Fall down 7 times...

Friday night was "date night" for Steve & me.

I had gotten a $75 gift cert for a local casino and it was about to expire. We decided to use it for the chi-chi restaurant. I had looked the menu up online and knew that I could eat without many issues.

They had a "meal deal" for $35 that included an appetizer, meal & dessert.

All the appetizers had wheat. I told the waiter that I couldn't have wheat so he went to the chef to see if he could create something off menu for me.

Out came this amazing calamari dish. Oh I'd have a torrid affair with that chef!

I had the lamb. Steve had the chicken. Dessert was creme brullee with fresh berries. My dessert of lemon tart was boxed up to go for Steve to have later.

Creme brullee. Shit. Ohhhh... Who needs sex when you can have creme brullee??

Dinner out was just what Steve & I needed. We've not been connecting lately and this was nice to have an evening free of interruptions. Good conversation, good food & good wine all added up to a beautiful friday night.

*********

This past weekend I was invited to my friend Nancy & Sally's birthday party. Another friend Susan rented this amazing house on Lake Tahoe for 10 of us to celebrate.
I went up Sat afternoon. Everyone else was there Friday.
The house was amazing! Three stories with decks on each story, a dock and a beautiful seating area right by the water.
Nancy & I both have the same food allergies. Everyone was aware of it so there were plenty of "legal" foods.
Except for the sugar. That's not legal in my world.
I've been soooo good not having sugar.
Stoopid Tommi & her stoopid wheat free Jack Daniels dark choc cake with dark choc sauce.
I know I know. "You could have turned it down."
I know.
I KNOW!
Sun morning I had fake creamer in my coffee & then came home & ate the lemon full of sugar, cream & wheat tart.
I also just binged on Sunday. But binged on "legal" foods.
Sat on the couch with a bag of apple cinnamon rice cakes with a jar of peanut butter. Ate most of the peanut butter and all of the rice cakes.
Today: Back on the wagon!

May is Gluten Free month. I am now gluten free for the rest of the month!

Tonight is hoop class. I'll take my camera & take some pic's to post tomorrow.

Fat is not a 4 letter word

ok. So you guys know how I do the "Luscious Ladies Fat Girl Fashions"? Well I'm doing a fashion show on May 27th for "normal" sized women.

It's for a Women in Reality shin-dig and someone saw my fashion show back in Dec. She wanted me to do stuff for their "Moulin Rouge" themed thing the end of this month. I said I wouldn't sew anything but would pull off the racks & maybe do some accessories.

I'm dressing 9? women in corsets, petticoats, fishnets & feathers.

Sara is the contact.

"I want you to dress Carol. She's the largest of us and she really should wear something more Moulin Rouge-ee." Says Sara.

"Bring her in!" Says me.

Now I'm not one to judge BUT....

Carol comes in wearing a denim dress ala 1995 with a gray sweatshirt over it. She could model for me since she's about a 22-24. (meow. I know. meow.)

I go over to my rack with the corsets that go to 4xl and pull a couple out.

"I'm not wearing that!" Says Carol very indignetly.

I pull out a couple of sparkley dresses.

"No way!"

Shit.

So I show her the poster that's from last Dec's fashion show. I explain how I had just done a fashion show last week & that my smallest model was a size 22.

She reads the poster "Luscious Ladies: a FAT girl fashion show"

"That's very offensive."
Me: "What is?"
"The word FAT. I'm large not fat. You shouldn't say 'fat'. It's very offensive."
Me "No it's not."

Long & short of it: Carol left the store pissed at me, pissed at Sara and basically hates the whole Moulin Rouge idea for the fashion show.

It's the first time that I've not been able to find anything at all for someone. She was so closed minded and judgmental (which is how I'm feeling about her).

In the meantime I'm loving these other girls. They're all ages and really stepping out of their comfort zone letting me dress them. And I'm loving the fact that I can pull off the rack.

****************
Scale this morning says I've gained 2 pounds. WTF? Sugar free for 11 days, walking, hiking, pulling weeds almost every day.... yeah. I know I know. It'll happen.

And don't tell me to not weigh myself. I've done that & ended up gaining weight.

*****************
Picture for tonight:

Superhero Superbowling
I was "Super Stripe Girl!"

****************

Project 300
My Blog Buddy Tricia is trying to reach 300 fans.
Go read & join her.

************
I'm gone the rest of the weekend for a 50th b'day party.
I PROMISE no wheat or sugar.
MISS ME!!!

Pictures. I got em. I'm sharing em.

A picture tells a 1000 words.
Read away!
**********

Eco fashion show:
5 Luscious Ladies
5 corsets
5 petticoats.

*********

Hat made by my friend Kornal Killbuck.
*******

At Disneyland with Sharon & Hannah.
******

My crazy hair.
*******

See no evil
***************

Hoopity Hoop Hoop

This is hooping.

This is me.

On Monday's I'm taking a class to teach me how to hoop.

Goal: Hoop with fire.

Yes. Fire.

Cause that's how I roll.

Day #2 of Coming Cleanness

I bounced on the rebounder this morning for 15 mins. Yesterday I worked in the yard for about 90 mins and did hoop class last night.

Food is so on I can hardly stand myself.

I have pictures to post from my last fashion show. But they're on my store computer & I'm at home.

I promised Tricia I'd do this.

Here you go Tricia. I'm doing this!

Pictures to follow.

Coming Clean

Remember how I was all proud about losing 45 pounds?

Well I gained 20 back.

I know I know. "But focus on you losing the 25 pounds."

Whatever.

I'm back to blogging as of this minute. Facebook has taken over my life (Lauren Mari Hufft Gifford if you want to friend me. FYI: I don't Farmville, Fish ville or any ville so don't think I'm going to increase your levels. I'll block you the minute you invite me to join some game. No poker blitz, either.)

Tricia has been calling me a lazy bastard for not blogging.

Yeah yeah yeah.

So I'll take the hour outta the day that I spend on Book of Face and come back

1. I'm sugar free for the past week. Yeah me!
2. Did my first hoop class. It rocked. 4 more weeks & my goal is to hoop with FIRE at Burning Man.
3. We are getting a weekly box of produce. I promise that none of it will end up in the compost pile.
4. I'll post pic's tomorrow.

I'm back. Whatever Patricia. Whatever.

Happy New Decade!

Dance Dance Dance!

It's a NEW DECADE!!!

Dancing at Beats Antiques in November.
If you get a chance to see these guys you HAVE to go!!
Based out of San Francisco they travel all over the world. Zoe is the belly dancer and standing right in front of her made me want to just strip off my leather corset & dance with her. Oh wait. I did dance with her. Just left the corset on. (grin)
*******************

Pictures from a photo shoot in my store

I really like all 3 of these. They show different parts of my personality. Plus they look young. Maybe I should ask the photographer if he photo shopped me. brb Calling him. No answer. I'll say no. That my skin is flawless. And that I really don't look 49.

********************
So New Decade. Welcome 2010!

I have so many plans for this year.

1. Exercise: I've lost 43 pounds over the past year. Basically all thru diet and very little exercise. I see it in my loose skin all over my body. It's time to tune & tone.
I know I have to exercise. I was diagnosed last year with osteoporosis. 49 is wayyyy too young to have an old ladies disease. Exercise is a basic "cure" for osteoporosis. Simple things like a walk.

So exercise starts this week. Then stops next Monday when I have surgery. Nothing serious. I'll blog about it later this week.

2. Fashion shows:
My "Luscious Ladies: A Fat Girl's Fashion Show" was a huge success. SRO with lots of press both before & after.
Steve & I went to a pot luck on Christmas. Two women were talking about the fashion show with a couple of other women. I was eavesdropping and the hostess walked over & said "Are you talking about Fat Girls? That's Lauren over there the designer!"
They gushed over me. Yeah. I said gushed.

I'm planning a spring show or early summer.

I've been asked to be part of an all white fashion show in the spring.

And

I want to put on a Trashion show with 3-4 other designers for Earth Day in April.

3. Weight:

Forty three pounds = 3.5 cans of Crisco.

My current goal is 10% or 19 pounds. That would put me at 170. Very do-able by June.
Goal for the year: Be in the 150's by my 50th b'day in Dec.

Other goals:
Get out of debt. Big nut to chew since we still owe $67K to the hospital for Steve's stroke in 2006.
Reno is #4 in the nation for people being upside down in their homes. Our block has 8 houses that have been foreclosed on in the past 2 years. Our block has made the papers both local & national about how bad the foreclosures are.
The city has come in & bought all the houses & is making them section 8. They bought the house next door for $30K. It's now renting for $550 a month.

Wayyyyy upside down.

Store is down about 15% over 2008. Tie-dye business was down. Yup we're part of that section of America: Medical bills, housing issues and small business owners that the gov't seems to be ignoring.

I really want us to pull it out this year.

That's it for now.

Welcome new Decade. I'm excited to see what you have to offer to me.