Skip to main content

November 14th

I had to get up an hour earlier than usual to take Chris to the airport, so that meant that breakfast was a latte and an apple.
I really need to start cross stitching again.
I used my lunch to work out, and Elephant Trainer (remember she's named that because she loves them, and I'm as graceful as one) and I worked out for about a forty minutes.  Get this: I did planks with elbow touches without:

  • complaining
  • stopping
  • doing them wrong
Will wonders never cease?

We did non-elbow-plank-touch things as well (like wood choppers, so many wood choppers) and then I biked for 15 minutes at one level higher than usual.
No, no, no.  Not that kind of wood chopper.
Although that one isn't so bad.  Heeeeey there.
Lunch was homemade Skinny Mac and Cheese from this Pampered Chef recipe, except I make it easy on myself by using the $1 bag of cauliflower, a garlic press, and a bag of shredded cheese, because Ain't Nobody Got Time for That.  I also had some pretentious low-sodium nitrate-free ham and a Chick-fil-a salad that a coworker grabbed for me because I forgot my salad.  I ate it at my desk which is So Not Good for You.  Do as I say, not as I do, people.

 Dinner was some healthy nachos made with bean dip, cheese made with 2% milk, and jalapenos, plus some mango.

I wanted to share two pictures from the BARN benefit we attended on Saturday night.  First, because I fit in to this dress again.  But more importantly, because this particular charity provides housing, financial education, and mentoring for single parents.  One of the "graduates" of the program shared openly and honestly about how BARN helped her and her children by giving them the resources and education to improve their physical, mental, and financial health.  She had a huge transformation in just four years, and is now mentoring others in the program.  She was so proud of her kids--one of them went from being behind in school to now reading way above her grade level! :)
I'm serious about this!
The new proposed tax plan (link goes to the actual plan from an independent source so you can do your own analysis) has several benefits.  It also has several challenges, chief among them being that with the elimination of the head-of-household deduction, single parents who don't itemize will have higher taxable income than they do now, which increases significantly if they have more than one child.  Typically, individuals itemize because they own a home, and BARN gives single parents the tools to achieve this.
In our current political landscape (and the resulting social media climate), we each get to vote every day with how we spend our time, money, and thoughts.  What do you want to accomplish, and how will you spend yours to make the biggest impact?

And finally, let's celebrate yesterday's success with everyone's favorite Duchess!
I know, Kate.  It's upsetting.

Popular posts from this blog

Freezer Meal #2 - Maple Pork Tenderloin with Apples

This is the second part of my foray in to freezer meals - the first part can be found here  for Cheesy Shells and Italian Sausage. Today we're making a pork and apples recipe adapted from The Pampered Chef.  I love this one--it's so easy to assemble in advance, most of the ingredients you likely already have, and it couldn't be easier to fix the day you want to eat it (dump stuff in pan, bake). So yummy.  And pretty. Maple Pork Tenderloin with Apples For this you'll need the ingredients below.  You probably have the oil, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, mustard, and bags in your pantry!  You can also easily divide this recipe if you usually only cook for 2-3 people at a time (that's what I do when I make it). 2 pork tenderloins , about 2 pounds total - they can be expensive, so pick these up on sale 3 apples - I prefer honeycrisp but use what you like, or take one of these suggestions 1 small red onion 1/4 cup canola oil 1 clove garlic , press...
Read more

New Year, Old Me

And, after a brief 5 year hiatus, we're back! For those of you who are new here, for a number of years I wrote a blog featuring an assortment of things I found interesting: the British Royal Family, sarcastic hot takes on award show fashion, travel, and (the reason I started it) to help me keep stay on track with eating healthier food. Recently, one of my doctors suggested that I start the blog back up and I thought it was a good idea for a few reasons: chief among them to help with some health goals, plus I'd like to use it as a way to stay connected with some colleagues that departed at work. By way of an understatement, 2023 was a smidge rough.   My dad got really sick in April, and after that, it was a slalom of the American healthcare system / in-home healthcare / nursing facilities / ambiguous loss & living grief .  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the company I work for turned 24 and, well, sometimes 24 year old companies behave like 24 year old humans.  They...
Read more

Kate Middleton, Goofball

My new favorite K-Middy gif came out today.  She and William went for a walk during their day off in Australia, and she totally did this: Big Willy and Babykins (their nicknames for each other) have talked about Kate's sense of humor before in interviews.  Apparently she's funny and sarcastic--now we're more than just hair soul mates!  Below are some of my favorite non-posed Kate pics. They're probably watching horses.  So British of them. This is at the Olympics.  She seems concerned. I'd also like to point out that I'm jealous of how good her ponytail looks. It sounds like she's saying "OMG no way!" Man, I hope that's what she's talking about with the fancy church people at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee service. Again, I suspect ponies are involved here. If you watch interviews with her (and I do) she makes this face all the time.  I LOVE IT. Celebrities: they're just like us!  They hide behind their...
Read more