Remember The Challenge??

No, I am not talking about my Thanksgiving challenge {which I promise to finish up tomorrow!!}, I'm referring to my 30 Day Question Challenge!!

Day 30 and 31 required pictures..... current pictures to be exact! My family had some pictures taken in the middle of the month {October} and I thought for sure we'd have them by the end of the month!! The lady that took them for us was really busy though, so we are just getting them now!!

So, here I am, a month later, finally finishing my challenge!

{Day 30}

{A picture of your parents}

{Day 31}

{A current picture of you}

Holiday Craft Sneak Peek

I am SO excited to start decorating for Christmas this year!! I have been doing TONS of blog stalking and I have found some really great ideas!! All of my stuff is going up on Friday!!! Here is a sneak peek of some of the things I will be using:

{No idea why it wont post right...... sometimes I hate you blogger!!!!}





Happy Turkey Day

 I hope your Thanksgiving is {wonderful}!! I hope it is filled with yummy food, delicious pies, family, friends, sharing thanks, and making memories!!!!

Especially Thankful

I originally had some other idea for days 20 and 21!! I was going to take a picture of my cozy bed with my wonderful new grey comforter and my rufflely yellow pillow!! And then I was going to talk about how grateful I am for my awesome Hyundai!!!

I really am grateful for those things!! I LOVE my bed!! It is SO comfortable with all my pillows and blankets!! And after years and years of driving not so reliable cars {often with out AC} and I am SO grateful for my sweet car {I was also going to mention how grateful I was that my parents let me drive their cars!! Even if I though those cars were crumby}!!

But I thought of a few others things that I am really grateful for that I wanted to highlight instead!!

~*~Day 20

I am grateful for blue skies and sunsets!!

A blizzard {and possible ice storm} is blowing

its way in........ And that makes me terribly sad!!

I love looking up at the bright

blue sky, even when it is full of clouds!! A nice blue

sky usually means beautiful weather........

And sunsets!! The colors they create are spectacular!!

No two are ever the same!! They are beautiful if you are sitting

on a beach watching the sun sink below the wave and they

are beautiful from my front porch, where I get watch the sun dip

behind the mountains!!

~*~Day 21

I am grateful for laughter!! I am thankful for the

sound it makes!!

I love to hear babies laugh!! Their laughter and giggling is

always so adorable and will always bring a smile to your face!!

I am grateful that laughing is contagious!!! It doesn't matter

if you thought something was funny!! If the person next to you is

laughing uncontrollably, chances are you will soon be laughing too!!

I am grateful for the meaning of laughter..............

                             Laughter=Happiness!!



Today I'm Grateful For.....

~*~Day 17

I am grateful for jonagold apples!! Mmmm!! These are by far my most favorite apples of all!

~*~Day 18

I am SO grateful we will in a peaceful place! Can you imagine living in a place where you are worried about getting bombed nightly? Or worrying about crazy people coming into your hut at killing you? It's really hard for me to think about things like that...... and it's hard because I cannot relate in the slightest! I have always had a safe home and a safe neighborhood and I will always be thankful for that!!

                               ~*~Day 19

This time of year I am thank for for mittens!!

I love the fingerless gloves that can also turn

 into mittens!! Genius idea if you ask me!!!

{I know that I need to do days 20-22 today! But I need to get some pictures off of my laptop, so that post will have to come a little later!!}

Confessions of a Cookie Monster

Okay.... so I know a few days ago I had a post complaining about all my stupid weight loss stuff! Well, I feel as if I must confess! Like I said, I haven't had much motivation lately but on top of that I have a new obsession..... COOKIES!!! It is not helping my weight loss goal at all!! In fact, it's totally counterproductive!!

I don't know what it is lately but I am just addicted to cookies!!

It started with getting a huge box of Oreo's from a girl at work. I was using those Oreo's to make "Oreo Balls of Goodness" for her wedding reception. Well looking at all those Oreo's make me want to eat some stupid Oreo's! So I had go by my own package! Now in my defense I did buy the reduced fat kind {that makes it acceptable right?!?!}.

Well, that was only the beginning!! It's getting really cold outside so one day while at the store I bought a box of hot chocolate mix. I was still thinking about cookies and then I had the greatest memory.......... hot chocolate and grasshopper cookies!! Mmmmmmm!! You bite a little piece of the cookie off each end and then suck hot chocolate through the cookie!! It melts in the inside of the cookie and makes it taste even more delicious. So...... I bought a package of those.

And then when I was at the store picking up milk and spinach I just had to have some cookies!! And the fantastic Milano cookies were on sale....... so I bought some {p.s. they were the strawberry kind!! Yum}!!

And then on Tuesday I was at my parents house and my mom and I made some of the most delicious cookies ever!! She had found these limited edition chocolate chips at Target! They were a mix of dark chocolate chips and mint chips! We followed the recipe on the back and made Mint Delight cookies! Yes, they were VERY delightful!! SO good! SO chocolaty!! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!

How did I justify eating so many of those minty good cookies you may ask?! My mom and I had just come home from a kickboxing class!! Totally acceptable and SO worth it!!
And then there is the dumb vending machine at work! It is right by my office!! Back when I started my whole weight loss thing I was tempted by the dumb machine! Well not long after I started our vending machines got repoed!! HAHAHAHA!!! The guy that usually filled them wasn't paying his bills!! True story!!

A lot of people were bummed about it! Me?? I was pretty dang excited! I no longer had that temptation right across the hall from my office! Well, we have a new vending machine! And the guy that fills it is awesome! And guess what always in there?? COOKIES!! Grandma's Homestyle cookies!! They are so good and soft! And I will not lie, I already had one today!!!

So I need to get over this addiction soon!! It's just not working for me {even if the cookies are so yummy}! Why can't I get addicted to carrots or celery or something?!?!

Even More Thanks

~*~Day 12

I am grateful for my ten key!

My math skills have never been that awesome!! So I am grateful I have access to one of these handy little machines {even if the addition key does get stuck on mine}.

~*~ Day 13

I am so grateful for lotion!!

My skin has been so weird lately!! I have had some crazy allergic reactions to some different brands of lotion {no more Olay or St Ives for me}! But my skin has also been so dry!! So I am grateful for lotions that don't make my skin freak out, but make it nice and soft!

~*~Day 14

I am extremely grateful for clean water!

There are way to many places in the word where people drink water that looks like the stuff in the picture! That thought just seems so unreal to me!! I know I complain about tap water a lot, but I really am so thankful that I can turn on a tap and get clear water and not worry about getting some kind of crazy water borne illness!!

~*~Day 15

I am thankful for libraries!

I LOVE books!! I would love to own a million books but my budget right now does not allow it!! So I am very grateful for libraries that allow me take books home, enjoy them for a few weeks, and then return them free of charge!

~*~Day 16
I am grateful for:

I love music!! I am thankful for songs that make me want to dance! And for songs that bring back good memories! I am thankful for songs that make me happy and for songs that help me feel the Spirit! I am thankful for classical music and pop music and country music! I am just grateful for it all!!

Out Of The Groove

Last February I posted about my weight loss goals. I was going to be accountable on this blog to all of you {who ever you are} about how it was going!! I was on a roll for the first few months! In fact, I felt kind of obnoxious getting on here monthly to say how much weight I had lost!
But I was in the groove!! I had a set workout schedule going on!! I had made working out a habit which was a first for me in my lift!! I started planning other things around working out because I really hated to miss a class!

And then the summer came and I sort of fell of the band wagon............... but I was still running a long beside it {or at least keeping up a brisk pace} ! I was still working out....... every so often. And I was trying to be careful about what I ate...... some of the time! I kept telling myself "okay, next month, on the first, I will get back to how it used to be". Did that ever happen?? No!!
And then the summer ended! I went on vacation for my birthday and gained way to many pounds back {that is what peanut butter M&M's, gummy bear breakfasts, hamburgers and Disneyland churros will do to you}!! So my new goal was to start back over in the fall!!

So, here it is, fall {AKA: crappy eating season} almost winter and I am walking in the dust of the weight loss band wagon. I never got back in the swing of weight loss. I just kept up the same old excuses and kept telling myself "next week is really when I'm starting over" or "maybe I will try harder on November 1st".
And I hate it! I hate that I have let myself get lazy...... and that I let myself eat all those stupid Reese's pumpkins........ and that I don't watch what I eat....... I hate it!
I hate that I hit my first major plateau............ that I got stuck at the stupid weight I have been stuck at for years!! I hate that I cant get past that weight! I hate that it bothers me so much that I start thinking "what is the point, I'm never going to be able to loose the weight....."

I hate it all!!

I need to get back in the groove!! I promised myself that once I started loosing the weight I would NOT let it come back on! I haven't been on a scale in awhile. I haven't wanted to know what it had to say. But I am pretty sure I have gained weight back and I hate that too!!

So I need to find some motivation from somewhere!! I need to start over and break through this stupid barrier I have hit!! I need to be good this holiday season and not go crazy on delicious stuffing, potatoes and pie {as much as I really really want too}!! I need to pass up the chocolate in the check out line and I need to start drinking more water!!
I need to start going back to the gym faithfully! And get back to the point where I will not miss a class for anything!!!!

But I feel so overwhelmed by it all right now!! I just don't know what to do?!?! Maybe next month............. 

P.S. I know I need to update my thankful list!! A nice long post about it is coming soon!!!

P.P.S Has any one else been getting really weird and random "comments" from anonymous people on their blogs?? Not that I mind people commenting!!! It's just that I have been getting some weird stuff about selling stuff and buying things!!

Special Thanks

~*~Day 9
I am SO thankful for my country!!!
"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free! And I wont forget the men who died who gave that right to me! And I proudly stand up, next to you and say, that there ain't no doubt I love this land; God bless the USA!!"



~*~Day 10

I am extremely grateful for our founding fathers!

Early Americans beat amazing odds! We were up against a world super power with a huge army and amazing navy! We were not united; we had no training; we had to navy to speak of; no money; we were bound to lose. But we didn't and I am so grateful for that!

I am grateful for all of those men {Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and so many others}. For their strength and determination to never give up even in the face of insurmountable odds!

I am grateful for the faith they put in the Lord and that they knew they couldn't do it with out it Him! I am so grateful for the Declaration of Independence that they wrote and for their bravery in penning it!! Life would be very different without them!

~*~Day 11

Today is Veteran's Day. So today I am giving special thanks to all of our military men and women who are currently serving! And also a very special thanks to all of our veterans!!

I am so grateful for men and women who choose to leave their families and lives so that I can stay here with my family in freedom and peace!

I am thankful for all of the many soldiers who have served throughout the years, from Revolutionary soldiers, to WWII veterans, and people like my grandpa who served in Korea. I am also thank for those that have been serving since the first Desert Storm war and those who are continuing on in bringing freedom.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Today especially, I am extremely grateful for you!!

Catching Up On Thanks

~*~Day 6

 I am seriously thankful for Oreo's!!!

That's right! I am thankful for these delicious little cookies and for all the yummy things that you can make from them!!

~*~Day 7

I am grateful for my job!

There are days when I really do not like my job {but we all have those right} but that does not mean that I am not extremely grateful to still be employed! I know that there are so many people out there {especially now} that REALLY want to work and they cant because jobs just aren't available!

I am also grateful for the people that I work with! I spend more time with them than I do with my own family!! I am grateful for their friendship and for putting up with me!!

~*~Day 8

I am very grateful for a cupboard and fridge full of food!!

A few years ago we had a Korean guy staying with us! One of the first things he said when he saw my parents kitchen was "You live on a farm?!"

He couldn't believe all of the food that we had so readily available {and Korea isn't even close to being a third words country}!! Can you imagine what some one from Darfur would think if they walked into your house and opened your pantry?!? Sometimes that thought makes me really really sad!! We really are so lucky!!  

Isn't is truly amazing that we can run to the grocery store any time of the day or night and pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread? We are not responsible for growing and making all of our own food and we are not dependant on aide shipments from other countries. We can get food whenever we want!!

I Promise I'm Still Thankful!!

It was one of those weekends...... starting late Thursday evening and on through Sunday night. This probably sounds horrible, but if I would have been on here blogging about things I am grateful for it probably would have been things like "I am grateful that the mean dealer that yelled at me took a loss on an SUV he tried to sell" or "I would be grateful if that jerk that cut me off in traffic and almost made me crashed would get pulled over".
It was just one of {those} weekends!!
So I know I have to play catch up because I really am thankful for SO many things!!

*~*Day 5
I am extra grateful for electricity!!
Sometimes I think we forget the simple things! Or we just take them for granted........... like electricity! I'm sure pretty most everyone has seen this picture, but it is always a good reminder:

There are still some parts of the world that are completely dark!! And it's almost 2011!! Now, I know that some places are frozen tundras or vast deserts where people do not live...... but look at the middle part of Africa!! I KNOW that people live there! And they have no light!! That just seems so crazy to me!!
How lucky are we that we can flip a switch and get light WHENEVER we want??

Electricity also runs many other things that I am grateful for.... like my flat iron, the dishwasher, the microwave, my computer........ I really don't know how I would get through multiple days with out the luxury of electricity!!

I REALLY am thankful for it! And for all of its many uses!! I am thankful that I am lucky enough to live in a place that always has electricity!!

Thanksgiving Challenge

*~*Day 4

I am so grateful for digital cameras!!  Remember the "olden day" cameras.... with film?!? You had to take a picture, and hope that it came out okay! You had no idea if the lighting was right, if eyes were closed, if it was blurry,or if you even caught the subject.... the list goes on!! And then to see those pictures you had to pay to develop the whole roll of film!! If your pictures were like mine, more that half of them were crappy and got thrown away!! And with those old cameras you only had about 26 shots before you had to rewind the fill and then switch it out! All the while you could possibly be missing some really good shots!!
Now with that said, I do still think those good old cameras are pretty cool!! I took a photography class in high school and I {LOVED} the whole developing process!! There was just something so exciting about going through that round door into the dark room!!!

But.................................
It is so nice to instantly see the picture you took, to know if you need a re-do!! It is so amazing to be able to take hundreds of pictures on one small memory card!! I remember that with my film camera I was always really picky about what I took pictures of {because I only had so many shots}!! Now I take hundreds of pictures of one thing, just because I can!!! You can easily delete any crumby ones later!!
And then you can print only the ones you want!! They can instantly be put into your computer for many uses, instead of having to scan them in one by one!

So I {LOVE} my digital camera! I carry it with me every where and always will!!

Another Challenge

It's kind of weird that my 31 days of posting every day are over!! I kind of don't know what to do with myself any more!!! I know that I haven't posted days 30 and 31!! I will explain more when I can finally post them!! Which should {hopefully} be soon!!

So I was on Facebook today and someone has posted the {Thanksgiving Challenge} on their status. What are you supposed to do?? Simple, you just list something you are thankful for in your status every day until Thanksgiving!
I have decided to turn it into a blog challenge {SORRY if you are sick of these every day things!! But feel like I am on a blogging roll and I have nothing else to blog about because my life is boring....}

With that said, I am behind!!!

*~*Day 1: I am thankful for my Brita water pitcher!!!

I have this weird thing about water!! I get worried about drinking water right out of the tap!!! My Brita water pitcher was one of the first thing I bought when I moved into my new apartment because I didn't dare drink the water {which I am sure is probably just fine!!}

*~*Day 2: I am thankful for my passport !!!

I {love} to travel!! When I can finally retire that is all I plan to do!! I have been so lucky to travel to so many different places!!! I am thankful for the friends that have gone on trips with me! And for all of my many wonderful family vacations!!

*~*Day 3: I am thankful for the Wasatch mountains!!

They give me direction!! And whether they are blue in the summer covered by blue spruce trees {at least I think that's what makes them look that way...}, or red, orange and yellow in the fall, or even snow covered in the winter, they always looks so beautiful!! It really is weird to visit other places and not see the amazing mountains surrounding you!!

Cinderella Is Proof A Shoe Can Change Your Life

I love shoes!!! Today as I got dressed I wished I had a pair of heels like this:  

In that exact same color too!!!

They would look so awesome with

my dark purple sweater!!!

And as I was searching for just the right pair of teal high heels, I found these:

I {LOVE} them!! I can think of so many outfits

that would go well with these shoes!!

Not to mention the yellow dress I wear in the summer!!

I'm thinking I need to increase my shoes budget!!

Scentsy Night

I just wanted to let everyone one know that my roommate is hosting a Scentsy party at our house this Wednesday night at 7:00 and you are welcome to come!!

There is a lot of cool new stuff like really cute black and white plug in warmers!! And they have these really cool military warmers too for the different branches of the military!!  

 

 And if you have little kids or nieces/nephews these things are really cute!!

They are called Scentsy Buddies!! They come with a cool little freshener thing that you put in their back which makes their stuffed animal smell nice!! These things are also super soft!! I am not lying when I say I want to own the lamb and the monkey.... and the elephant.....

 

There are also some pretty Christmas/Holiday warmers that are available right now too!! And a special Newborn collections!!

So if you are ready to start your Christmas shopping feel free to stop by!! There will be treats!! =0) And shipping will be FREE!! Let me know if you are interested and I can get you my address!! Or, if you cant make it that night, I can mail you a catalog!! THANKS!!