TEAM GREEN

I have a terrific friend who is having a baby shortly and they are on TEAM GREEN {aka they have no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl}.  Unfortunately I might have to work during her baby shower and she is one of my oldest and dearest friends and so I want to do something special.  I of course will purchase something that she has on her registry that she needs, but I also want to get her something that she may not need but oh so fun!

Well everything I have seen is either geared towards a boy or a girl or it has a monogram of some sort.  I am at a lost!  This maybe more of a hunt than I thought and if anyone has any suggestions please help a sistaaaa out!

this is one I am loving at the moment…

{source}

And if anyone wants to know my opinion out there I think she is having a girl. GO TEAM PINK!

Taking the Plunge: Week 4

So another week has gone by and without a little bit of agony.  So normally when I am on a diet I try to keep the kitchen as healthy as possible {minus a few snacks for the hubby}.  BUT this week I had to eat with staff members for every meal and what was at every meal? Delicious cheesecake, apple pie, and carrot cake! AHHHHH.  I thought I was going to lose.my.mind. The first day was the toughest because I forgot their would be delicious treats staring at me for a good hour.  I knew it was coming every day and one day I walked by the dessert table probably oh 5 times.  In the end I won because well I never ate one of those desserts!!

::Good::

Not touching one of those delicious desserts. go me. I also did not have my favorite food mash potatoes or any of the bread, hashbrowns, pasta, etc served at the meals.  I knew since they were pre-made dinner and weren’t the healthiest meals so I knew it was even more prudent that I stay away from the carbs. 

I got to the gym this week.  Not as much as a normal week but I still got in a couple which is really a miracle with the week that I had.  Plus I had a great workout on Saturday that is motivating me for this week!

Well with the crazy week I had I wasn’t on the scale like a maniac.  I only checked it once to make sure that I was maintaining with the lack of meals I was able to make.  A vast improvement from the week before!

::BAD::

So yes I didn’t eat theh dessert that was from the staff meals BUT I did have 2 scoops of ice cream with m&ms on top.  It was a small price to pay for my sanity this week.  HAHA. Once in a while not so bad, but I need to make sure that I don’t make it a habit since it was my go to lovely snack recently. 

We were lazy yesterday and didn’t go to the grocery store so we are the last items in our kitchen.  I am trying to keep it healthy without going to the easy/unhealthy meals.  So we need to get to the grocery store pronto!! I need more eggs!

::UGLY::

No ugly this week.  I really tried hard to stay motivated and focused on the goal of not gaining any weight back even with an increbily hard week.  I maintained all my habits and even started to bring a water to get more liquids throughout the week.  I am proud of how I managed the week and my cravings are starting to slow down, which is wonderful.

So the results of last week….

Beginning Weight: 191.8lbs

{End of} Week 1 Weight: 185.2lbs {6.6lb weight loss!}

{End of} Week 2 Weight: 184{1.2 weight loss!}-did not meet 5 lb weight loss

{End of} Week 3 Weight: 181.0 {3.0 weight loss!!}-went over my 1lb weight loss

Week 4 Goal: 2lbs

Total Weight Loss: 10.8lbs

Ultimate Goal on May, 30, 2010: 150lbs

And the proof….

Zero for Two

I am glad I did not have any bets on these games.

wow.

well it was a sad day for the rookie and for brett farve.

oh well.

you win some you lose some, right?

 

i need this shirt

Finally A Book!!

Finally I sat down and read a book last weekend.  I figured that with all the movies that I have been watching I needed to use my imagination to make the characters for myself rather than the directors.  And I am so glad that I did.  This book that I read was sad, has guts and soul, kept me guessing, and really I learned a ton about a tragic event–the Holocost.  Instead of it being placed in Germany the book is centered in France, which was a great twist in learning about the Holocost.  So if you are looking for a deeper meaning book please get your hands on Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  I warn you that this book just sucks you in and I actually read this book in one day.  I couldn’t put it down and when I did do play with my adorable neice I was thinking about what would happen next in the book.

If you read this let me know what you think because it was definately a moving book for me.  The next book I am going to start is Knit Two which is the sequel to the Friday Night Knitting Club {was my best book of 2009 that I read}. I will keep you posted!

Happy Reading!!

xoxoxoxo

Bittersweet Ending

The ending of the football season is always bittersweet for me.  I just absolutely love sundays and mondays filled with great upsets and awesome football plays.  Come On Man! segment makes me blissfully happy and gets me through tough winter Mondays. I love everything there is to do with football food and beer.  I love being entertained for endless hours until my eyes bleed {okay not really but still!}.  As the year ends the games get more intense and the best of the best games start to form and I just love the excitement–yet I know that the end is coming near and I will have to wait until August to get pumped up again.  Oh how I wish football season was a weee bit longer because I am never ready for the Superbowl to come.  I love the game, but I hate the ending.   

So here we are the last weekend of playoff games and the beginning of the end of the football season.  This year I am thankful for going to an actual game with my husband and being able to watch football every single Sunday and Monday {thank you dear husband for letting your maniac fan of a wife watch!}.  Once again we will be able to go out into the world and do errands, have a date, watch some movies, go to the movies, visit friends and family, and do a bit of grocery shopping during a Sunday {all of this has stopped since August!}.  

Here are my picks for today for anyone who cares or wants to know my opinion {and if anyone cares who my husband is rooting for he is rooting again all the teams I picked-go figure!}. 

Colts vs. Jets

I heart the underdog.   Maybe because my beloved Dolphins are almost always underdogs, but with any sport if it isn’t my team playing I am always rooting for the underdog.  So for me my pick is for the Rookie Sanchez and the first year coach of the Jets Rex Ryan.  There I said it.  I think that Sanchez will beat Manning.  {GASP!}.  I love the laser rocket arm of Manning and just watching his skills on the field, but I am going with the underdogs and my division.  GO J-E-T-S!!!

 

Saints vs. Vikings

Oh this one is a tough decision because the Saints have come along way with Brees during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Plus I never really followed the Vikings history so I am not an avid Vikings fan, BUT I do love me some Brett Favre.  So even though I wouldn’t be sad to see the Saints win I really want to see Brett Favre win more.   I love watching him play and what he brings to the game and the energy surrounding Favre.  I would love to see him go out on top and win a Superbowl and so for that reason and that reason alone I must go with the Vikings tonight. 

 

Oh how I love me some Sunday football!!

xoxoxoxoxo

Happy

 

oh mr. turtle I think you are wrong

being able to have coffee with my husband

leisurely watching CSI

taking a trip to wal-mart just because I can

eating my favorite Panera soup

having the time to shave my legs

cooking a homemade meal

watching a great UCONN game on TV

yes, I am so happy today mr. turtle

oh yes.

 

 

 

Taking the Plunge: Week 3

Okay so this is a couple days late, but really this week was really tough and all I did was work and sleep.  I really missed blogging and I am glad I will have some extra time again and really glad to be getting back into the swing of a routine again.  So with life being so busy how did I do last week?

Results in a minute.  Here is the good, bad and ugly of last week.

::Good::

I really stuck to trying not to eat carbs even though a good amount of my meals were given through work.  I stayed away from all starches and made sure I was eating salads and meat. I was pretty stressed out all last week and I felt that I didn’t binge on eating to make myself feel better.  There were a couple tears and venting sessions but I made it through. 

I also had date night and had to go out to eat a couple times last week and when I went to eat I ate salads!! Really this is a first for me.  I love my pasta, mashed potatoes and sauces like no ones business, but I stuck with salad!! Some were more healthy than others (like the southwestern salad, and some in the middle like a taco salad without eating the taco, and then there was the bad salad but at least it was a salad-right?? like the buffalo chicken salad. ) Overall though I am really proud of this and I didn’t feel like I was missing out.

::BAD::

Well I would have loved to gone to the gym more and there were a day or two where I had the time and I chose to sit on the couch.  I did get to the gym last week but it was only 2 times and my goal is 3 or more days a week (including weekends) so I didn’t meet my goal last week in the workout department.  But even with a stressful and busy work week I got to the gym twice which is great that I got out there and kept myself moving

Well I was beat, had a bad day and got home and looked at my husband and said I need a date night.  So off we went to Chilis and I had that southwestern salad and started to destress and then we went to go see Avatar and at the movie I had skittles.  Now the goal was not to eat the entire bag of skittles and I made sure I had a water with the skittles.  I knew it was wrong and that I shouldn’t be eating skittles but let me tell you I savored every skittle I had that night. Plus I made my goal and didn’t eat every skittle in the bag. YES!

::UGLY::

I weighed myself every day like a maniac.  I turned into one of those people.  A good amount of meals were through my work and I just wished I could have known how everything was cooked and be a bit more healthy.  So since I couldn’t really control cooking the food last week I controlled the scale and checked it every morning.  And sometimes re-checked it.  Oh it was bad and I swore starting this week that I wouldn’t be that person anymore and to not live by what the scale says. {stay tuned if I met this goal}

 So the results of last week….

Beginning Weight: 191.8lbs

{End of} Week 1 Weight: 185.2lbs {6.6lb weight loss!}

{End of} Week 2 Weight: 184{1.2 weight loss!}-did not meet 5 lb weight loss

Week 3 Goal: 1 lb

Ultimate Goal on May, 30, 2010: 150lbs

And the proof…

Team CoCo

nope not CoCo Chanel.  nope not CoCo Krisp or CoCo Krispies. 

TEAM CONAN

Okay so I never make it to the late  night shows

I am not completely passionate about any of the late night peeps

and I am not saying I don’t like Jay Leno and I admit he is funny

BUT to stick it to someone so disrespectfully

to lie and cheat and scheme your way out of a bad decision?

and turn your back on your future?

completely wrong. utterly disgusting. and plain stupid.

 

#35 of 101 Completed

#35 Watch a comedy show

We went to the Improv Asylum in Boston last night with a group of our staff members for work and to tell you the truth I was in no mood for any sort of comedy.  I had a pretty awful day and we have so much work ahead of us in the week to come I just wanted to curl up on the couch with a girly movie and tea.  So I dragged myself off the couch and really I am so glad I did because laughter solves problems!! HAHA.  

It is probably the best comedy I have EVER seen. No really it was that good.  I was in such a grumpy mood and they still had me rolling on the ground so yea if I was in a better mood I might have peed my pants. I loved every moment and was laughing at every single skit and improv line that was spoken {except for an awkward moment with a person in the crowd}.  I will warn it is a little off color but not enough where I couldn’t watch it with my mom.  Plus they have a midnight showing that goes a little further and if you go to the 8pm showing you get into the midnight show for FREE!! What a deal!!

So what a great date night this sounds like! Take a train into Boston and catch a show and then have a late dinner or go for dessert and then back for some more at midnight. Sleep over and tour the city the next day.  Sounds like a perfect plan to me! {hint hint husband} The show was an hour and a half and I could have really gone for more but we were with staff members and a midnight show is pretty late for a work event.

So moral of the story when you are having a bad day do yourself a favor and laugh. It certainly does wonders and makes you realize it isn’t so bad after all.

Only 100 more to go…

Movie Reviews {No Spoilers}

Okay so I said I would be leaving but I couldn’t leave a post half finished.  That is just not who I am.  I can’t leave a chapter half finished, a project half finished, a scrap book half finished, bascially it is all or nothing with me.  So all day it was bugging me and it would have bugged me even though I am going to be uber busy.  So I did what any other Type A crazy person does.  Got on the computer and finished the post and now I am blissfully happy. nerd. So now that my draft box is tidy I can get through these hectic few days in peace. take that blog.

I will admit that I am in a funk with reading and I have this book that I picked up a couple weeks ago and every time I go and try to start reading it I get seduced by the TV and all the movies it has to offer.  Plus cuddling up with the husband through all of these movies has been a great bonus!  So if you are looking for any book reviews any time soon you are going to have to go here to find it.  If you are looking to find the next movie to watch I am your gal. 

Here are my rankings: { A+ }=in my all time favorite section {A} =it was really fabulous and a movie I could watch over and over  {B+}=Above average, a must see and will buy it if I had only rented the movie {B} = Average, glad I watched the movie and it kept my attention  {C}= Eh, I could take this movie or leave it. Not really my style and I would not purchase it  {F}= Ummm yea complete waste of my time and I would like the director to give me back whatever I paid to see this movie. stinky like old socks.

Julie & Julia

Rating: B

I did enjoy this movie and it did keep my attention.  I am not sure if I would necessarily watch it over and over again, but I loved learning a little bit more about Julia Childs life.  It was great to see the early years of Julia Childs and it was inspirational for any wanna-be chefs.  I also enjoyed the blogging aspect of it because as a person who has a blog I could relate to that part of the movie on a completely different level.  I would have to say the funniest thing was my in-laws busting out the Julia Child’s cook books and me finding a sauce named “Sauce de Cari”-curry sauce if anyone was wondering.  Great movie the entire family can watch. 

Righteous Kill

Rating=B

Well I do own the movie but it was one of those 4 for 20 dollars package deals that blockbuster does all the time.  It definately caught my attention and I really do love the crime/thriller movie.  It was great to see Al Pacino and Robert Deniro in a movie together and they were completely bad *ss for sure.  My husband fell asleep mid way through the movie but that isn’t saying much since he falls asleep a ton.  But I wanted him to watch the rest of the movie so yea I must have thought it was decent in order to re-watch the ending of the movie the next night.  I didn’t give it a higher rating only because although it wasn’t slowwww there could have been more action with this movie.

Star Trek

Rating =B+

Yes I was shocked to give this movie a B+ for myself because I have NEVER been even remotely interested in watching any of the shows or movies.  On Christmas Day my step-dad talked me and my husband {who wasn’t a Star Trek fan either} and we were hooked.  Unfortunately we had to head to the next house before it was over so this weekend we watched the whole movie and it was thrilling.  It kept our attention and it starts from the very beginning of the Star Trek adventure so you even if you never have seen or heard about Star Trek you can follow it and really get into it.  The plot was great, the action was great, the storyline was great {even though a timeline had to be made for me in the middle}, and another part I just absolutely loved was the relationships that Captain Kirk built and seeing them grow from the very beginning.  It didn’t get higher because this isn’t the type of movie I gravitate towards in making it a movie I can watch over and over again–so no offense to Star Trek. 

Up

Rating =???

Okay so I know question marks are really not that helpful to anyone but I keep thinking about this movie and I just can’t put a letter grade on it because it brings up mixed emotions.  It was incredibly sad for a light Disney movie I thought I would be light hearted, but all while being incredibly funny.  I don’t know if there tears were from the sorrow or laughter half the time.  It was just such a deep movie and really all my husband and I were looking for was a funny light Disney movie.  So where does that leave me in the review?? Did I think it was great? yes.  Do I think you should watch it? yes.  Will I watch it again and own it? maybe.  When I go for a deep thoughtful movie a cartoon is not what I think of so I don’t know if I have a space for Up yet.  I am just as confused as my review sounds about this movie.

Away We Go

Rating = B

So I wish I could give this movie a better rating because while it hit home to me in so many ways I can’t really say I am itching to grab this on DVD.  I loved so much about the movie and the premise is about searching for a place to call home and I can really relate to those feelings and felt their journey.  I would definately watch it again because it was funny and a very good spirited movie.  Plus in the first five seconds of the movie you realize that you aren’t in Kansas anymore and John K. is not playing Jim from the Office. haha {inside joke for all those who have seen this movie and watch the office…anyone??anyone??}. It was a feel good movie and I really got a lot out of the movie and took a good amount away because of where I am at in my life.  Perhaps I will  buy it when it goes to the sale bin but nothing too urgent for me to buy.

24

Rating =A+

Seriously I know I am cheating and this isn’t a movie but the 24 series is mindblowing and it is also something that has kept our attention for many many years.  We watch marathons of these shows {just finished a marthon of season 4}.  I am very girly and love the romantic comedies but I always get so hooked on these shows it is insane.  I am the last person who knows anything about forgein policy but it has great characters, action scenes, plots, heart thumping nail biting episode endings.  Really it knocks my socks off and we are working on getting all the seasons.  I can sit for weeks and watch the episodes and especially if you get them on DVD with no commercials it is even more heart pumping.  Amazing and great for men and women.  Go and just buy the first season {on sale at Target right now for 15 dollars!!} and you see for yourself if you can stop watching.

Avatar

Rating = 3D Big Screen = A/ DVD Rating = ??

Oh James Cameron first you wooed me with Leonardo DiCaprio in the Titanic and now you woo me with super ugly 3D  glasses for Avatar. Well played my friend.  This movie is awesome with the 3D glasses and once you get over you are wearing ugly glasses on a date you really start to enjoy the effects.  I am never really into Sci-Fi but hey I liked Star Trek this month why not try another?? So we had a date night and we are so glad we went! It was moving and very touching movie.  The character development was truly amazing and the avatars were oustanding.  I didn’t have much knowledge of the movie going into it and I just thought it was humans building a semi-real life with avatars. Um yea not even close.  haha.  It was plenty more with action, deep underlying messages, courage, honor and heart.  The special effects were out of this world and for a movie that almost lasted 3 hours I wanted MORE MORE MORE!! {okay my butt was ready to leave the movie theather but I wasn’t}.  I couldn’t give it an A+ because I can’t see {yet} of putting this in my all time favorite movie selections right next to Pretty Woman.  I haven’t been able to rate it for DVD viewing yet because I am thinking this would be a completely different experience if I was not watching it in the movie theater in 3D so I am going to be a bit curious how it translates onto the screen in the home.  I am sure it will be bought and watched in our household when it comes out so an update on the review will follow.  While you have the chance though get to the movie theater!! RIGHT NOW!!

So those are some of the movies we have been watching at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.  I am probably sure there were others but apparently nothing worth writing a review on.  I have started to really enjoy reading reviews especially on blogs that I know the person writing it.  Like this blog from a wonderful  friend I met on our honeymoon whose blog is only reviews.  So I might be adding some reviews to the blog because it is always nice to get a little background information on something before you go and spend money on it {even if it is only 3.99 on a rental}.