nothing much

 

This is a post about nothing.. and how nothing spectaculars going on.. Same-o same-o.. every single day.. Work, Diabetes, Home Repeat.... I haven't been working out.. kinda sorta following a diet.. Lets see May- October was an emotional roller coaster. I've gotten off the roller coaster and now I'm on my regular hilly ride... but the roller coaster left me soo tired, that  my regular ride seems like to much at times. So all I want to do now is sleep.. I am exhausted even now as I write this post but thats life.. Oh yeah.. another thing about life.. is how EXTREMELY super fast time has been passing. I guess it feels that way because I've been so crazy busy.. and on my roller coaster. I'm hoping that I can catch up with life in the next few weeks.. and actually have the time to anticipate Christmas.. Still in shock Thanksgiving is next week. which is already looking busy and stressful. I think I'm going to take a day off.. do some shopping .. prep my house for the Christmas season.. catch up on me time.. I'm long over due for some real me time..   Me time  is enough time is where I can get things done, pamper myself, rest  and actually some time left over to get bored. lol. ITs like ok.. I've done everything that need to be done.. and  prettied my self up a bit.. now gimme what ya got! So I'm hoping that I get that time a few days after Thanksgiving because right now im slumping from task to task.. and I don't even feel mentally present...  Well theres much to be done a not alot of time to do it in.. so off i go.. Later blurbers

PSA

<p> yes that picture is how i feel.. I`m having the longest week ever!!!!! So if any of you blurbers wanna have some fun this weekend im totally in!..... any ideas???!!! Im all ears!( well technically eyes but you know what i mean!)

 the hubs being all Samurai like lol

 Spidey got me and Boe at the FOP picnic

Curly Girl Method

This is the end of day 2 of my curly girl set.. looks pretty good
Oh yeah don't mind my naked face lol

HIlarious!

The Truth

 So it turns out I'm pretty bad at this blog thing..  but I'm not going to give up.. I'm going to give you what I can.. whether it be pictures.. or music.. or what I'm feeling at the moment.. I wont leave the few of you who take the time to check out Beanies Blurb  and Blurb back ;)

Random owl... I like owls

As Promised..

Hey Blurbers!  Had a busy few weeks so I'm just dropping by to share some PICS! There are a few general ones but most are from our recent trip to Memphis. I had alot of fun, I cant wait to go back next year!

Its been ridiculously hot in the Midwest and with no air conditioning the sleeping and living arrangements have been quite interesting. But the heat did inspired us to move forward with setting up our den in the basement and  it has finally come together! 

It looks pretty good and is quite comfortable. As you can see the Hubs(his feet anyway) is enjoying it with his Xbox!  We still need a few pictures on the walls and another reclining chair or two to make it super Lounge-y and comfy. AC would be nice too .. but that's a post in itself. LOL

 And now VACA pics! First baby adorableness!

 

Sweetie Poo nephew has learned to SMILE!

  

And show every body his funny faces

Best thing about going on a trip besides spending time with family, learning different cultures,  sightseeing and shopping is trying all different kinds of FOOD!

BBQ Bologna Sandwich.. Sounds weird but it was pretty tasty.

Memphis Style Pulled Pork .. Hubs said it was OK

Beniget.. Like a Creole Funnel cake/Donuts.. Delicious

Deep Fried Strawberries.  I didn't know you could do that.. but i guess if you are brave you can Deep Fry anything. Tasted  like how I would imagine a strawberry cobbler would.

Memphis style nachos with BBQ pulled Pork.. I only had enough room in my stomach to try one of these but it was pretty darn tasty.

JoeJoe(Hubs younger cousin) Was Excited about these nachos.. but he couldn't finish them LOL! 

Full, Hot, and Happy

Cute outfit!

 I didn't make it here this time..but I like their slogan :)

 Downtown Memphis, Beale St. at night

Beautiful day  on the way back from Memphis. I took this picture with the Vintage filter on my camera phone.. Pretty impressive ehh?

The vacation didn't end when we left Memphis we'd figure we would try some place new when we got home too. So we had dinner at an Italian Steak house called Gino's

Peppercorn Sirloin w/ Fried Onions and Garlic Mashed

Chicken Vesuvius and Vesuvius Potatoes

Desert Time: Chocolate Cheesecake!

And a Chocolate Cake Martini!

   

Where's Beanie?!

 I know, I know cardinal sin #1 of blogging is leaving your readers stranded for weeks (in my case months) on end. I apologize Blurbers and Blurbettes, but life has been soo BUSY! But you know that means I have UPDATES!

Lets start small and work our way up shall we...

1. Well this isn't necessarily small  but May 14th the Hubs and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.!!! YAAAAYYY! Go us! I love my husband and I love our love.. he is my Rock... my best friend..and biggest supporter. Without him there wouldn't be a Beanie (he gave me the nickname, lol).. and he is sure to put a smile on my face everyday making him one of the greatest blessings in my life thus far.

2. I'm one my second set of Yarn Braids because I loved them so much the 1st time. I've had them for about a month now, so I am going to attempt to freshen up the 1st couple of rows  this weekend.

3. My weight loss is stagnant.. my blood sugars are a little better but I  still have the threat of full time insulin  looming over my head.  I'm supposed to be getting a continuous glucose monitor for a couple days so we can see what my body really does while I eat, sleep, exercise and play. I'm actually looking forward to it.. because at this point I just want my diabetes  under control so  it wont wreak havoc on my body and  internal organs.

4. All of my girlfriends have completed their undergraduate degrees! Congratulations to all of my Strong Beautiful Sistas for completing their education in order to make a better way for themselves.  I'm so proud of you all! You girls are truly an inspiration to me. So for a few shout outs... Congrats to Alex, Monique, AJ, Jasmine, and Krystal.  I wish you all great things in your future and I pray that God may continue to bless you all!

5. The basement AND Bathroom remodel are complete! I love home improvement and making your house feel like a home.. I will post pictures soon. I PROMISE!

6. And probably the biggest news of all is  I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!   Lil Caiden  or Boe as I call him was born a healthy 8 lbs3 oz and 21 inches on May 28th @ 5:51 in the morning. witnessing his birth was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. He  is so precious and beautiful and time consuming! Sometimes I go to visit and spend hours just looking at him or holding him or just trying to figure out what he wants. It's a truly an amazing feeling to have such love for a little stranger. I mean its the only time you can say I just met him.. and I'm totally in love and people can't look at you crazy LOL! Hut equally amazing as he is.. is his mother my Sissy who naturally bore him without  nearly any medication and  wasn't hollering like a crazy person. Although she was in pain and probably scared outta her mind  she was focused and did an amazing job, which is why she is now my Shero! Of course I don't have any pictures now.. but since Boe is the latest internet celebrity..  you  should be seeing him soon..

Well Blurbers.. those of you who remain.. I'll blurb to you next time.. and I promise the wait wont be as long!

Great Day!

In life we get caught up in going through the day to day "motions",, and sometimes we forget what its like to actually have a good day. My day was rather simple, but it was so GOOD! And it feels soo Good to say that!
I feel so un-stressed and just generally positive and happy.  I got alot accomplished this weekend and talked with a few of my friends and spent time with some of my family and I'm am feeling so blessed and at peace. God was truly smiling on me today and I hope that I can share some of this joy with others throughout the week !

I posted of pic of me not only because I felt great, but because i am 2 and a half weeks into my yarn braids!  I expected to like them.. but I didn't think i would love them this much! They have loosen up quite a bit  and the length did grow on me, its very a very mature length but it can be styled in many different ways which I love. I haven't washed them yet, but I have been moisturizing my hair with the water an conditioner mix n my spray bottle. Which  I do about every other day and the braids only get moderately damp , so I'm curious how fully wet yarns brads will look and feel after a wash

Well I'm going to end my great day with a great night. Cuddle up to the Hubs and drift off to dream land...
Later Blurbers!

Yarn braids

Just sharing  my most recent doo with my favorite Blurbettes! These are yarn braids.. I like them, they're  a little too short for my taste, but they will grow on me. How do you guys like it?

Challenge - Bikini

  That's right.. you see it ...its a BIKINI  and it is my summer 2012 challenge. I have never in my life worn or owned a bikini!  Nor have I had the physical  physique, to be so bold as to, bare my naked midsection in public. LOL

 I am losing "inches" during my Zumba  workouts, but now its time to kick it up if I plan to wear this LITTLE ditty by  the end of June.  I have 3 months to trim, tone , and sculpt my midsection into some form of  physical amazing-ness that a woman  wearing this type bathing suit should have. 

Mind you, I am still a little skeptical  about this being do able by June, but the Hubs seems to have faith that I can do it, so I'm going to give it  my best shot! I'm giving up all the junk food, diet sodas (artificial sweeteners cause bloating), sweets, salt (also causes bloating). and anything else that  will make me look bad in my new suit.. I am also going to boost my work out regime with short runs before and after Zumba.

 The hubs is doing the Insanity work out and I don't know if I can do that quite yet.. But if I have to get a little Insane too, to look good.. I'm willing to try..LOL

Needless to say the next 3 months will be very interesting .. but at least the swim suit is cute right.. LOL

So fresh and Clean

 This Moen Banbury 5spray Hand Shower is the best $50 ever spent! My showers went from so-so.. too soooo clean and relaxing! It gives great water pressure and the massage options are soo soothing. It only took 10 mins for the hubs and I to install and we were able to use it right away with no leaks.  I am not a  Moen spokesperson and am not being paid by Moen to tell you Blurbers  about how great this shower head is; Just a clean and happy customer!

Zumba

 OK so I tottaly<3 ZUMBA!  I  have been at it for 2 months now and I haven't gotten bored with it yet. I used to do Zumba classes a year ago at my Alma Mater and they were good enough for me to buy the DVDs and I did them pretty consistently for awhile. But after the Hubs and I had our wedding in 2011 I just kinda stopped working out.... Fat and Happy I guess you can say. :)  

But a few months ago the hubs and I had a realization that we just needed to do better. There was no real reason for us to be over weight other than laziness, so we joined a gym and have been keeping it up pretty well.( 2 points for us!)

 What surprises me is that its not the thought of looking good this summer in a bathing suits .. or not having  hang time or booty do (LOL)  that keeps me going...Its ZUMBA!  I have so much fun and I SWEAT and sometimes HURT afterwards.. but its like going out dancing after work! My instructor is AWESOME! She's full of energy and spunk. The ladies (and on occasion gentlemen) in my class are funny and are all different ages and shapes and sizes. So you don't feel intimidated but inspired, and I just LOVE  IT!

 OK,  anybody that knows me well will tell you that I'm pretty excitable and once I'n stuck on something..I'm fully into it.. and this is no different., but it actually is a fun work out and I'm so glad that I'm enjoying it and my waistline is shrinking!( slowly.. but still shrinking LOL) .

 What do you Blurbers and Blurbettes do to stay in shape?

Happiness After a Long Work Week

 This ice cream is touching my soul right now.. OMGeee!

Apple Flips

After an exhilarating Zumba work out (I've been at is for 3 weeks now.. yay me!)  I was perusing the aisles of Walmart looking for "portable healthy snacks".. and happened down the snack cake aisle. Now any other dieter would be using every ounce of spare energy they have left to keep from putting ding dongs, Ho-ho's , Snowballs, Twinkies, or Hostess cupcakes in their carts....but I.... I was cool.. floating down the aisle looking at all of the brightly colored  boxes with pictures of cartoon characters and festively colored snack cakes.. And cool collected  Beanie was not in the LEAST bit phased.. UNTIL  I SAW THESE...

Little Debbie  Apple Flips

 I ALMOST FAINTED!.. You would have thought that there were a box of $100 bills sitting on the shelf and nobody could see them but me! I gasped..grabbed two boxes.. and giddily laughed  because I couldn't believe my luck!

OK... now I know you are thinking.. what is the difference between  every other snack cake in the world.. and Apple Flips. Well ...

1. Apple flips are a cookie.. and not a cake. :). 

2. Apparently  Little Debbie stopped making  Apple Flips years ago.. because one day I woke up with a craving for one of these (out of the blue.. because I hadn't had one since  Kindergarten).. searched HI, LOW.. and even on the internet and could not find them! 

3. Other snack cakes or snack cookies are always filled with some type of disgusting cream! 

4.  Apple Flips remind me of my youth!..  My  Miss Piggy lunch box, Recess, Kick ball, warm days wearing skirts with shorts underneath,  going to grandma's after school.. and so much more!

 Yes... all that from a Cookie!

Of course I was too anxious to wait until I got home to try them.. and had one right in  the car..  and amazingly.. they tasted the SAME!!! The same soft chewy slightly oat-y cinnamon-y  cookie.. with an sweet apple cinnamon center... Yes.. it was Heaven!  

 Do you Blurbettes have a favorite nostalgic treat?

PIX! Because who doesn't like 'em!

 I am thinking something really deep... LOL j/k I don't do those types of things!LOL

Hubs suppressed childhood fantasies of being a superhero seem to emerge whenever purchasing presents for the young-ins LOL

Beanie@ at AMAZING Caribbean Restraunt  called Ja'Grill in Chicago 

Beanie, Cryssy, and Lexi!

For Shame (Update)

Shame on me!!

 

I have left my loyal (one or two) readers for 2 weeks.. and I know you guys have been DYING to know what been going on with me..... Well the truth is... not much , but I'll give you guys a quick update.
Whistling While I Work:
 This area is usually pretty stagnant. But I did change offices again (for the 4th time) and  its not too bad. I've been in this office before, the bathrooms are clean, the office mates are OK,  its still in the middle of the shop floor, but that's to be excepted at this point in my career. My projects are still about the same.. but I do have quite a bit more of them.. which keeps me busy and keeps the day from dragging on into eternity. So I'm satisfied...... for now that is....

 And just for you viewing pleasure  here's a pic of me all geared up for work.. it gets a little cold on the floor sometimes ;)

 On the Home Front:

 We finally got the basement done*happy dance*. I love having a clutter free clean space! It is very calming for me to come home and not see yet another thing that needs to be done. So I'm pretty excited that the basics are done.. Ceiling, Walls, and Floor.  I plan to do a whole post with before and after pictures soon.

Over the next few weeks the hubs and I will be slowly migrating items to this new found space to make it more lounge friendly.  We already have a small love seat and I am looking for two recliners to sit on either side, with a nice rug, lamps and art work.   And I'm pretty sure the hubs is looking for a nice new sound system to add to our existing entertainment system that will now be relocated to our new den! Which means I also get to decorate the living room.. So expect alot of PICs!

Healthy Beanie:

 Well she hasn't been so healthy. Ok  well I'm healthy...LOL but I haven't been working out like I should. However, with my new office move, I feel like I walk ALOT more!  But still not as much as I should.

 I went to the doctor because I was having a hard time managing my blood sugar readings and the doc gave me a low dose of  insulin to take at bed time. I wasn't exactly thrilled about the insulin but I guess its better to have working organs and taking insulin.. than not taking insulin and be blind, an amputee. and/or on dialysis. Taking the insulin it really hasn't been that  bad I was already taking a daily injection of Victoza , so the night time insulin injection didn't really bother me since it was in a pen just like the Victoza  plus my readings seem to be much better.

Although.. I have noticed in efforts to cut back on carbs and still have tasty snacks I have increased my fat and sodium intake with nuts and meats.. So I have to watch that too because I'm trying to keep my low dose blood pressure medication actually at a low dose. So I think that I will try celery, cucumbers, and tomatoes as snacks.

 Hair is Happenin' :

 You wouldn't believe it... but not much. I been wearing some protective styles  like bun's and Two-Strand Twist. I had to take the twist down  because they were looking rough but I ended up with a super cute twist out....

Anyway.. that's about all that going on with me Whats going on with you blurbettes??!

Mondays..

 So after every weekend comes Monday. This fact has proven to be infallible thus far and yet I cannot seem to prepare my self for this dreaded day every Sunday night.. My routine is usually about the same..I close my Sunday activities with some type of eating and hanging out with the hubs watching  Law & Order, Family Guy, or  some other Netflix TV Series until we  are near comatose on the couch.. Then we drunkenly drag our selves to bed and  pass out.. knowing that Mondays vengeance is quickly approaching.  And as my alarm clock goes off at 5:15, 5:25, 5:35, and 5:45( for some reason the bed seems to feel better and better with each tap of the snooze button) I finally drag my self out of bed in a zombie like manner and proceed to get "ready" for work..Which is more like making sure I'm not wrinkled and don't smell and rushing to the car. Only to arrive at work trying to shake the fog from the weekend.. and figure out "What did I do last week?"..  I know  that some of problems would be solved by implementing a simple night time routine but still doesnt change the fact that Mondays STINK!

Randomness....

So I'm a week late on my weekly blurb.. and instead of making a habit of fully neglecting my blurbers...I'd figure I'll blurb about all the randomness going on with me...

• I've started the basement project...it has been fully painted and the floors will go down this week so I'm pretty excited that we will have  some extra space... I haven't decided whether it will be a sitting/craft room  or a TV room... we have to see how it feels. Once the floors are down I will post the before and after pictures! :-D

•  I have been working out rather consistently... Go me!

• Partied with the girls a bit this weekend..it was long overdue. We had a sleepover, went to the city, and went ice skating for the first time! It was soooo much fun and I didn't fall once! I have to go again but maybe on a warmer day because I thought my feet were going to fall off!!

Well tomorrows a holiday and I have the day off...woooohoooo
Soo maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow... Later blurbers!

Where the Hell Am I??

Where the Hell Am I??

OHHH!!.. this is how I feel today! (Brace yourself for rant)

Diabetes is a constant roller coaster ride full of plummeting spirals that I cannot get off of. My body is not participating with me today and I and SICK of it.. You think I'd be happy to see a low reading come across the screen but then I feel like my legs are noodles and my hearts in the Indy 500. Then when when i feel normal my readings are in the 400's!! WTF.. i do not mean to be crude but diabetes can SUCK IT!

Ok, I digress. but I have scheduled an early doctors appointment.. to get this mess all sorted out. I may have to get acquainted with some insulin.. but its all in the preservation of my organs right?(Sigh) Guess I'll suck it up at least its better than AIDS

Feeling the burn!

 I know most people make this huge New Years resolution to work out more and get healthier and I can't say I'm any different. But who doesn't want to be thinner, healthier, or just feel great about themselves over all. So I like millions of others, I joined a gym the first week of the new year. I haven't belonged to a gym or seriously worked out since college. I mean sure, I became a little more active last year to look good in my wedding dress (I lost 20 lbs too!), but I didn't stick with it and gained half of the weight back! So after pricing a couple different  fitness facilities the hubs chose a ghetto  local fitness center close to home. Actually it its a really nice facility just a little out dated and under maintained. (I plan to have a few conversations with management and write a few letters to our new "mayor".) Any how on to the work out...

  I started out with a few light leg and back stretches and began walking at a moderate pace. I got about 5 or 6 laps in and decided to jog a little bit. I got 2 full jogging laps in before my heart started to feel like it might burst in my chest so I cooled down with about 3 more moderately paced walking laps. By then the hubs had a decent sweat going on the basketball court so I decided to  join him in a few simple drills. We did this for about 30 mins before we did our end of workout stretching.  Total time about 1.5 hrs

All in all it was great!  My blood was flowing, my heart was pumping, my chest felt open, my lungs felt stretched, my legs and back felt limber... It was  high school / college all over again! Ok, well maybe not that drastic but I definitely got an endorphin rush and I'm pumped to go back Saturday.  Next time I think I'll do  45 mins on the elliptical machine and the balance of the time with the exercise ball.  Hopefully I can keep my 3-4 day a week schedule up because i know my body would appreciate it!

How do  you  Blurbers keep in shape?