Giving Thanks In A BIG Way...

... for a 2 pound loss this week - even though it WAS Thanksgiving. This is even more amazing because I only tracked half the days this week - I didn't track Thanksgiving day or anything past that. However, I did NOT throw caution to the wind, lol. I ate until I was full, made good choices, etc, I just didn't formally document any of this. In the past this has been a disaster for me, but apparently I got some good practice in this week!


That means I'm only 1.6 pounds away from my NEW YEAR'S GOAL, which was 20 pounds lost.

I'll definitely be hitting that this week, barring unforeseen disaster, just because I know how my body fluctuates by now and I know that next week I'll probably see a bigger loss that this week. So, super exciting. I would love to see 25 pounds lost by the time my bestie gets here in late December, but we'll see. :)


Even more exciting to me, though, than the weight loss (and it's pretty exciting!) is that I realized this week I have a rudimentary idea of how food affects my body, and how to feed my body not just to satisfy my mouth but really to nourish the whole me. For instance, at one point this week I came back to the house absolutely starving. We'd gone black Friday shopping, I'd been up since 1:30, it was now 7, I was exhausted, had gotten less than 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, and I wanted to eat EVERYTHING. Somewhere in the middle of this haze I realized very clearly, "My body wants carbs to burn for fast energy." I had a small serving of stuffing (I was about to go back to bed, so while I realize this wasn't the best thing in the world, lol, it worked) and then I realized, "If I had some protein with this, it would make me feel so much better later" so I had a piece of turkey and I fell into bed for a few hours and - guess what? - I was right! The combo did reset my brain so I didn't have the "eat everything in sight" syndrome all day. :)

I went shopping this afternoon to look for a few pieces of clothing that I badly need. None of my clothes fit quite right anymore; I can make some of them work, but more and more everything is starting to look dowdy/baggy/ridiculous and this, more than anything, more than gaining back that pound a few weeks ago, is demoralizing to me. And it's been frustrating because it seems like I can't quite fit into anything exactly right; everything one full size down is a bit snug, everything my old size is too big.

Well, apparently that last two pounds was all that stood behind me and the next size down. I found three skirts I loved (only got two, though) and a drapey cardigan that I can use. I'm still having a terrible time finding tops to fit, since my tummy area seems the least resistant to change, so I can't wear anything too fitted, but anything too baggy looks crazy on my shoulders and arms. Oh, well. At least I found skirts! This is super exciting because one of my fav skirts and a big wardrobe staple for me hit the dust today. I tried it on, it slid off my body. No amount of cinching, layering underneath, whatever will make it work anymore. :( I picked up a black denim skirt today to replace it - still hunting for a non-denim shorter, knee-length skirt, but in the meantime this will do. I also found a decent replacement for my favorite denim skirt, until I can get it altered. :)

Picture Recap, and a Giveaway!

Remember the bootie and cap set I made for my new cousin, Kathryn?

Well, I was blessed at Thanksgiving to get to see her wearing it in person, AND her mama graciously gave me this photo of little Kat modeling it. :)

As you can probably tell, Kat has a little bit of growing to do in the noggin area before it fits perfectly... I resized the pattern from a 6-12 month pattern and clearly didn't make it small enough. Oh well! The good thing about babies is that they grow fast, and in the meantime, she doesn't seem to mind.

Last Sunday we stuffed our ham! For those of you who are not lucky enough to live in St. Mary's, stuffed ham is our regional dish. :) It actually has its roots in Africa, where natives would preserve meat with greens and spices to keep in the heat. When slaves were brought to Southern Maryland, they brought the recipe with them and adapted it to their new land. Google it for more info, but in short, stuffed ham involves tons of kale and cabbage, onion, spice, and fun. We were lucky enough to have friends from church join us!

Alexa, Dad, and I were in charge of processing the kale, cabbage, and onions. We had two food processors set up with me in the middle, trimming kale and cabbage to be minced.

Dad, deboning our ham.

Once stuffed, the ham is rolled up tightly, tied with twine, and wrapped in cheesecloth.

It sometimes requires two people - or more! :)

Thanksgiving was stressful for me this year. I love the holidays, I love being with family, and for me the holidays are a time to set aside the pettiness that we get caught up in. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this opinion, lol, and so our Thanksgiving this year was more about conflict and tension that giving thanks. :( I got lots of practice in using all the new coping techniques I've been learning in class. And that's about the best thing I can say about it.

My mom chose to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends from church instead of her family this year, so our morning was pretty much spent getting our Thanksgiving dinner ready.

In the midst of this, the cat decided to be needy and kept meowing at the door until Maggie relented and went out to hold him. :)

Such a bad cat!
We had an absolutely stunning, Normal Rockwell-esque bird this year. Even I was impressed, and normally I could really care less for turkey. I guess this is part of my tastes changing, because somehow this year I can't get enough.

I didn't get any pictures once our guests arrived, because I was having absolutely too much fun! We had a lady from church and the same family that we stuffed hams with over, and we spent all afternoon regaling each other with funny stories and tall tales. :)

Around 5, Maggie and I headed over to my grandfather's house to celebrate with my mom's family. There is nothing like being with family... as soon as we arrived, all my stress melted away and it suddenly started to feel like a true Thanksgiving. :) I am so grateful for my family - my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was especially fun to get to see the two new family additions, Kat and Zoe. :)

My Abster was there, also, but spent too much time running around shrieking in delight to be photographed. :)All in all, I am thankful for the holiday, and thankful that it's over and it'll be a year before I have to stress about it again. :)

Now - on to the giveaway...

I am not a huge crafter, but I got a chance to sit down today and make some holiday gift tags, something I've been putting off but couldn't procrastinate on any longer, seeing as the pile of wrapped gifts in my room is growing and I'm anxious to label them before I forget which gift goes to whom. :) I got all my tags made, and even got a chance to make a set of twelve tags, which I am giving away to a reader! :)

This is a set of twelve tags: four large, four medium, and four small. All are red cardstock with stamped or punched vellum overlay, tied with green ribbon.

The small tags.

The medium tags.

The large tags.

I will say the camera makes them look orangish, whereas they really are true red. Aren't they cute?

Close-up of one of the large tags.

If you'd like me to send them to YOU :), here's what you do:

1) Leave me a comment for one entry.

2) Become a follower for an additional entry.

3) Blog, tweet, or mention this giveaway in your Facebook status for additional entries (be sure to leave me the url of your blog/twitter in your comment).

I will randomly select a winner on December 4th! :)

I hope y'all are well into your Christmas celebrations by now, and that you're feeling the blessings of the season!

Black Friday

I'm one of the "crazies" - I love Black Friday shopping! I haven't gotten to do it much in the last few years since I usually had to work, but this year of course I have Friday off, and it just happened that my Christmas list was electronic and gadget-heavy, so my family compiled our list and made a plan and decided to go for it!

We all went to bed at various times last night... it was kind of a stressful holiday for some of us due to some conflict/tension in the family, so some of us took more time to unwind than others, lol. I think I was actually pretty much in the middle - I went to bed around 10 PM and my alarm went off at 1:30. I got up, got dressed, and went out only to discover that my dad's alarm clock HADN'T gone off, so I ran around getting everyone up and dressed. Maggie got up and brewed a pot of coffee and made peppermint lattes for everyone in to-go cups, so armed with our coffee, we left around 2 PM.

We arrived at the Target parking lot at 2:20 for a 4AM opening. Now, this particular strip mall has Target one on end, then a largish Dress Barn, a Hallmark store, a Bath & Body Works, a Hair cuttery, a now-empty space (used to be a dentist, I think), and then a large Giant. We figured we'd be good getting there 1 1/2 hours ahead of schedule. We ended up joining the line in front of Giant. :) I was starting to feel famished by now - that's one of the things that has changed in the last few months along with my waistline; it used to be that I was not a breakfast person at all, now I have to fuel my body or else it complains, lol - so Maggie and I took the van and went to the nearby Wawa's to get breakfast. Our plan was to get a bunch of Sizzli's and some drinks and dart back to the line. Turns out there were only two employees working that night and the wait time for anything from the deli was running 20 minutes, and they were refusing to make Sizzli's because they simply didn't have the manpower to do so.

We took a tour of the store instead, picked up some hummus, granola bites, trail mix, protein bars, and fruit, along with some juice, and headed back to the line.

Our wait passed really quickly - everyone was friendly and several of us had brought iPods and extra headphones. The only bad thing was that we were sandwiched between two smokers who insisted on blowing the smoke right in our faces. At one point my very non-confrontational-dad pulled out a sales flyer and began exaggeratedly fanning the smoke back to them. We were a little concerned about Ruthie getting set off in an asthma attack, so we kept sending her to stand away from us in the fresh(er) air, but all was well. It was a beautiful night, temperatures touching 60, so we didn't have to freeze.

While we were standing in line we had an organizational meeting where I shared my carefully crafted plan (lol): Maggie and Allen were one team - Maggie's job was to locate the items they were assigned, and Allen's job was to carry them or, if they ended up being too big or bulky to carry, to guard them until one of us could come help; Lizzie, Ruth, and I were making a run to another section to locate three more items (all pretty small in comparison), and Dad was making a run straight to electronics for his Christmas gift, a Garmin Nuvi GPS system, and, if possible, a Blueray player. Everyone was armed with a cell phone, and our plan was to meet up in front of the baby cribs. :)

We hit the store running like mad people and twenty minutes later had managed to snag EVERYTHING on our list. We rock, folks! I don't think I've ever managed to get everything on the list before! The folks at Target were totally on the ball - they were sufficiently staffed and the employees were very helpful and went out of their way to make it a pleasant experience for everyone. Even after we joined a checkout line that snaked all the way from the back of the store to the front, we were out of the store within an hour of coming in. Go Target! I have traditionally been a Wal-Mart Black Friday-er, but this has now changed. :)

We drove to the next shopping center so that Maggie, Allen, and Dad could go to Best Buy (which had a line just to get into the store, since they were over their occupancy limit) while Lizzie, Ruth, and I ducked into the peace and calm of Panera Bread to sit in the peace and get something to drink.

Our last trip was to Walmart. Totally different atmosphere - the employees were unhelpful, unpleasant, and generally looked like they hoped we'd all go away really, really soon. :) We toured the deals - of which there were many, amazingly, left - and ended up getting nothing but cat food we found on sale. :)

We met Anna, who was on her way to JoAnn Fabrics, out in the parking lot, and gave her Lizzie for company. The rest of us headed home to go back to sleep. :)

I got back to bed around 7:30 and got the best three hours of sleep in my life. :) I got up, wrapped some of my finds from that morning, and puttered around until Maggie woke up, and then we headed back out. :)

We stopped in at Gamestop and Best Buy again to see if we could locate a Wii game for one of the kids (no luck) then I went to the bank to deposit a check. We stopped in at Fashion Bug so I could try to find some clothes to round out my changing-body wardrobe (again, no luck - this is the dark side of weight loss, people! You don't know how to dress your body anymore, and not all parts of said body change the same way at the same rate. Very frustrating). By this time we were both hungry, so we ducked into our fav mexican restaurant for a late lunch/early dinnerish meal.

After dinner we both wanted a cup of kiwi green tea from our fav asian cafe, a few stores down, so we walked down, got tea, and walked back up to hit Marshalls. I picked up several gifts and finally found a gift for my new cousin. :)

We ran into the nearby dollar store to pick up gift bags and another roll of wrapping paper, then made one last trip to WalMart for a few oddly-sized gift bags and one. last. gift.

We came home, and I jumped on the computer to order my best friend's Christmas gift - I wish I could share, I'm super-excited about it!!! - and with that, folks, I am done shopping. I still have several packaged that have yet to arrive, but every gift is ordered and shipped, and at least 75% of them are already wrapped (go me!), and I'm actually excited. :) I can't wait to get into the non-shopping Christmas rituals, lol, like cookie baking and tree trimming and checking out the community events, and, of course, planning for my BFF's visit. :)

Christmas Awesomeness

Last week, on Monday, Abby and I came home, I put her down for a nap, and I jumped on the computer to order a Christmas gift. I ordered it around 1:30, maybe 2 PM. When I got home from work on Tuesday, there it was. I was pretty impressed!

Just to clarify, I did not pay for any next day or quick shipping (I mean, the whole point of shopping online is to SAVE money, not blow it on instant gratification shipping, lol). So, kudos to the postal service.

I did another round of online shopping yesterday (I am finding great deals and it's KILLING me to not be able to share, lol... be on the lookout for a big post-Christmas post) and today when I checked my email, two of the five items I'd ordered have already shipped. I have one more round of online shopping to do, and some stuff that I'm hoping to score on Black Friday (yeah, I'm one of those) and then I'm DONE. It's astounding to me that it's not even December yet and I'm using the word "done" in conjunction with Christmas shopping. I'm the one who picks up gifts on Christmas Eve! But actually, I'm kind of glad. I must be turning into a stuffy adult. :(

As for my WW update: down 1.6 pounds this week! I'm glad since I think this coming week is going to be a wash with Thanksgiving. I have been dreaming for weeks about two things: stuffing (or dressing, if you will, lol) and pecan pie. :)

What Happened To My Wednesday?!

Today has been a crazy day that just seems doomed to crash and burn, lol. Didn't get a good sleep last night due to 1) my airbed being out of commission and 2) the crazy windstorm we had last night... I woke up and honestly thought we were all going to get swept off to Oz, it was howling so badly. Woke up super achey (luckily, from my workout yesterday and not from the bed) wih dirty hair (thought I could make it work). After I took Abby to school, I tried to return the $100 airbed that my dad bought me last week (that didn't work) only to discover that Wal-Mart has an unposted and enforced rule that says they won't accept airbeds on return. !!! Went to Starbucks to get a skinny latte that cost almost $4 and was HORRIBLE.

So, basically... yeah. Just one of those days. At least I am still maintaining a sense of humor, albeit an extremely dry, British sort. :)

I indulged in a little online shopping this week for Christmas! I've always been the person who likes shopping in brick and mortar stores, bringing things home, smuggling them into the house, hiding them in my room, etc. But this year the idea of comparing prices online, pressing a button, and having them delivered to the house sounds GREAT! I've actually done most of my "shopping" and now I'm just spreading out the actual buying over a few paychecks. :) It's killing me to not be able to share my finds with you guys, but it seems like EVERYONE reads my blog these days. :)

But I can definitely share MY wishlist for Christmas... Yeah, can you tell I'm totally doing retail therapy today? :)

• A subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine. I love this magazine! It's part of what inspired me to start WW. I've been picking it up on the newsstands but it would be awesome not to have to hunt it down every month.
• A 1 liter Camelbak water bottle - This would make the PERFECT workout/walk water bottle... I drink a lot and most water bottles are too small, so a big huge one would be great. Plus it has a place for a carabine (read: I don't have to carry it!) and a built-in straw (LOVE it!). The only sad thing is that the 1 liter size doesn't come in orange. How lame is that?!?
• I'm way behind my Sanctuary watching, and the price of season one and two has suddenly made it high on my list. :)
• I just discovered the TimeRiders series by Alex Scarrow and LOVE IT! I'm stoked about reading the second book in the series!

What's on your Christmas wish lift or gift list this year?

Thoughts for Tuesday

A friend and I were talking yesterday about losing weight and how even small amounts make a big difference (at least to us!). I shared some equivalents that had surprised me, and they surprised her, too!

For instance:

• 1 pound = 4 sticks of butter
• 5 pounds = 1 sack of potatoes
• 10 pounds = (this one REALLY blows my mind!) 8 medium cantaloupes
• 25 pounds = 3 gallons of milk

Whenever I start to feel a little down, I remind myself that I've lost roughly 56 sticks of butter, 3 sacks of potatoes, or 12 cantaloupes. :)

Anyway... moving along... :)

I went shopping yesterday - hooray! So much easier to eat well when you have groceries. :) I picked up some of my favs, but also found some new stuff.

This is my old fav... Love my Just For One packs. The cauliflower is obviously usually my first choice since it's 0 points, but I love the broccoli ones too. Last week I tried a WW suggestion and dumped one of these packs over a baked potato and a tablespoon of bacon bits. Love it!

The produce aisle is always my first stop... Today I found inexpensive kiwis and a pricey but totally worth it starfruit.

I got these light store-brand yogurts but I think I'll probably go back to Dannon brand and save the point rather than the cents. :)

My BFF turned me back on to Progresso light soup. Love it, and soup makes a great meal - super filling. They weren't on sale, tho, so I only got three cans. I'm really looking forward to the chicken and dumplings flavor.

I'm normally a Lean Cuisine gal, but these Healthy Choice meals were on sale and after pulling out my slider I realized that they actually have less points and more food than the LC OR Smart Choice (WW branded) items. So I got a few. Haven't tried them yet but they look super yummy!

Monday Mish-Mash

Today's post is gonna be crazy, so hang on!

We lost the Internet at the house until the 23rd... Grr! So obviously I didn't blog a lot last week. I also couldn't track through the Weight Watchers site, so I had a four-day period when I was pretty much off-plan, the first time I've been off plan in more than ten weeks. It definitely showed in the scale this Sunday. My first gain (even though it was slight). :( In a way, though, I'm glad this happened. It was motivating in a way, and definitely confirmed to me that I'm on the right path. I'm completely back on plan now and looking forward to a good week.

We had a baby shower for my Aunt Leslie, Uncle Mike, and new cousin Kathryn Rose Rene! This was my first time meeting Kat, but she was every bit as cute as I'd thought she'd be
There was only the slightest bit of fighting over the baby. Most of the time my grandma won. :)

We went all-out for this shower, hanging crepe streamers and balloons and everything. :) It was a ton of fun!

Aunt Leslie opens my gift... I spent a ton of time last week practicing/perfecting two new patterns, one for a cap and one for booties. The finished products were adorable, in my humble opinion!

Being modeled by one of Ruth's babies.

The finished products! Anna asked for a set for her hopechest when she saw these. I've finished the booties, in cream-colored organic cotton, and I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through the cap.

A few weeks ago on a weeknight, I came home and picked up the kids and we went up to the mall and the bookstore. While we were walking around we found some of my fav characters - Gru and a minion from Despicable Me! I forced the kids to pose with me even though they were slightly humiliated. :) Terrible picture of me, btw.

The kids have no clue yet how amazing this movie is... I can't wait for the release date - hope it's before Christmas!

I've already started my Christmas shopping... obviously can't post any further info, but know that I'm having fun. :) I usually make myself wait until after Christmas but this year I'm hoping to get a lot of it out of the way early.