Here we go again! Back. To. Square. One.

After eight weeks of having this boot on my foot, eight pounds have managed to creep back onto my body thighs! (Okay, I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about the ding, dang boot; I promise that I won't mention it again.)

I worked so hard to get to where I was and now find myself back at square one starting over. It's not going to do me any good to bitch and whine, so I won't. I've managed to get through the disgusted and frustrated stages, so now I'm just mad and motivated, which, for me, is a good combination.

Now that I'm able to walk again, I have to crank up the cardio in order to give my metabolism a much needed kick in the pants! I'm not yet able do all the jumping required to do Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred like BigSis is doing now , but I hope to be able to do that soon.

In an attempt to lose two pounds a week, here's my plan for the next four weeks.

• Boost cardio to an hour and a half each morning. (Either walk, bike ride, or treadclimber at the gym)
• Start back to yoga classes three times a week.
• Add one spinning class a week.
• No Mexican Food or Chips and Guacamole, for now.
• Eat healthier snacks.
• Add a 30 minute bike ride after dinner each night.

I'm also making a more conscious effort to watch the calories. For the most part I eat pretty healthy, but sometimes, when in a hurry, I don't make the best choices for snacks. Most trainers will tell you that it is best to eat five small meals a day, which includes a mid morning and mid afternoon snack.

There really are a lot of choices for healthy snacks. I think the key is making sure that you have them on hand so you don't end up grabbing something unhealthy just because it's fast and easy. Check back in a few days for a list of my new favorite healthy snacks.

~LilSis

Posted under Fitness

So, here's our sweet, Senior Citizen, SarahGirl. Her mother was a Great Dane and her father was a yellow Lab. She really looks more like her mother, but she loves the water, just like a Labrador.

She really is sweet and innocent!

SarahGirl  just turned twelve years old this month. She has far exceeded her life expectancy and has a few issues, but she is overall still doing pretty well.

We got SarahGirl in February, 1997. We had just moved back to Texas after spending three years in upstate New York.  We had a huge yard and SirHoney was really wanting a dog.  We found SarahGirl through an ad in the classifieds.  The owner of the mother had kept all TEN puppies in her house until she found each and every one a good home. She still had around six four month old puppies when we went to see them.  We actually took two of them. We took SarahGirl and her sister, Molly, home with us.  Molly was the runt of the litter and SirHoney really felt like we should take her.  Within two or three months, we had to have Molly put down because she had hip displasia so bad that she was already on pain pills at six months old.  The vet couldn't guarantee that surgery would help her.  Luckily, SarahGirl has never had an issue with that.

SarahGirl relaxing by the pool.

Even though she gets us up at 4:30 every morning, she's still a sweet, loving, member of our family.

~LilSis

Posted under Animals

Be there or be square!

Hey, all you cyber-sisters and brothers!  Are you going to the BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas in October?  BigSis and LilSis will be there with bells on, and we would LOVE to meet you there!

Here's the scoopage that you need to know right now:

• The Blogging Conference is October 16-17.  The New Media Pre-Conference is the 15th, if that's your thing.

• The early bird discount for registration expires on July 1st so you have just a few days to get your act together.  The early bird rate for the 2 days is $300.  It will go up to $395 on July 1st, and then $495 on September 14th, so it's definitely worth it to get your plans made now.

• Hotel information is out too, so check out the 3 hotels with special rates.

• The 2009 schedule is still being finalized, but peruse the 2008 Conference Schedule if you'd like to get an inkling of what could be in store for us this year.

We'll talk more about this as the weeks go on, but we are really really excited about this!  If you're planning to be there, please let us know!  How fun would it be to get to meet up with folks we've only talked to through our blogs?!

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

It's bake sale time, which means recipe testing time, and that means this update will be short and sweet! I'm up to my eyeballs in recipes, treat bags, press releases, and save the date postcards!

So let's get to it. One of my co-workers brought these Graham Cracker Pralines to the office, and I thought they were super delicious. Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are accidentally vegan, so I only had to swap an Earth Balance stick for the butter to veganize this simple little recipe.

There are lots of recipes for this treat online; I started with Betty Crocker's Quick Praline Bars recipe. Basically, you lay graham crackers out on a cookie sheet (I lined it with non-stick foil). You combine brown sugar with the Earth Balance, and let it boil for one minute. Then add vanilla, pour the mixture over the crackers, sprinkle pecans over it all, and bake it for 8 to 10 minutes til bubbly. Pretty easy, right?

Some of the reviewers online had various problems with this recipe, but I had none of them. Whew! They firmed up nicely, they didn't stick, they didn't fall apart, and they taste pretty darn good!

I think these are going to make the cut for this year's bake sale, which is scheduled for Monday, December 17th and benefits In-Sync Exotics. BTW, we're looking for individuals and companies to match what we raise, so let us know if you can help with that endeavor!

I'm off to try a new Almond Biscotti. I'll let you know if it gets to come to the party or not!

Note added later:  Nope, the Almond Biscotti has to sit out this party. That's ok though, we have plenty of winners to bring!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Gideon: our 2012 Bake Sale Poster Boy! Is there a cuter baby bobcat?

Our 2012 charity bake sale for In-Sync Exotics is right around the corner on Monday, December 17th, and we are full of gratitude and excitement about it! It's the season to be thankful, so let me count the reasons!

• We have a brand new sponsor joining with us in support of this wonderful charity. Paper Mart – our favorite packaging source for years – has provided us with a generous discount on the incredible items we use to make our goodies look super cute. We know that cuteness helps things sell, right? And moving our goodies out the door is the name of the game at bake sale time. We could probably feed our cookies to the lions and tigers, but we'd much rather sell them to peeps and use the money to buy what the big kitties prefer to eat (and that's not biscotti). If you'd like to see some of our favorite Paper Mart products, check out my Pinterest Bake Sale Board. Thank you, Paper Mart!

• We are so happy to welcome back City Vet as a returning sponsor for the third year! City Vet provides us with tons of things to sell and awesome giveaway items. This year they've even donated a gracious plenty of the reusable shopping bags that we all love. These will be a big help, and a nice bonus for our shoppers who buy a bunch of goodies. We also have some gift certificates for exams and baths to sell; things that all of us animal lovers need! Thank you, City Vet!

• Last but not least, we are beyond thrilled that our employer is matching our sales, dollar for dollar, for the second year in a row. That means that we can totally leverage what we're doing. If we sell $4000 in goodies again, that magically turns into $8000 instantly! Thank you, our boss!

I have lots of baking to do, and ribbon to cut, and tags to make, and tweets and pins and instagram photos and facebook statuses to post, so I'm out for now. And yes before you ask, it is important that all of these tasks get completed, especially updating social media as this is one of the best ways to get the message across in this day and age. It's also definitely worth doing if it means that it will give me more followers in the process, but I always have the option of reading this Upleap and mr. insta review if I need another method to fall back on. I never turn down the chance to grow my following so updating my feeds is something that I should definitely do. I'll report back this weekend with our list of goodies to entice you.

For now, thanks, thanks, and more thanks to our supporters! If the wild kitties at In-Sync Exotics could thank you, they would, so I'll speak on their behalf. Oodles of thanks, chuffs and purrs to you all!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals, Food

It's been a gorgeous crisp day here in Dallas; perfect for a little computer work, a little housework, and a little cooking.  Since I didn't want to make a trip to the Wally Mart, I had to find dinner ingredients in my house.  What I came up with is Spinach Quiche, but with a simple tomato sauce served alongside to make it a bit different and to add some extra flavor.

The quiche is LilSis' recipe, that she got from her friend, E, when she lived in New York.  We've both been making it for years.  It's a great simple recipe, and I don't think it's as decadent as some recipes. I always make mine without a crust, I just don't think it's necessary and it adds a bunch of simple carbs and fat grams so I skip it.  This time, since I'm trying to eat as well as I can but I still want good food, I'm trying out Cabot 50% Light All Natural Cheddar cheese.  I got 2 pounds of it at Sam's Club the other day, so that's what I had.  It worked out wonderfully.  It tasted good and cheesy, and didn't melt away into the quiche like a full-fat cheese does.  The shreds held their shape a little more; I think you can see some areas of intense white cheesy goodness in the photos.

The tomato sauce is just a simple combination of cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic and seasonings.  If I had fresh basil and shallots on hand, I'd use them, but you can really use whatever you have and whatever you like.  I really liked adding the sauce to the quiche!  I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before!

Spinach Quiche with Tomato Sauce

Spinach Quiche

4 eggs
1-1/2 c milk (since I'm not a milk-drinker and never have any in the house, I use half evaporated milk and half water)
1 10-oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, liquid pressed out
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
Few shakes hot sauce (to taste)
2 c grated cheese (cheddar, parmesan, monterrey jack, gouda or any combination of cheeses)
2 Tblsp flour

Whisk together the eggs, milk, spinach and seasonings.  In a small bowl, toss the cheese with the flour, then add to the wet ingredients.  Mix together and pour into a greased pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until set and golden brown.

Tomato Sauce

4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tblsp olive oil
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt to taste

Seasonings of your choice. I used:

1/2 tsp minced dried garlic
1 1/2 tsp freeze-dried shallots
1/4 tsp dried granulated onion
1/4 tsp shallot pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sugar
Few dashes of hot sauce

Saute the garlic in the oil for a few minutes, but don't let it brown.  Add the tomatoes and seasonings, and simmer 10 minutes or so until the tomatoes start to soften.  You can leave the sauce chunky, but I prefer to whir it around a little bit with an immersion blender.  With a small quantity like this, watch out though.  I sprayed tomato sauce all over my countertop and backsplash, not to mention myself!  Keep sauce warm until quiche is done.

An easy Sunday Supper!

Cut yourself a slice of quiche, and spoon the sauce over it.  Sprinkle with a little parmesan if you have it.  Bon appetito!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Man v Food! Man v Food! Man v Food! Yes! It's finally time for season 3, and Adam's back with a vengeance for vittles! Woo hoo!!

What's Man v Food, you ask? Only the coolest, funnest show on TV, that's what! Adam Richman is our host, and he travels the country sampling the biggest and most fabulous, crazy food you can imagine. Oh yeah, and he gets down with the wildest food challenges ever! This show is normally on the Travel Channel, so viewers at home should tune in to see this amazing show. If any homeowners don't have access to that channel, it might be worth finding a new TV package. For example, to learn more about Dish TV Packages click here. Hopefully, more people will be able to watch Adam take on even bigger challenges!

Why should you watch Man v Food?

• Adam Richman is adorable! He's cute, he's funny, he can eat like a son-of-a-gun, and he has great hair! Yes, we have a little crush on him!

• You get to see unbelievable food, without traveling all over the ding dang country yourself, and you can eat it all vicariously through Adam without indigestion or weight gain!

• It's just plain great TV! How fun is it to watch a guy try to beat the Big Texan challenge in Amarillo (season 1)? That would be a 72 ounce steak with a salad, potato and roll. In one hour. In that challenge between Man versus Food, Man definitely won!

Where do you find Man v Food? On the Travel Channel; new episodes begin Wednesday June 16 at 9 pm E/P and 8 pm C. Be there, and set your DVRs!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

120 Beagles were rescued from a bankrupt New York testing lab.

Posted under

Listen up all you MAC lovers! Just in case you haven't already heard about the release of the new MAC Venomous Villains Collection, inspired by four favorite Disney villains, it's scheduled to be available in stores on September 30th in the U.S. and on October 10th internationally.

This YouTube video from temptalia's channel gives a great overview of all the products and the fabulous colors in this collection, not to mention the ADORABLE containers.

I just CANNOT wait to get my hands on some of these eye shadow containers! I think even after they're empty, I may have to hoard these cute little pots instead of turning them in to MAC for their recycling program. And, even though I'm a loyal OPI nail polish user, I'm going to have to try some of these nail polishes on my toes! They are some of the most amazing and unique colors!

I heard through the grapevine that sometimes MAC releases the products online a few days before the debut in the stores. It's probably safe to say that most of these products will sell out quickly, just like the ones from the Barbie and Hello Kitty collections!

So, if you love MAC products as much as we sisters do and if you've already got a little wish list from this collection, like we do, you may want to mark your calendar for September 28th to see if they're available online. 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

We're big fans of Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  Like other fans though, we hate wasting all of that product that the applicator wand doesn't reach.  A while back, LilSis hacked into Urban Decay's cute little purple genie bottle to show just how much waste there is.

Urban Decay's answer to the waste was to keep the cute bottle, but to redesign the wand.  The idea was that the newly-bent wand could reach into the curves of the bottle to access the previously-wasted potion.

We didn't love the new wand, but were happy tolerate it if it helped us get some of that wasted potion out of the bottle and onto our eyelids.

Did it do that though?  Like LilSis, I had to hack into the bottle myself to see.  I intentionally used this bottle as long as I possible could; trying to eek out every last little bit of primer.  When I finally whipped out my knife, I couldn't get one more dab out of this bottle.

Note: Don't try this at home.  I used a serrated knife and serrated my finger twice before I got through the hard plastic!  There was blood.  Lots of blood.

Do you see much waste?  I do!  Lots of waste!

The good news?  Urban Decay heard all the grumblings and came out with the Primer Potion in a tube!

When the tube first came out, I thought I heard that it was limited edition, but the web site doesn't say so.  The original purple genie bottles are still available too.

Whichever packaging you prefer, you're still getting our favorite eyeshadow primer and we wouldn't dream of applying shadow without it.  Not only does it hold the shadow onto your lids ALL DAY without creasing or fading, it also intensifies the color of your shadow.  Bonus!

I've been using this product for years, and I'm still amazed sometimes when I take a look into the mirror after a long day.  My eyeshadow still looks perfect and just-applied even though it may have been on for 16 hours and survived 8 hours of work and 2 workouts!  It sounds impossible, but it's true!  Go, Urban Decay!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care