I survived three days of the Blog Challenge. I guess that makes me blog challenged? It was too much. I don’t want to rifle through 30 year old photo albums to find pictures and then sit in my basement with the spiders scanning them in and cropping them. Too much. Who has the time? Not this girl. At least not now. And I cheated and read ahead and some of the topics were things like ‘your favorite bible verse’. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no atheist, but Jesus doesn’t belong on my blog. You with me?
So back to the old Niki, that writes when she can about whatever she’s thinking of at the time. Several of you emailed and/or commented that you were happy I was doing the blog challenge so you could “get to know me”. Sorry to disappoint! I’m an open book though, so if you have a question, just ask!
1. I think it’s really sweet when people tell me I’m all belly. I really am ALL BELLY. Thirty one and a half pounds of belly. Well, I think I have some boobage in there too. But this thing is massive now. When I sit, my belly rests on my lap. I’m not going to lie, it’s as gross as it sounds.
The only shirts that fit me, are comfortable and make me feel cute are the GapMaternity Supersoft Long Sleeve Crewnecks. Because I stick out so much in front most shirts make me look like I have love handles; the side ruching on these hide all the cushion I have for pushin’ (you’re welcome for the visual). And they’re long enough that I’m always covered in the back and the front. No state fair belly hanging out the bottom.
2. Dunkin Donuts Coffee, especially the pumpkin spice.
And not the decaf kind either. Try not to judge me too harshly. My kids are still chunkers and I’m able to function through a “normal” day. I was a Starbucks girl before the twins, but they’ve voted and seem to demand DD. I aim to please.
3. Glammed up pumpkins. I make Martha’s famous glitter pumpkins every year. This year I caught Wild Ink’s post on painted pumpkins too; don’t mind if I do.
These are Rebekah’s loverly pumpkins. Mine have been up for over a month now, but I haven’t had time to take a picture of them. Went to take one this morning and a pumpkin already started to rot and seeped through onto my sideboard. I proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes mumbling expletives and cleaning stripper dust off my furniture. They now have a thicker runner underneath them for added protection. (Yes, I could use funkins but, trust me, they’re not as pretty.)
Anyway, when I’m not swearing at them, I love these pumpkins and if you don’t buy your gourds at the grocery store (like I did this year) they last from the beginning of October through Thanksgiving. Double-duty decorating!
I finally have the energy to cook again and my gag reflex is almost nonexistent these days, so I’m back in the kitchen and so happy to be there. Recipes and reviews to come soon. Last year subscribed to Cooking Light for $7 and it was the best $7 I spent. New things to try every month and almost everything we make is quick, low cal and healthy.
The husband just had his physical and his bad cholesterol came back high. This makes me not-so-happy. I feel like I’ve failed as a wife over the last six months when I turned up my nose at the grocery store and 90% of the food we normally eat. I need to keep my honey in tip-top shape so he can live long and prosper. Anyway, if you love being in the kitchen, it’s worth a subscription. Unlike most food magazines, nothing in this one is too fancy schmancy and almost everything we make is good!
5. Spinning. I’m back on the bike and it feels so good; I actually feel human again. A little bittersweet because I know I have to give it up again shortly, but right now I’m just pedaling and smiling.
Before moving to the Capital Region, I taught spinning for about 6 years and I’ve been on the bike for the last ten. Strangely I never got into road biking, although I’m dying to. Anyway, this exercise is my therapy, it’s my sanity and it’s my favorite. And I decided to hop on the bike and see how I’d do after a month off, and guess what? I did just fine. I’m super excited to finish up work for good soon and be able to get in there a few times a week rather than just every so often.
If you’ve never tried spin, but want to, I can’t recommend it enough! In an hour you can push yourself at your own pace, blast up to 1000 calories and completely decompress. L.O.V.E. does not begin to describe how I feel about this class.
