quillandcouture

Oh it’s only Tuesday… 

(Latrice Royale)

I feel like it should be Friday. But it’s not. Tomorrow it’s Wednesday, ALL day long.

Emma Lilly agrees that this is essentially horse shit. But not to worry Emma we have this…

Annnd let’s be honest here, I am motivated almost entirely by these things:

• Dessert
• Wine
• Looking good in a bikini

Yes these are entirely competing forces, which makes my brain both confused and ahnnry. 

Dinner was this:

Salad - Arugula, yellow pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, balsamic, evoo, sea salt. And the last veggie burger in the pack. All delish, healthy and wonderful.

But my Tuesday needed more. After a lonnnnggg day, waking up real early to squeeze in a long workout, I felt the need to reward distract myself from the fact that it is only Tuesday. (No wine is not a reward in this house, it is free calories that make everyday feel like the weekend.)

So dessert was this:

The perfect dessert. One little cup of organic yogurt + one tbsp of cacoa powder + a few shakes of cinnamon. Just enough sweet, with lots of nutrients and protein to fill this hungry, wanting to look shmoking haute in her bikini beezy right hizzle.

And life is pretty good. Though I could go without the added guilt of the fact that I am going on a cruise this month, so dessert shouldn’t be an option. So I just ask myself girrllll you got room in that bikini for dessert? #sorryimnotsorry 

What’s your favorite dessert that still let’s you dream of that bikini?

Hello my name is Whitney and I am an NRGmatrix - a - holic.  Hi Whitney!

Allow me to introduce you all to my new addiction NRGmatrix, an energy drink supplement made from 100% organic mushrooms (say whhhaaa?) and a blend of herbs. Yup, you read right, mushrooms and herbs and I did not get high, NOR did it taste like dirt, it is quite delish and I am obsessed. And when I say obsessed, I mean it has replaced my coffee, GASP, and we all know how much I love me some espresso. And we all know I have tried to kick this coffee habit addiction before.

TRUTH be told, I will always, always, always love my espresso, my time in Italia stained that one on my soul big time. But, I have literally been searching for a healthy energy drink for as long as I have researched health, and have realized that diet soda and sugar free Red Bulls are actually terrible for you. (That is only if you agree that cancer in rats is not a good indication of things that could come from humans consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, splenda, etc. And I am no doctor so this is deductive reasoning here at best.) I have never found one that really was as healthy as it claimed to be, until now.

My morning NRGmatrix sitting shotgun to my morning Protein Shake. 

Down to the goods, this is what I loves about NRGmatrix:

1. It is healthy, truly healthy, organic, free of sugars, chemical fluff!
2. I instantly feel a very focused energy that gets me through my day, and allows for extra energy for an evening workout.
3. It has over 400% of my daily vitamin D recommended intake, which SPOILER ALERT, women NEED THIS.
4. It has an exceptional blend of vitamins and, herbs and MUSHROOMS that support my immune system. HOLLER.
5. LAST but not least, at 3pm it makes me think I am enjoying a treat like a Vitamin Water without the sugar, and without the calories. And that’s awesome.

So bottom line. I am in love, and things are getting hot and heavy between us. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself. If you want a sample, you should probably follow them on Twitter and Facebook, word is they are doing some giveaways.

Please note: Jackalope however is not happy with my latest obsession, as it means more time for me working out after work and less time roughing it on the couch cuddling with him. But we are about to go for a run together, so he’ll survive.

x to the ohhhh

Ever hear your soul calling? When it’s time for a change, or when it’s time to step it up, or when it’s time to stop whining? I can’t always hear it. But lately I’ve heard it whispering.

It started here at Coachella: 

I realized something in my life was missing, but I could not put my finger on it. I have a wonderful life, great hubs, great job, wonderful family and crazy beezies who never say no to a glass of wine or booty bounce or a motor boat. Then we went to San Fran…

And got to make some bad decisions with these beezies…

And was surrounded by these dapper gentlemen. And life felt just short of perfect, but why I knew not.

Until today when what I missed slapped me across the face. Driving home, I realized  I had completely abandoned up on my blog and told myself to post again, daily. ALWAYS easier in my mind. And then I tweeted this, thinking of my days where I lived in lululemon, never even put jeans on.

And finished my workout to find this:

It was a sign and it screamed to me how much

• I missed my blog. 
• I missed the people I used to connect with through health, wellness and the glitter of the interwebs that make this a small world. 
• I missed writing for me.
• I missed holding my creativity, health and overall balance accountable through my quills.
• It has become a part of my life, and without it I am naked.

And tonight at dinner, trying some place new and unusual, this sat next to me:

I get it soul, I hear you loud and clear. And thank you Coachella, San Fran, the Napa Flu and my beezies, for inspiring and giving me the nudge. And thank you Sophie for slapping what I needed right across my face.

Here’s to looking forward.

(Photo by Tara Henry)

This photo makes me laugh, butttt it also makes my heart sink.  I am not really certain if when I look in the mirror I actually see what’s there, or imagine something entirely different, that more or less can make me feel bad.  Totally lame balls, I know.  BUT it’s the truth, this is me being honest with y’alls and myself.  No matter how much I workout, how well I eat, there will always be a bit of a band-aid over a broken arm mantra deep inside that I have to work to bury.  It gets better everyday, every month, and every year, but I wish that little voice that speaks really badly to me would just die.  I know that I am healthy, happy and ridiculously fortunate in life, but there’s always a part of me that wants to be much better.  It’s my greatest attribute and my biggest downfall.

                                    Mug is so ready for the weekend.

Bottom line:  Sometimes I get to the place where I need to kick my own arss and remember I fit into myself just fine and that’s all that matters.  Donk and all.  P.S.  Did I mention that donk made it’s modeling debut in an Electra Bike catalog?  woo woo.

x to the ohhh.  Love the ones you love and show em extra sometime.  It’s not our fault we’re actually insane.  Beauty of the beast.