretty or full out glamazon depending on how much I build up with the fibers.  Jill and I total believers  and addicts...you will be addicted too..

Ok so that is all for now with my simple joys...because my next simple joy is watching Gray's Anatomy and going to bed...

Inspiration Song: "Simple joys" from the musical "Pippin"...because GOTT and I are doing Pippin this year...just in case you have missed it from my facebook page..yup the next 9 months are gonna be all about "Pippin" and football and wrestling...and also in honor of the fact that an amazing young man who was in the first show I ever costumed once played "Pippin" in high school and now he is on BROADWAY in Book of Mormon...yes, I finally know someone on Broadway...I die happy....

Bye Darlings...find your simple joys...share them with me...and let me know if you want in on the drawing!