Let me give you the SKINNY...

Hey y’all, another week has already gone by. Believe it or not, this week has actually gone pretty fast for me. I don’t get to say that very often so it feels nice. Despite the fact that my Mom, Dad, brother and Grandmother are headed to Virginia for several days tomorrow, Jordan is going to the beach for a week with his family, Nichole will be busy moving Saturday, Nish is flying to New York to see Lilith Fair and Cassandra is working this weekend, I have a pretty packed schedule. Tonight I am headed to Birmingham to see Jordan off before he goes to the beach...he, Nichole and I are meeting him to see a late night movie after I have dinner with my folks. Then tomorrow and Sunday, I will be busy taking care of the dogs, hanging with my Oma and eating good food. I think I might even get to sleep in a little tomorrow. I MIGHT even try to sleep until 9 or something!!! We will see...



I really hope that my family is VERY careful and that they have a great time in Virginia. I also hope that Jordan has fun at the beach and that he and his family have safe travels. I hope Nichole’s moving weekend and Cassandra’s work weekend go well and go by quickly. I hope Nish and Jodi have a blast at Lilith and SAFELY enjoy NYC. Now that I’ve said all that...I will say that I am very bitter about the fun you will all be having. I am sure I will have fun too. I am going to cook for my Oma (there may be ice cream involved) and I think I will get to see my friend David Earp (and maybe Whitney too?) this weekend. I also hope to catch up on some projects that I haven’t had time to work on. I am hoping it will be productive.

Phew, now that I’ve given you my schedule and the schedule of everyone I know (I’m sorry), I will quickly rant. As you may or may not know, I have always had issues accepting compliments. For some reason, they make me uncomfortable. As I’ve lost weight, I’ve had to get more used to it because I know that people are just trying to be nice and it always feels great for people to notice what I’ve accomplished. However, I do get really uneasy when people use the term “skinny.” Listen, I’ve NEVER been skinny, chubby cheeked baby, pleasantly plump kid, overweight teen and one big bellied adult. THAT’S JUST THE TRUTH. I’m fine with that...that’s just how it is. Have I lost a lot of weight? Yes, and I plan to lose more but I will NEVER be skinny and I certainly don’t qualify as such now. Anyone who looked at my number on the scale could tell you that’s not a “skinny” number. So, while I realize that when people use this word, they mean NO harm whatsoever...it still makes me cringe. Well, there is this woman at work who has started calling me, “skinny minny.” The first time she did this I sort of laughed and said thanks. The next ten times, I sort of rolled my eyes a little and chuckled. It is now her official name for me. Every time she sees me, she refers to me as, “skinny minny,” and I have to say that it drives me absolutely INSANE. I guess I’m venting about it here because I don’t think I will ever say anything to her because the last time I told someone I didn’t want to be referred to as skinny, I felt like I was mean about it and I don’t want to be mean to someone who is just trying to be nice...but JEEZ. Am I crazy? Is there anyone else out there who can understand what I’m saying? Maybe not...maybe I am crazy but don’t call me something I’m not. Say, “You have been looking great lately!” or something like that.

Ok, enough of that. I will get on the scale tomorrow to see if I’ve gained weight after I was down 67 pounds (I probably have) and how much work I need to do.

I am trying out my new routine this weekend of having one cheat meal on Saturday and one on Sunday instead of my all day Sunday binge fest and see how that works out.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I will report back on the recipe I make for my Oma on Monday!

Holla!

I posted some fun Happy Friday pictures below.








“I'm with another boy; he's asleep, I'm wide awake
And he tried to win my heart, but it's taken time

I know the shape of your hands because I watch them when you talk
And I know the shape of your body 'cause I watch it when you walk
And I want to know it all but I'm giving you the lead
So go on, go on and take it, don't fake it, shake it

Charmin, crazy eyes have you are they gray or blue,
I won't make the move
you must make the move
if you make the move
I will then approve
if you do not move
we will surely lose

Don't second guess your feelings you were right from the start
And I notice she's your lover, but she's nowhere near your heart
This city is for strangers, like the sky is for the stars
But I think it's very dangerous if we do not take what’s ours

And I'm winning you with words because I have no other way
I'd love to look into your face without your eyes turning away
Last night I watched you sing because a person has to try
And I walked home in the rain because a person cannot lie.” Gray or Blue-Jaymay

What the Crepe?

Hey y’all. I do wish your Tuesday is going well. Mine is OK. There was a seriously intense/crazy storm in Tuscaloosa last night and the power was out in my apartment. I have never seen such lightning and the thunder was insane too. All of that combined with the heat in the apartment made for a not so great night of sleep but I seem to be functioning pretty well. Because of the lack of sleep, I was best friends with my snooze button this morning and didn’t get nearly enough walking in so I’ve decided the only remedy for that will be walking/shopping after work today.

I am sure you have caught on to the fact that Monday nights are my usual recipe nights and luckily, I was able to make my Strawberry Crepes last night before the power went out...



They were very yummy...and kind of pretty if I’m being honest. I was able to have 4. I am always looking for recipes that maximize the amount of food I get. These could work with any fruit really but strawberries are in season and these were very sweet and filling. I would definitely make them again. It’s basically just a pancake batter that you spread over the entire pan to make it thin and then you fill with fresh strawberries and top with powdered sugar. There wasn’t much to it. I think I may do recipe night this week on Sunday instead of Monday. My parents will be out of town and it will just be me and my Oma...it will be nice to share my recipe night with someone! I will have to see what I can make!

I had a great weekend...Cassandra, Jordan & I went to see Colbie Caillat at Alabama Adventure Saturday night and despite the fact that it was miserably hot, it was a great concert. We were able to get pretty close seats because we got there early and it was first come, first serve. I have posted a video and some pictures below. The video isn’t great quality. The sound is a bit muffled and because of the lights, you can’t see her very well but I posted it and you can look at it if you want to.









As you can see, we had a fun time. She really is one of my favorites and it always makes me very happy to see my faves in concert.

I know that I am constantly changing things up when it comes to challenges in my diet and exercise and I think I’ve discovered a new challenge to try. As you may know, I cheat all day on Sunday and there are many times when it makes me feel really sick because I totally binge on cheat day. I’ve decided that instead of cheating all day Sunday, that I would have one cheat meal on Saturday and one on Sunday. It can be any meal on those days but I am going to count the rest of the day. This way, I can still get the food I want but not all at once. I will give myself 15 points plus whatever I earn in activity points (points you get from exercising that I usually don’t count but I am going to start counting them on weekends only) and then one meal that is a cheat meal that I don’t count. I am going to try this for a little while. I think it will be good because I am getting a break on both days and then working for anything else I want (dessert, a cocktail) by exercising. We will see how it goes. I am all for trying new experiences when it comes to Weight Watchers...just to mix it up. If it doesn’t work, I will go back to the way it was. Also, after my heinous 1 million step project is over, I’ve decided I would exercise at least 45 minutes every week day and at least 30 minutes a day on Saturday & Sunday. You know, keep moving, keep pushing toward health!

Enough rambling now!

Have a good night!

“If that's the way you love
You've got to learn so much
If that's the way you say goodbye

And this is how it ends
And I'm alright within
Never going to see me cry
Cause I've cried

So go on, go on and break my heart
I'll be okay
There's nothing you can do to me
That's ever going to burn me

So go on, go on and leave my love
Out on the street
I'm fearless
Better believe I'm fearless, fearless.” Fearless-Colbie Caillat

Back To The Drawing Board

Hey Friday, it’s WONDERFUL to see you again. You should really come around more frequently as I tend to miss you dearly. As far as my ten’s of readers, I hope you all are having a productive and nice day. Today has been pretty good for me. I will start off by saying that I am fairly disappointed in my diet performance this week. It was like, I just decided that I would diet when it was convenient for me and that’s not really how Weight Watchers works. It sort of works best when you are on it...all day...every day. I had too much for dinner the past two nights and then today was the awful and awesome Big Friday at work. There was a pot luck theme this week which means there was a giant hodge-podge of random, delicious food. There was cake, cookies, buffalo chicken dip, boneless wings, chips, tons of dips, salads, pastas and breads. I decided that I would participate today because I never do and I sort of already screwed up this week (the dumbest logic ever, I know). I told myself that I would get ONE plate with a TINY portion of a FEW things. I’m sure you can predict how that all went so there is no need for me to elaborate. Just know that there was a Neapolitan ice cream incident a few minutes ago. Having said that, I’ve decided that starting Monday, I am going to have to buckle down again. Like July, I want to go several weeks (5 to be exact, the last week in July and all of August) being totally and completely strict on every day but Sunday. I need to go a little longer this time so I can get used to it. There is no reason to be cheating in August based on my calendar...I only have one birthday to celebrate and I will figure out how to get through it. I can see that I’ve become way too complacent and it’s time to settle down. Honestly, there isn’t really a reason to be totally bad again until Halloween/Thanksgiving season. Football games are tough but I managed to go ALL football season last year without cheating (except the National Championship Game) so I can do it again. I guess that means my mood is going to be bad for a few weeks until I get used to it but I’d like to lose 20-30 pounds before the end of the year. That is TOTALLY doable...if I do right...so...there’s that.

Ok, I think that is enough rambling about weight...I definitely won’t be recording my weight for at least a week or two. Bless my heart. So...I wanted to show you all the pictures of the finished products from All Fired Up. You will see my coasters, my new paper clip dish (or whatever it is) and my mom’s plate below.







I thought everything turned out pretty cute. I can definitely tell some places that I would make some changes on the coasters but I can’t do that now so I just put them on our coffee table so we could enjoy them. I can’t sing the praises of All Fired Up enough...I have so much fun there.

I wanted to briefly tell you about Pandora Radio.



I know, I know, some of you are probably thinking that I am seriously behind on the times and I am but I just recently downloaded the app on my iPhone and I love it! I had heard of it before but just never gotten it so I thought I would try it out and I am SO glad I did. For those of you that DON’T know, Pandora is internet radio that lets you build your own stations. Basically, I put in Glee and it made a Glee station that plays songs from Glee and then songs that they deem relatable so other show tunes, Disney music, and some 80s stuff. My Kelly Clarkson station plays mostly Kelly Clarkson, Pink & Michelle Branch. It’s so cool...they also have some premade stations that are nice. I only know how it operates on my phone but I think you can also download it on your PC or laptop. Get it! Seriously...go get it now.

One other discovery I made was at Academy and it’s my brand new water bottle...



This water bottle not only allows you to enjoy a cool beverage, but it also gives you the ability to squirt yourself in the face with water. I LOVE IT! I loved it so much that I decided to take a picture...



I had WAY too much fun with my morning walk photo shoot and instead of boring you by including all of the pictures one by one, I let you see just how crazy I am and included a shot of my camera roll at the end of my walk.



I know I’m crazy but y’all...I get SO hot walking and it feels so good to just mist myself in the face...lol. I think you can tell that I liked it.

I have a fun weekend in store. I am having dinner with various friends and family on different nights, there will be lots of walking and then tomorrow night, some of us (Jordan included!) are going to see Colbie Caillat at Alabama Adventure...



I’m pretty excited because I love her! It should be fun!

I hope you all have a weekend planned that will allow you to relax and have fun and be around people you love!

“He is sensible and so incredible
And all my single friends are jealous
He says everything I need to hear and it's like
I couldn't ask for anything better
He opens up my door and I get into his car
And he says you look beautiful tonight
And I feel perfectly fine

But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breakin' down and coming undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush .” The Way I Loved You-Taylor Swift

I Feel The Burn!

Hello All! I do hope you are having a nice Tuesday and that your weekend and your Monday were delightful as well.

Ok, enough pleasantries. I was in Chattanooga this weekend so I didn’t have my nice flat apartment complex to walk around. I walked around my Aunt Brenda’s neighborhood on Sunday morning...here is a view from the top of the hill:



For some reason, I was feeling very fit so I walked around her circle 6 times and the hill was no joke and when I woke up Monday, I could barely stand. My calves were totally on fire but it wasn’t just them...my stomach and arms and back were sore too. It was rough. I pretty much just waddled around all day. It still hurts pretty bad today but I have been able to walk it out a little. I will definitely remember that next time. It’s probably good for me to walk up hills but I don’t care...I may find some way to pump up the workout but walking up an extremely steep hill 6 times in a row will not be it.

While I was there, I also got to meet up with my friend Colleen from Spalding and I finally met her dog Otto:



He’s so precious...a little rowdy but I didn’t mind because he was so cute! It was good to see Colleen and catch up and maybe we will be able to meet up more now that she lives in Chattanooga again.

My Dad, Oma & I all ate lunch at my Grandma’s Sunday and we got to play with little Drew. Drew is Mark (my cousin) & Lindsay’s baby and he is SO cute...



He is such a good baby. Most babies don’t really like me but he was very laid back and we had a spitting contest of sorts...I’m sure they will love the bad habits I was teaching him.

Also, while I was gone, I got my fake Otter Box in the mail:




It’s kind of bulky and it’s made out of the rubber material that kind of pulls my hair but it’s cute. It does seem to keep the phone sturdy and it has a screen cover so that’s nice. Not that I would try it, but you are supposed to be safe if you accidentally drop your phone in the water with these covers and I don’t think that’s true...at least not with the fake $6 version I got from Hong Kong because it doesn’t have a cover for the camera and the speakers are still exposed. I’m not sure I will keep it forever which is why I didn’t spring for the $50 real deal in case I didn’t like it.

Last night was recipe night:




The first is a Weight Watchers French Dip recipe and of course my favorite cheese fries. The sandwich and fries are super easy but I was also making the cookies too and it proved to be a little much for a Monday night. The sandwich was really good but the au jus turned out to be au mush because I was preoccupied with my cookies but it was still fine because I just piled it on the sandwich and the bread was really crusty and filling. The cookies are also a Weight Watchers recipe. They are pink lemonade cookies. They have butter and sugar and they also have pink lemonade frozen concentrate in the dough and in the icing (made with confectioners’ sugar). The cookies were actually delicious. They made several (I actually think I made them too big) so I brought some to work this morning and everyone seemed to like them. I can’t have too many because they are 2 points each and I can’t really justify eating them when I can have way more filling food for 2 points. All in all, it was a tasty dinner, it just took me well over an hour to prepare everything so I didn’t get to rest my poor wounded calves very much last night.

I walked with my mom when I got off work last night and I when I looked down at my feet, I noticed my shoes were a little worn on the sides. I have known I needed new ones for awhile. I have had these shoes for a few years at least and I’ve been walking for a LONG time now. I didn’t know how bad they were though until I turned them over...



Yikes, I have apparently walked all of the traction off of the bottom. I’d say I need a new pair sooner than later...any suggestions? Anyone tried the butt shaper shoes? I need shoes with good arch support. It kind of felt cool to see them all worn like that. I don’t think I’ve ever worn a pair of tennis shoes out...lol. My parents have a dog (Dixie) and the pads on her paws are still soft and pink and she’s like 14 years old. She’s just not into physical activity and my shoes were always kind of like that as a kid and on into high school...it’s not like I ran or anything so my shoes were always in tip top shape but now there is evidence that I have been working my butt off. It’s obvious I’m motivated to exercise, now if I can just be more strict with dieting...I will be in good shape...literally.

Well, have a terrific night and week!

Bye!

“Our song is the slamming screen doors,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... before I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again.” Our Song-Taylor Swift

Who Do You Know That Eats An Apple A Day?

In case you were wondering, I have been doing the Friday dance all day. It’s been a good day, I walked, it’s quiet and productive and I have a nice weekend planned.

Tonight, I am having dinner with my folks, then a bunch of friends are gathering together at David’s house so it should be fun. I can’t be out too late though because tomorrow, I have to get up bright and early. My Dad, Oma and I are headed to Chattanooga to hang with our family. I will get to see my Grandma and Brenda! I will also get to see my Great Aunt Allie and some others so it should be fun. There will be food and pool time so it will be a good time. I am ALSO going to hang out with my friend from Spalding, Colleen. She is a librarian at UTC so we are going to grab some late night food. It will be cool to catch up.

I wanted to tell you about a new snack...




These are Quaker Rice Snacks and they are very tasty. I know when you think rice cake, you don’t think to yourself, “MMMMM...sounds delicious,” but they are actually kind of delicious. Maybe my taste buds have changed. I currently have the ranch and the vanilla crème brulee which both make for convenient snacks and they are only one point. I’m not sure how the other flavors taste, but I’m sure they make for a nice snack too. My mom said that Orville Redenbacher makes a caramel flavored popcorn cakes that she really likes, so I may try those too. I’m not sure how they are in points but I’m sure it’s not that much different.

I am not sure if my weight will go down after this week. I kind of cheated this morning and weighed and it looks like I’m going to be about the same. That is sort of expected because as I’m sure you remember, I’ve been cheating on Saturdays for a few weeks. I knew that July would be like this, it’s no surprise and now that I’m going to Chattanooga this weekend and I just found out that next weekend, Colbie Caillat is coming to Birmingham, I don’t anticipate much losing in my near future. That’s OK...as long as I don’t gain...I should be fine for when I start being more strict again in August. I have been thinking a lot about health and dieting lately. There has been much to think about. There are certain diseases that run in my family like diabetes and high blood pressure. There are certain symptoms that come with these two things that you may be aware of if you’ve been diagnosed or if you’ve seen trends of those symptoms (ie...you know your BP is high when your head hurts a certain way). Even though you may be able to feel certain symptoms of these things, most of the time, you won’t know that it’s not just a headache or not just that you have to use the bathroom all the time...you might have a serious problem. I have been getting checkups at the doctor for years now and I get them every 6 months or so they can check my thyroid level. If I didn’t have hypothyroidism, I don’t know if I’d be going to the doctor for checkups at all. I think it is SO important that you go to the doctor at LEAST once a year and tell him what’s going on. You have even more of a reason to do this if you have a history in your family or within yourself of medical problems. The reason that high blood pressure and diabetes are so deadly is that many people walk around with them and have no idea that anything is really wrong with them. I have a friend who was feeling tired all of the time and his mother finally made him check his blood sugar because she is a diabetic and it was so high, her machine couldn’t read it. Once he finally got to the doctor, it was over 700. If you know anything about blood sugar, you know that’s astronomical. He is lucky to still be here. I am really not trying to sound preachy but taking care of yourself is SO important. I haven’t always taken care of myself and the difference is noticeable. I am just a believer that if you don’t care of yourself, it’s hard to take care of the ones you love. I will get off my soapbox now because I know that you have to prepare yourself mentally to do the things that you know you need to do. I have been yoyo-ing for years and so I know how it feels but I hope that this will be the last time I try to get my life together. I hope things only continue to get better from here.

I don’t know why I decided to go against my cheerful Friday spirit and rant but I guess I have been thinking a lot lately and if you know me, I have pretty extreme anxiety worrying about the people I love the most, so it’s just concern. I am by no means perfect, I imagine that there will be some rule breaking the next two days but I guess that’s the point too. Nobody is perfect. You are going to make mistakes...but does that mean you should make no effort at all? I know I’ve had that mindset before. Anyway, I hope you have a safe, wonderful weekend!

“I've spent half my lifetime
watching time go by
And wonderin' where it went
And when I try to fall asleep at night
I lay there feeling spent
Contemplating what the next day's
Gonna hold for me
Tossing, turning
My mind is churning
thoughts won't let me be
Every morning meets me
With a list of all I have to do
And every evening greets me
With the knowledge that I'm never through
And every taste of success
Makes me vow to never fail
Feels like I just chase my tail.” Something More-Ginny Owens

All Fired Up For Shepherd's Pie!

Good afternoon everyone! It’s been awhile since we’ve spoken. That’s my fault I suppose since I’m the one with the blog. I hope that your weekend was fun and/or relaxing. I had a jam packed weekend but it was a great one. Mom and I went to All Fired Up. I got her a gift certificate a while back for Mother’s Day or Christmas or something and we finally went to use it. When you go, you pick out what you want to paint and you paint whatever design on it that you want. The cool part is that the items you paint get way shinier, darker and prettier after they’ve been...ALL FIRED UP. So, I don’t have the finished product yet because it takes a week before you can pick it up but I do have a couple of pictures of the pieces in progress...




I will definitely take pictures of them when they are finished and share. My mom made a plate and I made coasters. Because my mom is a perfectionist and a much better artist than me, I was done before she was halfway through so I also painted this little dish that I decided I would put paperclips in. Anyway, it was fun. I think I may want to have a group go one time for my birthday or something...it’s kind of awesome.

The rest of the weekend was good. I ate a lot of course and the weekend included a couple of pieces of cake which always makes me a happy girl. Last week wasn’t the best in terms of dieting so I definitely didn’t expect to lose weight but somehow I lost about a pound. I am down a little over 67 pounds. I will admit that I had to do the whole, pee then weigh...take off an article of clothing then weigh again...try to pee one more time and then weigh one more time. I did that so I could take off a point finally and I think that always helps the momentum a little. One point doesn’t seem like much but it may take out a snack or part of a portion of food that I would eat. Every little bit helps. I am not sure I will be so lucky this Saturday when I weigh because I ate SOOO much but you never know. I’ve done pretty perfectly the past two days.

As usual, Monday night was recipe night so I made Shepherd’s Pie...Weight Watchers style...




Y’all...I was so excited about this once I put it all together. I had been putting it off because you know, you have to mash potatoes, it takes over an hour to prepare and bake and it just looked a little involved but I’m so glad I made it. It really wasn’t bad at all to make. It was easy but I was very hungry when it was finally ready. The bottom layer had ground turkey, onions, canned tomatoes & squash. Then as with every Shepherd’s Pie, you mash some potatoes (I used Yukon Gold’s, Fat Free Evaporated Milk, Olive Oil and a little cheese to mash mine), and layer them on top of the turkey mixture. THEN, you add some fat free cheese on top and bake. It was delicious and the most filling meal I’ve had yet. I will most certainly make it again. It was yum-o as Rachael Ray says.

Have an awesome night & week!

“You spent half of your life trying to fall behind
You're using your headphones to drown out your mind
It was so easy, and the words so sweet
You can't remember
You try to move your feet
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, eet, eet, eet
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeteeet, eet, eet, eet

Someone's deciding whether or not to steal
He opens the window just to feel the chill
He hears that outside a small boy just starting to cry
'Cause it's his turn but his brother won't let him try

It's like forgetting the words to your favorite song
You can't believe it
You were always singing along
It was so easy and the words so sweet
You can't remember
You try to move your feet

It was so easy and the words so sweet
You can't remember, you try to feel the beat.” Eet-Regina Spektor

Walking Queen

This 4-Day week has suspiciously felt like a 5-Day week. It has totally crept by but I’m glad that we have finally arrived at the Friday destination. While I do like the whole process of slimming down the amount of blogs I post per week, it’s weird blogging so much less. I guess I just haven’t gotten used to it because it feels like I’ve screwed up and forgotten or something.

If you will remember, I had a slight popcorn mishap on Monday but aside from that, I’ve done pretty well this week. It was one of those weeks where I never technically went over my points but I could tell that I was stretching the points to their limit. Basically what that means is that I am not as strict as I could be. I count everything I eat but I might slip in terms of portion or I may take a bite of someone else’s food and pretend it never happened. These things don’t make much difference in the short term but over a long period of time, those loose definitions of portions can get bigger and one bite turns into two and it gets progressively worse. Hopefully between the 4th of July food from the beginning of the week and the lackluster dieting won’t hurt me too bad when I weigh tomorrow. We shall see.

As of this week, I am officially 75% through with my 1,000,000 steps in 130 days. I am VERY excited about this because...y’all...I am SO SICK of walking. All I do is walk...ALL THE TIME. My greatest concern has been that once I finally reach the million mark, I am just going to collapse and never exercise again. Don’t worry, I’m not really going to be that drastic but I will definitely be mixing up the routine a bit. I will have to figure out ways to almost equal the exercise I do now but not base my every waking moment on when I’m going to walk. I have already decided that I will still do at least 45 minutes of exercise every day and 30 minutes on Sunday. This way, I know that I will be exercising but I won’t be walking around my bedroom late at night just trying to get enough steps. It’s actually quite funny to watch probably. I am in my “night clothes” and if any of you know me, you know what I mean when I say, “night clothes,” and I am walking around my room over and over again checking my pedometer. I am of the opinion that I am not getting much physical benefit from that. I’m ready to challenge myself in a different way. I want to get more cardio than I am getting from the walking because I don’t walk very fast. I also want to start working on toning up some of this extra skin and flab I got going on. Needless to say, I am looking forward to August 6th or 7th when I can celebrate the million steps and move on. I will probably still walk 2 or 3 times a week but who knows...I might swim or try a dance class or something.

Well, this weekend should be fun...



Mom and I are going to All Fired Up tomorrow. It’s a place where you paint ceramics and they fire ‘em up and make them look pretty. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t have to be Monet to have a nice looking finished product. It’s amazing what a little fire and gloss can do to make your piece of art look better. It’s kind of like Sips & Strokes. Everyone always thinks they are going to have a terrible painting but they make it a step by step process so it may not be perfect, but you are still proud enough to put it up in your house. Also, Jordan is coming into town this weekend and I’m always pleased to see him. FINALLY, on Sunday, I am going to my friend Stacey’s because her daughter Alivia is turning 1 and then I am going to a wedding shower for Sarah Morris...I’ve known her for years and she is getting married. Basically, I am going on a dessert tour Sunday between the showers and parties and my parents house...I should get my share of sweet foods. I am not complaining about that.

I do hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Today, I put the lyrics from the song, “King of Anything,” by Sara Bareilles. This is the first single from her new, upcoming album...



I am very excited...it comes out September 7th. She is one of my faves so I’m very excited for her new music that I’ve been waiting on for too long! I say it has been too long but like a month after Colbie Caillat’s last CD came out, I expected her to have another one. I just get very happy about new music. Ok-peace out y’all!

“Keep drinking coffee, stare me down across the table
While I look outside
So many things I’d say if only I were able
But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by

You’ve got opinions, man
We’re all entitled to ‘em, but I never asked
So let me thank you for your time, and try not to waste anymore of mine
And get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe, but I’m not drowning
There’s no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

You sound so innocent, all full of good intent
Swear you know best
But you expect me to jump up on board with you
And ride off into your delusional sunset

I’m not the one who’s lost with no direction
But you’ll never see
You’re so busy making maps with my name on them in all caps
You got the talking down, just not the listening

And who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

All my life I’ve tried to make everybody happy
While I just hurt and hide
Waiting for someone to tell me it’s my turn to decide

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?

Who cares if you disagree?
You are not me
Who made you king of anything?
So you dare tell me who to be?
Who died and made you king of anything?” King of Anything-Sara Bareilles

There is NOTHING hotter than the 4th of July...

Hi friends! I hope your fourth of July weekend was long and fun like mine! I had WAY too much food and I relaxed a lot which was my ultimate goal. There was fireworks, cupcakes and sleeping. I also got to see Eclipse yesterday. It was pretty good! I think it’s probably the best one so far...in my opinion. Because I went and saw Eclipse, there was a minor popcorn incident. Usually, IF I even get popcorn, I get a small (unbuttered, though it suspiciously always tastes like butter) but there was some deal and somehow I ended up with a giant plastic bag of popcorn...so it got kind of ugly. Other than that, I was good yesterday. I even made my recipe:



This was a Texas Style Casserole that had Italian turkey sausage, hash browns, corn, eggs and cheese. It was REALLY good! It was not only tasty but it took basically no preparation...you just dump all of the ingredients in the dish and bake it. I know it’s hard to see past the cheese in the picture but just know it was yummy.

I lost another 1.2 pounds last week bringing my total to 65.6 pounds!!! I have to say that June was a highly productive month for me weight wise. I’m proud of myself. I know I went a little overboard this weekend but I’m going to be great the next 4 days. It’s going to be hit or miss the next few weeks but I’m going to TRY not to be crazy but honestly...I think I deserve to relax for a few weeks. I feel as long as I’m mostly good for the next few weeks, I’ll be fine and I will make sure that I’m strict again in August. Anyway, yay for 65 pounds! I’m coming for you 75...watch out.

Before I shared pictures from this weekend, I wanted to share another Hostess snack with you.



This is much like the strawberry and chocolate cakes in that you get three mini cakes for 1 point! There is no cream in the middle of these but they are so good. They have a cinnamon-sugar crunch on top of a sweet little cake. I am in love with Hostess right now!

So-below you will find a few pictures from my Dad’s birthday and the 4th celebrations this weekend. Hopefully, you can also see the video that I’ve attached. For the first time in awhile, we went out and bought actual fireworks and I posted a video of one of the better ones. LOL...you will also hear my dad hollering in the end of it. Unfortunately, I cut it off before he yelled a giant ROLL TIDE!








It was a fun weekend!

I hope everyone has a great week. For me, it’s only a 4 day week because I was off yesterday! I am going to Moe’s tonight with Nichole and I think I’m going to trivia tomorrow night with Nish & David. Woot!

Happy Birthday Jodi!!!

Holla!

“I know we've got it good
But they got it made
And the grass is getting greener each day
I know things are looking up
But soon they'll take us down,
before anybody's knowing our name.

They got all the right friends in all the right places
So yeah, we're going down
We've got all the right moves and all the wrong faces
So yeah, we're going down
They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down
They said, everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going
Yeah, we're going down.” All The Right Moves-One Republic

Consider the Junk Jettisoned!

Well, it’s the beginning of a 3 day weekend!!! I seriously live for these long weekends. I think in my last blog I mentioned that I was going to make chili fries & chili dogs. I did make them but I forgot to take a picture because I was in way too much of a hurry to eat the food, that I couldn’t think about anything else. They were actually delicious. I love hot dogs and while the Hebrew National 97% Fat Free sausages are an OK substitute...they are nothing compared to an Oscar Meyer hot dog on the grill...yum. Oh well...the Hebrew National’s worked for me this week and I will definitely make it again. I especially loved the cheese fries...I’ve made those before...I think they are going to become a regular at my house.

So-you may have also noticed that June is FINALLY over!!! If you don’t remember, my goal was to JETTISON THE JUNK IN JUNE! My main priority was to limit my cheating only to Sundays and be as strict as possible Monday-Saturday. Well, I did it! I was basically flawless the whole time. As I expected, only cheating on Sundays would pay off. Not only did I lose the birthday weight that I gained, I also lost like an additional 3 pounds (I haven’t even weighed yet this week...it could be more than that by tomorrow). This was the proof I needed to try my best not to cheat!!! I have plans the next 3 weekends that will involve some food that isn’t great so I know the weight loss will slow down but I am really going to try not to go overboard. After the July special occasions are over, I plan on getting right back to jettisoning. I will have to name August something like...Awesomely Amazing in August or something...if it’s a name I need to motivate me, then that is what I should do. I’m not going to lie...there were some days in June that I was in a pretty bad mood about the strict dieting. There are many yummy things you miss out on when you are that strict but it DOES pay off...you just keep having to remind yourself that you aren’t punishing yourself, you are only making things better.

Speaking of special occasions in July...tomorrow is my Dad’s 63rd birthday!




I’m just kiddin’...he’s only going to be 48. I hope your birthday is great Dad! I’ll be there...so clearly...it will be fun. ;)

Also, as I’m sure you all know...Sunday is Independence Day!



With the long weekend, I hope we can all remember why we are celebrating! I think the 4th is a time to reflect on history but it’s also a great time to give thanks to all who serve and have served in the Armed Forces!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

I plan to enjoy the heck out of mine!

That’s why there are so many exclamation marks in this post!!!

“I was standin' at the counter
I was waitin' for the change
When I heard that old familiar music start
It was like a lighted match
Had been tossed into my soul
It was like a dam had broken in my heart

After taking ev'ry detour
Gettin' lost and losin' track
So that even if I wanted
I could not find my way back
After drivin' out the mem'ry
Of the way things might have been
After I'd forgotten all about us
The song remembers when

We were rolling through the Rockies
We were up above the clouds
When a station out of Jackson played that song
And it seemed to fit the moment
And the moment seemed to freeze
When we turned the music up and sang along

And there was a God in Heaven
And the world made perfect sense
We were young and were in love
And we were easy to convince
We were headed straight for Eden
It was just around the bend
And though I have forgotten all about it
The song remembers when

I guess somethin' must have happened
And we must have said goodbye
And my heart must have been broken
Though I can't recall just why
The song remembers when

Well, for all the miles between us
And for all the time that's passed
You would think I haven't gotten very far
And I hope my hasty heart
Will forgive me just this once
If I stop to wonder how on earth you are

But that's just a lot of water
Underneath a bridge I burned
And there's no use in backtrackin'
Around corners I have turned
Still I guess some things we bury
Are just bound to rise again
For even if the whole world has forgotten
The song remembers when

Yeah, and even if the whole world has forgotten
The song remembers when.” The Song Remembers When-Trisha Yearwood