Lightning McQueen/ Tow Mater Cake

Hi all! I wanted to share a picture of the cake I created today.  The design is not completely original.  My friend actually found a picture of a similar cake online and asked me to recreate the cake for her and so I tried. 

The top layer is a vanilla cake with dulce de leche frosting; the bottom, is a chocolate cake with Oreo cream cheese frosting.  The rest is sculpted out of colored fondant.  I learned a few things while baking this cake.  The most important of today's lessons is the fact that cake decorating becomes extremely difficult when the weather is extreme.  Today was about 98 to 99 degrees in my town. :( But, the cake needed to be baked and ready for a birthday party tomorrow.  I tried my very best to make it work and this was the result.  I am pleased considering I just started baking. Hope you guys like it! :0)

Toodles,
Lainy

Avengers Cupcake Toppers

I created these cute cupcake toppers for my nephew's birthday party. He's in love with the Avengers and the color green. The toppers were created from sturdy colored card stock paper. They were placed on colored lollipop sticks which complemented the frosting beautifully.

I also made the cupcake wrapper to go along with the cupcakes.

As for the cupcake, it was a vanilla bean cupcake frosted with green vanilla flavored butterceam.

Hope you guys liked it.

Toodles,
Lainy

4th of July Birthday Cake

I love to bake! This year, I made my nephew's birthday cake. It was my very first fondant cake and my very first layered cake.  The bottom layer was a strawberry flavor cake with buttercream frosting.  The top layer was vanilla flavored with chocolate pudding frosting.  I used red, white and blue fondant made by Wilton to decorate the cake entirely.  The circle puffs were created with buttercream fondant.  I believe I used Wilton's round tip number 12.

I think it turned out pretty good considering it was my first fondant cake and it was also 98 degrees in my house. :/  The temperature made it extra hard; but, I learned a great deal from this experience. I hope you like it!

Toodles,
Elaine

I Did it... I went to the Gym!

Despite my struggle to put on my sports bra, I managed to get into my car and make it to the gym! Once I got here, I felt strangely awkward. As if everyone was staring at me aware of the fact that I haven't been here in what seems like an eternity. I slowly walked over to the treadmill and jumped right on. After a few minutes of the uneasy awkwardness, I began to feel accomplished. I MADE IT TO THE GYM!

I was there for about an hour. I truly hope tomorrow I can duplicate today's efforts and come to work out again. This weight has got to come off!!!

Toodles,
Lainy

Getting back into a routine is TORTURE!

I haven't been to the gym in weeks! I think the last time I was there was in April. :( I used to go a minimum of 4 days a week and the weight was slowly but surely coming off. Now it's slowly but surely creeping back on. I really want my routine back!

Anyhow, instead of being excited, I'm dreading going to the gym. I need motivation. I just can't seem to get motivated on my own! I'm so annoyed and extremely upset! this funk has got to end! I'm putting on my sports bra and heading to the gym! I do hope I make it there. :/

Toodles,
Lainy

Lost...

Hello blogging world! I have to admit, I missed blogging.  I have been somewhat lost in my own personal life that I neglected my blog for quite some time.  I promise NOT to do that again. :0)

Anyhow, so much has changed.  I completed my first 5K, 10K, and Spartan Race.  I have had a great deal of fun training. My weight loss is coming along and I am a lot healthier than I was a few months ago.  I must admit though, I have hit a few bumps in the road.  For instance, I stopped baking because my allergies put me in a funk. :( But I am over that! :0)  Now, however, I am having a hard time going back to my work out routine.  I am going to attempt to go back to the gym tomorrow morning simply because I don't want to be the way I used to be.

Toodles,
Lainy

Cravings...

I've been craving chocolate like a mad woman!!! Unfortunately, I can't eat chocolate because of my allergies. :( This realization, has caused me to feel a serious case of the blues! I will try to kick the blues out of my system with an early visit to the gym tomorrow!

Ttyl,
Lainy

Hectic Weekend!

This week was filled with family activities and friendly visits! I barely had time to sleep. Hahaha!!

I weighed 140 both on Thursday and on Friday. The weekend came and I didn't exercise and ate like a little piggy. :0) on Monday, I weighed 142 pounds. I worked out, ate the way I'm supposed to and this morning: BAM! I weigh 140 again! :0)

This is a train wreck!! I lose weight Monday through Friday and gain in the weekend!! I've got to cut that out!!

Have a good day!!
Ttyl,
Lainy

My Addiction... :0)

Well, it's not totally bad except for the fact that it costs money... :/  I am addicted to makeup!! Yup, MAKEUP! I love eyeshadows, blushes, mascaras, lipsticks, lip glosses, etc.  I honestly have a collection of makeup.  My favorite brands are Urban Decay, MAC, and BH Cosmetics.  One of these days, I will share more about my makeup with you! Anyhow, last night I received my grab bag gift from a friend and he got me this awesome makeup palette from Sephora.  It has eyeshadows, lip stains and blush.  I absolutely LOVE IT!!

Ttyl,
Lainy

Training for a 5K

I've been toying around with the idea of running a 5K race for some time. I'm not much of a runner. In fact, my times are pretty pathetic. HOWEVER, I think that with time, I can learn to become a decent runner.

When I'm on the treadmill, I jog/walk/run 2.7 miles in 42 minutes. I can't jog it all the way because I tend to get quite tired but I try. I think doing this kind of workout at least 4 times per week will eventually turn me into a runner. Well, that's what I'm hoping for.

Next pay period, I'll be signing up for two races. One, this upcoming April and one in May. This is a special goal that will undeniably yield the results I desire: getting to a healthy weight.

Motivation Update...

I've decided that this weekend or maybe next, I will go buy a pretty bathing suit. One that catches my eyes and one that I envision myself wearing this summer. It's sole purpose will be to motivate me to work my booty off! ;0)
I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!!!

Ttyl,
Lainy

Lazy... Lack Motivation

I haven't worked out in two days. This is such a problem of mine. I get lazy and lack the motivation to go to the gym. :/ I need to learn what to do when I start to feel this way! This feeling pretty much stinks!

Ttyl,
Elaine

Weirdest Day EVER!

I'm having one of those days in which you almost wish you never got out of bed, BUT are in essence sort of happy that you dragged yourself from under the covers!!!

Anyhow, I weighed myself this morning! The impossible occurred, either that, or my scale is BROKEN!! I weighed 140.6 pounds! Following my 1,200 calorie diet and exercising allowed me to shed the extra 3 pounds that haunted me this past few days!

I REACHED THE NUTRITIONIST'S GOAL!!! 140 pounds! I'm really excited! This means I'm 10 pounds away from my goal of 130 pounds! All of a sudden, I actually feel like I CAN DO THIS!!! I KNOW I CAN!!

Goodnight and ttyl,
Lainy

First Dose of Allergy Shots

Mmmm.... I'm sitting in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting my first dose of Allergy shots. I'm a bit overwhelmed, scared and nervous. This really does stink! I truly dislike shots; but, according to my doctor, these will help me feel better. I don't know. I feel a certain way about medicines and injections; after all, I took the ever-so-popular flu shot and it almost killed me! The hives, the itchiness, the red eyes and the inability to breathe that's something I'll never forget. I dislike the fact that I have allergies BUT they are part of me! I have to deal with them as best as I could.

I'll let you know if I feel any different after taking shots.

Ttyl,
Lainy

Crazy Scale

People say that you shouldn't weigh yourself daily. I beg to differ. I think it's quite healthy to track your weight on a daily basis. Not only does this enable you to see your progress as a physical number but it also calls for accountability on your part.

For instance, I totally pigged out this past week due to holiday munchies and drinks. I saw the ugly numbers creep up on the scale BUT I knew it wasn't a big deal. Once the get togethers and the celebrations ceased AND I returned my butt to the gym, I would be right back on track.

This morning I weighed myself and those 2 pounds I gained this past week are HISTORY! I'm back to 141.8. See my formula is simple: scale plus exercise plus good eating habits yields results!

Ttyl,
Lainy

Gluten Free Pancakes

I'm seriously in love with the gluten free pancake mix my DH purchased for me. The pancakes look and feel just like regular wheat pancakes. They taste a little grainy, but it's all good. I don't mind the taste.

Today, I had them with raisins!! People without food allergies probably think I'm nuts, but you have to understand that I'm very limited in what I can eat! So KUDOS to Hodgson Mill's Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix.

Oh, and I had Gluten Free syrup made by Maple Grove Farms! At just 30 calories per 1/4 cup the syrup is pretty good. And guess what?? It's Sugar Free. ;0)

Ttyl,
Lainy

FAILED!

Just thought I'd share my first failed attempt to reach a goal set by my nutritionist.

My appointment is on Saturday. By then, I should have been 140 pounds. Well I'm not 140 pounds! I weighed 143.0 this morning. I can blame all the holiday eating but that wasn't the problem. The problem is ME!! My stomach has literally been like the bottomless pit! Therefore, I take full responsibility!!

Five days is not enough time to lose 3 pounds. Therefore, I totally crashed and burned!! FAILED! Well, there's always next week. :/

Ttyl,
Lainy

6:00 AM Workout...

I woke up bright and early to make it to my 6:00 AM training session. Despite the agony of getting out of bed, I located my workout clothes, got dressed, and walked out the door! Talk about an accomplishment!

In my head, I desperately needed to get to the gym on time. If I didn't, I'd probably have to park far from the door. Hahaha! I really did expect to see a ton of cars and a packed gym. After all, it's January 2 which is synonymous with "a packed gym of people with New Year's resolutions". To my dismay, the gym was empty!!! SCORE! It was just my trainer and about a dozen people. That's excellent since my gym is HUGE!

Today's workout consisted of rowing, kettle ball training, sit ups and TRX training. It was extremely exhausting! My arms feel like jello. Really, they do! Hahaha!

Ttyl,
Lainy

New Year... New ME!!

So a few weeks ago, I learned I had food allergies and am, according to my doctors, pre-diabetic. Yeah, that pretty much means that I am almost a diabetic. AND it also means that I have to watch what I eat. I can't eat shell fish, eggs, wheat, milk, peanuts, soybean and beef. I get really annoyed when people ask: Why are you on a diet?" "Why can't you eat that anymore?" I get equally annoyed when people say "Well you used to eat that before." or when they put this face as if I were making things up. Believe me, I would love to eat chocolate, cupcakes and all the other yummy stuff that I used to love to eat. Unfortunately, I cannot eat these things. They make me sick and quite frankly, I am tired of feeling sick.

Anyhow, I have had to learn to eat differently and have incorporated exercise into my weekly routines. According to the nutritionist, I should weigh between 115-120 pounds. Quite frankly, I am not sure if I can make it to that goal. BUT I am certainly going to give it my all. Because of my allergies, I have no choice but to watch what I eat. So far I have dropped 10 pounds. I am very happy and excited and for the very first time, in a long long time, I feel like I have what it takes to reach my ultimate weight goal. For me, that is 130 pounds. I am currently 143 pounds. Thirteen pounds to go! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

I've decided to start this blog in hopes to gain support and ideas from people who are trying to stay fit, as well as others who may have tips and ideas on how to deal with food allergies. My goal is to live a healthier life.

xoxo,
Lainy