So…are you ready for the results of week #3? I have to be honest here and say that I was NOT looking forward to getting onto the scale this week…but I’ll get into that in a minute. Here’s a recap for you:
Last Week’s Stats:
Weight – 149
Tummy – 33.75/37 (true waist / “tummy”)
Thighs – 23.75
Last Week’s Goals: (I’ve once again put my actual results in BOLD)
Two P90X workouts – chest/back and arms/shoulders along with ab workout I did NO P90X workout this week! I’m SO bad!
One additional ab workout during the week I did do the ab routine twice
Run three times a week – starting the Couch Potato to 5K program Ran Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday
Continue with no sodas during the week and watching my sweets I did good on the first part – no sodas except for Sunday and Saturday, but I did worse on watching my sweets…nothing major, but did enjoy several birthday treats during the week
So how did this slacking off affect me?
Not as bad as I thought that it would have…
Current Stats:
Weight – 150
Tummy – 33.5/37.5 (true waist/ “tummy”)
Thighs – 23.5
I was disappointed to see my weight go UP this week…but comforted that there was still some loss on size. So I know what you’re all wondering…what the HECK was my deal this week? Several factors came together to do me in, sort of like that movie “The Perfect Storm.” Ok, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as that movie, I mean no one got hurt or died, but still…
For one thing, it was little CC’s birthday week. Which meant that we ate out two more nights than we might have normally…and one of those nights was little CC’s choice (being the birthday girl) and that means Gattitown – heavy pizza. Another night Mr. CC and I did a lot of her birthday shopping and met for dinner beforehand…at Johnny Carino’s…yes, I know…pasta is NOT on the menu when you’re watching your weight. And then Friday night, Mr. CC and I met some friends after work at a local restaurant and enjoyed a cold beverage and a hamburger as little CC ran and played on the playground. Throw in a birthday party with some IRRESISTABLE cake…and you can easily see that I didn’t make the best eating choices last week. I’m not blaming it all on little CC’s birthday or anything, but I was BUSY last week, which meant eating on the go…and those fast choices aren’t always the best.
Secondly, I have my monthly visitor. She blessed me with her presence Saturday as soon as the party was over, and I’m sure (or hoping) that her friend Water Retention is helping add a little to my weight. And my measurements, for that matter. Luckily, her best friend Miss Bitchy, left town today…and Miss Cotton Candy is back to her normal self. I’m not thrilled to be doing this right now, but let’s face it, it’s a fact of women’s lives once a month. And truth be told, I’d MUCH rather do it now, and be back to normal by the time this weekend rolls around…more on that later!
So, there you have it. Not bad, considering all the bad choices that I made last week, and the slacking off that I did on my workouts. But since I’m me, I like to focus on the positives. I DID meet my running goal, and I DID do two ab workouts…I just need to step it up and get back to working out my arms. And watching what I eat…that’s an obvious one!
Here are my goals for this week:
Two P90X workouts – chest/back and arms/shoulders along with ab workout
One additional ab workout during the week
Run three times a week – starting the Couch Potato to 5K program
Make better food choices
I know that last goal is a “little” bit broad, but it just encompasses SO much. More water, less soda, NO pasta, pizza or greasy hamburgers…more salad and eating “in” for lunchtime.
I’m crossing my fingers that I’m better this week! I need to be, I’ve got a big weekend ahead of me…and there are NO calories or stressing about what I’m eating during this time. I promise, I’ll quit teasing you and tell you ALL about it…in a day or two!
Catch you later.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
On Your Mark, Get Set...GO!
Some of you might be wondering about the running portion of my workout program. A lot of people are natural runners. A lot of people are not natural runners, and must be trained to run. You would think that since I actually lettered in Cross Country in High School (WAY back in the day!) that running would be something that comes naturally to me. Well, it doesn’t. I don’t know if that’s a product of my laziness or not, but I seem to remember struggling with running even back then. I trained myself to do it and do a decent job at it, but I wasn’t the best on the team by far.
Now that I’m older (and heavier) and less active in my lifestyle, running comes even harder to me. A few years ago, when I felt like my life got a little out of control and I was over my comfortable weight, I ran. At that time, it was an escape for me, the one thing that I had complete control over. I ran as far as I could for as long as I could and worked over time to increase the lengths of time that I ran and shorten the lengths of time that I had to take a break or walk. That’s just what worked for me at the time.
This time around, I actually did some online research and found a program recommended for new runners and tried it. To be perfectly honest, I found it about a year ago, started it and never stuck with it. I’m doing better this time around. So, in case you’re interested, or you know someone else who is starting to run for exercise, maybe this will help.
The website is www.coolrunning.com, and they have several training programs, depending on the level of runner that you are. I am following the “Couch-to-5K Running Plan” and it works for me. It’s a simple program designed to combine walking and jogging in order to condition your body over time so that at the end of the program you are able to run 3 miles. That might not sound like much, but that’s probably a good number for most people who run for exercise. The greatest thing about this program, it only calls for running three days a week and it only takes two months if you follow the program.
When you first start the program, you’re actually walking longer than you are jogging, which is good for most people. This is the step that I’ve actually altered this go round. The program calls for you to follow this pattern for the first few weeks. Each session is started with a brisk 5 minute walk to warm up your muscles and another 5 minute walk to cool down following the session, making the sessions last 30 minutes in total. I did something a little different:
Program My Way
Week 1 60 sec jog 30 sec jog
90 sec walk 30 sec walk
(20 min total time) (20 min total time)
Week 2 90 sec jog 60 sec jog
2 min walk 30 sec walk
(20 min total time) (20 minute total time)
I just didn’t think that I could actually run for 60 seconds when I first started. So I altered the program a little bit, and it’s worked out for me so far. I’m starting Week 3 of the program right now, so we’ll see if I did a good thing or a bad thing. If you’re interested to know, comment below and I’ll let you know if I would recommend what I did or not. I’ll be honest, I promise.
So this week, I’ll start following the actual program on Week 3. The program calls for this week to do your warm-up walk for 5 minutes, followed by 90 seconds of jogging, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of walking (repeat whole jogging/walking series one more time), and then a cool down walk of 5 minutes. So we’ll see if I’m able to run for three minutes or not. This will be the furthest that I’ve gotten on the program…you can tell that I REALLY didn’t stick with it long last year when I tried it!
Actually, the other night I cheated on the program. Mr. CC and I had been “bad” and had gone to Carino’s for dinner. It wasn’t that bad, since we hadn’t been there since the week of Mother’s Day and we only ate two pieces of bread and our meals. No dessert. Afterwards, we decided that we would run to offset our eating splurge. When we started our workout, Mr. CC asked to do it differently and just run until we couldn’t run anymore and then walk for a bit to catch our breaths, then repeat for our regular twenty minutes. We did good and ran the first time for 3:39 and the last time for 3:50, so I feel confident that this week when I start on the actual “Couch-to-5K Running Plan” on Week 3 that I’ll be able to meet the goals of the program.
What tools did you find when you started your workout? Did you even think to turn to the internet to tap sources that you might not be able to access on your own? Did you follow their steps exactly or alter the program to “better fit” your needs?
Now that I’m older (and heavier) and less active in my lifestyle, running comes even harder to me. A few years ago, when I felt like my life got a little out of control and I was over my comfortable weight, I ran. At that time, it was an escape for me, the one thing that I had complete control over. I ran as far as I could for as long as I could and worked over time to increase the lengths of time that I ran and shorten the lengths of time that I had to take a break or walk. That’s just what worked for me at the time.
This time around, I actually did some online research and found a program recommended for new runners and tried it. To be perfectly honest, I found it about a year ago, started it and never stuck with it. I’m doing better this time around. So, in case you’re interested, or you know someone else who is starting to run for exercise, maybe this will help.
The website is www.coolrunning.com, and they have several training programs, depending on the level of runner that you are. I am following the “Couch-to-5K Running Plan” and it works for me. It’s a simple program designed to combine walking and jogging in order to condition your body over time so that at the end of the program you are able to run 3 miles. That might not sound like much, but that’s probably a good number for most people who run for exercise. The greatest thing about this program, it only calls for running three days a week and it only takes two months if you follow the program.
When you first start the program, you’re actually walking longer than you are jogging, which is good for most people. This is the step that I’ve actually altered this go round. The program calls for you to follow this pattern for the first few weeks. Each session is started with a brisk 5 minute walk to warm up your muscles and another 5 minute walk to cool down following the session, making the sessions last 30 minutes in total. I did something a little different:
Program My Way
Week 1 60 sec jog 30 sec jog
90 sec walk 30 sec walk
(20 min total time) (20 min total time)
Week 2 90 sec jog 60 sec jog
2 min walk 30 sec walk
(20 min total time) (20 minute total time)
I just didn’t think that I could actually run for 60 seconds when I first started. So I altered the program a little bit, and it’s worked out for me so far. I’m starting Week 3 of the program right now, so we’ll see if I did a good thing or a bad thing. If you’re interested to know, comment below and I’ll let you know if I would recommend what I did or not. I’ll be honest, I promise.
So this week, I’ll start following the actual program on Week 3. The program calls for this week to do your warm-up walk for 5 minutes, followed by 90 seconds of jogging, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of walking (repeat whole jogging/walking series one more time), and then a cool down walk of 5 minutes. So we’ll see if I’m able to run for three minutes or not. This will be the furthest that I’ve gotten on the program…you can tell that I REALLY didn’t stick with it long last year when I tried it!
Actually, the other night I cheated on the program. Mr. CC and I had been “bad” and had gone to Carino’s for dinner. It wasn’t that bad, since we hadn’t been there since the week of Mother’s Day and we only ate two pieces of bread and our meals. No dessert. Afterwards, we decided that we would run to offset our eating splurge. When we started our workout, Mr. CC asked to do it differently and just run until we couldn’t run anymore and then walk for a bit to catch our breaths, then repeat for our regular twenty minutes. We did good and ran the first time for 3:39 and the last time for 3:50, so I feel confident that this week when I start on the actual “Couch-to-5K Running Plan” on Week 3 that I’ll be able to meet the goals of the program.
What tools did you find when you started your workout? Did you even think to turn to the internet to tap sources that you might not be able to access on your own? Did you follow their steps exactly or alter the program to “better fit” your needs?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hair, Hair, Long Beautiful Hair!
Most brides, when planning their wedding think about the “look” that they’re going for LONG before they think about other things. Well, since I’ve never been what you might call “traditional” in the first place, why should this be any different? I mean, let’s face it, I have had other things on my mind…pesky eggplant tablecloths…
So, now that my attention can be diverted elsewhere, I’m starting to think about the look that I want to pull off for myself. You know ladies, the important things – hair, make-up, nails, SHOES!
I’m SO sorry Mr. CC, but you’re going to have to excuse yourself if you’re reading this post…Thank you! Love you!
I’m having a weekend with my ladies (and Mama CC and Sister CC are going to try to join in on the fun as well!) here in a week, and there are several pressing questions that I hope to get answers to that weekend. Of main concern to me is my hair. Mainly because it affects several things – it’s not just about how my hair looks, but what I wear with my dress and my hairstyle.
Here are some inspiration pics of some bridal hairstyles that I like.
So, now that my attention can be diverted elsewhere, I’m starting to think about the look that I want to pull off for myself. You know ladies, the important things – hair, make-up, nails, SHOES!
I’m SO sorry Mr. CC, but you’re going to have to excuse yourself if you’re reading this post…Thank you! Love you!
I’m having a weekend with my ladies (and Mama CC and Sister CC are going to try to join in on the fun as well!) here in a week, and there are several pressing questions that I hope to get answers to that weekend. Of main concern to me is my hair. Mainly because it affects several things – it’s not just about how my hair looks, but what I wear with my dress and my hairstyle.
Here are some inspiration pics of some bridal hairstyles that I like.
all images courtesy of http://www.theknot.com/
What you might notice about all of these is that there is almost no pattern. I like each picture for different reasons. Some of them because they look soft and romantic, some of them work with the dress and overall feel of the day, and some of them capture more of “me” than the others do. Some of them have barrettes, some tiaras, some just veils. I’m NOT a big fan of the trendy floral fascinator or the birdcage veils. I know that for sure, which actually does help eliminate some options.
But most importantly, some of the hair styles are up and others are down. When I first started to think about hair, I just assumed that I would wear my hair up, something like picture #1, 5, 6, or 10. But truth be told, there’s a side of me that would actually consider wearing it down. I have long, naturally curly hair and get complimented on how beautiful it is on a daily basis. (Well, on the days that I wake up in time to fix it that is!) I’m not really trying to sound conceited by saying that, it’s just a fact that I get compliments on my hair when I wear it down. Check out this picture to jog your memory.
But if I leave it down…that covers up one of my favorite parts of my dress…the back. I think that the back of my dress and the closure is one of the prettiest parts about my dress. Then again, I guess if the work-out wagon didn’t “work out” (no actual pun intended) wearing my hair down could help to cover up any back cleavage that still remained…
I know, I know. That’s NOT a good plan. But you get what I’m saying, right?
I wonder if I could do something that was kind of half up and half down. Something like picture #7,8, 9 or 11? And just in case you’re wondering if weather would be an option, my hair is normally at its best during the fall month of October/November when the wedding is planned. Not too much humidity to make it crazy frizzy.
What do you think? Have any opinions on whether a curly-haired bride should contain it all away or let it flow naturally? I’m honestly torn between the two options…
I know, I know. That’s NOT a good plan. But you get what I’m saying, right?
I wonder if I could do something that was kind of half up and half down. Something like picture #7,8, 9 or 11? And just in case you’re wondering if weather would be an option, my hair is normally at its best during the fall month of October/November when the wedding is planned. Not too much humidity to make it crazy frizzy.
What do you think? Have any opinions on whether a curly-haired bride should contain it all away or let it flow naturally? I’m honestly torn between the two options…
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Milestones...
Today we’re going to take a break and celebrate something other than my wedding. When you’re planning a wedding, it’s SO easy to get all wrapped up in that one event, and it’s nice to take a step back every once in a while and celebrate other things. Because in all honesty, life goes on and your wedding day is just ONE day in the year. There are other important days…
Today is one of my most important days each year. Today is my baby’s birthday. Go ahead and get your tissues out, because I’m already tearing up! That’s fair warning to all of you out there that this one MIGHT tug at your heart strings a little.
My child turns seven today. SEVEN YEARS! Where did the time go? Some days I think back on the time that I’ve been blessed to share with this amazing little person in my life and the days have drug on and on…and other times (like today) looking back on things really shows how time flies. It is true what they say - you can blink and miss things in your life. The really important things, the small things that might not mean much at that point in time, but over the course of seven years really add up.
At this time seven years ago, I was in labor, and just getting ready for my first shot of pain meds. Yeah, I’m not one of those women who wanted to do things all natural. I wanted the drugs…all the way. But little did I know, you have to be so far along before the REALLY good drugs come into play, so about 9ish that morning I took my first shot. And from there on out I was just loopy. It’s not that I don’t remember the event; I didn’t want to be that knocked out. But I would sleep/doze off in between contractions. Friends and family that made it there in time to see this portion of the program got some serious entertainment, let me assure you! Around lunchtime, the doctor decided that I could have my epidural, and from there on out it was pretty easy. Jenna was an easy labor, even if it did last about 14 hours in total. Once I was ready to push, it just took getting me and her in the right position and a couple of good pushes and she was born.
She was so beautiful. A lot of babies that are born not through c-section have mis-shapen heads, as the birthing process is hard on the baby too. Not little CC. Her head was perfectly round, and her coloring was great. She cried out really fast and let her wishes be known immediately. Some things haven’t changed.
But some things have. She no longer crawls into my lap. I can’t hold her in my arms like a baby anymore. And she’s getting to the point where she doesn’t really need me much anymore. She’s always been very decisive about her clothes and what-not, and at 7 years old, I don’t have to help much…maybe just to tie her shoes. Yeah, I’m the mom that buys Velcro because it’s easier on me…so we’ll work on learning to tie our own shoes this year…
She takes her own bath or shower, and really just needs me to check and make sure that she got all the soap out of her hair. She brushes her own teeth, and for the most part, now uses the restroom without my supervision (this is a MILESTONE, let me assure you!). She writes legibly, even if the words are very creatively spelled, and when we drive down the road, she can read the signs that we pass. She reads books to me now, although I still read to her. And she says her own prayers at night, although she likes to have me there with her when she does them. We have a secret huggie and kissie ritual that we do each night at bedtime, and she hardly ever gets in and out bed to resist bedtime like she used to as a toddler.
Looking back on these seven years, there have been so many changes. She is my light, she makes me smile, and almost every decision that I make revolves around her and how that choice might affect her. This is what happens when you have kids, I guess. Your life isn’t your own anymore, and you have someone else that matters more than you do. You buy them clothes before you buy yourself clothes. She gets a toy, even if I can’t justify $6 for a new book to read at the time. I don’t regret that, and I would do it all the same given the same choices. She is everything to me.
A hug from your child can bring a smile to your face and a warm glow in your heart. Hearing “I love you, Mom” from those lips touches you deep inside and you know that at that moment nothing could be more perfect in your life. And I treasure each and every single picture that she draws me, or rocks that she picked up “just for me” on the way home from school…even if I know that my house is over-run with her artwork and school papers and that pile MUST be cleaned out and trimmed down soon.
Having her has been the greatest joy in my life. She gives me purpose, she provides me with direction, and she fills me with tenderness. Yes, there are days that I would pay someone $20 to take her away from just half an hour…but I wouldn’t trade those times either! She is my blessing, my greatest accomplishment, and I am the lucky one to have her in my life.
I hope that one day she and I will have the relationship that my mom and I have. I look forward to being more her friend, and less her mother as she continues to grow older. That doesn’t mean that I look forward to the day when she leaves my house to go out into the world on her own…but with that pain comes a new relationship too. I will always be her mother, but I can also be her friend.
So to all the moms out there, go hug your kids. Or your own mom. Or a niece or nephew as the case may be. Too bad schools are out now, or you could just drive by a random school and stop to hug a few kiddos…of course, if you do that you might get arrested! If you see me, hug me! As happy as I am that this day comes around once a year, I’m still a woman and it doesn’t have to make sense that I cry on her birthday!
I’ll leave you with a picture of little CC with her award for Best Artist that she got during the last few days of school. Isn’t she precious?!?!?
Today is one of my most important days each year. Today is my baby’s birthday. Go ahead and get your tissues out, because I’m already tearing up! That’s fair warning to all of you out there that this one MIGHT tug at your heart strings a little.
My child turns seven today. SEVEN YEARS! Where did the time go? Some days I think back on the time that I’ve been blessed to share with this amazing little person in my life and the days have drug on and on…and other times (like today) looking back on things really shows how time flies. It is true what they say - you can blink and miss things in your life. The really important things, the small things that might not mean much at that point in time, but over the course of seven years really add up.
At this time seven years ago, I was in labor, and just getting ready for my first shot of pain meds. Yeah, I’m not one of those women who wanted to do things all natural. I wanted the drugs…all the way. But little did I know, you have to be so far along before the REALLY good drugs come into play, so about 9ish that morning I took my first shot. And from there on out I was just loopy. It’s not that I don’t remember the event; I didn’t want to be that knocked out. But I would sleep/doze off in between contractions. Friends and family that made it there in time to see this portion of the program got some serious entertainment, let me assure you! Around lunchtime, the doctor decided that I could have my epidural, and from there on out it was pretty easy. Jenna was an easy labor, even if it did last about 14 hours in total. Once I was ready to push, it just took getting me and her in the right position and a couple of good pushes and she was born.
She was so beautiful. A lot of babies that are born not through c-section have mis-shapen heads, as the birthing process is hard on the baby too. Not little CC. Her head was perfectly round, and her coloring was great. She cried out really fast and let her wishes be known immediately. Some things haven’t changed.
But some things have. She no longer crawls into my lap. I can’t hold her in my arms like a baby anymore. And she’s getting to the point where she doesn’t really need me much anymore. She’s always been very decisive about her clothes and what-not, and at 7 years old, I don’t have to help much…maybe just to tie her shoes. Yeah, I’m the mom that buys Velcro because it’s easier on me…so we’ll work on learning to tie our own shoes this year…
She takes her own bath or shower, and really just needs me to check and make sure that she got all the soap out of her hair. She brushes her own teeth, and for the most part, now uses the restroom without my supervision (this is a MILESTONE, let me assure you!). She writes legibly, even if the words are very creatively spelled, and when we drive down the road, she can read the signs that we pass. She reads books to me now, although I still read to her. And she says her own prayers at night, although she likes to have me there with her when she does them. We have a secret huggie and kissie ritual that we do each night at bedtime, and she hardly ever gets in and out bed to resist bedtime like she used to as a toddler.
Looking back on these seven years, there have been so many changes. She is my light, she makes me smile, and almost every decision that I make revolves around her and how that choice might affect her. This is what happens when you have kids, I guess. Your life isn’t your own anymore, and you have someone else that matters more than you do. You buy them clothes before you buy yourself clothes. She gets a toy, even if I can’t justify $6 for a new book to read at the time. I don’t regret that, and I would do it all the same given the same choices. She is everything to me.
A hug from your child can bring a smile to your face and a warm glow in your heart. Hearing “I love you, Mom” from those lips touches you deep inside and you know that at that moment nothing could be more perfect in your life. And I treasure each and every single picture that she draws me, or rocks that she picked up “just for me” on the way home from school…even if I know that my house is over-run with her artwork and school papers and that pile MUST be cleaned out and trimmed down soon.
Having her has been the greatest joy in my life. She gives me purpose, she provides me with direction, and she fills me with tenderness. Yes, there are days that I would pay someone $20 to take her away from just half an hour…but I wouldn’t trade those times either! She is my blessing, my greatest accomplishment, and I am the lucky one to have her in my life.
I hope that one day she and I will have the relationship that my mom and I have. I look forward to being more her friend, and less her mother as she continues to grow older. That doesn’t mean that I look forward to the day when she leaves my house to go out into the world on her own…but with that pain comes a new relationship too. I will always be her mother, but I can also be her friend.
So to all the moms out there, go hug your kids. Or your own mom. Or a niece or nephew as the case may be. Too bad schools are out now, or you could just drive by a random school and stop to hug a few kiddos…of course, if you do that you might get arrested! If you see me, hug me! As happy as I am that this day comes around once a year, I’m still a woman and it doesn’t have to make sense that I cry on her birthday!
I’ll leave you with a picture of little CC with her award for Best Artist that she got during the last few days of school. Isn’t she precious?!?!?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Another Pomander Trial...
Mr. CC ended up having to work for a little while this past Saturday, which hasn’t happened in quite a while. It gave me the opportunity to have the house to myself for a while, so you know what that means, right?
Wedding TV show marathon!
Haha, just kidding. Well, I’m not really kidding, I did watch quite a few wedding TV shows Saturday morning. I mean, heck, no kids, no future spouse…what’s a bride to do if NOT watch wedding TV shows?!?! But I didn’t just sit around and watch TV, no ma’am. I had a to-do list with a few things that I’ve been meaning to work on and I was bound and determined to get them accomplished during this brief window of opportunity. I hear a few of you back there; you’re thinking what a great time to clean the house, right? WRONG! I can clean the house any old day of the week, and without my kiddos around, that just seems mean – they LOVE those swiffer dusters!
So I set to work. One of the items on my to-do list was to work on the pomanders. Several of you had made the suggestion to maybe use artificial flowers on the pomanders instead of the tissue paper. I made a few trips to Hobby Lobby over the course of last week and purchase quite a few options to work with.
I didn’t really like the miniature roses that Hobby Lobby had to offer. They were cheap and really fake looking, in my opinion. But I bought some anyway. I also bought regular sized roses, because I liked those better. My thought process was that I would be able to gently pull the heads of the flowers off of the stem and stick them into the Styrofoam ball without using any hot glue. Therefore, I would be able to easily return what didn’t work out…you following along with me?
Wouldn’t you know it…the ones that I didn’t like best were the ones that actually looked the coolest. The larger roses were WAY too big for the small Styrofoam balls that I had purchased and would be too oversized once completed – kind of like the tissue paper balls. But those fake-looking miniature roses were the coolest looking thing. Only problem that I ran into? I ended up having to use hot glue to get those little rosebuds to attach well. Some of them had enough of a stem once removed to actually stick into the Styrofoam ball, but a lot of them didn’t. Since I’d rather err on the side of caution, I pulled out my trusty mini hot glue gun and put just a dab of hot glue on the end of each stem before sticking it in…worked like a charm!
So here’s the results!
What do you think? I think that they look SO cool. Very textured looking and really neat. The one thing that I didn’t like? Now it seemed too small. These artificial flowers didn’t stand up quite like the tissue paper flowers and I think that the Styrofoam ball underneath needs to be a little bigger. I waited (impatiently) for Mr. CC to make it home from work so that I could show off my work and get his opinion on the matter. He agreed with me that the ball needed to be “just a bit” bigger, and off to Hobby Lobby I went.
I mean, the flowers were on a 50% off sale ending on Saturday…I HAD to buy them then! So I picked up more flowers, returned the ones that I wasn’t going to use and grabbed two different sizes of larger Styrofoam balls to see which one worked. Mr. CC and I were once again in total agreement, and Saturday night while we sat and watched a movie, I worked on pulling off all the little rosebuds on the 18 stems of miniature roses that I had purchased. That way on Sunday, when I was ready to work again, I could easily reach into a bag and pull out what I needed.
Here’s the second trial:
We LOVE this one.
A close up shot so that you can see the detail.
So picture 8 of these lining the walkway, 4 on each side, with a mixture of cream, lavender and eggplant rose petals lining the aisle. I can see it SO clearly in my head and it’s perfect! Of course, I will make a pretty bow on the actual ones when we tie them up for real.
What do you think? Do you like these pomanders better than the tissue paper ones? Do you like the smaller size or the larger one? (I'm sorry - I tried to take the pictures from the same zoom setting so that you could compare apples to apples...doesn't look like I accomplished that. In real life, the smaller one is MUCH smaller than the larger one.)
Wedding TV show marathon!
Haha, just kidding. Well, I’m not really kidding, I did watch quite a few wedding TV shows Saturday morning. I mean, heck, no kids, no future spouse…what’s a bride to do if NOT watch wedding TV shows?!?! But I didn’t just sit around and watch TV, no ma’am. I had a to-do list with a few things that I’ve been meaning to work on and I was bound and determined to get them accomplished during this brief window of opportunity. I hear a few of you back there; you’re thinking what a great time to clean the house, right? WRONG! I can clean the house any old day of the week, and without my kiddos around, that just seems mean – they LOVE those swiffer dusters!
So I set to work. One of the items on my to-do list was to work on the pomanders. Several of you had made the suggestion to maybe use artificial flowers on the pomanders instead of the tissue paper. I made a few trips to Hobby Lobby over the course of last week and purchase quite a few options to work with.
I didn’t really like the miniature roses that Hobby Lobby had to offer. They were cheap and really fake looking, in my opinion. But I bought some anyway. I also bought regular sized roses, because I liked those better. My thought process was that I would be able to gently pull the heads of the flowers off of the stem and stick them into the Styrofoam ball without using any hot glue. Therefore, I would be able to easily return what didn’t work out…you following along with me?
Wouldn’t you know it…the ones that I didn’t like best were the ones that actually looked the coolest. The larger roses were WAY too big for the small Styrofoam balls that I had purchased and would be too oversized once completed – kind of like the tissue paper balls. But those fake-looking miniature roses were the coolest looking thing. Only problem that I ran into? I ended up having to use hot glue to get those little rosebuds to attach well. Some of them had enough of a stem once removed to actually stick into the Styrofoam ball, but a lot of them didn’t. Since I’d rather err on the side of caution, I pulled out my trusty mini hot glue gun and put just a dab of hot glue on the end of each stem before sticking it in…worked like a charm!
So here’s the results!
What do you think? I think that they look SO cool. Very textured looking and really neat. The one thing that I didn’t like? Now it seemed too small. These artificial flowers didn’t stand up quite like the tissue paper flowers and I think that the Styrofoam ball underneath needs to be a little bigger. I waited (impatiently) for Mr. CC to make it home from work so that I could show off my work and get his opinion on the matter. He agreed with me that the ball needed to be “just a bit” bigger, and off to Hobby Lobby I went.
I mean, the flowers were on a 50% off sale ending on Saturday…I HAD to buy them then! So I picked up more flowers, returned the ones that I wasn’t going to use and grabbed two different sizes of larger Styrofoam balls to see which one worked. Mr. CC and I were once again in total agreement, and Saturday night while we sat and watched a movie, I worked on pulling off all the little rosebuds on the 18 stems of miniature roses that I had purchased. That way on Sunday, when I was ready to work again, I could easily reach into a bag and pull out what I needed.
Here’s the second trial:
We LOVE this one.
A close up shot so that you can see the detail.
So picture 8 of these lining the walkway, 4 on each side, with a mixture of cream, lavender and eggplant rose petals lining the aisle. I can see it SO clearly in my head and it’s perfect! Of course, I will make a pretty bow on the actual ones when we tie them up for real.
What do you think? Do you like these pomanders better than the tissue paper ones? Do you like the smaller size or the larger one? (I'm sorry - I tried to take the pictures from the same zoom setting so that you could compare apples to apples...doesn't look like I accomplished that. In real life, the smaller one is MUCH smaller than the larger one.)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
"Work-out Wagon" Results - Week #2
So…are you ready for the results of week #2 on the work-out wagon? I know that I was excited to get on the scale. I’m starting to notice small changes and differences in the way that I feel about myself and how my clothes fit. So here’s a recap for you:
Last Week’s Stats:
Weight – 151
Tummy – (true waist / “tummy”) 34/37
Thighs – 24
Last Week’s Goals: (I’ve once again put my actual results in BOLD)
Two P90X workouts with Mr. CC – choosing from chest/back, arms/shoulders and kempo (following each workout with the ab ripper x workout too) Chest/back on Tuesday (no abs) and Arms/Shoulders on Thursday with abs
Run 2 times this week on other days – 5 minute warm-up then running sprints lasting 30-60 second a piece for 20 minutes followed by 5 minute cool down Ran THREE times this week following program
Cut back on Soda (one every other day, if possible) Sunday and Monday – one each day
Cut back on Sweets (possibly do a reward at the end of the day if I was “good” during the day) I kept up with rewarding myself, and had a piece of cake one day at work – (Those pesky cake-baking people!)
Current Stats:
Weight – 149
Tummy – 33.75/37 (true waist / “tummy”)
Thighs – 23.75
So…what do you think? I think that I did great! I’ve lost a total of 5 pounds since starting this go round, which just really goes to show how watching what you eat (counting those calories) can really help a girl out. I’m hoping to just need to do this religiously for these first few weeks. Once I’ve built up my running and work-outs, counting those calories won’t be nearly as important as they have been the last two weeks. That’s not to say that at that time that I’ll just eat whatever I want, but I don’t think that I’ll worry as much as I do right now about it all.
I’m thrilled to see some improvement on my actual measurements this week. Weight to me is just a number, it’s really more important to me how I fit into my clothes – and the all important WEDDING DRESS that matters more to me. So, although there wasn’t a LOT of improvement, there was some. I really need to get better with my ab ripper X workout to continue to improve those numbers!
So here are my goals for this week:
Two P90X workouts – chest/back and arms/shoulders along with ab workout
One additional ab workout during the week
Run three times a week – starting the Couch Potato to 5K program (more on this later!)
Continue with no sodas during the week and watching my sweets
I think that these goals are totally doable for me, and I’ve made some small adjustments there to try and keep these results coming in. All in all, I’m thrilled with how the first two weeks have gone, and other than some initial stiffness right after I run (those shins just hurt!) I’ve become accustomed to the physical strain again, without the major aches and pains. I can’t wait to see what my small adjustments to my goals might gain me on my results this week.
How are you doing with your own weight loss goals? Do the results that you see help to motivate you all that much more, like mine do?
Last Week’s Stats:
Weight – 151
Tummy – (true waist / “tummy”) 34/37
Thighs – 24
Last Week’s Goals: (I’ve once again put my actual results in BOLD)
Two P90X workouts with Mr. CC – choosing from chest/back, arms/shoulders and kempo (following each workout with the ab ripper x workout too) Chest/back on Tuesday (no abs) and Arms/Shoulders on Thursday with abs
Run 2 times this week on other days – 5 minute warm-up then running sprints lasting 30-60 second a piece for 20 minutes followed by 5 minute cool down Ran THREE times this week following program
Cut back on Soda (one every other day, if possible) Sunday and Monday – one each day
Cut back on Sweets (possibly do a reward at the end of the day if I was “good” during the day) I kept up with rewarding myself, and had a piece of cake one day at work – (Those pesky cake-baking people!)
Current Stats:
Weight – 149
Tummy – 33.75/37 (true waist / “tummy”)
Thighs – 23.75
So…what do you think? I think that I did great! I’ve lost a total of 5 pounds since starting this go round, which just really goes to show how watching what you eat (counting those calories) can really help a girl out. I’m hoping to just need to do this religiously for these first few weeks. Once I’ve built up my running and work-outs, counting those calories won’t be nearly as important as they have been the last two weeks. That’s not to say that at that time that I’ll just eat whatever I want, but I don’t think that I’ll worry as much as I do right now about it all.
I’m thrilled to see some improvement on my actual measurements this week. Weight to me is just a number, it’s really more important to me how I fit into my clothes – and the all important WEDDING DRESS that matters more to me. So, although there wasn’t a LOT of improvement, there was some. I really need to get better with my ab ripper X workout to continue to improve those numbers!
So here are my goals for this week:
Two P90X workouts – chest/back and arms/shoulders along with ab workout
One additional ab workout during the week
Run three times a week – starting the Couch Potato to 5K program (more on this later!)
Continue with no sodas during the week and watching my sweets
I think that these goals are totally doable for me, and I’ve made some small adjustments there to try and keep these results coming in. All in all, I’m thrilled with how the first two weeks have gone, and other than some initial stiffness right after I run (those shins just hurt!) I’ve become accustomed to the physical strain again, without the major aches and pains. I can’t wait to see what my small adjustments to my goals might gain me on my results this week.
How are you doing with your own weight loss goals? Do the results that you see help to motivate you all that much more, like mine do?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Loving These Much?
Look what I found when I was “browsing” for some good silk flowers…
Isn’t that GORGEOUS?!?!?
It combines all of my colors, and I love the whimsical look of the whole bouquet. What’s even better? It’s all silk, which means that it’s something that I could keep forever, if I wanted to. Plus, as a personal side note and nod to myself and MOH, these people in the floral business KNOW what color eggplant is! Unlike those fools that seem to abound in the linen business…
This bouquet is already made up and ready to order, with a kickin’ price tag! I think that I’m going to order one JUST so that I can see it in person. How awesome would it be if this was as gorgeous in person as it is online? I would literally die…in contentment!
And if that wasn’t enough, look what other options they had in their pre-made bouquets section:
Not “quite” right on the purples, but still beautiful!
LOVE this one. It brings in some other colors, that I wasn’t really thinking of using, but gorgeous!
And then low and behold, this online store might have become my new best friend. I found something that I didn’t even know existed. Lavendar. Lilies.
Isn’t that GORGEOUS?!?!?
It combines all of my colors, and I love the whimsical look of the whole bouquet. What’s even better? It’s all silk, which means that it’s something that I could keep forever, if I wanted to. Plus, as a personal side note and nod to myself and MOH, these people in the floral business KNOW what color eggplant is! Unlike those fools that seem to abound in the linen business…
This bouquet is already made up and ready to order, with a kickin’ price tag! I think that I’m going to order one JUST so that I can see it in person. How awesome would it be if this was as gorgeous in person as it is online? I would literally die…in contentment!
And if that wasn’t enough, look what other options they had in their pre-made bouquets section:
Not “quite” right on the purples, but still beautiful!
LOVE this one. It brings in some other colors, that I wasn’t really thinking of using, but gorgeous!
And then low and behold, this online store might have become my new best friend. I found something that I didn’t even know existed. Lavendar. Lilies.
Check it out…
Aren’t they gorgeous?!?! Mr. CC has made ONE tiny request on the flowers – to include his personal favorite flower, which is the lily. He actually like the Stargazer lily the best, and I’m working hard to fit it into our black, cream and eggplant color scheme here, but I wonder if these beauties would do? They fit in a little nicer…
So if I place the order for any (or ALL!) of those bouquets just to check them out, I think that I’ll also order some of these lilies. They’re on close-out, being discontinued, and I could probably return them if I don’t end up liking them. But if I did like them…WOW!
Have you ever been searching for something else and stumbled upon what could be a little goldmine for your wedding? I’m loving them!
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