nothing new

we had our first "make way for baby" class last night and though i'm not expert - i really think i could've taught the class... besides the instructor being unenthusiastic, she repeated things 2 or 3 times, and had no clue how to operate the powerpoint presentation... mind you - all of us in the room are new at this whole baby thing, so it's bad enough we're nervous, worried, and downright scared... she didn't seem to notice... if it wasn't for my fantabulous hubby and his ability to make me a laugh and turn a bad situation into something fun - i probably would've walked out... so after we learned about pre-term labor, pre-labor, and various ways to relax - the administrator had taken over and showed us exercises to relieve lower back and leg pain... thankfully, i haven't had too many problems so far, though my round ligament is starting to act up which is painful when walking (but not all the time)... class resumes on thursday night, so stay tuned! :)

on tonight's agenda: i'll be meeting my mom after work and doing some bra shopping at kohl's - hopefully i can find a nursing bra that is both nice, practical, and reasonable priced... i may attempt target as well, but am not sold on the idea esp. since we were out til after 9 last night and will be out again tomorrow night... i hate having something to do every night of the week, but such is life right now... /sigh/

that's about all for now... below is a pic of the chili we had on sunday and the quiches eric made on monday night - both were super yummy! thank you, darlin! xoxoxo

happy hump day!

at least the baby will have a place to sleep now

happy monday, especially to those in the DC area and if you're a redskins fan... what a great game last night! i was pretty much pacing back and forth during the last 5 minutes, but what an exciting and awesome game! and i'm also happy to report that the steelers won yesterday, so our household is 1/1 for now... i have made jokes that depending on what team wins each week, that is the outfit the baby will wear on sundays... :)

and speaking of baby - we finally finished putting together the furniture yesterday and overall, i'm pretty happy... there was only one piece that was damaged/cracked, but i was able to contact the company and order a replacement piece... hopefully, it will come sooner rather than later... norman has already slept in the crib and on the dresser by the window, but we have every intention on making it clear that it's no longer his room... the only other big thing we need to do is hang the new mini-blinds and curtain rods, but compared to the furniture - that will be easy... :)

we also found/bought a chair for the living room on saturday - after showing eric the two, oversized chairs i had looked at a few weeks ago, we sat down and discussed who/what the chair was really for... since we use the LR for pretty much everything (den, tv room, family room), he said that he would rather have a recliner so that's what we bought... it's actually pretty nice and it will go well w/my couch and chair... cost-wise - it was only a tad bit more than a chair and ottoman combined, so i think we did pretty good... :)

besides the chair and nursery, i did some quick shopping on saturday night and picked-up the end tables for the LR, but will have to go back for the sofa table since neither my friend or i could lift the box... and of course - the wicker storage bins that i also bought are on sale this week - wonder if they'd let me return them and buy them back... saturday night, we had a friend over and made grilled pizzas again - this time, we each made our own and they were awesome! yesterday, we had chili for the games and tonight - eric's making quiche... it's so nice to be cooking at home again... :)

well, that's all i have for now - hope you have a great day! ;)

progress

i FINALLY got the 1st coat of paint done in the nursery last night (with some much-needed assistance from the hubby)... only 1 more coat to go in blue, then it's time for horizontal stripes (green, white, and brown), and then trim... nothing major... who's idea what this again? oh, that's right - it was mine... even though i wish i could work on the room tonight - my fingers are crossed that i can find a nice, chocolate brown oversized chair while shopping with mom... painting will be continued tomorrow... :)

happy thursday..

hump day

i was all ready to start the non-stress test today at my OB appointment, but she said let's wait another week... not sure why, but i'm okay with that since i forgot a book and will need to lay still for 20-minutes... the baby got an 8/8 today and as for me - weight is good (though i'm up 2.6 since last week!), measurement is perfect, and blood pressure is normal... besides my allergies - i don't really have any complaints except for i now have ONE pair of capris that fit... since i am finally going to see my old roommate that had twins in may - i am hoping she will have some that i can have (why buy when you can borrow?)... i think i've gotten all the wear out of my 'normal/bigger' clothes and think it's time to just suck it up and accept that a stretch-panel can be my friend... here are my updated stats - i'm still holding at a good weight, but am expecting to gain more each week until i deliver this little guy (7 weeks to go!)... :)

• current weight: 195
• gained so far: 24.2 pounds
• how many weeks: 32

the nursery was finally cleared-out this past weekend, after the basement was reassembled and things were move downstairs... we also have an extra dresser in our bedroom which is making things tight for the time being, but it's nothing i can't handle... eric managed to get the ceiling painted on sunday and that's as far as we've gotten... monday we visited a daycare center and shopped at home depot, and last night - we ran to another home depot and then IKEA to find an area rug... no such luck, but it was swedish meatball night and we had dinner instead... i WILL be starting the walls tonight, come hell or high water! :)

work has been less-busy then i would like, but that just means september will be hectic and maybe that's a good thing so it will distract me from being pregnant (or make things worse, who knows)... my boss said that the designer who used to work here, is going to freelance for us while i'm on leave, so that makes me feel better... she just finished grad school and is looking for a job, so in the meantime - she can help us out... yay! :)

guess that's all the updating i have for today - hope you're having a good week!

happy wednesday...

tired of peeing downstairs

wow, i didn't realize that it had been almost a week since i last posted... the bathroom remodel is going slower than expected - the tile was put down on friday and then the grout on saturday... that's it for weekend work and i'm a bit unhappy about that, so eric's going to talk to the guy tonight and see what's going on... i would hope it's done by this coming weekend since i'd like to get the house back in-shape before we move onto the kitchen... it's also becoming more annoying during the night when i have to pee since our other bathroom is downstairs... =(

we've decided to do a tile floor since we already have wood in the LR and DR - adding yet another kind/color in the kitchen wouldn't look as nice (all 3 rooms are next to each other)... the guy already gave us a price for laying the tile (we'd buy the supplies again) and he said it wouldn't take longer than a week (removal of old floor, new subfloor, lay the tile, grout, and then seal)... as for the countertops - i'm going with a black granite and have contacted about 6 companies for estimates (go me!)... still waiting on 2 more quotes and then we'll be able to make a decision and maybe get the ball rolling next week... exciting indeed!

i'm also getting my antique couch and chair redone for the LR... unfortunately, this will not be a cheap job but it was my great aunt's (mom's side) and i've been told, in so many words, that i can't get rid of it... even though i can probably buy 5 new pieces for the same cost - it's nice to have something that's been passed-down and hopefully enjoyed for many years to come...

my mom and i did some thrift-store shopping saturday, and also hit kohl's and lowe's... she is not the best person to go maternity clothes shopping with because everytime i'd say i didn't like a shirt or dress - she'd get mad... i know that i need to dress differently now, but that doesn't mean i have to wear something that's ugly... meanwhile, my sister sent me a package with some baby clothes and 3, very cute maternity shirts - i told her that i wished mom had the same taste as she did... =)

well, work has been quiet and i'm going to take advantage of the boss being out and hit the gym late today... i had a great spin class on saturday too - she really kicked our butts!

happy monday...

i think your scale is broken

it was a busy weekend, that's for sure... i had quite the success on saturday with mom - we hit 3, big yard sales and though it may be early, i picked-up some great baby clothes... this one woman had THE nicest things (gap, ralph lauren, etc.) for dirt cheap, so my mom and i went thru the rack and picked-out a few things... eric had thought i spent a fortune, but when i said i only paid $4 - he was flabbergasted... i have no issues with buying clothes that i know were probably only worn once or twice - why pay full price for something the baby will either throw-up on or poop in... ;)

after the yard sales - we hit some normal stores and i grabbed some more stuff for my trip... i found the cutest pair of lands end shoes, a reversible jacket, some socks, a few shirts, and a bigger belt since all of mine (ahem) are now too small... i treated mom to dinner for mother's day and bought her a new purse (might as well have her pick-out what she likes, right)... i finally pulled-up to my house around 9:00 pm and was exhausted...

yesterday, we had a new roof installed... there were some times that were questionable (like running out of shingles), but they finished around 7:00 and it looks great... the weather was a bit windy but otherwise gorgeous - seemed like fall really... i did some more shopping at target last night and should really make a point in going every sunday at 9:00 because the store was empty!

this morning i had 2 doctor's appointments - my endocrinologist upped my lovenox dosage so now i'm doing 2 shots a day (AM and PM)... he said because i've had a clot before, that i'm at a higher risk of getting another while pregnant so that's why i'm going up to 60mg... he said my levels are perfect otherwise, so that's good news...

as for my OB - i was utterly shocked when the nurse said i hadn't gained anything this month... i really feel like i have, but i guess it's just my body shifting around? i also have to start getting a sonogram of my cervix every 2 weeks since i had a LEEP procedure years ago and my cervix may become thinner much sooner... with all these appointments, i'm glad i'm organized and can keep track of everything because it's quite overwhelming... guess i should get used to it, huh...

the last pic is of my salad today - the lettuce is straight from our garden and contains: baby romaine, arugula, and green leaf... i also mixed in some cranberries, walnuts, gorgonzola, tomatos, and grilled chicken... yum-o... =)

hope you're having a great monday...

mondays suck

this week will be my last before surgery on friday, and it will be a busy one! there's so much going on with our annual meeting because it's now 4 conferences-in-one, which means 4x the work... all i have to look forward too is going on our much-needed honeymoon once it's all over - sometime in mid-may... =)

we had a productive weekend and am happy to report that we found a mattress at macy's on saturday... not only was it highly rated by consumers that bought it, it was half-price! yes, it's the floor-model but seriously - why pay $1200 when you can pay $600! they only keep them on the floor for 6-months and it's in near-perfect condition... it has a firm side (for eric) and a plus side (for me) but actually - there's not that much difference between the two, so we can still rotate it every 6-months... i am so happy and can't wait to have this weekend! =)

on saturday night, we had some friends over for dinner - eric made 2 kinds of quiche and i made spinach manicotti with homemade sauce, thank you very much... it was very tasty and i'm looking forward to having leftovers for dinner tonight... on sunday, i was extremely lazy and pretty much vedged-out on the couch all day while eric tinkered in his office, working on a new web-server... i did some laundry but had cleaned a lot on saturday, so i felt i had a good excuse to do nothing... we watched the USA/Canada hockey game last night, which was great, and then eric got into watching curling so i went to bed...

i got my south beach book today and i have much to read before friday... i don't plan on starting until next week so i can give myself the weekend to feel semi-normal after surgery, but will need to go to the store and stock-up on healthy stuff...

well, that's it for me - hope you're having a great monday! =)

i bought a pair of these sketchers, shape-up sneakers today - thought they'd be good for my walks to and from the metro... eric knows someone that has a pair and loves them, so i figured 'what the hell'... anyone else have a pair?

today has been yet another lazy and relaxing day... i ventured to kohl's to see if i could find some pants (none fit - ugh) and ended up buying a brown, cable-knit turtlenck and some new undies (which eric is happy about)... then i went to target and was shocked to see their christmas stuff almost wiped out! guess i waited too long, but i did get another bin and will consolidate my decorations once they are taken down... they were having a great sale on lean cuisine meals too ($2.25/ea) so i stocked-up for the week - so nice that they have the WW points on the box... i'm terrified to step on the scale but have too - it's time to face the facts and start working-on getting this weight off... yet again...

eric and i have been watching a lot of movies lately - inglorious bastards, the davinci code, angels and demons, and the hangover... so far, all have been pretty good - you can never go wrong with a quentin tarantino movie, but have to say - i still prefer his older ones...

well, we're going to head-out and grab some thai for dinner - perfect for such a cold, winter's day... hope you're having a great weekend...

happy saturday...

i can't find my car

it has been snowing here since last night - almost 24 hours straight... as of about an hour ago, the ruler in our backyard said 18" which is crazy - DC hasn't had snow like this in years! it's broken records, left and right, and will continue to do so until tomorrow when it finally stops... we have decided to not start shoveling until then so for now, we'll be staying indoors and letting nature take its course... :)

yesterday was my last day at work until the 29th... i hit the MVA, bright and early, and got my new driver's license which took less than 40 minutes! wow! after that - i hit target, kohl's, the grocery store, baja fresh, the mall, and target one more time (but a different one)... i was able to finish most of my shopping, but still have a few small things to pick-up this week - so glad i was home before rush hour and before the snow started... last night - i disassembled my centerpieces and washed the mason jars,  next will be going thru the lanterns and linens to see what i can resell... :)

eric and i watched the movie "9" today - very interesting... might watch 'the davinci code" and "angels and demons" later - tomorrow, it's football... yay! can't wait to make chicken noodle soup... :)

hope everyone is having a great weekend... :)

happy saturday...

i did my part to stimulate the economy

i had to peak on the scale this morning and as expected, it's below yesterday's weigh-in as well as last week's - so there's hope after all... i WILL be going out of town though, which is always hard since my sister always has such tasty-treats in the house... it's like, "wow, i haven't had corn chips in a while" or "pop-tarts taste best straight from the toaster" kind of thing, but i will do my best since that's all i can do...

after my chiro appt last night (i've decided NOT to do the functional training), i met my mom at kohl's to do some shopping since we both had 30% coupons... i spent over a $100 but got some great deals like heavy-weight flannel sheets, space-saving hangers (since eric's closets are t-i-n-y), and some new workout capris... there was some other stuff that found it's way into my cart, but i saved over $50 + most of the stuff was already on sale... that's my kind of shopping! and the best part - mom gave me some leftover homemade potato & sausage soup that i'll be having for lunch today... go mom! :)

for those of you that watch LOST - man, that show just keeps throwing stuff at you, every, single week... love it! :)

since the weather was SO great yesterday - i went for a walk/jog down by GW and then back up constitution ave... people were out, doing their thing, like it was summer! believe me, i know it won't last but it was nice being outside without a jacket for a change... :)

happy thursday...

adios 2008

i was dreading coming to work today since i had such a long weekend but it hasn't been bad actually... my boss was going to come in late but then decided to take the whole day which is fine by me, even though she had wanted to take us to lunch... we might order chinese anyway and i need to keep things light since tonight eric & i are going to the melting pot with 6 other people... we hadn't made real plans for new year's and this came up on monday - he thought it would be fun so he told them yes.. i don't know his friends very well so i'm a bit unsettled plus our reservations aren't until 10:30pm (and it costs $65/person, not including alcohol)... bah! i'm going to be (a) starving and (b) tired by then but what can you do - i sound like such an old maid but i can't help it... staying home, ordering take-out, watching a good movie, and then watching dick clark's rocking new year's sounds like a great night to me... there's always next year i guess... ;)

i had a good day-off yesterday - went to the chiro and then spent the rest of the day with mom shopping... we seem to be doing that a lot lately but there were no clothes involved this time - instead, we walked around and visited a lot of nice, small shops... many had christmas items marked down but i didn't pick-up anything amazingly enough... we also had mexican for lunch/dinner and stuffed ourselves - who can pass up fried ice cream with honey/caramel sauce! ;)

yes, i didn't buy any clothes yesterday but i did find some nice things on coldwatercreek.com today --> go here and you'll find a code for 70% off... not a bad deal considering how expensive their stuff is, i got a cute dress for like $17... whooo hooo! :)

i wish you all a safe and Happy New Year, and here's looking to a healthy and happy 2009~

ode to beaker

thought i would share some holiday muppet fun... :)

my weekend has been pretty lowkey so far - took friday off and my mom and i did our usual christmas shopping extravaganza... we wear our red santa hats and go somewhere new each year - people always comment so i'm glad that i'm able to do that with her... i still have more shopping to do - this year i just haven't had the motivation or energy to shop like usual... my family always says that we're not doing presents but then end up getting small stuff for each other anyway... eric's presents have been done and are wrapped under my tree, same with my mom, but i still have more to get so guess i'll be doing that this week... i also need to plan my menu for christmas dinner - saw some good ideas on 'guys big bite' this morning so i need to visit foodnetwork.com and print out some recipes... :)

i'm feeling that part of my lack of motivation/energy is because of my thyroid meds - i was put on synthroid back in the spring and then decided to try generic since it's cheaper and some say, does the same thing... but after a few months - i just haven't been feeling like my usual self (hard to explain in words) and did some research online... some say that you should never switch and that some people just don't respond well to generic brands - though my levels are still 'normal', i asked the doctor's office to give me a new RX for synthroid again... i'm hoping this helps... for those of you with thyroid problems - have you had this same problem? just curious...

well, i'm off to watch some football with eric - dinner is in the crockpot (pot roast) so the rest of my day is going to be easy...

enjoy the rest of your weekend... :)

clean as a whistle

hi guys... again, sorry for the lack of posts but between my cable/internet/phone STILL being out and work being crazy, i just haven't had the time... comcast came out on wednesday and proceeded to tell me that the connection between my apartment and the main box was not working - well, doh, thanks for telling me... SO they have to come back out on saturday morning to fix and i hope they do! even though it's been an interesting experience not being "connected", it's been difficult since my cellphone doesn't work that well in my apartment... such is life i guess so wish me luck!

eric's procedure (colonoscopy) is this afternoon so i took the day-off to drive him back and forth... he hasn't had any food since yesterday at 1:30 and had to take these huge horse pills both last night and this morning to "clear things out" in preparation... we were talking last night about where he'd like to have lunch once he's done and he jokingly said, "i want a blommin' onion and steak salad from outback steakhouse"... i hope that's not the case... ;o)

this morning i also ran to IKEA to pick-up a dresser for my niece - luckily, there is one less than 20-minutes from here so got there nice and early... it was nice being able to walk around the store without a huge crowd so i grabbed some large tealights for my bath nights, a new non-stick frying pan, some energy-saving lightbulbs, and new doormats for eric's house... i think i was there/back in about an hour which isn't too shabby... :o)

i'm not sure if i'll be taking the laptop with me today but if not, i should have some time later to catch-up with everyone's blogs... i dread going home tonight since there won't be anything to do but i'm glad that all the good shows don't premier until next week... :o)

happy thursday...

do you have that in a size 8?

AL DESKO (al.DES.koh)) adv. eating at your desk:
my report is due today, so i'm dining al desko

i will have to think of some interesting topics now that i'm not posting my weekly weigh-ins... since my boss was out today, i brought both my latest copies of rachael ray and oprah magazines - only got thru one of them... mind you, i DID have work to do so it wasn't like i slacked-off all day (just a tiny part of it)... anyway, the above word was in rachael's mag and i thought it was cute since that's me, every, single day... i eat at my desk and use my real lunch hour to go to the gym - today i had a salad with: greenleaf lettuce, red peppers, grape tomatoes, blue cheese, and sliced almonds... mmm mmm... :o)

question: what do you guys eat for lunch every day? do you eat the same thing or do you switch things up from day-to-day? just curious... ;o)

in other news, i have been on the search for some dark brown shoes to go with one of the dresses i'm wearing this weekend (2 weddings) and as of yesterday, no such luck... who would've thought that it would be this hard to find something nice AND something that won't hurt my foot (the one i've had 4 surgeries on)... i get so frustrated when i can't wear a certain style but there's not much i can do... anyhoo, i went to filene's basement tonight after work and whatdayaknow - they had the cutest pair of dark brown slip-ons, that aren't too high, and won't hurt after wearing them for an hour... yea, they were $40 but they're steve madden so it was a good deal in my book... i also found a cute necklace and a pair of earrings to go w/my other dress - guessing that they would match, i was right-on-target when i got home... mission accomplished! :o)

happy hump day...

weigh-in

the weightloss gods are being very kind to me this week, the scale showed an .8 pound loss this morning... i have been counting zero points and haven't exercised since saturday's spin class... work has just been too crazy and stressful but since the meeting starts today - it will all end very soon... i can't tell you how much i am looking forward too getting my life back into a normal routine - my body has been missing exercise (and so have i)... and my sleeping patterns are starting to go back to normal as well - waking up at 6:30 is such a dream! ;o)

i went over to the hotel yesterday afternoon to attend a stage/presentation run-through, as well as to check on a few other things... i took some pics of booth and didn't realize til last night, when i was going thru them, that the panels were put on the wrong sides... so i frantically sent an email and thankfully, someone else had caught it and the problem was resolved... *whew*... i'm now printing a banner to be used for tv-interviews - we bought one of those large format printers so it's come in very handy for last-minute projects... besides some web-postings and updates (and then the major website redo on monday) - i'm done with this damn conference... :op

since i was done w/my hotel stuff a bit early yesterday, i ran a few errands, and then did some more shopping... i found another cute dress at marshall's and decided to take back the one i just bought at penny's last week - i like it but i don't LOVE it so back it goes... i had 2 other red/black dresses in my closet and i feel the need to expand my colors a bit... the new one is chocolate brown & light teal and i'll be wearing it tomorrow for the reception/dinner... :o)

that's about it for me right now... since my boss will be attending the meeting, i'm going to enjoy her not being here and get caught-up on everyone's blogs...

happy hump day!

weigh-in

this past week was not perfect by any means, for tracking or exercising, but the scale said otherwise - i lost 3 pounds and accomplished losing what i gained last week and then some! whoo hooo! i really REALLY want to keep this momentum going because it feels great and i'm SO close to my goal... as long as i can keep things together at work, i will make more of an effort to get away from my desk for an hour and exercise... work will always be there when i get back... ;o)

i took today off because i had a doctor's appt. in the morning and a dentist appt. in the afternoon - my heart murmur is just that, a murmur, and nothing serious or anything for me to worry about... a lot of people have them, he said, and they're going to monitor it once a year to make sure everything remains in-check... the doc also took blood and will get the results in a few days to see if the synthroid level he has me on is right - he asked if i felt better and i said i felt fine, like i did before... i wasn't feeling bad or having any symptoms before the medication so maybe i won't feel anything after everything has levels out - who knows!

after i got home from the docs, i did 40-minutes on the treadmill, hit the shower, and then picked-up my mom (i take her along when she's not busy)... i headed to the dentist where once again, i was commented on how nice my teeth and gums are (note: i NEVER floss!) and i also have no cavities! since i rescheduled my hair appt. for later in the day - we had lunch at chipotle and then went to coldwater creek to exchange a jacket she got me (i needed a size small which still amazes me)... i tried on some dresses, since i now have two weddings to go too this summer, and found a knock-out dress with black lace over light blue satin on sale for $29... i also got another one that is cream with flowers, very flowy, and on sale $19 - the best part is that the dresses are in a size 8! i've never had dresses in a size 8! EVER! wow! i literally stood in front of the mirror, in both shock and awe, because what i was seeing was not what i'm used too... as much as a bitch and moan about gaining/losing - i think i've finally realized that my body HAS changed and all this hard work IS paying off... i'm glad no one else was in the dressing room because i probably looked really strange in front of the 3-way mirrors! ;o)

after shopping - it was off to get my haircut, then i dropped off mom, and headed to panera bread to meet two of my girlfriends for dinner... their new creamy tomato soup is to die for, if anyone's curious... i also ran to kohl's because my mom had a 30% coupon and i ended up getting another dress (for work) that will look adorable with black capri tights and ballet slippers... can you tell that when i go shopping, i GO shopping... :o)

hard to believe i have to go back to work tomorrow but it was a productive day and i'm ready to dive back into meeting material... unless there's a miracle, i will probably work on saturday - i just know things are going to start flying and flying fast so it's better to get what i can done now, and worry about the last-minute stuff later... i don't mind really because i can dress casual, play loud music, and not worry about people bugging me... :o)

happy hump day...

extended weekend

i am totally enjoying my day-off... had a nice sleep-in, made some coffee, had some breakfast, started the laundry, and then headed out to do some errands... i dropped some things off at the goodwill, then ran to rugged warehouse to look at their sneakers (didn't find anything), and then ran to ross to see what kind of bargains i could find... since there's a slight possibility that i'll have to go to this black-tie event in may, i looked thru their dresses and tried a few on... the gods must be with me today because i not only found one but it's red, a size 8 (what?!?!), AND marked down to $13.99... i will post a pic when i'm looking more presentable (total baseball hat day)... i also hit the grocery store and have dinner in the fridge as i type: chicken breasts marinating in soy sauce, olive oil, fresh lime juice, fresh ginger, and scallions... i will also be hitting the 5:30 spin class so this day won't be a total wash... :o)

my weekend was good and the visit w/my dad wasn't as bad as i thought... he looked a lot better than i was expecting though i think the time has come where he no longer recognizes me... we did some exercises, helped him eat lunch both days, as well as pushed him around the hallways... my sister and i had a long discussion about his final plans - so much to think about and decide, it's scary... my father was not a saver so what we have to work with, is not much - sorry to bring up such a morbid subject but has anyone dealt with cremation? even though he expressed to my sister before he got sick that he wanted to be buried in a VA cemetary - we think between funeral costs and overall logistics, it would be hard on everyone... i'm going to talk to a close friend who's been thru the process but wanted to throw that question out there (feel free to email me)...

anyway, i'm going to look thru my fitness magazine and enjoy the rest of my day... :o)

happy president's day...

i love you trader joe's

PRODUCT REVIEW: just wanted to let you know about two wonderful things i found at trader joe's on friday... i went after work and yes, i was hungry (which is never a good idea) and while there - i found these... one was a french-style flatbread pizza w/ham, carmelized onions, and gruyere cheese - OMG it was so good! the crust was nice and thin and very crispy - point-wise it wasn't too bad (4 pts per serving)... second, i picked-up a box of their pumpkin bread/muffin mix and though NOT very WW friendly (5 pts. per muffin), i made them to take to work (cus i'm nice that way!)... i drizzled them w/icing and topped them w/walnuts - mmm mmm... i wouldn't normally make this kind of thing for around the house but they did make my apartment smell really good... :o)

FOOTBALL: it wasn't just hard watching the redskins get their asses beat last night, it was utterly painful... 52-7... are you kidding me? at least the steelers won - 1 out of 2 ain't bad...

SHOPPING: after getting my haircut saturday morning, my mom and i proceeded (yet again) to go shopping all day - so much for helping her around the house... i started off looking for navy shoes but then i found a few long skirts and some new tops - i told her that i can't go shopping w/her anymore and she just laughed... we had dinner at the diner and split a gyro and open-faced reuben samich - mmm mmm... we also hit the goodwill and after searching all day for a long black skirt, i found one there - by old navy - for $4... i hate when that happens... ;o)

WEEKEND: i didn't make it to the gym yesterday because i slept-in and then was up at 8am anyway - i hate when that happens... i proceeded to clean my entire kitchen and bathroom, do laundry, hem some pants, swap my bathroom rugs and shower curtain, meet a girlfriend for lunch, finish the harry potter book (very good indeed, i'm glad to be done but also very sad!), and make some chicken taco soup for dinner... my mom stopped by to watch the game for a bit and then eric was here, to pick-up norman, on his way back from pittsburgh... it was a busy and productive day, so i was pretty pooped by the time i went to bed...

FOOD: i totally felt like i overdid things this weekend - first it was the pizza on friday, then dinner on saturday, and then lunch w/my girlfriend yesterday... i never eat out that much... yes, my choices could've been better and maybe if i had exercised, i wouldn't feel like such a loser but what are you gonna do... i was back OP today and had a great, 40-minute interval hill workout on the treadmill so i'm feeling much better... :o)

happy monday...

weigh-in

can i get a drumroll, please... this week's weigh-in was the best i've had in a very, very, long time...

--> 3.2 pounds <--

i couldn't believe my eyes so i stepped on it like 5 times, just to make sure... that means i'm only 6.6 pounds away from goal which is just amazing esp. since i've been on this weightloss roller coaster for almost 3 years... i can't even fathom what that is going to be like so this should be interesting... will i be happy when i get there? will i want to lose more? will i be okay if i gain? who the hell knows but i'm pretty excited about it either way... if i can do well at losing, i can definitely handle maintenance (i think)... :o)

work has been busy, as usual, i skipped the gym yesterday and then was in a bad mood so i skipped my kickboxing again... i have ONE more class on thursday and i will be going, come hell or high water... and then today, the gym was closed because of a water heater repair so i put on my sneakers and went for a nice walk... to filene's basement... and there i got some tights, pantyhose, and 2 pair of spanx ($11.99/each) even though my goal was to look at shoes... didn't find any so i'll have to search elsewhere - need some navy heels to go w/one of my wrap dresses i got this weekend... :o)

i watched biggest loser last night and was surprised at who they sent home... he was one that i knew was going to look pretty cute when he lost weight, and i was right... love that little chin patch too! meow! ;o)

tonight's plans include dinner w/a girlfriend that i haven't seen in ages and then home, to continue reading harry potter... i swear i'm going to finish this book before then end of the month, if it kills me... :op

happy hump day...

we closed the place down

my mom and i went to the vanity fair outlets in reading, pa, yesterday and did some serious damage (me anyway)... we haven't been there since i was in college and it was staple growing up to shop there for jeans and underwear... now, they have expanded and most of the major outlet stores can be found there - my goal was to find a nice suit, some pants, and some shoes... the most exciting part of the day, besides finding some great deals - was getting a pair of liz clairborne jeans in a size 8... i highly recommend this style esp. if you're full in the hips like myself - they fit wonderfully and include spandex, which is a girls best friend... the outlets close at 9:00pm and my mom were rushing thru the easy spirit store at 8:45 - talk about cutting things close... after stopping for dinner, i made it home after midnight and went straight to bed - shopping can really wear you out!

the only thing i did NOT find yesterday were some new black boots and heels - i have a hard time finding anything can fit around my huge calves (my right one measures 16.5" because of the bloodclot a few years back)... i tried on a pair at naturalizer, because they have a wide-shaft style, but for $79 and non-leather i thought that was a bit steep... so bright and early this morning, i went online and found these instead - i ordered a pair of black AND brown and hope they are as good as they look... talk about luck! :o)

i told myself i would sleep-in this morning but was wide-awake at 7:30 for some reason... max and i had a good cuddle in bed and then i got up, unpacked my shopping bags, started doing laundry, and made coffee... i'm heading over to eric's later to watch the redskins game and then we're taking the harley out for a nice ride... the weather has been gorgeous here lately so we're going to take advantage of it - i hope YOU are having a great weekend too... :o)

and for all you weight watchers, check this out... it can't help but make you smile! :o)

happy sunday...