It Is Complete...

I finished Whole30 today. It's Day 30. I'm not sure how I feel. I don't feel "lighter." I honestly didn't even lose 10 pounds, which surprised me. I think it was the fruit. And the portions of protein. I'm not a big meat eater, and I was a bit overwhelmed with that part of the plan. 

That being said, I learned that I don't have to snack. I also learned that I really don't like eating breakfast that early. I also learned that I have to figure out a portable breakfast that doesn't involve "warm food." Which is difficult when you're limited to "clean" food - i.e., eggs, other proteins. There are only so many eggs one can eat. And while I don't mind eating leftover dinner for breakfast, I really can't face it at 6 a.m. I've never been an "early breakfast" person. 

I probably ate too much fruit. If I'd eaten less fruit, perhaps the scale would be different. But it wasn't and that's that.

So here was my meal tonight: a pork cutlet, sweet potato "hash" and Brussels Sprouts. That's homemade mayo for the "plated fat" that you need to add. Also, I drizzled infused olive oil with a touch of light balsamic over the Brussels Sprouts. Kind of like a "warm sprout salad," if you will.

What I have found is my motivation. I've dragged it, kicking and screaming, out from under my knitting chair and I've gotten myself into walking and tonight I was on the elliptical (a/k/a "The ElliptiKILL") for 20 minutes. I figure I can build up, with the upcoming trip to Colorado, so that when I'm out there, I'm not a total "pffffffffffffthhhhhhhhh" fizzle during hikes. Though I did warn them that I'm not "that" fit! I've also started walking at noon. I need to build up endurance on the ElliptiKILL and then get the "pounding the pavement" aspect by walking at lunch. 

I just have to watch that I don't do too much at lunch so that I'm dripping during the afternoon! 

I'm figuring that for the most part, I'll continue to "eat clean," but I will allow myself a few things: beans come back to the salad, and I won't feel like a sinner if I eat a scone. Not sure about dairy. Yet. I'm actually ok without cheese.... Whoa.... I think the earth just tilted... 

What is this???

A "swirl" that's actually a poop emoji that's now a cookie cutter. How in heaven's name do you serve that to people? And to whom would you serve it? Perhaps your average 9-year old might like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about poop cookies. 

I admit it might be worth a laugh with the right person, but I'm not sure if I actually know the right person for this little gem.

Just so you know, if this looks funky, Blogger is messing with the pictures again. It's like the coding is wonky and it won't wrap the text around the pictures. That's incredibly annoying and I've had it happen a few times. Hubby figured out that I had to do "hard" returns, and basically format them in. What a pain in the kiester. 

Church Remodel...

The remodeling of the church hall is coming along nicely. This is the kitchen, and we have the fridge in, the dishwasher in, and we're almost ready to finish off the cabinets. As soon as the carpenter gets the tops in, we'll be ready to finish the tile, and paint. 

I say "we" but all I'm doing is babysitting. And occasionally helping the contractor by shoving around a large fridge!

When it's done, it'll be approved by the Health Department for us to hold weddings, showers, and the like. It'll be almost a "commercial" kitchen in that we can rent out the space to folks wanting to use it for certain types of events (like said showers, etc.). It's a small hall - maybe holds 100 people comfortably-ish. But the church is stunning and people will come from miles around to enjoy the sanctuary and the hall when we're done.

I'll be glad when it's all over, though. It's dusty, noisy, and smelly. I've lived through the tear-down, and the re-build. Now it's the finishing touches that are kind of gagging me.

Who knew that cabinets "off-gassed" formaldehyde? The windows have been open a lot. I'm glad that we've had the weather for it. It's hard to be in the hall working when it's freezing out and all the windows are open so you can breathe!

Tippi Strikes Again...

Who says "real men don't pet therapy dogs?" Well, nobody, actually. Especially at the university where I take Tippi. This next week is Finals Week, so we're adding another day to visit the library. This batch of guys came over this past Tuesday and were enjoying her. She was enjoying their shoes.

My dog is a shoe fiend. She doesn't chew them. She doesn't bother them, other than to smell them. Incessantly. She's fascinated with shoes.

The kids laugh because she's such a "foot fetish" dog. But they love her and she loves them. 

Random Picture...

I came home tonight after taking this shot of a rainbow. Up there, we had about 5 minutes of pitter-patter rain, and thunder. Then this gorgeous rainbow. 

When I came home, there was a tree fallen on Rt. 53. Hubby told me that in about 5 or 6 minutes, there was a torrential rain, straight-line winds so strong that the rain blew into the windows of our covered porch -- and that never happens. And there was "tree debris" all over the yards. 

Apparently, no rainbow was spotted... 

It's hot and humid, so in typical Illinois fashion, we have apparently had one day of spring, and we're in summer now. Gotta love it.