this week's been a big blur

holy moly, what a week it's been... today is the first day that i feel like i can relax and not be so stressed out because of work... the website i'm working on is supposed to go live next friday but several of us don't think that's going to happen - should be interesting to say the least... what i do have so far is coming along nicely, as it should be, considering i've been here early every day this week (and sometimes stayed late too)... :o)

on wednesday, eric and i went to see 'no country for old men' - it was a late movie and i was pretty tired but the violence/gore kept me awake, that's for sure... it was good but i think if i had read the book, some of it would make more sense... i'm excited about seeing 'i am legend' next month, with wil smith - i think he's a good fit for sci-fi movies... :o)

my weekend plans are full, at least for tomorrow anyway... i'm going with my mom to a christmas joy/craft day at her church - we're going to make all sorts of stuff like fresh wreaths, jewelry, etc. and it's cheap! they're providing breakfast and lunch so once again i'm going to be tempted with yummy things - just have to see how it goes (maybe i'll eat beforehand)... after that, i'm going to stop by and visit w/some friends that i haven't seen in a while and then it's back to eric's for the weekend... sunday, i'm really looking forward to sleeping-in and watching the redskins game - should be an emotional one due to the death of sean taylor #21 this week... GO SKINS!!!

it's been a while since i've done a top 5, so i'm going to list some holiday things i found to be fun (thanks to rachael ray's holiday issue)... enjoy!

—do the earth some good this holiday and buy 100% post consumer recycled paper christmas cards
—these beautiful jewel bud vases would make great gifts for your girlfriends
—we could all use a little more hope this time of year
—know someone that's always cold? buy them a goose down vest for only $25
—use these adorable coasters at your next holiday party

i hope you all have a great weekend, stay warm! :o)

happy friday...

weigh-in

since my last weigh-in, 2.6 pounds have found their way back and though i'm not thrilled, i'm not upset about it either... it's very important to be honest with yourself on this weightloss journey because if you aren't, you're in for some surprises along the way... kidding yourself that a bite here, and a bite there isn't going to hurt - is only going to bite you in the ass later (bad pun, sorry)... and if you're even THINKING about not going for that walk/jog today, don't do it - just 30 minutes will put you in better spirits and your body will thank you... :o)

so besides not exercising, i was not accountable for what i was eating, and probably indulged way too many times, so seeing a gain, isn't that much of a surprise... if anything, it just makes me more determined to stay on track throughout the holidays so this gain, doesn't turn into 5 or even 10 pounds... i'm lucky that i don't have any holiday parties to go too (besides work and i can chose my meal) so i'm not worried that i can at least maintain my weight, if not lose what i've gained and then some... it all comes down to what YOU want to achieve this holiday season - being honest w/yourself is the best way to get thru it... :o)

happy hump day...

NSV

i don't have time for a real post today, since i'm slammed at work, but i just wanted to share something that just happened... i was over at the president's office and as i was walking back, his assistant stopped me in the hallway... she goes, "i never know what someone's going to say, because i don't know how they're going to react, but i just wanted to tell you that you look fabulous - have you lost a lot of weight?" and for the first time i responded, "yes, i have and thank-you!"

i usually have some lame comment because i'm horrible at receiving compliments (just ask eric) but this time it was different ... i KNOW i've lost weight and i KNOW i've worked my ass-off to get where i am... granted, it's taken a while but who cares - i'm in such a better place now than i was 3-years ago and it feels really great... eric's sisters also noticed my weightloss over thanksgiving so i guess it's becoming obvious to people that i've lost weight... i've been wearing more form-fitting clothes too maybe that's part of the reason - who would've thought that wearing the correct size can make you look good... ;o)

happy tuesday...

le sigh

it's back to work for me today and i'm glad because my eating has sucked big-time and my exercise has been null and void since last week... i always have really good intentions, as we all do, but it never works out the way i planned and then it keeps snowballing... having a week-off was great though - i got all my decorating done and got plenty of R&R so coming back hasn't been that hard... i actually came in early to hang christmas lights around our office doors - they always seem to put people in a better mood... :o)

our thanksgiving trip was fun - we delivered the daybed to his brother and then helped-out around his parent's house before leaving for state college on wednesday... the family stays at one hotel so we can hang-out together before and after the big dinner on thursday... the count was around 85 this year and there's always enough food for double that amount - i only when thru the line once and took teensy-tiny pieces of maybe 3 desserts, so it wasn't that bad... but later - out came the potato chips, cheese-its, nuts, chocolate covered pretzels, and beer - so much for staying healthy... i had also had my share of gas station cappuccinos - i often wonder how much sugar is one cup because it has to be A LOT! we were back in town on friday and i spent a quite night at home with the kitty...

on saturday - my mom and i met up with my sister and nieces in ellicott city, which has a ton of antique stores and artsty-type shops... the weather was nice, though chilly, so i didn't mind walking around (exercise! yay!)... we had lunch at a local diner and then headed to the columbia mall which was a JOKE - between parking and the crowds, it really turned me off to holiday shopping... thank god i don't have to buy for a lot of people because dealing w/that would drive me insane, and to think i used to work in retail! crazy!

yesterday, i enjoyed a nice sleep-in and then went over to eric's to watch the redskins lose, yet another football game... i'm hating them right now so i will be routing for the steelers on monday night football... :o)

eating is back on track today and i'm looking forward to a nice, long run on the treadmill... wednesday's weigh-in will not be pretty, i already know this, and i'm not going to starve myself or do anything crazy to help the scale... what happens, happens and i'm not going to worry about it - whatever i gain, i will lose again... end of story... :o)

happy monday...

time to decorate

hi everyone, sorry i haven't posted since last week - friday was super busy for me (since i'm off this week) and then i got talked-in to going for a drink after work by my boss and a few other coworkers... one glass of wine turned into three, then there was bar-food, and then there was champagne - holy moly... i really struggled with whether i should go or not, besides not wanting to spend a lot of money on alchohol, i also see it as empty calories and a big deterrent on my weightloss... is that bad??? i've never been a huge social-drinker anyway so most of the time, i feel uncomfortable being around those that do because i'm not partaking in the "let's drink til we get drunk" thing... i guess it was just how i was raised and the friends i hung-out with - we just didn't do that sort of thing... anyway, it WAS fun and luckily - no hangover found me on saturday so all was good... :o)

saturday, i spent the day at my mom's helping organize the spare bedroom so eric and i could take the daybed to his brother's this week... i was there ALL DAY and then headed over to eric's saturday night for some much-needed R&R... yesterday, we had a quiet morning and then headed back to my mom's to take apart the bed, load it into the truck, and then help her w/a few other things since the more hands, the better... she made turkey potpie for lunch and it was SO GOOD - nothing like a home cooked meal to make you feel good... we then went home and watched the skins play an AWESOME game against the cowboys - i know they lost but i feel they played their guts out and deserve many kudos! :o)

eric had to work today so i did some things around his house this morning before coming home and tackling my christmas decorations... i have lit garland on my balcony, around my fireplace, and on my hosier cabinet, and my tree is lit, but not decorated - think i'll finish that tonight... my goal is to hit the gym for the 5:30 spin class so i need to get going soon, and then i may hit big lots to see what sort of decorations they have (i'm in such the christmas spirit now!)... we're leaving for pittsburgh tomorrow morning, then we head to state college on wednesday for his huge, family thanksgiving (100+), and then it's back home on friday...

i hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving and for those that have to travel, please be safe...

happy monday...

vacation is only 1 day away

i'm in an easy-going mood today considering the rainy weather today - i was up early, came in to work, and began my day w/a cup of hot coffee and my usual, sugar-free hazlenut creamer... i've made progress on the website project but can only go so far until i get copy - such is the life of a designer... they expect you to 'create' when there's nothing to create with, do they not understand that?!?! anyway, i'm hoping to have at least the homepage done tomorrow since i'll be out for a week, and that will give them time to work on everything else... and if not, i'm not going to worry about it! :o)

plans for this evening include going to see 'bladerunner' w/eric since it's the last night they're showing this special edition on the big screen... i'm not sure if we'll have time to grab dinner beforehand but i'm looking forward to hitting that vietnamese place i talked about a few weeks ago... i know i can have a really healthy and inexpensive meal there, plus have leftovers for lunch tomorrow so who can complain about that...

speaking of food - when i was at the store the other night, i picked-up barilla's new whole grain pasta (3-points a serving!)... so for dinner - i cooked frozen shrimp w/garlic and butter, and then tossed them w/the penne, some olive oil, some parmesean cheese, and dried basil... i think the whole meal came to like 6 points (i also had a side salad) and i was completely satisfied... :o)

i couldn't stay awake for 'life' last night but managed to watch paula deen make an amazing pumpkin cheesecake and pear fritters - i swear, how can she NOT weigh 500 pounds! she also did pecan chicken but i would so chose the cheesecake over that any day! mmm mmm...

happy thursday...

weigh-in

quick post today since i have a shitload of work to do on this website project... once again, i was amazed at the scale this morning and expecting a gain, especially after this weekend... but no, it was being very kind and said i was down .6 pounds so i'm pretty happy... i know the closer i get to goal, the slower the weight will come off so i'm going to enjoy these losses as much as i can... :o)

i watched biggest loser last night and i'm glad they got rid of amy - she was such a downer... yea, she tried to make-up for it by becoming part of the black team and working out w/julian but she just seemed so negative all the time... i WAS impressed however, with her progress after the show - here kids were adorable! :o)

good luck to everyone else who's weighing-in today... :o)

happy hump day...

i hate rainy days

weekend:
eric and i had a nice, short visit w/my sister this weekend - stopping by to see my dad on the way... we played some games for a while like go fish and tabletop bowling - he seemed to enjoy it... i'm not sure if he really recognized me or not but it was still nice to see him... after that, we went to lunch w/my sister and nieces to this place near canaan valley which is a big ski area in west virginia... it was too rainy/foggy to go hiking so we headed home and made a quick-stop at these new $900k townhomes on the lake near their house... i swear the bathrooms were bigger than my living room - one having a shower that could fit at least 15 people and a sunken tub that could fit maybe 5... sunday, we did the church thing, grabbed lunch at subway, watched most of the steelers game, and then headed back to see my dad for a while before heading home... :o)

food:
i probably didn't make the best choices this past weekend - pizza on saturday, one too many pumpkin spice cappuccinos, bbq chips w/lunch on sunday, and a small piece of pineapple upside down cake... but it could've been worse since my sister has all sorts of 'stuff' in her pantry for the girls so maybe the damage won't be so terrible on wednesday... then again, i won't be upset if i see a gain because that's what this process is all about - accepting the bad weeks as much as celebrating the good ones...

misc:
if you're a big fan of sephora, one of my coworkers sent an email re: a friends & family discount... you can receive 20% your purchase by using the code FF2007 at checkout (til november 21)... and according to their website, you can also get free shipping if you order over $50 so happy shopping! :o)

and thanks to all who played-along w/the 5-interesting-things game... it's always fun to learn something new about my fellow blogger-buddies... :o)

happy tuesday...

5 things

i have been tagged by trish to play a game - i know it's been going around the blogworld so i apologize if the people i've listed/tagged, have already played... :o)

here are the rules:
1. link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

5 interesting/weird/boring facts about me
—i take a bubble bath every night (more so in the winter)
—my toenails are always polished and never go naked
—my dream job is to be a wife and mother
—my closet is color coordinated from black (left) to white (right), and i rotate items front to back when worn
—i bought my honda civic because the dashboard lights are blue

now it's your turn --> stephanie, greta, mandy, angelfish, and pastgirl

###

i'll post my weekend recap later... :o)

nothing better than warm chips

i love cold and rainy fridays... not... i hope it's not going to be like this the whole weekend - eric and i are heading to my sister's tomorrow.. she told me this week that they've already had snow... S N O W people, and it's maryland! that's just wrong! guess i'll be packing my down coat for the trip... :o(

man his week flown-by - guess being busy at work has helped... i made progress w/my conference design, now i just have to go thru the chain of command (all the way to the pres) and get final approval... once that is done, i can start designing the website for launch in early december... i've been researching javascript stuff since i'm not a fan of using flash for menus - so far, so good... :o)

food/exercise have been good this week, minus last night - eric and i had dinner w/some friends and we had mexican (my downfall, as we all know!)... i had one light beer, some chips & salsa, a wondeful salad that i split w/eric, and the crab & shrimp enchiladas... i will have to be extra careful w/my points this weekend since i'm sure i used most of my flexies on that meal but such is life - i have no regrets because it was really good... :o)

i haven't done my top 5 in a while so here's some frozen food items that you may find interesting (and make for a quick meal)...

—healthy choice has come out w/a new line of cafe steamers
—jimmy dean is offering d-lights breakfast samiches (1/3 calories and 1/2 fat)
—looking for something organic? maybe amy's has something you can try
—if you love eggnog, then you'll love edy's slow churned ice cream (3 pts serving)
—looking for something quick? maybe lean pockets can be an option (ww points are listed too!)

GO REDSKINS! GO STEELERS!

hope you all have a great weekend... happy friday...

weigh-in

when people are sick, most people tend to lose their appetite - such is not the case for me (nor when lovesick over a guy!)... i was pretty shocked at the scale this morning, especially after being home for 2 days last week AND going to that food show this past weekend... i've lost another 2.4 pounds and have hit my 25-pound mark so i'm pretty happy... and that makes only 4.8 pounds til i reach my goal so WHOO-HOOO CARROTS... :o)

biggest loser was pretty good last night except i hate the fact they make the show longer just so they can have more commercials and more "ways you can blah blah blah"... that ford escape hybrid was pretty, damn nice - i'm glad that team won! :o)

work continues to be busy - i was in here early today just to handle other little projects... i haven't even thought about my personal website/resume since i've been so busy here, so maybe once things calm down - i can finish everything and get it posted... i've also made a point to go to the gym everyday because it not only makes me feel better, it helps me relax and get away from the computer for an hour...

after work, i'm heading to the consignment shop to drop off more clothes and then to the grocery store - my fridge is looking a bit empty these days... i hate not having healthy snacks here at work, so its time to replenish my supply of fiber one bars and fruit... one of my favorite snacks is a sliced apple w/some natural peanut butter - mmm mmm...

happy hump day...

halfway back to normal

hello, all... thanks to all who sent me well-wishes while sick - i'm feeling better but am still pretty congested and coughing... i didn't do much of anything yesterday at eric's besides watch the skins game and then the colts/packers game later (which was really good!) but on saturday, i went to the food show w/my mom... i wasn't feeling much like myself but think being out i the fresh air and out of my apartment might've helped me feel more normal... paula's show was fun to watch but we barely made it because they were very unorganized and not prepared for such a crowd (the line was unbelievable)... over 2,500 people crammed into a section of the convention center to watch her make gumbo, hearty cornbread, and pumpkin ooey gooey cake - talk about mmm mmm good... and yes, she used a LOT of butter... :o)

for the rest of the day - we walked around to all the booths, tried a lot of samples, watched another cooking demo, sat-in on a flower decorating class, and had MORE samples... the only thing i bought was some curry sauce and 2 biscottis from this cute little bakery, not bad in my opinion considering what was there... not sure if i'd go again but we'll see who they have next year...

in other news - i found out that alton brown (also from the food network) is going to be doing a demo AND book signing at our annual meeting next year... i about feel off my chair this morning in a meeting when i heard that - i love him and love his shows so this will be tough... do i look for a new job or stick around 6 more months so i can meet him? decisions decisions...

i'm going to be slammed for the next 2 weeks so my postings may be pretty sporadic... besides coming-up with a design for the annual meeting - i have to design AND build a website to promote it ... it normally wouldn't be a huge deal but they want it done by the end of the month and i'm out the week of thanksgiving - can you say stressed-out?!?!

happy monday...

down for the count

just a quick post, i am home sick again today - didn't really feel good yesterday but went to work anyway... you know how you if you shower and get dressed, you'll feel better? well, that didn't work so by the end of the day my boss basically told me to stay home since things were quiet... and that's what i did - my head is so stuffed-up, i can barely breathe, and now i have an irritating cough... i usually don't get sick but i guess it was just my time so i hope i feel a little better by tomorrow... my mom and i have tickets to see paula deen at the DC cooking and entertainment show - even if i don't, i'm STILL going... i'll just pop some extra cold pills for the trip... :o)

anyway, i know some of you look forward to my weekly top 5 so i apologize for not having one today - maybe i can get to it on sunday... i'm going to go lay down now, have a nice weekend...

happy friday...

why oh why

i went to work today even though, i probably should've stayed home... my throat and glands arent as sore but i just feel 'blah' so we'll see how i feel towards the end of the day and maybe i'll head-out early... i treated myself to a starbucks pumpkin spice latte this morning and between that, breakfast, and lunch - i'm already at 20 points... ugh! stupid 6-points for a latte - i need to cut that back... i brought my gym stuff and really wanted to go - just don't know if i have the energy... looks like i'll be dipping into the flex-pool early this week which sucks since i like to have most of them for the weekend... course, after last weekend - i plan on doing much better so maybe i'm worrying for nothing... :o)

i had THREE trick'o treaters last night - 2 batman and 1 crying spiderman... i saved ONE peanut butter cup for myself and stuck it in the freezer but now i have almost an entire bag to deal with... i may just take it to eric's OR stick them all in the freezer - they sure are tasty when cold for some reason (watch your teeth though!)... :o)

there's not much else going on - i worked on my resume this morning (to match the new website) and just need to have someone review it and make sure all the wording and punctuation are correct... there's nothing worse than sending one out w/a typo (i never have, thank-god) so it's good to be extra careful... :o)

happy thursday...