Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sisters, South Beach and Smooches. . . . .

have you heard of South Beach?
it's one of those places that goes by more of a nickname 
than the actual location.
south beach, SOBE. . . .
it is actually Miami Beach. . . .
or more correctly, SOUTH Miami Beach,
which explains the name "South Beach".
so, have you heard of it?
maybe you saw it in the movie
The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
Hysterical when it came out, and kinda/sorta true:)

South Beach has quite a reputation for being a FUN place,
Beautiful Beaches, cool refurbished art deco hotels. . . . .
and a crazy side.
yes, DEFINITELY a crazy side.
all too wild.
but parts are kinda cool and very pretty.
like the beach, and the boardwalk along the beach.
we were in south beach last Sunday, so here are a few pics. . . . .



GORGEOUS water!

lots of celebrities stop by south beach.
and where celebrities go,
the PAPARAZZI will be there also!


yep...there they are. . . .the paparazzi.
apparently some model was on the beach with her friend and let me tell you,
she didn't move a toe in the sand without them snapping away.
personally, i think they should've been snapping pics of my partner in crime,
Jordan.


we were in south beach for Taylorina 

to attend
an audition for Ballet Austin (Texas) 
that was held at Miami City Ballet.
fun times.
well for me and Jordan.
maybe not her.
she had to work:)


 probably more than the beauty of the shimmering turquoise Atlantic,
was the beauty i caught on my own iphone camera.
i went to the car because the meter was almost up and
Taylor was not yet out.
Jordan stayed at MCB to wait for her and show her where we were parked.
as they walked to the car, i caught a glimpse of them as sisters.
and it was so special.
they were walking, talking, laughing. . . . . .
being sisters.



and it was such a beautiful sight for me.
they have their moments.
oh yes!
but they truly love each other.
and that's all i could have ever hoped for, especially through these
teenage years.

yes, sisters are special.
i have three of my own.
 and i know how very blessed i am!

sisters.
they had their moments.
they STILL have their moments.
moments one of them just feel this need to drive the other one crazy.
on purpose.

gotta laugh sometimes, right?
now, i believe i mentioned "smooches" in the title of my blog post.
so here you go. . . .



hey sweet boy. . . . .i'd sign up for a smooch from you!:)

xoxoxo
Suzanne

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Thoughts from the Grocery Store. . . . .

as i walked out of the grocery store the other night, 
i started thinking of the little things i noticed in just one trip.
yes, i do have more important things to think about.
but sometimes, it's a good thing to let your mind wander,
right?
i hope so!
because mine wanders a TON:)

what i thought about at the grocery store:
~ ~ ~that i prefer doing my shopping at night.
i know my mom hates hearing that.  but it's so much more relaxed
and i sometimes take one of the girls with me:)

~ ~ ~i am so HAPPY to see the big juicy blueberries in January. . .
and they're pretty inexpensive!
STRAWBERRIES, too:)

~  ~ ~note to cashier. . . .
i know you think you're being incredibly thoughtful if, by chance,
i'm buying a little treat.
but you know, that doesn't mean it's for me!
it could be a treat for one of my girls.
so PLEASE don't hold it up and ask, LOUDLY, 
"Is this for you"?
or "Would you like this in your purse?"
because i promise you, if it is for me,
i WILL deny it.
regardless of who it's for,
i will deny the possibility it's for me by saying
"no, just put it in the bag"
or i might even go so far as to say
"it's not for me...just put it in the bag".
GEEZ. . . .
do you expect me to grab it and say
"oh thank you!  I'm glad you reminded me.
i need to SCARF it down in the car before i get home,
so good thing you loudly asked if i wanted it in my purse!!!"
GEEZ. . . again:)
but thanks anyway for your thoughtfulness!

what else, what else. . . .
~  ~ ~i know!  I went to the dr. yesterday and mentioned how frustrated i was
at all the different diets out there,
how stubborn my body was being. . .
you know, stuff like that.
she is so REAL and down to earth.
i love her!
here was her advice.
my extreme FATIGUE was in large part due to my MS.
good luck with that one:)
but my diet was most likely contributing to it.
she said, based on her conversation with me, that i might benefit from
a higher protein and high fiber diet.
and within a few weeks should feel some good effects.

so, i asked the $30,000 dollar question (s)
1.  was she saying to cut out all carbs, sugar and flour stuff?
(as i watch my morning show and see a commercial for the CUTEST
heart shaped donuts at Dunkin Donuts!:)
HELP!!!!!

2.  in addition to lowering my fatigue,
would i lose a few (or more) pounds?
3.  what about all the HOOPLA about 
clean eating, Paleo diet, hunter and gatherer dieting.....
what about it?

this was her take on it and as i respect her opinion,
i have to say i agree.
HER ANSWERS:
1.  i did NOT have to cut out all carbs.
yes, it would be beneficial to cut out white stuff. . . .
white flour, white sugar, white rice, white potato (i think she said that)
the good stuff.
the best i can.  she didn't say go crazy.
just make a better effort.
but she does want me to still have whole grains in moderation. . .
whole grain bread, pasta. . . .
(no heart shaped dunkin donuts, i guess.  boo!)
and as i said, more protein.
one tip she had was to drink 2 packs of the
Special K protein water flavorings/day,
which would mean i had 4 of my 6-8 glasses of water with protein added.
this drink flavoring has 5 mg of protein per packet,
so by drinking 2/day was an easy way to add 10mg of protein to my diet:)

2.  yes, i would probably lose some weight, 
depending on me controlling cravings, moderate exercise and eliminating
fried foods and that kind of thing.

3. what about all the EXTREME diets out there?
TOTALLY not necessary, in her opinion.
not bad diets.
just not necessary.
(ya, try telling that to all the people who try to make you feel like
a criminal because you just ate something that had a label on it.)
she said diets like that are still fads, regardless of what anyone says.
some may stay on them for life, but diets like this have been around forever.
i totally agree. . . .just as i agree that if someone loves eating this way and is doing well,
that's great!
but as she said, you "have to buy into the whole plan, philosophy and all that"
and if you don't, they won't work any better than anything else.
which is true of anything.
what she DID suggest was. . . .
drumroll please. . . .

w
e
i
g
h
t 

w
a
t
c
h
e
r
s
they have changed things so you get credit for eating more protein and fiber, i believe.
i'll be honest.
i'm going to have a piece of my daughter's birthday cakes.
and a warm chocolate chip cookie once in awhile.
and strawberry shortcake at least once or twice during strawberry season.
i know this about myself.
and i know i get tired of meat.
and hate touching raw meat.
so, i need a healthy eating plan that understands i will cheat sometimes.
and my whole body isn't suddenly screwed up because i did.

(excuse me for a moment while i change the channel.
Al Gore is on the screen. uggggh  GO AWAY!)

okay, back to my eating.
i'm gonna give it a try.
my neurologist doesn't want me to do anything extreme for a diet or exercise.
and this all seems pretty non-extreme.
so i'll try...for real this time.
i'll keep you posted.

and now that i've gone over this,
have you ever seen
The Biggest Loser?
i kinda get tired of the yelling, screaming, crying. . . .
good tips sometimes but i would rather read a book.
or watch Honey Boo Boo.
JUST KIDDING!!!:)
however, Bob Harper, the trainer from the show, has a great book.
in particular, he has a list of "rules"
called 
The Skinny Rules

1. Drink a large glass of water BEFORE Every meal-No Excuses!
2. Don't Drink Your Calories
3. Eat Protein at EVERY Meal -or stay hungry & grouchy!
4. Slash Your Intake of Refined Flours & Grains
5. Eat 30-50 grams of FIBER per day!
6. Eat Apples & Berries Every single day- Yes, EVERY-SINGLE-DAY!
7. NO Carbs after Lunch ( eat 'lean & green' at night)
8.Learn to Read Food Labels so You know what you are eating!
9. Stop Guessing about Portion Size & Get it Right-for good!
10. No more added sweeteners-including artificial ones!
11. Get rid of White potatoes!
12. Make one day a week Meatless
13. Get rid of Fast foods & fried foods
14. Eat a REAL breakfast
15. Make Your own food and eat at least ten meals a week at home
16.. Banish High Salt Foods
17. Eat Your Vegetables-(no excuses)- Just DO it!
18.Go to bed hungry!
19. Sleep Right
20. Plan one splurge MEAL per week

OK- there you have them --print them out, tape them on your refrigerator and let them be your guide to NO EXCUSES. 
These rules are NONNEGOTIABLE remember!!

I think these sound pretty reasonable, don't you?
and last but not least (i promise) a few other interesting tips.
i tried to make these printouts as large as possible but if you can't read them,
do whatever you need to in order to make them bigger. 
they're really good:)



that's it for me!
i'm sure the only person who read this all the way through is my mom,
and even she might have had enough! hahaha
have a great day!
Suzanne

Friday, January 25, 2013

Warm, Cozy and Yummy. . . . . .

brrrrrrrrrrr. . . . . .
it's been just a bit chilly outside, hasn't it?
even down here in south florida,
although nothing like up north.
and frankly, i like this chilly weather.
we don't get much of it you know, so we have to take advantage!
like, pull on a sweater, wear some cute boots, make some hearty
comfort food.
stuff like that.

but i know what a cold winter is like,
really, i do!
so i've put together a few things to warm you up a bit.
i hope:)

to start with, i hope you're all bundled up in a cozy blanket
maybe reading a book by a
roaring fire!

maybe you're on the computer,
doing a little online shopping or looking at all the fashion sites.

gosh, i'd move north just to wear these cute clothes!
or maybe not:)
but i still love the clothes!

don't you just LOVE this button purse and the cute booties?
i do:)

it's a good time to cuddle someone. . . . .
or something you love:)
go ahead, say it. . . . . .awwwwwww!

now, we can't forget something warm to drink.
hot cocoa is always a good choice.
especially hot cocoa with marshmallows.
especially hot cocoa with chocolate chip marshmallow eyes:)

my favorite warm drink happens to be a drink at starbucks.
but my girls figured out how to make it without buying some pricey flavored syrup
and whatever else they use.
the drink i'm talking about is a 
warm caramel apple drink.
and it is soooooo good!
it's super easy.
simply heat up a mug or pan of apple juice.
stir in caramel topping you would use for ice cream, to taste.
garnish with a bit of whipped cream and caramel on top.
y.u.m.m.y!

ok, i don't know if i've mentioned this or not,
but we are trying to eat a bit healthier around here.
trying.
so when i saw this recipe for stuffed peppers without rice on table for two blog,
i knew we had to try it.
last night, jordan made a batch.

and let me tell you,
these are SOOOO good!
light comfort food.
quick and easy.
not bad, huh?
you have got to try these!

Easy Stuffed Peppers
1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 Tbs or so taco seasoning
3 large bell peppers, seeded and halved
1 cup shredded cheese (i used two kinds...cheddar jack and pepper jack)
olive oil

~on a large baking sheet, place your pepper halves on them and drizzle olive oil all over them.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are bubbling up a bit and translucent around the edges.
~While peppers are baking, saute onions in a tsp or so of olive oil until soft.
Add in the ground beef or turkey and cook till browned.
Mix in the taco seasoning.  Stir, then add in the corn.
~Cook for 5 min. more then remove from the heat.
~Place the (cooled) pepper halves in a casserole dish, then spoon the filling into the peppers.
Trust me, it's okay if you stuff them a bit much:)
~Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling, then place it under the broiler till cheese is melted and bubbly.
~Serve immediately.
***Makes 6 pepper halves. . . . .but these are soooooo good and light tasting,
you should plan on doubling the recipe.
I would give ANYTHING to have leftovers for lunch today:)

well, are you getting warm yet?
need more help???
here is one more....
Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki


 1lb chicken, 1c chicken broth, 1/2c terriyaki or soy sauce,
 1/3c brown sugar, 3minced garlic cloves... 
Optional... a can of drained pineapple, peppers
There was no cooking "time",
but if you use a crockpot, it's either on low for 6-8hrs. or high for 3-4 hrs.
(hope i got that right:)
if you like, serve over brown rice and add sesame seeds.

well, i've rambled long enough, right?
let me leave you with a thought for your day. . . . .

happy friday!!!
Suzanne

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