Feeling Crafty

Since I have been off these last few weeks, I have had an itch to do something crafty. Tripp and I have had a wooden framed mirror for over a year now just waiting for some TLC. I decided it was the perfect time to stain the mirror and add it to a wall in our dining area.  It looks great!

Getting a facelift

After 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanting to do something else with an artistic flare, I decided to create some artwork for my classroom. My class name is Kangaroos leaving finding decor difficult. I printed some images of kangaroos from the Internet, made templates, purchased my supplies, and went to town. I can't wait to  hang them in my classroom!

The finished product!

 

 

 

 

 

Light the Night Walk

Some of you may know that my dad was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma in November 2008. My dad has endured many doctor's appointments, tests, pain, and mental exhaustion through the last year and a half. I think one thing that has been uplifting during these hard times has been all of the support he has been given. I knew he would feel supported by his family and close friends, but I have been surprised to see all of the others that have sent their love and support to him and our family.

I received an email a few weeks ago from my mom about a walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma and honestly barely read the email. But an email I recieved yesterday, really caught my attention. The email was from my dad that had something about a Lymphoma walk team in the subject line. In the body of the email it said "FYI." Being curious, I read below. I was confused at first because the email was reading something about a team in honor of my dad for  this walk being held in October in Metairie, LA. But the email was not sent from my dad or even a family member or close friend. The email was from a person named Denise. Confused, I called my mom for an explaination. My mom explained that someone from an insurance company that my dad deals with in his job has started a team, "Walking with Friends," in honor of my dad. I was so touched that someone/group pf people decided that a team should be formed for my dad! Here is the link to my dad's team page

So, our goal is to get as many people as possible to join our team to show support for my dad's journey and for the journey of so many others effected by blood cancers. If you would like to join us for the walk and/or make a donation to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, please visit this link to help us make a difference!!

Half Anniversary

Tripp and I have never been the kind of couple to celebrate monthly anniversaries, but I decided to do something special on our "half wedding anniversary." Friday, July 16, 2010 marked six months of marriage for Tripp and I. Since I am off of work for a few weeks, I dedcided to take some of my free time to plan a special dinner for us. Last week I spent time compiling a menu consisting of an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. With a menu and grocery list in hand, I spent Friday morning gathering all of the ingredients I needed for stuffed mushrooms, spinach salad with balsamic vinegarette, paneed veal, roasted asparagus, saffron risotto, and peanut butter chocolate fondue. I also thought it would be fun to use our fine china that is being stored in boxes in our closet. it was so fun to pull out the gorgeous china, sparkling crystal stemware, serving dishes, and new table linens!!

I spent the day setting the table and cooking. When Tripp walked in the door and saw our table set for dinner, he was surprised and smiling. We started with our appetizers that he loved! I started working on finishing up our meal with Tripp's help. When everything was ready, we sat down to a delicious meal and a glass of wine.

Once dinner was finished and we let our food settle a bit, it was time for fondue!! We started melting the chocolate and peanut butter and had fun dipping strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels, and bananas.

Tripp loved making sounds with the crystal

It was a wonderful evening! We have had a great first six months of marriage and look forward to many more months of growing as a couple!

Amanda's Visit!

Amanda and I after dinner

Yummy dessert!

One of my closest friends, Amanda, visited Tripp and I in Houston! She and her family were going to Lake Conroe for family vacation so she arrived in the Houston area a day early so she could visit with us before her family arrived.  Tripp and I picked her up from the airport and then we went to Rice Village to browse area some of the shops. We even stopped for an afternoon snack of red velvet cake and peanut butter pie...yummy! We went to our apartment chatted, baked banana nut muffins, and watched television. We then got ready for dinner at Escalantes, one of our favorite Tex-Mex spots. Sunday morning, we went to church, ate lunchm enjoyed a bowl of strawberry trifle, and then it was time for Amanda's sister to pick her up so they could start family vacation. It was a fun visit!!

Time to visit family and friends!

At the close of my summer job, I hopped on a plane and headed to New Orleans for a week visiting my family and friends. Tripp was not able to come with me since he had to work :( I spent the first part of the week in Gulf Shores, Alabama with my sisters and parents. We arrived, got situated in our condo, and headed down to enjoy some sun and the relaxing lazy river.

Lazy river

Me and my sisters at dinner

We spent 4th of July soaking up some rays and loving the pools and lazy river. That night we had a fabulous meal at Nolan's. During dinner we got to watch the terrific firework display over the Gulf of Mexico. After dinner, we decided to check out the live music in the lounge at the restaurant. We had a round of drinks and enjoyed some interesting people watching and then called it a night.

Mom & Dad at dinner

We woke up Monday to gray clouds. We really wanted to go see the beach so we ventured out despite the weather. We were on the beach long enough to sit, check out the tar balls, and take a few pictures before the rain started. We quickly made it back to the condo. We showered, ate dinner, and then decided to go see a movie.

The poor beach!

Getting ready for Toy Story 3!

Claire, Kelly, and I saw Toy Story 3 while my parents saw Eclipse. Following the movies, Claire and Kelly took a ride on the ferris wheel and then we drive back to the condo. We woke Tuesday morning to more dark clouds and rain so we decided to cut our trip short and leave a day early. Once the car was packed, we got on the road and headed back to Metairie but not without a stop at the Hollywood casino in Mississippi to enjoy a dinner at their buffet (and a little gambling!!). It was a fun trip, but it was also quite an eye-opener. Since the oil spill in the Gulf, things have not been the same at the beach. It was strange to see clean-up equipment under many overpasses and on some stretches of the beach. I hope that things will improve soon!

I spent the rest of the week hanging out with my family and friends. I helped my parents look at tile for their bathroom, helped Laura look at furniture, got a haricut and color from Claire, visited both of my grandmothers and my grandfather, and shared a few meals with friends. It was a great visit but I was so glad to see my sweet husband when I returned to Houston!

Success!

I weighed in tonight at Weight Watchers after week one of being back into points, measuring foods, and planning meals. I had a pretty good week, but was not sure what the scale would show. My breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks during the week went pretty well. The tough part was not eating more than one brownie when I baked for work. After eating one small brownie, I checked the points and was shocked!! I will think twice about eating a brownie again! Another challenging moment was going out to dinner. My big problem was that Tripp and I went out without a plan. We wound up at Olive Garden where I made some decent decisions. I did learn that I will definitely plan what I will order before going to a restaurant.

Through all of the temptations and challenges, I got on the scale tonight and ..... I lost 1.8 pounds!! Here's to week 2.....

Returning to old habits

I now understand why people say that it is common to gain a few pounds when you find love. I never thought it would happen to us, but unfortunately it has. Tripp and I have decided to go back to eating healthy and exercising as we used to.....

                     

After lots of conversations about starting to exercise again, Tripp and I came up with an exercise plan! We really wanted to come up with a plan to workout together, well at the same time so that we could encourage each other. We thought about exercising after getting off of work, but realized that it is very hard for us to fit in exercise, cooking dinner, before getting to bed at a decent hour. We then talked about getting up early before work. This idea sounded AWFUL to me since I am not a morning person by any means. But knowing that it would be the best time for us, I agreed to the plan. We made an exercise chart with our schedule of which days would be cardio workouts and which days would be strength training. It hangs on the refrigerator to be looked at each time we enter the kitchen. And so with a schedule and plan we began our 5:30 am workouts last Monday.  We have really enjoyed working out together and knowing that we were starting something to improve our health and waistlines. And I have to say, I am liking being up and productive in the mornings!!

    

About six years ago, I began Weight Watchers and lost about 20 pounds in only about 5 months! After becoming a lifetime member, I have successfully kept the weight off (and even have lost more) since. Weight Watchers has become part of me. Even though I may not measure out my food or journal each day, the points and other Weight Watchers tips are always in my head. After not attending a meeting in eleven months, I returned yesterday. I am ready to get back to healthier eating and holding myself accountable for all that I eat. Here's to a smaller waistline...and arms...and thighs....well you know what I mean!