{where am I}

Hi there blog friends!!!
Just popped in on a friend's computer to let you know that I will be MIA for awhile. My computer broke and had to be sent in to the company that I purchased it from to be fixed.....we're talkin' weeks! boohoo~
Take care and hopefully i'll be up and running here soon!!!
~Heather

{yum-o}

Most every Tuesday my friend and I get together for what we call, Tropical Tuesdays. I think i've talked about that before?!? Anyway we always drink lots of vino and make a fabulous meal. Well last night I think we topped ourselves!

First we rode 17 miles and she really made me sweat and that was after I already rode 20. So, I was really looking forward to some yummy food and drink! It's probably not the best to partake in lots of vino after strenuous riding....but hey I am not known for following the rules~

Meet Fennel....
flickr
Not something I have ever tried but last night she came up with this wonderful concoction and I gave it a whirl.

Of course you know by now that I don't measure things out....I just throw 'em in and hope it tastes good and so does she. Sometimes recipes are nice and sometimes it's fun just to experiment~

*watermelon

*fennel

*red onion

*fresh mint

*feta
*balsamic vinegar

It was out of this world delicious!

The pictures don't really do it justice. One of these days i'll buy a new camera and work on my photography skills.

We also made some sweet potatoes and halibut with watermelon salsa. We tried to grill but honestly, two girls talking and drinking vino.....let's just say......burned fish and sweet potatoes! Owell we still ate it~
Sweet potatoes are so good and healthy~
*sweet potatoes

*fennel

*fresh squeezed orange juice

*red wine vinegar

*fresh parsley

*evoo

*feta

*chopped pecans

*salt & pepper

{yum-o}

I know it's not Fresh Friday's but really I couldn't resist sharing this! I was just so excited to try something new! And I liked it!

Honestly I do enjoy all this healthy eating but *really* I am just trying my hardest to get to where I can feel confident wearing this....

Old Navy

and then maybe by next summer i'll actually treat myself to a new one of these.....J Crew

It finally feels good to be moving in the right direction! And speaking of directions, you never know what direction your life will take you! So just hop on and enjoy the ride!

With all these new recipes and fitness tips i'm learning I might just have to start another blog! Let's just say I bought a domain name a long time ago and have some ideas up my sleeve!! But for right now i'll keep learning all I can~

Have a great day!!

"The future doesn’t just happen, it is created…Our destiny is not in the stars, but in ourselves. We may need to follow in the wake of those who have gone before, but what we do and where we go is ultimately up to us. The attitude of initiative is an on-going state of exploration that is never finished…a journey that never ends."~ Unknown

{summer Sundays}

Top of the morning....

This past Sunday our friends were kind enough to invite out for a boat ride on our local river.

I love summer Sundays or as I like to call them.....Sudzy Sundays~

It was the perfect way to ring in the impending work week.....

The water was calm~

The sky was beautiful~

I saw this cute little gazebo right on the river~Here's how I roll in the sun~With a golf umbrella! I don't know what happened to me...but as I get older I just can't enjoy cocktails in the blazing sun. For some reason it just gives me terrible headache. But problem solved.....bring a golf umbrella! Plus with all the riding I am doing, I think I am getting plenty of sun.

My friend and I ....... it's really just so nice to have great friends! My husband and I....I know he loves Sudzy {I mean} Summer Sundays~

After the afternoon on the water we all grilled out...

I made a super yummy vegetable salad~

And my husband actually enjoyed some!!!

I, of course, enjoyed some vino~All in all it was a fabulous Sunday! How do you enjoy your Sundays???

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people that treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it." Unknown

{chalkboard paint}

Good morning everyone~

Thanks for the positive input on Fresh Friday's! I'll keep it up. Now I just need to figure out a way to make a blog button for that! {I've seen those on other blogs} Any ideas???

I love chalkboard paint. It's such a simple and fun way to transform things you might already have on hand. I have made many chalkboards out of frames I already had on hand and have one in almost every room of my house!

You remember this one...I put it by my front door so I can write happy messages to my friends that stop by or to the UPS guy! I know he's always coming to my house!

This one is in my dining room...
A couple in the kitchen.... I actually bought these about 6 years ago and paid a little too much for them. That's when I decided I could easily and more affordably make them myself!
The one in my sunroom...I had that frame for a LONG time just hanging out in the basement. I'm so glad I don't throw things away~

Oh and I even painted the backsplash in the kitchen with chalkboard paint. I figured it was a pretty low budget re-do so why not?!?!? And I think's it's fun to see what people wrote after a party~

Lots of ways to spruce up your space with things your might already have on hand and with a little can of chalkboard paint!

Here are some other ideas I found while browsing around....Just click the image for the source.

A great big chalkboard, perfect for kids to draw on until their heart's content~

Paint your dooor with chalkboard paint...hey, why not?!?!

Look at this whole wall painted with chalkboard paint. I really wanted to do that with my dining room wall..but the room is just too dark for that. But you never know! I do like to change things up~Maybe throw some chalkboard paint on you bicycle. So cute, especially if you had a vintage cruiser~And last....paint your car with chalkboard paint! I love, love, love this!

Makes me want to find a vintage junky jeep and just paint it with chalkboard paint!

So there you have it....lots of cute ways to use up that can of chalkboard paint! Do you have any things in your home painted with chalkboard paint???

Have a great day~

{Happy Friday}

I'd like to say TGIF....but since i'm off in the summer everyday is TGIF!!! Lucky me~

Anywho...as you know I have been really working hard at training for this Century in September and so I have also really cleaned up my eating. I was thinking that it might be kind of fun to do a

Fresh Fridays, where I show you some yummy and totally healthy (at least in my opinion) food that I have made during the week! Oh and I could also share an awesome spa place that we could all dream about going to! I think it's fun to share good food ideas with others and I think it will help keep me motivated to try new things.

So here goes.....

Fresh Fridays~

A lovely salad with mixed baby greens, tomatoes, sprouts, blueberries, walnuts, feta and cucumbers~I also made the dressing...my own concoction....one whole mango, honey, lime juice and zest, fresh mint, and Chardonnay wine!! Throw in the food processor and there you go....your own healthy fat free and oh so tasty salad dressing!

As you can see I threw a fresh orange in my water and included wasa crackers with another concoction of my own......cottage cheese dip!

The dip has fat free cottage cheese, artichokes, avocado, lots of garlic and salt and pepper all whizzed up in the food processor! Delicious.

I can't tell you how important I think healthy food is and I am so thankful that I am back to eating really healthy and feeling really good! In my humble opinion...and I am definitely full of those....we could all stand to clean up our eating just a bit~

I don't usually use recipes so I can't tell you the exact proportions of everything in my meals. I think it's so fun to experiment with food. Sometimes I lay in bed and just think about new combinations of foods to try. Really tasty, healthy food is so good and makes you feel so good to eat it! I never get tired of enjoying a lovely meal or great wine~

And now for the spa.....

Oh I wish I could go.......

Kamandalu Resort & Spa in Bali........Bali is most definitely on my list of places to go~
Who couldn't get some serious r & r in this room?!?!

Everything looks so lush and beautiful.

I could certainly enjoy a nice spa meal sitting by this pool.

Beautiful....honey, 10 year anniversary????

Let me know what you think of Fresh Fridays...yeah or nea!

Have a super happy weekend~

"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food."~ Hippocrates

{be free..}

To dream~You never know where life is going to take you!
I never thought it would ever be possible for me to actually set my mind to training for the 100 mile bike ride....but I am.
Yesterday was 34 miles for my long ride. It just feels really good to work towards a goal and all the time on my bike gives me lots of time to dream!!!!
What are your goals and dreams?

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." ~ Beverly Sills

{happy weekend}

Top of the morning to you!!
Hope you had a fun and festive 4th of July~
I love the 4th of July and think it's such a fun time of the year.
Fireworks...cookouts...cocktails..
What more could you ask for?!?!?
On Friday we headed up to our favorite place....South Haven, MI~There are so many fun beachy bars where you just sit and watch the boats go by.....aahh relaxation!

Everything was so festive for the holiday~

The view from our seat at The Idler~ We just sat sipping cocktails watching the boats go up and down the river~
I chose these today...sometimes it's nice to save a few extra calories {in case you want to eat something a little naughty later}! And I think they taste pretty good especially with a little lemon slice!

You could pay to take a ride on this boat...it takes you out to Lake Michigan and back. We've never done it but it looks like it would be fun~

Saw this super cute little boat...

Went to our super favorite place.....

I love eveything about this place...It's just a simple little bar right on the water..

Oh and they even have *palm trees*.....
hey...you get what you can get when you live in Indiana!!!!

Oh and on a side note....

woke up this morning and checked on the pond

and found a little frog sitting on the lily pads!! Now how happy is that?!?!??!

Have a fabulous week~