Etc...Etc...Etc...

Man, it's been a busy week.  I've been gearing up for the cocktail party I'm hosting tomorrow night...lots of trips to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate and Barrel Outlet, Michaels, Marshalls, Dollar Tree, shopping for/buying/returning dresses to Nordstrom Rack...hours of looking up recipes, writing lists, shopping, hand washing and drying glassware...and on and on.

The girls are off today...apparently they only needed 3 days of education this week-first with MLK day Monday and now this teacher inservice.  At least it's giving me a head start on party prep...anything that can be made ahead of time will be.  I'm also dragging them along to Target for one last trip.  I still need to hit the liquor store, but I don't really think I should take them with me...just seems wrong!

Anyway...this week was spent diving out of my comfort zone...Tuesday I attended a game night where I only knew 2 other girls, and I hardly know those girls at all...have I mentioned that strangers are about the scariest thing on earth to me?  Turned out to be really fun, and another game night is planned for late February, and...I'm actually looking forward to it!

Wednesday night I babysat as usual...finished up my Bible study for Thursday morning, called my mom-it was her birthday (!!!) and watched a few episodes on Hulu.  Thursday is always busy...Bible study (I took snacks because the person on the schedule is no longer in the group) knocked out a bunch of grocery shopping and went to the "Singles Worship" night at church where I met up with the group of people that are involved with another new thing I'm helping with at church (which starts next Thursday night) and again--it didn't kill me to meet and interact with strangers...though I thought it might and mentioned it to Lucy earlier in the evening, to which she replied:

Don't worry Linsey, you are beautiful, smart, funny, can hold a conversation, and everyone loves you.  So, you aren't a good singer-just sing quietly...

Ahhhh...such wise words from such a sassy girl!  Thanks Lucy!

So, that brings us back to today...FINALLY FRIDAY!!!  Looking forward to some girls coming over tonight to decorate and set up as much as we can for the party...ordering burgers and planning on solving all the world's problems...or at least all the problems that can be solved by laughing, eating ice cream and spending time with good friends...so, yeah, pretty much everything should be ok in the world by the time you wake up tomorrow!

Pics of the cocktail party next week.

And if you're in the greater Chicago area and somehow missed the invite...all are welcome:

Saturday January 26th at 7:30pm
Dress to impress
Bring a bottle or app to share

Not comfortable posting my address...message me if you need it!

Happy weekend peeps!

Lins

Pinterest Thursday

Just a few things that stuck out to me this week:

It does make everything better!

And because I saw this and thought, "how creepy...I thought these guys were cute when they were younger?!  YIKES!!"

NKOTB

9 Days!!!

Hey guys, only 9 days left before the next challenge starts...we already have a few people stepping up to the plate and the prize pot is building!

Don't have a clue what I'm talking about?  Here are the details...

The Challenge will begin on February 1 and end March 31.

* Each day is worth 2 points

       * A "W" for working out (30+ min, elevating heart rate and breaking a sweat)

       * A "C" for staying within the calorie goal you set (I use this but you can use anything you want)

This is meant to help you reach your goals, so if you are on Weight Watchers for example, your "C" is earned from staying in your points.  If you are aiming for gluten free/dairy free or whatever else, your "C" is earned by following those guidelines.  Just be consistent throughout the entire challenge.  You set this goal people, make it work for you. If you need help/guidance or suggestions, please let me know and we can figure it out together!

* Only 5 workouts a week will be counted.  This is not meant to be an intense bootcamp, it's meant to setup a healthy lifestyle that will be maintainable forever.  We are not going for drastic here people, but healthy and sustainable.

* You'll log each day on a GoogleDoc I will set up once I have the names of everyone participating.  You'll need to send me your email address that you'll use to access GoogleDocs.  If this is sounding like crazy talk, I'll walk you through it one on one.

* At the end of every week, there will be a blank column for tracking weight loss/gain if you want to.  I do -1 if I lost 1pound that week, a -- if I broke even and a +1 if I gained one.  This is totally up to you and not necessary for participation in the challenge.

* I will tally points at the end of the first month so you can see your standings. 

* Prize money will be awarded as follows:

1st place: 50% of total

2nd place: 30% of total

3rd place: 20% of total

* The more people who join, the more money you can win...so get your friends, family and neighbors to sign up by February 1, and money to me by February 8th or you WILL be removed from the challenge.

* This is an "honor system" type thing...we trust that everyone is honestly counting calories and honestly tracking workouts.  If you aren't, that's between you and Jesus.  If you win, that's blood money  you'll be putting in your pockets, and if you're ok with that, then so be it :)

* I try to send an email every week with useful or encouraging articles, stats, etc.  If you want more support, I can meet up, chat, email one on one...I happen to have a wealth of health/fitness knowledge and am here to help.  Don't be afraid to ask!

Once you decide this is right for you:

* Email, text, message, call, or somehow let me know you want in

* Make sure your $20 (for the prize money) is to me by 2/8 (check, cash or Chase Quickpay)

Monday? Or Tuesday?

I know it's Tuesday already but since yesterday was a holiday and I didn't work, today still feels like a Monday...and what better way to kick it off than an old favorite...

Hope your Tuesday flies by without any of the regular "Monday" issues!

In Memory

Today we remember Martin Luther King Junior...a man who sought peace among neighbors, taught love and equality, all in the name of Jesus.  Here is his address at the march on Washington in 1963.

What are you doing to further peace in our society?

Menu 1/21-1/24

**I'll be using items I made ahead and froze...click here for that post.

January 21st-24th

Monday: Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Bacon Brussels Sprouts

The girls love this chicken...as I've mentioned before, I double the filling otherwise it's too much chicken to filling.  This is a new brussels sprouts recipe, I've never actually made brussels sprouts before but I do love eating them, hope the girls do too! 

Tuesday: Sausages, Mashed Pots, Corn/Peas

The girls love these thuringer sausages I get at the local meat market...Lincoln Quality...served with mashed pots and a frozen steamed corn/pea mixture.

Wednesday: Crock Pot Lasagna, Bread

I'll thaw one of my containers of sauce from the freezer the night before so I can skip that step during assembly.

Thursday: Dinner Out

We don't make it home after school on Thrusdays anymore because we don't have time after dance ends and swimming begins.  We'll be eating at Whole Foods, Epic Burger or Panera this night.

Grocery List:

Chicken breasts

Brussels sprouts

Bacon

Thuringers

Pots

Crusty bread

Ricotta

Spag Sauce (I use an additional jar of spag sauce when I'm assembling the lasagna as I make more layers than the recipe indicates and don't want it to be dry.)

Easy Money (it could be yours...)

Ok guys, here's the deal...I'm handing out money today...and not just a few bucks.  I'm handing out 220  of the US's finest dollars.

That's right people, three lucky peeps are going to be a bit richer today than they were yesterday.  The Challenge ended on Tuesday and it's time to reward all the hard work that went into the last three months.

The Challenge?  What is that? You're asking...well...let me tell you...

For the past three months, a group of people dedicated to improving their overall health and wellness has diligently logged gym time and focused on healthier eating.  One point is earned everyday a workout (30 minutes or more of exercise, elevating heart rate and causing a sweat) is logged and one point is earned each day for staying within a person's calorie goal.


It's not about who lost the most, it's about who was most dedicated.

And the winners are:

Rachel K with 168 points
Hannah T with 167 points
Beth I with 164 points

Rachel won half the pot, Hannah 30 percent and Beth 20 percent.  That's $110, $66, $44 respectively, people.

How can you get in on this?

Well, it's just your luck, we'll be starting round 2 of The Challenge on February 1.  Here's what you need to do:

* Email, text, message, call, or somehow let me know you want in
* Make sure your $20 (for the prize money) is to me by 2/8

That's it!

And here are the specifics on The Challenge...some changes from last time:

* Each day is worth 2 points
       * A "W" for working out (30+ min, elevating heart rate and breaking a sweat)
       * A "C" for staying within the calorie goal you set (I use this but you can use anything you want)

This is meant to help you reach your goals, so if you are on Weight Watchers for example, your "C" is earned from staying in your points.  If you are aiming for gluten free/dairy free or whatever else, your "C" is earned by following those guidelines.  Just be consistent throughout the entire challenge.  You set this goal people, make it work for you. If you need help/guidance or suggestions, please let me know and we can figure it out together!

* Only 5 workouts a week will be counted.  This is not meant to be an intense bootcamp, it's meant to setup a healthy lifestyle that will be maintainable forever.  We are not going for drastic here people, but healthy and sustainable.

* You'll log each day on a GoogleDoc I will set up once I have the names of everyone participating.  You'll need to send me your email address that you'll use to access GoogleDocs.  If this is sounding like crazy talk, I'll walk you through it one on one.

* At the end of every week, there will be a blank column for tracking weight loss/gain if you want to.  I do -1 if I lost 1pound that week, a -- if I broke even and a +1 if I gained one.  This is totally up to you and not necessary for participation in the challenge.

* I will tally points at the end of the first month so you can see your standings.  This Challenge will start February 1 and end March 31.

* Prize money will be awarded as follows:
1st place: 50% of total
2nd place: 30% of total
3rd place: 20% of total

* The more people who join, the more money you can win...so get your friends, family and neighbors to sign up by February 1, and money to me by February 8th or you WILL be removed from the challenge.

* This is an "honor system" type thing...we trust that everyone is honestly counting calories and honestly tracking workouts.  If you aren't, that's between you and Jesus.  If you win, that's blood money  you'll be putting in your pockets, and if you're ok with that, then so be it :)

* I try to send an email every week with useful or encouraging articles, stats, etc.  If you want more support, I can meet up, chat, email one on one...I happen to have a wealth of health/fitness knowledge and am here to help.  Don't be afraid to ask!

Spread the word, talk it up and get me your info...lets do this people!