Top 10 Projects from Online Tutorials

In the last few years I have really gotten into sewing, baking and blogging. I owe almost everything that I know about these subjects to my fellow bloggers! I have used so many tutorials, ideas and recipes from free online sources that I thought it would be fitting to share some of them, and give the original bloggers some credit!

Tinkerbell Crayon Roll

1. Crayon Rolls from Skip To My Lou: I got the basic measurements and techniques from her tutorial, and have made several of my own version for friends, family and neighbors. They make great gifts, and come in very handy at restaurants and when travelling!

2. Zippered Pencil Pouch from Annie Get Your Gun: I used this tutorial to make a pencil pouch for my middle child. Never did get around to making one for my oldest!

3. Fabric Covered Art Journal, From Little Big Girl Studio: I forgot the extra elastic to hold it together, which was a huge mistake, but it's still functional. I also can't find the right size paper for the inside, but that's a whole different story!

4. Blueberry Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting from Naturally Ella: I friggin' LOVE these cupcakes. I use the vanilla cupcake recipe as my go-to cupcake. It makes 12 cupcakes which is perfect. Most recipes make 20 or more. This was my first attempt at filling cupcakes and it was so easy after following the tutorial.

5. Basic Tote Bag from Colorfool Creates: I have made a bunch of these, with all different types of fabric. I can't seem to find a picture of one of mine though!

6. Fabric basket from Pink Penguin: I love this tutorial. It is easily adjusted for different sizes, and you can make them with any combination of fabrics. I have one on my kitchen counter that holds my earrings and other things I leave laying around!

7. Fabric Wallet from Confessions of a Fabricoholic. I made this wallet on a whim, and I absolutely love it! I was so excited when I figured out the zippered pocket! I use this wallet everyday!

8. Fabric Key Chains from The Idea Room. I've made a few of these, but I haven't mastered the last step quite yet. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong!

9. Shallow Basket from Coats and Clark. I made several of these, but my favorite is the one I made with Christmas fabric that hold cocktail napkins!

10. Mini Maple Pancake Muffins from Bakerella: Bakerella is known best for her cake pops, but the one time I tried to make them I failed miserably. I had a lot more success with these!!!

Thank you to my fellow bloggers for all their hard work in putting together these posts! I have a few tutorials in the works, but haven't found the time to properly put them together yet! 

My New Year's Resolutions for 2011

Every year I make the usual New Year's resolutions- eat better, exercise more, yell less...blah,blah,blah. This year, I'm really taking the time to think about what I want to work on in the coming year. Yes, diet and exercise are on the list, but they're not the entire list. So here goes...

1. Diet and Exercise. (Not like I was keeping you in suspense on this one!) I'd like to be a size 10 again, and that isn't going to happen with my current habits! I need to shift the focus away from convenience foods towards healthier options, and find the time to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Easier said than done, right?! That's why it's on the list EVERY YEAR!

2.  Make short term changes that will have a lasting effect. This one covers a wide variety of things, like the fact our debt is out of control and the bills don't pay themselves. It stresses me out! But instead of sulking and sticking my head in the sand to avoid it, I've decided to get a second job to get us back on track. We got ourselves into this mess, and we will get ourselves out of it! 

3. Getting organized and sticking to a schedule. I'm not one of those people who think my house has to be ready for company at all times, nor do I think clutter makes it feel more cozy. I do think that we can all benefit from some consistent organization (not just for a day or 2), and a schedule that includes chores! 

4. Spending more time on the floor with my 2 year old. My son is wonderful, and he entertains himself quite well. Unfortunately, I tend to take advantage of this sometimes, and spend far too much time at the computer when I could and should be playing with him! He's only going to be home with me for 2.5 more years, and I do love spending time with him. So I am vowing to get down on his level and play with his toys with him, far more often than I do now.

5. Listen to my kids. I mean really listen. Both of my older boys have  tendency to go on and on when telling a story. They get it from their father! I have been guilty of tuning them out, especially if I am at the computer (which is usually on the kitchen table). Then when they're done, I have to ask them to repeat some things because I'm lost! I know that if I want them to continue to talk to me as they get older, they have to know that I will always be there to listen. The stakes only get higher as they get older, and I want to be in the know! 

6. Appreciate everything that my husband does. I love my husband. He is a great husband and father. He does well beyond his share of the housework, and works full time. Sometimes I rely on the fact that he does certain chores, so even though I have the time to do them, I don't. It's bad- I know! Telling him that I appreciate him isn't enough though. I need to show him...and show him I shall! 

7. Spend less money. This one is a hard one. I work from home and have a lot of down time with the kids. The youngest one is only in preschool two days a week for 3 hours each, and the older boys are on a year-round schedule so they have 3-5 week breaks throughout the year. We typically spend that time going places and spending money. It's a lot easier to entertain them when we go somewhere. This has to change. See # 2 above. Unfortunately, this one means no Disney trip this year, which totally bums me out!

8. Focus on my blog and other social media. I started this blog is 2007 (I think), but it sat dormant for a long time, with only the occasional post here and there. I've reinvented the blog this year, and next year I want to really expand my presence in the blogging community. I've already started on this one a bit, joining BlogHer and The SITS Girls. I also created a Facebook page for the Cul de Sac Mom.

9. Learn to cook a few good "go-to" meals for busy nights that are both filling and healthy! My husband does a large share of the cooking at our house, and he is pretty good at it. We run into problems when he gets home late, or we have 2 basketball practices/games to get to, or he just doesn't feel like cooking. Right now our go-to meals are eggs and toast or pancakes-- both of which the kids LOVE! I'd like to add a few more non-breakfast recipes to my arsenal for the nights we need something quick and easy.

10. Find Balance.  I've been working on this for a while now. I saw the movie Eat, Pray, Love in the movie theater (by myself no less) and it really made me evaluate my life. It sparked my 52 Book Challenge and the blog that accompanies it, but more importantly it made me realize that I don't always put my focus in the right place. I worry too much about things that I cannot immediately change, and I get bogged down under the weight of the world. So next year, in 2011, I will strive to find the right balance between being a mom, wife, blogger, Realtor, and woman. Maybe it's because I'm a Libra that I feel the need for more balance. Who knows?! Regardless, I need to feel fulfilled as a whole person- not just a mother and wife. I need to figure out who I want to be, and how I'm going to get there, while maintaining my responsibilities and relationships at home. 

So there you have it! A little insight into my world, and how I want to make it better! 

Give Aways!

Before Thanksgiving I entered a few give-aways for the Silhouette machine. I didn't win, so it's now on my wish list for Christmas. I found out about the give-aways from Craftgossip and other blogs that posted about it. Today I entered a give-away for an iPad at Gourmet Mom On-the-Go. It's loaded with an app from Kraft Foods called Big Fork Little Fork. I'm intrigued. And I really want an iPad!





The best part about these give-aways though? I'm finding some of the coolest blogs, and having so much fun! Even if I don't win, I've still benefited! So what are you waiting for? Go check out her blog, and enter to win an iPad!

New Christmas Cookies

My husband took our older boys to the elementary school tonight for the holiday fun night that they go to every year. So that meant I was home alone with the little one (who would not have enjoyed the crowd at the school), who happily played with his brothers' Beyblades and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I baked.

First I made the Toll House Recipe for chocolate cookies. Instead of the white chocolate chips that the recipe called for, I added Andes candy bits. I'd been having a wicked craving for mint and chocolate! The cookies came out fantastic and I was inspired. 

Next up: Candy Cane Kiss Cookies from Recipe Girl. I followed the recipe and her directions (almost) exactly. Instead of cutting up a bunch of Hershey Kisses to put in the batter, I used Andes peppermint crunch bits. I omitted the peppermint extract, and I was very happy that I did. The flavor from the Andes candies and the kisses were plenty! To be perfectly honest, the cookies are so good all by themselves, I'll be making them again just as sugar cookies!  

When it came time to put the kisses on the cookies, I made my first mistake. I had them all open ahead of time, but I took my time putting them on. Then I put them in the refrigerator instead of the highly recommended freezer. Huge mistake! My kisses ended up looking like this on the first dozen: 

So for the next tray, I put the Kisses on a little faster and put the entire cookie sheet directly in the freezer. What a huge difference it made! This time, they looked like this: 

Of course, because sometimes I just can't help myself, I had to try one more change. I didn't like how small the diameter of the cookies were in comparison to the Kisses. So after rolling them into balls and coating them in sugar, I flattened them with the bottom of a glass. This made much bigger cookies (with the same amount of dough), but they didn't look nearly as charming. I actually really like the cracks that are created when you squish the cookie with Kisses.

Festive cookies on a festive plate!

The recipe states that this recipe makes 2.5 dozen. I managed to make 39 cookies, and since I didn't chop up the Kisses for the dough, I had a few Kisses left over for my little munchkin to eat!

So all in all, these cookies were a huge success. They taste amazing, and they go quite nicely with my new Christmas platter! :) This recipe will be definitely be added to my repertoire!

Google Reader

The more I get into blogging, the more I read other peoples' blogs. I figure I'm doing my due diligence (to borrow a phrase from my real job) to find out what other people are talking about and how they are attracting readers. The problem is that it became increasingly harder to keep up with all of the blogs that I was following, so I usually was only checking each one about once a week. Then I read Marian Schembari's post The Ultimate Blog Checklist where she talked about a "reader." She didn't elaborate, but upon further investigation, I found this post, A Blog + A Feed + A Reader = A More Efficient You on BlogHer. It is a great tutorial on how to get started with Google Reader, which is free! I couldn't believe that this was right under my nose the whole time! It posts the newest posts for any blogs you set up a subscription to, all in one place! I got started immediately.

At first I was going to the reader directly. Then I realized that if I used iGoogle as my homepage, I could put the reader front and center, so I'd see all unread posts as soon as I open my browser, along with the weather, and other things. How cool is that? As a result, I'm keeping up with my friends' blogs, and getting information much sooner than I would have otherwise! I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out!

So thank you fellow bloggers for the help! I feel so much more in tune now!

A Day of Thanks

All month long I watched my friends write what they were thankful for on their Facebook pages. Most of the posts were pretty similar, with most people very thankful for their families, friends, jobs, houses, etc. Today I'd like to tell you all what I am most thankful for this year...my wonderful husband!

If you know me in real life then you know that I married an incredible man, but I don't always appreciate him the way that I should. He works very hard every day so that he can provide for our family. He never complains when I don't have any real estate business and can't contribute to the family bank account. He also never complains when I spend money from said account without checking with him first!

Not only does my husband provide for me and our family, he is the wheel that keeps this family turning! He plans our Disney vacations, and does most of the packing for the trip (minus the clothes). He keeps up with the laundry way more efficiently than I ever could, and he does a good deal of the cooking too! The rest of the household chores are fairly evenly split. He cleans the downstairs and I clean the upstairs! Unfortunately that means I get to clean both of the full bathrooms, but he does so much that even I can't complain!

Did I mention that my dear husband also coaches both of our older boys' soccer teams?! Well, he does. He puts his heart and soul into it too, even when the 6-9 year olds are making him crazy! He does it so that they can continue to play on a team with the same kids they have always played with.  And he does it because his sons want him to. He is good like that!

Want to know the best thing about my husband though? It's not that he's a good housekeeper, which he really is. It's not that he's the best father I know, which he definitely is. It's not even that he is so laid back and easy going that I almost always get my way- which I do 99% of the time. The best thing about my husband is that he adores me...unconditionally!

He puts up with my wild mood swings and periodic temper tantrums. He knows when I need to just get out of the house for a bit without any children in tow, and he doesn't pout about being left home with all 3 of them. He understands how I get when I'm really into researching something and I just can't put the computer down, sometimes until 3am. Any man who can put up with me for 10 years and counting is a saint in my book. It is often a thankless job, but I'm so glad he is willing to stick with it! He is the glue that holds this family together and I can't imagine making it through this world without him!

So on this Thanksgiving Day and everyday, I am thankful for the most amazing husband I could have asked for, and the life that we have together with our 3 boys!

Dear Scale: I hate you!

Dear Scale:

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you…You entice me to get on each and every time I walk into the bathroom with your sleek black exterior and digital display. You call to me first thing when I wake up and again when I go to bed.  I’ve read the research. I know that when you’re trying to lose weight you shouldn’t weigh yourself daily, let alone two or three times a day. I try to resist. Honestly I do. But you’re like my drug!  I’ve tried to quit cold turkey, but it never works.

Eventually I succumb to your persistent pressure, and you tell me exactly what I don’t want to know.  Not only am I no longer losing weight, I’m gaining it, a few ounces at a time. So screw you! Why can’t you just stay in the closet, and keep quiet? Quit flirting with my desire to feel thin! Let me be happy with the way my clothes are starting to fit, and stop sabotaging my self-image!

Sincerely,

Your Slightly Chubby  Frequent Flier

P.S.  If you don’t see me for a while, it’s not because I’ve given up. I am determined to prove you wrong. It will just have to wait until after Thanksgiving!

I just joined BlogHer!

Since I've decided to get serious about this blogging thing, I decided to join BlogHer. It's a blog network for women (and some men). Many of the bloggers that I follow are already members, so I thought I would give it a shot. It's a HUGE network of women, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it!

Shopping for my Angel

Today I went shopping for the "Angel" that I'm sponsoring for Christmas. His name is Jeremiah and he is 8 years old. He asked for clothes. Pants in particular. He didn't ask for a Beyblade, which is all my kids can talk about. He didn't ask for Bakugan, video games or a skateboard. He asked for something he needed, which I think is both smart, and incredibly sad. The budget for our gifts is supposed to be $25-30, and I spent close to $40. I had to! I couldn't just get the boy a pair of pants. I had to get him a matching shirt. And who wants (just) clothes for Christmas?

So after I bought the pants and a Bakugan at Kohl's, I took my children to Target to help pick out a toy and a shirt for him. We had the discussion about why we are donating these gifts, and how sad it is that this boy might not get any other Christmas presents. I think they got it. They picked out a Beyblade with a launcher, and a shirt with a football on it. They're 7 and 9, so who better to ask about what an 8 year old would want?!

I hope Jeremiah likes his gifts. I hope he gets to open at least a few presents filled with what he wants on Christmas morning. If not, I know that we did something great for this little boy, and in the process, my boys learned a very important lesson about charity.

Going Swimming?

I was getting dressed this morning while my 2 year old son was sitting on the bed watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I didn't think he was paying any attention to me, but clearly I was wrong. I put on a pair of bikini underwear, as opposed to the usual thong that I wear, and my son got really excited..."We're going to the pool?!" he said. LOL! I can't believe he knows the difference between my usual underwear, and what looked to him like the bottoms to my tankini! Guess I better be careful what I do around him from now on!

My Resolve is Crumbling

The deflated balloon that is my Willpower!

After 3 weeks on the Perfect 10 Diet I lost 9 pounds. This week I started working out with my Wii again, in conjunction with adding 1 serving of whole grain into my diet and I've lost nothing! Not one single ounce!!! So how do I solve that? I eat...cupcakes! Last night I made pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Today I'm making red velvet cupcakes. They're both supposed to be for the company that I have coming over tonight and tomorrow, but I have already eaten one full size pumpkin cupcake and one mini cupcake. I also ate a handful of my 2 year old's fries at McDonald's today...What the heck is wrong with me?

I know that this diet is the way I want need to eat for years to come, but when I don't see results on the scale, I just feel so defeated! I know that I'm getting healthier on the inside, regardless of what the scale says, but the honeymoon is over, man! It is a slippery slope that I am trying desperately not to throw myself down! I need to go back to phase 1 (obviously) where I don't eat any starches. It was easier somehow. I like the black and white of it- no gray area to get confused by. And even as I'm typing this, I'm thinking...maybe I should just say screw the diet until Sunday, and eat whatever I want. Maybe I will. Hopefully I will find the willpower not to.

Hello Stage 2!

I have completed the first 3 weeks of the Perfect 10 Diet. I am down 9 pounds and I'm wearing some of my smaller (size 12) pants! I really slacked on exercise this week, which is probably why I missed my goal of 10 pounds lost by one pound! This week I am going to focus on exercise. I'm very happy that I get to add back in one serving of whole grain a day. I'm going to try a few things I haven't tried before, like quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). It looks kind of like cous cous, but it's high in protein and fiber. I sure hope I like it!

The Cupcake that Crashed My Diet

Evil Cupcakes

This is it. It's the cupcake that made me cheat on my diet. I was already working on a 2 layer vanilla butter cake for my son's 9th birthday when he told me he wanted chocolate cake. Great! So I compromised and made a small batch of cupcakes. I made 9 regular sized ones, and 12 mini cupcakes. I used left over frosting from the Halloween cupcakes I made for my youngest son's class, and the result was what you see above. It must have been the sugar in my system (from licking my fingers while making the frosting for the cake) that made me do. Or it was just my vain attempt to prove to myself that I am a baking Goddess...but I had to make sure they tasted as good as they smelled. After all, I'd never made chocolate cupcakes before. So I did it. I ate a mini chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. It was amazing, and I don't even really like chocolate cake!

The problem is that it didn't stop there. I had a few Doritos, and some corn souffle, and some baked beans- all with sugar/starch in them! Then I made the ultimate cheat....I ate some cake and ice cream.  I couldn't help myself! I knew the cake was delicious and I couldn't stand watching everyone eat it while they told me how good it was! And boy were they right...it was friggin' fantastic! I did only have a small piece, and a very small scoop of ice cream, but then I had a sugar cookie too! Damn sugar! It hypnotized me!

The birthday cake I couldn't resist

So this morning I woke up expecting the scale to hate me, and it wasn't so bad! I had managed to eat pretty good the rest of the day yesterday, so I guess it balanced out a bit. But then this morning I was giving my neighbor a plate of left over sweets and I ate a bite (just a bite this time) of cake- and then a sugar cookie. I'm so ashamed! I made it through the entire Halloween season without cheating, and I couldn't make it through one measly birthday party. I think if I hadn't baked the sweets, so I didn't know how good they were, I might have been able to resist. Maybe not. 

Anyway, tomorrow is my official weigh in for the week so for the rest of the day I will be a dieting angel!  I am going to do some Tae-Bo which is sure to burn some calories, and I hope to walk with my walking buddy tonight. I just need to stay strong and stay away from the sweets in the kitchen!

I can do this! Right?

I met my 1st Goal!

I made it through the first week of the Perfect 10 Diet and I couldn't be happier! My goal was to lose 5 pounds, and ironically, I did just that! I lost exactly 5 pounds. I feel better too! More energetic, better sleep pattern, less moody. It's been a long hard week, but I am glad that I went through it.

Last night was Halloween night and I was the one who had to stay home to hand out the candy. So there I sat with M&Ms, Butterfingers, Twix, Kit Kats and more, on my lap for 2 hours. It was my own special kind of torture. But instead of giving in, I ate a giant Granny Smith apple and a few almonds. It wasn't the same, but it was enough to hold me over. As a matter of fact, I have yet to eat one piece of Halloween candy. I'm afraid that if I eat just one piece, it will snowball into ten. And that's the last thing that I want, so I'm staying away from it.

I've also not had any diet coke in 10 days now. That part hasn't been as bad as I though. The hardest part is when I am out of the house in a place where I normally drank diet coke...Geez, I sound like an alcoholic who is trying to stay sober! It feels kind of like that though. Diet coke has been a huge part of my life for a long time now. I'm hoping that I start to crave water the same way! I guess we'll see!

Before I sign off, I'd like to share one of my lunches that I ate this week...It is a mahi mahi burger from Trader Joe's and it was FANTASTIC! I cooked it on the grill and sauteed some pre-chopped veggies in butter and garlic to put it on. It was so delicious that I can't wait to eat it again! I never thought I would be happy eating like this, but I am enjoying it so much!

P 10 Day 4- Going Strong!

So today is day 4 of my new way of life and I'm still going strong! Yesterday was a tough day for me though because I made mini-cupcakes for my son's preschool class. I had to taste the frosting as I was making it, which made we want to taste a whole cupcake. I mean, they're just mini, right?! But I was strong and I resisted. Then my will power was tested again when I went to my son's soccer banquet at the local pizza buffet place. The garlic knots and all meat pizza were calling my name, but I only paid for the salad bar and turned my back to the pizza. I can't believe how strong I was!!!

This morning I weighed myself and I am down 3.2 pounds already! I was hoping for 5 pounds in the first week, and it looks like I might achieve it! I have been walking with a friend at night every day this week, and I think that's helping. It's sure helping me sleep! Today is my rest day from walking, and but I've got a bunch of cleaning to do, so hopefully I'll stay busy enough cleaning that I burn a few calories that way.

Speaking of calories...I've been tracking my food intake on livestrong.com and it shows I'm barely eating over 1000 calories per day. How is it possible that I'm consuming so little, yet I'm not hungry? I think it has to do with the lack of diet soda in my life! It really was making me eat and think about food more! Now, I know enough about dieting to know that if you don't eat enough calories, you can send your body into starvation mode. So that's my worry of the day. Am I eating enough? I'm eating what the book is telling me to eat, and I'm not hungry...so I guess we'll see! When I hit a plateau the first thing I'll be doing is eating more, as crazy as that sounds!

Oh, and my new favorite breakfast? Organic, whole milk yogurt...french vanilla flavored! I put about 10 raspberries in one cup of yogurt and sprinkle it with one packet of stevia. OMG, it is one of the best treats, and I get to eat it for breakfast! The whole milk means it sticks with me longer and I don't get hungry for lunch for several hours. It's fantastic!

The other discovery I made is uncured turkey bacon. I bought some at Trader Joe's and it is completely nitrite free. I freakin' love it! It is a thousand times better than the turkey bacon I was buying at the local chain grocery store. It's meatier, tastier, and not even more expensive!

Ok, so that's all of my little tidbits of joy this morning. Hope you're having a fantastic day!

Be Healthy!

P 10, Day 1

Today I started the Perfect 10 Diet (P 10). I weighed myself and measured my waist (yikes, on both accounts!), but I don't know that I'm ready to share that here just yet. My first thought was that if I told y'all how much I weigh and how big my stomach is, you would be able to better appreciate the progress that I will make. My second thought though was "What if I don't stick to this and I don't lose anything? Then everyone will know what a cow I am!" Unfortunately, I went with my second thought and will keep track somewhere else until I've seen some major improvements! I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself everyday, but I can't help it. I'll update with my weight loss (or gain) everyday and will track my exercise here too!

Anyway, on to food and exercise. This morning for breakfast I ate 2 eggs cooked in real butter (since I'm not allowed to use cooking spray). I should have eaten more than that, but I wasn't prepared, and didn't have a lot in the house. After breakfast I put my 2 year old in the stroller and we walked for just over 30 minutes. For lunch I ate a leftover chicken breast and a honeycrisp apple. Amazingly, I'm not really that hungry. I'll have a handful of almonds for my mid-afternoon snack and then something light and healthy for dinner...I'm thinking maybe soup, since it's easy!

I'm wondering if I'll be able to get my husband on board for this way of eating. He typically follows the South Beach Diet principles, but with his own twist. The problem is that he eats a lot of processed foods that contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, etc...It will be hard to convince him to give those foods up since he is still maintaining a healthy weight. I guess time will tell! I'm also wondering how to apply this diet to my kids eating habits without having a revolt on my hands. Baby steps...

The New Me in the Making

I have struggled with my weight virtually my whole life. My body really likes to be about a size 12 or 14. Unfortunately, my inner self would really like to be an 8 or a 10. Somewhere in here is a skinny girl just dying to get out! And like most people, I've tried just about every diet, and I've joined several gyms, and I've just not been able to stick to anything long enough! I hate feeling deprived of the food I love, and I hate giving up other activities so that I can go to the gym. I'm selfish...I'll admit it!

As of a few weeks ago, I'm now 33 years old. My body is showing the wear and tear that having 3 kids has put on it! My skin is a mess, and I'm starting to worry about things like wrinkles, age spots, and spider veins. Fortunately, I don't have any of those things yet, but I don't want to have them this young either! A friend of mine, whom I walk with a few nights a week for exercise, recommended a book to me that contains a way of eating that is supposed to help you lose weight while getting all of your hormones into balance. Having balanced hormones is good for so many reasons, but I'm looking to steady my mood swings, clear up my skin (I never though I'd have breakouts at 33), and make sure that the rest of me is healthy too! The book is called The Perfect 10 Diet and is written by Dr. Michael Aziz. I'll be doing a post about the book itself on my other blog, but suffice it to say that I'm hooked!

The biggest changes I will be making with this new eating plan are: 1. No sugar or artificial sweeteners (that means no Diet Coke!) 2. No cured meats (i.e. bacon, canadian bacon, lunch meat) 3. tapering my eating throughout the day so that my biggest meal is breakfast and my smallest meal is dinner 4. No Diet Coke (that one is going to be tough!) 5. No processed oils (corn, safflower, canola, etc) 6. Full fat (although limited) dairy

I went to Trader Joe's today for the first time to get some organic and fresh foods for my new "way of eating." Notice I'm not calling it a diet? It's intentional. Anyway, I spent $113 and only had 3 bags of groceries, but I still found the prices to be really good! I thought it would be way out of my price range (I typically like to coupon and get stuff for really cheap). I bought fresh fish, fruits and veggies, steak and chicken, fresh herbs and spices, among other things. I am really excited about finally learning how to cook fish and vegetables that aren't canned or frozen!

Wish me luck on my weight loss journey and pray that I get healthier in the process!

Hello old friend!

I started this blog back in 2007 as a way to just talk...to myself, and anyone who might be reading. I wrote about myself and some controversial topics in the news. Now that it's been well over a year since I posted anything, it was my first inclination to just delete all of my posts and start fresh. I've decided I want to use this blog kind of like a diary of my life. But instead of starting with a blank slate, I'm going to leave up the personal posts and just continue on. I think that the older posts will give people insight into who I am, and what I am about. It's also a good reminder for me!

I have been writing another blog for a few months called 52 Books. It's about my personal challenge to read 52 books in a year! So far I've only read about 4 or 5, but I'm working on finding the balance that I need, so that I have time for that, and everything else that I need to fit into my life! Eventually I may find a way to merge that blog with this one, but in the meantime...here I go--embarking on yet another blog adventure!