Bring It On 2011!

Hi Everyone! I wanted to start the blog off wishing my brother a happy birthday!!! I know he probably won’t read this (which may be better in case I embarrass him) but he is so very special to me and I can’t believe he is 17 years old. With each day he looks more and more grown up and I remember the day he was born and when he was just a little boy and all that seems like just yesterday. I haven’t always been the best sister (my brother is 10 years younger than me so he saw the brunt of my teenage years) but we are very close now and he has developed into a wonderful person and he is one of my best friends! Have a great birthday David and quit trying to rush everything!!! If I know him, he’s already thinking about next year when he turns 18.

Whew, I may or may not have choked up writing that…so…moving on. I don’t really have too much today. This will be the last blog of 2010…the year has gone by crazy fast but it seems that every year goes by fast now. I maintained my resolution of losing weight and I will go ahead and put that down as a resolution again for 2011. Hopefully, I will be right on track within a couple of weeks. I am going to weigh tomorrow and then be back on January 2nd…after all the holidays and debauchery are over…I will miss the breakfast food and dessert and snacks…the cheese, the sausage, the holiday “spirits” and chocolate…BUT…I will look and feel healthier so that’s what matters. I do hope that you will stick with me another year…at least to see what happens. I’m sure I’ve told you multiple times but my first goal of 2011 will be to get down to a weight that is at or below the weight that my driver’s license has on it. I have to renew on my birthday in May and I’ve been a pathological liar for years and I am done with that so I will be talking about my progress towards that goal. As usual, I hope to write more and make progress figuring out what exactly it is I want to do next and I want to make the appropriate steps to get to that ultimate goal. If the beginning of a new year does nothing else, it shows you just how much time we don’t have and how short life can be…if we have dreams we want to accomplish, we need to get going because before you know it, it could be 5, 10, 20 years down the road and you haven’t gotten what you want out of life...so…even though I can’t think of an appropriate slogan for 2011 yet (not a lot of great stuff that rhymes with eleven and since I don’t want to go to heaven in eleven, the slogan campaign for 2011 is still in progress), I am hoping it’s a year full of love and progress and weight loss!!! I hope you all make steps towards your goals and dreams in 2011 as well!

To Everyone: Have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

See you in 2011!!! Bye!



“Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.” Auld Lang Syne-Robert Burns

Jolly Good Time!

Greetings & salutations y’all! I trust that each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday break and that you were able to spend time with your family and enjoy it. I had a wonderful Christmas. I received a ton of gifts…I’m pretty much a spoiled brat. I got all of the practical things I asked for (work out pants, pans, food scale and gift cards) and then I also got a Blu-Ray player which was totally unexpected. I am not the greatest at keeping up with technology. Someone usually has to get me a gift to persuade me to use a new gadget or I will wait for a couple years before I ever even acknowledge new things (it took a LONG time for me to get an iPhone). So, I was excited about the Blu-Ray player but I didn’t know that much about it. Now that I’ve set it up and I can get Netflix and Pandora on my TV…I’m totally geeking out over it! It’s going to be SO awesome to play things instantly and listen to Pandora! I didn’t take too many pictures but I posted 3 below. One is of Dixie in her Christmas bandana…she wasn’t thrilled about it but I thought it was cute. One is of the milk and cookies that I left out for Santa and then the last one is of me & Jordan after we exchanged gifts. I was excited because I gave both him and my parents a scrapbook for Christmas. The one I made for Jordan had lots of pictures of us at different places and on different holidays and then the one I gave my parents was all about our Europe trip. They turned out really cute!!!





It was a nice Christmas. On top of all the gift giving and receiving and family time and resting, there was also a LOT of eating. Oh my goodness…I made the mistake of weighing on Friday morning. Even though I had been good all week to try and make up for the Christmas parties, I was still up 3 pounds…and then I ate all day Friday and Saturday so I know it’s not good. I will have to work REALLY hard next month but I have to say, it’s been totally worth it. I had an awesome breakfast Friday morning that my Aunt Kris made and then my Grandma and Aunt Brenda put out a huge spread of food for dinner. Then the next day, my mom made a ridiculously good breakfast with sausage balls, bacon, eggs, hash brown casserole and HOMEMADE cinnamon rolls (I probably ate 5 of them over the course of the day). We sort of snacked here and there all day and then as always, we have Chicken Elizabeth (it’s a stuffed chicken dish with ham, cheese, onions and mushrooms in the middle), broccoli cheese casserole, baked potatoes and then cherry delight for dessert. I was so full Christmas night I thought I was going to be sick. I got right back on the bandwagon Sunday and I’ve been doing well ever since. I will probably weigh Friday morning before the New Year’s weekend begins just to view the damage and see how much weight I’m going to have to lose in January to get back to where I was…I’ll let you know. Even if I weigh Friday, I will probably gain a couple more pounds over the weekend and then that’s IT! I have to put my fat foot down and get back to business…also…you will be happy because after the new year begins you won’t have to hear me complain about gaining weight and feeling bad for eating good food for awhile.

Despite all the food I ate this weekend, I was right back on last night and I made my recipe…



These were Buffalo Chicken Pizzas. It literally took me like 10 minutes to make/bake these. I bought a little mini square loaf of bread at the grocery store that was whole wheat (you can use a Kaiser roll and cut it in half but the store didn’t have Kaiser rolls and I didn’t want to buy a whole 8 pack of them) and I cut it in half and dug out a little of the bread inside to cut some of the calories. I put the two halves face up on a cookie sheet. I took 4 oz of the fajita chicken strips I love so much and cut them into bite size pieces and tossed them with some Dijon mustard, hot pepper sauce, and some store bought honey barbecue sauce I had (the recipe called for honey but I didn’t want to buy a whole bottle of honey for one tablespoon). After you mix all of that together, you spread the chicken on the bread and then sprinkle some low fat mozzarella cheese over the top and bake until the cheese is melted. So it was super simple and REALLY tasty…it also filled me up. One serving is only one pizza but I had the points so I had both and that kept me full the whole night. Until I come up with a more clever scale, I give the Buffalo Chicken Pizzas 4-1/2 stars out of 5. I will be blogging again on Thursday to wish you all a happy new year. Have a good week! Bye!

“What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?” What If I Stumble-DC Talk

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Is everyone in the Christmas spirit yet? I am, too bad I have to wait until Friday by working and getting errands finished. Oh well, Friday will be here soon enough and my family and I will be off to Chattanooga for the day and then back here in Tuscaloosa for Christmas day…it should be a fun time. This will be my last blog before Christmas since I’ll be gone Friday so I wanted to use this blog to wish everyone a very merry Christmas or if you have another set of celebrations, Happy Chrismahanakwanazakah…or if you celebrate Festivus, Happy Festivus, or if you celebrate nothing, Happy Winter Solstice. Before I do a Christmas send off though, I wanted to share my weekly recipe with you…



These little nuggets were called Chicken Poppers. You are supposed to take an uncooked chicken breast and cut it into one inch cubes but as always, I tried to make things a bit easier and I used the pre-cooked fajita strips and cut those up…they worked just fine. In one bowl you put egg white substitutes and then in another bowl you mix together corn meal, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder (or cayenne, whatever spice you like that has a little kick). You dunk the chicken in the egg whites and then roll it around in the dry mix and then you bake them on a cookie sheet for about 5 minutes on each side. I dipped them in salsa and they tasted great. I of course ate two servings because you are only supposed to eat six and I added some green beans so it would be a filling dinner. I counted all of the points though so it’s all good. They were a pretty tasty treat and are a good substitute for fried chicken nuggets.

Next week I should have some pictures from Christmas and maybe a report on my weight. I plan on weighing Friday morning just to see where I’m at…I’ve been doing a good job since Saturday so I’m hoping it’s not too bad. Whatever the outcome of my weight is will be OK though because I will make up for it because I’m going to be crazy good starting in January. My next immediate goal is to lose 20 pounds by May…I don’t want to be a liar anymore on my driver’s license! I think it’s totally doable if I work really hard…I don’t have any excuses until my birthday really so I can do it! Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week and holiday weekend. Be safe and happy! Bye!









“O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!” O Holy Night-Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure

I Can Run (and/or jog slowly) Y'all!

It’s Friday again! I hope you are having a great week and day! I will keep it short today because I have a pretty busy schedule. I have two Christmas parties today…one this afternoon and one tonight. I trust that everyone is making the finishing touches on their Christmas Shopping? I’m actually completely done shopping but I have two major gift projects that I HAVE to get done this weekend. I am locking myself in my apartment until they are finished. I say all this knowing that I will probably still not be finished by Monday because I’m sure I will find some way to procrastinate.

The main thing I wanted to share with you today was that I finished Couch to 5K last night!



It feels awesome to accomplish another goal. I like this new me where I set a goal and actually follow through with it. I set goals all the time that I don’t complete but for some reason the past two exercise goals I’ve had, I knocked out of the part. I walked a million steps and now I can run for 30 minutes. I know I mentioned that I was doing Couch to 5K a few weeks ago but in case you missed it, it’s a 9-week program that starts you off slowly by running no more than 60-90 seconds and then gradually increases the amount of time you run and at the end of the 9 weeks, you are supposed to be able to run a 5K without stopping. Well, I run very slowly still so I don’t quite run a 5K in the 30 minutes that they give you but I can run 30 minutes without stopping and that’s something I never thought that I’d be able to do. I am going to continue running at least 3 days a week and over time I may get faster and I may try to run a little longer but I think I’m going to let myself get acclimated to the 30 minute sessions before I try anything else. Anyway, unless you have really bad problems with your joints or permanent injuries that have made your doctor say that you can’t run, I am proof that pretty much anyone can do it. I will say that I don’t quite believe it’s a program that literally takes you from the couch to a 5K because I have been exercising every day for a long time now and it was really tough and I still only go like 2 miles in 30 minutes but it does train your body to be able to withstand running far longer than you think you can. If you exercise regularly, but don’t run, I would say you can go ahead and start the program but if you don’t exercise at all, I would recommend that you walk every day or at least every other day before you try Couch to 5K. It’s only 3 days a week so it doesn’t over work you…I obviously endorse it if you want to try it! Of course, if you don’t want to, ignore this public service announcement.

Well, that was all I had today. I won’t be weighing until next week…probably the morning of Christmas Eve…just so I can see where I’m at…I know I’m going to eat all kinds of goodies today so I don’t want to weigh tomorrow…I’ll give myself some time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Peace and Blessings!

Bye!

“But this is me swallowing my pride,
Standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night
And I'd go back to December
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
I'd go back to December, turn around and make it alright
I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind
I go back to December all the time.” Back To December-Taylor Swift

Goodbye Allie!

Hello everyone. I hope you had a good weekend. Friday afternoon, I found out that my Great Aunt Allie passed away. Allie broke her hip a few years back and since then has had a tough battle with Alzheimer’s. I wouldn’t wish that disease on anyone and I hope with each passing day that they come closer to a cure. In the past few weeks, Allie’s health began to deteriorate and she died on Friday. Allie would have been 90 on January 1st. I spent the weekend in Chattanooga with family and her funeral was yesterday. My family and I will miss Allie but I find comfort in knowing that she lived a full life. She loved to work, travel and be with her family and so that’s how she spent all of her time. I have great memories to keep with me, Allie made my prom dress for me when I was a junior, she was always laughing and telling stories and she NEVER had you over to her house without trying to find food to give you. I was able to keep some jewelry, a jewelry stand and one of her travelling souvenirs so I will always think of her when I see them. Rest in peace Allie!

I weighed on Friday morning and I was actually down a few ounces which brought my total weight loss to over 81 pounds. I was really proud of that but because I was out of town all weekend, I ate horribly so I know I’ve gained weight. I have been good today but I’ve got three Christmas parties this week so I know that I will gain some more. I am going to be good all week next week before Christmas Eve & Day so hopefully I can balance out a little bit. I don’t think I will look at the scale again until the first of the year though so I will know exactly how hard I’m going to have to work. Don’t worry though, even though I’m cheating a lot, I’m still being good when I can and I am kind of excited to start being diligent again in January…I’m aching to get to my next goal…I’m just going to enjoy myself a little first.

Even though I got home kind of late last night and I was exhausted, I was really wanting to get back to normalcy so I went ahead and made my weekly recipe…



I made Chicken Fried Rice and I’m so glad I did because it was yummy! I wanted to make something fast and this was a nice option for that. I am going to tell you what I used but you could make everything from scratch if you wanted and it may taste a little better. You start off by scrambling some egg whites and then setting those aside. Then you sauté onions and garlic…after those have gone for a couple of minutes you dump in some chicken breast (cubed into pieces that are about an inch long) to the onions and garlic. I used the frozen fajita chicken strips that are already cooked instead of fooling with raw chicken. After that mixes, you add two cups of cooked brown rice. I used the premade instant rice instead of actually cooking rice. Mix all that together for a few minutes and then add the egg whites back in. You can also add peas and carrots if you are into that sort of thing. Throw some soy sauce on there and you are done! This was quick and easy and if you use cooking spray instead of oil, brown rice rather than white rice and egg whites without the yolk, it’s very healthy too.

Before I go, I wanted to give Whitney and Xay another shout out. Their birthdays happened last week but tomorrow, they celebrate their anniversary. Happy anniversary y’all! I hope you have many more!

Enjoy your week everyone, I posted the lyrics to “How Great Thou Art” below. It is one of my favorite hymns and they played it at Allie’s funeral.

Bye!

“O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!” How Great Thou Art- Carl Boberg

A Little R & R-Rest & Reflection

That’s right, it’s my Grandma’s birthday today and I would like to wish her a Happy Birthday! I will see you soon Grandma! I hope everyone has had a great week. Mine has been OK. I haven’t been feeling 100%. I haven’t really been able to get rid of these allergy issues for a couple of weeks and they sort of came full circle Wednesday night because I got a nasty little unproductive cough to go with it. I had my doctor call me in some medicine yesterday so I’m on the road to recovery. Also, I had some extra vacation time that I was going to lose at the end of the year so I took the day off, you know, I had it so I took it…it turned out to be a good time to take the day because I have been able to rest.

I have learned to become very independent the past few years because I pay my own bills and I haven’t been in a relationship. I like it. I enjoy the fact that I know if I had to, I could make it completely alone. I am single and have been for awhile. Most days, I am completely OK with this…I have amazing people in my life and I have personal goals that I’m not willing to sacrifice. Of course, there are days when I would like to be in a relationship again. Say what you will but people are shallow. I would argue that it’s much more likely that a chubby guy has a much better chance at love than a chubby girl. In general, I think girls have lower self esteem and tend to flock to those who pay them attention, not to those who they may think are unattainable. As bad as it sounds, girls settle. I have been more than 80 pounds heavier than my current weight. When I had that much “wealth,” it was very rare that a guy would show me any attention. In fact, aside from my family and friends, nobody really noticed me. As I lose weight though, I have noticed a hike in the amount of attention I receive. If I were to do a chart of how many guys spoke to me in a flirty way or in any way really, there would be a steady increase over the past couple of years. It’s like, the more weight I lose, the less invisible I become. I’m not saying this to be dramatic or emotional but I just sort of realized that this is going to be something that I have to deal with. I know that every guy I meet or talk to probably would not have looked my way a year and a half ago. Is this OK? Well, no, it’s really not OK but it’s a fact of life. I am the same person inside. I have the same face, I have less chins, but overall, I have the same face…but it doesn’t matter. People find fat people unattractive…now there are your chubby chasers out there and there are certain groups out there, whether it be related to ethnicity or how people were raised, that really don’t care about your size, but for the most part…people aren’t seeking out fat folks as dates. I guess I am just realizing that it is unrealistic for a person to see you for who you really are at first. As unfair as it is, for every pound I lose, I increase the chance I have at someone taking the time to get to know me. Ugh, I hate looking at it like that and I promise, that’s not why I’m losing weight. I do joke sometimes by saying that “I can’t wait to find a boyfriend so I can get off of Weight Watchers.” I really don’t mean it though…I am doing this for myself and I think that may the key factor this time…I feel so empowered every time I accomplish another goal and it’s not for anyone…but me.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts I’ve been having. Sometimes I hate to write on these subjects because they sound so melodramatic and I feel like I’m vomiting too many personal thoughts on the screen but I know I’m not the only one thinking these things so maybe someone can relate. If I do get a boyfriend any time soon though, I may hide this blog entry so he doesn’t feel pressure to say, “I totally don’t care that you were fat or if you get fat again.”

I don’t have too many plans for this weekend…it’s next week that it gets really busy. I plan on resting, maybe getting in touch with Whitney and hanging out with the family. Before I forget, my friend Whitney and her husband have the same birthday (cute huh?) and they celebrate this Sunday the 12th so I want to wish them a happy birthday…



I hope y’all have a good one! Bye!

“You're no longer in charge on my thinkin'
You're already in love with someone else
So if I'm into all night honky tonkin'
Well I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself

So don't tell me what to do
You've already said we are through
I'm a page that you have turned
I'm no longer your concern
So don't tell me what to do
I'll love you forever if I want to.” Don’t Tell Me What To Do-Pam Tillis

The War On Jeggings.

Hello All! I hope everyone is bundled up! It’s pretty cold here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. People are already wishing for Spring but I personally enjoy the cold weather. I despise summer heat in Alabama so I welcome the cold weather…I’ll just deal with it, it’s way easier to add clothes then to take them off…at least in public anyway. I hope everyone had a great weekend! I weighed Saturday morning and I was down .2 and then I weighed again after I exercised and I was up .2 so I pretty much decided that I was the same weight. I will definitely not complain about maintaining my weight this month…there is good food EVERYWHERE! I watched the SEC Championship game with some friends Saturday afternoon and I ate WAY too much so I am trying to work hard this week to make up for it. Sunday, I wrapped presents and helped decorate my parents Christmas tree. I posted a couple pictures below.




I am pretty much a scrooge up until the actual day of Christmas because everything is so hectic and I am way more poor than usual but Sunday was a fun time and I am feeling a bit more in the Christmas spirit. I suppose I have no choice, I have 4 Christmas parties between tomorrow evening and next Friday night. Gosh, until I typed that out, it didn’t sound so crazy…that’s a lot of Christmas partyin’. It should be fun!

Ok-now a departure from the Christmas talk. Last night was recipe night…



These were Zesty Turkey Tostadas. This was another recipe that had certain instructions and ingredients and I sort of did what I wanted. It called for chopped turkey breast but I used ground turkey. It also called for me to chop up several tomatoes and green chiles and I used Mild Rotel so if you wanted to make these, you could use what I did or use the actual ingredients. I figured it would be cheaper to use ground turkey I already had and buy a can of Rotel rather than all that produce. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to prepare/cook these. All I did was sauté the ground turkey together with the Rotel, onions and garlic. I toasted small corn tortillas in the oven for just 3 or 4 minutes and then put the turkey mix on top of them. I added lettuce and cheese. They were really easy and they tasted great! I couldn’t believe how fast it was and I love a fast recipe…so I see myself making these again in the future.

One last thing I wanted to talk about was a new fashion trend that I’m SO SICK of seeing…



The picture above shows a picture of a woman wearing JEGGINGS. In case you haven’t heard, Jeggings are a new craze that are basically a mix of leggings and jeans. I’m not going to lie, I bought a pair of regular black leggings that I wear a long dress over. I’m not 100% sure that I like them but I do know that people who are not emaciated like the lovely woman above should not be wearing Jeggings without a long top to go over them. Honestly, I don’t find them very appealing on anyone. Conan O’Brien expressed his love for Jeggings and actually wore a pair of them last week for his whole show. It was ridiculous and funny. I can see why guys might find these attractive on a fit woman because they leave nothing to the imagination. I just don’t get them. I think the thing that irritates me the most is that it is hard to find a pair of jeans anymore that aren’t skinny jeans or Jeggings. I want a normal pair of boot cut jeans! If you want to look ridiculous in a skin tight pair of jeans and show your camel toe to the world, that’s your business but as for me and my house, I’m keeping my camel toe to myself!

Alright, that’s all the venting I wanted to do about that. I hope everyone has a great week! Bye!

“This ain't nothing but a Heartbreak Town
Square people in a world that's round
And they watch you dancin'
without the sound
It ain't nothing' no nothin'
You take your number and you stand in line
And they watch to see how high you're gonna climb
Pat on the back 'n' better luck next time
It ain't nothin' no it ain't nothin' but a Heartbreak Town

Stardust well it's a funny thing
It can make you cuss
It can make you sing
And the need to touch it gets hard to explain some days
I've seen 'em rise
I've seen 'em fall
Some get nothin'
and Lord some get it all
Some just run
while others crawl away
Hold my hand baby don't let go
I've got some front money
and I've got a next show
And I'm gonna need you
down this yellow brick road

This ain't nothing but a Heartbreak Town
Square people in a world that's round
And they watch you dancin' without a sound
It ain't nothing', it ain't nothin' no
You take your number and you stand in line
And they watch to see how high you're gonna climb
Pat on the back 'n' better luick next time
It ain't nothin' no it ain't nothin'
but a Heartbreak Town.” Heartbreak Town-The Dixie Chicks

One Step At A Time Y'all!

Happy December everyone! This year has FLOWN by…I guess I say that every year. As the year ends, people will inevitably make resolutions. I wish I knew a statistic that showed how many people resolve to lose weight at the beginning of the year. I don’t think I’ve ever had a different resolution…at least not one I can remember. I usually vow to be nicer but that is less of a resolution and more of an example of wishful thinking. I guess the good news for me is that I have fulfilled my resolution for a couple years now…I think I will probably use the weight loss resolution again this year…why not? How many people can say that they fulfilled their resolution? Might as well keep going. I am back on track after Thanksgiving which is good. I discovered this week that Weight Watchers has decided to completely change their program because of new developments in “scientific research.” I have been very unhappy with this change and so I decided to stop paying for Weight Watchers and continue to do the same thing I have been doing. They have totally changed the way they calculate points and the process in which they decide how many points you get a day. Essentially, if I go over to the new program, all of my books, calculators and accessories will be totally obsolete. I have lost 80 pounds on the old program and I don’t want to change…it seems like a scheme for them to make more money. So-since I still have my materials from the old program, I decided to venture out on my own. I will still be on Weight Watchers, just not the new version. If I start to fall, I may consider the new program but while I’m still succeeding, I’ll do it my way. You know, I have been on Weight Watchers for a year and a half now. When I first started, it was hard to be optimistic…I had SO far to go and now, I’ve lost 80 pounds and my journey isn’t close to being over…really I guess it will never be over. I have changed the way I live. I guess what I want to say is…YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. I started out disappointed before I even started because I had a huge mountain (my butt, thighs & belly) that had to be conquered…but it wasn’t just to lose weight. I had to start somewhere because I was unhealthy and I didn’t know how to live…changing what you eat should be a permanent decision…not a temporary one…that’s why I love Weight Watchers so much…I have no desire to go back…sure I still want bad food and sometimes…I let myself have it but I never want to get complacent again…so…start now…and if you fall, pick yourself back up! If I can do it…ANYONE can! Resolve today to change your life…I’ll do it with you because trust me…I’m not cured of my fatness or anything…that’s not how it works…I’ll be working on this forever…just some thoughts.

Speaking of Weight Watchers, I have recently discovered a new snack option I wanted to share with you-



This is one of two cheese spreads that Weight Watchers has available. I haven’t tried the other flavor (which I think is Garlic Herb). This cheese comes in a little triangle and it’s spreadable so it’s really tasty on melba toast or the everything bagels I’ve been eating. I love it and I think it’s a good option…especially if you are cheese lover like me.

I also wanted to show you the gingerbread house that my brother and his girlfriend made with my mom-



Isn’t it cute? I helped make a couple of the rice krispie treat trees but I didn’t stay around for the complete decorating process. It was going to be way past my bedtime. I think they did a great job!

This weekend is pretty low key. Tomorrow, after I do some shopping, I am going to Nish’s house to watch South Carolina (hopefully) do something Alabama couldn’t…beat Auburn. If they don’t do it then maybe Oregon will. Then, Sunday, is Christmas day. I will have most of my shopping done and we have all our decorations up but I will use Sunday to wrap presents and work on a couple of homemade Christmas gift projects. I HAVE to get that done if I’m going to give them to people before Christmas…at this rate though…it may be Valentine’s Day before they get them.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Get out there and get your shopping done!

Bye!

“We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen when it's
Supposed to happen and we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
when you need to find the strength
It's your faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time.” One Step At A Time-Jordin Sparks

Pig Skins/Potato Skins

Hi All! Long time, no blog! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving…I know I did! I hit the 80 pounds down mark on Thursday morning which was very exciting! I know that between all of the good Thanksgiving food that I gained a couple back but I’m not weighing again until Saturday morning so hopefully by then I will be balanced back out. I also ran before I ate on Thanksgiving. I am on week 7 of Couch to 5K and I had to run 25 minutes with no stopping on Thursday. It was pretty tough…my brother went with me. It was so sad…he could power walk as fast as I was running but whatever…I did it and I was very proud. I also ran the 25 minutes again on Sunday and I have to run it this afternoon when I get home. Next week will be 28 minutes and then the last week (week 9) will end with running 30 minutes which I guess for a normal person is a 5K but for me, I think it’s more of a 3K or 4K. I am really noticing a difference from the running and I can’t explain how happy I am when I finish…it’s hard but as long as I’m not hurting too bad and it makes me feel great, I’m going to keep going. I posted a couple of pictures below from Thanksgiving…




I was making yeast rolls. We had SO much food! It was all delicious! Thanksgiving was great and up until the second half of the Iron Bowl, Friday was AMAZING. If any of you out there were wondering how to successfully crap on a 24 point lead, I hope you were watching the Alabama-Auburn game on Friday. Honestly, I don’t think it was the fact that Alabama lost the game…we were playing the number 2 team in the nation. The problem came because we totally let up and let them get the momentum…basically…we lost to ourselves. I was actually OK after the game, I found myself consoling other people but with each passing day, I get more and more disgusted. I thought things were supposed to get better as the days go on but not with this because every time I turn on the TV, I hear about one of the best comebacks ever…gross. Even though it is purely out of meanness, I hope South Carolina beats them in the SEC Championship…if they don’t…then GO OREGON DUCKS! I love football season so I’m going to miss it…though…I feel like I might lose more weight now.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with Jordan, family and SHOPPING. I was trying to get some Christmas shopping done. I’ve made a good bit of progress but there are a couple of things that require me to actually sit down and work on them and I am procrastinating…bad. Also, the mall in this town is crazy busy. I went in there and it was miserable…there were so many people there. I actually had some good luck yesterday on Cyber Monday so that was good…and I didn’t have to go anywhere.

Last night was recipe night-



I made Pepperoni Pizza Potato Skins. They are pretty self explanatory but you just take a large potato and bake it completely, then let it cool. I am impatient so I didn’t let mine bake as long as I should have but it still turned out fine. Once you let it cool, you just cut it into quarters, dig out half of the flesh of the potato and replace that with a layer of pizza sauce, then part-skim mozzarella and diced pepperoni. I dipped them in barbecue sauce too just for an added kick. This was very filling and tasty. Anytime you can make a potato skin or other party type food and it be OK with Weight Watchers, it’s a good thing. OK-that’s all for today…I will blog like normal on Thursday! Bye!

“Time casts a spell on you, but you won't forget me
I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me
I'll follow you down til' the sound of my voice will haunt you
You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you
I'll follow you down til' the sound of my voice will haunt you.” Silver Springs-Fleetwood Mac

Gobble, Gobble Y'all!

Well, hello everyone! I hope that this is a short week for you like it is for me. I am off Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday! I am very excited about the time off. As I told you last week, I weighed on Thursday morning and I was down one pound. I had a rough few days in terms of dieting so I’m sure that I added a couple of pounds. I’m hoping to lose those again by Thanksgiving morning. I am in quite a roller coaster phase right now but as long as I keep coming back down, I’ll be fine. I have a lot going on the next several days so before I fill you in on all my plans, I wanted to share last night’s recipe with you.



I made Home-Style Salisbury Steak With Mushroom Gravy. I apologize for the dark lighting in the picture, my iPhone doesn’t have the greatest camera in the world. So-as you can see, there are a lot of mushrooms in the gravy. I love mushrooms so I put more in there than it called for but you can use less. This was really delicious! It was definitely comfort food. You take the leanest ground beef you can find (4 oz per serving), combine it with onions, salt, pepper and half a piece of whole wheat bread and form it into a patty. Then you put it under the broiler for 6 minutes on each side. While it’s cooking, you sauté mushrooms and garlic and then add ¼ tbsp of flour and ¼ cup of broth and stir for several minutes to make the gravy. I only made one serving so obviously, the ingredients would multiply if you were making the recipe for more people. I made the recipe with green beans which I make a lot because they are pretty much my favorite vegetable but you can make whatever veggie you want as a side. The beef was moist and tasty and the gravy turned out great. The best part was that it really didn’t take more than 20 minutes to prep and cook it. It’s definitely a keeper.

As a side note, while I was sitting on my couch last night, there were many moments I had to stop to retrieve the mushroom or green bean that I dropped on my shirt or on the ground. I am such a messy eater. I cannot tell you how many clothes I’ve lost due to that random grease spot that shows up right in the middle of your shirt when you take it out of the dryer because somewhere along the line, you dropped a fry or some gravy right in the middle. I may have discussed this before but I thought I would bring it back up after I just lost yet another shirt the other day. I want to know why I NEVER see skinny people with those obnoxious stains. I never see a skinny person at a restaurant spill an entire cup of barbecue sauce from head to toe on themselves when a waiter hands them their plate. That kind of thing seems to only happen to those of a more healthy stature. Of course, I would spill things down the front of my shirt. I feel like people think all fat people eat like Jabba the Hut, just frantically throwing food at themselves hoping that they make it into their mouth. That’s not the case…because I know that I’m a clumsy eater so I take extra care to not make a mess but EVERY time…I spill something. I have concluded in the past that skinny people don’t have a large, “D” sized barrier in their way like I do, a food catcher, if you will. Still though, I get stuff underneath my bra…like…how does it even get there? I think those stained clothes are like a fat person’s war wound or something. As if being fat weren’t enough, you have to wear these scars of remembrance on your clothes that not only are you fat, you are fat AND sloppy. I realize MOST of this is in my head but as an avid conspiracy theorist, I have to think there is more to this than coincidence.

Ok-speaking of a time in which I’m guaranteed to spill something on myself, Thanksgiving is Thursday! I am not going to blog again until next Tuesday so I thought I would give you some Happy Thanksgiving images ahead of time…






I hope you all have a wonderful time with friends and/or family. Also, if you know me personally and you don’t have a place to eat on Thanksgiving, email me heather.m.wyatt@gmail.com and I will be glad to invite you to eat with me and my family because no one should spend Thanksgiving day alone. I am looking forward to all of the delicious food! I know that I will not be dieting BUT according to Couch to 5K, I am due to run 25 straight minutes on Thanksgiving. I plan on doing that before I eat anything so if I can accomplish that, I will feel much better about the casseroles and pies I will be eating.

Friday is ALMOST as important as Thursday so I will go ahead and tell you…



That’s right, Alabama has a chance to ruin Auburn’s season and salvage ours this Friday. Auburn is really good this year but Alabama is a monster at home and we haven’t lost at our own stadium in a LONG time so I hope we continue the streak. It will be tough but the Iron Bowl is always jam packed with energy and I’m hoping for a close game with Alabama coming out on top! ROLL TIDE! It’s going to be a really fun day.

As you know, there is a lot going on the next few days. I am going to try and get some Christmas shopping done Saturday and Sunday…most of all…I want to have fun, eat good food and relax because come Monday, it’s back to normal grind for at least a few weeks until Christmas.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend! I will write again Tuesday with another recipe, updates and other things!

Roll Tide! Peace!!!

“Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain't nobody looking back again

Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch
We all picked the cotton but we never got rich
Daddy was a veteran, a southern democrat
They oughta get a rich man to vote like that

Sing it...

Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain't nobody looking back again

Well somebody told us Wall Street fell
But we were so poor that we couldn't tell
Cotton was short and the weeds were tall
But Mr. Roosevelt's a gonna save us all

Well momma got sick and daddy got down
The county got the farm and they moved to town
Pappa got a job with the TVA
He bought a washing machine and then a Chevrolet

Sing it...

Song, song of the south
Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth
Gone, gone with the wind
There ain't nobody looking back again.” Song of the South-Alabama

Couch to 5K!

Howdy everyone! Has everyone had a good week? If you have , YAY! If not, at least it’s Friday right? I've had a pretty good couple of days. Yesterday, I weighed in the morning just to see what it looked like and because of my hard work, I had lost all of my Vegas weight plus one more pound bringing my total loss to 79.4 pounds! I was so surprised and excited! I celebrated by totally putting weight back on the past two days. Last night, Alabama had a random football game (we won by a landslide) so I probably had a few too many calories last night and then we had our work Thanksgiving lunch today and I ate WAY too much. My body is NOT happy with me…I am not going to weigh again until NEXT Thursday morning. That’s Thanksgiving so I’m hoping I will get lucky and even out so I can gain a little again. I have quite a holiday system here but so far my plan to maintain is working…it should continue to work but that depends on my flawlessness this weekend and Monday-Wednesday. I can do it.

Part of the reason I didn’t have too much trouble losing the Vegas weight has something to do with this…



I have never been a “runner.” Actually, I’ve never been anything close. When we had to run the mile in high school, I walked…it would take me FOREVER to do the mile. Over the past year and half, I have pretty much solidified exercise as part of my daily routine. It’s not something I even question any more. This is a good thing but from time to time, I do like to change things up. It’s good for the body and mind to try new things. I have always admired those people who I see at the park, running for miles. Some of them even say that is where they clear their minds. I have tried running in the past. I would try to go for 60 seconds or longer and I’ve tried just running without timing. I have always given up because there was no real structure and I didn’t know how to really build myself up to go any distance. I sort of decided that I simply CAN’T and WON’T ever run. I heard about the Couch to 5K program through a friend. They have an app for the iPhone and I decided I would give it a try. I have bad knees so I have been keeping a close watch on my knees to make sure I don’t hurt myself…I want to make sure if I’m hurting, it’s a good hurt, not a permanent injury hurt. So far, I haven’t had any knee trouble. I dare say, I’ve had less trouble now that I’ve been doing Couch to 5K. The concept is simple. You run only 3 days a week and each day of the work out, you run different times and increase your endurance with every session. Once you complete the workout, you check it off and it moves for you to the next one. The app tells you when to walk and when to run through your headphones and it also works with Pandora radio or your iPod on your phone so you can also listen to music. You always have a warm-up and a cool down. The first week you alternated 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking. Each week it increases and changes up the routine. It’s a 9 week program and I just finished week 5…which meant I jogged for 20 minutes without stopping. I honestly never thought it was possible for me to do that so I was pretty proud of myself. It’s tough and I still have 3 weeks to go…I peeked ahead and it looks like at some point next week I have to run 25 minutes without stopping…so it’s only going to get worse but I cannot tell you how I feel when I get done. Plus, it's GREAT exercise...I can really tell a difference. I would definitely recommend this program. It’s realistic…3 days a week and it is gradual. I will say though that if you are an actual couch potato who hasn’t exercised much in months or years, I would walk daily for a few weeks at least before I tried Couch to 5K because I’ve been exercising every day for a long time and it’s still kicking my butt…just a suggestion.

Well, this weekend should be relaxing. Tomorrow…I am SO excited…



HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 came out today and I’m going to see it tomorrow! I love Harry Potter so I’m very excited. I have read all the books and it is by far my favorite book series EVER…Regrettably, I’ve only read the series once but I plan on reading them all again before the last movie comes out. Anyway, I am pleased to be going to see it tomorrow afternoon. I’m also cooking dinner with Whitney tomorrow night…it should be a lot of fun…we both love to cook and we got a pretty awesome menu set up. Sunday is REST day…I have to run and do a load of laundry but I plan on catching up on TV the rest of the day.

Next week will also be awesome. It’s a short week, Thanksgiving is Thursday and the Iron Bowl is Friday (more on all that next week)! I hope you all have a great weekend! Roll Tide! Bye!

“I’m only one voice in a million
But you ain’t taking that from me
Oh oh no you ain’t taking that from me.” Strip Me-Natasha Bedingfield

Must...Get...Through...Holiday...Season...

Greetings Y’all! It feels like a long time since I’ve posted but I think that’s because I’ve just been so busy. After Vegas, I had a lot of work to catch up on. I’m also way behind on TV but I didn’t get to do too much TV watching this weekend. Saturday, I weighed against my better judgment. I was up 4 pounds. Honestly, that’s not too bad considering that I ate pretty crappy for 5 straight days. I would have really hated to see how much I would have gained had I not been exercising like crazy. I am going to weigh again Thursday morning to see if I have gotten rid of most of the 4 pounds…I hope I have because I know there will be some sketchy moments on Thursday night at Alabama’s football game and then at lunch on Friday because we are having our Thanksgiving lunch at work. That’s right, Alabama is playing this Thursday night…it kind of sucks because it’s a work night, it’s going to be cold and we are playing a team who didn’t even exist last year. It’s Georgia State and this is their first year to even have a football team. Anyway, I will have to leave right after work to get there so I know dinner might be a little touch and go. Hopefully between this weekend, yesterday, today and tomorrow, I will have gotten rid of most of those 4 pounds so I can even out again by next week. This maintaining stuff is hard…I need the holidays to hurry up on out of here because I am DETERMINED to lose at least 20 more pounds by May. That was a lot of rambling just to tell you that I weighed on Saturday…but anyway. I also cleaned the heck out of my apartment, watch Alabama beat Mississippi State, hung out with my folks and some friends and I even got like 3 hours just to do nothing. It was a nice weekend.

Last night was recipe night…




In the spirit of casserole season, I made green bean casserole last night. I included a picture of the the plate I made (I just made a pork chop and some bread to go with it) and then a picture of the whole thing so you saw it all together and didn't think it was just a blob of plain green beans. The casserole was an actual Weight Watchers recipe and it was DELICIOUS! First of all, I am weird about green bean casserole that my mom didn’t make because…that’s just what I’m used to. The recipe called for fresh green beans but I’m not a fan, so I did use canned. The only thing was…I misread the recipe…it said ¾ pound of green beans but I read it as 1-1/4 pound…so I had too many green beans but it still turned out awesome. The creamy factor for green bean casserole is usually cream of mushroom soup but since that is kind of fattening (I know there is reduced fat cream of mushroom…you may be able to substitute but I think making it yourself may taste better), you sort of make it yourself. You use reduced sodium chicken broth, onions, mushrooms, garlic and flour. Once you thicken the sauce, you mix it with the beans. Then you top it with a crumble of low fat butter, bread crumbs and grated parmesan…and then you bake it. I ate a TON of this stuff because it tasted so good and it’s basically just vegetables. I will definitely make this again as a side.

It has been so dreary here the past couple of days. The sun hasn’t been out more than a few minutes and we have had a lot of that cold rain. It’s all around icky outside, plus it gets dark by 5. I am not adjusting well to the weather and time changes…my throat hurts in the morning, I have all kinds of fluid built up in my ears and I am totally exhausted all the time. I think part of my fatigue can be attributed to the fact that I just got contacts for the first time and for some reason, they wear my eyes out. I think once I get used to a foreign object in my eye and once I get accustomed to the weather, I will feel better…and stop complaining.

Well, I know that I said I am ready for the holidays to get over with, but I really am looking forward to being with family, giving gifts and eating good food. I just find it really hard to work everything off and also…I am SUCH a scrooge when it comes to Christmas music. The only time I usually accept Christmas music is when I’m decorating a tree, other than that, it sort of drives me crazy.

I think that was all I had today, I know it was sort of a hodge podge of things but it’s my blog so I guess I do have certain liberties in what I want to say…even if there is not really a point.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Bye!


“I learned to live half alive
And now you want me one more time

And who do you think you are
Running 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Who do you think you are

And it took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put back the light in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed
Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get me back

And who do you think you are
Running 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Don't come back at all.” Jar of Hearts-Christina Perri

Thanks Vets! Wish I Could Take You All To Vegas!

Yes, Happy Veterans Day! We should appreciate the armed forces every day but I am glad there are a few days a year that we specifically honor those fighting and those who have fought for our freedom. Thanks to everyone who has been in and also those currently serving in the military (thanks DAD!).

Before I show you the pictures of Vegas, I will briefly state that I am saddened and disgusted to report that Alabama has lost again…this time to LSU. I hope this losing thing this season is a curse that is just for road games because we have three more games at home and it would be nice if we could win the rest of them so we can come away with at least a decent season. We have yet to play Auburn who as you may know, is still undefeated and they are a really strong team so we will have to bring some skills out of somewhere to beat them…and I’m worried because we just aren’t as good as we were last year…but you never know…stranger things have happened. It was very fun winning every game last year but the reality is that you do eventually have to lose and we obviously don’t have what it takes this year…so the best to hope for is that we win the rest of our games and win a decent bowl game…that would be a very respectable season. No matter what though, I will always be an Alabama fan! I can’t stand a fair weather fan…there are times that I get mad at the game or think we will lose but I would never change teams! Roll Tide!

Ok-I’m done going on and on about that now…I posted some pictures from Vegas below…









We had a great time!!! Vegas is so big…there was a lot of walking but it’s so colorful and there is so much to do…it’s like every casino is an adult Disney World. We went to the Stratosphere, rode the roller coaster at New York, New York, I got another tattoo (sorry Grandma), saw Cirque de Soleil, and ATE FOOD, ATE FOOD, ATE FOOD! Ugh…I haven’t weighed because I know it won’t be pretty. I do know that I have A LOT of work to do. I’m hoping to lose the Vegas weight and get back to normal by the morning of Thanksgiving. I could have done worse because my mom and I shared at least 3 meals while we were there, I ran twice during the week AND there was a massive amount of walking but make no mistake, I ate way too much good food. I am completely on the wagon today and it hasn’t been too bad. I need to be good for the next two weeks so I can have a delicious Thanksgiving. I can do this…I am in no way interested in giving up so I should be fine…like I said…I’m all about maintaining until the first of the year when I can start being extra serious again.

This will be my only blog this week. I will start back again next week with the regular recipes and whatever else I decide to ramble on about. I hope you all have had a great week and that you have a fun, safe weekend.

Rolllllll Tiiiideeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye!

“From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there's pride in every American heart,
and it’s time we stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I'm proud to be and American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.” God Bless the U.S.A.-Lee Greenwood

Can You Take Me To Vegas?

HELLO EVERYONE! Happy Friday! It has been a long week but the weekend is FINALLY here!!! I hope you all have had a great week. As I may have mentioned, tomorrow, my mom, Oma and Aunt Betty and I are headed to Las Vegas!

I have never been to Las Vegas so I am very excited to see the city and get another state under my belt. I have a mental bucket list and one of the items on it is to visit every state so I always get excited to add another...I think I’ve been to 24...3 of those were only airports though and some people don’t count that so I definitely want to go again. Anyway, we leave tomorrow for Vegas and we are coming back Wednesday. It should be a lot of fun! Flying doesn’t really bother me but there have been just enough news stories the past week to make me annoyed. Also, I know that security is going to be especially strict with all the stuff going on but hey, it’s just part of it...so please keep us in your mind this week that we have a safe trip!

Right about the time we will be getting settled in Vegas, Alabama will be kicking off against LSU...



This game is HUGE! We HAVE to win this game and we are playing IN Baton Rouge so it’s going to be tough. I hate missing the game but honestly, this one is really stressing me out so it may be best that I am distracted by Sin City so as not to go crazy worrying about the game. Roll Tide!

So-I wanted share some new gum I’ve discovered.



The Strawberry Shortcake gum is a new campaign from Extra that makes gum taste like dessert. I think there is a Key-Lime Pie that I’ve heard is good but I haven’t tried it. The Strawberry Shortcake gum is good. At first, I didn’t really care for it as much but it’s grown on me. It’s really sweet but it has 5 calories and it’s good if you just want something to chew on. The other is from Trident. They make Layers gum that includes more than one flavor. They have lots of different versions of Trident Layers but I have only tried Green Apple & Golden Pineapple. It’s SOOO good! It’s tart at first but then has this bold, refreshing flavor. I know I sound like I should do a commercial for them but it really is tasty. Both of these are sugar free and while I don’t claim that they stifle hunger, they are good if chewing helps you get your mind off food.

Another thing I wanted to briefly mention was that I noticed now that I’ve lost almost 80 pounds, I can definitely tell when I’ve gone up a few pounds. Before I lost a significant amount of weight, I couldn’t really tell by looking in the mirror if I gained or lost a few pounds. On Monday, after the Halloween binge fest, I could look in the mirror and I could really tell that I was up a few pounds. I was surprised and I thought my reaction would be more devastated but actually...it was kind of refreshing...to actually be able to see physical changes in my body. To me that meant that I am no longer one solid blob, I am starting to regain structure in my body. I can see my waist now and I can definitely tell when I had gained a few because my waist had become less defined. Anyway, it was just something I noticed.

Ok-Speaking of gaining weight, I hope it’s not too bad in Vegas. I plan on walking a lot and I am going to actually set aside time to work out twice while we are there just so I can maintain some sort of structure.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and week. I probably won’t post again until next Friday so until then!

Roll Tide!

Bye!

“Listen up now honey, you're gonna be sorry
Can't get out from under a sky that is falling
And you say
No fame no money I'm nobody
The way I'm running has sure got me down
On my knees.
Next stop, Vegas please.
Can you take me to Vegas?” Vegas-Sara Bareilles

Until Next Year Halloween!

Hello All! I hope you all had an amazing Halloween weekend…I know I did…I posted some pics below. Jordan went as Liza Minnelli and I went as Judy Garland. I also dressed up as a fairy on Sunday night for the trick-or-treater’s so I posted that too. We had so much fun!







I think I look a lot like my grandmother in these pictures…I’ve seen some pictures of her as a teenager and we have a lot of the same features…especially with my hair curled like that. I really love getting all dressed up…I miss Halloween already. I tell you what though, I ate like a beast Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. I decided I’m not even going to attempt to get on a scale until I have gone at least two weeks being good so I think it might be the day before Thanksgiving. I don’t want to get discouraged so I think weighing as little as possible while being as good as possible on most days will be my strategy.

I made a Weight Watchers recipe last night…



This is an Herbed Ham-and-Potato Frittata. Basically, you cook up diced potatoes in a skillet for 10 or 15 minutes then you add egg substitute, ham, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley and then let it cook about 10 more minutes until it’s firm. After that, you broil it for 3-5 minutes so it browns on top. This was actually pretty tasty. I think next time I make it, I will sprinkle some cheese on top but other than that, I wouldn’t really change anything. The potatoes make it very filling and because there is so much fiber and very little fat, you can eat a lot of it.

I have been really busy today and I’ve also had major computer issues at work lately. I also got contact lenses for the first time in my life yesterday and I’ve had some trouble putting them in and out so I’ve been a little stressed. Things are improving slowly though so there is light at the end of the tunnel…PLUS I am going to Vegas next week!

I think that is all for today…have a great rest of the week!

Bye!

“If I'm such a legend, then why am I so lonely? Let me tell you, legends are all very well if you've got somebody around who loves you.” Judy Garland