ADDENDUM

So as an " addendum" to my last blog post I would like to say..I did not mean to imply that married life is easy or make a separation between married and singles. But because of our different stages in life we are naturally going to have different struggles. But I"m thankful for ALL of my friends and learn so much from all of them no matter what stage they are at. I think that's so important to have people in your life from all different places ..so that you can learn and grow with them.

WAITING not DATING...true confessions

So. I give up. Seriously. I give up on dating right now. Not in a bitter I hate men way, but in a now is time to wait not date.  I got out of this long distance saga in december, then tried to be a cougar and date this young 25 yr old.  He then responded with, "I listened to a sermon and was convicted, so I can't talk to you anymore." Seriously? Who does that? Apparently 25 year olds. Then my last resort I got hooked up with a guy that I probably shouldn't go out with anyways, was going to go out with him today...and apparently he is jealous and thinks I am going out with other guys so he's not talking to me anymore? Hilarious. He's not for me anways, he doesn't have the same values, I was just bored, and I know that's not a good motivation to go out with someone. Yes, bad bad Leighton.I I know.. I know better. It's so easy to say when you are married or already have someone. Much harder to see when you're alone.

Other than the reality of the fact that both of these guys have issues, I'm coming to realize and hear the loud message that God is sending me right now as he is seemingly cutting me off from dating at every turn.."WAIT!" So I will. I will be obedient. I hear you..I get it. I have to believe in the plan that God has that is much better than the ones I am trying to make for myself.  Gosh I hope its better, because I'm not doing that great of a job.
This verse rings true to me right now from Psalm 19:21, "Many are the plans in a mans heart but it is the LORD's purpose that will prevail." So I will wait, TRUST ..HOPE..LIVE..BE THANKFUL..and remember what the Lord has done and will continue to do in my life.

Hot YOGA!!!!

Let me introduce you to  one my new favorite things for all of you curious cats..

What is Hot Yoga?


Hot Yoga is a series of yoga poses done in a heated room. The room is usually maintained at a temperature of 95-100 degrees. As you can imagine, a vigorous yoga session at this temperature promotes profuse sweating and makes the body very warm, and therefore more flexible.



What is Bikram Yoga?



Living yoga master Bikram Choudhury is a Hot Yoga innovator. His method of Hot Yoga is a set series of 26 yoga poses, including two pranayama exercises, each of which is performed twice in a single 90 minute class. Choudhury, who was born in Calcutta, India in 1946, founded the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills in 1974. He and his wife Rajashree were both yoga champions in India. Recently, Choudhury was involved in a lawsuit over his attempt to copyright his series of 26 poses done in a hot room. At the heart of the controversy is Choudhury's desire to prevent anyone teaching yoga in a heated room from calling their class "Bikram Yoga." He would like to reserve this title only for those teachers who are certified by his Yoga College of India and who stick to his prescribed method exactly (including not only the temperature of the room and order of poses, but also the carpet and mirrors in the room, and his approved text). The lawsuit was resolved with an out-of-court settlement in which Choudhury agreed not to sue the members of a San Francisco-based collective of Hot Yoga teachers and they agreed not to use the Bikram name. Bikram remains a very controversial figure in the yoga world.


For those of you in the asheville area:
http://www.hotyogaasheville.com/

Check it out! Between this and Weight Watchers I've lost 5.8 pds in one week..not sure who to attribute to..but YAY!

All the SINGLES...CHECK IT..

http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2011/01/show-us-your-life-show-us-your-singles.html

10 Morning Mood Boosters

So, not that I plan to have "resolutions" persay but considering my recent lack of luck in the romance department, I plan to focus primarily on the Health and Fitness department and hoping that running and taking care of my body by eating healthy will provide me with the natural high and mood boost I'm looking for....here's hoping!   I just ran a 10-K and although I did not train well I was able to run pretty much the whole thing! Just think what my body could do with better training:)

10 Morning Mood Boosters

MY Birthday FUN!:)

So on the DAY of my birthday the snowpocalypse came so it wasn't soo much fun..:(

But I did get to walk across the street and my neighbor made me these...YUMMERS!

 Delicioso..and yes I have chocolate on my teeth...

The weekend BEFORE my bday I went to Charlotte to pick up my friend to go to Raleigh to have a much needed girls weekend:) Her kids and I had a little photo booth fun time..ha!

 Not sure if the other pictures would have been approved but these are pics of my friends feet doing the birthday dance:) I have had a rough month of heartbreak, so they made me a nice little encouragement basket with chocolate, wine...and a little sock monkey with "said boy"s face" and pins to go with:) heh

And here are some of my friends who made my birthday weekend great...

And then there is a picture of me, so utterly thankful for all I have been given:)

healthy recipes

Hi guys..Here is a healthy recipe I thought you might enjoy:)

Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Collards, and Ginger

6 Ratings (See All) | 25 Comments (See All)

• SAVE
• RATE
• PRINT
• EMAIL
• FACEBOOK - SHARE THIS

Sweet potato and almond butter give this soup a creamy, decadent texture.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 cups)
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup smooth almond butter
• 1 cup collard leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Combine the stock, onion, garlic, and sweet potato in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and 1/2 cup of the soup mixture into a thick paste. Add the collard leaves and ginger to the soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter paste. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls, and squeeze with lime wedge.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Collards, and Ginger 

GUILTY PLEASURES

So I'm watching the Bachelor, again! I think it's going to be the most "dramatic season ever". I know I know it's mindless smut and I shouldn't be watching it, but I can't stop!! Well I could, but I dont' wanna. My friend Jenny and I have decided to make a weekly night out of it. We go to Pilates, go to her house,have a low cal dessert and watch the Bachelor. Hey, sounds great to me. I'm trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle these days and am recognizing the need for "buddies" in this . I am also recognizing the need for "rewards" of my efforts. So every Monday night..I go work out..and afterwards...sweet smut:)
I will have to say girl from Charlotte is my favorite, she seems genuinely sweet, I think the hairdresser is going to be a hooch though. Anyone else have any faves? Anyone have the same guilty pleasure as me...hehe.

Speaking of adopting a healthier lifestyle. I have been going to weight watchers meetings since the day after Thanksgiving and I think the mental part has finally clicked with me. The leader went around and asked us to make a measurable goal for the next 12 weeks. 12 weeks is a good time frame because it's short enough where it won't get lost in the shuffle, and long enough to see substantial change. I would like to lose 20 pounds in 12 weeks. I say this to you my blog readers (if there are indeed any of you out there) to put it out there again for even more accountability. She also challenged us to think about what we need to do to get to this goal and asked us, "how bad do you want it??" .
I want it bad. I want to fit into my size 10 jeans, and even go a bit lower:) So I am recognizing that I have to set a goal to "move" daily, to stay within my points, and to limit my going out to eat to once a week. I also need to decrease my alcohol intake. I have been realizing that since I have been having a hard time lately I have been drinking more, not necessarily in excess for most, but more than I am used to, so I am really trying to cut that out. So there you have it..a plan in place. A reasonable, doable plan! Happy New year Everyone!!

Out with the OLD..in with The NEW!!!!

So Jennifer Hudson is my new inspiration for Weight loss. I know I have been talking and talking and talking and TALKING about how I need to lose weight...so its time to "just do it!" I have joined weight watchers and am going to meetings regularly so I thought I would post some tips from Jennifer Hudson on how she did it... and continue to encourage myself and others..."one day at a time.."..:)

Jennifer Hudson Weight Loss Tips

Crash diets might cause use endless health problems and headahces. Indeed spotting celebrities who lost their extra-pounds in a few weeks can be a real encouragement to keep on with diets and exercise. However there's no need to appeal to radical methods and nutritional programs instead it is is wise to consider some of the basic guidelines and secrets stars like Jennifer Hudson offer who managed to lose no less than 60 pounds throughout her rising career. Indeed some might credit her success to keen exercising others would swear by the effect of diets as Weight Watchers, after all, all comes down to the revolutionizing of our lifestyle which includes nutrition as well as physical exercises. In order to follow the footsteps of the Oscar-winner and laureate singer-actress it is important to shed light on the main principles she included in her lifestyle covering the meals she consumed as well as additional tricks. Those who are eager to lose some of the 'precious' extra-pounds should devote some minutes to the reading of the basic Jennifer Hudson weight loss tips as presented below.

Diet

Increasing the intake of healthy ingredients is the ultimate secret to get rid of fat. Indeed Jennifer Hudson claimed that the first step to success is to get rid of fried foods. These dishes might be uber-delicious still contain a prominent amount of saturated fats.

These in fact trigger the accumulation of fat in the organism and lead to weight gain. Instead of consuming these unhealthy servings make sure you opt rather for the steamed variation of both vegetables, legumes as well as meat. Enjoy the delice of these nutritional elements that will leave you with a sense of satiety as well as would preserve the proper functioning of your metabolism due to the easier digestion

Main ingredients that Jennifer Hudson added to her meal plan are vegetables as: lettuce, spinach, brown rice as well as other lean proteins and fibers present in chicken breast as well as fish. These elements should serve as the main pillar of your diet. Consume them with confidence and find out some of the healthy recipes that appeal to these ingredients. The fresh and healthy vitamin content of fruits, vegetables as well as fish will provide your organism with the necessary supplements to develop and produce healthy tissues.

Healthy snacks and sweets are also important as these would tame your craves and would prevent the occurrence of midnight munching. Skip the popular junk food dishes instead move on the palette of natural ingredients and choose instead almonds, nut as well as delicious seeds.

Moreover you'll also find some cakes and fruit salads that would fulfill your desire for a sweet dessert. Consider some of the popular healthy snack recipes that would allow you to tame your sugar craving. Fruits and seeds will be your best friends when it comes of delicious aftermeals.

It is also important to pay special attention to portions. Instead of stuffing yourself with healthy still in excessive amounts damaging dishes choose elements that would have the ability to tame your hunger.

In the case of Jennifer Hudson she claims that with the assistance of LaFonza Alston the famous trainer, she manged to reduce her meals to small portions.As a consequence she increased the number of meals and not the amount as the largest meal reached to that of the size of her palm.

Portion control is paramount in order to let our organism digest food and break down all the important nutrients. Consider the use of a scale or simple tricks that would help you monitor the food intake and also weight control process.

Exercise

Jogging as well as weight training were some of the most important exercises she engaged in. Practicing a well-defined workout plan on a daily basis can lead to visible changes in our appearance. Therefore those who would like to look and feel fabulous should start their regime with a daily morning jogging then include at least 1 hour of weight lifting and training in order to define and train the muscles. Besides lifting those stubborn weights Jennifer also does sit-ups as well as push-ups. These exercises have the ability to polish her silhouette and emphasize those curves.