clever idea Huffington Post. halloween... my fav time of year. came across this section added among the traditional menu on the HP site. hilarious! love it!
Monday, October 31, 2011
zombie invasion
clever idea Huffington Post. halloween... my fav time of year. came across this section added among the traditional menu on the HP site. hilarious! love it!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
JMS Chorus
ryna's school chorus group had their first performance of the school year. both chorus and band each performed three songs. 2 were from the musical, Wicked!! the chorus group sang "One Short Day" and the band performed "Defy Gravity". the band did a great on their performance on Clocks by Coldplay... i wish i recorded that one. anyway, i was able to record the chorus singing their last song, Michael Jackson's I'll Be There.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
cheaters
since my nutrition & fitness program ended last tuesday, i haven't worked out. between long hours at the office working on this major product release, packing, and preparing for a baby shower... i haven't carved out any time for me & my body. i really need to re-prioritize.
this past saturday ended up being a super duper cheat day b'coz i spent the day helping host a baby shower and well there was really nothing i could eat that fit my nutritional guidelines. i had a choice of street tacos, sushi (which was long gone before i realized there was any), and an endless supply of desserts. after trying really hard to avoid everything outside of the guidelines, i broke down. mike and i figured the day was already shot... so we decided to top the night off with carbolicious foods that we would really enjoy... pasta! following the baby shower, we drove down to mdr for dinner at c&o trattoria. i love this place. i love the food. i love the location. i love the ambiance. i love the service. i love the decor. i love the group karaoke sesh of 'that's amore!'. it's amore. what a night! we had garlic knots, caprese (4 servings) and shared an individual serving size of fettuccini alfredo... we. were. stuffed. we ended up taking half the pasta home for our roomie to finish off.
went back to the guidelines the last 2 days, but today... i had vermicelli dry from saigon dish. and you know what... it wasn't even good!! geez, shoulda stuck to greek yogurt as i have the past 2 days. i cheated and now i feel cheated! sigh... lesson learned... don't over do it... indulge but don't over-indulge... drink a glass, not the whole bottle... i hope i've learned my lesson b'coz i have long way to go back to a size 5.
i think i'll avoid my scale this week... just can't face it after all the cheating i've done.
this past saturday ended up being a super duper cheat day b'coz i spent the day helping host a baby shower and well there was really nothing i could eat that fit my nutritional guidelines. i had a choice of street tacos, sushi (which was long gone before i realized there was any), and an endless supply of desserts. after trying really hard to avoid everything outside of the guidelines, i broke down. mike and i figured the day was already shot... so we decided to top the night off with carbolicious foods that we would really enjoy... pasta! following the baby shower, we drove down to mdr for dinner at c&o trattoria. i love this place. i love the food. i love the location. i love the ambiance. i love the service. i love the decor. i love the group karaoke sesh of 'that's amore!'. it's amore. what a night! we had garlic knots, caprese (4 servings) and shared an individual serving size of fettuccini alfredo... we. were. stuffed. we ended up taking half the pasta home for our roomie to finish off.
went back to the guidelines the last 2 days, but today... i had vermicelli dry from saigon dish. and you know what... it wasn't even good!! geez, shoulda stuck to greek yogurt as i have the past 2 days. i cheated and now i feel cheated! sigh... lesson learned... don't over do it... indulge but don't over-indulge... drink a glass, not the whole bottle... i hope i've learned my lesson b'coz i have long way to go back to a size 5.
i think i'll avoid my scale this week... just can't face it after all the cheating i've done.
Monday, October 17, 2011
run for your lives!
zombie infested 5k obstacle course.
can we say awesome!! my two interests rolled into one exciting event. although, i think it would be more fun if we could take the zombies down... run around with paintball guns... yeah? yeah!!
can we say awesome!! my two interests rolled into one exciting event. although, i think it would be more fun if we could take the zombies down... run around with paintball guns... yeah? yeah!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
wishing tree tags
i started crafting again for my girl's baby shower. i rarely get to craft these days. when i do get a bit of me time, it fills up quickly with long overdue errands or sleep! i enjoy making things from scratch and sometimes forget that. it's therapeutic and peaceful and makes me light up when i see the finished product. so, with the lack of crafting i've done... i really went all out...
for my first project, i made tags for the wishing tree. not familiar with a wishing tree? it's a fairly new trend that's cropped up at weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc and often takes the place of a guest book. i find it's an absolutely beautiful way to capture everyone's wishes and thoughts and makes a great decoration piece in your home.
i started with a 8.5"x11" white cardstock and cut that into 4.25"x4.25" which makes 4 per sheet. i used photoshop (love!) to create the tags with the cutest "fill-in-the-blank" message i came across at another baby shower this year. what a perfect idea for someone like me who can never think of anything clever or profound to say. all done and time to print!
next up, i punched a hole at the top-center of the tag using the crop-a-dile to run the twine through later. i then grabbed one of my favorite tools; 4-in-1 embossing corner punch. imo, this is such a great tool b'coz it takes a simple square card and adds a little flare. if i wanted to, i could stop right here and be done with this project... but that isn't my style...
... inking the edges and corners always makes a statement for me. i love that old, tattered, and rustic look. depending on how much you ink and what colors you choose can create many different moods in your project. i ink the corners in a darker color to make sure the embossed symbol pops out.
for the back, i used rubber stamps to create a background and a center focus piece, which in this case was the theme of the event. and of course, i followed that up with more inking. lastly, i ran twine through the hole to create the ability to hang the tag on the wishing tree.
materials + tools:
[gallery]
for my first project, i made tags for the wishing tree. not familiar with a wishing tree? it's a fairly new trend that's cropped up at weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc and often takes the place of a guest book. i find it's an absolutely beautiful way to capture everyone's wishes and thoughts and makes a great decoration piece in your home.
i started with a 8.5"x11" white cardstock and cut that into 4.25"x4.25" which makes 4 per sheet. i used photoshop (love!) to create the tags with the cutest "fill-in-the-blank" message i came across at another baby shower this year. what a perfect idea for someone like me who can never think of anything clever or profound to say. all done and time to print!
next up, i punched a hole at the top-center of the tag using the crop-a-dile to run the twine through later. i then grabbed one of my favorite tools; 4-in-1 embossing corner punch. imo, this is such a great tool b'coz it takes a simple square card and adds a little flare. if i wanted to, i could stop right here and be done with this project... but that isn't my style...
... inking the edges and corners always makes a statement for me. i love that old, tattered, and rustic look. depending on how much you ink and what colors you choose can create many different moods in your project. i ink the corners in a darker color to make sure the embossed symbol pops out.
for the back, i used rubber stamps to create a background and a center focus piece, which in this case was the theme of the event. and of course, i followed that up with more inking. lastly, i ran twine through the hole to create the ability to hang the tag on the wishing tree.
materials + tools:
- white cardstock
- computer w/photoshop or similar
- printer
- twine
- 2 rubber stamps
- stampin' up classic inkpad in bashful blue
- stampin' up classic inkpad in early espresso
- colorbox cat's eye pigment inkpads in 3 shades of brown
- fiskar's 4-in-1 embossing corner punch
- we r memory keepers crop-a-dile all-in-one-tool
[gallery]
Sunday, October 9, 2011
accepted
we stepped into the car after having a delicious dinner at tamaen when we received a text message from our realtor:
"seller agrees to original offer..."
i had to read it twice before i said anything to mike. i'm so ecstatic! the last few days have been quite stressful...
we found a home we both fell in love with. put in our offer 9 days ago. scrambled to get the documents the seller requested within the first 4 days. then had to extend our offer deadline so the seller can work out some personal matters they were dealing with regarding the sell of their house. 2 days ago they countered asking for $5k more than our offer. after mulling it over for 2 days, we came to a conclusion this morning that we'd stick to our guns... b'coz it's really our best offer and what we can afford. this morning... i was certain we lost our chance for the house and we had already started perusing redfin and zip realty for more prospects.
but tonight... that text message our realtor sent changed everything. i haven't felt this accomplished since my daughter was born. for the first time in my life... i will own a house. no... not just a house. a home. a home that my daughter will grow up in... a home that will be ours... a home our kids will grow up in. a home that i can be happy to finally call 'my home'.
i know this is barely just the beginning and i really hope i'm not jinxing us right now. i'm just so excited and anxious to talk about it... that i just had to blog it. escrow will open soon and we still need to get inspection done. i really really truly hope and pray that everything goes well from here on out.
a new journey awaits us....
"seller agrees to original offer..."
i had to read it twice before i said anything to mike. i'm so ecstatic! the last few days have been quite stressful...
we found a home we both fell in love with. put in our offer 9 days ago. scrambled to get the documents the seller requested within the first 4 days. then had to extend our offer deadline so the seller can work out some personal matters they were dealing with regarding the sell of their house. 2 days ago they countered asking for $5k more than our offer. after mulling it over for 2 days, we came to a conclusion this morning that we'd stick to our guns... b'coz it's really our best offer and what we can afford. this morning... i was certain we lost our chance for the house and we had already started perusing redfin and zip realty for more prospects.
but tonight... that text message our realtor sent changed everything. i haven't felt this accomplished since my daughter was born. for the first time in my life... i will own a house. no... not just a house. a home. a home that my daughter will grow up in... a home that will be ours... a home our kids will grow up in. a home that i can be happy to finally call 'my home'.
i know this is barely just the beginning and i really hope i'm not jinxing us right now. i'm just so excited and anxious to talk about it... that i just had to blog it. escrow will open soon and we still need to get inspection done. i really really truly hope and pray that everything goes well from here on out.
a new journey awaits us....
Saturday, October 8, 2011
weighing in
so, a few weeks ago i posted this and decided to cut out sugary and starchy carbs. well, after procrastinating for 2 wks... i finally started... and 4 weeks later ... i lost 11lbs. *happy dance*
eliminating some of my favorite foods was tough b'coz i love food... eliminating alcohol was even harder. but, i love me more. and i miss my skinny jeans and my waist very very much... it's been awhile since we last hung out and strutted our stuff. so... no pastas, rice, bread, cereal, cupcakes, cookies, chips, or even FRUIT! for 3 weeks. i ate all the veggies, lean meats, and fish my taste buds can tolerate. surprisingly, it was not difficult to find snacks and meals that fit with my diet. add a lil circuit training and 24 hour fitness turbo kick classes and you've got yourself a well established and guaranteed to lose weight diet & exercise program. ta-da! it's that easy...
... not. yeah, giving up the really good part of food kinda sucked... but not fitting into that dress i've been eyeing at bebe is absolutely devastating and nearing borderline depression. so... i guess i had to ask myself that question... what would you rather have? the delicious macaroni & cheese topped with chicken and buffalo hot sauce from elbows... or to wear a size 5 again. I'LL TAKE LATTER PLEASE. sure, i can have any comfort food satisfy my palette for the next hour. but, it'll take me yet another week to lose that pound i just gained. so, my diet began... and it won't stop until my eyes are satisfied with what it sees in the mirror... and my waist is satisfied with the size of jeans that wrap around my legs and hips.
it's great seeing results. and the scale isn't the only result i rely on to keep me going... the energy... the small definition and toned muscles that i swear to god i see peeking out... the ability to have a full and good night of sleep... the confidence... the clarity... the cleansing feeling from eating naturally good foods rather than processed fast food. changing how you eat is truly a positive lifestyle change. i can't wait to see where i'll be in another 4 weeks!
"motivation is what gets you started. habit is what keeps you going."
eliminating some of my favorite foods was tough b'coz i love food... eliminating alcohol was even harder. but, i love me more. and i miss my skinny jeans and my waist very very much... it's been awhile since we last hung out and strutted our stuff. so... no pastas, rice, bread, cereal, cupcakes, cookies, chips, or even FRUIT! for 3 weeks. i ate all the veggies, lean meats, and fish my taste buds can tolerate. surprisingly, it was not difficult to find snacks and meals that fit with my diet. add a lil circuit training and 24 hour fitness turbo kick classes and you've got yourself a well established and guaranteed to lose weight diet & exercise program. ta-da! it's that easy...
... not. yeah, giving up the really good part of food kinda sucked... but not fitting into that dress i've been eyeing at bebe is absolutely devastating and nearing borderline depression. so... i guess i had to ask myself that question... what would you rather have? the delicious macaroni & cheese topped with chicken and buffalo hot sauce from elbows... or to wear a size 5 again. I'LL TAKE LATTER PLEASE. sure, i can have any comfort food satisfy my palette for the next hour. but, it'll take me yet another week to lose that pound i just gained. so, my diet began... and it won't stop until my eyes are satisfied with what it sees in the mirror... and my waist is satisfied with the size of jeans that wrap around my legs and hips.
it's great seeing results. and the scale isn't the only result i rely on to keep me going... the energy... the small definition and toned muscles that i swear to god i see peeking out... the ability to have a full and good night of sleep... the confidence... the clarity... the cleansing feeling from eating naturally good foods rather than processed fast food. changing how you eat is truly a positive lifestyle change. i can't wait to see where i'll be in another 4 weeks!
"motivation is what gets you started. habit is what keeps you going."
Monday, October 3, 2011
fakebook
it's easy to say your life is great. say it enough times and maybe... just maybe... you'll believe it yourself. it's easy to look busy and look good when no one is really looking at you. but in the end... no matter what you say on the internet grapevine about yourself... your actions speak louder than any letters combined to create words that make you sound awesome. it's your actions that make you who you are. it's the effort you put forth for your future, your family, your friends that define how awesome you are... not the status YOU wrote about yourself.
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