Sunday, December 23, 2012

2013 Outlook

Like everyone else .. at years end .. well .. I start to look ahead.  But first must look back on the year that was.  At the end of 2011, I did a post just like this one.  One with goals, distances, miles run, times, etc.  Not even gonna take the time to look it up.

I'm sure there where goals met.  Ones that came up short.  And others that were modified as time went on.  Things change.  People change.  We grow and evolve every single day.  Part of life is adapting with the ebb and flow of life. 

In 2012, I was really effected by all the news stories concerning runners.  Mainly the abductions and murders.  They should effect all of us.  I did a lot of things to keep myself safe before.  But now so even more.  My Sister-in-law had a life changing/saving liver transplant.  And came out on the other side great.  My kiddos demanded my attention by asking me to not be on the computer as much.  There were many other things in 2012 but those items stuck out.   

So going into 2013, I could do the same type of post.  Make another list of races, miles, and workout desires.  But I'm not going to.  Looking at it as part of the growth and adapting part of life.  Will those things play a major part of my life?  Well .. YES!  But not my main focus. 


2013 is going to be about dream, hope, faith, peace, and joy.  
 
Dream = following my dreams.  Teaching my children that you can make your dreams a reality with hard work and dedication.
 
Hope = my hope for a brighter future. 
 
Faith = reassuring my faith in my fellow man.
 
Peace = finding peace of mind in all situations. 
 
Joy = living each and every single day with joy. 
 
 
The year 2013 equals ..........
 
Less  FACEBOOK ... I will maintain my page.  Bringing more in the lines of food and exercise information BUT not while my family is home.  My time will be devoted to them. 
 
MORE face to face contact.  It is time that some relationships get repaired. 
 
LESS worry about times and distances.  Just enjoying the workout process and improving without worry.
 
MORE quality time with my loved ones.  Life is short! 
 
MORE lunches and dinners with friends, family, and acquaintances.  
 
MORE getting to really know people. 
 
MORE time training our dog.  Walking.  Running. And in general entertaining the poor guy! 
 
MORE finding my spiritual center. 
 
MORE emotional work. 
 
MORE reading! 
 
MORE blogs! 
 
LESS excuses. 
 
Basically 2013 is about me reconnecting and committing myself to my life.  Nurturing the relationships in it.  Getting out more.  And just generally living my life! 
 
 


Monday, December 17, 2012

Dressing my house (breast issues) .....

I know most of us suffer from clothing frustration.  Sometimes it just drives me crazy!  Now before I start it should be noted that I can be pretty open and honest about things.  This will be one of them.  So unless you are willing to deal with the good, bad, and ugly mental pictures that will form while reading ... I would back away from todays post!  I'm gonna be honest and open. 

Over the past several years, I have worked hard to change my mind, body, and spirit.  Working my butt off!  Literally and figuratively to be quite honest.  I have always been a "big girl".  Now everyone has there own definition of "big girl".  To me it is not fat.  Not overweight.  Not chubby.  To me it is just my build.  I am not a lady with a small frame.  Hourglass figure.  Thin fingers.  Slim legs.  Proportioned chest.  And the list could go on.  I have always said "I rock the rectangle"! 

I've always had broad shoulders.  Large frame.  Heavy strong legs.  No defined waist.  Flat chest.  And as some have said "big boned".  Never quite understood that term.  But hey, it made them feel good.  I accept my body.  I love my shoulders.  They are a hanger for my world.  My chest is my chest.  Let's just say many of my family members were blessed more than me.  My frame is my frame.  It comes from a blending of the Julia/Kuhar and Dallas/Grimm genes.  It is what I was meant to have.  My body is what I was meant to have.  It is my house.  My only house.  It is my job to take care of it. 

But having nice "window dressing" is always good.  I've always struggled to find nice "window dressing" for my house.  One would have thought slowly transforming their body would have made the search easier.  NOT SO MUCH!  I live in a family where "ample bosoms" are somewhat prevalent.  We are talking D's and up.  I maxed out at a B-.  Some what of an underachiever .. I guess.  LOL!  It honestly never bothered me.  I have what I was meant to have.  Then when I was pregnant all my friends would talk about how big they got.  Growing from B to C or A to D.  I didn' grow a centimeter.  Literally!  No biggie!  What I am supposed to have!  After having both of  my children and breastfeeding.  Who knew those little suckers could head south so quickly?! 

Seriously!  I have friends who refer to their girls as "fun bags"..... never felt the need to name mine anything.  But if I had to they would have been "sandwich bags of fun".  When I started my journey, I was a B-.  I went for a professional bra fitting.  And there were times a good quality B could fit like a glove.  I found my brand.  Warner.  Loved one particular style.  It was for me.  Oh, I should mention that my band with was a 40.  Most makers think if your bandwidth is 40 that you don't wear a B.  Only women with "fun bags" wear 40 or up bandwidths. 

Over the years, I have worked hard to change and shape my body.  I have worked hard to get my body healthy.  I am working hard to get my body in shape.  Well with all that work comes changes.  And just like everyone else .. changes come from the places you need least first.  Over the past year, with all the chest work, running, Body Pump, and now Crossfit type workout ... well ... my chest has all but disappeared.  For months, I have worn a compression garment over my bra to make it fit.  I can literally place my fist in my bra cup while wearing it and you can't tell.  Well other than seeing my arm up my shirt!  LOL  And I wear a sports bra quite often just because it fits.  SAD!   

I decided Friday that this was the day.  I didn't want to go out for a bra fitting just yet.  That will come after the holidays.  But my thought was that each month I take measurements and my bandwidth has went down.  So, maybe I can find something for the next month to tide me over.  I ventured out to our local shopping area.  There is a WalMart, KMart, and JCPenneys.  My thought was between them maybe I would find something tolerable.  I went in knowing that I needed to focus on the "best grade there is"!  An A.  Yes, at 40 years old .... I am back to an A cup.  WTH!  WalMart was up in the first slot!  To my dismay .. they do not carry any undergarments in a 38A.  Only "fun bag" woman wear 38 band width and up!  Off to Kmart!  Exact same story.  Off to JCPenneys!

Last hope!  I looked.  I searched.  I found on the clearance rack on lonely WHITE 38A!  $10.00.  I snatched that baby up and ran to the fitting room.  I stood there in disbelief that 1. they had a 38A and 2. that I was excited to try on a 38A.  I removed my support top and bra.  And quickly tried it on.  Can I ask a question?  Be honest?  Have you ever literally cried real tears in a dressing room?  I did.  I did because .. well .. the A was too big.  I stood there looking at myself in the mirror.  Looking at my shoulders.  Arms.  Stomach.  Chest.  All showing the beginnings of definition from my many months and countless hours of work.  I looked at my chest and saw my pectoral muscles.  Yes, you can see them.  Watching them ripple and move as I moved my arms. Thinking about my kids asking me to do the "pec pop of love". 

I realized that this was my body.  There in that mirror.  Was my well rounded shoulders.  My ever changing arms.  My "flattening" stomach.  And right there smack dab in the middle is what remains of my breasts.  Tracing my hand down from my collar bone.  Over the muscle.  Into the indentation after it.  And then down to the .. what can only be described in my mind as 1/2 cup of breast that is hanging on each side of my chest.  Amounting to no more than a deflated snack bag with a nipple on the end.  I cried tears.  Real heart felt tears.  As I am right now.  Here I stand as a 40 year old
woman .. 39 till May .. thinking about trying to find a training bra to wear.  Are you kidding me?

I wiped my tears.  Cleaned myself up.  Dressed.  Left the dressing room.  And headed to the register.  It may have been big but not nearly as big as my B's.  I brought it home.  I got it out.  I looked in the mirror.  My hubby knew something was up.  I put on my new A bra that is too big....I did try on another brand and yes an A cup is too big.  I looked at him and proclaimed that this is my body.  These are my sad pathetic little breasts.  They have nursed our two children.  They have shriveled and all but disappeared.  As I stood there in the mirror .. I realized something.  I have ever right to hate them. 

I accept my body for what it is.  But I do not have to love every single aspect of it.  There are those that I follow that preach about accepting each and every single figure flaw and loving your body.  Just because I hate my breasts doesn't mean I hate my body.  I love my body!  If I didn't I wouldn't do all the "maintenance" that I do!  I looked at my husband and cried again.  I told him that it is a sad day when you realize finding a bra is hard.  And that I can only imagine what trying to find a training bra or 38 A-- for a 40 year old is gonna be like. 

Anyone know where I can get a good training bra?  Seriously.......................................... 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas

For years my Momma has been eating these little weird shaped beans on her salad.  Honestly....I just never got it.  They never appealed to me.  At all.  Nadda.  Bleck.  But as time has passed and my eating habits have changed they have entered into the Brereton family menu on an occasion or two. 

The kiddos love bean and veggie burgers.  And this bean has become our binding agent for what ever veggie we want to throw in the food processor.  Back to this use of them!  I've read for over a year about people roasting them.  Okay.  Honestly.  Does that sound YUMMY?!  My thought was not at all but I still wanted to give them a try.  I live by .... how can you say you don't like something if you have never tried it. 

I pulled out one of my trusty cans of garbanzo beans.  Drained and rinsed them off.  Placed them on  paper towel to dry a little ..... they sat there a while!  I ended up eating lunch.  Placed them on a cookie sheet.  Spritzed them with EVOO.  Sprinkled with a little pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Placed them in the oven at 375* for what ended up being 40 minutes.  I did review a recipe or two and most listed cook time as 45 mins to 1 hour.  All of our ovens are different.  Please keep an eye on them.  At 40 minutes...well...we had some really brown ones. 

Pulled them out of the oven.  And here is what we got...........................................................


I like 'em!  My kiddos like 'em!  My hubby likes 'em!  I can really see using them as a crunchy salad topping.  Or placing in serving size bags and taking along as a snack.  I do recommend shaking the pan or turning them while in the oven at least once.  And will admit that some are crunchy and some are a little softer but still crunchy.  If that makes sense.  I'm looking forward to trying them again using different seasonings.  Being creative! 

If you decide to give them a try ... let me know what you think! 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Maple and Brown Sugar Crock Pot Oatmeal

Some of you might remember how much I loved the Baked Apple Pie steel cut crock pot oatmeal.  Variety is always kinda nice!  Last night ... I scoured the Internet.  Reading recipe sites.  I found that most recipes are the same with just a few variations.  Truthfully .. who doesn't like to make their own little variations? 

I came across Maple Brown Sugar Steel Cut Crock Pot Oatmeal.  I'm a fan of maple syrup and raisins in my regular oatmeal.  This sounded good!  I will list the recipe as I found it first and afterwards list as I made it.  And also list any future substitutions.  First let me start with steel cut oats.  Some people are not fans of it.  It does taste slightly different than regular oatmeal.  So, I suggest purchasing a cheaper brand at first to try.  Not that I'm bashing Quaker, Red Mill, or any of them but $6.00 plus dollars for a box of oats you may not like .. well .. pretty much sucks.  Aldis sells them.  And I have been purchasing mine at Big Lots.  My choice is Whites Irish Oatmeal Steel Cut Oats for $3.00 a box.  Again that is only my recommendation! 

Here is the recipe as it was written:

Maple and Brown Sugar Crock pot Oatmeal
 
2 tbsp real maple syrup
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 to 1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter

Spray crock pot with non-stick before hand.  Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 5 to 6 hours. 


Before! 

After! 

I didn't write down the site that I found this on.  BAD JEN!  I knew all the ingredients were on hand so I was excited. 

Here is what I did:

2 tbsp sugar free maple syrup
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats
3 tbsp homemade organic brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon

I put mine in a bowl.  Place the bowl in the crock pot and surrounded with water.  Put on low around 11 pm and let cook all night.  Bottom was a little done but still 100% fine.  I don't like real maple syrup.  Tried many brands .... not happening.  Sugar free maple syrup is my one vice.  And I didn't get what the butter was for.  My version made 5 cups that come out to 223 calories and 4 grams fat.  If you omit the raisins it would be 171 calories. 

Next time around ... I will be taking the milk down to one cup and the water up to 2 cups.  Also, the raisins will not be added.  I don't like reconstituted grapes that are little hot balls.  I will just sprinkle them on top in the bowl.  Again, this can be reheated in the oven quickly.  I'm sure you can use the microwave if you have one.....which I don't. 

Let me know if you give them a try!