Sunday, August 31, 2008

The ultimate gift wrap!

Having twins must be amazing. Having a twin boy and girl is just fun!!! For me at least because the gift wrap comes out AMAZING! Never knew I had it in me he he he

This was so much fun to do, about 3 hours worth of work and totally worth it! Just making the base for it was exciting enough as the creativity poured in.

So this is basically a big box cut up and taped to make a display looking gift wrap. In this collection of fine items you will find the following:
Caden Lane Blue and Pink Large Moroccan Bib
Caden Lane Blue and Pink Octagon Piping Trim Blankets
Caden Lane Blue and Pink Octagon Burp Cloths
Diapees and Wipees Blue and Pink Disco Dot Diaper Holders
Angel Dear Blue and Pink Lamb Super Soft Baby Rattles
BabyLegs Jack Jester and Jill Jester Leg Warmers
I purposely set it up so that the genders are separated and look as identical as possible in placement. Symmetry I guess :)
Now how cute is that!??!

The Dream Ring!

Oh married women... How did you know he was the one?
Is it that gut feeling, the way he treats you? The way he stares or the time he sacrifices JUST to stare? The touch of his hand on your body or the warm tingling kiss? The way he reassures you you're the only one for him?
Possibly the way he remembers your special moments? Or how he lets you know your world is his own? Or maybe it was when he told you for the thousandth time you're the most beautiful in the world?
Maybe it's the flowers he buys because he knows they make you happy? Or the beautiful bouquet he sent to your job? The way he listens to your every word and record it in his mind because he knows it's important to YOU!?
Or did you know he was the one when he told his family "that's the girl I'm gonna marry", or when he told YOU "you're the woman I want to marry", or when he revealed that the ring is already being custom made!
I never thought the perfect guy existed... I think all of us have that image of the perfect man but are aware that a perfect man does not exist... Well my guy comes closer than I ever thought anyone could possibly get!

You find the guy you know you're meant to be with and your world turns upside down. Your life revolves around their every move, your thoughts involve him and your emotions are a tornado effected by his love.
Suddenly your life changes without you realizing it. You're a better person and everything you've become is a result of your love. How exciting to experience such a love that takes your breath away!
So here's how the ring thing began... I bought a ring when I was on vacation... me... spend $200 on a damn ring?!?!? Totally worth it, beautiful ring with a double row of pink gems all around. LOVE that ring.
My guy had to leave the country so I put the ring in his carry on with a note that said "you can give this to me when you come back to me"... About 5 minutes after passing through security he texted me "be sure that the ring you get back will be worth much more than the ring you left with me"
Uh, can I melt now!?!?
He has a friend that has been dating for 5 years, he's trying to help him move towards marriage so what better way than to go ring shopping with him. He asked me to help with some ring ideas and my god!!!! The rings out there nowadays are GORGEOUS!!!
I found THE website for engagement rings (Thank you facebook!!!) How stunning is THIS!?!?!
I'll have to wait for us to be rich as hell to get it but the dream is quite fun to have! They have what's called the "Insignia Collection" insignia meaning a distinguishing mark. I'm assuming that would be the unbelievable craftsmanship on the ring band itself.
Now me? I like the 3 stone setting but when I saw this, my heart pretty much skipped 10 beats!

I know it sounds cheesy though but I'll be happy with a sterling silver CZ ring for the point of the engagement... then maybe later..... :)
But I had to share the beauty! Check out the rest of their collection here.
Anyway, turns out he just wanted to see my taste and went ring shopping for ME :) I'll post the beauty when I get to announce my engagement... So psyched!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Web MD Rocks!

I'm always getting emails with interesting articles on weight loss. I loved the last one I read. It states that a proven method of weight loss and keeping the weight off as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to record everything you consume on a daily basis.

Here are some quotes from the article:
"If you're anything like me, you have no idea how much food you inhale on a day-to-day basis. Thanks to multitasking, grabbing grub on the go, parking myself in front of the TV while munching, and various other weight-loss crimes, I often barely register that I'm eating. Take last week: I was totally oblivious that I was popping jelly beans into my mouth until my nephew complained that I was about to polish off his bag "

It's so so true!!! You sometimes just don't realize what you're putting in your mouth! When it's over you sometimes think back and hate yourself for not catching it sooner. We often regret half of the foods we eat not to mention the huge portions we're so used to!

"

Americans typically underestimate their daily intake by about 25 percent, reports nutritionist Carrie Latt Wiatt, author of Portion Savvy. The situation gets even more complicated when you eat out. In a 2006 study led by Cornell University, 105 diners in fast-food restaurants were asked how many calories were in their orders. For the small items, almost everyone guessed correctly; for the larger orders, the diners underestimated the calories by a whopping 38 percent. It may be an issue of perception, says study author Brian Wansink, Ph.D. The larger the quantity, the harder it is to make an accurate guess — the same is true for distances and heights.

Even professionals can be tricked by hefty portion sizes. When an NYU researcher asked 200 dietitians to estimate the calorie count of four popular restaurant dishes, the experts lowballed the number for each by a whopping 250 to 700 calories.

So stop assuming and start calculating."

You can't possibly guess the correct number of calories you're eating unless YOU are the one cooking the food OR it specifically states it on the package! So these calories get pushed into the "denial" part of your brain and are forgotten by the time you take the first bite.

Now HERE is something to think about:
"...what about that mini Snickers you snatched from your coworker's stash? Or that spoonful of mashed potatoes you took off your husband's plate?

It's easy to overlook bites, licks, and tastes (known as "BLTs" to professionals). But that's a huge mistake — there are 25 calories, on average, in each mouthful. Translation: Six little bites a day add up to around 15 extra pounds a year."

15 POUNDS A YEAR FROM A FEW NIBBLES HERE AND THERE?!?!? NO WAY!!!!

"I remember one client who was keeping a diary and couldn't understand why she wasn't losing weight," says Bethany Thayer, R.D., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "We were discussing the problem when she took out a peppermint. I asked her how many she ate every day, and she said, ‘A bag.' They're nine calories each, but the whole bag is several hundred."

Even the most innocent "insignificant" foods can add up!

They say every penny add up and it does... but so do the calories!!!

So I went to my weight watchers meeting today for the first time in months! I've been on it for about 2 years. Did amazing in the first 8 months or so... lost 50 pounds!!!
I started out at 230!!! Then reached 179!
And now I'm ashamed to say I am at 196... Damn all the chocolate to hell!!! :)

Well, I made a decision... thanks to the meeting leader that sort of challenged me... I will start to log what I eat! Not making any promises but wish me luck!

The article is very interesting so if you want to read more click here



Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Gift Wraps!

At work is where I really get to show off my creativity! LOVE TO GIFT WRAP! And not the simple "throw it in the box and tape some wrapping on it" type gift wrapping....
Take a look!
Ok well this is a gift wrap with some Caden Lane items, a bib, burp cloth and matching hooded towel set.
And a Black Disco Dot Diapees and Wipees. Super cute not too hard to do.
The base for it is from one of our shipping boxes with a fold at the bottom to hold the items up.
The bib is hanging from the right corner purposely exposing the back corner so that you can tell that it's a bib.
The only thing here that needed to be tied down was the hooded towel on the left. That brown ribbon around it is actually going through 2 holes at the back where it's tied down to secure it in place.
Throw in some filler and wrap up!



Now I wish you could get a better look of this one. I made the base for this one as well. A Zudi & Vi DIVA mini blanket is cascading from the back towards the front, purposely placed to show the four different materials and prints used for the blanket.
One of the swatches has the word DIVA on it so I placed it where you can see it clearly (IRL that is).
Next I took a matching Angel Dear bib and rattle. Again the bib is exposing a corner so that it is visibly clear that it's a bib. As you can see, the bib and rattle are close in the form of "friendship" I guess?
You'll see a lot of that in my gift wraps.

Ok, I'll have more up soon. Unfortunately I couldn't get a hold of all the pics :(
But soon!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Love My Amy Kathryn!

They are so funky and I'm in love! I can't get enough of the Amy Kathryn Diaper Bags! I of course use them as purses and my god they are AWESOME!
I have the Gladiola in Brown Metallic. Just an FYI, the Amy Kathryn Diaper Bags are super limited. If you see a print you like, GET IT! :)

So the Gladiola has been my pal for weekends and travel. LOVE IT!!! The 2 side pockets are life savers. I was on a cruise and paid for the souvenir cup that you can refill with soda. It fit PERFECTLY in the side pocket and when I was out questing, I had an additional trusty water bottle in the other side pocket.
Super roomy and fit all my airplane necessities! By far the best bag for travel!

Now THIS is my purse! It's awesome! It's not huge but I can still throw in my sweater for those chilly bus rides. The Amy Kathryn Marigold Diaper Bag! It's my perfect everyday bag! In the front pocket I keep my cell and metro card. On the inside there is a zippered pocket where I keep my keys. There are four outside pockets. I wish they could hole a water bottle :( but I have my MP3 player in one of them which gives me easy access if I want to change a song. I have my gum in another pocket with my chap stick. And the other 2 I use for other miscellaneous items. Great Purse!!!



Now this is probably my next purse. It IS a bit big for an everyday purse but look how pretty! The Amy Kathryn Poppy Diaper Bag! I was always into the leopard! If I do get it I'll definitely post about it!!! Hee Hee, psyched to be getting a new bag soon!

Ahhhhh the intro!

So what do you put in an intro? Am I supposed to add personal pics? Is anyone gonna see this at all?

Anyone else understand my confusion... are a bunch of you smiling and nodding?

Well... I have a bet going with myself that I won't be able to keep up with this blog for more than a month... I'm being super generous!

If anyone reads this... post a comment so I know you're out there... motivate me so I can win this bet!

Thanks for allowing me to bore you for a moment :)