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Off to Blissdom!

It’s that time again – seeing some of my favorite people, staying in a fun hotel, and making lots of NEW friends!

How likely is it I’ll be posting while I’m gone – slim to none…(hey, just being realistic)

But I will be posting on Instagram – you can find me here – Chicky’s Instagram.

If I was smart I’d figure out a way to blog from Instagram. I believe there is a way – I just haven’t figured it out yet…

Speaking of iphone artistry, I’ve found a few new apps you might want to check out!

Wood Camera – easy to use, great filters, and you can see what your photo will look like BEFORE you take the picture!

8mm – AMAZING video app – the oscar nominated film “looking for sugarman” was filmed on it! You can get all these fun vintage film looking effects.

Toon Camera – turn your images and videos into animation!

Miniature Cam – fun tilt shift effects (where real life things look miniature)

If I see you at Blissdom, HI! If not, I’ll be back here NEXT Monday for sure…who knows maybe sooner!!

My favorite Pandora stations

Chicky Loves

Cause if I have to listen to “Call me maybe” one more time I might kill myself…

Mindy Gledhill – the kind of music you listen to alone or with a girlfriend – it’s the musical equivalent of glitter – girly, light, and oh-so-addictive…
Beatles Radio – Duh…
Undercover Angel – the cheesiest, sappiest, AWESOMEST 70’s AM music…
Rick Astley – so you can RickRoll all day long
Tiny Dancer – great 70’s soft rock…if you loved “Almost Famous”, you’ll love this.
The Stylistics – when dancing guys with matching leisure suits ruled the airwaves
Seth MacFarlane – believe it or not, this station plays big band music!
Victorious – kid/tween/teen radio you won’t gag on
Glee – again…DUH
The Dan Band – not kid friendly, or office friendly, but pretty funny

Thanks to Jill for the inspiration – and the new stations to follow! Check out her choices for the Top Ten Awesome Pandora Stations.

What are YOUR go-to Pandora Stations??

Fab Friday – my new fitness partner…

Chicky Loves

Welcome Friday!

Today’s fab Friday is all about health and taking care of myself – including my new fitness partner Sherry! I met Sherry last year at Blissdom and we bonded instantly. She is smart, kind, and the perfect partner (in crime!). I noticed that she posted about her weight and that her weight and mine were virtually the same (she is wayyy more forthcoming than me, so if you’re curious go see her 😉 ) – cant think of a better sign than that! She wrote a FAB post today – go visit and say hi!
17 day diet – not only is it practical for me I know people who have gotten great results. I also suspect I may have issues with dairy or gluten/white flour, so this will help me figure that out. It was surprisingly easy to stock up on the food necessary, and it’s been fun to figure out new ways to eat familiar foods!
Fitbit – this is more than a pedometer – it measures steps and miles, and even how many stairs you climb! It also monitors your sleep and how many times you awaken. There is an app for your phone that keeps track of all your statistics, and let’s you track food/calories, and your weight – it’s like having a fitness coach/nutritionist clipped to your clothes!
Greek yogurt – it’s become my favorite breakfast! I mix plain (I know, stay with me) Greek yogurt with FROZEN fruit – pineapple, raspberries or mango. I either mix in as is for a frosty treat or I thaw it a bit and blend it in a magic bullet and stir in. It’s definitely helped curb any sweet cravings I’ve had. The pineapple is especially sweet.
Audible * – audio books have become my lifeline for keeping my mind occupied while I walk. I’m not logging great distances yet…baby steps! My favorites lately have been “Wife 22”, “I’ve got your number”, “The Help” and “Julie and Julia”. It’s also become my favorite way to make housecleaning not-so-dreary…

I hope you share what’s FAB with you in the comments – in the next few weeks I have new makeup finds, music, and my cookbook obsession!

* NOT an affiliate link 🙂

Happy New Year!

...the kitchen sink, Etc...

What – almost three weeks late? No matter, it’s still a new year!

I am happy to say that I am officially kidney stone free. It only took 6 months to get there, 2 attempted surgeries, 2 successful surgeries, and a whole lotta medicines. SO now I am on a (semi) health kick. Don’t worry, I won’t be doing anything TOO radical. I have been reading books, posts and magazines, watching scary food documentaries, and inspiring weightloss makeover shows. If intent = exercise I’d be twiggy by now.

I decided to go back to weight watchers – but with a difference. I am aiming to consume mostly whole foods – more fresh or frozen produce, lean meats and grains, and less processed foods – pastas, breads, white sugar, etc…I never thought about how hard the sugar would be – it’s in EVERYTHING! Even things that aren’t sweet!

I am up to my ears in designing – I only have one opening left for the month of February – if you want in email me! I am so excited to show off some of my recent work. See? There’s another post!

I also have smelly goodness to share, my recent youtube obsession, something I made with my own two hands, and my to-do list for 2013…

So much to share, so little time!

More Thanksgiving prep

Holiday Recipes

Do you prep for Thanksgiving ahead of time or do you thrive on the chaos? I am admittedly a little of both – I enjoy the process but I like to relax and have fun with my guests too! Today I made the stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole…the recipes I use can be found in my Thanksgiving notebook – it’s been a fabulous resource for me to organize this year. I have my menu, decoration ideas, recipes and more. I’m looking forward to using it for Christmas too!

This is one thing I really had fun playing with – baking in the ninja. You can make cakes, quick breads, and even cinnamon rolls! Everything comes out so moist and yummy.

Today I made my potatoes in the Ninja cooker – couldn’t have been easier! I filled it up with potatoes, put in enough water to barely cover the potatoes and set it to cook. By the time they were done cooking enough water had evaporated that all I had to do was mash, add my other ingredients and put into casserole dishes. Tomorrow all I will need to do is add a little butter to the top, and warm up!

All I have left to do is the jello salad, rolls and the turkey – 23 pounds this year! The pie will be from costco this year (I heard they are really good) and the cranberry sauce is coming…I can’t wait. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite meal of the year – with the exception of a really good steak maybe – and I love the mess, the chaos, and best of all the fact that I get to start playing Christmas music the next day!

I hope you all have an amazing and joy filled holiday. Don’t forget to check out my last thanksgiving post with my FAVORITE turkey marinade!