Friday, April 29, 2011

Weight Loss Challenge Week 4

Linking up again for Week 4 of the Weight Loss Challenge with Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Running Backwards in High Heels.
I am a little sad this week, i had a zero pound weight loss! I am hoping it is because I am building muscle and muscle weighs more than FAT :)

I have been attending my boot camp class which is tough, but so worth the sweat and sore muscles :) I have also been drinking LOTS of water and no soda tomorrow marks 1 MONTH without any Diet Mt. Dew go me!! :) I have also been doing Jillian 2 days a week, i would much rather ride my bike or get outside, but we have had rain and cold weather for the last 2 weeks, where is the sunshine???

I also have been trying to watch my portions so I am not eating as much, I still eat 3 meals a day and try to have 2 snacks a day as well, my snack at work is usually an apple with some peanut butter and I am full and ready to hit the rest of the day and i can make it until 6:30 to eat dinner that way!

This weekend we are finally suppose to have some decent weather so I am hoping i will be able to ride my bike on Friday and on Saturday before the pre wedding festivities start ( my husband is the best man in a wedding on Sunday)

Everyone is doing such a great job on their weight loss! Keep up the great work!!

What are you doing to keep motivated?

Until next time,
<3

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Recommendation

Hey blogger friends! I am trying to get to my 20 book recommendations for 101 things in 1001 days and I am still needing some book recommendations, if you look at the book recommendation tab you can see the ones that have given to me! So i hope you can help a friend out and give me some great recommendations!



Thanks in advance! Love you all!! :)

Until next time,
<3

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Linking up with Jamie over at This kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm Loving: That i have almost been 30 days with NO SODA!! I thought it would be hard, but it is getting easier to do and I am loving that as of today I have no desire to have a soda! Plus I am drinking more water instead and my skin loves that :)

I'm Loving:  That we are finally starting to see signs of Spring in Iowa, the stores have their plant and flower shops up and some of plants are coming to life in my yard! We have had so much rain it is hard for anything to grow without  any sunshine!

I'm Loving: Our new roof! I was so excited to get home from DC to see how nice it looked!! So our next project for the outside is we are going to get new shutters for the house, I am thinking a dove grey color will look nice and it will match the roof, but i will have to get them to see if they will work or not! What color siding and shutters do you have? Do you like the color combination you have?

I'm Loving: That i get to spend some of the weekend with the hubs, he is in a wedding so he will be busy, but it will nice to see him! Some weeks it seems like we go the whole week without seeing each other!

I'm Loving:  My niece! i miss her cute face and can't wait to see her soon! She is at that age where she is just so funny, I am sure my brother and sister in law are exhausted running after her, but she is just so fun!! She is just so CUTE!! Love her to pieces!


I'm Loving: This photo of Lily, don't you just laugh when you see the look on her face and what is on her cute little shoes?!!!! :)


HAHA!! <3 her!
 I'm Loving: Aveda Hand Relief Lotion! I have been using this stuff for almost 3 years and it is by far my go to hand lotion, I have a big one right next to my computer at work :) What is your go to hand lotion?
I'm Loving: That the planning of our class reunion is getting close to be done, can't wait to get all the details out in the next week or 2!! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone in July!!

I'm Loving: My new Vera Weekender bag, i debated on whether to get one or not to take with me to DC and I am so glad i did! It is like my new purse haha! What are your favorite Vera Bradley items?


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 I'm Loving: That it is time for new purse, i like to get a warmer color one for the warmer months! What is your favorite purse for this time of year? Would love suggestions!

Finally, I'm Loving:  All my new followers and people who leave comments! I love you all and can't wait to read your blogs! I want you to leave comments and become a follower :)

Until next time,
<3

P.S. I am still needing some book recommendations, so if you have any you love please share them with me :) Thanks!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tail Waggin Tuesday and Other Stuff

Hey everyone! Sorry i have been slacking in the blogging world this last week, being gone for work and then coming home and having a 3 day weekend it has been hard to get on the computer and blog! So tonight i got caught up on all my reading, well almost :) We have been having some grey weather in Iowa, I am in need of some SUNSHINE! Check out our forecast for this week, my husband is in a wedding this weekend, so I am hopeful the rain stays away. It also looks like the only day we are going to have any sun is Friday, lets hope the forecast is wrong!
I learned some much when i was in DC for the training, i think i came back and my head had expanded :) The weather was fantastic when we were there, on Wednesday it was 84!! degrees after heading to Georgetown Cupcakes, i sat outside for awhile and even got a little sun on my skin! DC is beautiful, I just loved my time out there and hope to return again soon! I will share my Georgetown Cupcake (aka DC cupcakes) pictures today!







I arrived at Georgetown Cupcakes at 9:20 a.m. and I left with my cupcakes and T-shirt at 10:45 a.m. they only allow around 10-12 people in the shop at a time, they said they need to keep the temperature at certain degree and this in the only way they can do that so as you can see in the picture above the line is quite long, as I was leaving the waiting time was around 1 hour and 30 minutes to get into the store! It was well worth the wait and I can't wait to go back and try another flavor!! YUMMY! :)

I also went to the National Mall and saw the U.S. Capital and White House I will post those tomorrow or the next day! My walking shoes got a work out, which was great! I love how everyone walks or bikes in DC, i would save a lot of money on Gas, Car payments and insurance!! HAHA!

Well it is that time to link up with Cmae for Tail Wagging Tuesday!

Today's theme post is on your pet's bed! And or, unusual or usual place where  they sleep!

Macy has 2 beds and a kennel she sleeps in, but she also loves a few blankets we have in our house and along with the blankets she also LOVES to sleep with her Mommy and Daddy in their bed :) Every morning around 4:30 we hear her whining to let her out she can snuggle with us, we just love her!! <3



This is her favorite place to sleep when we are watching TV or cleaning the house!

She loves to snuggle with us when we are using this blanket!

She loves to be a lazy little princess!

Her FAVORITE blanket you can find her snuggled up with this one quite often!

She also loves to sleep in  her Kennel, but I can't find a picture of her sleeping in there! What a bad mommy!

Sorry I have been kind of MIA! I want to thank my new followers and love that you enjoying my BLOG!! Hope everyone has a dry and sunny Tuesday! :)

Until next time,
<3

Thursday, April 21, 2011

I Jiggle Weight Loss Challenge Week 3

I am linking up again for week 3 of the Weight Loss Challenge!

Week 3 is here and I thought i was not going to be successful since I was in Washington DC for work for the week and I had missed 2 days of my boot camp class, but I must say I must  have been keeping busy and i was moving and did do Jillian and I lost 2.6 pounds this week!!! I am very excited about the progress I have made, I have to say the NO diet soda has helped me a lot because I use to crave all the sweets after I would drink it. Plus I have been very good about making sure I am drinking 64 + ounces a water a day and watching my portions, I have also been trying to get up from my desk about every hour and move around and stretch, I think it helps me stay focused during the day! I feel great and I am ready to hit my boot camp class hard tonight!! Hopefully the weather will be good this weekend and I can ride my bike too! I am still on the hunt for a bike trailer for Macy to ride in :)

I will be blogging again tomorrow about my trip to DC and I will tell you about wonderful my cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (also known as DC cupcakes on TLC)  :)

Can't wait to see everyone progress this week! I just love all the kind words and motivation this link up has to offer everyone during this challenge! I just LOVE it!! :)

Until Next Time,
<3

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We had some SNOW on the ground Saturday morning here in Iowa! CRAZY!!

I will be gone for a few days, so talk with everyone on Thursday! Have a great week!

Until next time,
<3

Friday, April 15, 2011

Weight Loss Challenge & Wednesday Comedy Night

I was suppose to do this yesterday! But the day got away from me!!
I had a busy week, but I made sure to still get in my boot camp and a day of Jillian and a day or riding my bike, so this week I was thinking there was no way I was going to have a loss! But guess what I lost 3 pounds this week!! YIPPEE!!!

Next week should be interesting with being away from home for 4 days, but I am hoping all the walking and I am taking my Jillian DVD with me to do hopefully 2 nights while in DC! Wish me luck!!

On Wednesday night my sister Jaime, her boyfriend Danny and myself went to see our cousin do stand up comedy at a local bar! I have never been to live comedy or seen him do his act, it was a late night for this old lady!! I didn't get home until 12:45!!!! But the show was worth it, it was funny and I had a great time catching up with my cousin it had been too long since the last time i saw him!

We are in for some strong winds today here in Iowa along with some cold weather, where is spring? This is what I felt like this morning when I took Macy out for her morning potty :)

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Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Until next time,
<3

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Linking up with Jamie again today for What I'm Loving this Wednesday! Some weeks I feel like I am loving many things and others not so much! Lots this week though!



I'm Loving: That yesterday was my mom's birthday! She is a great lady and one of my best friends!


I'm Loving: We are getting a new roof on FRIDAY!! Can't wait! Good Bye  brown roof and hello to a nice slate color roof :) Will post an after picture once it is done. Hopefully the weather stays nice enough for them to get it done!

This is kind of the color of our current roof.........



This is as close as i could find to the color of our new roof :)



I'm Loving: That I am leaving for Washington DC on Sunday, I am going for work, but it is still exciting to get out of the state you live in for a couple of days! It is going to be a great learning experience for me. Plus the hotel room has a work out area in each room, so I will be able to keep up with my Jillian workout :)
I'm Loving: I have been without Soda for 15 days! I am pretty proud of myself and yes I had this as one of my loves last week! But giving up soda or anything for that matter is pretty tough.  Have you given up anything lately? I have replaced all soda with water, i use to only drink around 1 can or possibly 2 cans a day, I had to have one at the 2 o'clock lull, every day!! I really do feel much better and my skin looks better too, because I am hydrated!!

I'm loving: My boot camp class it is TOUGH, but it is a good workout and I feel really good afterwards, i have never sweat so much!! HAHA!! Yesterday we got to do some of our workout outside, because the weather was great!!!


I'm Loving: My new followers! Thank you for following and reading :) I am really enjoying reading every ones Blogs.

I'm Loving:  That tonight I am having date night with my sister Jaime and possibly her boyfriend Danny (haha, i will be the 3rd wheel) We are going to see our cousin perform his comedy act at a local place here in Iowa! It should be fun, I will let you know how it goes tomorrow :)

I'm Loving:  The look on this sweet girls face!! We love you Lily :)



Have a great Wednesday! Can't wait to see what your loving!!

Until next time,
<3



Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Happy Birthday MOM!!

Today is my Mom's 55th Birthday!! Love her and want to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I hope you are having a WONDERFUL day!!

Macy says Happy Birthday Grandma :)

Love,
us :)

Tail Waggin Tuesday!

I'm linking up with Cassie today again over at Live What You Love, for Tail Waggin Tuesday! Just love this! :) If you have a favorite pet head on over to link up!

Today's topic:




Your Pet's favorite Toy.

Macy has 2 favorite toys, she has a lion that she loves to chase and if you tell her to go get the lion she knows what it is!
 
And her other favorite toy is her snuggle frog! She loves to drag it around and have it be in her bed to nap with :)
Happy Tuesday!! and Macy says HI :)

Did you know today is National Pet Day? :)
Until next time,
<3

Monday, April 11, 2011

GTKY

I am linking up with Mannland5 today for Getting to know you! I know most people did this on Sunday, but I forgot to post it!!

1. do you watch/read the news? I do watch the news, almost every night at 6 and 10! I use to never watch the news, but now it is just part of my routine! I like to see what the weather is going to be like for the week and I also like to see what is going on in our area!


2. how would you describe your "look"? I would have to say casual and if I could I would wear jeans/capris or shorts and a t-shirt every day! I don't mind dressing up, but sometimes it is hard to find the perfect outfit! I wish I had better style then what I do! :)

3. did you play sports in high school or college? I played Volleyball, Basketball and ran track in high school! I miss those days, I always say if I could back to High School for one week, it would have to be a week where we had 3 or 4 games, just so I could play again! Plus you get in great shape :)

4. would you rather give up lipstick/gloss or high heels? High Heels! I am 5'9" so I don't need high heels and sometimes they hurt my feet, but i don't think I could live without my lip gloss!!

5. what's your favorite show to watch on tv? I really like to watch Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and I am a reality TV junkie and sad to say but I LOVE Teen Mom :0 haha!

6. would you rather bake or cook? I would have to say Bake, i would not call myself a cook or a baker, but I seem to do better at baking then cooking.

7. shorts or skirts? Shorts!

8. what's your favorite scary movie? I am not a scary movie watcher, I don't think I could tell you the last time I watched a scary movie! It might have been the Blair Witch Project, (how long ago was that???)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

101 things in 1001 days!

So I have been really trying to do some of the things on my 101 in 1001 days list, so this weekend the hubby and I decided we were finally going to purchase some new bikes! He has been wanting one since the day we got married (which is almost 4 years already!) So we had quite a few errands to run and after we were done with errands, we stopped at Scheels All Sport and were looking around, I told Joe to pick one he liked and I would find one I liked! So the funny thing was we both ended up picking the SAME bike :) I really wanted to get a pink bike...... but unfortunately, this bike only comes in black. So I added a pink water bottle holder, water bottle and helmet :) We also got these small computers to show us how far we are riding and other cool information! We went for our first ride today around 5 miles, so I am happy because I can add riding a bike to my Weight Loss Challenge! I am now on the look for a nice used pull behind trailer so we can take Macy with us, she loves to go on walks and also rides in the car, so I think this will be great for her!



Along with getting great exercise with the bike, we are also going to be doing the Tour De Cure for the American Diabetes Association this summer here in Iowa, so I need to get moving on the bike so I can make the 25 mile ride! :)

Since I am blogging today! I also get to knock another thing off my list and that is #48 blog for entire week! Today meets my 7 days of blogging! I also tried Sushi this week, for the first time so thanks to my boss Jill, who let me try her Shiitake Mushroom roll, just one more flavor to try! WOW, i did quite a few things this week!!

If anyone else is doing 101 things in 1001 days, how are your goals coming along?


We also got to grill for the first time this weekend and it was GREAT!! Today the weather is HOT and HUMID in Iowa, we are use to the humidity, but not until July, we are expected to get some severe storms tonight, so I am hoping they will not be as bad as they have been talking about. The high so far today is 84 degrees! Tomorrow it is suppose to be in the low 50's what a drop huh?


I also could not blog without showing you the cutest picture of Macy, she was tired this weekend and I came up on her laying on the couch on the blanket just like this! How sweet is this? I don't think it gets any better than seeing your cute little 4 legged baby just laying there!!!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

I almost forgot to post this! I small sight of SPRING! My perennials are just starting to peek out from the ground!! :)


Until next time,
<3

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Weight Loss Challenge




I am joining For the Love of Stilettos & linking up with Rachel & Lindsey for the "I jiggle but not as much as I used to" weight loss challenge. This should be fun, since I am trying to lose a little weight :)


The rules of the game are simple. Write a post about your weight loss goals (how many pounds you'd like to lose) and what you plan to do to get there (exercise, diet, etc.). Then for the next 8 weeks, come back and link up and tell us about your progress: the percentage of weight you've lost, the exercise you've done, and how you've eaten. Any details you'd like to share.

I am very excited about this challenge, just this week I started my weight loss challenge to myself! I will be attending a Bootcamp class on Tuesday and Thursdays for 1 hour each day, along with Jillian Micheals 30 day shred 2 days a week, I also walk our dog about for about a mile 3 days a week (weather permitting) and I will share more about another Challenge that we have going on at work in the next week or so! I hope everyone is able to meet their goals! I am hoping to shed of few of my winter pounds and get ready for short season!

I am going to post my weight loss in the number of pounds I lose per week!! Instead of posting my BMI.

I hope others want to join! What a great idea!!
Until next time,
<3

Friday, April 8, 2011

ABC's of me

I've been wanting to do this post for awhile now, but I am just not getting around to getting it done! I hope you enjoy learning a little more about yours truly ME :)
The ABCs of Me!

A. Age: 28..... YIKES!

B. Bed size: Queen, we would love to have a King, hopefully some day!

C. Chore you dislike: I do not like to vacuum, but I am pretty lucky because they hubby enjoys it :).

D. Dogs: Our Chihuahua Macy, she is 2 years old, her birthday is December 26th and her forever home day is March 14th. We want to someday add another 4 legged fur baby to our family.

E. Essential start to your day: I enjoy eating my breakfast while watching GMA and snuggling with Macy :) I am not a coffee drinker, but I love the smell, so i sometimes wish Joe would drink coffee just so i could enjoy that wonderful smell in the mornings :)

F. Favorite color: anyone who knows me knows I LOVE PINK!

G. Gold or silver: Silver or white gold.



H. Height: 5'9"


I. Instruments you play(ed): I did not play an instruments in school, but i wish i would have learned how to play the piano.

J. Job title: Program and Health Promotions Coordinator

K. Kids: We would like to have kids someday!

L. Live: Iowa

M. Mom’s name: Ann, love you MOM!

N. Nicknames: Mel, Smell and AB ( it stems from my maiden name)

O. Overnight hospital stays: I have only stayed one time for one night, it was October 30, 1995 the day i was diagnosed with Diabetes, i stayed for one night and got to home on Halloween and went trick or treating with my little sister, how hard was that??? I could have used the candy though to gain some weight, i was 5'7" and weighed in at 64 pounds!!!


P. Pet peeves: Bad drivers, (people who do not go the speed limit, slam on their brakes for no reason). I have a few others, but i will keep you guessing as to what those are :)

Q. Quote from a movie: From the Notebook!

“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, for ever, you and me, every day. Will you do something for me, please? Just picture your life for me? 30 years from now, 40 years from now? What’s it look like? If it’s with him, go. Go! I lost you once, I think I can do it again. If I thought that’s what you really wanted. But don’t you take the easy way out.”



 S. Siblings: My older brother (3 years older) my younger sister (7 years younger) I also have 2 sister in laws (one is 2 years older and the other is 3 years younger) and one brother in law (2 years younger)

I thought this was a cute one to share :) HAHA 1992!! Love you both!

The 3 of us! <3

T. Time you wake up: about 6 or 6:15


U. Underwear: Yes! :)



V. Vegetables you don’t like: I don't like onions, but if they are really small and I can't seem them i guess i will eat them! I also have never really tried Brussels sprouts, but they do not look very good!

W. What makes you run late: To be honest, I'm an on-time person. I get big time anxiety if I'm in danger of being late.


X. X-rays you’ve had: I think just dentist check-ups.


Y. Yummy food you make: I have to say i am not a very positive cook or baker, so I don't really have anything to share that I make that is really good! If you check out my recipe link my Cherry Coffee Cake is pretty good!


Z. Zoo animal favorites: Believe it or not, I have never been to a zoo, so if i had to guess i would say the Monkeys would be cute and i would like to see a Giraffe :)


So there is some information about ME!! I've noticed that I've gotten a few new followers lately-- care to say hi and tell me something about YOURSELF? :-)





Thursday, April 7, 2011

Book Review

I finished reading "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo on Tuesday this week. It was a pretty easy read and very interesting, if you have read it what did you think? I enjoyed it, but I almost wish they would have waited to write the book until Colton was older so he could have written about his experience in his own words, along with the words from his dad. It is a short book and it left me quite a few questions at the end of the book, it almost makes you think more about your feelings about God.......


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The next book I am reading off my recommendation list is "Water for Elephants", I have started it and have already gotten through about 50 pages of the 287 pages, i have seen on a couple people's blogs that they have read the book and REALLY enjoyed it, so i am looking forward to it!

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I am still in need of about 10 more book recommendations, so friends leave me some comments on your favorite reads!

Today it is a nice day in Iowa, we are expecting some Severe Thunderstorms today and possibly this weekend  (of course right?) I am hopeful it will be nice so the hubby and I can do a few things outside and enjoy the weekend!!
Look at the forecast though!! almost 80 DEGREES!!! I am hopeful I get a little sun on my skin too! ( i wear SPF :))
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Things are getting busy at work and a good busy! I am looking forward to everything!

Hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

Until next time,
<3