Seedlings have Sprouted!

I am super excited! Today we have 12 cantaloupe seedlings coming through in the cantaloupe bed. In addition, we also have 20 yellow squash seedlings that are maturing nicely. The squash are about 1 inch tall and have dark leaves.

I did have to replace my rosemary and thyme plants as they did not survive the transplanting process. I hope they grow fast because I will miss having rosemary chicken for a little while.

The strawberries are growing really well. 4 are turning red already! It looks like I'll be having my first one tomorrow...better get some ready whip!

2012 Planting Day

Yesterday was Spring planting season at our house. The seqoia strawberries looked especially inviting this year. After looking all of my perennials to the great burmuda invasion of 2011, we have decided to raise the vegetable beds 2 feet off of the ground this year.
This was a might feat, but the design and build was brainchaild of my dear husband. In addition to the raising, we have also added latticework as one of our new puppy additions was a little too curious about the onions that were planted 4 weeks ago. While we missed the official planting dates for potatoes, we have planted some Yukon Gold and Red Norland potatoes in whiskey barrels that we picked up at Lowe's. They are actually from Lynchburg, Tennessee which is really awesome as we visited that distillery on our honeymoon. In the next row, I have planted Canteloupe and Yellow straightneck squash from seed that I purchased from Homestead Heritage in Waco at an awesome price.

The next row over is my strawberries. My prior patch was a 5 year old 4 ft x 8 ft patch that I was very happy to pick from all spring and early summer long. However, between the bermuda grass invasion and the drought of last summer, I lost all of my plants. So, this year, I am giving the new patch a head start. I planted 20 plants, 12 sequoia and 8 Everlast. In addition I planted 20 crowns of Ozark Beauty. It is always important to plant new crowns every year as most plants become spent after 5 years.

The next row over is the Tomato and Jalapeno Junction. This year I have planted 2 Bonnie Jalapeno plants. For the tomatoe, I have chosen 2 Celebrity, 2 Better Boy, 1 Indigo Rose, and 1 Defiant Tomato, all from North Haven Gardens. (I also purchased the strawberry plants here as well. They have the best varieties, prices, and staff, so I make the drive 2-3 times/season. I was too impatient for my Jalapeno plants which is why I ended up at Lowes.

The last 2 beds are onions that actually came back up from last year. We transplanted the Yellow Granex slips and they have been thriving after we stopped the dog from pulling them out. In the adjacent bed, we have planted Scarlet Nantes Carrots from seed (also purchased at Homestead Heritage). I also pulled up and trimmed the rosemary and thyme plants to fit in this bed as well.

Now, all that is left is soaker hoses, and I'm headed to do that now.

Happy Gardening!

When Your Body Doesn't Cooperate

Today my body decided to rebel. I woke up at 5 in anticipation of today's 6 mile run. I was so nauseated I thought I might pass out. I thought, let's take the dog for a walk and it will probably pass. After our 20 minute walk, it was just as bad. I went back and forth, wanting to push through, hoping it would pass. But, I didn't want to be the person on the run passing out and causing a ruckus. So, I went back to bed...and slept another 6 hours! I felt mostly better but have some lingering nausea. I am staying in working on our kitchen reno today and we'll see how I feel tomorrow morning. Maybe I can get in a shorter run? I just have to let my body recover or I will be out that much longer.

And so we begin again...

So, I found out this week how NOT to travel for work. When I picked my hotel, I only made sure that the hotel had a fitness room. I did not check on running trails and none were close. I picked a hotel that was booked and so the fitness center was packed and I couldn't get in. I did do the 30 day Shred one day in my room, but stayed up too late on other nights to be able to get up early.

I also stopped tracking after Tuesday lunch. So, I don't even have the information on what I did eat. What I am going to do this week is roboot to my 4 pound loss week and do it all over again. Plus, I am in town this week, so I have my running plan in place.

So, away we go!

Keep on Trucking

I did it again!!! And there is no oops about it!! I lost 2.2 pounds for a total loss of 88 (on WW)! 12 pounds until goal! I weighed at the Mckinney location this morning after marathon training since my buddies weren't going this morning (Missed you Sandra!). I was super excited at my weight loss so I stayed for the meeting. Vicki, the leader, gave us the following recipe:


Garden Pasta Salad (Serves 6/ 1 cup, 4 Points Plus)
1 9 oz pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1/3 c light Northern Italian salad dressing w/ basil and romano (Ken's Steak House Lite)
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 c chopped fresh tomato
1 c chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1 c sliced green onions (about 3)
*Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. While pasta cooks, combine dressing, basil, & lemon juice. Stir with whisk. Add pasta, tomato, cucumber, and green onion, toss well.

Another tidbit for lifetime members with no eTools: My fitness pal is free and has a phone app.

Now, this week is going to be hard. Week 3 is when I have fallen off the wagon the las 3 times. In addition I am traveling for work almost all week. And I have girls' night out tonight. Fun will be had for sure! I just need to keep planning and keeping my eye on the prize.

Giving my body a rest

This morning my body decided to push back. I woke up at 5 to do my routine and my body said no, I'm too tired. I am simply pooped. So, I reset my alarm and went back to sleep for another hour. I can't say that I feel less tired now, but we shall see how the day goes along. I don't think that I can handle working through and eating lunch at my desk again today. But, I also don't want to go out to eat since I already had my treat on Tuesday. So, what to do? I may go for a walk...in workout clothes so as not to get my work clothes all sweaty...plus, who wants to walk in the Texas heat in jeans? Not me, not ever! The only problem I see with walking is that it is not giving my body a rest. But, at least I won't be pounding on it like I would be if was running. I'll save that for tomorrow's 4 mile run.

Bueno Victory

Tonight I had a big personal victory. I had a meeting with our outreach pastor at Corner Bakery so we had dinner. I had planned for it within my points and even figured out half of my favorite chicken pomodoro panini was the same number of points as half of the bavarian ham. I was quite satisfied. Once I got home Brad wanted to run errands but had not eaten dinner. We went by Taco Bueno. Oh it was hard. They have my most favorite mucho nachos. But...they ate 35 points-ish...and I was already satisfied. AND I would feel miserable afterward. So, I had a lemonade and enjoyed the company of my husband without giving into the temptation. While I haven't been 100 % game on this week, but I have tracked everything. And it hasn't been wheels off...so Saturday might be one pound? I hope!