The Blubber Diaries....day something or other

I am still trying!  I have lost about 5 pounds so far and its been a struggle.  Like I said, I'm getting older so this really isn't as easy as it used to be...not that I ever remember it being super easy to lose weight, just easier I guess.  I will fit into those size 8's!  We have moved our Vegas trip by a few weeks, which actually works out wonderfully because it gives me that extra bit of time to keep on trucking!  My sister and I are going to get matching tattoos on the top of our feet....its a celtic sister symbol.  

I can't wait!  I have one tattoo on my lower back of the Goddess Artemis incorporated with some other symbols, which I LOVE, and I can't wait to get this one too!  Living in the desert, I wear flip-flops like half the year, so I will get to show this off lots and lots!

While we are there, we are also going to visit the shop where they film Pawn Stars for the History Channel, and of course have dinner and do some gambling.  Its gonna be a great birthday getaway.  My hubs and I share a birthday, he is exactly 1 year older than me...cool huh?  So its very cool that we will get to celebrate Vegas style :-)

So this is my motivation...I want to look and feel fabulous in Vegas, being 35, and having the world by the........well you know the rest :-)

Blubber Breakdown:

28 or so pounds to lose
- 5 lost
23 to go and about 6 weeks to go.

That works out to about 3-4 pounds a week.  I can do this!

Bright Blessings!

Julie and Julia

What a fabulous movie!  I knew that I wanted to see this movie, but today, it has made the list of my faves.  First of all, I can so identify with Julie....I never finish anything either! HA!  I'm sure with my sporadic posting you have gotten a clue about that, huh?  LOL  But, Julie is in a place where she wants to do something great with her life and has no clue what.  Been there...might still be there...working on that one.  But the story of the two women, played side by side, and how different they are yet how alike.  Its such a moving story and brilliantly told.

I have to say that I never knew anything really about Julia Child.  I only knew that she had a cooking show and was a bit different than most of the cooking shows of her time.  I knew that she was an amazonian tall woman with a crazy way of speaking that was so unique, she was completely identifiable by her voice. But I guess I didn't realize what an interesting life she led and how romantic her life was.  Her husband seemed so amazing and so dedicated to here.  He gave her a giant mortar and pestle for Valentine's Day one year....if that isn't true love, I don't know what is!  It was something that she desired so much and he knew how much it meant to her.  He doted on here so heavily and supported her wholeheartedly through her quest to become an amazing cook.  So wonderful!  And Julia and her sister!!  I loved watching them!  They so much remind me of my sister and I....from the super loud HELLO at the train station to their conversation at lunch with Julia's husband.  They seem to speak their own language and I can completely identify with that.  My sisters and I do the same thing.  We are something else when we get together LOL  I love that Julia's husband looks at them so adoringly and sweet completely accepting of their quirky nature and just listening and smiling as they go on and on.....

Julie's husband seems the same....he supported her and stood by her even though her idea was quite quirky and different, he was right there every step of the way never judging, never questioning, just knowing that she needed to do something with her life that made sense and as strange as it was, this made sense to her.  He was so supportive, I love it!  (well at least until the part when they both crack up a bit and fight some over the whole thing, but it works out).  To have that kind of support must be such a wonderful thing.  We all have crazy ideas and very few of us get the support to be able to execute them in their entirety knowing that the support will be there all the way and regardless of the outcome.  I love that both of their hubbies are so supportive and wonderful.....ahhh... lovely!

I love cooking and I love blogging so why hadn't I thought of something like that?  Oh well.  I just have to post on my love of this movie and to say how much it has inspired me to blog more, cook more, and it makes me feel much better to know that I'm not the only one out there who doesn't finish things :-)  That was so refreshing to hear somebody else say!

Lessons from Julie and Julia......
* Have a goal no matter how strange it may seem to others, and go for it!
* Pearls should always be worn in the kitchen.
* Cannelloni coming out of the boiling water taken out by bare hands is "as hot as a stiff cock."
* Cooking can be therapeutic and stressful, but the result is pure bliss.
* and a mortar and pestle makes the best Valentine's gift ever!

Thanks Julie and Julia for inspiring me!  Bon Appetite!!!!

and bright blessings!

Organize the new year!

The new year is here.....yeah, yeah I know....its been here for 13 days already :-)  So that tells you that my "un-resolution" of curbing the procrastination is in full swing huh?  HA!

So I have finally gotten around to getting my year organized....on paper that is.  This year I have certain goals for myself and my family and I plan to continue keeping things as organized as possible and running smoothly.  That was one of my goals for last year, which I actually accomplished....*insert roaring applause here*...and have managed to continue into this year...*insert standing ovation here* :-)  

My finances are a big goal for this year.  I run the family checkbook, God help us! and instead of living by ATM receipts and checking my balance online on a daily basis, my goal is to actually keep the checkbook in order, get the bill schedule straight, and not do the whole....I will send this check out today even though I don't have enough to cover it in my account in the hopes that it will take a few days to get to its destination, a few days to clear, and will be semi-on-time before my next paycheck gets here.  Yes, you know what I'm talking about...don't pretend you've never done that.  But I do it waaaaay too much.  I think that the bulk of my problem is that I don't have things organized into a system that actually works for me. 

I am trying something new this year and really have high hopes for this system.  I have color coordinated things, I have written everything down for the entire year as far as income dates and scheduled bill dates.  I am really hoping that by making myself do a 15-minute financial check in every other day, if not every day, that I will have a more clear picture of where our dollars are going, where we can cut back, and strive to put more into savings and preparation for fun, vacation, and holidays this year! YAY!  

I have this organizational folder for home finances from Day Runner Home.  

I'm not sure you can still get this particular one, its quite a few years old, but the last time I was super organized financially (which seems like ages ago now), I used this organizer.  They have a newer version of this here.

Inside, it has a clear zip pocket to hold stamps, address labels, envelopes, things like that and then the organizer itself has a pocket page for each month of the year with a few extra at the end for odds and ends.  It gives you a place to list bills that are due and the dates they are due, but honestly I don't use that so much.  My plan is (and this is the way I did it before) to take each bill as it arrives (and really as it arrives, not throw it on the counter, wait 5 days, clean off the counter and then rediscover the bill that has been sitting there for almost a week) and put it in the proper pocket in the organizer.  Here is what the pockets look like on the inside.  Mind you, mine is worn pretty good because it is old.  

the monthly pockets

I then went here and printed out each month of 2011.  You can use just a regular calendar if you like or whatever works for you, but I wanted the monthly calendar visible in each pocket for each month, so that is what I chose to do for me. 

I then went through each month and wrote down in green pen the days that my husband and I get paid.  After I got that done, I went through and wrote in red pen all of the bills that are set by date, ex. rent, loan payments, credit payments, that sort of thing.  I also have some bills that don't have an exact due date, such as some doctor bills, some magazine subscription reorder bills, etc.  I took my red pen and wrote them all down at the top and the bottom of the calendar so that I had them visible but didn't assign them a date yet to pay so that I could decide as the month goes on where I would be able to fit them in.  So when I was done, this was what my month of January looked like....

I also added at the bottom goals for our savings so that I don't forget that my utmost goal is to save, save save!!  As the bills get paid, I will write PAID in blue over the entry so that I know what has been taken care of and what is left.  

So its pretty basic and probably quite elementary as bill paying systems go, but I thought I would share.  The rest of it is basically discipline!  I have to get those bills opened, written down, and paid as they should be and then save the difference at the end of every week.  Of course, there are the other expenses, such as gas and groceries, that I have to factor in and I am still working on how to go about that.  They are weekly expenses and will change depending on our weeks, but my next step is to set a budget for those certain things and stick to it!  It all sounds super simple, right?  :-)  I just HAVE to stay on top of things, and for me that is the biggest challenge.  

Brightest Blessings!   

The Blubber Diaries....day 3

Its day 3 and my head is killing me!  This low-carb diet really really works well for me.  Quite a few years ago now, I lost 28 pounds on this diet in like 8 weeks' time.  I went to a place called LA Weight Loss and followed their regimen.  I never felt tired, never felt hungry...in fact, I felt the best I ever have!  I looked foxy when I was done with that program and that is my goal to do again! That was about...hmmmm.... 13 years ago now....GOOD GOD HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG?!?!  Geeeeez!  That was even before I had kids so I have always had a bit of extra chunk to my munk :-)

But this time around, because I am getting old for some strange reason, I am kind of having a withdrawal type of reaction to severely lowering my carbs.  My head feels like I drank a bottle of vodka before bed last night and woke up all hung over this morning...for the past 2 days I have been so tired I have actually napped.while the sun was out a couple of times (thank god my hubs is home from work on plant shut-down for the week or I wouldn't have been able to sleep a bit because my 5-month-old daughter...well...she doesn't sleep during the day..*sigh*), and I just feel quite blah.  I am really hoping that this is gonna all go away in a day or so because I.don't.like.this!  Yes, i'm whining...waaahh!  LOL  But I figure it is for the greater good, right?

Tomorrow I do a morning weight check...buck naked on the scale (I know, not pretty, but its the only way to get a true weight) and am hoping that this agony bit of discomfort is worth it!!

Brightest Blessings!

50s Housewife Revisited - semi-homemade

I want to be like a 50s housewife.  Yes, I fully admit that even though I'm sure many women will cringe at the fact that I say that, but I really do.  I say "like" that because I realize that times of changed and all that once was as far as roles of men and women and homemakers has completely changed and will, obviously, never go back.  I can't say that I would want to be considered a second class citizen as women used to be or that I want to live in my husband's shadow...those aspects of life for women back them aren't something I care to revisit.  But the simplicity of the time and the true homemaker role women played I have great respect for.

I have a new favorite foodie television personality....Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade.

(picture from here)

She takes some of the modern world and mixes it up with the old-fashioned mentality of true entertaining and being a proud hostess and homemaker.  She says that she learned many of her ways from her grandmother and, in my opinion, her grandmother taught her well.  I just joined a group called the "semi-homemakers" on her site.  At least,  I think I joined LOL  I believe the site is under some construction so I might have to revisit it another day to be sure, but I am hoping to be able to contribute some of my own ideas there.

I think that Sandra is what a 50s housewife nowadays would be like.  She is always dressed beautifully, usually to match the theme of the meal or party she is working on.  She speaks very eloquently and is very well educated.  She just seems to me to love what she does and takes great pride in entertaining.  But it very much matters to her how things are presented, how things should flow and work together, and how she always manages to tie it all up at the end as if her show is a neat little package just waiting to be opened by the viewer.  She makes wonderful meals that are very easy to prepare but look and taste like you have sent hours and hours fussing in the kitchen.  She always shows appetizers, a main course, a dessert, and a cocktail to accompany every "theme" or idea she has for a dinner or a party.  She always shows a magnificent tablescape so that you feel like you are dining in some snazzy restaurant or wedding reception.  But to me, she ties everything in together and makes every meal an event, not just a meal.  I hope I'm making sense.  That's the only way I can describe it.  I have gotten some wonderful ideas from her and would someday like to be that type of a hostess and homemaker.  She just amazes me with her gift for entertaining.  Check her out on Food TV or on her website...

http://webmag.semihomemade.com/index.htm

You can click a link to become part of the semi-homemakers club and she has links to food, tablescapes, etc. and you can see for yourself how amazing her style is.  So yes, I'm a huge Sandra fan and am always trying her ideas.  I will have to post about them as I try more of them!  :-)

Brightest Blessings!

The blubber diaries...

The goal:  Lose 25 pounds before Feb 16th or so.  I WILL FIT INTO MY SIZE 8 JEANS BEFORE I GO TO LAS VEGAS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!  Yep, I needed that to be all in caps....much more dramatic and affirming that way :-)
The plan:  Low carb diet, a lot of walking, and a $hitload of will power....ugh!
The reason:  Pesky pounds of baby weight still hanging on there 5 months after giving birth, holiday indulging, and just because I love food entirely too much!  I'm a total foodie!
The reward:  A new found love of my bod to match the love of the rest of me (aww, listen to my narcissistic self :-)  and maybe some new clothes, a new pair of kick-ass knee-high boots, and a fun trip to Las Vegas for my 35th birthday.

I present to you the blubber diaries, day 1.  Current weight....25 pounds over what I want to be...did you think I was going to tell you my weight?!?!?  I'm not THAT much into sharing :-)  But I will say that if....check that....WHEN I lose the weight, I will be at my all time goal weight, one in which I am not too skinny, not too chunky, and can fit into a size 8-10 jeans with no problem.  That is my plan and it all starts today.  I have about 6 weeks to realize my goal and all be damned I'm GONNA DO IT!

So by posting it on here and knowing that people may see my progress, or lack thereof, I am hoping that bit of public humiliation if I don't get to my goal will keep a fire lit under my tush to keep on track.  Make sense?

Okay, so welcome to The Blubber Diaries!

Bright Blessings!

Perfume review....Basic Instinct

I love perfume!  I think nothing makes a gal fell good like walking out the door smelling beautiful instead of like baby barf and peanut butter.  Yes, at home those are the predominant smells, but out there in the big world where you interact with other grownups, those scents tend to turn heads....and not in a good way :-)  So, I am always searching for new scents that make feel great and make me feel like.....a woman!  My all time fav scent is "Noa," which unfortunately you can't really find in the stores anymore.  I have found it online but have to scrape up the funds to get it for myself.  My hubby just bought me "Fancy" for Xmas and I love that one!  Its a very soft scent and very feminine scent.  It works great on me.

For the last few months we have been low on funds...like most other families out there...and I haven't had much spending money to get myself some smell-good.  I will confess...I resort to using the sample strips you find in magazines...don't laugh!  IT WORKS!  Desperate tmes call for desperate measures and I need to cover up the baby barf and peanut butter smells, so you reach for what works!  And I have to tell you, I can change my scent every day and it doesn't cost me a penny!  Nice huh?  Just grab that paper, open the little flap where the sample smell is, and rub it on!  I know it sounds completely weird and absolutely desperate....but as I said....

But anyway, the review I have for today is of a scent called "Basic Instinct" from Victoria Secret.  
My mother got it as a gift from my dad and she doesn't really care for the scent.  She asked me if I wanted it and, thinking of my magazine sample strip desperation times, I told her I would give it a go.  Maybe it would smell better on me and work with my body chemistry and I will love it.  I decided to try it when I wasn't planning on leaving my house so that if I reeked I wouldn't be all self-conscious in public.  So tonight I am at home and working so sprayed some on.  At first, I agreed with my mother, it smells kind of old ladyish.  But then I thought I will give it some time and maybe it will mix with my natural scent and I will like it.  Well, its been a couple of hours and the scent still fills my nostrils.  You know how most times you smell a perfume for a few minutes after you put it on and then your nose kind of gets used to it?  Well my nose just isn't doing that with this scent.  It doesn't smell horrible....but it is kind of strong.

I went online to see what other ladies said about it and most say that they love it, that it is a sexy and seductive scent and that they get compliments from other people when they wear it out.  Its more of a night out type of perfume, I'm thinking.  I will have to give it a shot...wearing it out in public and seeing what folks think.  I worry though that I will smell like an old lady and would almost rather smell like baby barf and peanut butter LOL  I won't give up on it just yet...everybody deserves a second chance...even a perfume.

Brightest Blessings and Nighty Night!

The NEW YEAR!

Holy crap! Its 2011...seriously?  This last year was full of ups and downs, backs and forths, but all in all it was a pretty good year!  We have a new baby girl and an amazing little son.  My life is feeling more and more like what I would like it to be.  Baby steps, I always tell myself.....baby steps.

I'm not really big on resolutions per se, but I do think that I will make some loose goals for myself :-)  This last year I worked really hard on getting my house in order, getting things organized, making a schedule to follow, that kind of stuff.  This year is gonna be the year of ME! Sounds a bit self-involved, I know, but I take care of everybody else first and have read and heard many times that you have to take care of yourself first and then you can take better care of the other people in your life.  I'm giving it a shot!

I want to define my own style and look.  I want to learn more about hair and makeup.  I want to walk with confidence in high heels.  Oh, and of course, I want to lose 20 pounds, but that is a given, no need to really mention that right?  But I have always been kind of a wallflower and have never really busted out of my little shell, so this year I'm gonna do that!  Its about time, right?  I turn 35 next month and figure that its about time to be me!  I have always been a tomboy and have been pretty comfortable with that, but lately I find myself looking at more sparkly and girly things. Maybe its because I have a daughter now and I am letting myself be okay with pink and sparkle and lace.  But I really am liking the girly girl stuff :-)  So I am exploring the girly side of me...it should be fun!

I have a list of other loose goals too but I won't go into detail here, at least not at the moment.  I will have to work on one thing at a time and will talk about it as I go....that's a good way to go about it, I think :-)

SO HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  Lets hope this blog gets read, that I learn a few new things and maybe teach a few new things through this fabulous new year!

Today is bogged down a bit with household stuff.....I have to make a menu plan for the week, fold some laundry, and do some computer stuff I have been putting off (procrastination is another thing I would like to work on this year, cuz I seriously have issues with that :-)  I have some cutouts from fashion mags and such I want to kind of organize up a bit to get myself going on a trail to style...lets see how it goes!

Brightest Blessings!