pool progress

or rather... lack of progress. i wish i could post a photo of our finished pool, but work unfortunately slacked off the last few weeks and we're now waiting for plaster. keeping my fingers crossed that it happens this week. it's very frustrating to see this every day in your backyard, especially when the temps have been hitting 100.

this

photo just came across my phone. it's from my sister.

she's in a sea plane somewhere over alaska right now, on an excursion from their alaskan cruiseship. i'll try to conjure up this image of ice and coolness while i'm at bootcamp tonight in 96 degree texan weather.

let's talk food

i love sweet potatoes. and goat cheese. and grapes. and honey. i came across this photo the other day on pinterest. it had me at hello. i made these this weekend and they are seriously the best thing i've made in a long while.

you absolutely must try them. here's the recipe. hubby liked them too.

a few months ago i discovered i am allergic to soy. soy is in everything. i've had to search high and low for soy-free foods or else suffer the headaches soy was instigating. in searching for a soy-free protein/health bar i found larabars. these are great. moist, flavorful.

 

and what i like best about them is that each flavor has between 3-6 ingredients.  here are the ingredients for the peanut butter cookie bar.

i've been reading about shakeology everywhere lately. my boot camp instructor is a distributor. she hooked me up with their chocolate flavor. i drink this most nights for dinner, especially after my evening bootcamp session. it's really good.... and in combo with 3-nights-a-week of bootcamp i've already lost a few pounds in just one week.

 

THIS! oh my word, i just tried this this morning in my coffee. it is wonderful! i've been mourning the loss of my full-of-soy coffeemate french vanilla creamer. i found this last week. the taste is wonderful. bonus for having 0 fat grams.

radiant ads

i usually don't pay attention to ads in magazines. i usually just flip right thru them. i was reading the latest oprah magazine last weekend, when an ad caught my eye. how could this not catch your eye. what a stunning image. beautiful woman. beautiful, colorful balloons. beautiful, colorful streamers. wait... i know these balloons.. and this woman! the woman is jihan zencirli, master balloon artist, creator and owner of geronimo balloons.

 

 (ad photo from here)

i met jihan in seattle a few years ago when she worked at my favorite paper store. since then she has relocated to los angeles and opened geronimo balloons. it's a brilliant concept. she provides huge helium filled balloons with gorgeous, colorful streamers for events.

here's some more of jihan's work (images from her site).

congratulations, jihan, on all your success!

i'll be

sporting these new kicks at bootcamp tonight. yep, i signed up for another 5 weeks of torture exercise in the texas heat. i think i'm crazy.

this will be my mantra. i borrowed this from the texas fit chicks facebook page.

pool progress

yes, it's a mess.(and i can rhyme.) 3 weeks in and here's where we stand with the pool. waterline tiling is complete.

plumbing pipes installed.

and electrical is being done as i type.

the raised area toward the back in the above photo will be a waterfall. we plan to line the fence behind the pool with spartan junipers as a backdrop and for privacy. and i'm on the hunt for patio furniture. boy it's expensive.

stone coping is next. hurry, people, hurry. temps are reaching 100. we need to swim.