Hi Dolls!!

We had a bit of a weather bomb hit my neck of the woods yesterday!!

School shut down 2 hours early!

Which meant I was home at 3pm for the night!!

So what did I do?

Painted the kids bathroom!!!

I have been wanting to do it for awhile now, but just haven't had the time!

I had everything I needed so I got started!

This is the before pics

Not that there was anyhting terrible wrong with this bathroom, but it hasnt been painted or redecorated since we moved in! (2 years ago!)

It is a small bathroom so it is hard to get pics!

When I first started it, each of my 3 girls randomly stuck their heads in and asked what color I was going to paint it.

When I have replied "granite grey" they all wrinkled their noses!

Mini-me even commented " grey? Seriously? Mommy that is a really boring color!"

 when I replied " Honey,  have I disappointed u in any of the other rooms I have painted and decorated?" her answer " no, but u haven't painted any of them grey!!" ha!

 I have to give her credit I am going way out of my normal color schemes on this bathroom! I assured her (andher sisters) that they will love the bathroom when it was  finished!!!

Here is the after!

I still need to get a picture to go int his frame! Ha! I have an idea for one!

 Some day I would love to replace this old sink with a pedistil sink, and new ceramic tiles on the floor!

 I adore this shower curtain!!! I bought it a year ago, and based the whole bathroom redo on it!

It was a perfect fit!

I have 3 girls and there are 3 dresses!! lol

The feather boa's are sewed on fux fur!

I wanted pretty towels for this bathroom, but all the ones I liked were almost $20!!

I would not pay that much for a hand towel!!

So I went to walmart paid $3 for a plain white hand towel

$2 for some pretty ribbon

and Woila!

A pretty hand towel!

I sewed the ribbon on!

I did the same for the bath towel!

I Love how it turned out!!!

Princess, Mini me and baby love it too!!!



Hi Dolls!

How was your weekend?

We had a nice quiet one!

Friday evening was a little nasty outside with heavy snow that came down fast. I am a youth leader at my church and it was the first night back since before Christmas.

Only 4 youth showed up, because of the bad roads, so we postponed it until next week.

Saturday was a great day! The sun was shining and the snow that fell the night before was glistening!

I had a very relaxing day and got caught up on some shows I had recorded.

My girls spent the whole day playing!

 Which is very rare in this house! We always have hockey practice or games, and dance class or somewhere else we have to be on saturdays! There was a hockey tournament at the rink in our town, so all other hockey practices were cancelled! It made me kinda happy! Ha!

Then Saturday evening, I went to my friend Cheryl Perry's house who is an amazing photographer! She started a photography Club and last night was the first meeting! There was 6 of us that went! It was so nice to meet with other photographers, and aspiring photographers to talk shop!

She also had an really yummy munchie dish that I had never had before!

Caramel cream cheese apple dip!

She said it was the easiest thing to make!!

Spread cream cheese out on a plate, cover the cream cheese with caramel toping and then sprinkle with skor chipits.

  

Then dip wedges of granny smith apples and YUMO!!

Seeing as it was saturday and my cheat night, I got to try this yummy dip!

Hi Dolls!

Today's post is another ramble from moi!

It is another thing that the new year got me thinking!

I want to make this year about being grateful for the things (and by things i mean everything including people) I have in my life. The things I am blessed with.

In today's society everyone is trying to "Keep up with the Jones" and getting caught up in worldy possesions.

I recently read this quote:

"Too many people buy things they cannot afford to impress people they dont like"

And I think this is so true! Myself included!

I know I get so caught up in wanting more......wanting to buy better things......like a friend will get new living room furniture and I will find myself saying and thinking "I want new living room furniture!" When there is nothing wrong with the living room furniture I have!
.

Its AWFUL!!

I have a nice house (its a work in progress...but really what house isnt?)

I have a loving husband, & 3 pretty amazing (healthy) kids.

We have a vehicle that works, and we can afford to pay our bills and put food in our bellies, and all the other things that goes along with providing for your family.

I am beyond Blessed!!

But still there is this little voice in my head that says I need to go out and buy better stuff.

So I am making this year about appreciating the things I have, and not about the things I feel I need to run out and buy!

I am also trying to re-purpose existing items I have in my house!

For example I have a whole slew of decorations and stuff that I dont use anymore and was gonna get rid of it... (why? just to make room for better stuff of course.)

So I went threw all the stuff and found new homes (in my home) for some of it, and have given a new look to a few room s in my house!

So I really didnt need to go out and buy new decorations for the bathroom cause I had a whole bunch sitting in the storage room forgotten about!


I got 2 of these apothcary jars for christmas from my MIL and SIL
The small one in the middle I got last Christmas and it was sitting by itself on a shelf in the family room
I moved it out to the dining room to be with the other 2 and all the fillers were repurposed...

The silk flowers in the tallest one was from a...(i cant remeber what its called ha!) long string of flowers ....know what I am talking about.......??
anyway it also was in the family room collecting dust, so i ripped al the flowers off it and stuck them in the apothcary jar!

The 2nd tallest one was some berry garland that i repurposed (also from the family room)

Its not the greatest fillers, but I didnt have to go out and buy anything to go in them!

Ok this is my bathroom, like the pink sink? Gag! lol

anyway the valence I made with a old curtain panel and some scrap fabric!

The star was repurposed from the hallway

The basket on the counter was sitting in a closet full of yarn (that will never be used!! lol)

(The shower curtain I had bought a few months back...when first thinking about re-decorating)

Ok and yes I know that "re-purposed" does not technically mean how I am using the word....but you get the idea!

Also, I wish I had before pics of my bathroom, same paint but it had baby blue accents and a gold valence and gold-ish shower curtain. It was nice but I just got tired of it (after having it like that for a year or more)

SO I have been wanting to redecorate the bathroom, and I was making a list of all the new BETTER stuff i was going to run out and buy......

then I got thinking and looking and I didnt even leave the house....

The bathroom got a new look, I didnt buy a thing!

I was happy!! and Hubby was really happy!! (cause it didnt cost him a penny!)

Matthew 6:19-21          

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:15          

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Hi Dolls!

"If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got!"

Agree??

I completly agree!

So with it being a new year and all, this has been playing on my mind alot!

With trying to lose weight, and with a few other aspects of my life (but thats a post for another time!)

I have tried and tried (and tried) to lose weight!

I have been over weight for honestly the past 10 years! After being pregnant with Princess.

And at first I guess it didnt bother me, I was to busy adjusting to my new life as mother, wife, and being an adult!  Then 2 more kids and a whole slew of big life events and here I am still overweight!!

But putting the quote to work, I am not going about trying to losing weight  the same as I always have.... and Honestly I would get about 2-3 weeks in to it and quit!

Well not this time! No sir!

I am down 11 lbs in 2 weeks!

I feel really good! More energy then I have in a LONG time!

I weigh my self every morning, which I know I shouldn't do, but it keeps me accountable. Because before I put something in my mouth I think to myself, if I eat this will it reflect on the scale in the morning? and if the answer is "YES" in a negative way then no sir!, is that going in my mouth!

My weakness is potato chips! I am not a sweet lover, but oh my goodness you put a bag of chips in front of me and I am weak! ha!

Well thats how I used to be.....

My husband loves his junk food, (and yes he could afford to lose a few lbs too) he always has, and prolly always will.

I have begged and pleaded that he not bring it into the house. I dont buy the stuff, and if its not in the house I seriously dont miss it.

But him being the darling husband he is (Ha!) will not buy it for a little while but eventually gives in and there it is in the house again!

So this time I have decided that in the evening when he breaks out the chips, i need to leave the living room! For now it is the only way I can make sure I wont give in and eat chips!

And maybe he will get the hint that his wonderful wife will no longer hang out in the living room with him in the nighttime.....and maybe he will miss me and stop buying chips!!! HA! I doubt it!

But thats ok, lol I just hang out in the family room ( i get to hold the remote there! and watch what I wanna watch!) so I guess its a win win situation! Hubby gets his chips and I get my shows!

Hi Dolls!!

Anyone else loving this song?

And how cute is Luke Bryan??? HA!

I love country music, and this is one of my favorites right now!

Another country song that I heard for the first time just the other day is

Jana Kramer's (or Alex Duprex if you are a One Tree Hill Fan!)

What I Love about your Love!

Oh and in a weightloss challenge update.....

I am down 10lbs!!

I sneeked another peek on wednesday (which was one & a half weeks since i started)

I was really excited!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Hi Dolls!

I decided that today was the day that I would take Hubba Hubby and our 3 girls and do a photo session.

 

It has been a while since we did photos, so being that it was a saturday that we only had to be 1 place today (baby's dance class) instead of having back to back Hockey practice (Princess & mini-me), we did photos!

Ha!! They all make me smile!!

Hi Dolls!

I am on day 6 of my Body by Vi 90 day challenge.

I am LOVNG the shakes!!!

My favorite so far is a butterschotch flavored one!!

I am doing really well with my eating......

and I snuck a peek at the scales this morning (official weigh in is not until monday) but I am down 6 pounds!!!!! AMAZING!!!

And I feel great!!! I have energy galore!

I even got 2 workouts in so far this week! 

I did Zumba on Wedsnesday (I LOVE zumba!!)

And I played my kids Wii Just Dance 2 game!

Its fun and surprisingly it was a good work out!!

Can't wait to see what my official weight loss for week 1 is!!!!

This is the first day of the rest of my life.....

Hi Dolls!!!

Today is my first day on the Body by Vi 90 day Challenge!

If you haven't heard of it, it is the newest way to lose weight!!

It is not a gimmick or fad diet, it is a lifestyle change.

I have had people say to me ... "when you come off that you are just goning to gain back all the weigh"

Well NO I am not......

When I finish this program and stop exercising, and go back to eating junk food and crappy food (returning to my bad food choice habits) then yes! yes I will gain back the weight......what else would you expect???

But when I finish this program if I continue to push my self everyday to excercise and eat properly and healthy (stay within my 1200-1500 calories/day) then NO! no I will NOT gain the weight back!!!

I am so ready for this!!!

I have been extremely overweight now for 8 years!

Since I had my 2nd baby (and got married and feel into that beloved comfort zone)

I was at my absolute biggest after I had baby #2 (and I dont even know what I weighed cause I stopped weighing myself then)

When I got pregnant with my 3rd baby, I lost 45lbs!!

But after having her i gained back 25lbs of it :(

Since then I have yo-yoed within 30lbs.

I just have never found anything that got me truly motivated!

Until now!!

I know of actual people (relatives, and people from my town)

That have started this program and are having amazing results!!

2 of my sisters and I are doing this program together so I have support!!

I also have joined a weight loss support group and have entered into a weightloss (money) challenge!

So to keep myself accountable I will be doing a daily food/weightloss post (I will keep doing regular posts about regular stuff too)

So for Breakfast I had a Cafe Mocha Shake

Ingredients:

2 scoops Vi-Shape Mix

1 tsp instant coffee

8-10 oz skim milk

1 tsp fat free jello chocolate pudding powder

handful of ice cubes

Mix it all up in a magic bullet ( or blender) and YUM!!!

The Vi-Shape mix smells (and tastes) like vanilla cake batter!!!

I had my shake at 9am

at 10:30am I will have an apple as a snack (and I will drink LOTS of water all day)

Somewhere between 12 noon an 1pm I will have another shake......

This time I am going to have a fruity flavored one! (I will post exactly what I put in it later...and maybe a picture!)

*Update ~ My lunch time shake was a fruity one....lol

Ingredients:

2 Scoops Vi-shape mix

frozen mixed fruit (strawberries, melon, grapes)

8-10 oz skim milk

It was good!! Next time I make this one I will add some splenda to it as it wasnt assweet as I would have liked it but it was still very yummy!! and I forgot to take a picture!!!

around 2pm I will have another snack........celery & peanut butter....maybe.....

and supper tonight is

~Grilled steak (no bbq sauce :( it has too much sugar) w/ lots of spices

~steamed brocolli and carrots

~garden salad w/ fat free dressing!

I will also be weighing and measuring myself (I wont be posting that on here yet...lol)

But I will post my before pics on here!

Seeing these pics makes me so disgusted!!

How did I let myself get this big???

I was 155 in highschool (I am 5'6)

That's me in the prom dress (This picture was taken in Gr. 11)

So depressing!!!

Makes me even happier I am finally gonna do something about it!!