Back in the (Daily Food Tracker) Saddle

Oh my gosh, this week is crazy busy at work, plus I just started an anatomy and medical terminology class in the evenings two days a week for the next six weeks. Which coincides with the deadline for my major project almost exactly. GREAT. So if I am scarce for a while, my apologies. I can't do daily posts, but I will do some group ones, promise!

Last Friday:




Did I tell you guys I WON a JMS belt giveaway from Kimberly's Fab Finds Under $50 blog? I did, and here it is making its LFD debut. Thank you Kimberly, JMS and KMart for doing this giveaway; I love my new belt! it goes very well with this edgier look I have been sporting lately. I have several more ideas for it too.

This was semi-casual at the desk on Friday, so I went with pointed black flats from DSW, my Gap skinny pants, the ON "Breezy" blouse in grey dots, a taupe ON ruched V-neck long-sleeved tee worn backwards, and a triple-strand black bead necklace. It's one of those necklaces that I never seem to wear but when I do I wonder why I keep avoiding it.



Emily seemed to like it.

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Monday was cold and rainy, the kind of day where you want to snuggle into a cozy sweater and drink tea. I did the former, at least; unlike my sister, I am not a tea drinker. :)



This was the new sweater I got from Old Navy this weekend; it's a great thick knit, very soft. I kept the self belt this time but I can easily swap out my new rocker belt for a less-cozy look. I paired it with another new ON top (sleeveless with a sweet chiffon bow at the neckline), my NYDJ ponte skinnies, pewter mesh cuff from Banana Republic (Shopping Friend, do you still have yours in the silver version?) and an old pair of tweed flats I got from the Ann Taylor Factory store for about $10 several years ago. Again, another item that gets limited wear -- tweed flats are only wearable for about 3 weeks a year -- but when I wear them, they are just right for the occasion. Hard to let them go when they keep working, you know?



I am usually not a fan of black pants/white top/colored sweater, but the blue-purple is very understated in the sweater, and something about this just really clicked for me. It would not have had the same warmth for my skin tone with a colored or print top.

AND! I made lunch! In yet another lunch box that I own, LOL. (I have 3 types that I rotate depending on the foodstuffs. Or I just use a paper bag on the days I am on the run.)







Daily Food Tracker: Monday
Breakfast: Don't remember, LOL
Lunch: turkey sandwich with cheddar cheese and olive muffaletta on wheat
Snacks throughout the day: yogurt and blackberries and strawberries, homemade trail mix combo, fudgy brownie (the woman who passing them out had made them for celebrating finishing her radiation treatments. Please tell me how you would turn that down.)
Dinner: reheated lazy lasagna with turkey meatballs

That poor orange; I packed it two days in a row and never ate it. Oranges are hard to eat when you are in a conference room or someone else's office; they're so messy!

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Tuesday: Another rainy day, but I was at work from 8am-8pm so it was time to bust out my new leopard shoes!



The whole outfit was designed to highlight the shoes. And I got tons of compliments on them, as you can imagine. The ON cropped collarless denim jacket (now on sale at stores, grab it while you can!), cream Caslon camisole, black Target dress, black Vera Wang for Kohls leggings, and of course the Payless leopard wedges with red bows. I added the gold-brown long knotted necklace to bookend the color of the shoes, so they didn't get lost in a sea of black and kind of tied it all together.



Surprisingly, my feet were in pretty good shape by the end of the day, but they definitely aren't as comfortable as some of my other shoes. I think the black ones will be returned too, and I will keep looking for a different fall shoes. But the leopards are a keeper, for sure!


Daily Food Tracker: Tuesday
Breakfast: english muffin with light cream cheese and apple jelly
Lunch: spaghetti squash with homemade sauce and turkey meatballs, pomegranate yogurt
Dinner: Panera Pick Two: turkey artichoke panini and broccoli cheddar soup
Snack: toffee nut cookie from Panera

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I've got another early start today, so I am off. Before I do, here is a question for my readers: has anyone ever done a fall/winter CSA? (Especially anyone who lives in the snowy north.) Good experience, bad, so-so? I love fall veggies way more than summer ones, so this post has me thinking...I will check some of my local ones out. Might be worth it! And fall veggies do keep better, so there's no pressure to get it all eaten before they wilt...

Sugar Doll Award

I was given the Sugar Doll award by both Rad_in_Brooklyn, whose Cohabitating Closet has quickly become a daily destination for me, and Jane W at See Jane Remix, who is always full of enthusiasm and great perpective in her comments, and who doesn't give her own stylishness nearly enough credit. (You rock, Jane!) My photography blog, Kudzuplanet, also received this award from What I Would Have Worn, who is a fascinating woman expressing her love of fashion the only way she can these days. Since Kudzuplanet is mostly for my family to see what I am up to with my photos, I prefer to talk about the award over here (only my sister knows about this blog, haha). Thank you all very much, ladies!

Here’s how it works: After I tell you 10 things about myself, I’ll send the award to 10 fellow bloggers. Here are 10 (formerly) little-known facts about me:

1. I am hard of hearing (not deaf) and I wear hearing aids in both ears. I've always struggled to catch everything people say, but as I grew into adulthood it became progressively worse. It is genetic: my dad and youngest sister have hearing problems, although both deny it and refuse to wear aids. My hearing aids have made life easier in many ways, but I do still miss a lot of what is said. Thank God for closed-captioning and texting!

2. I have an uncanny knack in the mornings for getting stuck at the light at the train station just as a train is pulling in or out. My start time is different every day, but the train is always comin'.

3. I used to drink diet Coke all day long. About 10 years ago I knocked it back to two cups of coffee in the morning; now if I have any caffeine past 9am, I can't go to sleep that night.

4. I love the color yellow, in every hue except citron. I don't own nearly enough of it in my closet.

5. My first car was my parent's spare pickup truck. I would blast Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You" and seat-dance while I drove around with my girlfriends, sneaking cigarettes and laughing our heads off in that big ol' pickup. We thought we were so cool. Oh, 1986!

6. I love playing Monopoly and other games online with my nephews. And Mafia Wars on Facebook with my sister, and Farmville with my cousins and second cousins. I like playing games in general, and it's clearly a family passion.

7. My nickname at home is Boss of the Whole Wide World, and it should be the same at work, were we a nicknaming kind of company. It's not an incorrect epitaph; I am pretty darned bossy. But I wouldn't have to be if people would listen to me the first time I suggest something! I am right, darn it! :)

8. Peanut butter is the greatest foodstuff ever created. Cheese is right behind it on the list, followed by roasted Brussels sprouts, a good crab cake, Kraft mac'n'cheese, and a Tanqueray-and-tonic with fresh lime served by my husband to me on my back porch under the striped umbrella after a long work day.

9. When I turned 30, I suddenly decided I needed to have red hair. Dark, dark auburn red hair. The color refused to stay very long, and after less than a year I went back, but it was fun while it lasted. (I also looked EXACTLY like my sister. She is going to plotz when she sees these.)






(That might be my most favorite picture of me ever. Hubby makes me laugh a lot, and now he has proof that he does. I am going to try to scan it again and make it less dusty.)


10. I used to be able to sing. I had a nice soprano and sang in the choir in grade school and high school, but 20 years of smoking (I'm quit 5 years now!) took its toll; now I'm always offkey or flat, and Hubby has asked me more than once to please not sing along with the song in the car. Ooops. We used to tease my Granny because she would hum a tuneless tune under her breath all the time, and if we asked what she was humming, the song she named sounded nothing like her hum. I find myself doing my own tuneless tune now...but it sounds fine to me! I get it, Granny! :)

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I pass this award along to:
-Michelle at Eyeronic!
-Marianna at Absolutely Apple
-Legacy of Pearl
-Kari of In Kari's Wardrobe
-Helen of Doing a 180
-Kendra of From Tomboy to Fashionista
-Becky of Gilding the Frilly
-Goober
-Shelley of My Journey to Fit
-Taylor of Taylor Wears Everything

It was tough to pick just 10! All of these women have unique, strong voices; it is a pleasure to see the world from their perspective for a few minutes every day.

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Happy Easter to all who celebrate, and Happy Sunday to the rest of us. I am going to Einstein to get a yummy bagel, then heading into work for a couple of hours to catch up on stuff. Lots of deadlines coming due in the next two weeks!

My first award!

Awww, a very big thank you to What a Splurge, who gave me the lovely Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you, sweetie, I am so flattered and honored by the kind words you said about me. You are an enormous inspiration to me to continue on working on my eating, weight loss, and exercise. It's a journey for all of us, and I appreciate you reminding me of that every day.



The rules say I need to tell you 7 things about me:

1. I have kept an online journal since 2002. This is only my newest incarnation; the original is still going strong, although the topic has changed considerably over the years. But I could never leave there; the women on that site have been friends of mine for almost a decade. We crossed the line from online friends to real friends long ago.

2. I have been married 12 years, and we are childless by choice. Best two decisions I ever made.

3. I have to read every night before I fall asleep, even for just a few minutes. It can sometimes take me two weeks to finish a magazine that way. :)

4. I have owned a Chevy Malibu, two Saturns (an SL1 and a coupe), and a Honda CR-V in my life. But I still miss driving my parent's extra Chevy pickup from when I was a teenager.

5. I have never been to Disneyland or Disney World, and have no interest in doing so.

6. I bit my nails right up until I started getting manicures this year. Finally, my hands look pretty...just in time for them to start getting wrinkly.

7. You wouldn't know it from my closet, but I love the color pink.

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I am also supposed to nominate 7 other bloggers for this award, women who inspire and amuse me. My goodness, it was tough to narrow it down, especially since I couldn't pick What A Splurge, my obvious first choice. :)

My nominees are:

1. Chelsea at brightsidedweller. I love her flirty, pretty style; seeing her photos always makes me smile.

2. Danielle at Fell4Fashion. I look at Danielle's outfits and it is like a key fitting into a lock. Yes, YES, that's how I want to look every day.

3. Kari at In Kari's Wardrobe. I have so enjoyed watching Kari's style evolve over the last year, and knowing I have influenced a couple of those purchases. :) She has a great way of incorporating trendy pieces and making them her own.

4. Sheila at Ephemera. Sheila just ROCKS. She's cool, and enthusiastic, and gutsy, and manages to look so great AND walk a million miles to and from work every day.

5. Ana at The Math Fashionista. Ana, Ana, where have you gone? You are sorely missed.

6. Hillary at byHillary. She is hilarious and creative, and I loooooooove her red hair.

7. Michelle at All Lacquered Up. I so appreciate her fabulous nail color photographs and detailed descriptions. I am new to manicures but I love knowing I can find out about new colors, really see what they look like, before I spend the money on buying them.

Thanks to all the lovely blogs I enjoy reading; you guys make my days brighter, and I learn from each and every one of you.