another long weekend

my office announced that it will be closed on tuesday due to the NYSE being closed (we follow what they do) AND president gerald ford's funeral which means, i'll have a 4-day weekend... and if my boss lets me take off next friday (so eric and i can head to pittsburgh), i'll be working 2 days next week - how 'bout them apples... nothing like getting good news on a friday and boy does that put me in a great mood... :o)

i have been reading a lot of postings regarding new year's resolutions and what some people are planning for the new year... on vickie's blog, she asked reader's to pick one word that would describe last year - the first word i thought of was satisfied... i know its not the strongest or most powerful word but all in all, i'm pretty happy with myself... i've made progress with my weightloss, exercise routine, eating habits, and most importantly, began to love myself regardless of what the scale was telling me... could i have lost more weight? sure... could i have worked out harder? definitely... have i ever really felt like i was 'dieting'? not really and that's a big one (thank-you WW)... but the fact that i continue to make better choices, everyday, is enough to make me smile and feel that i accomplished a great deal in 2006...

as for 2007, i've never been one to make a formal new year's resolution list but i thought i would just a few things that i would like to work on...

1. quit smoking
2. work on my jogging (time and distance)
3. drink more water
4. lose another 5-10 pounds
5. continue with pilates, maybe add yoga or another class
6. take a real vacation, hopefully someplace warm and sunny
7. get engaged

i think that's a good list to start with... feel free to share your own 'goals' for the new year... i'm not sure how often i'll be posting over the weekend so i'd like to take this opportunity and wish you all a very happy and safe new years... see you all in 2007... :o)

happy friday...



weigh-in wednesday

::: MAINTAIN :::

last night was my mom's christmas dinner so i'm not bummed that the scale remained the same, plus being i was 157.4 three days ago, i'm certain it will go back down again... she made herbed pork loin, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, cookies, and god knows what else... go mom!!! it was nice to see my brother and his girlfriend as well as my sister, her hubby, and nieces... they spent the night at my place so max was very happy to have so much attention and proudly woke us up at 6:30am to play... as a result, i'm very sleepy today and its still pretty quiet here so its going to be a very long day...

i will be glad when all this holiday stuff is over - i have one more dinner at my brother's on saturday so i can see my other niece and that's it... eric and i will be dog sitting for his brother on saturday night and both agreed that staying in for new year's is a perfect idea... the following weekend we're headed to pittsburgh for his family's festivus so that should be fun (and very cold i'm sure!) and then there's one more free weekend til my foot surgery... we haven't really discussed what we're doing for our 2-year anniversary - i'd like to do SOMEthing special and feel like if i don't take the initiative, nothing will happen... i did tell him since he only got me a book for christmas that he needs to step it up a bit for our anniversary... is it just me or are all men just not into the holidays?

happy hump day...



not a creature was stirring

i kept saying last night that i felt like i was jipped a vacation because i was sick most of the time but am actually happy to be back in a routine... there is hardly anyone in my office today and both the roads and metro were empty this morning, making my commute a breeze... i brought some magazines to catch-up on and my coworker brought in "marley & me" for me to read so i may start that as well... my mom is cooking christmas dinner tonight for my sister, brother and their families so eric and i will be heading there later and then that will be it for holiday meals...

my scale was down to 157.4 on christmas eve and had to laugh because i haven't been to the gym while being sick this past week... so maybe the secret to losing weight is NOT working out??? i haven't been starving myself either so i wasn't surprised to see it back up this morning but that's also because i made dinner yesterday and had crackers/cheese for a snack last night (mmm port wine cheese)... i made crabcakes, califlower au gratin, long grain rice, and a cranberry-almond pudding for dessert - not too shabby if i do say so myself... :o)

i was telling eric how it just didn't feel like christmas yesterday esp. since it was raining and not very cold outside... we haven't even talked about new year's plans and i'd honestly be happy with staying home, drinking margaritas, and watching some movies on his new 42" LCD TV... :o)

happy tuesday...

p.s. can you tell i'm bored? click here



have a holly, jolly christmas

happy friday, everyone... this is my last day of vacation and i've been sick since wednesday, figures right? not sure where i picked it up from but i've been sleeping a lot and feel very congested - i hope its gone by christmas... i've managed to get all my big errands done but have some xmas shopping to finish and menu to plan for christmas day... it will just be my mom, eric and i and then she'll have the family dinner on the 26th with my brother, sister, and their kids... i may do something w/crab but haven't decided yet, and i also have more chocolate covered preztels to make - maybe i'll tackle them tomorrow...

i've exercised twice this week but really don't have the energy or willpower to do anything today - plus is cold and rainy and i'm not feeling well... the scale was back under 160 this morning so i'm going to try and maintain that til next week... having two big dinners won't help but i'm going to enjoy myself and not beat myself up if there's a small gain on wednesday... i give huge kudos to those of you that have continued to lose during the holidays, you have great determination!

not sure when i'll post again so i'm going to sign-off and wish everyone a very merry christmas... :o)

happy friday...



weigh-in wednesday

::: LOSS :::

i can't BELIEVE i saw 158.5 on monday and 160.2 showed up on the scale this morning - which makes it a 0.2 loss for this week... WTF?!?!? i had a super-duper workout last night too - weights and an extremely hard spin class - and this is what i get? 0.2 pounds?... ugh, i'm a bit disappointed but its technically still a loss for the week - i should stop bitching and be happy, right?

day 3 of my vacation was spent w/mom again - we went to IKEA to find a tv stand for her xmas present (split between us 3 kids), then had some lunch before doing more shopping at kohl's and the mall... i woke up feeling like crap and still feel under the weather, plus i'm sore from the gym last night (different machines than what i'm used too)... even though i was home yesterday, i feel like i haven't had a chance to relax yet which was the point of my vacation... as of right now - i have NO plans for friday and that's the way its going to stay...

thursday is already looking busy: doctor's appt, dropping things off at consignment, and then meeting eric for happy hour downtown... maybe i get some R&R in between all that and oh yea, i should probably get in a workout too...

happy hump day...



day two

this is my 2nd day of vacation and its been very nice not having to go to work... yesterday was spent xmas shopping w/mom at the leesburg outlets and it was 11:30pm by the time i got home - when we shop, we shop hard... i got a few things crossed off my list and i also scored a nice sweater coat for myself (on sale) and convinced my mom to buy a few things for me for xmas (crate&barrel outlet kicks ass!)... today, i've been doing things around the house like straightening, organizing my sock drawer, preparing food for the week, getting clothes ready for consignment, and most importantly, catching up on blogs... i'll be heading to the gym later for weights and spin class and i might do some more shopping, we'll see... :o)

the scale read 158.4 yesterday and i was so happy but after eating out twice yesterday, i was back up to 161 this morning... so far today i've had some leftover quiche for breakfast, fruit and yogurt for lunch, and plan on making a nice, big salad for dinner... i'm hoping this will make the scale go back down for my official weigh-in but if not, no biggie... i'm still doing pretty well for the holidays... :o)

eric and i watched 'little miss sunshine' over the weekend and if you haven't seen it, i highly recommend it... we also caught the national geographic photography exhibit downtown which was pretty cool - talk about amazing pictures... sort of makes you look at animals and nature in a very different light... :o)

happy tuesday...



TGIF

i broke down and bought the vera bag - its sitting by my desk and looking oh so beautiful... i can't wait to use it on the way home... my office is buzzing since our holiday luncheon just ended - i did good food-wise: had a mixed salad, grilled fish w/veggies, and only one tiny piece of pumpkin cheesecake... i also had 1 amstel light and a few sips of wine - eric and i shared a bottle of red shiraz last night and i came in w/a headache (i hate drinking wine just for that reason)... it did go nicely with the strombolis - i made them from the whole wheat pizza dough purchased from trader joe's... i'm sure the whole thing was like 12-15 points but it was very tasty... eric made a comment during dinner that he hopes i'm not always going to be obsessed with food and losing weight - i'm still not sure what to make of that... a part of me wanted to say, "i've always had an issue with my weight and probably always will" but i didn't, so i'll just move on...

my weekend plans are pretty open right now, minus going to the gym sat/sun since i'm skipping today (too full)... it IS pretty nice out so maybe i'll go for a walk when i get home - its in the 60s, if you can believe it... i think there was snow on the ground last year...

i haven't gotten anywhere w/the blogger comment issue - some have said if you switch browsers and/or clear your cache, it might work... but if not, those who are not on the beta version will eventually HAVE to switch over so maybe when that happens, you can comment again... either way, its pretty screwy since a lot of people have complained and no one's addressed it directly...

anyway, i hope you all have a great weekend...

GO REDSKINS & STEELERS!!!



tantilizing tidbits

so much for the new blogger being a good thing, apparently if you haven't switched over to beta - you can no longer comment on blogs that have... funny how there's no contact info on the blogger site so i took it upon myself to email someone at google - we'll see what sort of crap they come up with... anyway, here are some interesting tidbits for this week... enjoy!

- donate your old cell phone, PDA, etc. at recycling for charities (tax-deductible)
- five must-haves for the "loser" on your holiday shopping list
- nicole's challenge: in the thirties by 39
- eat, drink and be merry for a longer life
- looking for an exercise buddy? try this website

as a gift to member's of my department, i made chocolate covered pretzels last night - it went pretty well but i probably won't try the white chocolate and oreo kind again... i made 6 kinds and the best looking ones had to be the carmel, chocolate, and peanuts... i have some left over and wil need to get rid of them fast - maybe i'll give them to eric so he can take them to work... one of my nieces already put in her order for xmas so i guess i'll be making more next week - at least i won't have to carry them on the metro and pray no one steps on my bag...

i still haven't decided on the vera bag - my friend said i can get it for $83 which means $33 comes out of my pocket... eric has offered to buy it for me for christmas and i'm being a complete moron, i should just say yes but i feel like its such an expensive gift... then again, he did buy me an iPod last year... hmm...

and sorry to keep bragging but only ONE MORE DAY OF WORK TIL VACATION...

happy thursday...



weigh-in wednesday

::: GAIN :::

this morning's number has put me in a funk, one that will probably last all day and i hate admitting that... seeing 159 the day after my weigh-in last week really made me feel good, and now seeing 160.4 has turned that feeling into sadness... i promised myself i wouldn't let this get to me but it has, even though i'm still in the range i wanted to be for the holidays... i know where i'm failing - its the same cockiness on the weekends, thinking i have a bit more than usual... god, when am i going to learn... and then i have to wonder why i'm so bothered because in a month, i won't be able to do anything because of my foot surgery... ugh, this totally totally sucks... i SO need a vacation, can you tell?

happy hump day...

p.s. i did manage to print-off my gym's group exercise schedule for next week so at least i can look forward to that...



up on the rooftop

i can't for this week to be over so i can 'officially' be on vacation... my guess is though, it will busy as hell up until friday and then we have our holiday luncheon at noon... but after that, i am done for the week and i'm not back in the office until the 26th... yeee haaa! i don't have any plans written in stone yet but do know i'm doing a few things w/my mom and i'm going to lunch with a girlfriend... other than that, i plan on going to the gym and possibly take some step classes during the day, which should be fun, or something else depending on their schedule... and i plan on sleeping in most days too, or as long as max lets me... :o)

weigh-in is tomorrow, we'll see if i can stay under 160 (this morning, i was not) - i did have a big dinner though so i'm sure that's part of it... and i keep meaning to take my measurements too so i need to do that tomorrow morning - it will be interesting to see if anything's changed since last time...

so to keep w/the holiday spirit - what's your favorite holiday movie? it can be anything so don't be shy... mine would have to be 'rudolph' or 'elf' (that movie is f**king halarious)...

happy tuesday...



turning into a soccer mom

i'm not sure how it is where you live but in my area, the whole 'vera bradley' thing is just huge - like huger than huge... i never really understood the whole phenomenon and why anyone would spend $90 on a cotton, quilted purse... well, i asked a girl on the metro one morning where she got her bag and i did some research since i had no idea what they were... vera had released a new pattern : java blue : and that was it for me - i became obsessed and knew i had to have something w/that pattern (see photo)... i was in heaven and would paint my whole house in that color-combo (if i had one)... anyway, thanks to a coworker's boyfriend's mom, that has a gift shop in VA, i'm buying one at cost, AND decided to put my xmas bonus towards it so i'm only putting out $20 of my own money... merry christmas to me!!! i hope i don't become one of those people that starts buying all the matching accessories because i hate to say it, but their 2007 agenda is quite darling and would look perfect with this bag... :o)

my weekend was good - did everything that was planned as well as found out my hairdresser is pregnant... i thought she looked a bit tummy heavy back in october but have learned to not say anything because who knows if you'll offend the person... she laughed and said, "did you think i was just getting fat?"... it was cute so we talked about that pretty much the whole time - i don't even remember getting my haircut...

the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing with eric, watching a movie (american psycho, christian bale, mmmm), and watching the redskins lose terribly yesterday... i had taped some food network holiday specials (nigella and barefoot contessa) and realized i had already seen them... oh well, i watched them anyway and then was awake til 2am because apparently, orange cappuccino international coffee has too much caffeine... :o(

happy monday...



TGIF

so call me miss anti-social - i skipped a dept. potluck today because i really didn't feel like being tempted with so much food... i think i've put in enough holiday spirit (considering i decorated our corner of the office and people keep coming over to see it) so i don't feel an ounce of guilt... besides, eric and i are going over to his friend's house for dinner tonight (thai food) and i'd rather save my points for later... adding some cardio into the mix is also planned, we'll see how my ankle feels on the treadmill today...

i finished my christmas cards last night, just need to buy some holiday stamps and i'll be done... i do personalize each one but generally write the same thing so it doesn't take that long... i make a list ahead of time but always forget a person or two so i'm glad i have extra - i wonder how many xmas letters i'll get this year... my sister asked me to 'design' hers this year and i have to say, its pretty damn nice (she better not take credit either!)...

my weekend plans are pretty low-key: dinner w/eric's friends, help mom get her xmas stuff out, get my haircut, exercise, and watch football... even though they have no chance at making the playoffs - GO REDSKINS!!!

hope everyone has a great weekend... bundle up, its cold out there...



tipsy thursday

no, i'm not drunk - i just thought it would be fun to have a standing, weekly post about things i find on other blogs and websites...i know i've shared things in the past but i would like to make more of an effort to spread the joy around to my BB's, so here's my list for this week - enjoy!

~ point-free soup recipes
from hungry girl
~ questions to ask when researching health-related issues online
~ your favorite alcohol/beer/wine calories and point values are listed here
~ want to make a homemade gift? check out these recipes for mixes-in-a-jar
~ the funniest cookie cutters ever!

i stepped on the scale this morning and was thrilled to see 159.0 and i know its not my official weigh-in day but damnit, it feels pretty good... my goal is to keep this weight til next week and then i'll share what its like to have shed 20 pounds as well as post some pics... i checked my BMI as well and it said 24.9 which is considered in the 'normal' range, how cool is that?!?! ironically, i was thinking yesterday that my dept. hasn't had a lot of holiday food around and what happens? a coworkers brought in cookies today and yes, i had to try one... mmm mmm... :o)

happy thursday...

p.s. GO STEELERS!



weigh-in wednesday

::: LOSS :::

i stood on the scale this morning and cried when it said 159.8 - i couldn't believe what i was seeing... i even tried to take a picture but then the numbers went up... considering i haven't exercised AT ALL in over a week, i don't understand why it went down but hey - i'm not complaining... i haven't seen a number under 160 since oh, i don't know, 2-3 years so to say i'm pretty happy would be an understatement... i'm also not counting this as an official 20-pound loss yet but i'm closer than i've been in a really long time and by god, i'm going to get there... :o)

work was easy yesterday since i had to leave early for a doctor's appt., my appt was at 4:15 and i finally saw the doctor around 5:15, i must've been the last one there... i love my GYN, he's the nicest, most down-to-earth doctor i know, and will tell you whatever you need to know... he delievered babies for two of my friends so i hope i'm just as lucky... i did ask him about my concerns about being 35 and having kids with my blood dissorder, he recommended seeing a hemotologist (i will have to take blood-thinning injections everyday)... so at my age, can i safely have 1-2 kids? sure but if i was looking to have 6 kids, its just not going to be in my future and even if it was - that would mean i need to get pregnant like tomorrow... tick*tock*tick*tock...

after my appt, i got my car's emmission test done (passed), made dinner, went thru sunday's newspaper, took a bath, and then read... nice way to end the day and thank-you, max, for not waking me up at 5:30am this morning... :o)

happy hump day...



the worst/best day day of my life

in all fairness, hilly used my question for her new blog series entitled, "put words into my mouth"... i am honored and thought it would be good to answer the same question i gave her - what has been your worst and best day of your life, so far?

the worst day of my life would have to be the day my mom told me she was moving out and leaving my father... i remember laying on the living room floor, reading the newspaper, and just crying uncontrolably... i was 16, a sophmore in HS, and suddenly forced to decide where i was going to live - with her or with my dad... i chose to stay w/my dad because the thought of leaving the house i grew up in was too much to handle but in the end - staying was probably the wrong idea... my father suffered from depression and didn't work during the winter (he was a mason) so i basically ran the house til summer - cleaning, cooking, paying bills, going to school, and working... i remember crying every, single day when i got home from school and had no one to turn too since divorce was still unheard of back then (my brother and sister were much older and out of the house)... i've been told that situation made me the person that i am today - independent, organized, and thrifty but i can't help but feel i was denied some of my mid-teenage years... today i know that my mom made the right decision but at the time, i just couldn't believe it was happening and happening to me...

answering the next part is much more difficult - if i was married or had kids, it would easy but i'm single... what defines 'best' - an emotional feeling? a physical feeling? both? meeting eric has definitely been a highlight of my life and the day i realized he was the man i wanted to marry, will always be permanenty etched in my head... sitting in a lounge chair, drink in hand, watching the sunset, in mexico last year was pretty damn good too... driving down the coast of california, with my best friend from college, was incredibly invigorating esp. since i had lost my job and had no idea what i was going to do next... and getting down to 149 almost 3 years ago was a pretty awesome day - too bad it didn't last... HA!

and now for something fun, make your own snowflake below...

Need a Snow Day?

happy tuesday...



love the smell of fresh pine

its officially the holiday season at my apartment and work - all my decorating was finished last night and i worked on my office this morning... i still have a bit to do but will wait for my boss to leave, not that she cared this morning when i was hanging lights around our doorways... i have always decorated at my job because (1) you spend 8+ hours there and (2) it just puts everyone in the holiday spirit... i even brought a little tree over to eric's yesterday and had fun watching norman attack it - guess he's never seen a xmas tree before... :o)

my weekend was good - eric came over on friday night, we had dinner at local restaurant that is considered a "steeler's" hangout, and then watched "x-men 3"... on saturday, i took max to the vets and then spent most of the day decorating and listening to xmas music... i hung out w/my mom on saturday night and did victorian house tour and boy was it cold - it was worth it though, some of the houses were absolutely amazing...

yesterday, i did a cat-run for my sister which involved transporting 9 crates to a rescue in southern maryland - i wish i had taken more pictures cus some were pretty damn cute... at one point they were all meowing which was pretty funny... eric and i watched the redskins game and had a great dinner consisting of:
roasted chicken, salad, brown rice, and a baquette with light boursin cheese - thank you, honey... later i went home to finish hanging lights and garland on my balcony...

my sprained ankle is getting better, thank god, and the bruising is going away... i'm hoping to be back in gym-action by tomorrow - i was going to go today but was too busy here and i have to leave early tomorrow for a doctor's appt... perhaps i can make it to the 5:30pm spin class but we'll see... i've been doing well with food and am trying my hardest to stay on the low-side since i'm not exercising but i'm sure i won't see a loss this week... we'll see, i could be wrong...

happy monday...



30 minutes and counting

i just had to share this holiday diet with you, its pretty funny... :o)

my day has been pretty good - i designed a flash holiday card, the boss left early, got my new cellphone, and am preparing to meet eric after work so we can ride home together... haven't seen him all week because of my foot and other stuff so it will be nice to see him... speaking of my foot, the sprain is getting better - i didn't go to the gym today so i'm hoping by tomorrow or sunday, i'll be able to at least go walking... i need to do something because its killing me (and the scale)...

and in other foot news, i've decided to have surgery on my right foot in january - this will be my 4th on the same foot and the 2nd time for hammertoes... i decided its best to do it now so i'm healed by spring/summer... my boss was totally cool about it - things have been slow here so there won't be a problem w/coverage plus i have a ton of sick time to use... she basically told me that my health is more important than work so that made me feel better... i'll be out for 1½ weeks and then will have the pins in for about 5 weeks... lets just hope it doesn't snow too much cus the only thing i'll have on my foot is a sock and one of those hideous surgical shoes (which i spray-painted black last time)... the thought of not being able to exercise makes me sick so i won't worry about it now... i'll just plan on doing a lot of pilates, yoga and drinking slimfast... just kidding...

have a great weekend everyone...