Fajitas, Kittens and Chamomile tea...

Hello friends!
TGIF!!!!! I'll say it again, TGIF!! Whew this week has been C-R-A-Z-Y! It's the last week of the month, and at my job, that means long hours, crazy deadlines and usually a feeling of "shoot me so I can end my misery".....well it's not THAT bad but it's certainly a stressful week. And thank goodness it's over! Now I can relax and take it easy for a couple of days.

So today I get home and I am walking Molly, and I hear this kitten CRYING loud in the bushes. I LOVE animals and have a super tender heart when it comes to all animals, and I decided I had to save this kitten. It apparently got lost from it's mother and was all alone. I proceeded for about an hour to get the kitten to come to me so I could grab it, but it never worked. Then this family of four came out - and one of the kids caught it. I was going to take the kitten to my vet because they always have kittens for adoption, but the family decided that they would adopt the kitten for themselves. :) Happy feeling! I just wanted to make sure it was ok.

So this week, I have NOT been able to sleep! Several nights this week I have been wide awake until the wee hours of the morning, and then of course I'm exhausted when it comes time to get up for work. Last night, around 2:00 am, since I was awake anyway, I researched herbal sleep aids. I don't want anything evasive, I just want something to calm me down so I can relax and fall asleep! I decided to try good old chamomile tea. I bought some today, so I'll let you know how it works!

Now...on to food, I weighed in on Thursday and lost 1.4 lbs!! Woo hoo! I was hoping for a bigger loss this week than last, but that's ok. Anything is good. I am doing great so far this week. I had dinner with a friend at Cheesecake Factory on Thursday night, and dipped into my 35 extra points some (had a little bit of guacamole, Baja chicken tacos for entree, and 3 bites of yummy cheesecake for desert). AND it was national cheesecake day (who knew??) and we got our cheesecake half off the regular price. What's better??

Today I have been really good. I am LOVING my yogurt with mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, which I buy frozen) and my Mix My Granola!! It is SO yummy and really a great treat, and it tastes SO good! For lunch our office ordered fajitas from Lupe Tortilla (so good) and I was able to eat sensibly while still enjoying lunch with everyone. Here's what I had to eat today:

Breakfast:
Kroger Light Cinnamon Raisin Bread (2 slices) = 1 pt.

Morning snack:
1/2 cup Dannon Light and Fit FF Vanilla Yogurt (1 pt) with 1 cup mixed berries (1 pt) and 1 oz. Mix My Granola (1 pt.) = 3 pts.

Lunch:
1 chicken fajita taco with pico de gallo = 4 pts.
1/2 cheese enchilada - 3 pts.

Afternoon snack:
Weight Watchers String Cheese = 1 pt.

Dinner:
Leftover Lasagna (made on Wednesday night) - 6 pts.
Sommer's Fantastic Garlic Bread (see recipe in blogs below) - 1 pt.
Salad with Wishbone Raspberry Vinaigrette Spray Dressing = 0 pts.

Dessert:
Weight Watchers Drumstick - 2 pts.

So total for the day I've used -1 pts....which I will take from my 35 weekly. I DID work up a nice sweat chasing that kitten around :) but I'm not counting any activity points. I plan on having a nice workout tomorrow morning though.

I'm signing off for today....this weekend I'm making my weight watchers friendly hamburgers (that's right, I said HAMBURGERS!!) so tune in later this weekend for my secret recipe! I can have a homemade hamburger for 5 points!! Yummmm......my mouth is watering thinking about it!

Goodnight all! Happy life, happy eating!

Sommer

PS If you are interested in checking out Mix My Granola, go to www.girlgonehealthy.com. Girl Gone Healthy has awesome healthy lifestyle tips, and a daily post about food, exercise, and lots of other great information. It has really been an inspiration to me! On www.girlgonehealthy.com you can get great discount codes and coupons for Mix My Granola. Check it out!

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Elyptical Maddness....

Hello friends! Happy Tuesday!

Man, I just got home from a great elyptical workout and I'm beat. My mom does this "total body workout" every day, and was told by her trainer that when working out on the elyptical machine, you should do circuit training, where you do 2 minutes at one resistence and incline, and 2 minutes at double that resistence and incline. And you rotate back and forth every two minutes for your entire workout. The rule is NO WORKING OUT ON #1!! You have to be at 2 or higher, which makes your double 4 or higher. I think the point is that your body never adjusts to one resistence level, and your constant changing keeps your heart rate up. So I did a 2/4. Except the last 4 minutes of my workout where I did 2/6. Whew that 6 is a tough one! I'm looking forward to working up to that though. I'm feeling good now! Today was an interesting day. I am STILL working on that wretched project at work, and I seriously need a vacation. The good news is I think I'll finish 2007 this week! Woo hoo!! It's the last week of the month at work too, so I have a busy week still ahead of me.

I had a bit of a block in the road today on my diet. Around 4:00 pm I was STARVING and I am not sure why. I did not have any fruit today around that time, maybe that's the trick. So I had to go steal some almonds from my boss's office (she'd already left for the day). The almonds held me over until I left around 5:00 pm. At which time I got in the car and grabbed a bag of my Weight Watchers 2 point snack Cheese Twists and downed that. I only live 10 minutes from work (with traffic, nice I know) so I was fine after the twists. Actually, when I got home I wasn't hungry at all anymore. I am still fine for the day though. I exercised, and I'll have to use a couple of those points, but that's OK. So here's my day:

Breakfast:
Kroger Brand Lite Cinnamon Raisin Bread = 1 pt.

Morning snack:
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt w/ mixed frozen berries AND my NEW granola from Mix My Granola (SO GOOD!!!) - 3 pts.

Lunch:
Hot Dog: Oscar Meyer 98% FF Turkey Dog, Natures Own White Wheat Hotdog Bun, Weight Wactchers Cheese = 3 pts.
1 oz Light Pringles = 1 pt.

Afternoon snack:
Weight Watchers String Cheese = 1 pt.

Ravenous 4:00 pm snack:
Almonds - 4 pts. (ouch...but I worked out so I'm ok)


Ravenous 5:00 pm on the way home snack:
Weight Watchers Cheddar Twists - 2 pts.

30 minute Elyptical Circuit Workout - High Intensity - +4 pts.

Well folks, I'm off to eat some leftover 5 point spaghetti (see recipe in my previous blog below). I'll garnish with my 1 point garlic bread and for dessert I'll have a 1 point Dreyers All Natural Fruit Bar. Leaving me with +2 points for the day. I weigh in tomorrow so wish me luck!!

Until next time, happy life, happy eating!!

Sommer

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Spaghetti and Garlic Bread, Oh My!

Hello all my faithful follower friends (ha ha I don't think I have any)...

So I'm doing well so far this week. Still working on that dreadful project at work but trying not to spend every ounce of my time on it so I'm not as miserable. :) So I've been eating a lot of baked chicken and veggies lately, which I do love and can eat a ton of, but last night I wanted to mix it up so I made some spaghetti and Weight Watchers friendly garlic bread. YUMM-O! It hit the spot. Here's my secret receipe:

Spaghetti Sauce:
1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 jar Prego Heart Smart Original Pasta Sauce
2 cans DelMonte diced tomatoes (Basic, Garlic and Oregano)
1 can tomato paste (any brand, small can)
1 chopped onion (optional)
Dash of Italian Seasoning (I like to put it in when I'm browning the meat)

Noodles:
100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti noodles

Sauce: 1/2 cup = 2 pts
Noddles: 1 cup = 3 points
Total = 5 points

Note that this serving is a LOT of spaghetti and is just the right amount to really fill you up! I used to think I needed an entire cup of sauce, but only a half cup is plenty for a cup of noodles. But if you spring for the entire cup, it's 4 pts.

Garlic Bread:
1 Natures Own White Wheat Hamburger Bun
10 Sprays I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray
Pinch of garlic salt
Pinch of oregano (for color)
Spray both sides of the bun with the spray butter, add salt, oregano, broil in oven for a few minutes until desired "brownness." Enjoy!

1 whole bun = 1 pt!! It is really tasty too, tastes just like regular garlic bread!!

So I had a very tasty dinner for 6 points total! Not bad at all. I had a Weight Watchers Drumstick for 2 points for dessert. Very good!

Well tonight I'm headed to "Game Night." A group of friends and I rotate hosting game night once a month, this week it's at Arena's. Later this weekend I'll tell you how I did "food wise" at game night! I have a plan, so wish me luck!!

Today I've added a picture of me, my mom and step dad Charlie.

Goodbye for now friends!
Sommer

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Success, back in the right direction!

Happy Hump Day friends!
So it's been a fairly good week so far. Over the weekend I watched my two cousins, Jessica and Evan, 7 and 6 years old. It was fun. I always enjoy the times I get to spend with them. They grow up so fast. So it was a good weekend. We spent some time at the pool, my mom and Charlie met us there on the second day. I was able to pretty much stay on track with eating healthy, with the exception of a few oreos and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch....yummmmm....but that was it. Last night I had dinner with some friends at Farrago. It was good. I did splurge a little on desert, but it was ok because I've been good all week. I had a successful weigh in today at Weight Watchers, lost 1.8 lbs. I'm pleased with that, but would like it to be 2 lbs next week. So I'm going to try and work out more this week so get those lbs off! I have been doing Weight Watchers for about a year now. I've lost a total of 22.2 lbs but for the last 6 months or so my weight loss has been stagnant. I'll go down, then up, then down again, and most recently I'm up about 4 lbs. I can't seem to get past the hump of 22 lbs. But I'm motivated to get back on the right track. Today I got a great tip from a fellow healthy eater of this cool website http://www.mixmygranola.com/. You go onto this site, and make your own granola mix! They have TONS of fresh organic items to choose from to add to your granola. And the price was really good!! I ordered 100% Organic Muesli as my granola base, and I added dried cranberries and acai berry powder (I LOVE acai berry juice, but it costs me 1 point for a 1/3 cup and now that I'm down to 20 pts a day I can't afford it). So you choose your ingredients, they mix your granola for you and put it in a cool little container and mail it to you. I can't wait to get it! Check it out at http://www.mixmygranola.com/.

New things I'm trying:
Granola from MixMyGranola.com - 1 oz = 1 point (try with yogurt)
Weight Watchers string cheese - 1 point (pretty yummy and a great snack, and a milk serving!)

Recent Favorites:
Dreyers All Natural Fruit Bars - Strawberry - 1 point (great summertime snack for after dinner or any time really!!)

Well friends, that's pretty much all I have to say for today. Be back again soon to update you on what's going on in my life and the progress of my weight loss!!

Goodnight,
Sommer

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Back on track...

Hello friends. Happy Thursday. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. So, I went to Weight Watchers yesterday and weighed in. I hadn't been to the last two meetings in a row because I've been so busy at work, so I REALLY needed to go. The scale was not nice. I gained 2.8 pounds. So overall, I'm up 4 lbs from about a month ago. Bad bad bad Sommer. So, it got my attention. Last night I went grocery shopping and stocked up on healthy food. I have to keep lots of healthy food in my house in order to stay on track. I am trying out 2 point hotdogs. It is a 1 point turkey dog (98% fat free), and a 1 point hot dog bun. I add a little Weight Watchers cheese to it, and make it a 3 point dog all together. I had one for lunch today. Pretty good! I put in it in the broiler so it got all toasty and the cheese melted. So here's what I had today:

Breakfast:
English Muffin - 1 pt

Mid-morning snack:
1 cup FF vanilla yogurt - 2 pts
3/4 cup mixed fruit - 1 pt

Lunch:
Hot dog with cheese - 3 pts
1 oz. Light Pringles - 1 pt
Weight Watchers 1 pt bar - 1 pt

Afternoon snack:
Nectarine - 1 pt

Dinner:
4 oz chicken breast (baked with 1 tsp EVOO and lemon pepper) - 5 pts
1 large red potato - 2 pts
Salad w/ ff salad spritzer - 0 pts
1 cup mixed steamed veggies - 0 pts

Evening snack:
Weight Watchers Giant Cookies n Cream Bar - 2 pts
Weight Watchers 1 pt bar - 1 pt

Total points: 20

It was easy to get back on track when I was fully stocked with healthy food. I'm feeling good. Time to get serious again! Have 20 more lbs to lose!!

Other updates: work still sucks. Still working on that huge project. It's never ending. Took Molly to the vet today. All's well. Think I'm going to get a pedi tomorrow.

I'm signing off. Later friends!

Sommer

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What a day....

Hi everyone. Anyone? Who actually reads these? Who knows. Boy have I had a whirlwind of a day. I suppose it could have been much worse....but regardless I'm exhausted. So I have this HUGE project I'm working on at work. I'm under the gun to get it completed ASAP, and it's taking much longer than I expected. Yuck. It is officially the never ending project. And I'm no where near done. Meanwhile, I have many many other responsibilities at work that I cannot neglect because of this project and everything is driving me nuts! So other than work, I found out over the weekend (July 4th) that my friend Tyler Goolsby died of a heart attack (well, cardiac arrest, which I assume is the same as a heart attack but I really am not sure). Tyler was one of my best friends when I worked at Pappa's during college. He was such a good person, always accepting and never had a mean or hateful thing to say about anyone. He was a very strong Christian, and in the last couple of years came out as gay. I think it was probably a very hard thing for him to do, but I hope, I believe, it made him really happy. So when I found out he died, I was very upset. I am very upset, still. It's just unbelievable when someone as young as Tyler (27) dies. It's too early, before his time here on earth should have been up. It's really tragic and this world is a less better place because he's not in it anymore. Tonight was his "visitation" before the funeral tomorrow. I did not attend. I will be going to the funeral.
This afternoon I got a call from my mom that Charlie (my step dad) was in the emergency room because he was having chest pain and pain and numbness in his arm. Talk about scary. So my friend just dies of a heart attack, and now my step dad is in the hospital in fear he's going to have a heart attack! Luckily his EKG and bloodwork came back ok, and they are doing a stress test tomorrow to see if they can see anything that we need to worry about. For now, he's fine. Thank the Lord.
So with all of the stress lately I have been eating HORRIBLY. I was supposed to go to Weight Watchers today to weigh in (yes, I do Weight Watchers and swear by it...currently lost 22 lbs and counting, I need to lose about 15-20 more). I did not have time to leave my desk! And tomorrow I can't weigh in because I'm going to Tyler's funeral. :( I HAVE to get back on track. Tonight I had McDonald's for dinner! McDONALDS! I can't even remember the last time I ate that wretched food, but I was hungry and didn't feel like dealing with eating healthy tonight. UGH! Maybe I'll try and find a meeting Saturday morning to weigh in at.
So I think I'm going to the funeral alone. :( There are two places you don't want to go to alone...weddings and funerals. But I guess when you're single and 27, you have to face the world alone sometimes. I told Alfonso that tonight and he said "Yeah, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Yay. I should be really strong by the time I'm 30! I just hope tomorrow I don't get extremely choked up (which I do a lot in these situations). Maybe I'll see someone there that I know and can sit with.
Well, I'm signing off for tonight. I didn't get home from the ER visiting Charlie until 8:30 and my poor little dog Molly (she's a Miniature Pinscher) has been alone all day. Need to spend some quality time and hit the sack. I've included a doggie pic.
G'night all!

Molly at Halloween 2007

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Sommer's First Blog

Hi everyone. I am Sommer. This is my first official blog on "blogger.com." I'm kind of excited to start this! Let me start by telling you about my life, and the most recent events in my life. I work and live in Houston, Texas. I LOVE Houston. I don't think I will ever leave (suburbs don't count as leaving). I live near the Galleria and West U. I love the area, but I am thinking of moving down to the 'burbs in November, when my apartment lease is up. The commute will not be fun, but I think it will be worth it to be closer to my family. But we'll see what I decide when November gets a little closer. Recently, I have celebrated my 27th birthday! Whew, it is scary to get older. Late twenties.....here I am. But it's ok. I'm embracing it...... :)

I have a great family! I am very close to my mom. My parents divorced when I was 23. Talk about a hard age to have to deal with that. They say it's hardest on young children, but when you're in your 20s you just don't think that will ever happen to your family. But it did. And I dealt with it. And now everything is great. My mom got remarried to a great man, who makes her so happy. And my dad is a completely different person, in a good way. I think he's found himself. I have a younger sister and brother. Melinda, my sister, who I absolutely adore, is four years younger than me. She has so much depth, and is kind of bohemian. She is into all things strange and taboo, but it makes her totally unique. She is not afraid to show anyone exactly who she is. I admire that about her. My brother is coming into his own. He is six years younger than me, and is into all things healthy, and has been for a long time. He's very into his physical fitness, and eating the right foods. He works extremely hard and has turned out to be a really great young man. I look forward to seeing him continue to grow and become the person he will be.

I have two friends who are the best friends I've ever had, and are my family also! Alfonso and I have known each other for about 10 years now. He is my reality check. He never has a problem telling me exactly how it is. He tells me when I'm wrong, which drives me absolutely insane but its something I need. He keeps me grounded, and makes me see the "other" side of things. He would also do anything in the world for me. He is truly my best friend. I know that no matter where I am or what's happening, I can count on him to be what I need. He is my family. Jennifer, my soul sister, my kindred spirit, I have known....gosh....since the 5th grade so going on 17 years now! Jennifer brings out the dreamer in me. She is the opposite of my reality check! When Jen and I get together, we talk for hours about our lives and futures, and our hopes and dreams. I can tell Jen anything, and she is always on my side. She never tells me I'm wrong! Which I love about her! I know when I need someone to support me, she is the person to call! We have so much history and have been through so many milestones of our lives. She is truly my sister. Bonded by time and nature.

I work for a small subsidiary of Stewart Title, called Stewart Financial Services. We offer accounting solutions to title insurance agencies across the country. My job at SFS is marketing. I am the manager over all of marketing for SFS. It's a really cool job, and I pretty much get creative reign over the marketing plans. Until this year, I did some traveling to different places throughout the U.S. to speak at seminars and promote our services. This year, unfortunately with the real estate market in its current state, our travel budget has pretty much diminished and I'm stuck in the office all of the time. Which isn't a bad thing, it's just nice to get some different scenery every once in a while!!

WOW, I've gone on for quite some time now! I think I'll wrap up my first blog and come back tomorrow to tell you more.
Goodnight! :)

Me and my dad on my 27th birthday



Me, my brother Michael, my mom and my sister Melinda

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