Weight Watchers

i've finally gotten back in to my WW routine since vacation! woo!

Anyone who is thinking about doing it should- yes yes ive only lost 3 ibs in my first month but vacation kinda got in the way! when i was on track, i lost 2 ibs every week. just happened to gain one back while i was on vaca! but excited to weigh myself this weekend :) im doing weight watchers online, and lovin it. i have access all the time-computer OR iphone (they have the coolest app)-- and totally worth the low low price of 50 bucks for 3 months. and its not a DIET. its a life style! its taught me portion control, and the points system is so cool. i can look at something and go 'oh thats tomato? those are zero points!' its gotten IN my head, so i dont feel like im dieting, just for once im actually paying attention to what im eating! my goal is to lose about 30-35 ibs!

they have a ton of great recipes on their site- i made this one the other night and joey and i both loved it!

Spicy Black Bean Soup
POINTS: 3
INSTRUCTIONS

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 medium onion(s), finely chopped
4 medium garlic clove(s), minced
45 oz canned black beans, undrained, divided (three 15 oz cans)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
14 1/2 oz fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
10 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies, such as Rotel Tomatoes
11 oz canned yellow corn, drained



Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.


Place one can of beans in blender; add sautéed onion mixture, red pepper flakes and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.


Place second can of beans and broth in blender and puree until smooth; add to stockpot.


Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), tomatoes and green chilies, and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of soup per serving.



mine looks diff from the picture but thats because i added tomatoe and green bell pepper to mine (0 points!)-- i was a little nervous, ive never really 'made' a soup before, but it turned out great. joey loved it too! so more and more im jumping on WW to see what i can find to make for dinner-it is AWESOME.

im trying really hard to be positive about it, and not beat myself up. you wouldve thought my world had ended when i gained a pound on vaca! i was really upset, but when i put it in perspective- NO its not something to celebrate, BUT it couldve also been ALOT worse! i can also tell im getting better with portion control and my stomach has shrank. all good things. i have a bad habit of comparing myself to other people-so when i hear other girls on WW have lost 7Ibs in 2 weeks...im jealous and wonder 'why cant i do that!?'. patience...i dont have it lol. i want to be skinny kelly again! granted i know 30 ibs isnt a ton in the grand scheme of things, and my doctor claims im healthy and i dont NEED to lose weight...but screw that noise i wanna be confident again!

one of my top two reasons for doing WW is babies. i wanna have babies! if i had it my way it would be right now! BUT theres things we need to do first, and i know we're not ready yet. plus we're only a year and a half into our marriage so i do want some more alone time. ANYWAY, i want to get in the best shape i can- integrate excercise into my daily routine, so that when i DO get pregnant i can continue excercising throughout my pregnancy (without harming me or baby)- AND so maybe afterwards it wont be AS hard to get off the baby weight!

and of course my other reason is just...me :) i wanna be that confident sexy happy girl again!.

so cheers! on i go to my weight watchers journey!

another monday, and def. back to reality...

wow, what a monday! busy day at work, and i think anything that couldve gone wrong did!
hoping tomorrows a better day.
and the title says it all: def. back to reality. it feels like our beach trip was MONTHS ago and we've only been home a week! i was so stress free and relaxed while i was there, it was hard coming back to real life!

my birthday was last week though! it was a good one, simply for the fact joey was home for it for once!

i had to work- but my coworkers had ChickFila breakfast waiting,and a card signed by everyone! but wait- Im getting ahead of myself!! I woke up to this....




my in-laws did this! my MIL's friend is doing this fundraiser so the night before my birthday they 'flocked' me and i woke up to this! started my day off with a good laugh/smile!
then Brittany gave me a frame,lavender grow kit,gummy bears,a birthday koozie,and a butterfly thing for my garden! so cool!
Pay gave me some new gardening tools/gloves too :)
Girlfran gave me an old navy giftcard i used to get a few cute outfits!
My dad is building me some wood planters for the house!

that night i met everyone for dinner at On The Border :)






the next day, vicky hubs and i finally went to see eclipse! woooo! it was SO GOOD (yes ima twilight fan!)-- and as always got some shirts made!:







Friday night we had friends over to hangout and celebrate, and had a great time! The rest of the weekend Courtney stayed with us! we had a good time, relaxing by the pool Saturday and Sunday!

overall a great birthday! and i have one more gift to look forward to-- tanya went to ROME for 4th of July and said she picked up somethin for me there, so cool!
I have wonderful friends and family! and im just so glad joey was finally home for my birthday!

Topsail Island = HEAVEN

missing the beach already and have only been home 3 hours!

Last Thursday Joey,me,and my MIL all left right after work to head up to Topsail Island,NC. It has become my heaven on earth in the 2 short times Ive been there! We got there about 1:30 am and crashed! Friday we spent lounging on the dock with the family :)



Courtney,Kathy, and Dad got in late Friday-- the girls,Joey,and I all shared a room and had a fun lil slumber party all weekend! Joey was a good sport! Saturday we hit the beach and had so much fun. Nothing better than sittin in a chair, hangin with fam, drinkin a brew with your toes in the water. It was just what I needed. Id been so wound up and tense-- I actually didnt even touch my phone the entire time I was there! who knew I could even do it haha, but it was a nice break from technology.
I had a very relaxed vacation :)

4th of July was a blast as always-- spent the day in the sun, and then got ready for the Easter's Annual 4th of July party! great food, fun dancing/kareoke-- then our crew went back to the house and partied on the dock a bit. Speaking of the house- the Soignet's house is amazing,and we're so blessed they let us stay there!



NOT TO MENTION, we got tons of time with our God Daughter Lilliana :) She is growing up SO quickly. it was awesome getting to spend so much time with her and Claire :)




a great vacation. WONDERFUL time with the family, and a much needed breather. I feel a lot more refreshed- although I DO wish I was still there! Luckily I get to go back for Sisters Weekend in November, so I'm really looking forward to that :)

For now off to finish dishes,laundry,unpacking,ect!

ALMOST beach time...

hellooooo monday... woo im feelin it today. i woke up late today but my sweet hubby made me my coffee and lunch while i was getting ready :)since then though i feel like i havent been able to wake up today!

this weekend was GREAT! not that anything over the top or super special happened...just that i actually got to spend it with my husband! we havent had a weekend together since January!

*Friday we drove out to Kennesaw after work to hang out with Courtney,Mikey,Ward,and Kathy; we went to their friends house and spent the night swimmin around the pool and drinkin some brews. we ended up staying at the boys apartment and headed home early the next morning (to let our pups out!).
*Saturday when we got home we did some stuff around the house and then just relaxed, I made a cake for my Dad for Fathers Day (coconut, his favorite!) and then we went over to his house for a Fathers Day cook out. It was alot of fun and the food was SO yummy! I gave my Dad a picture frame my friend Vicky painted for me that said 'a daughter may out grow daddys lap, but never his heart', along with some pictures of he and i, and of course the cake. My brother (and I guess..kinda me..) gave him a kitten! BEAUTIFUL. half siamese with bright blue eyes :) i cant wait to hear what he names it!
*Sunday, FOR ONCE- we got to lay in bed when we woke up cuddling and relaxing, turned the tv on and I made us some coffee to enjoy in bed until Delilah started cryin so we got up to let them out lol. then we putzed around the house a bit, and headed over to the pool to hangout with my mom,payton,and jason! joeys been dyin to go swimming, and ive been pretty anxious too- hoping to get a lot more pool time in soon! Afterward we went over to my in-laws house for Fathers Day dinner for Dad! Court bought everything for dinner and her and i prepared it. it was good and super healthy too! we hung out there for a while and then headed home to our fur babies :)
oh and also Sunday is my weigh in day for weight watchers!-- in 2 wks ive lost 4 Ibs, YAY! still goin strong :) its actually really easy and so far im seeing results so hopefully ill hit my goal weight soon!


over all- great wkend :) im loving joey having a set schedule and being home on the wkends- yay for that! we leave for topsail next week (hopefully thurs after work) and it cant come soon enough. we both need a break so bad, and i cant think of a better place to take that break. last years trip was awesome- this years will be even better because he wont be leaving to go back to germany! excited to spend time with the soignets and bakers! we havent seen lauren and mike since LAST july! too long! and of course looking forward to some more time with my gorgeous God Daughter :)

not much planned this week. just work! havin the in-laws over to grill out on wednsday so lookin forward to that, no big plans this wkend-hoping for a pool day, going to get my nails/toes/eyebrows done saturday to gear up for the beach next week...

shout out to lauren! GIRL, i am SO jealous of your life!! havin all summer off and spendin it at the beach, i want that! lol enjoy, and keep updating your blog/FB so i can live through you!

good things comin up, just gotta make it through the next week and a half....!

Summer is here!

Summer is most definitley officially here-- it is SO hot today. Over the weekend it hit 99 degrees!

This past weekend I went BACK to Charlotte :) I wanted to spend some one on one time with the Baker Family! So Vicky and I drove up on Friday afternoon and came home Saturday evening!











we had a really good time just relaxing, and hangin around the apartment- all fighting over who got to hold Lilliana ;) Claire and Nick are doing an awesome job! Watching them parent made me have baby fever EVEN more! Claire is super mom no doubt and is so good with Lilly, and Nick-as soon as he got home he came straight for her! Theyr the cutest little family! Nick took good care of us girls too, we ordered dinner in Friday- Saturday morning he went and got us all starbucks, cooked us fresh blue berry pancakes, and then made us all lunch too! what a guy! it was bitter sweet to leave, I was anxious to get home to joey but sad to leave them too! but luckily ill see them in just a few weeks for 4th of July in Topsail!


Not a ton going on other than Lilliana bein so famous ;) Joey did get a new job! Global Communications- he's working with his bestfriends too which is really cool. So far he's really enjoying it, and Im really happy he's happy!

We're gearin up for Fathers Day this weekend-- Saturday we're cooking out with my dad, and Sunday we'll spend with his dad!

pretty boring otherwise! just counting down the days till Topsail- we both need a break! we'll be there the 2nd-6th of July :)

Lilliana is HERE!!!

Thats right :) my gorgeous God Daughter has arrived!!



She was born at 9:09 am on Saturday, June 5, 2010 in Charlotte,NC!!

Mom Court and I all drove up on Friday morning and got there about 12:30, Claire didnt know Court was coming so it was a cool suprise :) She was scheduled to be induced that morning, but when she called the hospital they told her they were too busy :*( needless to say everyone was upset! (we found out later her doctor delivered 16 babies that day!). So we spent the day taking numerous walks to try to get her into labor, laughed a TON (I think that worked more than the walking!)-- about 10:30 that night the 3 of us said good night and headed to our hotel. Sure enough, about 12:30 the next morning her water broke and she went in to labor!

We got to see them both and hug claire/hold Lilliana before heading back to Atl,Ga for Mikeys engagment party. it was so hard to leave!! i wanted to stay and hang- but we needed to get back and i KNOW claire and nick needed some sleep, plus some bonding time with their baby girl. she is gorgeous, and has SO much hair! she looks identical to claire- seriously, like a little mini me, claire doll or something! im hoping to go back this weekend but its looking like its not going to work out :(

heres some pictures! :














thats the biggest news :) oh! i had my review at work, and it went really well! i got a raise! woo! very exciting! joey and i went out to dinner last night (sushi, yum!) to celebrate-- i love my job, and really really happy brittany helped me get it!

also-- i started weight watchers online this week! hopefully itll be successful for me, ive been stickin to it really hard- supposivley you can lose up to 2 pounds a week- i weigh myself every sunday so we shall see. i decided its crunch time for losing weight, time to stop talking about it and just do it! so wish me luck :)

lots of fun things coming up too-- topsail in just a few weeks, my birthday (still no idea what im doing!), and hey! eclipse comes out soon :)

thats all for now, just a quick update to brag about my beautiful God Daughter! (if youre wondering if i have baby fever the answer is YES!)

Charlotte Bound!

The time has come! I have ONE MORE day of work this week and then I'm off to meet my beautiful God daughter :)

Claire is being induced on Friday morning! As soon as I found out I immediately asked off for Friday! I cant wait to get up there, cause first of all I just flat out miss Claire! and of course I am so anxious to meet my God daughter :)

This week has been a good one! Memorial Day was Monday and luckily I actually got to spend some of it with my soldier! very proud of him, and so appreciative of his service to our country! We laid in bed all morning which was SO nice since we never get todo that on weekends anymore-- then we got up and did some stuff around the house, went to the growers outlet in Loganville and got a buncha tomato plants, green pepper, garlic, 3 types of salvia, foxglove, and my favorite: lavender, it smells SO good already and hasn't even bloomed yet! so exciting!! Afterward we went to get some lunch (hibachi, yum!) and then went to the sotos and spent about an hour at the pool and then grilled out burgers. overall a great day off work!

Works going really well-- my 90 day review is coming up and i couldnt be more excited for it. im really excited to show them what i can do :) stay tuned for that!

ive picked up crocheting again...yes again. i think the last time i worked on it was in november, i just got so frustrated and i put it down. still kinda frustrating...actually considering trying out knitting but i dont know if its easier or harder, i guess we'll see!

not much else is new! gearing up for summer, enduring LOTS of rain this week, and chompin at the bit to get to Charlotte! Im looking forward to spending many weekends up there with everyone!

next post?...Lilliana will be here!!!