May the best card win!

With deciding to become an Independant distributor for Shaklee and sell their nature based products I decided that I need a business card. I will be selling some vitamins along with some of the most amazing and non toxic cleaning products I've ever had the opportunity to use.

I am going to put up the pictures of my top contenders and I'm hoping for input from everyone as to the one you like best and why! I thank you in advance!!

Cheers! Xoxo

Inspiration

Way too long in between posts here. I weighed in last Wednesday and lost .5 pounds. Not a lot but still better than gaining.  I haven't been quite as cautious about what I have been eating and I real,y should be especially since I haven't been as diligent about working out either. 

Thursday night I had the opportunity to meet two amazing men. They are both military men who have served our country and actually continue too. They have started their own company called Iron Art and had a contest online where you upload a picture of yourself wearing the Syracuse university Otto tee shirt they designed and they picked their favorites. I discover end Tuesday that I was one of the winners. So Thursday night they hosted a gathering and gave the winners an original framed copy of the original sketches they drew for the shirt while in Afghanistan.   Meeting these men was such a blessing and inspiration for me.  It reminded me how lucky I and the rest of this country really are.  It also really inspired me to look at things in my life differently. I want to really put forth more effort into my weight loss and tracking it, more effort into making this blog work for me,  not using my being lazy as an excuse. There are men who go on 5 day missions and barely sleep and when they aren't on missions still barely sleep because of the conditions in which they live.  Feeling tired and being lazy are no ,longer valid excuses. I want to set a better example for my boys of what hard work really is. 

With this being said I will be posting a picture of my very unflatteringly minorly clothed self as well as my measurements.  I also am going back to school in the fall to get my BA in business.  School this has spurred the idea for me to turn my sun room into a sitting room / library / office. Jim has his space in the basement that I did for him so I'd like my own space I decided. So as I go along there will,l be pictures of me and my sunroom during their transformations.

I've never felt better about the decisions I'm making as I'm continuing on my journey to 30!

Cheers! Xoxo

Ode to Ryan

I was requested by one of my friends and collegues to write a blog about him. While I'm not certain I can write an entrie blog about just him, I decided this is a good opportunity to talk about friendships I've formed that were forged both unexpectedly and purposefully. 

While Ryan was not my first restaurant manager to become my friend, he's definitely one of my most vocal and stubborn. I truly adore him and we've become good friends from where we've started. When I first took over as his restaurant accountant (RA) he gave me a horrible time and made my life hell. Ryan was needed and being Italian very loud and constantly yelling at me for something that he wanted/needed from me that I could never seem to get to him fast enough. I finally let the Italian side in me out one day and yelled back at him for being a brat.  We've been friends ever since. His store was completely remodeled almost two years ago now and when they had their Grand reopening I went. It was about a thirty minute drive and I brought my two boys with me. It was a good time and nice to meet him in person finally as well as some of the others in the store that I had the oppotunity to speak with on a regular basis. 

We joke that we are now one anothers boo's, as we are both in commited relationships and he also doesn't date "white girls" as he puts it. HAHA He sends me pictures of his kids as do I and we check in with one another on how our families are doing and what may or maynot be new in our lives. I am no longer his RA since I've begun working part time, but it doesn't stop him from calling me and asking me too look into things and adjust things for him. I don't mind since he's my friend and it's an opportuniry for us to catch up. 

So as I mentioned Ryan isn't my first RM friend. My very first friend came in the form of Matt from Ohio. He called to tell me that he'd recently won the title of Restaurant Manager of the year and he wanted to thank me for helping him whenever he needed it. He also said that he'd be coming to Syracuse later in the year and we agreed to try and meet up face to face as I'd been talking to him and been his RA for almost a year at that point and we also discovered he and I were the same age.  Matt's very best friend is Molly another RM that I was gradually becoming friends with courtesy of Matt.  Some how a conversation came up that I enjoyed baking and between the three of us decided that we were going to have a bake off. We also decided, as conversations grew more interesting and more often, that Matt and Molly should come visit us for somthing different and fun.  So Matt overnighted me some chocolate chip cookies, which I have to say were quite delicious, and the following weekend they were coming to visit so I'd make them mine when they got here. There isn't a person on the planet who didn't think all three of us were nuts for forging this friendship and that they were driving from Ohio to NY to meet a girl that didn't know other than over the phone. And how crazy was I that I was going to hang out with them and have them come here not knowing what type of people they were other than a couple of RM's I'd talked to on the phone at work and via text.  

They came and it was truly and awesome weekend. We went to Dinosaur BBQ and the next night we went to dinner and Kareokee and it was truly a riot and filled with loads of laughs. I also had another friend who came along that was a co worker of mine at the time, Alicia. 

Alicia and I had such a riot with them we decided that we were going to go out there. So Alicia and I took a Friday afternoon off and drove to Ohio. What a weekend!!! The weekend was a whirlwind, large in part because we actually stayed at Molly's house and we had a DD for the night. We did kareokee again and dinners and canoeing and bonfires. 

My relationships with Matt and Molly have become stronger over time and Molly and I have helped one another get through some difficult times and I can't help but think we were brought into one anothers lives for that purpose. Matt has also been through a lot and I don't know that I was as there for him as I was Molly, but I did make sure he knew I was here if he needed me and that is something that still stands true for them even now. 

When Ryan called me and told me that he'd been online and saw my blog posts I was actually surprised. I was even more suprised when he asked me to write about him. HAHA  He did request that I wrote soley about him and I wasn't sure I could do that, but since he put the idea in my brain I decided this was an excellent opportunity to write about my closest co workers who became freinds and how thankful I am to have them in my life and how much I appreciate their friendships. 

Cheers! XOXO 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Well I had an entire blog typed up Thursday that I thought I posted and only just realized today that I didn't. Senior moment?? Or is it too soon for that? So I suppose that I have a lot to talk about.

My weigh in on Wednesday went well, I lost a pound which is really amazing since I thought for sure that with being sick I'd be more likely to gain. I am thrilled that with drinking more water and hot tea, I've more or less been able to avoid soda which has proven to be both beneficial and difficult for me. The biggest thing initially was the headache that came with the lack of soda, however black tea seems to have remedied that a touch.  I also discovered that while being sick I drank more white tea, which has the most antioxidants in it, seemed to help me feel better as well. Cooking is something that I also love to do so I've been trying to find some amazingly delicious recipes that are healthy. I was on Google+ and sparkpeople had a recipe that looked yummy that was made with tilapia. I thought I'd give it a shot since we'd just purchased some. It was Parmesan encrusted Tilapia and low fat and was truly delicious. My boys ate all of it and there was not a bite left over. 

(this was actually Jim's plate!)

So I will continue on my weight loss journey and continue to post my losses and gains, hopefully more losses than gains! I also believe that with spring right here, and my PT coming to a close as I'm starting to get better, I can get out more and do more outside and exercise. This too will hopefully help :-) 

I write this on Easter Sunday and what an amazing day it has been for me. I baked homemade blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries and they came out terrific; though the boys were a tad skeptical at first as they are used to the box mix. They enjoyed their muffins and finding their Easter baskets. Not being a typically religious family we went back and forth on the subject of church today. 

I was raised in a very Catholic family and Jim isn't particularly religious, so the issue of us doing anything beyond baptizing the boys hasn't really been big. I fell away from the Catholic church because I don't agree with all of their ideas and ways of thinking. Jim and I have intermittently have attended a non denominational church over the past 4 years and agreed that today we would go and continue to go there as we've decided to make this a part of our lives again. The boys also really enjoyed it there and have asked if they can go back. 

I find it interesting that on the such a religious day we've made this decision but also am very happy with our choice, it was ultimately a family decision and I look forward to sharing the coming Sunday's with my family. 

I don't know that our five year old really understands the full meaning of Easter and GOD and church but he's getting there. Our eight year old definitely does and today had a lot of questions for me and is very interested in going back. He watched the better portion of The Ten Commandments last night and really liked watching it. 

Today was a very enlightening day for me. And it was amazing. 

Cheers!XOXO

Oh How Life Is Full of Changes

Well it's been a bit since I've written, It seems as though there is never a dull moment here and then I got strep?! Felt like a little kid having that and it has honestly been quite awful. Well enough gripping from me. 

Friday night I couldn't help, as I was wondering what to write about, but notice how much my life has changed. My weeks and weekends. 

Nights for me used to be about my job and going out with my friends and making sure I always had the cutest and most in-style clothing. From the age of 15 I had a job and it was working in the coatroom of a local bar/restaurant. Every Thursday through Saturday you were guaranteed to find me in the coatroom at the Scotch-N-Sirloin. As I got older I would occasionally hostess but I loved my little hole in the wall space and got to meet some of the most amazing people that way. But it was also a life style far too advanced for a teenager. All of the other employees were my elder by at least 5 years. I was the baby of the crew, but I was also babied by the crew. They let me get away with a lot and I probably experienced more between the ages of 15-18 than I ever should have, but they were my work family and I knew no different. 

Now I look at my nights and it's about bed time stories and ambiguous questions to delay bed time just a little bit more. It's about singing them the songs they choose, and usually having too look up the words! I know that my clothes aren't the most trendy and in-style fashion and my make up is rarely done if on at all and my hair . . . well lets not even go there. I will say it's one of the things I have every intention of trying to keep trendy and will get the cut and it's great for a week but then I always resort back to a bun or ponytail. But sometimes I look back on that young girl and think wow she had fun and if I could go back to that life would I, but then I think about my boys sleeping upstairs and the man sitting next to me watching TV with me and think about my yoga pants and my hooded sweatshirt and know there is no place I would rather be. 

I also have to note that my Friday nights haven't changed a whole lot. I went from eating on Friday nights with my parents from 6-15, to working there from 15-20 and then back to eating with them  there on Fridays nights again. A tradition that is now shared with my children, who will never be allowed to work there or in any restaurant now that I know what goes on behind the scenes! This is also a late fall, winter and early spring tradition. The minute the snow melts we spend our weekends at my parents house in the Adirondacks. Another tradition that I am so thankful for having experienced and am able to share with my boys. 

So while I sometimes wish that I could go back and be as thin as I was back then, that's about all I wish for. Tomorrow is weigh in day now that I've mentioned my weight. I'm hoping I lose again. I'm not sure though with this random illness thrown in. I didn't eat much and drank a lot of water but hoping that didn't cause some random bloating. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!!! 

Cheers xoxo 

Pulled Pork Recipe

I am posting the pulled pork recipe in case anyone wants it! :)

  I chose to purchase boneless pork chops, they have A LOT less fat but still just enough to create deliciously goodness! 

I live with three growing boys they eat a lot so I used all of the pork chops, with using these you can also control how much actually gets cooked. Any how I layered them in a the crock pot.

I coated them in my honey chipotle run ( i put this on everything!) 

I cover it in BBQ, not a ton though, just enough to coat each chop (i used sweet baby rays brown sugar bbq)then I set it to low for 8 hours.  After the 8 hours are up shred it with forks and serve! 

I may or may not have cheated a little here and used Near East boxed cous cous, but honestly it's so good! 

Cheers!    xoxo

Wednesday Weigh In

As I said I would in my first post, today was my weigh in day for weight watchers. Knowing that I haven't been tracking my food and haven't done much in the realm of exercise other than skiing and physical therapy, I was a little nervous to go weigh in today. As I removed my (3 ounce) bracelet and gigantic wool sweater and braced myself to step on the scale, our WW lady sensed my hesitation and ever so irritably said, "I'm ready when you are." On I stepped and OH MY GOD I lost a pound! Whoa didn't see that coming. I can say to my benefit I've been trying to drink less soda, which I seem to be horribly addicted to, more water and a lot more tea.  I actually generally despise water, I love milk and juice and pepsi max and tea, but water and I have never been friends. I am however trying to find something to make it more palatable to me. Propel seems to satisfy what my body needs in terms of its water supply and I find it mildly satisfying. It must be doing something. I can as of today proudly say that I'm down 10 pounds. I really hope that I can find the motivation to lose the next 20 by my birthday. I feel like I kind of cheated with my first 10 as it was mostly due to skiing a couple of times a week and having PT. I will continue to have PT as my back still has not healed, but with ski season having come to a close I need to find the motivation to do some other type of activity.

Being a member of the Toggenburg Ski Patrol is my winter job, it's volunteer but we have scheduled days to ski and there for it's my job to be there on the days I am signed up for. It forces me to ski which I'm thankful for because it keeps me active. Not that I don't enjoy it too, but I'm not sure I would ski as much if it weren't for this organization.  I got some end of the season spring skiing in this past Sunday with my son, it was really awesome out! :-) 

Well with all that being said if anyone has any suggestions to help get me motivated and keep me motivated I'm open to ideas! I do want to do this I guess I'm just in need of guidance...

I did make a most delicious and lower fat version of BBQ pulled pork and it was delicious! I used boneless pork chops instead of a giganticly fatty pork shoulder and I made roasted garlic and rosemary cous cous.  

If any one has any healthy recipes I'm always looking for delicious yummy healthier options to try! This was actually a very delicious meal and wasn't too many WW points either!

Cheers! xoxo