Thursday, December 22, 2011

skip the granola

not really seeing the results and i know that i am the only one to blame.  I have been cheating.  We went to my folks last night for Hannukah and i ate beef brisket with gravy, latkes with applesauce and sour cream, greenbeans in butter, carrots and sweet potatoes with sugar and a rum and ginger beer.  oh! and the piece of cheesecake....anyway, it's my fault.
so instead of beating myself up I am just getting back on track.  today, i skipped the granola on the greek yogurt and just sprinkled some cinnamon.  going to have a shake for lunch instead of my usual steak and lettuce salad, cause i just want to eat it all.
Up the water intake, decrease the food intake.  rinse and repeat. 
carry on...

Monday, December 19, 2011

the weekend: eat, drink, barf, drink more water.

well the weekend mornings were great!  stayed on the shake and supplements, no problem.  even kept up the water intake on saturday.


then we went to a thanksgiving re-do holiday party on saturday night.  i ate a bunch of different stuff (honey baked ham, green bean casserole, desserts, booze, dips, etc).  i brought some artichoke-diced chile dip with reduced fat wheat thins.  the dip was made with fat-free cream cheese and fat free mayo, so not horrible.


i drank a lot of moonshine too.  how do you even find a calorie intake for homemade hooch?  anyway...then at about 4am, i woke up and barfed, brushed my teeth, went right back to bed.


how do i figure that in to the intake?
did i barf up half of what i ate and drank?  a quarter?
so i didn't track saturday after about 4pm.  no use.


back on track today and figuring out what to eat for lunch :)

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Day Two (Officially)

So far so good.  Yesterday I stayed on task, took my supplements, stayed within my calorie/protein/fat/carb intake.  Drinking 8 cups of water a day and not feeling hungy at all.  I am supposed to be drinking protein shakes for breakfast and lunch but yesterday I just had to have real, dead food.  So I split my lunch salad from Tender Greens into lunch and dinner.  

Had to make the kids and man a different dinner but it was cool with me eating my salad.  It's all based on my attitude.  I don't make a big deal out of it and so it's not a big deal. We all still sit at the table and have dinner together, which is the most important part for sure.

I must thank Crystal Light, for without it, I would NOT be able to drink this much water.  Sorry plain water, nothing against you, you just get pretty fucking boring after the first bottle.  Thanks to my friend, Crystal Light, you can taste like Fruit Punch, Orange, Pomegranate Cherry or Green Tea, therefore making you consumable in much larger quantities.  

Just need to figure out what to make for dinner tonight so that I can stay on task and my family can eat like normal.  I am guessing a baked chicken, veggies and some kind of starch that I will not be eating :)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Already blew my calorie count and it wasn't even mid-afternoon...

I guess my mistake was two-fold today.

One:  I used two scoops of protein powder in my juice this morning instead of one.  Breakfast was about 600 calories - bad.
Two  I ate the whole salad from Tender Greens, which I should have split up into two and eaten the rest for dinner.  Lunch was about 700 calories.

But I think that my biggest issue is my coffee creamer.  I use ALOT of it and it has a LOT of calories.  Sugar-free creamer-here I come!

All in all, I can't complain about the day though. Stayed on track with water consumption, so that's a plus.

And all of my Herbalife stuff (protein powder, supplements, vitamins, etc.) came in the mail today.  So, actually, tomorrow is my first OFFICIAL day therefore today doesn't count.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Day One Food

So I think the biggest thing that I am learning is that I wasn't eating ENOUGH.  That's right people.  I was only eating three times a day along with a couple cookies and three thousand cups of espresso with creamer.  So I should be eating five times a day and eating smaller portions.  And more WATER.  Much more water.

Today I had a protein shake for breakfast at about 7am
Greek Vanilla Yogurt with a handful of granola at 10am
Mixed greens, feta, strawberry, walnut and chicken salad at 12pm
And now I am snacking on exactly 24 raw almonds.  Not 25, 24, get it straight.

In the meantime, I have only had two cups (really 16oz cups) of coffee/espresso today instead of my usual five or six.  Strangely I feel less jittery, SHOCKING!  And I have substituted the coffee for water.  Three bottles (16.9 oz) of water to be exact.  Plus one cup green tea, which I have been told to drink by my new nutritionist.

All I got to say is what is for dinner?  Wishing it was buscuits and gravy but we know that ain't what's happenin' at my house....probably the rest of my salad from lunch.

I gotta say it's weird to say that.  I usually would eat the whole salad.  But now I have broken it down into two meals and I think that's just dandy, thank you.

Thank you to everyone's support...it helps to tell people what you are doing so that you keep to it.  Being accountable.

Cheers for now!

<3 Brin

I am overweight and I am doing something about it.

I have never been a small girl, ever.  I was 5'10" by the time I was in tenth grade and towered over just about every boy in school.  My usual weight is about 155-160 at its best.  I now weigh 170 pounds and do not fit into most of my clothes.

Excuses I could give you as to why I have gained weight:

1.  I had shoulder surgery in September and I have been less active
2.  I used to go rollerskating for a couple hours at least one night a week.  Now I spend that night at a friend's house eating massive amounts of food.
3.  I don't make time to exercise.
4.  I like eating, a lot.
5.  I am 39 and my metabolism has slowed down.

The truth of the matter is that I am lazy AND like to eat.  

I don't like myself naked anymore.  I don't like the way clothes look on me.  I can't take it anymore.

Today I am starting to take control of this situation.  I am on a path to better eating, smarter eating and looking better.  And whether you like it or not, I am sharing my path to getting my body back!  

I called my friend Krissy Krash, from the LA Derby Dolls last week.  She is a trainer and she has her own business called Active Nutrition, working with a company called Herbalife.  She has taken this career and her love and passion for roller derby and started a program for skaters called Derbalife.  She is changing lives and bodies all over the place.  
www.ichange.com/user/krissykrash - register for free and learn how to reach your goals through good nutrition!
http://hotterinyourhotpants.wordpress.com/
Got questions about fitness, nutrition, derbalife, life? Ask me here!http://formspring.me/KrissyKrash
✖ ☠✖ www.twitter.com/Krissy_Krash ✖ ☠ ✖
www.shopherbalife.com/krissykrash
✖ ☠ ✖
She is going to help me.  So here we go....

As of last night here are my measurements:
Bust 42"
Waist 32"
Hips 43"
Arms 12"
Thighs 25"

I am not sure how this is going to work but I will be chronicling my journey to a better, hotter body.  


better at blogging...

here's today's confession...i wish i was better at blogging.  the actual act of doing it...actually sitting down and typing words that may interest someone.

SO, although this whole thing was supposed to be about helping promote my store on Etsy and networking and making connections, I am shifting gears.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Recycled Thank You Notes

Each and every order I sent out for Etsy has a handwritten "thank you" note.  I think it's classy and I would appreciate it.  I had two orders to send out today and realized that I was out of note cards BUT I had a bunch of cool envelopes without notecards.  So I decided to recycle the envelopes and make them into Thank You cards.  I think they turned out pretty good.


Have a rad day!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Just got a TON of new PATTERNS

I am crazy about patterns.  I just bought another huge group of them and I can't wait to start sifting through them.


call me crazy but i can't wait to get started!  there are patterns from the 50's, 60's and newer with some cool Western styles as well. Stay tuned for new listings!  have a super rad day 'cause i am!

Friday, July 29, 2011

I just got a rad batch of vintage patterns in the mail!!  OMG!!  I am out of my mind!  Lots of pieces to count and match up but that's the fun part!  I especially like it when I find out that they are UNCUT and unused.  I wonder if there is a term for people that like paper goods.  I would be that person.  

I am fascinated by any old paper pieces.  I found the original final inspection record for my house from 1958.  I love to see the handwriting and see that it survived.  Paper is so fragile and yet, 53 years later there it is.  A record of a time long past.  It's very cool.

ANYWAY, back to my scoring.  



Here's an overall shot but I have some favorites already!


And this little number is so cute with the matching skirt!


So give me a few days to sort through it all!  Have a great weekend!

New Patterns Going Up today



So I scored some patterns over the weekend and have finally sorted through them, matching and counting pieces. The cool thing is some of them are completely unfolded and uncut. Somehow, someone bought these almost 50 years ago. They never even opened them much less make them. I like that. So now, whomever buys it will be the first one to use it even though it's 50-60 years old.

So, all you people who are not following me, here's some pics of what I got coming up!

A super cute pant suit from the 40's!



Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cold Beer, Warm Iron


I am getting so excited about going to King of Clubs at Barona this weekend. This will be the first time Andrew and I will have a vendor booth EVER.

I have been so nervous about having everything we need ready and together (tables, bags for patterns, price tags, a money box, change....the list goes on). But now that a trip to Home Depot and Target cleared that list it's on to new lists.

I have been ironing vintage aprons, sewing Virgin of Guadalupe pillows, packaging patterns, pricing and sizing, making an inventory list, etc. But it's so much fun. I should be dead-ass tired by now but somehow I am still going strong. It's awesome.

The best part is that we thought we would be taking the kids with us. A bunch of friends are camping overnight Saturday at the Speedway and we weren't going to with the kids. But my mom and dad had a scheduling issue with the weekend they were supposed to take them and so now they have them this weekend! Hello Air Mattress and Camping! I have missed you!

I can't wait for work to be over tomorrow...after I make business cards and size dividers for the patterns. :)

Off to more stuff. Love Life. <3

Monday, July 11, 2011

New Treasuries and Items

Just did a new treasury. I am fascinated by these vintage lady head vases I came across. So I created a whole treasury of them! Click on the link below to see them. Warning: Content could be addictive!


Thanks!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Etsy Store in Full Force

So you may or may not know but i started an Etsy store awhile back.


Things started slow with a few vintage patterns. Now my inventory has grown and so have the variety of items offered for sale.

For one, I have added a new section for Custom Pinstriped Pieces. They are hand painted by my boyfriend, Andrew Gill. He has been pinstriping for a year or so now. He does purses, shoes, flasks, pint glasses, cars, motorcycles, bikes and whatever else you can think of.

Then, we changed the name from Know Your Flo to Kooter & Flo's. It's a team effort!

Next, I have added vintage shoes and clothing and knick knacks. I hope that the diversity of stuff for sale will expand my customer base and get our name out there.

In the meantime, i will be blogging about any new stuff we post or stuff that is coming out soon.

Thanks and talk to you soon!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Heart Treasury on Etsy!

I made a cute heart Treasury on Etsy today with all of my favorites!