Well 2011 was a slow blog year. I just looked at my posts and saw that I only had 34 for 2011. When compared to the 55-80 I have for other years, that is pretty low. Whoops!
I think I'll blame it on getting a job. Being gainfully employed again must have cut down on my blogging time. Probably owning a home did the same thing as well...
I think I ended up enjoying 2011 just a little bit too much. I gained about 10 pounds in the last half of the year which I am now working to take off. I'm making a conscious effort to exercise and eat healthfully so that I can slim back down again.
It all starts with my challenge to myself. That's right- I'm uping my ante. I decided that 2012 is the year I start to challenge myself a bit. I've got some books on my wish list to sharpen my mind, I'm going to work on my body and I'm really proud of how far I've come emotionally. If you'd asked me 3 years ago where I thought I'd be right now- the answer would have been completely different. I feel good about where I am now and where I'm going. Being unemployed takes a lot out of a gal and I'm finally back on track. I'm dreaming again and setting out to make those dreams a reality. One thing I'm grateful for learning was that it is ok to let things go and take life as it happens. There is a lot to be said for enjoying the moment that you're in right now.
So, on to the Challenge!
My 60 Day Challenge:
Walk on my treadmill or do yoga or some combination for 30 minutes every day.
Additionally, each day has a challenge associated with it:
Sunday: Weigh in day, for extra credit prepare healthful snacks for the week so they are ready to be a good alternative to something not-so-healthful.
Monday: When you drive somewhere, park as far away from the door so you get in extra walking time. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.
Tuesday: Substitute something not-so-healthy for an extra serving of veggies. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.
Wednesday: Weigh in day. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.
Thursday: Take the stairs today. (I work on the fourth floor of the building, so this is a good one for me!). For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.
Friday: Try to get in a 40 minute work out. This is so I can enjoy (and indulge) during date night.
Saturday: If you did any of the extra credit- treat yourself, maybe its a glass of wine or some dark chocolate.
And back to Sunday again.
So there it is. I started on 1/1/12. It was a shaky start, but I'm doing well with it now. My goal was to loose 10 pounds in 60 days. I'm already on the right track. I won't be disappointed if I don't loose the 10 pounds. What I'm looking for is how well my clothes fit. So if I feel like I'm looking good and feeling good then I'll call it a win.
Is anyone else doing an exercise program for the New Year? If so, good luck! I'm off to do my Sunday workout.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Happy New Year to You!
I've lamented the frustrations of Pinterest where you Pin, but don't actually Make... and I've decided to stop it by getting up and making something of it.
I got the Martha Stewart Homemade Holiday Crafts book for Christmas from Mom, so I put it to good use making party decorations for our New Years Eve shin-dig.
I decided on a white, gold, bronze and pink theme and then made the hanging Pom Pom like I did for my Birthday Party. I got this shimmery iridescent tissue paper and layered it between light pink sheets. I loved it so much I have kept it up for Valentine's Day.
We made up some easy snacks and then had visitors through out the afternoon and evening.
I pulled everything off our Buffet and assembled a drinks station in where we had it all set up for our Poker Party. No money exchanged hands, it was just for funsies. In here I had a bronze and pink Pom Pom, which looks really nice with our curtains!
I had come up with our signature drink- the Cranberry Cooler- cranberry juice, lime juice and club soda- that you could spike with whatever you wanted. I liked the vanilla vodka, Steven liked the whiskey.
I used Martha's tutorial for drink stirrers, or as Grandpa would have called them- swizzle sticks. Just a Pom Pom from the craft store glued onto a skewer. I put them in a shot glass I had.
I found some gold noise makers and used the tutorial to embellish them with some gold stripped tissue paper and pink tissue paper I had around the house. They were a hit at midnight. 
Everyone sat down to play Texas Hold'em and Black Jack. Having Darren as the Black Jack dealer came in handy- he's a mental math pro. He even dabbles at counting cards, so he could give you a pretty good indicator of what would happen. It was very fun to play with everyone and actually use our Poker Set. It reminded me of the old days when would sit down with Dad and our poker chips at home. We'd tell stories and have snacks and just have a good time.
We had to tear ourselves away from the game at 11:45 to pour champagne and watch the ball drop. Good Times!
I got the Martha Stewart Homemade Holiday Crafts book for Christmas from Mom, so I put it to good use making party decorations for our New Years Eve shin-dig.
I decided on a white, gold, bronze and pink theme and then made the hanging Pom Pom like I did for my Birthday Party. I got this shimmery iridescent tissue paper and layered it between light pink sheets. I loved it so much I have kept it up for Valentine's Day.
We made up some easy snacks and then had visitors through out the afternoon and evening.
I pulled everything off our Buffet and assembled a drinks station in where we had it all set up for our Poker Party. No money exchanged hands, it was just for funsies. In here I had a bronze and pink Pom Pom, which looks really nice with our curtains!I had come up with our signature drink- the Cranberry Cooler- cranberry juice, lime juice and club soda- that you could spike with whatever you wanted. I liked the vanilla vodka, Steven liked the whiskey.
I used Martha's tutorial for drink stirrers, or as Grandpa would have called them- swizzle sticks. Just a Pom Pom from the craft store glued onto a skewer. I put them in a shot glass I had.
I found some gold noise makers and used the tutorial to embellish them with some gold stripped tissue paper and pink tissue paper I had around the house. They were a hit at midnight. 
Everyone sat down to play Texas Hold'em and Black Jack. Having Darren as the Black Jack dealer came in handy- he's a mental math pro. He even dabbles at counting cards, so he could give you a pretty good indicator of what would happen. It was very fun to play with everyone and actually use our Poker Set. It reminded me of the old days when would sit down with Dad and our poker chips at home. We'd tell stories and have snacks and just have a good time.
We had to tear ourselves away from the game at 11:45 to pour champagne and watch the ball drop. Good Times!
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
This was our first official Christmas here at the house because last year everything was in boxes and waiting to be carted over to the new place until the day after.
This time we got to relish in all things Christmas related. We had to rearrange furniture to allow for our tree, but thankfully, we both liked the new arrangement just as much as the old one. Here's Steven with our tree.
We spent Christmas Eve with Steven's Family, but I didn't take any photos there. Here we are at my sister's house for Christmas morning. Colin is going to play Santa and distribute gifts. Cruiser is looking to see if anything is for him...
Ethan is enjoying his new trike! He really motors around on that little thing!
We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Aunt Donna joined us and made a beautiful centerpiece out of practically nothing, which was really impressive. Shelly had picked up some free greenery from Freddies and she just looked at it and said, Oh, I can make something out of that. I wish I had a photo because it was beautiful. We had really good food and everyone stayed and talked and snacked until pretty late.
It was our last chance to see Papa and Mimi for a while since they were headed South for the winter. I can't wait to visit them!!
I hope everyone had a lovely and fun holiday season! Best Wishes to you all!!
This time we got to relish in all things Christmas related. We had to rearrange furniture to allow for our tree, but thankfully, we both liked the new arrangement just as much as the old one. Here's Steven with our tree.
We spent Christmas Eve with Steven's Family, but I didn't take any photos there. Here we are at my sister's house for Christmas morning. Colin is going to play Santa and distribute gifts. Cruiser is looking to see if anything is for him...
Ethan is enjoying his new trike! He really motors around on that little thing!
We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Aunt Donna joined us and made a beautiful centerpiece out of practically nothing, which was really impressive. Shelly had picked up some free greenery from Freddies and she just looked at it and said, Oh, I can make something out of that. I wish I had a photo because it was beautiful. We had really good food and everyone stayed and talked and snacked until pretty late.
It was our last chance to see Papa and Mimi for a while since they were headed South for the winter. I can't wait to visit them!!
I hope everyone had a lovely and fun holiday season! Best Wishes to you all!!
Christmas Tea for Two
Shelley and I enjoyed our Annual Christmas Tea for Two back in December. She picked me up and we exchanged gifts before leaving for shopping and Tea time.
I found her an amazing scarf with a vintage black and white photograph of a woman driving a convertible screen printed on the silk. It is quite large, here she is holding it up:
I received a white scarf and some Ugg slippers that I really wanted (our house gets cold!). We also exchanged ornaments. It has become a tradition to wrap our gifts to each other with an ornament adorning the package. This year I received some blown glass cupcakes and a pink macaron. I put a hand blown glass champagne bottle on hers.
On to tea! We always end up seated at the same spot. The room is lovely with a grand tree. The color scheme changes every year and this year it was neutrals. We fit in very well!
No tea is complete without champagne! Cheers to a happy holiday season and the start of a new year!
I found her an amazing scarf with a vintage black and white photograph of a woman driving a convertible screen printed on the silk. It is quite large, here she is holding it up:
I received a white scarf and some Ugg slippers that I really wanted (our house gets cold!). We also exchanged ornaments. It has become a tradition to wrap our gifts to each other with an ornament adorning the package. This year I received some blown glass cupcakes and a pink macaron. I put a hand blown glass champagne bottle on hers.
On to tea! We always end up seated at the same spot. The room is lovely with a grand tree. The color scheme changes every year and this year it was neutrals. We fit in very well!
No tea is complete without champagne! Cheers to a happy holiday season and the start of a new year!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
2011 Christmas Craft
I'm going to blame Pinterest for my recent craft obsession. Everyone keeps putting up all these adorable DIY projects and I can't help but instinctively think, "I can make that!"... So when I was at Target back in November and they put out this adorable little jingle bell tree I snapped a pic so I could make at home. They wanted 20 dollars for this:
So I took myself to Michaels and bought some supplies. A green tree foam, and a few packages of jingle bells. Turned out I needed 6 packs to cover this baby. I decided to do the traditional colors, but they had the bright jingle bells just like Target as well. I used a votive holder for the base, but you could get one of the small metal pails like the one at Target. Oh, and a lot of hot glue.
I decided to cover the green form with some black ribbon in case any thing showed through, I didn't want the green color to be seen. You can skip this step. I just used some old ribbon I had around and hot glued it to the form. You don't have to be precise at all.
Then I just started dabbing hot glue and putting on the bells. I filled in the spaces with smaller gold bells that had no glitter. But I love the glitter on the red and green ones. It gives it a little sparkle.
Finally, after I had covered the whole thing, and made a few trips back to Michaels for more supplies, I had finished product. The form is so heavy after all the metal bells that I haven't attached it to the votive holder yet. I plan to hot glue it eventually, but for now it just sits on top of the holder.
Ta-da!
Shelley and Kevin's Birthday Feast
This year we hosted an Indian Feast for Shelley and Kevin's birthday dinner. Steven made our favorite Beef Vindaloo (very spicy!) curry as well as East-Side crispy mashed potatoes and my favorite Creamy Raita. We also had naan to scoop up all the yummy food. The dinner was so delicious that we were almost too full for desert. Almost.
I made us some ice cream sundaes with magic shell syrup. I have never had magic shell before, but it is chocolate syrup that hardens when it hits the cold ice cream. Amazing! I flavored it with ginger powder and a little chili powder. It was warm and cold all at the same time. 
The happy birthday couple! I have no idea what we will do for next year. In 2009 we had a French feast, in 2010 we had an Italian feast. This year was Indian. What will 2012 bring? Good thing I have some time to think on that one...
I made us some ice cream sundaes with magic shell syrup. I have never had magic shell before, but it is chocolate syrup that hardens when it hits the cold ice cream. Amazing! I flavored it with ginger powder and a little chili powder. It was warm and cold all at the same time. 
The happy birthday couple! I have no idea what we will do for next year. In 2009 we had a French feast, in 2010 we had an Italian feast. This year was Indian. What will 2012 bring? Good thing I have some time to think on that one...
Our Thanksgiving
We were so busy and I was so tired that I only got one photo:
Last year I snapped a photo of Steven, Darren and our Turkey during our first black Friday movie marathon. I managed to get the second annual photo as well. Last year we did comedy movies and this year the theme was "Sequels". We were only able to watch a movie that was a sequel to something else. Everyone brought choices and we picked four different ones to watch. This is of course all after I went out shopping with Tara at midnight the night before. Steven and I didn't get home until 3:30 and then he got up and put the turkey in the oven for when our friends came over. Such a nice guy! We had a really great time with Steven's family on Thursday, our friends on Friday and my family on Saturday to watch the Civil War game. Our team lost, but we still had a great time!
Last year I snapped a photo of Steven, Darren and our Turkey during our first black Friday movie marathon. I managed to get the second annual photo as well. Last year we did comedy movies and this year the theme was "Sequels". We were only able to watch a movie that was a sequel to something else. Everyone brought choices and we picked four different ones to watch. This is of course all after I went out shopping with Tara at midnight the night before. Steven and I didn't get home until 3:30 and then he got up and put the turkey in the oven for when our friends came over. Such a nice guy! We had a really great time with Steven's family on Thursday, our friends on Friday and my family on Saturday to watch the Civil War game. Our team lost, but we still had a great time!
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