30 day shred - day 7

its been officially a week since i ripped the plastic coating off 'jillian michaels - 30 day shred' dvd - and im SO happy with the results i am already seeing and feeling.

this first week was for sure, the hardest to get through. i did level 1 on saturday, monday, wednesday, friday, and saturday - and feel like i have to do it one more day before i move on to level 2 (which will hopefully be today).

every muscle in my body feels tighter and stronger. every article of my closet fits me so much better and more comfortably. i feel like i sleep better and that i have more energy during the day. i am SO proud of myself for actually starting an exercise routine after all these years of using nocotine to loose weight.

now, all i have to do is convince my sisters that it will work for them too!

adventures with graphic design & a homage to our building.

the most incredible of the benefits of working for higher education - is actually the gift of free higher education for yourself! when i started my job, i took a semester to decide what would actually be the best route for my post-undergraduate education. after months of contemplating the present, past, and future, i decided that i would get another undergraduate degree in graphic design.

its the degree that i wanted to pursue right out of high school - but was warned by my mom that it wouldn't be the smartest choice. im glad that i waited because not only do i have years under my belt of pent-up creativity - but it also gives me a whole new outlook on education, art classes, and graphic design --not being a full time student anymore.

ive been doing really well - and am so proud of myself (for once). tomorrow i meet with the graphic design advisor at my school to see if im ready to officially apply to the program. [fingers crossed]

here is my latest project.

the first part of it was to create an abstract illustration using only type. the second part of this project was to use that illustration to grace a beer [or] wine label. since were homebrewers, i had to go with the beer.

im so excited to present today! i got an A!

30 day shred - day 3

wow. i had NO idea i was going to be THIS sore. thx jillian.

i took yesterday off because every muscle in my body was sore. today they didn't feel much better, but i knew if i took 2 days off that i would never turn on the dvd again. still feeling great and energized from the workout. im REALLY impressed!

i really wish that i had a scale, but im going to the drs. on friday - and should be able to weigh myself then. ya!

incredible vintage find on craigslist.

i know that ive been a good person - when an item of such worth comes my way for free. ive adored vintage items since i was about 14 & am so happy that i now have a home to build and cherish them in. last week, i connected with a generous lady in the back bay. she had a red, american tourister bag that she said she wanted to give to someone who would use it. no charge. i thanked my lucky stars and thankfully we were able to arrage a deal & pickup today.

i took some pictures of the bag this afternoon when i got home out of excitement.

incredible vintage condition.

original lock & key.
beautiful, pristine inside print.



a beautiful cherry color to catch every eye that you pass.

thank you so much!

we were feeling quite asian on saturday.

and noodle soups are what we craved for breakfast. jake prefers to shop at shaws - and though im not a huge fan of the shaws in the city , they do have quite an interesting 'foods of the world' section. we stumbled upon these noodle soups during our shopping trip last week.

they were quite delicious. i added frozen peas and sweet corn (from trader joes) to his soup. to mine, a mix of 'broccoli stirfry veggies' i had in the freezer.




just delicious.

30 day shred - day 1

so now that we have offically made it into spring - i have offically made a commitment this morning to get my ass back in shape. the hardest thing for me to 'get over' when i quit cigarettes was the weight gain. i dropped 20 pounds when i started smoking and now im looking to drop close to that now that ive quit and im FINALLY motivated to start exercising again.

now, im not the gym type person at all. i ran a marathon in the past and would like to never really run again. my ideal workout is a 20-40 minutes of moving my bod in the comfort of my own home. jake got me a yoga tape for chirstmas that i was really digging - but the results were more mentally than physically. then, my girl alana at work told me about jillian michael's 30 day shred.

i knew jillians face from seeing the biggest loser (maybe twice) and read reviews about it for weeks. i told my mom (who is a new workout fanatic!) and she bought it for me for valentines day. i was really excited about this cause from what i read - it did work.

it was collecting dust for about a month on my shelf and i cracked it open this morning. and OMG i wish that i started sooner. you workout (cardio-strenght-abs) in a 'circut' for 20 minutes. i sweat more than i have sweat in 2 years and got an incredible burst of energy after.

id like to do posts my adventures with this workout and if i too can drop 20 pounds (or close to it!) in 30 days like the dvd promises.

day 1- march 21 :: day 30 - april 19
lbs. - 125 :: goal lbs - 105

new bangs.

...and a hyper kitty.

they look mostly messy in this, but im kinda like em!

my sweetheart in the sweet sunshine.

i dont know what i would do without this little lady. 

beretta stared out the window for about 4 hours the other day when it was 60 degrees.

i just love her so much!

team j & s - pour house, boston - march 14

<3

welcoming with open arms.

i grew up in new england. i spend a year and some change in san diego, california when i was 17/18 - then moved to boston shortly january 2005. it was the worst winter in ages. since then, i ask myself how ive survived (offically) 4 winters there after. AND part two of that thought, do winters just SUCK when you're in the city - or especially in the city of Boston ? 

[note: open up a search engine/google what favorite comedian of mine Lewis Black has to say about the weather in Boston]

well, every new englander and bostonian was super blessed this weekend - with the amazing grace of 60 degree temperatures. the snow in our courtyard has melted away [ and even though there is snow in the forecast tomorrow ] - im so optimistic for warmer weather our way. which then = a very VERY happy sauce. do i smell a new spring wardrobe on its way? oh definetly. 

im kind of, finally, getting the hang of tanking pictures as well. and what a better excuse then sunshine and being outside is there to start practing taking pictures even more.

sharing a few shots of this weekend and then signing off.

[our sunday morning line-up.]

[beretta, soaking in that 60 degree sun!]

you can always check out my flickr [ link on the right ] for my new (and very improved!) picture taking.

figuring out how to focus.

ive recently made some changes in my body and brain chemistry - and im happy to say that its working. my focus has been so ON and motivation, right back at where i nostalgically remember.

lol. the sleepiest face., originally uploaded by ladysauce.

and coincidentally enough, i figured out how to use my macro-focus on my camera.

how much do i love that sleepy little kitty face!

today was a BEAUTIFUL day.

i really hope the weather is here to stay. i dont even care if it rains - just NO more snow please, and NO more below freezing temperatures.

[ jake & i in the courtyard this afternoon ]

mcfaddens show - 03.02.09

if you were to tell me four years ago that i would be on stage preforming hiphop for a crowd - i probably wouldn't have believed it. i would have entertained the idea, but deep down inside, wouldn't believe that i could do it. im a huge motivator and really enthusiastic about other people pursuing amazing feats - but when it comes to myself, im usually the one to deny any idea of doing something brave that i actually want to do. 

good thing that the tables have been turning for me in regards to my self esteem. and it was almost surreal to actually watch myself performing with my man on monday night, and have to say that im so proud of him (and pretty proud of myself too).

needless to say: the show last night was awesome.

i really wish we had pictures, but some video clips are definetly in the works. thank you to all who came out! and for those who stayed warm inside, no worries, there will be PAH-LENTY MORE to come!

snow day - show day!

ive never been so happy on a monday morning.

a robot from suffolk called me at 530 am to tell me that i didn't have to go to work today due to weather conditions. we slept till noon and have been waking up watching beretta be hyper kitty.

what i am really pumped about though is our SHOW tonight.
mcfaddens @ 9 pm.

light italian wedding soup

italian wedding soup, originally uploaded by ladysauce.

one of my "things to do" this weekend was to try make a new soup.

once the weather dips below 50 degrees, im in the mood for soup. i remember watching a seinfeld when i was younger and jerry opens up with a sketch out loving soup so much that you'd take it in an iv. i am one of these creatures in every way.

this winter i promised myself that i would learn how to "cook soup" (this is OUR first real kitchen) and started off with weeks of chicken noodle. i must have made that sick day soup recipe from bread and honey about 15 different ways. then i dont make it one weekend and i get sick. like the worst i have been sick in probably 3 years.

this week i made an amazing recovery and promised myself that i was cooking a new soup for dinner one night - and lunches this week. after much contemplation - i chose this soup from martha stewart everyday food magzine (jan/feb 09 issue). i cant wait to try it! jake says it looks too healthy, but i think it looks absolutely delicious with the best escarole i've ever seen in my life.

my sweetiepie in the saturday sun.

my sweetpie in the sun., originally uploaded by ladysauce.

i just checked the forecast and the predictions are snow until tuesday - with various gusts of wind. oh please can i get a snowday out of this? hopefully this will be the last storm with snow in it this "winter" season. im probably being optimistic since it IS march now, and the last real punch of winter is boston starts right about now.

well, its a good thing that i have two new soup recipes to try! :] i even hit up whole foods this morning to grab a fresh baugette to eat them with. pictures later...maybe?

beretta and i had a little photoshoot yesterday in the sun and im posting a picture to forget about the snow fo a while.