Tea Baby

The truth is I LOVE tea.  All kinds.  I'm not a connoisseur...I just like to drink tea. I am not into all of the different types and methods and all that.  I turn on my teapot...then it starts screaming. I pour the water in the mug...add a nice tea bag, Splenda and wallah.  Tea baby!  Sometimes I add dairy depending on the type of tea Im drinking...whatever I have be it cream or milk.

So...here are my two favorites.

Bigelow Vanilla Chai - I slept on this because I try to act elitist sometimes and I was stuck on Trader Joe's Masala Chai.  But honestly...this helped me break my Starbucks Chai Latte addiction.  I can make it myself now...without the whipped cream and with Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup.  Less calories and less money out of my pocket!

My next love is the old trusty dependable Peppermint Tea.  It is so good.  I would bath in it...if I could get away with it.  But my husband would laugh me out of Nashville so I would never ever let that get past the idea stage in my mind.  Anyways I love it...with a packet of Splenda.

Visit http://www.teaamigos.com/daily-tea-reviews/tag/chai-tea for tea reviews! I love their blog!  Let it be known that I will drink any kind of Green tea...and I hate Chamomile (yuck).  

I'm going to get a cup now.  Chai....that it!

Ahhhhh

I'm just not ready to say how much I weigh on my blog.  I want to so badly but I'm just too embarrassed.  I will tell you that I have lost 19 pounds.  I was sooooo surprised.  I was expecting 5 or six from the last time I really weighed myself at the beginning of December.

This week  I was really committed to working out.  I have been doing Zumba for an hour and today I got on the elliptical when I dropped my husband off to play basketball at 5:30 am...BEFORE work this morning.  I have also been playing basketball with my students and dribbling around the gym.

I have not really changed my eating habits...but I have been eating a packet of oatmeal with a few walnuts and a drizzle of honey in the morning before I leave for work.  I have also been chugging water like I live in the desert!

So just wanted to share my good news.  I'm not going to weigh myself again for another two months.  Mostly because I don't want to focus on the number just how I feel and how my clothes are fitting.  When my skinny jeans are soggy...I will know I am heading in the right direction!

Hulu Voodoo

So...the tables have turned!

As long as I have known my husband and we have spent money together he has done the balancing.  I spend the money and he manages it.  I tell you...I was living the life!  So...he gets stressed and tells me that I need to do the balancing and paying of the bills so that I can understand and value our money more!

Let me tell ya!  I have gone crazy with power!

Muhaahaahaaha!

I hope i can do a good job, i really want to!  I know it seems so lame but I'm deriving great satisfaction from doing this!

Which brings me to this...

HULU is the bomb.  I'm so serious!  We wanted to cut down on our monthly expenses by fifty bucks a month so we had to either take the internet off of our blackberries OR go down to basic cable.  Well I cannot live without the internet on my phone nor can I part with blackberry messenger.  So the cable had to go.

Enter Hulu.  I have been able to watch Tough Love, and It's All About Pep.  I can't watch Keeping up With the Kardashians BUT I found House Husbands of Hollywood and that makes up for it.

Speaking of House Husbands. I wouldnt want one.  Mostly because I am a domestic diva and I'd hate for my husband to be all up in my domain and in my kitchen when I am trying to bake something!

Would you rather be a house wife OR have a house husband???

It's Chilly

So my husband got me to play World of Warcraft and I love it.  Its kind of embarrassing that I like it so much...but whatev I am kind of nerdish.  I know you are thinking, "Well Erica you don't look like a dweeb at all"....Well looks can be deceiving.  We are a family full of geeks...Mr. and Mrs. Clay I mean!

Anyways...I took a break from my sexy butt kicking character Zalei to cook dinner!

Chili anyone?  Ok how about cornbread...from scratch.  No Jiffy here. (I do not look my nose down on those who use it...)  So. Good.  Yum. I added a honey butter glaze to the top of the cornbread and it was perfect!

Anyways...

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a wonderful week!

Thanks In Advance

Dear God,

I know I said  I would wait on you and be patient.  I understand that your timing is perfect.  Lord give me the strength to be still.  I look forward to this special blessing and all it will bring to my existence, and I to it.

In the name of Jesus I Pray (with longing and great anticipation),

Amen

The Best I Ever Had

I was just perusing random new blogs and was reminded of something I saw Sunday night.  So JEWL posted about how her Sig was watching this show...that I too happened to be watching on Food Network.

Wait.  Stop.  Rewind.

We all know I am trying to lose weight.  Why pray tell...WHY...do I insist on watching The Food Network?  Why?  Is like trying to stab myself in the eye.  Fail.  Fail.  Fail.  Alot of the recipes actually suck.

But I digress.

So I had seen glimpses of this particular show and thought...wow I dont need to watch that...but I do.  So I after Tough Love on VH1 went off and nothing else was on...I tuned in to this show. It was awful and treacherous...and delicious and perfect...and wrong and heaven and hell...mostly heaven.

Yeah thats what its called.  The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  It has all the Food Network Personalities and Chefs talking about...well the best thing they have ever eaten.  And they had categories like - pizza, barbecue, sweets...etc etc etc.  The thing is it came on back to back for three hours.

I watched all three hours.  It was as close as I could get to all that awesomeness and not eat it.  It was a gift...and a curse.

Why do I constantly think about food?  Besides the fact that I watch Food Network and surf the net for recipes and food blogs...I really LOVE food.  In fact I am addicted to food and I know this.  Wait a minute Im rambling.  Get to the point Erica.

The point is.  This show is ridiculous.  Why should I care what the best thing they ever ate is...I dont even know them.  More importantly them saying what I should eat when I go to a particular city and dine out and whats best doesnt hold merrit just because they are on television.  I want to hear what real everyday people think!  Whats the best thing you ever ate?  

By the way if you have time to waste go on over to...Food Network Humor.  This site is HILARIOUS!   Its all about mocking The Food Network.  Because we all know even though we love the "food" the personalities are something all together different.  i.e. Rachael Ray and her irritating laugh...the way she says EVOO...acts like garlic simmering in butter is the closest she has been to being aroused in a lifetime...etc.etc.etc. So yeah go check it out...

Happy New Year

I wish you all lots of cuteness in 2010!!!  I have so much planned for next year...Im actually really ready to get  started.  One day at a time though.

Here is a pic of Mr. and Mrs. QSPN on New Years.  We brought in 2010 at our church of course...Pathway Christian Center!

So I don't do New Year Resolutions.  I dont believe in them.  It is always a set up for me to let myself down.  Rather I just start doing out of the blue.  I have been talking about running but I only ran like five times then I stopped working out regularly all together.  Which I do need to work on...but  I WILL work on it and take things one day at a time. I'm committed to that.

I started a diet but then the holidays came.  I mean my mother in law was in town and she made Strawberry Cobbler...Yeast Rolls and Dressing.  I mean come on. STRAWBERRY COBBLER!!!

But I dont feel bad about making the choice to eat those things.  I feel strong in that decision...and even stronger in my decision to choose something else. Which is to go back to my low carb way of eating, I mean I had so much more energy and was a lot happier.  And while all those carbs tasted so good while I was eating them, there is no denying how I felt physically a little while later.  Which is why I welcome my bacon and eggs for breakfast with open arms!

No matter what happens...I will not live in guilt and shame.  I will move forward and be content with who I am knowing that this awesome woman is shaping the even more awesome woman I will be in the future!!!

Signing off...May the Cute be with you!