5 movies and a lot of vino!

Everything is back in it's place today after a somewhat wild weekend.

Lots of laughter, some loud music, soaking up the sunshine on the back porch and having deep conversations over a bottle {or two} of wine....stuff that you can only do with the closest of friends.
This crumpled couch was filled with kids, adults, and the dog all weekend {notice I didn't mention hubby, he tried to stay far away all weekend, hee, hee}. The coffee table was piled high with glasses of wine, platters of cheese, crackers, hummus, cupcakes and candles.

My girlfriend Lisa came in from New York and we had a ball, like we always do when we get together. We tried to cram in as many movies as we could before the SAG awards Sunday night and ultimately the Oscars in February.

At least 20 candles were burning in the room during our movie fest/girls weekend in.

I had to get these cute World Market apothecary candles after Linsey showed us hers last week.
We burned up apple-tv and on-demand and managed to see the following movies in 2 short days:

Paranormal Activity 3 {please don't judge, we like ghost movies}

The Help

Bridesmaids

50/50
We had a delicious brunch at Brasserie 19 on Sunday then stopped by The Bird and The Bear for some prosecco on the patio. The weather in Houston was too dreamy to be sitting in a dark movie theatre but we did sneak out to see The Artist on Sunday and it was great!

Here's to long lasting friendships, entertaining movies, Houston sunshine and staying away from wine for a week or so, eek!

xo~
T

**final days for 30% off**

Hurry, there are only a few days remaining for the 30% off online deal at Francesca's Collections.

Promo Code: MORNING
Promo Discount: 30% off a single regular priced item & free standard shipping!
Promo Dates: 1/1/11-1/30/11
Promo Disclaimer: Online only. Cannot be combined with other discounts or promo codes. One time use. Gift cards & sale items are excluded

I've already piled a few things into my cart in prep for Valentine's Day. I usually wait until the last minute to throw something together for my little sweetheart, but am getting a leg up this year with the 30% off.

*For my little Valentine*



*For my big Valentine*

*For moi*

Head on over to Francesca's online now and use your 30% off before it ends on Tuesday!

Promo Code: MORNING

Promo Discount: 30% off a single regular priced item & free standard shipping! Promo Dates: 1/1/11-1/30/11

Promo Disclaimer: Online only. Cannot be combined with other discounts or promo codes. One time use. Gift cards & sale items are excluded

Happy shopping~

T

a fresh start

Getting serious about running over the past few years has really changed my mentality on eating. I invested so much time and energy into training for the marathon last year that I made a conscious effort to put the same energy into what I was fueling my body with. It was a necessary focus at the time, but I kept up with it for so many months that it's just become habit. I've always been a relatively healthy eater but processed foods were a big part of my diet. For the past year I've been able to stick to eating real, unprocessed foods about 90% of the time.

My mother in law is a wealth of knowledge regarding holistic health and nutrition and she's turned me on to so many secret ways to use foods and spices for overall health and beauty. While she was visiting over the Christmas holiday she told me about a juice blend that is recommended for cancer patients, but is something we should all drink every morning, as a fresh start to our day.

My beet, carrot and apple juice {I also added parsley, kale, celery and ginger} from this morning. Before drinking coffee or tea or anything else in the morning, drink this freshly juiced concoction within 30 minutes of preparation.

The recipe is one beet, one apple and three carrots.

Not having a juicer on hand, I started out making these using the food processor. As you can see below it's a thick mess, but it still tasted really good to me. I drank one of these every morning the week before the marathon.

I figured if I could stick with pulling out the food processor and cleaning everything up in the morning before I left for work each day for at least a few weeks, then I would look into buying a juicer. After reading about the benefits of the actual juice versus drinking the entire fruit and veggies, I knew I had to take the plunge and get a juicer.

I really wanted the stainless Breville Juicer but hubby happened to be out and about earlier this week and this was the only model he could find. The Jack LaLanne Power Juicer.

It's a big ugly beast, but it does the trick and best of all, it's super duper quiet, which is critical for the 5am juicing fest going on in my kitchen nowadays. ☺

I watched a few videos on how to use it and clean it etc, and I was a pro my first go round. Within just this first week I have so much energy and I'm able to think more clearly. Of course it could all be psychological but whatever, I know I'm putting something good into my body first thing every morning and I have so much more energy during my early morning runs.

There is so much info out there on the benefits of juicing so if you're interested in starting this yourself click here or here for more info. I'm not planning on doing any juice cleansing at all, but Sarah Britton has some great 'juice feasting' combinations over here.

Here's to starting fresh each and every day!

T

vintage fresh

Check out this fabulous townhome in Boerum Hill, New York. Filled with vintage pieces, but with a clean and airy feel.

If I could just crawl inside this picture below and vegetate for a few days I would!

Source: nytimes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: nytimes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: nytimes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: nytimes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: nytimes.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Funny, I wasn't able to save the images to my computer but was able to pin them, ha!

See the rest here.

xo~
T

Healthy snacking

I know it's not like me to post anything food related, much less food related creations of my own, BUT, we spent a few hours in the kitchen last weekend so I had to share it with you. Being in the habit of seeking out something sweet after every meal, I'm always in search of healthy alternatives for myself and my family. If I find a 6 month old candy bar in my desk drawer, it's down the hatch for me. I'll stop at nothing when I have a sugar craving!

Thanks again to the power of Pinterest, I found a recipe that I love, just by typing 'protein bars' into the search bar. The image above enticed me so I was sucked in even further ~ I was introduced to Hemp protein granola bars AND another great blog.

Image above and recipe pulled from Sarah Britton's site here. Sarah is a holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef and she explains the use of hemp protein powder in detail in her post here.

Hemp Protein Granola Bars
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (or any other nut)
1 cup dates, chopped (or any other dried fruit)
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup hemp protein powder
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup sunflower oil (or coconut, olive, walnut…)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
6 Tbsp. water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds and water together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients.
4. In a food processor or blender, mix bananas, oil, vanilla, and maple syrup (you can also just mash everything together with a fork). Add chia gel and pulse to mix. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
5. Spread the batter evenly into a baking pan (mine was 9" x 11"), and smooth out the top with the back of a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Let cool completely, store in airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for longer shelf life. You can also freeze these – take one out half an hour before you want a perfect snack!

My version of these protein packed treats is on the left. I deleted the dates and poppy seeds and used organic blue agave in place of the maple syrup. I added a small amount of raisins and used coconut oil instead of sunflower oil. I will be making these again, they are fabulous!

My little one loves spending time in the kitchen so we pulled out the easy bake oven and she made a few cakes and brownies all on her own {that's her brownie creation in the middle}.

The muffins on the right are wheat bran. I started with the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill Wheat Bran packaging, making a few changes to suit our taste.

Tricia’s wheat bran muffins:
• 2 Eggs beaten
• 1 cup 1/2 Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup Skim Milk
• 1/2 cup Organic Blue Agave
• 3/4 cup Organic sugar free Applesauce
• 2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
• 1 cup Wheat Bran

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, blend applesauce, milk, blue agave, oil and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tin (or paper muffin cups) and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

So there you have it, venture #1 into the kitchen thus far for 2012 (aside from our usual lunches and dinners of course)~ starting the year off with a bang! hee, hee

xo~
T

a little bling

I wanted a little something to commemorate my marathon finish . I spent a few weeks searching online for the perfect thing. With the help of everyone's favorite time sink obsession pinterest, I found Erica Sara Designs.

I wanted something small enough to wear every day and not worry about it tarnishing etc.

Here's an image of my marathon gift to myself. ☺

26.2 on the front....

...Tricia/ 1.8.12 on the back. Not only is Erica a talented designer of bling and a great business women {we emailed a few times throughout the week about the necklace design and she was very responsive AND I received my necklace within a week of ordering!}, she is a runner and a blogger as well. You can check out her blog here.

Thanks for my new race bling Erica~ I love it!

Happy Monday all~
T

{relax}

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Stéphanie on Pinterest

Source: studdedhearts.blogspot.com via Wynne on Pinterest

Source: 26.media.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'm going with it....

have a great weekend everyone!!

xo~

Tricia

WDW Marathon weekend

*******I did it********

Run 26.2 miles ~ check

The entire weekend couldn't have been more perfect. Gorgeous weather, fun travelling companions, and I managed to cross that finish line without any issues.

I had a leisurely day on Saturday, allowing my body to rest while getting mentally prepped for the big day. After picking up my race bib at the expo I met the family for lunch at Emeril's in Universal. The WDW Marathon Expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex {photo snapped right at opening so no crowds}.
An early dinner at our condo. My pre-marathon meal consisted of pasta, garlic bread, pizza, salad and beer. Carb loading was sure fun!

My gear ~ out and ready for the 2:45am wake up call!
Lights were out at 8:30pm on Saturday night, but my heart was beating so hard {major anxiety} I couldn't fall asleep until around 11pm. Here I am dressed and ready to roll at 3:20am. Hopeful that I have some adrenalin and juice left in me after all the worry and lack of sleep to actually move my legs back and forth for 26 miles! (That's one of several gu's peeking out of my top)
Hubby dropped me at the starting point at Epcot around 3:50am. We were directed to the starting chutes around 4:20am, where we waited...
....and waited~in the chilly temps under the full moon.

Just like I said in this post, I shivered and fidgeted the whole time. Sitting on the pavement from 4:20 to 5:45ish, meditating, breathing, and making small talk with those sitting nearby.
Each wave was introduced with fireworks and major hoopla from the Disney crew.
My wave {F}, was moved into starting position at 6am.
Here I am just before the fireworks send off at 6:05am. I took one of hubby's beat up old LS white tees to wear during this time, only to be stripped off and thrown in the pile with other discarded clothing at mile 6. We ran through Epcot, then over to Magic Kingdom. This photo was snapped at around 730am at mile 11 or so.

I felt incredible during the first half of the marathon. 13 miles I can handle pretty well in just over 2 hours time. The weather was perfect for running and it was such fun getting to run through Magic Kingdom before it opened to the public.
The run from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom was only 4 miles or so and it wasn't too bad. Entering into Animal Kingdom was my favorite. Disney cast members were standing at the entrance with a variety of rare birds, owls, and animals. I arrived just before 9am so there were lots of park visitors there to cheers us on AND I got to sneak a quick picture with Minnie Mouse (first pic in post) without having to wait.

Here I am in front of Mount Everest {another item on my bucket list} at about mile 16.

The stretch from Animal Kingdom to MGM Studios was the hardest. The bright sun was beating down and we were running on the highway for most of this 5 mile stretch. Once we hit MGM Studios we were at 22 miles, so only 4 to go!

This is me leaving MGM Studios.

The final 4 miles were tough, but thanks to a nice friend I met on the course {hey Kim from Greeley, Co!}, we helped each other keep running and cross that finish line, no walking peeps!

Crossing the finish line at 5 hours 11 mins and a big YAHOO! ☺

I truly didn't care about my time and figured I would finish right at the 5 hour mark, including the 4 potty stops and pictures in each park.

While the family made their way to me through the crowds, I sat happily on the ground and stretched, drank water, and texted the world that I had made it~ whew, what an experience.

We actually spent the remainder of the day hopping around between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. While the group rode rides, I mostly sat and rested my legs while people watching.

Our intentions were to stay for fireworks at Epcot that night but by 8pm we {ME} were so wiped out we had to get back and go to bed.

We were scheduled to fly home on Monday but due to severe storms and flooding in Houston we stayed through Tuesday.

The girls were SO excited to unpack our bags and head back out to the parks for an additional day of fun. We spent the day at Universal Orlando.

My legs were sore the first couple of days but getting out and walking felt good. I did schedule a sports therapy massage at a spa here in Houston this weekend so that will be nice.

The grand finale to our extended weekend in Orlando was poncho seating at the Blue Man Group show.

Such fun!

All in all, this was our best Orlando trip yet!

My final marathon thoughts are this;

for those of you who aspire to run {or walk} a full marathon someday, YOU CAN DO IT! With consistent training and the right mindset it is achievable. Going the path of running the half marathon first is the best bet. You see all walks of life out there running, all ages, all sizes, every physical condition you can imagine. It is such an interesting test on preparing your body for something that only your mind can really make happen.

I'm going to give my body (and mind) a break for awhile, but will stick with running two half marathons per year {Napa in July for sure}. I'm not sure if I'll run another full marathon again, but at least now I know I can do it.

Thanks to everyone for cheering me on last weekend. Now it's my turn to give back so I'll be up bright and early on Sunday to volunteer at the Houston Marathon. If you happen to be running, I'll be handing out water at the table right in front of West U Elementary on University Blvd.

Big hugs~

Tricia