HoLLa: Update on Life vol.11

happy sunday ya’ll!

well things seem to be getting back to *normal* here at casa de goddess…
although the week started like this…
lots of jammies (lalaloopsy jammies i might add) & snuggies (my grandmother bought me the zebra snuggie for xmas & skylar LOVES it).
and letting my daughter eat whatever she wants – case in point; her beloved funyons!!!

but things got better – more smiles & less fussiness.
and lemme tell ya – miss skylar brought fussiness to a whole NEW level! even though she was on the mend she was definitely just worn down from being SO sick for a week. she spent one whole day crying, screaming, and throwing temper tantrums over everything from what to eat to what to wear. it was not the best day ever but we survived & thankfully she is back to eating pretty normally (for her at least as she is the pickiest eater ever), sleeping better, & her usual chipper self.
then yesterday we saw these @ our local wally world & seeing how skylar’s world revolves around lalaloopsy – we had to buy them! ($6.00 and oh-so-cute plus this mama doesn’t bake so it was a steal!)


happiness = eating a lalaloopsy cupcake!
ohhh & because miss thing refuses to get icing on her fingers she eats them like a dog… heh! yeah, it makes no sense to us either – but skylar is without a doubt one-of-a-kind!!

so yay for my little skylar rockets getting better & being her usual crazy daisy self!

on a side note:
the wedding plans are back on!
yeah i know i have said this before & i have been draggin’ my feet & all that jazz. i haven’t even mentioned it on this blog since LAST april – wow! i had even bought my dress! and finally i admitted the real reason i was stalling – wrote about it here on my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

well after dropping 26+ lbs. i can FINALLY not only get the dress over my ass but i can zip it up too! woohoo!
so yeah – i am a vain as hell but i want to feel & look my best on my special day.
and i am back into the *wedding plans* frame of mind – even though i COMPLETELY lack the bride gene. no dates have been set – i am still trying to digest the fact that I CAN FIT INTO MY DRESS!!!

my sons are pretty much mia most of the time. they have mutual friends (which i am SO happy about) so they are always off at this one or that one’s house. i can distinctly remember being their age & wanting to be anywhere but home – i guess it’s just a teenage thing? but i do insist that every tuesday & thursday night they are home for dinner & we have a SIT DOWN meal where we can all converse & interact as a family. they do it willingly & it’s one of the highlights of my week at least! and skylar’s – she loves her big brothers SO much!

i think that about sums up life as we know it…
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, progress photos & exercise regimen?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess. (warning: this blog does contain abundant profanity & a no hold’s bar look @ my journey!)

HoLLa: Weight Loss Update

Holla! So the last time I made a “HoLLa” post was March 27th (wowie, really?) and I was up 2 lbs (after being at a standstill for a couple of weeks with no loss/no gain) and slacking at the gym. Well, I continued to slack at the gym (a flu/sinus/cold thing that I allowed to manifest into exhaustion combined with SUPER DUPER long hours at work) up until four days ago. I am proud to say that I am working hard on balancing all the chaos and putting myself and my health in the front instead of squeezing it in when I can. I have been faithfully weighing in every Friday and last week I was down a ½ a lb. (YaY!) Today was another weigh-in and I am overjoyed to report that I lost 2.5 lbs. – so I am back to being ahead of the game with a total of 7 lbs. lost! *w00ts* I totally attribute it to the gym and tracking my food! Funny how that whole tracking your food and being accountable really DOES work! OTHER UPDATES: The Virtual Trans American Trail -- I have walked 54.7 mi and am 5.87 mi from Glendale, VA. Once again I ask – will I ever make it outta VA?!?! MY WEDDING: We set a date – September 9th! Yes, a Friday night, but I am diggin’ that fact. I have a locale and will be forking over the deposit one night this week. Impressive aye? WORK: Still crazy with this weekend being the cusp of our cutoff date to have portraits by Easter and next week being Spring Break. A week from now I will be toasting to another peak season survived!!! (Assuming I make it to then… *heh*) OTHER STUFF: I had an appointment with Dr. W (my ob/gyn) today to discuss birth control. I went in there with every intention of making arrangements to have my tubes tied. But hearing her discuss the details just made me feel weird and I began to seriously second guess my decision. To make a long story short – I am opting for an IUD. While I am 99.9999999999% sure that our family is complete – there is a HUGE difference in choosing to not have a baby and being unable to have a baby. And thus is my life… ♥cyn♥

UPDATE: WeDDinG MaDneSS!

Okay, so I have SERIOUSLY slacked in the writing aspect of my blog… I need about ten more hours in the day and less of a need for sleep, but such is life. So I thought I would update on more than just my weight loss journey… What else is new? Oh yeah, my wedding. The initial reason I started this blog! My poor nuptials have taken such a back seat lately and I honestly don’t have a reason as to why? Okay I do know why – I had hoped to be moved before we got married and that just seems to be in eternal limbo… *sigh* Our initial plan was to be married in mid-August (yeah, as in FOUR months away!) and I have not planned one thing. Well, of course I have plans, but I have not secured one thing in regards to the actual wedding/deposits/invites – yadda yadda! *heh* Now I am wondering if I can throw something simple/casual/fun in time to be married in August/September? Can it be done? I think so? I am thinking a simple civil ceremony in the evening followed by a small causal celebration with a cold appetizer buffet, dessert, and a cash bar. I just want to be married and have the people I care about most in the world be witness and help us celebrate! So with all of that being said, I bought my wedding dress the other day. It was the most random thing… I was in Burlington Coat Factory, the last place you would EVER think of in regards to wedding dresses… and I saw this simple white dress that caught my eye and lo and behold – I LOVED it and bought it! ($19.99 – who pays $20 for their wedding dress I ask?!?!?!) The dress is a solid white zebra print (Hello, I LOVE zebra!), short (slightly above the knees), strapless, and has POCKETS!!!! I ADORE this dang dress… it is ME all day long and absolutely everything I have envisioned and more. AND… it will look AMAZING with my purple shoes!!!

*I am hoping that this dress hanging right in my face every single day will be some SUPER DUPER motivation to keep me going to the gym faithfully* So that’s where I am at in regards to the wedding. It should be a VERY interesting next couple of months. Tomorrow we are setting a date and I plan on securing a location by Monday. (Yeah all on top of being in peak season at work and barely having a day off let alone time to plan and execute all of this…) I want to be married and despite my protests that I don’t care about having an actual *wedding* -- I have come to terms that I need to do this the right way – no matter how casual/simple/inexpensive it ends up being! I want a celebration that is all about Brian and I! More to follow... ♥cyn♥

30 MORE Days of Blogging -- Day 12

Day 12 - A song that you want played at your wedding (or was played)



While the meaning behind the song may not pertain...
The title certainly does and I just adore Ms. Amos!

Blessed Be...
♥Cyn♥

Family Dinner with Weight Watchers: Part IX

Here we go…
Another installment of Family Dinners with Weight Watchers: Part IX
A friendly battle of the Weight Watcher recipes between my Mother and I.

Basically we take turns preparing and serving Weight Watchers recipes to one another and our family in an effort to step outside of the box (we all get in food ruts on this journey), eat healthy, and to eat as a family at least once a week despite a bevy of INSANE schedules and life in general.
Sometimes it’s a huge success
And sometimes it’s a total flop…

Tonight was my Mom’s turn and on the menu was Broccoli and Sausage Casserole – a recipe featured in last week’s handout Weekly that is given at all Weight Watcher weigh-in and meetings. You can also find this same recipe right on the Weight Watcher Website.

Mom followed the recipe to a *T* and it was relayed to me that this particular dish rates a thumbs up on the easy scale – always a plus in my book!

Taste wise – unexpectedly flavorful, even a little spicy thanks to those delicious red pepper flakes! And I fully admit to being a little confused by this recipe and its combination of ingredients – yet the flavor palette works – go figure!

The best part – this recipe is VERY filling. I found the serving size to be more than enough, if not actually a bit too much. But I always love a little more bang for my buck – if ya know what I mean!

I would serve this dish again and love the initial idea of it being a brunch entrée as suggestion in Weekly

So yes… another success!
Thank you Mom!
And thank you Weight Watchers!

Blessed Be…
♥Cyn♥


Broccoli and Sausage Casserole

Course: main meals
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

A fabulous go-to entrée for brunch or lunch. Vary the flavors with different types of sausage.


Ingredients
12 oz Italian bread, do not use slices; use in loaf form
2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), peeled and smashed (or to taste) (medium)
1 large red onion(s), cut into thin wedges
4 cup(s) broccoli, florets
1 tsp olive oil
12 oz raw turkey sausage, sweet Italian-variety
1/2 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 spray(s) cooking spray
3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety

Instructions
• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Slice bread in half length-wise; rub insides with garlic clove. Place bread, open-face, on one side of a baking sheet; spread onion on other side. Place broccoli on another baking sheet. Coat vegetables and bread with cooking spray. Bake until broccoli is tender, flipping bread over and stirring vegetables halfway through, about 15 to 20 minutes total. Remove pans from oven and cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes; reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casing; cook sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and onion, bread cubes, broth, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. (Make sure to scrape up any browned bits of food on sides of skillet and stir into mixture.)
• Coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon 3 cups broccoli mixture into prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining broccoli mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

30 Days of Blogging: Day Twenty

Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

My Brian...
My fiance...
My soulmate...
My future-husband!

Blessed Be...
♥Cyn♥

The Engagement TV...

Brian and I are officially-officially engaged.
He got his *engagement TV* yesterday – so now we gotta get hitched!

Hey I gotta ring that I love…
He got a 32” LCD TV that he loves…
We are both happy-happy…
Let’s do this wedding thing!

August 19, 2011 here we come…
Dum
Dum
Da
Dum!

Blessed Be…
♥Cyn ♥

Pure Chaos

It has been the craziest of weeks.

Pure chaos.

Peyton's birthday (okay that was nice actually)...

A demanding little girl by the name of Skylar who I willingly let occupy so much of my time...

Two demanding teenagers with a lot of schoolwork and projects...

A demanding grown man with a crazy work schedule (gotta love retail this time of year)...

Goddess Group...

A dentist appointment in which I found out I have two itsy-bitsy cavities, not one...

Weight Watcher meeting and weigh-in (I lost .8 lbs this week... a total of almost 19 lbs -- *w00t w00t*)...

Trying to squeeze in my much needed exercise...

Attempting to maintain friendships, quite poorly I might add...

And the basic day-to-day grind.

I realize I am one of a billion plus people who do all this same sort of stuff and more. This is the world we live in. It is the *norm* to have too much stuff to do and spreading yourself thin.

And I have had a few minor meltdowns this week.

Moments where I felt stretched almost invisible and completely unappreciated for all I do.

And yeah... Brian and I had words.

Heated words I might add.

But all is well and we have once again agreed that we need to not let everything around us affect *us*.

Easier said than done of course, but he and I do try so very hard to keep one another happy and not let the insanity that IS our life interfere too much.

And in the course of it all I have been having serious reservations about our wedding.

NO!

Not those types of reservations.

I love Brian and cannot wait to be Mrs. Bertenshaw!

I am having serious reservations about the whole hooplah of a wedding and a reception. Guilt over the frivalous expense of such an affair perhaps? We are in the process of trying to build our savings, move out, and get out of this horrible rut the recession put us into!

I just feel like no matter how *casual* we plan on keeping it... it will slowly creep out of hand.

Our small wedding has grown to about 75 people and I still feel like we are leaving people out?!?!

How did this happen?

And all I can think about is the movie Sex & the City where Carrie is left at the altar because she has allowed her wedding to become this entity; the one thing she promised Big it would never be. The same promise Brian and I have made to one another.

And just the other night he said to me...

"I need to know it's just for us... and about you and me."

Ack!

Is that not pretty much what Big says to Carrie?!?!?!

I have these horrid visions of it all turning into a fiasco, the one thing Brian and I swore we would never let happen. We vowed that we would get married in overalls and flip-flops before EVER letting that happen...

And I am wondering if just getting married isn't what we should do. All I really care about is becoming married and having my children present.

Okay I lied...

I want to look hot, get married, have my children (and my Mom) present, eat some food, drink some wine, and have some honeymoon *time*.

That is all I care about!

But I am torn...

While I completely lack that bride gene that every other woman seems to have, I do have a modest wedding fantasy in mind...

What to do?

What to do?

WHAT TO DO?!?!?!

Obviously Brian and I have some serious thinking to do!

But not tonight.

Tonight I want to eat popcorn, watch my daughter snooze, revel in the peace (boys are at a sleepover), watch a crappy remake of Psycho (Anne Heche in the Janet Leigh role... are you serious?!?!), and wait for Brian to get home from work.

After all...

I believe from chaos comes true beauty.

Blessed Be...

♥Cyn♥

Sparks

Every once and again the planets align just so...

Or a full moon rises?

Or perhaps its just the driving force of the human will?

Whatever the case may be...

Brian and I have a little romance planned for tonight.

Wine...

Candles...

Soft Music...

No kids...

(Okay Skylar is here, but she is sleeping like, well, umm... a baby!)

♪ Love is in the air...

Everywhere you look around... ♪

Sadly we haven't gotten to truly celebrate our official engagement.

Can you even believe that?

Have three children and you won't be surprised in the least!

I was thinking today how non-traditional our life is...

All while creating a *wedding website* which in turn makes life really hard for me as it is one more thing to maintain... but SO easy for our wedding guests as everything they need to know pertaining to our wedding is all in one neat little spot. (In purple Verdana font nonetheless...)

But I digress...

Getting back to our non-traditional life...

So Brian and I meet at a nightclub that we both happened to be at with our own respective group of friends...

A mutual friend introduces us...

Sparks fly BIG time...

We never exchanged a single bit of contact info...

Yet somehow he manages to find me the very next morning on a internet dating site of all places...

(Obviously we both had profiles on there.)

He emails me...

We talk on the phone...

And we have our first *official* date that same night...

The night after we were introduced!

Basically...

We have been inseparable since!!!

A true whirlwind romance.

We couldn't get enough of one another and were so madly in love from almost the second we met!

No really... it's true!

From there things move pretty fast. Within four months we were living together and I was pregnant with Skylar!

So no... we aren't your traditional couple with a traditional love story!

If I were the betting type... I would have bet against us!

Most people in our situation would have never made it this far let alone got engaged with plans to marry within a year!

And even after all that, we still love each other like mad and those sparks still fly BIG time!

I adore him with all my heart and soul and cannot wait to be Mrs. Bertenshaw!

329 more days... or so my new *wedding website* tells me!

Blessed Be...

♥Cyn♥

My Obsession: Purple

I am obsessed with the color purple and my wedding palette... can one actually be *in love* with a color???

If so, I am head over heels...

Blessed Be...

♥Cyn♥

Wedding Inspiration: Purple Lush

My Engagement Ring...

I got my engagement ring today...

My stunning 6.15 carat solitair cushion cut amethyst with diamonds on its 14k white gold band.

Been floating on Cloud Nine ever since!

*sigh*

Life IS Good!!!

Blessed Be...

♥Cyn♥

Purple Shoes...

I bought shoes for my wedding today.

Yes...

The shoes that will walk me down the aisle to say my wedding vows.

I don't think it really hit me how important your wedding shoes are until I got home and really started to think about it. And I love them. I couldn't have bought a more perfect pair of shoes truth be told.

Did I mention they are purple?

Bright...

Vibrant...

Regal...

Dramatic Purple!

Kinda like me...

*heh heh*

Minus the regal part of course.

Who says you can't wear four inch bright, vibrant, regal, dramatic purple shoes on your wedding day? I can't imagine my feet in anything else...

Blessed Be...

♥Cyn♥

PS...

I lost 2.8 lbs this week. That's 16 lbs total since starting Weight Watchers a little over a month ago.

GO ME and my Purple Shoes too!

Change is Good...

So my family (extended and maybe even my teenage sons) thinks I have lost it...

Or perhaps they think I am having some sort of mid-life crisis as I just turned 40 this past April? Maybe I am... but I can't say it's a bad thing per say. Maybe people have good mid-life crisis? Maybe some people decide to enlighten themselves and rid negativity out their lives in lieu of a motorcyle, boob job, or something one typically thinks of in regards to a mid-life crisis?

I feel better than I ever have and I say that with the utmost confidence. And my journey has JUST begun...

It's all good and I accept it for what it is.

Change scares people.

Even good change.

Thankfully Brian is supportive. His logic is basically whatever makes me happy makes him happy. Hence why I love and am marrying this man.

Speaking of marriage.

I am having second thoughts on my entire wedding *theme* and such.

My initial choices are truly lovely. Very simple and elegant. But for some reason they have never really felt right? And certainly didn't feel like a reflection on Brian and I. Simple and elegant we are not; and I mean that in the nicest way possible. That just isn't what we are all about. I can't exactly put a finger on what we are, but I certainly know what we are not.

So...

I am changing the overall *feel* of the wedding, and this change feels RIGHT. Even Brian agrees and basically he is leaving all of this stuff up to me. But when I showed him some of my ideas he agreed, it's more *us*... and I want our wedding to be about US.

We needed more va-va-voom!

Does that make sense?

This is the second marriage for us both. His first was a circus and mine was forgettable... I want neither for our wedding day.

Like me...

The wedding plans are a work in progress and one thing Brian and I FULLY agree on is that we don't want it to cause either of us or our family ANY stress. This is a celebration and I refuse to let it be any less...

There will be no bridezilla moments...

It will be beautiful...

And a day to remember for all in attendence!

Blessed Be..

♥Cyn♥