Catching up..this and that

So...this blog thing has suffered since I've been busy or have forgotten to blog...LOL  I will attempt to blog at least once a week on what is important to me or what has been going on in my life..

Earlier this week during work, our founder talked about enrolling others and how we need to step out of our comfort zones at times and just go for it.  This message hit home because for too long...I've let life pass me by.  Thought about an invitation and later declined with the saying...maybe or I'll get back to you on that type of thing.  Imagine the possibilites if I would have said yes without even blinking an eye.  Of course, I still believe there is a balance of doing things/ rest/ family time etc...but I think we can all do our part in enrolling others or becoming more enrolled ourselves.

I've always thought about..maybe I should volunteer for this, or go to this event etc but when the time comes...either I forget or back down saying I am too tired or whatever the excuse of the day is.  Well..going forward, I am going to stop doing this...and enjoy life.  There are a few things that either are my passion or something that catches my interest so those are the things I will focus on.

First...I would have to say to get more involved in church.  Nothing I do will work in the long run without letting God guide me.  I've already got the ball rolling by starting to bake for our church's homeless ministry.  My first drop off is tomorrow before service.  And to get more active...not sure yet what that will be...whether it be a bible study, small group, volunteering etc.  I will let the Lord guide me where I should go.

Second...would be to pursue my baking passion.  I see the doors starting to open in this area and it's exciting.  For now, it's baking for co-workers but who knows where this will lead.  I am almost half way through my cake decorating class.  And let me tell you...it has been quite a humbling experience...knowing that I am not as good as I thought I was.  I've always had problems icing cakes...and to have it come to light showed me I need more guidance and practice.  The class is pretty cool since we are doing it at a bakery.  And the instructor is more than willing to talk to us after/before class about any questions we might have.  There is also a cupcakecampLA that I was interested in.  My first thought was to bake for this event..but I am leaning towards volunteering this year and then next year baking.  I have also come across different contests that I've always thought about entering but never did anything about it...well, I think as long as I write down my goals..it will keep me more focused.  Keep checking back to see my progress...

Third...working out/fitness.  This I will combine as my personal goals as well as enrolling others to become more physically fit.  As I mentioned in my last post...eating has and is my issue.  I love food..plain and simple.  And probably all the "bad" food.  I will admit things have not gotten any better since my last post but being aware is part of the battle won.  Working out has suffered just a little...and I do miss my evening classes at the gym.  But...with doing P90X at lunchtime..I guess I am not pushing myself as hard to get my 2nd workout in.  Can I say...I still love P90X?
 
I also need to focus more on my beachbody coaching business.  I read an article on yahoo a couple of weeks ago and I believe it mentioned by the year 2020 75% of Americans will be overweight.  That is 3 out of 4 people!!  Each person needs to be accountable to stop this trend.  Even if it is not a Beachbody product or workout...society as a whole needs to start moving more and eating more healthier.  Come check out website if you would like to order a workout program or have questions regarding any of the products.  I am definitely a "product of the product".  http://teambeachbody.com/mom2princess

Forth is getting involved with either a local animal shelter or a rescue group.  My girl has played such an important part of my life for the last 10 years and it breaks my heart that so many dogs (and cats) are without a forever home.  Speaking of cats...we have a few semi-feral cats that live in my condo complex.  One in particular is named Lucky.  A cute all black cat that has gotten friendlier over the years.  She finally got spayed thanks to my neighbor Shannon..but that was after I think her 3rd or 4th litter. When Lucky was a kitten..for some odd reason she would approach my dog, Princess.  It was really cute to see Lucky come running out of nowhere anytime she saw us walking.  She knows where we live and stalks us from time to time.  This morning she was waiting for us to come out for our morning walk...BTW..can cats tell time??  Princess being a dog needs to smell her behind...and then they touch noses and then Lucky rolls around on the ground.  But don't mess with Lucky either.  I have seen her stand up to other dogs that are in her "territory".  Last night...it was the cutest thing because while we were out...here comes Lucky and her daughter Smokey.  Smokey is a lot more hyper than Lucky and although she is getting used to approaching Princess...I am still very cautious.  Well...Smokey got a little too close (although Princess didn't do anything) and ran back to Lucky.  Lucky started meowing at her and then smacked her on the head.  I guess momma was telling her to be more careful...LOL

Til next blog...
Doreen

My baking adventures this week...

This week was a very busy baking week for me..I think it was actually a record!!!  I had an order for my signature pineapple cake for Monday.  This cake has been my go-to cake for years now.  It's very moist and light although when you carry it...it's heavy because of the different layers..go figure??  Today I had 3 orders due.  And I had adventures along the way.  Since all the orders were due on the same day...I started baking what I could on Wednesday night.  I hate stressing out about baking..so I try to take the natural steps when I can and bake on different nights.  So..Wednesday night I made the brownie base for my brownie cheesecake.  I always am tempted to try different brownie recipes but at the end of the day, I always go to my favorite recipe which is the one bowl brownie.  Next was the chocolate mayonnaise cupcake.  This was the first time I made this recipe and am so thankful for my co-workers that are my guinea pigs.  My co-worker (the birthday girl) wanted a praline frosting so I looked online and the closest thing I could find was the nutella frosting.  I substituted the praline spread she gave me for the nutella and it was pretty good.  I had the idea that I wanted the frosting to also double as filling in the middle but need to work on getting more in the cupcake to get the full effect.  My last cake was a "Laker" cake.  I've made the design before..but I got an idea that I wanted one layer of the cake purple and the other gold.  My first attempt was not successful I think.  I wasn't happy with how the purple layer came out...so I tossed it.  I should have tried to look on the inside to see if it was purple or not..but I was so disappointed that it went in the trash last night.  Figured the food coloring wasn't strong enough..so Thursday night I would use the Wilton gel.  So..now my schedule got a little backed up since I had to make the Laker cake again last night.  Baked the Laker cake...baked the cheesecake and frosted the cupcakes.  I still wasn't happy with the cake but I had no choice.  It was past 10:00 and still had to decorate the cake.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it did turn out purple.

I know it looks blue-ish in the picture but in real life it is purple!!  Oh...and on top of this on Tuesday I had my first cake decorating class.  Indeed it was a busy baking week for me. 

Jumping back on the fitness journey

Lately I haven't been as dedicated to my workouts like I should be.  And today my journey starts again.  I will be honest and say that I know there is something holding me back from my fitness goals.  And it's not the workouts...it's the eating.  I seem to always sabotage myself when I start losing a few lbs and before you know it..I've gained it back and more. Losing weight for me is SOO hard...and while others lose a lb or two a week the healthy way...I will be lucky if I lose a half lb.  Very discouraging...but being honest I haven't always put 100% effort in what I put in my mouth.  A couple of years ago I got a personal trainer @ 24 Hour Fitness.  Tom was teaching lift at the time..so I trusted he would get me back on the right track.  And he did...but still I was not happy with my results 100%.  During these 8 training sessions...I did everything right- worked out 5-6 days a week, logged my food and still didn't lose the weight I thought I should have.  I think even Tom felt bad for me so he offered me another half hour session to boost my mood.  I should have realized then that my journey might be a little harder than some...but that I should never give up.

I guess the good news is that I love to workout!  If there is a good group x class...I will be there.  I love turbo kick, Body Pump, Hot Hula, cycle etc...not too many classes I don't like.  And plus now I am re-dedicating the next 90 days to P90X.  Today was day 1...and I forgot how challenging these exercises were.  I was very surprised how much I fell in love with P90X the first time I did my first round back in February.  I'm more of the dancey type person motivated my music...so I was shocked that I couldn't wait until the next P90X workout.  I have probably the majority of the Beachbody workout DVD's but I have to consider myself a P90X girl now...LOL

So...my eating has to change as well as how I view food in general.  I guess I don't have any goals written down as to how my eating should be.  I will be evaluating my eating habits as well as what is non-negotiable for me.  For instance...I am not a big left over's type of person...so given the choice although I may start out with good intentions...come lunch time something better will come along so I end up spending money as well as eating more calories than I should.  I also know I sometimes have an all-or-nothing mentally so if I blow it...my eating is out of control for the rest of the day.  I know logging food is very important...so why don't I do it consistently?  Things I need to figure out as I go along.  There isn't any excuses I can come up that is vaild.  One side of my head comes up with an excuse the the other side has the rebuttal...haha.  I will come up with my eating goals soon and post here so I can go back and remind myself of them.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and also Adopt a Shelter Dog month

Wow...my first post and such a long title...LOL. Can you believe we are in the home stretch for 2010?  Where did the year go?  It seems the older I get..time really does fly.  October to me means the obvious Halloween celebrations plus it's time to start thinking of my holiday gifts.  If you make your own...you know you have to start months ahead unless you like staying up til all hours of the night before Christmas.

Like I mentioned...October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Check out the link below for tons of information.  I think these days..we all know someone affected by breast cancer...either yourself or a friend/family member.  I know a lot of survivors and also some that have lost their battle to this disease.  It will be 2 years this Halloween that I got my results back that my tumors were benign.  That in itself it it's own blog which I will post at a later date.
http://ww5.komen.org/

October is also adopt a shelter dog month.  I didn't know this but it's cool that a whole month is dedicated to finding homes for all the dogs either at a shelter or a rescue group.  I honestly do not know how I survived all these years without a dog in my life.  Check out the link below for again more information.
http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-animals/special-events/adopt-a-dog-month/

For all of you that don't know me personally...here is my girl, Princess.  She will be 11 years old in April and still thinks she is a puppy.  She was found on the streets of San Pedro..but I don't know who was luckier...me or her.