Bugs.

It's Monday.
Here is some fun art stuff about pretty bugs.

Inspired to by a potential tattoo
Pen

A doodle

Pen and Sharpie

I love this.

By Billy Dolan.
Watercolor

Enjoy your week everyone!
Go Here. One drawing a day. It's a neat website.


I almost forgot.  Here's a dead bug.

I'M BACK!

HEY EVERYONE!

So very sorry it's been so long since my last entry.
I've had a very eventful summer and now to fill you in on everything 
Lemonlime n' Emmeline here's the low down.

First off, it's Thursday and we all know summer Thursday's are quite thirsty!

This summer I've been enjoying a variety of refreshing beverages.  Nothing, however, has quenched my long days thirst quite like a simple Stella and Jami.

Not a Stella fan?  Then substitute with any light beer.  I'm sorry if my inner hipster is coming out but there really is nothing like a beer and a shot of whiskey ;)

Now that you have a cold beverage, here's some AWESOME STUFF! 

I've been experimenting a lot with chicken dishes.  Mainly because, they are quick and easy to whip up.  Yea, I'm Rachel Raying it and I don't give a front door.

EAT THIS!

Sumac and Lemon Pepper Chicken with Sesame Ginger Cole Slaw and Onion Rings.

A great summer dish to try. You can find Asian slaw recipes all over the internet but the Chicken marinade was my own little recipe.

                                                  

Salt Pepper Garlic Powder Lemon Pepper
Sesame Seeds and lots of Olive Oil

The special ingredient Sumac
A spice I have never heard of or used.
Has a nice citrus taste.

 Boneless Chicken Breast in marinade
Let sit for 20-30 min

I grilled the chicken but you can pan fry or bake.

Need a Little Wellness Update!?

RUNNING IS IN FULL FORCE!

I ran a 10k. 1h16min.

My first ever!!

My body couldn't be happier at the moment.  I had a few hiccups from vacation but I'm back in the full training swing!  I'm super happy with my progress so far. I'm still working on become faster and stronger!  I'm currently running a 10:30 mile average and long distances are averaging at a 11-12 min mile.  It's really showing too!  After plateauing in the low 180's for weeks I've finally broke it!  As of today, I am 178.8lbs!  That is a total of 13.2 lbs gone since I've started blogging.  I still have a ways to go before I hit my ultimate goal of 155 but for now I'm focused on 175 for the month of September! My main goal however is getting under that 10 minute mile. 

I stole this article from Melissa. Strength training is so important. 

I signed up to do the Philly Half Marathon November 18th.  Come out and find out if I died before or after the finish line if you want.

HUGE SHOUT OUT to the woman who inspired me and MY BROTHER who she runs for. Read all about how she's insane and running her 3rd New York Marathon for Team McGraw.

CLICK HERE! or don't if you like being super lame.

Also, If you really love me you will make a donation! She's running for a cure people!
 Click Here to read more and give anything you can!

My Current Obsession.

 This Bitch will not get off my speakers.

Her name is Lights and if you haven't heard of her check her out.  

I've put serious power in my run because of her (and that GU crap Kim makes me eat)

She's amazing.

And maybe if I get her some more fans she will want to be my friend.

(Doubtfully)

Level 1 Girl Crush fershur.

Until next time Mes Amis get your dance on!

Hey! Drink this!

This is for all my effing fancy fabulous friends out there looking for something fun to drink this weekend.  I'm looking at you, B.Fein.

I don't know what you call it but it sure is delicious.

Here's what you need:

 

Vodka

Club Soda

Limeade

Fresh lime

Cherries

Martini glass

Shaker

Now you can make it more sour or sweeter to taste, that is up to you but here is how I like it:

Fill the shaker with ice.

3 parts vodka

2 parts limeade

1 part club soda

Pour into glass

Squeeze fresh lime.

Garnish with Cherry and Lime

For something more sweet use cherry limeade.

For something more sour use fresh squeezed lime juice.

For something stronger, you can always drink straight out of the bottle.

Actually, I'm joking...kind of. But seriously, don't drink straight out of the bottle. Unless it's Goose, then you can blame it on the goose if anything happens, not me. 

^-- Lol, see what I did there ;)

Beach time fun Pool side love

Hey now everybody! Didya miss me?  Things have been crazy!
I hope you guys didn't think I would forget about you and not continuing to update you on everything that's awesome.
Here's what's been awesome since last Thursday!

I took my very favorite Manhattan recipe with the dry and sweet Vermouth and had about three last week to kick off the long weekend.  Needless to say blogging about my drink of the week wasn't going to happen.
Here's what was going to happen.

Stoli orange and club.
Half and half.

With a splash of cranberry or grenadine for some pink.

Don't forget the cherry.

Then came Friday and the hangover of doom.
Fashionista Friday was more like "I'm just gonna sit here and watch Star Trek until I can move again" Friday.
I did manage to have a BEACH WEEKEND in the weirdest place--Wildwood, New Jersey.  It was a great time none-the-less.
Fashionista Friday was going to have a tutorial on victory rolls by the same girl I use for all my retro hair styles, Lisa Freemont.

This was my attempt on victory rolls on Karyn!

Thanks girls for a great weekend!

Also, I'm trying out this look which was inspired by my bestie! HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK BETHANY !!!!!!

Check out the hoop. What do you think?

Monday's art project was totally nonexistent because I fell asleep on a raft in a pool. Sorry.

Tuesday tasty treat was left over BBQ!  Here's a treat for you to try--go get some tacos.

Which brings us to Wellness Wednesday!!! BUM BUM BUM.
Guess who lost another pound? This girl!
That brings us from 192 down to 189.6.  Awesome! Next week, I will be doing my measurements to see how many inches I have lost.

For all you weekend beach goers out there, I hope you seriously consider running on the beach.  It is something I have never done, until this weekend. I ran for 5.5 miles. It truly is a very zen experience, plus freaking hard.

This is what I think I look like.

This is what I probably really look like.

Oh well.  If you are interested in someone who actually KNOWS what they are doing, follow my sister-in-law's blog.  She's running her THIRD New York Marathon this year for Team McGraw in honor of my amazing brother, Chris.

Make a donation for the cause HERE!

I'll see y'all tomorrow! Sweet dreams!

This game of Chutes and Ladders.

Stole this from Melissa...Take Flight Wellness

This week I'm focusing on my latissimus dorsi aka the lats. This is a key muscle in the exercise called a pull-up.
Which I found out, I CAN'T DO even a little bit.  I can barely hang there for 5 seconds.  If I were dangling to my death like in the movies and waiting for someone to save me, I'd be dead. *sigh*

This is Amanda Balding, a triathlete. She loves her lats. Yea well, I love them to Miss Balding.

Here are the exercises I'm using off of sparkpeople.com, which is a fantastic website for healthy living/ healthy eating all the good stuff.

Starting Position

Select desired weight. Stand near left side of cable cross machine and adjust that pulley to the highest position. Place straight T-bar attachment onto the pulley’s carabiner. Stand facing the weight stack with an overhand grip on the bar, arms reaching straight up to the bar. Keep back straight, feet hip-width apart and abs engaged. 

Action

EXHALE: Keep arms straight (but not locked) as you pull the bar down towards the front of the thighs. 

INHALE: Slowly return arms back up to the start position to complete one rep. 

Special Instructions

Do not lean back as you lower the bar. For greater balance and stability, stand with feet wider than the hips. Keep elbows just slightly bent throughout movement. 

Muscles Worked: Back (lats), triceps 

Starting Position

Follow machine instructions for set up and select desired weight. Sit so that knees are under pad, feet are flat on floor. Grab the bar, placing hands wider than the shoulders, palms facing forward. Engage abs, keep spine straight, and lean backward just slightly. 

Action

EXHALE: Pull the bar down towards your chest by bending the elbows. 

INHALE: Slowly release the bar overhead by straightening at the elbows to complete one rep. 

Special Instructions

Never pull the bar behind your head. When leaning back, make sure spine is straight. When returning to start position, make sure elbows do not lock. Adjust placement on hands on bar if necessary (a closer grip is easier; a wider grip is more challenging). 

Muscles Worked: Back (lats) 

I going to use the rowing machine as well. 

That't the focus group for this week ladies and germs.  Enjoy your sexy LATS ;)

Update:  I'm down 1.4lbs. 192lbs last week.  This week 190.6lbs.  My mile is getting much faster from 13 minutes to 12:15 with the fastest (a total fluke in my opinion) at 11:30.  However doing my long runs, I am still having trouble keeping my average speed up and my mile average is still hovering in the 13 to 14 minute range. TOO SLOW!!!  Keep going, keep going Lemonlime. 

Memorial Day Weekend BBQ

TOTALLY TASTY TUESDAY! (all caps are always so exciting)
Do you want to make your Memorial Day BBQ f*cking classy!?

Well try this dish that I just made. It's better than boring old hot dogs and burgers. (Joke, there is nothing better than those burgers and hot dogs, but seriously, try this.)


It's so easy too!

Filet Mignon Kabobs

Start with chopping up some of your favorite grilling veggies.  I used red and yellow bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, and vidalia onions.

Lightly coat with olive oil and S&P.

Then, cut your filet into cubes. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and S&P.
(Filet is so damn good,  if you put sauce on it you're an idiot. If you want flavored beef go get yourself a strip steak or whatever and soak it in marinade. Do NOT ruin the amazing flavor in a filet.)

Skewer the meat and veggies separately.

Why?

Because I said so.

Just kidding, the veggies take longer to cook and you do NOT want to over cook the filet or, again, you are and idiot because you have just ruined the filet. 

Put the veggies on first then the filet.

The filet will come off about 8 minutes before the veggies, but that's okay because you want the filet to rest a    bit.

Once the veggies are done, plate that sh**.

Add some A-1 if you want.

And for Dessert...you guessed it!  YONANA!

Lemon Rasberry Yonana!

Mmmmm.

For that recipe or any suggestions. email me :)

ENJOY!

Words words words. Patterns Patterns Patterns. Word Patterns

Writing word over and over again is a very strange thing to do.

On several occasions, I had to stop and look up the spelling of the word to make sure I was spelling it right.

It's also a very mind numbing thing to do.  If you are feeling rather non-creative, or rather, uninspired, try doing this.

Maybe not a word,

maybe

A doodle

maybe

A phrase

maybe

A shape.

The repetition

"Repetition" John Patrick McKenzie

Ends up being quite a beautiful pattern.

Just doodle.

Share-do my Hair-do

It's amateur hour on fashion friday!

Keeping it really simple this week.
Here's a fun style.

Hair do for the week ya'll. Enjoy.

Here's the Birthday outfit!

This is where I got my Pin curls look.

She's awesome! Watch both videos.

How cute :)

Sin Gin. Shit got weird.

I know what you all are thinking.  I slacked on Thursday.
Well, That's just not true.
I did in fact have my Thirsty Thursday cocktail and was going to post about it when...I got drunk. Smashed,even.  Actually, just super weird. Ask Tyler.

Like Wifey weird.  This is Wifey.  I love you.

I was recommended a drink by a patient of mine.  A gin martini.  Now, I haven't had gin since I "accidentally" tried it when I was 18 and thought it was poison.  Yet in my wiser years,  I thought it was time to broaden my horizons.
If you are not a gin drinker (which I am definitely NOT), I probably wouldn't recommend this drink.  While it is delicious, it's extremely potent and not for light weights.  You people can stick to vodka with cranberry juice and sour mix with other stuff.

However, for science, try this surprisingly tasty beverage.

To make this super weird cocktail, you will need this stuff.

And this stuff.

With a cucumber slice.

Half and Half over ice.  Shake.  Pour.  Serve with a slice of cucumber and shaker rocks on the side.

It was so very tasty like sweet rose water.  It had a bit of a pin-sol aftertaste, but I guess gin drinkers get use to that or like that or whatever. I guess that's why they like gin. 

I would say limit yourself to one.  Anymore than that, you might just rob a bank or barf.  Either Or.

Good tips for fine tuning.

Happy Wednesday Everyone! First thing first...

HAHAHA funny.

For this week's wellness Wednesday, I'm going to talk about diet.

I know some of you will probably hit the back button after that but what I'm going to share anyway.  It's more of an experiment on my part.  If I manage to get the desired results I will encourage you all to try it!

Until then, I won't tell any of you to do it.

Here is what is happening,

I am attempting to try a new diet.

I have been plateauing at 192lb for about a month now.  Yes, I said it 192 POUNDS!  I know it's just a number but it is still a lot of weight to be carrying on a 5'8" frame.

Some people say, I carry it well.  I don't believe them.  Regardless, I am still in love with myself or I obviously wouldn't be sharing it with you people.

I have been kicking myself at the gym trying to make myself faster and stronger!  I recently started weighing myself.  While I know that I am gaining muscle, I still feel as if I should be losing all this fat around my butt, thighs, and tummy.

I figured it's my diet.  Actually, I KNOW it's my diet.

Here is what I'm doing.

I'm going to eat every 2-3 hours.  Small meals.

I'm using the app Calorific.

I'm trying to make 50% of my daily diet good green things, such as, veggies, fruits, and whole grains.

I will keep you updated on my progress.  It's my little experiment for the summer.

Edit: Here are my measurements: I'll be monitoring them as well. (Thanks Kimmy)

Arms: 12.5in

Bust: 43.5in

Waist: 32.5in

Hips: 45in

Thighs: 27 in

Yonana... A guiltless treat

Holy Crap! This thing,

is called a Yonana.

Go out and buy yourself one.

Here's a link. Seriously though, go get one.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Hey Lemons, why would I possibly need another goofy gadget in my kitchen like your mother?" Why? OH, I'll tell you why.

 IT MAKES FRUIT INTO ICE CREAM WITHOUT IT BEING ICE CREAM! 

I'll show you.

First of all, it comes with its own little recipe book which is a) Awesome and b) I don't plan to follow exactly because, well, it's me.

Notice how I only made one frozen banana because I don't read directions.

Whatever, I'll just make it more peachy.

It's also the frickin' easiest thing to do.

Just put the frozen fruit in the top.

It come's out like this.

Stir.

Cherry.

No GUILT! No DAIRY! No SUGAR!

My mind was literally blown.

Now you may be asking yourself, "But Lemons, can't I just use a food processor? Isn't that the same thing? I already have one of those."

Shut up. It doesn't work.  Betsey tried. She said it didn't work. I trust her. She's a brain surgeon.  Physics won't let it happen with a food processor.

So theretofore, go get one.  Spend the 50 bucks and stop being fat.  Especially after last weeks treats, yeesh.