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

Five on Friday - Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

OMG Lara, really, you too? Every last Blogger on the planet just posted their Nordstrom Anniversary Sales picks. It's the only thing on my feed for the last day and a half. 

Yep, me too.

Here's why. I never really understood/cared about Nordstrom until I saw everyone start posting about the sale last year. I came in late to the game and even though a lot of it was picked over, there were still some amazing deals to be had. Each year Nordstrom opens their sale early to their card holders and what makes them different is that the anniversary sale isn't full of crap that didn't sell all year. .

Nope, there's plenty of items perfect for summer but even more that will be great for cooler weather. AND they discount designers that never go on sale. Hunter Boots, Tory Burch bags and shoes, Rag and Bone booties, there's some great deals if you were saving for something special. 

So, remember when this blog used to have a fashion component? Well, let's bring a little of that back today. I haven't really been shopping because shopping while losing weight isn't the brightest idea. I have a lot of pounds to go and I have plenty of sizes in my closet. (I say this as I post about the sale) Instead I was looking for items that were right on the edge of fitting and would still look good as I lost weight or even be a little oversized when I get to my goal. 

Let's be honest, it's almost time for fall. I "know" it's only the middle of July, but PSL will be here at the end of August, school supplies are out, college starts back up in like 4 weeks. Yes, the sorority I advise comes back on the 8th of August for spirit week, classes start the week after, recruitment is around the corner, football is starting back up. Shit, we all need a jacket.

So, here are 5 of my top picks for the Anniversary Sale. Some of these may or may not already be on their way to me.... 

Caslon Draped Utility Jacket

When I saw this in the catalog, I knew it was something I "had" to try on. It comes in olive, black and this one which they're calling Grey Ebony. I searched all last fall for a nice draped front jacket and never found one I loved. Honestly, for the fall, I love me a nice jacket. They're great for layering, especially for cold offices. I swear, every day at 4pm the winds of the tundra start blowing in my office.

Zella High Waisted Crop Leggings 

I love a good pair of crop leggings for the gym, it's all I ever wear. I can't do full length or ankle pants unless I'm running outside in the cold. Give me a crop any day and these have a little mesh, which I'm totally in to right now. I ordered the large which fits a 10-12. Even at goal I expect to be a pretty solid 8 and maybe a 6 here or there, and these will be fine, I'll never lose enough booty for gym pants to fall off. 

Barefoot Dreams Drape Front Cardigan

AKA, the Blardigan. 

WTF is a Blardigan Lara? Well folks, it's a cardigan that feels like a ridiculously soft blanket. It's warm and cozy and you'll want to wear it all the time. These sold out like crazy last year and I see that the all grey one is already sold out. Which amazes me because THIS ONE IS GORGEOUS. Oh my pretty, that Nordstrom gift card I have is going towards you. I got the small/Medium which fits a 2-10.

BP Stripe Long Sleeve Tunic Tee

It's a striped shirt and like a fat kid in a candy shop, I'm unable to control myself around one. I did order the large, and depending on the fit, it might go back for the medium. It's junior sized though, so we'll see. 

I also love Nordstrom for their free shipping. Order off the website, free shipping and if I don't like it or want a different size, I just return it to the store. If  the replacement is in the store, great, if not, get it online.

Kendra Scott Rae Necklace

I have a slight obsession with Kendra Scott and might spend more time than I should at their store in Durham, but this, this necklace I love. I have a deep love of the Rayne necklace with the tassel but the Rae is just as pretty. The color combos they have on sale are perfect for the summer and fall. This gunmetal and abalone are amazing together and the gold and pyrite? 

I die. 

Happy Shopping folks!

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

Five Thing Friday

Hi again, it's Friday! Hooray! Even though this was only a 4 day week, it was jam packed full of all kinds of work and interesting things. I'm definitely ready for the weekend.

Summer is right around the corner, well, it's kinda here in NC. The 90 degree days have begun and that means I spend even more time trying to figure out what to wear. I was trying to remember what I wore last year since I'm about the same size I was then and I swear  don't remember. Hopefully FB will show me or I might have to go through my intstagram and figure it out. I  have a bunch of loose shirts that I bought last year and yay for getting looser but boo because there's still 20 pounds between me and the summer wardrobe I have in the spare bedroom. OK, I'm rambling now. But it is a lovely segway into today's 5 things....Fashion edition. (queue the trumpets)

1. A few months ago, one of my friends starting selling Lularoe. For those of you who aren't familiar, they sell leggings, shirts, skirts and dresses. Each print only has 1000ish pieces made and they're distributed to consultants across the country so people end up losing their minds over popular prints.

I'm on a few of the BST pages and it's insane how much people will pay for a pair of leggings. Literally, $80+ for a pair of hard to find ones, and those might even be worn. People are paying $80 for used leggings! Look, I have no shame in paying a premium for leggings, but there's a bit of a difference between an $80 pair of Lululemon and $80 for a pair with pizzas on them.

Recently got these cut out crops from lulu. They're amazing.

But you know what, used leggings are nasty. I don't care if they were washed, they were right next to someone's va-jay. Like right there. almost touching. If not touching. It's like wearing someone else's underwear.

2. Romper / jumpsuit season! It is that time of the year again when you have to get completely naked to pee. I just really liked this picture and had to share.

I did draw a bra on the pic because girlfriend just had her boobs hanging out. I'm not modest in the least, but I'd wear a bra with my romper. Now it's more realistic. 

3. Going down another clothing tangent, Wednesday I had a terrible gym fail. I left work at 5:10 to get to a 6pm spin class, that's about 10 miles away. Nope. There was an accident on the other side of the road.

Kev was about 1/4 mile ahead of me and we were on the phone talking about how bad it sucked. Any who, I get to the gym, 10 minutes late and go to change. I only have 1 spin shoe. 2 running shoes and 1 spin shoe. Grrr. Then I don't have the correct undergarments. I had on some shape wear under the dress I was wearing which, well, you know if you've worn the full body version. So yea, just went to class late with what I had. Since I didn't get the entire class in, I stayed for yoga, lord knows I needed some centering and peace. Now I have a few pairs of... you know, in my bag, just in case. 

Again, why you shouldn't buy someone else's leggings. 

4. It's casual Friday and I rarely wear jeans. I'm actually in a skirt today. Lots of people ask why I don't "dress down" and really, I don't like jeans and most importantly, skirts are 8000x more comfortable than a pair of jeans. They just are and dudes don't understand it. Fine by me.

Funny story, when I was a trainer at the cable company I had to police people's wardrobes all the time. I had to send people home to change or to Walmart to buy a pair of pants because they weren't supposed to be wearing jeans or I could parts of them that should be covered. Don't even get me started on the shoes. I saw so many pairs of platform hoochie shoes, it was ridiculous.

One day, after everyone had left, there was a pair of stripper shoes under the table where one of them was sitting. How they got to their car, or forgot that they left their shoes in class, I'll never know. 

I asked the person who was sitting there and she said they hurt her feet but she had socks in her purse so she put them on, wore them to her car and left her shoes. Now, maybe I'm out of touch and not that hip, but, if your shoes hurt your feet so badly that you can't wear them while sitting for 6.5 hours per day, you need new shoes. 

5. Have you heard about "Chubbies"? They're essentially shorter shorts for dudes.

One of my folks came in wearing a pair and I thought I'd have to have an akward conversation with a guy about the length of his shorts. Over the course of the day, the rest of the team teased him mercilessly about his short shorts. We've never seen them again. Problem solved and Lara didn't have to get involved. 

Happy Friday!

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

Look at this, I said I was going to blog this week and I did. Small wins folks, small wins.

Might as well take it old school and do a "Five Thing Friday". Heads up, I;m super tired because there was a storm last night and the dog and cats really wanted to come into the bedroom. Between all of their fussing, Lara didn't get much sleep. :(

1. A few weeks ago, my office expanded and we took over the the space on the other side of the hallway. Now the office is in a big 'U' and my team moved onto the other side of the office. They really like it, we have the new desks, I have a shinny new office, it's all good, except for the temperature. 

It is so damn cold on our side, BUT my office is like 10 degrees warmer than everyone else. If I;m OK, they're freezing. I'm hot and they're comfortable. The other day it was crazy cold and I had to send them this. 

I found some old, pre-rebrand gloves in the Marketing closet. I'm saving them for the next time they complain about the cold.

2. Back in the day, my Jenny weigh in was Saturday morning. I'd do my thing all week, hold on Friday night, weigh in the morning and if I was going to have a treat, it was Saturday. Then I had the entire week to be on track. Since my weigh-in week starts on Saturday, so does my work-out tracking (is that even a thing?)
Here's how this week looked
Saturday - Thought really hard about going to the gym. Really, really hard, but we went to the farmer's market instead and I was a little bummed about my weigh-in
Sunday - Went to the Southern Women's Show instead of yoga.
Monday - Boot Camp
Tuesday - Spin
Weds - Planned to go to boot camp but they hungry hit me and I knew I didn't have enough fuel to workout.
Thurs - So flipping tired. I had planned to go to spin though.
Friday - Kev and I have to get some photos taken

Just 2 workouts this week. Not awesome but better than nothing.

3. My brother lives with us now and while he's looking for a job, he's been taking artistic pictures of my animals.

With the light through the trees, she's like the second coming of dog.

I'm pretty sure Luger has a stash of mouse and bird carcasses under the deck 

This is Godiva, I am her person. She talks and says my name and it's creepy AF.

Still waiting for Kev to give the green light for me to get a baby goat. He keeps saying no, something about baby goats not being baby goats forever. Whatever.

You live in the Raleigh Durham area and have pets? My brother can take some super awesome pictures for you. 

4. I've been making  my team taste test things I find. It started with the 3 new peanut M&M flavors. Chili Nut, Honey Nut and Coco Nut. Then we did popcorn and yesterday we started on Oreos. So far the Reeses ones are a hit and the 'filled cupcakes' taste like unicorn tears. Sounds delish. I have partaken of 0. Because weigh-in.

5. Saturday I found the biggest Honey crisp apple I've ever seen in my life. This bad boy weighed 1.5lbs and at $4.99 a pound, that folks, is a $7.50 apple. 

I got this shirt at the last Kappa Delta training academy I went to. One of our platforms is building confidence in women. The shirt says "All I need is coffee and confidence". #GoConfidently

Have a great weekend and wish me luck tomorrow! Fingers crossed I see a decent loss!

Linking up with Amanda - Meet @ the Barre! AND