Weight Watcher's Wed.

My sister and I are doing great on our Weight Watcher's journey! I am down 7.5 lbs. and she is down 5 so far. I am starting to notice a difference in how my clothes are fitting. I need to start getting more active so more pounds will start coming off! I've got the eating part taken care of :)

I have found lots of new snacks and if you pay attention to my sidebar you will see that I share a different snack every week with you and how many points they are. The other night I tried a new recipe and the family loved it! Really was delicious!

Ceasar Pleaser Sandwiches by Kraft

What You Need
1/2 cup torn romaine lettuce
1 thin red onion slice, separated into rings
1 Tbsp. KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. KRAFT Light Classic Caesar Dressing
1 ciabatta sandwich roll, partially split 2 oz. (1/3 of 6-oz. pkg.)
OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Cuts
2 tomato slices
Make It
TOSS lettuce with onions, cheese and dressing.
FILL roll with lettuce mixture, chicken and tomatoes.
Calories 250, Total Fat 6 g, Fiber 2g= 5 WW points

We Have A Winner!

My little one helped me draw a winner for the giveaway! Cool Gal... you are the winner! Please send me your name and address at emilyalford@usouthal.edu and I will ship your yummy candle this week :)

Weekend

We have lots of stuff going on this weekend and I am soo glad it’s Friday!!
Last night we put our charming little humble abode on the market. Sad…but I’m ready to let it go.

Tonight the Mr. and I are going to do some much needed grocery shopping- I’ve got all my coupons organized and ready for a bargain!

Tomorrow I have a wonderful little Bridal Brunch to attend and I am excited about my gift. The bride and groom- to- be have a waffle maker on their gift registry so I got that and intend on getting some waffle mix, gourmet syrups, personalized napkins and such to put together a nifty little gift basket for them. Hope they like it! What do you think about the idea?

Hope every one has a fantastic weekend and don’t forget to sign up for my giveaway- deadline is SUNDAY!

Pink & Green Thursday!

I just joined in on the fun of Pink & Green Thursdays hosted by "Pink Preppy Lilly Lover" and I am so excited!

If you don't partake.. you should by clicking here!

I'm thinking I really want a bike...

So my legs will be toned and I can wear these delicious heels! LOL...

AND because I have lots of weddings coming up, including my brothers :)

GIVEAWAY!!

I have a sweeeet summer candle to give away to one lucky winner! I have one 8 oz. MIKASA Home Fragrance Candle in Verdant Citrus to share! The caption on the back of the candle says it all; "An energizing collision of vigorous citrus accents. Lemon Zest, pink grapefruit, and orange fuse atop the pikaki blossom and swirled throughout a sweet berry center, making a lasting impression." The painting by Sherill Anne Gross along side the candle has nothing to do with my giveaway- just thought it was really cute! :)
All you have to do is:

1) Become a follower if you are not already one.

2) Talk about my giveaway on your blog OR add it to your sidebar. *If you do not have a blog (bc I know some of my readers don't) say something NICE about my blog on your facebook page :)

3) Leave a comment telling me about your favorite scent.

It's that easy! I will print the comments and draw the winner. Deadline for comments is this SUNDAY, June 27 and I will announce the winner on MONDAY, JUNE 28.

Diaper Rash Woes?

My child does not get diaper rashes on a regular basis, but the past week or so he had a pretty bad one due to drinking the refreshing but oh so acidic orange juice (I'm so sorry little man). His rash was so bad I had to put him in a tub of warm water and put rags on his area. I did this because I am sure that the usual wipes I was using were hurting his already scabbing wounds. After gently cleaning him in the tub I put a very small dab (does not take much at all) of "Bag Balm" on the rash and continued to do so every time I changed his diaper the next day. Like magic- the rash was gone! I had never heard of it before but my Dad uses it for his extremely dry skin, so my parents told me to try it. So glad I did! To find out exactly what Bag Balm is.. click here and if you are looking for a place to order this magic potion click here.

Weight Watchers Wednesday

I am so excited that my sister Lulu decided to join me on my WW journey. We took our Week 1 pictures and are going to track our progress along the way. I find myself obsessed with finding yummy recipes that are WW friendly yet satisfy my family at the same time. So... I will now have a Weight Watchers Wednesday where I will share with you my findings and anything new going on in my WW world. Enjoy!

Bobby's Lighter Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

By: Paula Deen's son, Bobby Deen
Ingredients:
3 slices whole-wheat bread, torn
1/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 (20.8-ounce) package ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
4 slices reduced-fat center-cut bacon
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 large egg
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons French fried onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a broiler pan with foil and lightly spray the foil with nonstick spray.
Combine the bread and milk in a large bowl; let stand 10 minutes to soften. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; let cool slightly.
Add the mushroom mixture, turkey, cheese, bacon, bread crumbs, egg, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to the bread mixture. Toss gently to combine. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture. Shape into a loaf and place on the pan. Spread the remaining ketchup mixture over the loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160°F, 10 – 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 12 slices.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 6 servings
245 calories, 6 g total fat, 3 d fiber
WW Points: 4 points per 2 slices
and for dessert...

Angel Lush Cupcakes

By: Kraft Healthy Eating

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) angel food cake mix

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cans (8 oz. each) DOLE Crushed Pineapple in Juice, undrained
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 cups assorted fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries)
Directions:
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; pour into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until tops are golden brown and cracks feel dry. (Note: If baking in batches, refrigerate remaining batter in bowl until ready to pour into lined muffin cups and bake.) Cool cupcakes in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
MIX dry pudding mix and pineapple in medium bowl. Gently stir in COOL WHIP; spread onto cupcakes.
TOP with berries.
90 calories, 0.5 total fat, 0 fiber
WW Points: 2 points per cupcake

Cute Little Somethings

Some darling little things have caught my eye recently while breezing through different magazines and websites and if you love bright colors as much as I do- you will love these!

Visit LaPlates and design your own dinnerware! Choose the background style, the color, and the typeface for the monogram. They're made of nonbreakable melamine. How cute!

You are seriouly going to die when you visit frenchbull! They have so many things on their site that I want, but I really do love these storage container sets and salad server set! I'm in love!

And last but not least... these self-watering pot holders can be found at the

A plus R store. Happy Shopping!!

Fondue Fun

Saturday night we went out with our good friends Erica and Richard to celebrate little miss Erica's birthday. We went to "The Melting Pot" for fondue and it was wonderful. If you have never been to one- you should try it! You get tons of food and the experience is worth the money. We have to drive over an hour to eat there, but one will be opening in our area in the next year or so, sooo... I am very excited! BTW- this is a very romantic place to go eat and do plan on at least 3 hours to get the full experience.

Jimbo and I ready to start cooking!

Richard and Erica

Happy Father's Day

Judson is not old enough to truly thank you Jimbo on Father's Day but years from now I am sure he will look back and say...

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being the best possible Daddy you can be to me. Thank you for taking shifts throughout the night with Mama to make sure I was fed the first few months of my life. Thank you for taking me to daycare and picking me up when Mama had to leave work to go to school. Thank you for making my bottles and preparing my meals. Thank you for working hard to pay for those meals and the last minute trips for diapers. Thank you for not getting angry when I threw sweet potatoes all over you and for not complaining when I was having a bad day- but loving on me extra instead. Thank you for taking me on wagon rides and playing ball with me. Thank you for being such a good person to me and Mama. I love you.

Love, Judson

South Carolina Cousins- repost

Here is a repost of an entry that I did awhile back. Years ago, I met my South Carolina cousins through an old boyfriend of mine. They are actually his cousins, but once I met them and we had the connection we did- I adopted them as my own. Jeffrey, Brandy, and Brandon are the ones of the family that I was closest to. There was just this overwhelming feeling being around them that they were meant to be my family… and they have been ever since. Charleston, SC is my favorite place to visit. I find myself longing for their company and visits to their historic town. Everything there is lovely. Jeffrey and Brandon have always had their love for the fire department and I thought it was so neat how much their town is involved with their fire departments. When I think of Charleston, I think of an old timey fire station with a fire wagon and Dalmatian out front. I know it sounds silly, but that’s how it really is there in downtown Charleston (maybe minus the Dalmatian).
On June 18, 2007, there was a flashover and structural collapse that contributed to the deaths of nine Charleston firefighters. Brandon was one of the fallen. I will never forget the next morning as I logged on to my computer and pulled up the internet; it was one of the headline stories on MSN and they were not listing any names yet. I somehow knew that either Jeffrey or Brandon were one of the nine. I received a phone call later that day from Jeffrey confirming it was, indeed Brandon.
I made my way to South Carolina a few days later for the memorial service and Jimbo, my sister, and I were overwhelmed by the love and support that the thousands of firefighters from all over the US showed on that day. We drove through the night to make it on time and I can’t tell you how many fire trucks and police cars traveled along the road with us. After everything was over with, we visited the historic district and the picture below is what I saw in a window display while walking down one of those streets. I will never ever forget that day. They saved a life that day and for that- they are heroes.


Today, I ask that you honor not only my South Carolina cousin and the other fallen firefighters, but honor their families as well as your local fire department. I left that ceremony with an appreciation that I never had before. They risk their lives everyday for us.


Above Pic: Brandon's brother Jeffrey at the Dedication Ceremony.
You can read Brandon' story by clicking here.
We miss you Brandon Thompson.

My new way...

As you all know.. I love to cook! Being from the south it is so easy to be drawn to cook soul food. I just love it- I love baking delicious patries, casseroles, and lots of foods that aren't so good for us. The past year I have really packed on the pounds and I can no longer use the excuse of having a baby- he is now 15 months old! I weigh the most I have ever weighed (minus being prego) and I can't take it anymore. I joined Weight Watchers a week ago (for the second time; I joined once before we got married and loved it!) and feel great after eating better and not to mention have already lost 5.3 lbs. So- from here on out most of the recipes I have on here will come with nutrition facts; yummy food but also better for you food. For the past few days I have really enjoyed fresh grapes, cherries and whole wheat toast for breakfast. 1 cup of grapes= 1 point. 1 cup of fresh cherries= 1 point. 1 pc. of whole wheat toast= 1 point. TOTAL BREAKFAST= 3 points. AWESOME! And... they are so pretty!
I am hoping that some of you will join me. I am doing WW online this time and really love how the system works. They are having a free 7 day trial right now that lets you try everything out. Not to mention it is more affordable to join online rather than go to the meetings. BUT do whatever works best for you!

Our Week

Last Sunday my parents went out of town for a 7 day cruise. The weeks before, me, my siblings and spouse were pre-planning a living room makeover for them, so when my parents left at 6:30 a.m. the husband and I were like kids on Christmas morning jumping up out of bed and stripping wallpaper by 7:00 a.m. As you can see in the pics below (one is from last October and one is Christmas 2 years ago) the room was pretty dated. When we moved in that house 11 years ago- my mother and I put up that wallpaper and thought it was wonderful! That's because it was... 10 years ago!! We decided there must be a makeover soon. My mom has talked about it for about a year now, so we decided to surpsise them as a mother's day/father's day gift. Here is how our week went.

We took down the chair railing and started sanding and putting on the Kilz. You can see the excitement on my sisters face.

Boogs.. already bored with it all.

Finally getting somewhere... the final coat. We then had my brother come in and build custom shelves for both sides of the fireplace. He did a great job! We finished with the final touches yesterday morning and my parents came home to a new living room. They were VERY surprised and loved it!

and the other side.

and now we shall rest!