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