Keurig Love

My Mother in Law and (her sister) Aunt Tina bought me a Keurig for Christmas! They are just the sweetest people ever and always buy such considerate and thoughtful gifts. I'm so thankful for them and so thankful that I didn't marry into a crazy family ;)

I was so excited to use the Keurig. As soon as the kids went to bed I set it up in the kitchen and within minutes enjoyed my first cup of deliciousness!

I was already addicted to coffee but now it's gotten  worse, now I'm addicted to hot tea. I just can't get enough of it. (Thankfully I drink mine with Splenda and a touch of Creamer so no need to worry with the calories) This Keurig may have created a monster in me because now I (of course) feel like I need every accessory on the face of the earth to accompany my Keurig. It's just so fun and don't these look fun too?

The one-touch milk frother, how stinking awesome!



The K-Cup Carousel to go with my Type A personality of everything being organized



The Iced Beverage Tumbler, this looked pretty cool. You fill the timbler with ice and then brew your Iced Tea K-Cup directly into it.  Instant Ice Tea!

 

I can't wait to (eventually) start adding to the awesomeness of the Keurig! The best part yet is that I no longer waste coffee. I would brew 4 cups and fill my 16oz mug with coffee, this always left me with leftover coffee which ended up down the sink. With my Keurig I chose a K-Cup, choose my cup size and in less than a minute I have perfectly brewed coffee or tea. No waste!

I just can't get enough of this thing, who thought a coffee machine would make me so happy. This must be a sign I'm getting old!

The End

As much as I love the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), I am so thankful they are over. They are not very friendly to my waistline ;) I did a ton of laundry last night, I went to put my jeans on this morning for work and they were tight. Not just the fresh-from-the-dryer-tight but the, you've-gained-10-pounds-from-the-holiday-eating-kind-of- tight. Nice.

That's was the reminder I needed to love my meal plan, stick to it and bust my butt at the gym today. I will not be regressing, staying stagnant in weight loss is bad enough but going backwards is not an option.

My friend told me something the other night that are truly words to live by. "It's not what you do from Thanksgiving to New Year's,  it's what you do from New Year's to Thanksgiving." I couldn't agree more!  

As the year draws to an end I would like to wish  everyone a terrific and healthy New Year! Here's to losing more weight!

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours!



(Photo Credit: Kaila Regina Wedding Photography)

My Sweet Boy

I can't believe my baby boy is one year old! This time last year I was worried about c-sections and life with a newborn AND a toddler. Now I couldn't picture my life any other way! You started dancing recently, you eat "big people" food and you seriously need a hair cut! ;) Your my Mister Buddy and I love how inquisitive you are and that you ALWAYS want to be with your sister. I can't wait to see what this year holds for you as you will surely have many more joys before you! Mommy and Daddy love you so much! Happy Birthday Carter!

I <3 NY

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting NYC. It was so wonderful and almost magical. We stepped out of the train station and I immediately had a smile on my face and couldn't help but stand in amazement of the impressive buildings and the hustle and bustle that surrounded me. Our first stop was of course to a Starbucks because we all had to relieve ourselves and needed a warm beverage to keep us from freezing to death. After that we grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor, walked to fifth avenue, stood in awe at St. Patrick's Cathedral, watched street performers, meandered around the Plaza Hotel, perused FAO Schwartz, ate at Pop Burger (delicious!), walked to Central Park, watched the ice skaters, ogled Tiffany & Co, fought our way to get a glimpse of the Rockefeller Tree, walked 4,000,000,000 miles to Times Square and then an additional 4,000,000,000,000 miles back to the train station. I even spotted Laura Linney and she smiled at me, I just love her! It was a terrific drama-free day and I would do it again-in a New York Minute ;)



Photo Credit: Kaila Regina Wedding Photography

Dear Santa

Tom and I don't do gifts anymore. We haven't for at least the past three years. It was a bummer at first but I've since gotten used to it, if you don't have the money-you can't buy the gift. (That was our determining  factor in the no presents rule) That being said there are still some things out there that I really, really  need want.

 Here is what I've been coveting:

1. Tassimo Brew-Bot LOVE! How awesome would it be to be at home and decide you really wanted a super delicious coffee concoction and all you had to do was walk to the kitchen? Heaven I tell you!


2. A Glass Cake Stand with Matching Lid, I think this is a bakers essential that I have never bought. I usually make layered cakes and for whatever reason have yet to buy one of these. I saw one yesterday and almost bought it (because it was only $10.99) but decided to get cookie cutters instead.


3. Pandora Charms, I love my charm bracelet, love I tell you. Don't you just love this? 'Cause I do!


4. A Funky Sweater from Lane Bryant, the colors are bizarre but I love it!

Is there something out there you have been in love with recently?

Wordless Wednesday-Right Down Santy Claus Lane

Adventures in Advent

We started our adventure heading up to 202 in hope that the Christmas Tree Shoppe would surely have an Advent Calendar. Go to the store, super excited and every single one was broken. I kid you not, a door was missing or a knob was broken off. It was ridiculous. For a second I thought about buying two and combining them into a Frankenstein calendar just so that I had one. That seemed like too much work. I left unsatisfied.

We then headed to the Concord Mall to get keys made. While there we thought we'd look around and just check to make sure no Advents went overlooked. Leave it to Hallmark, we found the cutest Advent Ornament with a Nativity theme, score!

You turn the blue base of the ornament and everyday it will read you a verse from the Christmas Story. I love it!

While there I noticed they also had book and ornament combinations (not advents). While reading the book you can press the buttons on the side and the ornament lights up and talks to you. Hannah loves this.





Last but not least, we also found a paper Advent from the Calendar store that when you open a paper door each day you will get a chocolate and a Bible verse.



I'm so thankful we stopped to get keys made at the Concord Mall ;)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I spent the day putting up Christmas decorations and singing Christmas Carols. Oh so fun!

Stockings hung by the chimney with care? Check!



Tree assembled, fluffed and decorated? Check!



Lit? (It's like trying to take a picture of fireworks!) Check!



Nativity out of the box and in place? Check!



Then my brother and his family stopped by to drop off a BUNNY!



A girl and her bunny!



Carter was pretty stoked too! (Han was behind the camera, ha!)

Peanut the bunny is pretty cool and gigantic. He might be the same size as the dog. A little skittish but I think that is normal for bunnies, right?

Wordless Wednesday: Carter's Twin?

Advent Calendar

Or the lack thereof.

Hannah is at the age where she knows and remembers what is going on. It's now that I've really been trying to be on point with what I teach her and how I shape her holidays. With that being said we don't have an Advent Calendar. I never had one growing up but wanted to start the tradition for my kids.

Do you know how hard it is to find an Advent Calendar that does not cost  a trillion dollars and does not look gaudy/tacky? It's hard, I can assure you. Every time I find one I like it is either out of stock or a million dollars. I am determined, so hopefully I can find an acceptable calendar shortly.

I did find this little number, but was saddened by the price:



Any suggestions would be helpful!

Why You Should Give An Opinion When Asked...

I always, always, ALWAYS ask my husband his opinion on things. His typical reply about 85% of the time is "I don't care, whatever you think." This is his first mistake and mine for thinking that is really his opinion. It never fails, once decisions get made I will typically get some sort of negative feedback.  Shopping for Christmas is no different.

At my leisure yesterday I took my lunch break as a prime opportunity to get my Christmas shopping done. It was easy, convenient and fast; bonus, Toys 'R Us has free shipping going on right now. Score! I got everything done and then sent my husband an email with the name of the toy and a picture. A little while later I get a call:

T: "You got Carter cool stuff and Hannah gay stuff."

H: "And by gay you mean the games I bought? I got those because she doesn't play by herself so this way I can play with her more."

T: "She doesn't play by herself because you bought her gay toys."

H: "Should I get her something else?"

T: "No, what you got is fine. Carter's is just cooler."

I love the Christmas season, don't you?

Progress Report with a Dash of History

(The Progress Report)

I'm back on track with my weight-loss and so thankful for that. I lost 5ish pounds since last week and am feeling "skinnier," even if it is all in my head ;)

I stumbled quite a bit for the past few months and have been yo-yoing with my weight since about End of July/August. I'm not sure if it was that realization or my new hair cut but I managed to get my butt back in gear and that is what counts.

My initially stumbling was due to your typical pit-falls: vacations, birthdays, more vacations, day trips, weddings, birthdays, repeat, repeat, justify, justify, justify.

I feel good about it once again and hope that feeling stays around awhile!

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

(The History)

I first started to become heavy as a child, around age 10 or 11. I was molested and never told anyone.  Instead I chose to eat through my feelings because that is what I could control. By age 12 I was gigantic or so I felt.  In 6th/7th grade I wore a size 18. It was then that I first started "dieting."

It started out with the vegetable soup diet, I lost a good amount of weight on this diet. Then I started taking Meridia around 8th grade into 9th grade to aid me in my weight loss. By the time 9th grade rolled around and I was starting high school I was a magical size 12 and I really felt a lot better about myself. I was "skinny" or so I thought and had a great high school experience. My diet in high school was less than stellar, I would eat cereal bars for breakfast and a diet coke with a butterscotch krimpet for lunch (most days). This was the picture of nutrition.

I ballooned back up slowly but surely and can't quite remember where it all went wrong but I think that in 12th grade spanning into life after high school I became gigantic once again.

For a good while I stayed around a 22/24. Then after a few years of infertility and treatment for such I started to balloon even  further. I finally topped out around 26/28 and even had a few pants that were size 28.  I couldn't believe I let myself get this way. Finally I started to lose weight, lost 30 pounds got pregnant, had baby, lost weight, gained weight.  Lost weight again, had another baby, lost baby weight, gained more weight. It's a vicious cycle. I fell into the trap every time.

This time around I really felt called to lose this weight, my journey started around May and from May to July I lost 35 pounds! I was ecstatic! It was then that I really started looking at the real issue of where this weight issue started in the first place. Being molested. I had never dealt with it. I had told next to no one and it had taken me 16 years to tell my parents. That is insane when I think about it that way.

Finally after all of  these years I'm dealing with it and it stinks. I still  cry when I talk about it, the shame, sadness and anger that I have carried around for all of these years has really taken a toll on my heart. I've gotten to a point where I'm at a stale mate with myself,  Do I continue to go to counseling to deal? What do I expect to come of it? Will this feeling ever go away? Will I ever feel normal? Right now I don't think it will and if I could step into a mind erasing machine, I would.  Since I can't change what I have experienced as a child and the impact that it has left on me; I'll focus on changing my body and I'll need tons of prayer to help me with that!

I know good will come of this someday, I just wish that someday would happen soon.

TTGs

It's always an adventure when you go shopping with your BF AND have kids in tow, this time was no different.

We had to do some shopping and were looking for a few things at Old Navy. As usual Old Navy puts a majority of their clothing in piles on tables. I walk over to the stack of camis in the perfect shade of brown. I'm looking through the stack and the sizes are in random order. I notice one of the labels is marked TTG. I was looking for a XXL. I can't find XXL and these "stupid" TTGs were in the pile getting in my way. I finally select a TTG so that I can give it a thorough examination and wouldn't you know at the top of the label was XXL. Eureka! I found my size! It appeared that the way the sticker was placed that it showed TTG instead of XXL. I finally used my brain after a long day of work and conference calls to put two and two together. One of my more blonde moments for sure.

Hence this day forward whenever I go shopping I'll always look for the TTGs. Until I lose more weight of course! ;)

My Morning Side-Kick

Every morning for the past three weeks Hannah wakes up at the crack of dawn. This has been super fun.  I don't know why but like clock work, 30 minutes before my alarm goes off she is up and ready to go. She drags her cup, baby and blanket into my room. Next she declares she is hungry and demands asks in a most pleasant tone for a poppy (pop-tart). So off I head to the kitchen after getting her settled in my bed. I begin heating up her pop tart and getting her a fresh drink. She will then come in to the kitchen a couple of minutes after me, like a little Chatty Cathy, asks for her daily vitamin. I remind her to be quiet and we head back to my room. She eats her pop tart on my side of the bed (crumb central!) and enjoys morning cartoons courtesy of NickJr. Once I get showered and dressed I hear the oh so familiar pitter patter of Hannie feet running to the bathroom. She knocks on the bathroom door and lets me know that she needs to do her hair. I continue blowing out my hair while she brushes her hair with her small pink brush. After we are done  our hair I walk her back to my room for the 5,000 time,  give her a kiss and tell her I'm off to work.

I don't know why she started doing this but it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon!

Lord, I'm Listening

I felt overwhelmingly compelled to read the Bible this morning and this is what I found:

(It was the confirmation I needed to see this morning)

Psalms 40

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
   and put their trust in him.

 ⁴ Blessed is the one
   who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
   to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, LORD my God,
   are the wonders you have done,
   the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
   were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
   they would be too many to declare.

 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
   but my ears you have opened
   burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
   it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
   your law is within my heart.”

 ⁹ I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
   I do not seal my lips, LORD,
   as you know.
¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
   I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
   from the great assembly.

 ¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
   may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles without number surround me;
   my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
   and my heart fails within me.
¹³ Be pleased to save me, LORD;
   come quickly, LORD, to help me.

 ¹⁴ May all who want to take my life
   be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
   be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
   be appalled at their own shame.
¹⁶ But may all who seek you
   rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
   “The LORD is great!”

 ¹⁷ But as for me, I am poor and needy;
   may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
   you are my God, do not delay.

This Is Stuck in My Head, Right Next to "Like a G6"

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see

And as the Savior passed that way

He looked up in that tree

And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!

 For I’m going to your house today

For I’m going to your house to stay”

Meatball Stroganoff

My mother in law Karen is a WONDERFUL cook, seriously she is awesome. Her potato salad, escarole soup, meatball stroganoff; to die for! From the beginning of our marriage Tom has asked his mother for her recipes. She would always give her response of  "it's all in my head, I don't have anything written down." This is not wanted we wanted to hear. A couple of years into our marriage I decided to take things into my own hands, if Mama Karen won't write down her recipes for me then I'll just have to try to re-create them.

I think I have the Meatball Stroganoff pretty darn close to hers but I will admit that I may have an ingredient missing to the sauce.

Meatball Stroganoff:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 c. chopped onion
1 egg
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper

olive oil (for frying)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 c. milk
16 oz. sour cream

½ tbsp garlic salt

salt & pepper to taste

1 bag of egg noodles

Boil entire bag of egg noodles and set a side.

Combine ground meat, egg, parsley, onion, salt & pepper and bread crumbs. Shape into balls sized and brown in skillet. If you have extra onions remaining, add to oil to flavor it (can also add whole cloves of garlic, then crush into the oil with a fork as they cook).

Drain meatballs on plate with a paper towel

Stir in soup, sour cream, milk and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when it begins to boil.

Combine meatballs, egg noodles and sauce in one pan. Serves 8-10.

  

Full-Time Fabulous

A terrific opportunity has arisen for my bestess of friends, Laura.  She found out about a contest that Sunglass Hut was running in which they are looking for a fashion blogger. If you know this girl you know that this is the PERFECT job for her! So please, please vote for her, I'm begging you! Here is the link so click on over and vote, using every email account you have ;) Thank you kindly!

P is for Potty

We finally have Hannah Banana using the potty! <Insert cheering and clapping here>

 It was a rough start, she wanted nothing, NOTHING to do with the potty or big girl panties. When we told her that only babies wore diapers she declared that she was a baby. It was hilarious and frustrating all rolled into one. She even began climbing on her changing table and yelling for Tom or I to come change her, the audacity! I finally had enough and after the orchard on Saturday we hit the road running. Just like that, she did really well, I was so elated! She has been really good about going on the potty and will only have one, maybe two accidents a day.

We told her for a few months now that when she learned the potty we would buy her a bicycle. Just as promised Sunday afternoon we went out and bought Hannie her very first bicycle! Sometimes they just need a little motivation ;-)

"The End"

When I was a kid I had on occasion spent the night in my Grandma's bed with her, while she briefly lived with us. She would always pray with me on those nights and I have never forgotten this memory. Probably because it was so terrifying.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Parents, do not pray this prayer with your children. Every time Granny would pray this with me I would lie in bed terrified that if I fell asleep I wasn't waking back up!

Now that I am older and have kids of my own, I need to take hold and steer them to the Lord. Hannah and I have recently begun bedtime prayers. We hold each other's hand and they go something like this:

Dear Lord, Thank you for Daddy, Mommy, Hannie and Buddy. Thank you for Molly and Ham & Cheese. Thank you for Grandma, Mammie and Gampie. Thank you for Uncle Chase, Aunt Angela, Makayla and Jordie. Thank you for dying on the cross. We love you, In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Then after this Hannah says, "I want to hold her's fingers." She holds my hand and begins her prayer:

Mommy, Daddy, Buddy, Ham and Cheese, Aunt Angela, mumble, mumble, mumble, Mammie, Gampie, Jordie, more mumbling, Uncle Chase, mumble, mumble, mumble. The End!

In which I try to stifle any laughter because it really is just the cutest thing. I again say "Amen" when she's done and she'll say again; "The End." Cracks me up every time. It fills my heart with joy that she wants to say her own prayer.

Hopefully I'm going about this the right way as I have no experience in Toddler Theology.

Splendiforous!

My mother and I have made a commitment to one another to work out four days a week on my lunch break. Today was Day One of this journey together and went very well. I had a marvelous time sweating it out with my Mama.

She picked me up from work and brought my birthday present along for the ride. I opened up my present and before I could say anything she says, "That's why I was trying to steer you away from that one the other day, I had already bought it!" Folks, that's what makes my mom the grand poohba of awesomeness!

 Pan to two weeks prior, we were at Heart and Home looking at purses.  Just to see the new colors and styles they recently released. She asked me which one I liked and I looked at a few. I always love the patchwork purses so I of course told her I like that one to which she replied: "I don't care for that one as much, it's kind of ugly." I could hardly believe my ears! My mom and I are both honest people but I couldn't believe that she was so harsh towards that one purse. I should have known that purse would have turned into my birthday present. Touche mother, touche.

Here is my "ugly" purse:

It's A Long Trip Alone

My husband is what you would call a "non-believer" and while he was raised Catholic he no longer believes that God is real or that Jesus was anything more than a man. While it breaks my heart that he feels this way I continue to pray for him. I know there are some friends out there who pray for him as well. It adds to the loneliness in life I must say. I work first shift and he works second shift so unless I stay up until almost midnight every night I don't see him. I typically only have weekends with him before he then goes to work and for me Sundays are typically spent at church.

This past Sunday was the final membership class, for the past three weeks I have not brought Hannah to church. She doesn't like nursery so I figured we would have an issue if I tried to put her in there while I attended membership class. ;-) After the class this morning I took a seat and fully expected my friends to pile in next to me like they normally would. But as the service drew nearer and was starting to begin, I looked around and saw they were behind me and must not have seen me sitting there. So I sat in the row by myself, with all of my worries swirling around in my head. No Hannie by my side and I felt alone. This morning more than ever I couldn't get Tom out of my head, I pray all the time for him. I just don't know what more I can do to make him believe. Lately at church I've started to cry a little bit, I'm like a rubber band on the verge of snapping. This Sunday was pretty much the same as the last few, except just after I had taken communion I sat down and began to pray a little bit more. Talking to God about all the things I always talk to him about. Next thing I know my friend Bobbi pops up behind me and she hugs me and begins praying. Just in that moment my pot boiled over. It truly felt like God was pushing her to reach out to me with the very things that were bothering me this morning. I felt lonely and I feel scared for my husband that he may never know God. As Bobbi began to pray she said everything I had been feeling and I knew God had sent her to pray over me. I couldn't help but cry and for once I didn't care if anyone saw it. A little bit later another woman in the church came up to me and offered me some tissues. She told me that a woman she knew had been in the same situation as me and that woman's husband did not know the Lord until she had passed on. Maybe that's what will happen to us. I couldn't be more grateful for Bobbi, she jumped the row of chairs and came and sat with me during the rest of the service. (Thank you Bobbi for doing that, it really means a lot to me!)

But just for one Sunday I wish my husband would come and hold my hand in the church pew. Hopefully that might be the day he comes to know Christ.

Picture Time

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity for my kids to have their pictures taken by the extremely talented Kaila Regina. I was a little scared at first that my kids would traumatize her from ever taking children pictures again. Thankfully, the kids weren't too bad,  she managed to get a ton of awesome shots! Here are a few:







I can not thank her enough for these goregeous pictures. Thank you so much Kaila, you rock!

Seriously people, if you need pictures taken, she's your girl!

(As mentioned, all photo credits are Kaila Regina Wedding Photography)

In a Blur

This is how the weekend can best be summed up! It just felt like non-stop on the go, I think I may have seen my husband for approximately 5 hours all weekend. Saturday, my Mom and I ran to a children's re-sale event that was advertised as the largest in our state. We had a game plan, I was in need of a double stroller and a car seat for when my sweet boy turns one. Which is much sooner than I could imagine, he'll be a year old in only two more months! We get there and see that they have a side by side double stroller marked $150, I hadn't planned to spend so much so we continued on our journey. We get to the end of the aisle and see a different double stroller, I braced for impact and checked the price tag. Are you ready for this, it was marked $20 that's it, I couldn't believe it. We held tight to the stroller and quickly checked for car seats, no luck in that department.

On our way home we spotted a yard sale and pulled in at the allure of a cool chair and dresser. After thinking it over we decided we didn't have any place to put either item. As I turned to walk away I spotted an edger! I couldn't believe it, I asked the man how much expecting to hear $40 or $50 bucks. Much to my surprise he was asking $10! Score, I snatched that sucker up and loaded it into the van! I have never been so excited over lawn equipment, I can't wait to have a perfectly edged sidewalk and driveway.

After all of our great finds I started in on making my very first turkey! I have never done a turkey before but knew from watching and learning in years past the gist of what to do. It turned out terrific! I can't wait for Thanksgiving so that I can make my own Thanksgiving feast for my family. Almost makes for feel like a real grown up, ha!



Sunday was a busy day with church activities-membership class, sunday service and then later that night a congregational dinner and meeting. I made a desert for the dinner that did not last very long. On the way over to church I had to slam on my breaks and my desert went flying off the passenger seat and into the floor where it was lodged until I could stop at a red light. Thankfully, the lid stayed on and with a little shuffling of the pan it wasn't too unrecognizable. 

A Wheat Penny

A few days ago I decided to go through my coin purse and clear out some of these coins that had piled up. I think I had no less than 47,000 pennies that I was lugging around day in and day out. As I was digging through the coins I stumbled upon a wheat penny. I felt that little tingle in me, that tingle of me as a child when I collected coins with my Dad and Grandpa.  I looked down at the date and saw that it was minted in 1912 and quickly set that penny to the side.  Even though I don't go out searching and buying old money like I once did as a kid I still enjoy when I find a rare piece of money in my daily life. I mean how often do you find a penny that is 98 years old?

Ironies of Life

I have been super diligent about my meal plan since this past Thursday. I really, really wanted to lost 3 pounds this week and I just knew that if I stuck to my exercise and meal plan it would all pay off.  Yeah, right. I shouldn't be so cynical but it has become comical. I weighed Friday very pumped that I had lost all of my ahem, seven pounds of vacation weight. Then I thought okay good, I should hit Toze's goal for me by this Friday the 24th. However, every time I weigh myself I am surprised to find that the scale has not moved one pound, not even an ounce! So with that I no longer have high hopes for Friday's weigh-in.

Hopefully I'm gaining muscle and that's why the number on the scale hasn't changed in six days, I can only hope! I hope to have better luck next week!

Family Vacation Part 2

Ah vacation, I've been back for almost two weeks and I wish I was still there! After we got settled into our apartment we began scouring the tourist brochures and magazines to see what fun adventures Williamsburg held for us! With two kids age 2 years and 9 months we were hoping to find things that they would enjoy while on vacation.

We took a trip to the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Virginia...super fun! They had indoor and outdoor exhibits and showed animal life in Virgina as well as their habitats. Hannah loved it and I enjoyed the exhibits, here are a few pics:









The next day we visited the Jamestown Settlement.







The next day we headed to Colonial Williamsburg to walk around and enjoy the sights:







Now it's back to reality, I can't wait to see what adventure 2011 will hold for us!

Stop Copying Me!

Ever since I was a little kid I've always hated being copied off, it's in my book of pet peeves, right next to staring. I just don't like it and always thought both peeves to be terribly rude.

I thought everyone grew out of those traits as they got older, surprisingly this is not the case. I have someone who copies me un-endingly, going on five times now. The worst of offenses-wardrobe. Why you would intentionally go out and buy the same shoes, sweater, shirt,  glasses, etc as someone you see on a daily basis is beyond me. I for one do not like to look like everyone else and at times make more bold decisions than your average person may select. A lot of what I buy is for someone my age, not twice that. Recently, I've bought a few cute things that I cherish as a reward for losing weight and now fitting in to a smaller size. Then when someone goes out and buys the same thing it sucks the special-ness right out of it. I don't know how to get people to stop biting off my wardrobe so I guess I'll just keep retiring my special items.  What's a girl to do?

Rock The Vote!

My good friend Ellen is participating in a contest for the internets to pick her outfit. The contest is being run by Laura, my bestess, and the entries have been submitted and now it's time to vote!

If everyone could go and vote for the outfit I put together,  I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much!

Click  Here to Vote

Another One for The History Books (Part 1)

This past weekend we wrapped up vacation and headed back home. We had a delightful time on the first leg of our trip when we headed to Missouri to see my cousin Daniel get married. The first couple of days in Missouri we stayed in the city and did a few things around town.

Our first day in town we rode an 80-year-old carousel in Faust Park. Went to the Butterfly House and enjoyed some time on the playground at Faust Park.



We went to the Daniel Boone Home which was kind of  a snooze fest, not to mention it was hot and miserable!



The next day we headed to the St. Louis Zoo, my personal favorite!



While at the Zoo we rode another carousel!



By Friday we headed down to the south-east region of Missouri to visit with family and attend my cousin's wedding, while there we ate at the wonderful Lambert's Cafe.





Lambert's food is out of this world and they throw rolls over your head, very fun!

We gathered for Rehearsal Dinner, which was great to have a pretty good majority of my Dad's side of the family in one place. Here is a picture of all the chaos to prove it!  ;-)



Then Sunday was the big day!



The wedding was so, so, so much fun!!! The bride and groom were so beautiful and although I'm not a crier at weddings I could almost feel the tears welling in my eyes!





After the wedding we headed back east to Williamsburg, Virginia for the second leg of our journey. While there we stayed at the BEAUTIFUL Powhatan Historic Resort. I'm pretty sure they had just about everything one would need and you would never have to leave the resort!



My Parents:



The grounds:





I have more to say about this week and a half long vacation so tune in tomorrow for the continuing adventures!