Double Light

As I have mentioned my husband has made an amazing transformation of his body in the past year. I am so proud of him. He has been so sweet and respectful to me, not pushing or making me feel bad about my lack of motivation or recent success. I know without a doubt that he loves me for who I am...it is a good feeling.

I have decided to "hire" him as my own personal trainer.  He is so excited to share what he has learned and has worked for him. The day I mentioned that I was ready for him to help me, he went right to work on my program.

It is loosely based on a workout program he has been doing for the last couple of months. It combines strength training, core work and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Obviously, I am in a completely different place from him physically, so my program has been affectionately dubbed "Double Light."

I have completed the first two days. It is challenging, but so far doable. I pretty much have the upper body strength of an infant, so I have some work to do there. The cone drill involved three cones spaced 5 yards apart. I had to run between cones then squat down to touch them. I was ridiculously out of breath after about 3 of my 10.  I seriously didn't think I could finish after 5 - I thought I was going to throw up. And that is when a personal trainer comes in handy...he gently yet firmly encouraged (pushed) me. I didn't want to let him down.

As a "reward" I got to watch him do push ups...and now you get to too :)  For the record, I am using the "ask for forgiveness later" method of permission to post.

This past weekend we had some relaxing family time.  My husband put up my hammock Friday night. Not much beats the view from a hammock.

Millie had to be coaxed back into the house. I don't know what her obsession was with sitting under it. Maybe she was hoping to try it??

Saturday morning we went on a farmers' market adventure. My niece is trying to eat more locally this summer. We visited the markets in two different towns. I picked up a few things for the Mother's Day breakfast we hosted. One of these days I need to plant some peonies - they are one of my favorites.

Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche.  I added some leeks to the recipe and ended up using a white cheddar because I couldn't find Gruyere. It was delicious!  I am hoping there is asparagus at the market again Saturday because I have enough of everything else to make another quiche this weekend.

Citrus scones and strawberries from the market. I could not resist these beautiful berries even though they were more expensive than Aldi - the smell was incredible.

This drink is our latest obsession - Cilantro Jalapeno Limeade.  I know it sounds bizarre, but it is our new signature drink. It is very refreshing and has a hint of heat in the back of your throat. I might have to get a juicer because hand juicing 14 limes is quite a task!

Mother's Day breakfast was made a little more special by using my grandma's dishes. They are Red Wing's Bob White pattern...I always loved them as a child and was thrilled when my aunt asked me if I wanted them when she downsized.

I keep the appetizer holder (there are holes in the big bird's back that hold skewers for cheese cubes and such) and salt and pepper shaker from the collection on display.

The blue pitcher with the flowers and the pitcher with the limeade (above) were also my grandma's.  I am super sentimental so I love this...and I love the blue color.

A couple pictures from a visit to my in-laws farm. This horse unfortunately is not theirs (he lives down the road), but he is a beauty and I couldn't resist a few pictures of him in the evening sunlight.

Sun sets into the timber.

This week I am working on drinking more water again. I got a bit overzealous filling this cup. Good thing I was alone in the office when I had to put my head down and slurp it up :)

This morning Millie found a "big scary toad" in the yard. She jumped about 4 feet in the air. She wouldn't go back over to that part of the yard.  Awhile later, I took her outside again and she tiptoed over that direction. The toad was still there so we had a repeat performance from my big tough dog. Hope she has some courage if we are ever in actual danger!!

Happy Half-way Through the Week Day!