Five Thing Friday - Rando Edition

Yesterday was the first day of Fall and I am seriously so excited. I mean, it's still warm here, but you know what? Long sleeves, tights, booties and PSLs are here and I am embracing all of them right now.

So what's been going on? It's pointless to talk about my busy schedule, because it never gets and less busy, instead I'll talk about some other random things that are happening.

1. I haven't posted a weight loss update for weeks 20 and 21, not because I didn't lose anything, but because I couldn't get my blogging self together. BUT, I have lost more weight and I had a nice non-scale victory yesterday when my jeans officially became too big. I was able to pull them on and off without unbuttoning them, which was pretty nice. I guess I'll have to find a new pair. Shucks...

Really though, I have another post planned about this, but what do you do when you're not at goal, but you need clothes, but you don't want too much because you still have 30-ish pounds to go.

Anyways, here's a picture from last year, when I was apparently doing the GYPO work wear challenge and yesterday. I know I gained over the holidays after the picture on the left was taken, but I can definitely see a difference between last year and this year.

Glad I ended up keeping this shirt after I out grew it last year.

2. Some of my favorite artists are releasing albums this fall! Bon Jovi drops "This House is Not for Sale" in October (pre-order now available) AND Meatloaf released "Braver than We Are" on September 16th. Now, we all know that I love me some Meatloaf. 

 This kind

And this kind.

All of the songs on the album were written by Jim Steinman who wrote the whole Bat out of Hell Album, Bat out of Hell 2, he wrote "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "It's all Coming Back to Me Now", this list goes on and on. Basically, any sweeping epic 11 minute song, Steinman probably had a part in it. Needless to say I was pretty excited to listen to the new album.

Do yourself a favor. Don't.

It's not good. I'm sad, but it's not good....

Me - Kev, let's listen to the first song

Kev - OMG, you paid money for that? It's awful

Me - It really is bad

Kev - Spotify things first before buying them.

Me - Maybe $5 will make it to Meatloaf to help pay rent or something.

Kev - If you want to give Meatloaf $, just Paypal it to him.

3. Still eating my JC food... In my last post I showed how to use JC tacos to make "Nacho Mama's Fajita's". There's a JC contest where people who make-over their JC food can win prizes or free JC food, so fingers crossed the like my creation!

In the mean time, I ate this JC cheeseburger the other day with a drizzle of Salsa Ranch Dressing.

4. Last weekend I knocked an item off my bucket list and went to Drag Bingo. It was a fundraiser for the Alliance of  AIDS Services and such a blast. The girls looked amazing and I got to play some bingo.

Sadly we had to miss the cabaret show after the game, Kev and I both missed dinner and were hungry. If we waited until it was over, there would be no food, and no food is no bueno. 

5. Now that the weather is getting cooler, and mu ass is getting smaller, It's time to start resurrecting the fashion side of this blog. I've been in this weird place where some of my clothes fit, some don't and it seems like I'm missing a chunk of sizes. Like, what did I wear the last time I was this weight? According to my time hop. I'm tracking about the same weight to the day, that I did when I lost it all 6 years ago. I "should" have clothes from 6 years ago and probably from 2 years ago when I was about this size and I can't seem to find any. I guess I donate them? IDK. 

But what that does mean is that I might have to do a little shopping and I signed up for the GYPO Fall Style challenge. I figured a capsule wardrobe was just what I needed right now. Minimal pieces, 3 weeks of outfits, fewer things to buy as I get off the last 30 pounds. 

I've done these challenges before and I LOVE them. I took off the spring and summer since I didn't want to buy new clothes then, but I'm back. I highly recommend the challenge to anyone who loves fashion and shopping. It's totally worth it for your own "personal shopper" and the support from the rest of the community. Shopping with a purpose has really changed my shopping habits. I get to look for specific things instead of wandering around not knowing what I'm looking for. 

You can sign up using my affiliate link HERE and I get a few $ when you do. 

Really though, I LOVE this capsule so much and can't wait to find all of my pieces!

One of the items on the list is a black and white striped shirt. These are just the 3/4 sleeve and long sleeve ones.

I have a problem when it comes to stripes....

Have a great Friday everyone!

Linking up with Amanda - Meet @ the Barre! AND

Five people you meet in a group fitness class

OK, I want to preface this by saying that I love me a good fitness class. It's really the only thing I go to, unless I'm running on the treadmill or outside. I'm not really the type to go work a bunch of weight machines and I've spent so many hours on the elliptical that I literally can't even any more.

However, just like Sesame Street told you about the people in your neighborhood, these are the people in your group fitness class and they are special.

1. THAT ANNOYING GUY 

I've mentioned the constantly talking, thinks he's hella funny, but he's really just annoying gym guy. Please respect the rest of the people in the class, you want to have social hour, do it outside. Go to a juice bar or have some coffee or a bagel and chat, I don't care, just let the people who want to have a good work out do it in peace,

2. The "I look prefect after class" chick/dude. 

When I got to class, I go there to sweat. I want to get my heart rate up, break a sweat and leave smelly. I turn into a red faced sweaty mess who needs a 1985 Richard Simmons sweat band to keep it from dripping in my eyes. It's delightful. But there are those people who never break a sweat! I just don't understand, how, how does this happen, I see you moving, you seem to be working out, but you don't leave class with your mascara running down your face like a horrible Alice Cooper impersonator.  (this might have been me)

Then I like to go to Whole Foods, where everyone smells earthy and is in gym clothes

3. The guy who takes the class really, really seriously. 

We've all met this guy. I remember 2 of them in particular, there was a Pump class where someone wore a giant, leather Hulk Hogan-esque weight belt. Look, I've got no problem with a Hulk Hogan weight belt, I totally need one for my Hogan Halloween costume this year. Body Pump is suppsed to be lower weight and high repetition. he had a decent. not over the top, amount of weight on his bar, but at the end of every song or every break, he dropped his weights and grunted loudly. Brah, come on....

Last week in Combat, one of the tracks was "King Foo Fighting" and the guy behind me really tought he was kung foo fighting. He was super serious and there were a few times I felt the wind from his foot at the back of my head, he was that close to me. Taking class seriously is great, but maybe dial it back a notch. :)

4. The person who I'm convinced is going to really hurt themselves.

Most instructors do a great job correcting people's form and giving solid directions, but there are some folks who are just so far out of the realm, that I;m genuinely concerned that they're going to hurt themselves.  Lordy, please be careful I'm not great in medical emergencies. I panic and if you hurt yourself I can't help you.

5. The I'm going to give you stink eye for being in my "spot" chick. 

Who am I kidding, this is me.

Who do you meet at the gym?

Linking up with Amanda - Meet @ the Barre! AND

As a Kid, I Thought These Things Would Be a Much Bigger Problem.

Was it just me or did the week speed by? I guess it's a good thing. Anytime a week speeds by and it's one day away from the weekend, I'm good.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, I'm weighing in this morning instead of tomorrow. Saturday is the Komen Race for the Cure 5k and this will be the 6th year I've run it. Yea, I haven't ran in a loooong time. An embarrassing long time. If I can just make it through without injuring myself, that would be awesome.

Alright, I've been thinking about this post for a while. When I was a kid we were constantly being told about things that would be dangerous and how we should look out for them. Like constantly. You know what, these things never happened. Never. It's like when I freshman in college and they made all of us watch a movie about the dangers of grain alcohol and how you'd get really drunk and boys would touch your boobs. Then they gave all of us rape whistles.

Well, given the recent events on college campuses, maybe that wasn't the worst thing.

Anyways, I really. really thought these things would be an issue.

1. PCP.

Please, please tell me you've seen this after school special where a young Helen Hunt is coaxed to try some angel dust by her boyfriend and she freaks out and jumps put the window. It's worth the 4 minutes.

And it wasn't just this movie, in school and other specials, everyone was just waiting to lace your other drugs (usually weed) with PCP. As a matter of fact, we were expressly told to watch out for weed laced with Angel Dust. I guess weed wasn't an issue? This was the era of Nancy Regan and "Just Say No", maybe that was why? Was this an epidemic in the 80s? Because I swear no one has mentioned it since then. 

2. Quicksand

Wasn't quicksand on every cartoon and show? Like seriously, I thought quicksand would be everywhere. Going for a hike in the woods? How can I escape the quicksand? Look where you walk, quicksand. Carry a stick to help you get out of quicksand. I still remember that you aren't supposed to struggle, just try and stay still and look for a branch or vine to help pull yourself out. 

3. Anvils

Based on the number of anvils I've seen in cartoons, I thought they'd be a lot more present in real life. I think I've seen 5 anvils in my life and they've all been at either the Renaissance fair, state fair or Williamsburg VA. Were there more anvils in the 50s and 60s? Why did the cartoonists choose to use anvils? Not a clue.

4. Vans

Ok, this was based in fact because there was apparently a local girl who was abducted by someone in a van. But we were terrified of vans and people in vans and people trying to lure kids into vans. Maybe someone is all "Gee Lara, aren't you lucky, I escaped 5 van abductions". Add that to that scene is Silence of the Lambs and vans are nothing but abduction wagons. I still think this is an issue. Never trust a windowless van.

5. Killer Bees

I must have seen at least 10 specials or segments on killer bees as a kid. How they tried to breed the Africanized bees with the happy honey bees so they'd make more honey. Instead the asshole bees killed the other hives and escaped and started traveling north. I even remember a map and a timeline of when we could expect the killer bees to get to our area. 

Apparently Killer bees love to eat thrown kitchen wastes such as hamburger, meat, cheese, spaghetti, and fish.Who knew? But they might still be making their way north, but I swear it was supposed to happen sometime in the early 2000s

What about you? What did you think would be a bigger issue than it turned out to be?

Linking Up! - Meet at the Barre

Why I Re-Branded my Blog.

Hi all, you might have noticed that things look a bit different around here. Yep, I took down my old blog and replaced it with this one. I did bring over all the posts, so I'm not losing any of the content for the last 2 years.

Instead of a typical "Five Thing Friday" where it's pictures of things I liked this week or memes, I'll summarize the blog name change and re-brand instead. In five bullet points (see what I did there?)

1. I've always thought cookies cardio and clothes was a little long. It never really flowed, and it was difficult to brand on social media. Everyone says  you should have consistency across social media. So, your blog / Insta / Twitter / Pinterest should all be the same. I couldn't do that with the old name because it was too dang long.

2. Let's be honest, I have a "drinking problem". I love beverages and at any point in time there might be 5 bottles/containers around me. I drink coffee most of the morning until I switch to water and/or sparkling water. I don't drink coffee because I need the caffeine or I don't get a restful night's sleep, I just really. really. really like it. Coffee is how I start the day, and if I'm lucky, cosmos are how I end it.

3. I'd purchased the old domain from GoDaddy and it was getting ready to expire. If I was going keep it and renew for another year or 2, I had to decide pretty quickly. I contemplated a few different names and I wanted coffee to be in the title, when I discovered CoffeeandCosmos.com was available, HOLY CRAP! I jumped on it. It was like fate or something.

4. I started the old blog to be about "healthy living" and maintaining a 50 pound weight loss. But I didn't. I didn't maintain, I just gained most of it back. It's never been a healthy living blog, I might have posted some pictures about running and shopping, but there were far more pictures of food and tasty beverages. Hell, I looked at my Insta and its nothing but pictures of coffee and booze. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I'm never posting pictures of Kale smoothies and acai bowls. This blog is keeping it real.

5. The biggest reason was for privacy. I know the internet is a big place and that anyone can find anyone and what they post. I get it. You'll never see me write something about my political or religious views, because that's not what this space is for. I will express my frustrations about work and life, because this is my corner of the interwebs to do that. I've never mentioned were I currently work, names of people I work with, nothing.I purposely keep things very vague because I am a firm believer in my work and personal life being separate. I engage with very few co-workers on social media and have never mentioned my blog at work. But, it happens, people discover your private space and they make it awkward. So fine, I'll take it away.

This blog is not for them, it's for me. If you know me professionally and you happen to find my blog and read things I didn't share in the office, it's because it wasn't any of your business. If we had that sort of relationship, I would have told you. They made it bad, my old space wasn't safe anymore, so I found a new one.

To whom it may concern, don't be a douche and ruin this one too.

Linking Up - Meet At The Barre

 

Five Thing Friday!

 OMG, I'm so ready for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, it's going to be insane for the next 3 days. Well, wait, the next 7 days. We have events Saturday and Sunday, then next week at work is going to be insane. Let's just say, there will be rainbow sweatbands involved. Draw your own conclusions.

How about I stay true to a 5 thing Friday and talk about 5 thing's I've been digging. 

1. Favorite phrase.

I'm impatient, and I'm annoyed and I think that after 3 weeks of work that all my clothes should fit again. But I know that won't happen, I need to be patient and trust the process. It works. I know it works. But there's a tiny voice inside me that says "what if it doesn't work" what will you do then? But it does work and will work. It worked before and will work again.

2. Fav new find

Sweet heaven, HAVE YOU TRIED THIS??? The entire pint is only 240 calories and IT TASTES LIKE ICE CREAM. Not like that Arctic Zero BS, but real, delicious ice cream. They have it at the Kroger and Whole Foods near me and it's sooooo good. Kev is super happy with the Chocolate and it fits in his low carb diet. Personally, I despise chocolate ice cream. It's gross. give me vanilla any day.

3. Favorite Brunch I make.

That's right, this weekend is the annual choir brunch and I'll be making bunch for 30ish people Sunday. I'm going to try my luck again and make cinnamon rolls. After my success on Christmas morning, I'm going to press my luck and try it again. Wish me luck with the yeast.

4. Favorite part of training.

TOYS! I've said it before, but training is like the mob. Even if you get out, you never really get out. OMG, you were a trainer for 4 years, can you train something? Sure. I can train some sales something. I'm a firm believer that you need something to play with when you're in a class. It helps you think better and the participants figdet less. My interns bought Chinese finger traps, squishy balls and Silly Putty. People fricking love the Silly Putty. 

5. Favorite Running Music?

HAMILTON! I am 120% on the Hamilton bandwagon. It's sooooo good. I've been listening to it at work in the background, but I out it on for my run Saturday and it was perfect! Everything I wanted it to be. Just download it and listen to it. ALL THE TIME.

That's all for me! Wish me luck at my weigh in tomorrow!

Linking up with Amanda - Meet @ the Barre! AND

Five Thing Friday

Happy Friday everyone! This has been a crazy week for me. It was Spirit Week which is capping off with a Sales Summit today. Every day we dressed up for a different theme. Monday = Fav Sports Team, Tues = 80s Day, Weds = Super Hero Day, Thurs = Dress for Success.

Yesterday morning the cat woke me up at 5am banging on the door. I couldn't go back to sleep so I got dressed and went to work. Everything was awesome an I was planning on sneaking in a little blog love then I got an IM from the CEO.

It was fine, we talked about my team and his expectations which are mine as well. I've got some more changes to make to turn around the ship I received when I started. I ran to my boss afterwards and he said everyone gets their first Walter call, he just thought my first would be after I'd been there 6 months instead of two. Ahhhhhh..... Apparently that was my initiation, I'm a real manager now.

Alright, on to my 5 things.

1. Godiva is in the cone of shame because she's neurotic and rips the hair off her back side. The vet says she's hyper sensitive to allergens and told us some things to cut out and gave her a steroid and a cone. We tried to take it off Tues and she immediately went back to digging. On goes the cone again. I'm a terrible cat parent because I kinda like it. She can't hide under the bed because she doesn't fit and keeps banging her cone on the bed frame. Snicker....

2. After 4 months of letting my credit sit there I finally decided to get some stuff off Thread Up. I used my $44 credit and got 3 sweaters and a dress. I sent in a TON of stuff and I guess it's nice to get a little something back. I decided I needed more colors in my cardigan collection and this was a good way to get some new ones. I know how Loft, Gap and Old Navy fit me so they're generally a safe choice.

3. The reason I went on ThreadUp is because I've become a little obsessed with Get Your Pretty On. If you haven't been there before, Allison will have challenges where you can purchase a shopping list and hook up with other women who are rocking the Challenge. She really teaches you how to re-mix the items in your closet. I'm so bad at this. I always wear the same things together and she gives such great pointers on how to switch up your wardrobe. You have to sign up for her newsletter, she'll send you an old challenge with the shopping list.

4. Kev and I decided to go low carb to get rid of some of the extra pounds we ate in cookies over the holidays. I started a few days before him and I'm sure I'm down a little, but in 3.5 days he lost 5 pounds. Seriously, All I want to lose is 10-12 and he loses 5 in 3 days. Men suck. This morning I didn't feel like I was rolling over my jeans which is a good thing. It's really interesting how much of your mood for the day is based in how your pants fit. Loose pants, good day.

5. I have 4 open positions and need to find some people to hire. I've been looking at resumes and some of them are a hot mess. One dude, no lie, listed his 2 half marathons and a 5K in the Activity section. He also managed 3 inflatables and knows how to drive a forklift. I really want to interview him. There was another guy who worked at 3 retail jobs and had a 4 page resume. 4 pages... Not necessary buddy. I kinda want to reach out to them and offer my resume writing services for a low low price. I'm not going to hire you, but please let me help you. :)

Have a great Friday and go see Amanda over at Meet at the Barre!

AND

Five Thing Friday - Christmas Ornament Edition

We finally put up the tree and decorated last night FINALLY. After we got the tree up I realized that my decision to take the next to the last tree in that price point at Home Depot may not have been the best decision. Any time you say, "F it, this tree is fine", there's probably a better option. Regardless, even though it's a little small, it's still going to be festive, dammit.

After we put the lights on Kev said, "Let's do the ornaments first then fill in with the balls." I looked at him with horror ad said "the balls go on first, the balls go on first." He then said, "Don't you get all Rain Man on me, let's try something different because the tree is smaller."

No no no. The tree is decorated in an order. Lights go on first, then the garland. But my garland died last year and I forgot to get new. Next are the balls, small balls on top and bigger balls on the bottom. Then comes the ornaments. Last (if you're my mother) are the icicles. There's an order to the tree and yes it's the way we did it growing up put it makes sense.

There is nothing I hate more in the Christmas world than icicles. They're a pain in the a$$ to put on the tree, they stick on your clothes, you find them months later and the WORST WORST is when the cat eats them and you find a strand coming out their butt. Nope nope nope. 

Every year I begged my mom to not put the dang icicles on the tree. She said that when I grew up I could not have icicles on my own tree and I don't.

HOWEVER, every year Kev asks for icicles. He says they're beautiful and festive. I think he wants them because he knows I hate them. And he's Jewish, it's not like he grew up with icicle covered trees and wants to reminisce. I offered to hang icicles off the menorah but that -ish is super flammable. 

I thought for my 5 things it would be cool to show you my 5 favorite Christmas ornaments. When I moved out my mom gave me all the ornaments that I'd accumulated over the years. I have almost a tree's worth of ornaments on my own and every year I get Kev the new Hallmark Star Trek ornament. So, here are my favs!

1. Kev got me this KD ornament last year and I love it. My favorite part is the crest. I love that the designers gave it a go even though it's not really accurate. I know what it's supposed to be and it's awesome.

2. I'm pretty sure I got this sheep ornament from my aunt who used to sell Avon. She passed away some time ago and I always think of her when I put this one on the tree. He's a little bell and the sheepy feet are the clapper. Love it.

3. This one is a crocheted bell from another aunt who has also since passed away. It's so delicate and beautiful. I keep it in a special box stuffed with tissue paper so it keeps its shape. 

4. I'm continuing on a sappy thread but I think one of the great things about the Holidays is how you can look back on the past ones and remember all the great times you had and think about the people you had them with. 

Over the years my mom has made me a lot of ornaments but this one is my favorite. She made it out of shrinky dinks and painted a picture of the cat I had growing up. She passed away a long time ago but I'll always have her on my tree. 

5. On a lighter note, this cow is one of my all time favorite ornaments. He moos Deck the Halls but it might be the most bored Moo I've ever heard. It makes me laugh every time I hear it and I'm going to be so sad when the battery finally dies.

I asked Kev what his favorite ornament was and he said the star. It's glittery and every year it's his job to put it on the tree,

 Have a happy Friday everyone! Linking up with Meet at the Barre! and



Which ornament is your favorite??

Five Thing Friday!

I swear I'm coming back! I might be typing this post at 830am but I swear it's all thought out in my head, now to get it on screen.

I love lists, we all know that, and who doesn't love the holiday season? Here are 5  holiday things that are happening right now!

1. I don't have a single decoration up at my house right now. Nope, not a single one. I have been talking about getting them out and ready since before we left for Thanksgiving. I decided not before we left because 1. I ran out of time and 2. my cat is an asshole and likes to pee on things. I'd rather not give him free pee reign on all my Christmas decorations. (I've taken him to the vet and $300 later the diagnosis is "he's a jerk") They are still in the attic.

2. I asked Kev if we could be Jewish this year. Before you get your panties in a bunch Kev's Jewish so it's not even an odd request. Think about it, you take the menorah out of the box and set it on the table. THAT'S ALL THE DECORATING. Then you put it back in the box. He said I would be sad on Christmas morning. Maybe...

3. When I finally do get that -ish up it's going to be up for a while. I'm not one of those take it down on the 26th people. Every year my Mom left the decorations up until the 7th of January to celebrate Serbian Christmas. We aren't Serbian, I don't know any Serbians but we apparent;y honor the traditions of the old ways.

4. Every year I bake a crap ton of cookies except this year I'm really behind, like really, really behind. On the 20th I go to a 13 person cookie swap where we each make 12 dozen cookies and each dozen is individually wrapped. I make pizzele every year, tried to make another cookie 2 years ago and it didn't go over well. Needless to say, me and my press are going to be making 2 cookies at a time all weekend.

For real, mine look just like that.

5. I made 2 batches of peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies because I love them. But instead I used sun nut butter because I didn't have a full jar of PB. 7 jars of nut butter but not plain old PB. I figured crunchy PB with chia seeds would make a nasty cookie. I discovered that when you press the kisses into the cookie, the compression of the cookie dough turns green. GREEN!

So pretty on the outside

 This doesn't do it justice, it's MUCH greener than that. Friends with peanut allergies said that happens to them too. They're fine to eat, I tasted one and it was delightful but I can't give them to anyone! I can't pass them out to my employees and forever be known as the lady who gave green cookies. I pulled all the kisses off and trashed both batches. Annnnd I'm even more behind than I was before.

Here's the thing, I'm not going to stress about it. I just ordered a bunch of stuff on-line and it's being shipped to the house. I don't feel guilty that I didn't brave the mall and look in store after store to find the right shirt. Nope. Found what I needed on Amazon and got free shipping with Amazon Prime.

Tell me I'm not the only one this far behind.

Linking up with Meet at the Barre!

Friday Five (or six) Favorites - Junior League Shopping Spree

Last Friday I called off from work and went to the Junior League Shopping Spree. Geeze Lara, calling off to go shopping? yep. Two reasons. One, I was waiting for my final offer letter from the new company and knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything. And two, I knew I was leaving and didn't want to spend the day looking at their faces. 

I always love the Shopping Spree, each year the Junior League gathers a bunch of vendors and for 4 days it's a big shopping extravaganza. It's $12 to get in and you can come back all 4 days.

It's hard to see but those are all vendors. It fills the entire floor of the convention center.

There's lots of boutiques and interesting gifts. Most years, this one included, I found a bunch of great food items.

This was one of the first ones I had to pick up. It's a Party in a Bag and for $20 you got a dip mix, a box of tasty crackers and a box of magic that turns your alcohol into slushies.

You take a bottle of wine or booze, add a mixer and the deliciousness in the box, put it in the freezer, wait a few hours and it turns into a booze slushie. Seriously amazing. Add some cream cheese / sour cream to the spice mix, dip the crackers in there, instant party. It's going to be perfect over the holidays.

I did buy one non-food thing, these gable boxes were 11 for $10. I absolutely love these for gift giving over the holidays. I participate in a huge cookie exchange every year and when it comes time to spread the love, these are perfect. You can fit a crap-ton of cookies in here and they're instantly festive.

I also found these gluten-free, no-GMO baking mixes. The chocolate one had 0 soy which made my heart (and stomach) happy. 

\

I got really excited when I saw these butter mints. Kev and I sampled them a few weeks ago and didn't buy any. They were soooo delicious. I had to get get some. I'm going to take some to my grandma for Christmas, I know she'll love them too.

BBQ Sauce with beer AND bacon? Um yes. We made BBQ the other day and used this sauce and it was amazing!

One last thing was these delicious hard candies. Again, taking these to Grandma for Christmas.

Overall it was a pretty successful spree and I got some great stuff. 

Have you ever been to a Shopping Spree?

Linking up!