Holy Cow!!!

I have started tracking almost all of my meals and food I put in my mouth. Today was staff meeting at church and some of us went to our local Mexican fast food joint. It's cheap(our family of 4 ate for $10!) and the kids like it. I had no idea how many calories were in some of my favorites!!!! It's outrageous! I told the Hubbs (think squeaky outraged voice) "No Wonder Americans are FAT!!! So I know Fat is no PC but Obese just doesn't do it justice. You should take a peak at the nutritional information and see what you pack on each time you enjoy your favorite local Mexican fast food joint. It wasn't hard to find, just click here and pick your favorites...I will never think of it the same way again. I'm really nervous to check another local favorite fast food joint that we frequent, as do most American households with children...

Are you up for the challenge?

So the Hubbs and I are pretty big fans of The Biggest Loser. Normally we watch it while eating something totally not healthy or good for us. Brownies, cookies, cake; you know the "good" stuff. Well this season is a little different. Our church is participating in an international 21 day fast, the Hubbs decided to fast sweets. Hard core sweets, he's not even eating his normal breakfast of Honey Nut Cherrios. Crazy I know! He has way more willpower than I do. So while we were watching the show on Tuesday I was polishing off the container of caramel corn with mixed nuts which my wonderful MIL sent home with us. He sat there with nothing and I started feeling a little guilt mixed with a healthy dose of well if he can do it so can I. Anyways, a spot for the pound for pound challenge came on and I really got into it and started thinking about it. Maybe if I had a deadline and a cause to support I could finally get the last 10lbs (x2) of baby weight I have been holding onto for oh umm 4 years! (yes my baby will be 4 next month! doesn't seem possible...) So yes it's 20lbs total that I need to shed. I was down to only 15lbs, but darn all those Thanksgiving and Christmas get-togethers! 20lbs. Okay so I didn't pledge the whole 20lbs I needed a little wiggle room, 15 lbs it is. I have until June 30th to lose them and the great thing is for every pound I lose the local food bank gets a pound of food. Double good whammy! I lose weight and hungry people get to eat. I wanted to lose the weight and now someone gets to benefit from it! Love it! Thanks Biggest Loser!

Now there are a couple other reasons I wanted to lose the weight, some I will share and some I wont. Mainly our big family trip we have planned to a certain fantastically fun place in sunny Florida. Is it vain of me to say I want to look smokin' hot in a swimsuit while on Coco Beach? Well I do and I know the Hubbs will enjoy it too! I have this awesome support system through a website called Sparkpeople.com I totally recommend it. The best part it is totally free and you don't have to be a fitness guru to get it. It's for regular Joes and Janes. You can follow my weight loss journey there my user id is alley_ray.

So again I ask are you up for the challenge? Let me know and maybe we can have a friendly challenge of our own. I'm sooo gonna win though! Think you can bring it? Well I say bring it!

How's that for some smack talk! Toodles!

Happy New Year!

Wow almost a full year without posting... That's horrible.
It has been a crazy whirlwind of a year lots of ups and downs. I would be lying if I said I am sad to see 2009 go. I am definitely looking forward to this new year and am excited to see all the great things that are going to happen. There is much I am going to accomplish this year and hopefully I will have you all reading about my journey!

I started 2010 off with a bang, by learning how to prepare a chicken...starting with a live chicken! Yep it was the old fashion way. I plucked, cleaned and chopped that poor unfortunate chicken and then fried him up! Of course there is always a story behind my crazy adventures and this one is no different. I hadn't planned on doing this, it started as a celebration of New Year's Eve and my parents anniversary. We were eating fantastic Chinese food and playing cards at Nana and Papa's. We spend the night and have breakfast in the morning. After enjoying Biscuits and Gravy, we were waiting for Papa to finish feeding the chickens (they have about 100 or so.) we look out the window and he is carrying a dead chicken. He was spreading some scratch out for the chickens and accidentally stepped on the head of one of them. Hence snapping its neck and killing it. We got the story when he came in and I proceeded to say no sense in wasting the thing let's pluck it and make fried chicken. Hence my adventure started.

Now let me say I didn't have to cut the head off, Papa strung it up in a tree and took care of that for me. I did have to go get it so I could dunk it in boiling water and pluck it. They do have quite a few feathers and some are easier than others... After plucking it (and thawing out from being outside doing it. Yes I was outside yesterday in 20 degree weather plucking a chicken!) I got to clean the thing. By clean I mean cut open and gut. Not so bad, but it was still warm. (I like to think it was the boiling water bath and not the alternative..) After that it was a piece of cake, I remember watching my mom and dad cut up whole fryers when I was younger so a few pointers from Papa and I was good to go.

He also tutored me on actually frying the chicken. I have attempted fried chicken for the Hubby before, but it never turned out right :( This time everything turned out well. Yeah me! You can't have real fried chicken without mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. So we made a meal out of it. Yummy.







I even got the Munchkins thumbs up.

So all in all a very interesting New Year, but hey as the hubby says, "I guess we could make it if the apocalypse happened...lol!". I have filed this in my brain Rolodex for future reference. Don't know that I will make this a regular occurrence, but at least I know that if the situation calls for it, I can do it.

"published" idea

Yah that's right! My cute little Easter Egg Garland is on a website that gets tons of hits! Check it out all you crafty people!
oneprettything.com
You"ll love it and I check it everyday, if not two or three times a day...

Easter Egg Garland

Here is a little something I made up to add to my Easter decor. Enjoy. If you have any questions about the pattern just let me know!

Easter Egg Garland

Supplies
worsted weight yarn in the colors of your choice.
G hook
blunt pointed needle

Abbreviations:
Ch Chain
Sc Single crochet
Dc Double crochet
Dc Dec double crochet decrease

stitch explanations:
Double crochet decrease ( dc dec.)
Yarn over, pull up a loop in next stitch, yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook. Yarn over pull up a loop in next stitch, yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on hook. Decrease made.


Instructions for egg:
Ch 7
Row 1: Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch to end. (6dc)
Row 2: Ch2(counts as 1st dc now and throughout pattern) turn, dc in same st as ch2. Dc
across to last st. 2 dc in last st. (8dc)
Row3: Repeat row 2 (10dc)
Row 4: Ch2 turn, 1 dc in each st across (10dc)
Row5: Repeat row 4
Row 6: ch2 turn, dc dec., dc in next 4 sts. dc dec., dc in last st. (8dc)
Row7: ch2 turn, dc dec., dc in next 2 sts. dc dec., dc in last st(6dc)
Row 8: Ch 2 turn, dc dec twice, dc in last st. (4dc)
fasten off. weave in ends

here's what it should look like

Instructions for garland:

Ch 40. *sc into 2nd dc dec of egg top. ch 12* repeat until last egg is attached. ch 40 fasten off.


easy as pie! For mine I used odds and ends of crochet cotton I had laying around, but any type of yarn will work.

long time no blog

Ok so this winter has not been kind at our house! we have all been sick on and off for the last month if not longer...the winter doldrums have muddled my brain capacity. Anywho...I do have some great little things I have done to pass the time and such so hopefully I will get to them this week! Hope everyone is fairing better then we are! Can't wait for Spring and constant warm weather!

so about the party...

The party never happened for the munchkin. She's been sick all week and just started feeling better this morning. But I did drop her mailbox off at school so she could collect her cards and goodies! It's been a long day of shopping and craziness getting ready for our 80s themed dinner at church! It's tomorrow evening and I can't wait! We are mostly all dressing up and I can't wait to take pics and show you all how tacky we look! hehe stay tuned...