April 18, 2011
April 17, 2011
April 13, 2011
WILW

This is my first time participating in What I'm Loving Wednesdays over at Jamie's and here's what I'm loving:
-That next two weeks are short weeks, thank goodness for some well needed time off to spend with family and celebrate Easter.
-That tomorrow morning I will get to spend some extra time with this sweet face before taking him to his very first dentist appointment.
-The warmer temperatures that we have been so blessed to have lately (keep it coming please!)
-My boys (look at how young Cole is here...ahhh!!!)
♥ BP ♥
Today is one of those days.
The small town that I grew up in lost an amazing woman today and while it comes natural to say positive things about people after they have passed, Betty really was that good. This woman was a substitute teacher who made each and every child feel special. She tutored children in French after school in her home, watched all of her students play hockey at the local arena and always came out to support the fundraising events in the community
Betty had such a great sense of humor and was always smiling and laughing. I remember joking with her that if we ever got caught doing anything bad by the cops, we would have them call her. She would always just laugh and say I'll be there in a flash and truth be told, she likely would have been.
Knowing everyone in a small town has it's ups and downs. It's amazing the support that the community will give when something happens good or bad. The compassion that can come from such a small town is outstanding and almost unbelievable. The down side is that we see sickness and death so often or so it seems. Every couple of months there is some sort of tragedy or an illness to face and come together as a community to grieve. I know this may come across as very negative, but it's quite true and I'm sure that so many people from home would agree. We seem to be unlucky, whether it be an accident, a death, an illness, we see it often.
I am praying for Betty's family and those who have been affected by her death. May your memories strengthen your faith and heal your hearts.
Happy birthday Betty...♥
April 7, 2011
April 5, 2011
Top 2 Tuesday - Top 2 Songs on Your iPod
March 27, 2011
Play List
March 25, 2011
Girls Weekend
There will be tons of fun, loads of laughs, many crazy stories and pictures to share upon our return.
Hope your weekend is fantastic.
March 23, 2011
Express Spring Swimwear
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you are anything like me, bathing suit season is front and center on your mind. Between working out and eating well, I have been trying my best to get in shape so that I can wear a bikini this year and that has had me browsing online to find the perfect suit.
Express has a great selection of women's swimwear and I am crushing on this one:

I plan to spend a lot of time in the water with my boys this Summer and a new bikini is just what I need for the beautiful days that are quickly approaching.
Express has a great selection of bikinis, two piece swimwear and they even have swim shorts for men in case you are looking for something stylish for your man. At Express you can shop bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles. Some designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments, polished metal hardware and removable padding in tops.
Don't forget to check out their Spring essentials accessories, including sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats for him and for her.
Also, if you sign up for Express e-mail you will have a chance to win one of ten $200 Express Gift Cards. Hurry though, the sweepstakes ends 4.21.10 at 11:59pm, EST (check out the sweepstakes rules for more information).
March 17, 2011
Talented
A really small town.
A town of 2000 people.
My high school graduating class consisted of 60 students (give or take a few?).
One of those students was Julie Corrigan.
In fact, Julie and I went to school together from the age of 4 until we graduated from high school. I remember going to Julie's and playing Barbies together and listening to Natalie Cole's LOVE
March 15, 2011
Top Two Tuesday - Two Random Facts About You
Update & Bachelor Finale
I have been going to kettlebells 1 night a week and running 3-4 times a week and the cardio has been a huge help with losing the weight, while the kettlebells has helped me shed some inches. I am so happy to report that I am down a size in shirts and pants. I can't believe that after only losing 4lbs that it would make such a difference in my clothing, but apparently inches are greater than pounds.
Last Wednesday I bought Jillian Michaels 6 week six-pack DVD and I have done it 4 times so far. I definitely think it will be a good workout if I am consistent with it (which I will try to be 4 days a week). As usual, Jillian combines cardio with abs and strength in this video and the best part - it's only 30 minutes long. It makes it so much easier to do when you think that all it takes is 30 minutes. If I can ever get my butt out of bed for a morning run and then do this at night, I'd be set! Someday, someday...

March 14, 2011
Bob Harper DVD

I recently won a giveaway over at Marissa's blog and I couldn't be happier! She was giving away a copy of Bob Harper's Ultimate Cardio Video and yours truly won. I am so excited to get the video so that I can add it to my list of workouts Thanks so much Marissa! If you don't know who Marissa is, you best be checking out her blog. She is a wonderful blogger who shares delicious recipes and wonderful workout tips all the time. Marissa also has an amazing weight loss story that she shares on her blog, along with a Wednesday Workout Blog Hop, so what are you waiting for, get going and tell her I sent you.
March 11, 2011
Weekend Plans
We've been pretty busy over the past two weeks and thankfully this weekend is looking pretty quiet and we are planning on spending it at home, working on our house. I had a hair appointment tonight with the lovely Kristen and then we went for supper at The Works and oh.my.goodness. AMAZING!!!! I ordered the Red House which was a burger topped with roasted red peppers, avocado, beechhouse sauce & havarti cheese and it was delicious! Mmmmm...
For tomorrow, our first order of business is to hit up Home Depot on Saturday morning to get some tile ideas for our bathroom and our kitchen back splash and to buy some paint for our bedroom. I am thinking of doing our bedroom in Pelican Bay...
The burnished clay seems to have a pink tinge to it in the picture above, but it's more of a grey tone. I got inspiration from a color card I found a while back at the store and I love it. We may or may not paint anything the darkest grape, however, it will be used as our accent color for decor. We also have big plans for our cupboards, table and hutch. We will be refinishing them all a darker color.
That is our excitement for the weekend and I can't wait! I'll be sure to take some before, during and after pictures to show our progress.
What are your plans this weekend?
February 27, 2011
Play Date
Cole has had play dates with family friends and cousins, but today was his first time going to a friend's house to play!!! His little buddy from school had asked him over to play last weekend, but we were out of town so we missed out. Luckily, I spoke to this little guy's mom and we arranged a play date for today. I dropped Cole off at 9:30 and they played until 12:30 when I went back to get him and did they have fun! I had to basically drag Cole out of their house (after 30 minutes of coxing/fighting/crying) and into the car. We made plans to have Cole's little buddy over in two weeks for a play and Cole is so excited and so am I.
I can't believe that we are already at this stage. And so it starts...
February 25, 2011
Amazing!!
Tomorrow we are doing some running around town and hopefully I'll get a chance to begin my Spring cleaning. I figure I am going to start with my kitchen and hopefully get it sparkling in no time. We are also making a list of things we'd like to get done around the house from renovations to clean/sort/toss/sell. I am so excited to finally make our house our home. We've been here for 3.5 years and have yet to paint (aside from Cole's room) or do any renovations inside the house. We have talked about doing this before and we seem to talk about it and then leave it, but not this time! I am going to harass Rye until we get going and I know once we are started it will become a huge priority to both of us.
Tomorrow evening Ryan's parents will come over to watch Cole and we are heading out to supper at Al's Steakhouse (one of my favorite restaurants) and I am soooooo excited! We have a gift card and thought it was a great way to get out for a 'date night, plus Cole is absolutely thrilled to have Nana and Papa over for a movie and popcorn.
I am super excited that I can pick up my ring on the way to dinner tomorrow night. I took it in on Monday to have it cleaned and plated and I have been lost without it. Can't wait to have it back where it belongs and shining away at that!
Sunday Ryan has training with the fire department and Cole is supposed to have a play date with his best buddy from school. This has me so excited and nervous for him as this will be his first time going to a friend's house and not having Mommy with him! And it might just be THE cutest thing ever...my baby is growing up. I guess I'll go do groceries on my own, go for a run and maybe get a bit of extra cleaning in. Sounds sooooooooooo exciting I know, it's the little things that get me these days.
Have a fabulous weekend!!!
Super sad face...I would have been 30 weeks today...xo baby girl.
February 16, 2011
Belated Love Day
February 15, 2011
Eat It. Work It. Blog It - Take 3
I've been following Weight Watchers since August 2009 and I was able to hit my goal weight in April 2010. I have gained back 10lbs since hitting goal as a result of getting comfortable once all of the wedding planning was over with and getting pregnant. I am determined to lose this weight once again, (plus the additional 5 pounds I wanted to lose before) therefore, Eat It. is the big one for me.
Eat It.
The past week I have been pretty on track with sticking to Weight Watchers and I this morning when I weighed myself I was down another pound. One pound doesn't sound like much, but to me it's great. It's a step in the right direction and more motivation for the week to come. I am thinking that I will go get weighed this Thursday so that I know where I stand for sure (I am only getting weighed once a month or so right now). My food choices are pretty repetitive these days as it's easier for tracking and I am enjoying what I am eating. That being said, if you have any go-to recipes for healthy, clean foods please feel free to share them. I'd absolutely love some spice in my life. :)
Work It.
Last week I ran on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on the treadmill and Tuesday I went to Kettlebells. Friday was a rest day and the rest of the weekend was a lot of outdoor activities (pulling snow off the roof of the house, shovelling, sliding and my first outdoor jog!) which I like to include as my 'work it'. I have totally failed at getting my butt out of bed at 5 am for morning jogs, but I WILL do this beginning next Monday. I seriously need to update my iPod before I can do this and I need to get my butt to bed early (it's currently 11:45 p.m....not even kidding).
Blog It.
This week I am going to continue to Eat It. and Work It. the best I can. I am hoping to see another loss on the scale and I am hoping to continue to see a difference in my clothing. I have also been toying with the idea of buying Jillian's 6-Week-Six-Pack and then tonight I saw that Jess mentioned it too. I've heard that it's an intense work out and that might just be what I need to add to my routine.
Have you tried Jillian's 6-Week-Six-Pack?
Do you have any healthy staples in your diet?
Please, oh please, suggest some songs that would be good to work out to - I'm begging for help here!
February 10, 2011
Winter Fun - Skating & Snowmen
My sister and her husband have made a rink in their back yard for their hockey boys (Dante and Roman) and the boys spend quite a bit of time out there every year. They are both such great skaters and were pretty excited to show Cole the ropes. Here are some pictures of the boys on the rink:
February 9, 2011
Time
February 8, 2011
Eat It. Work It. Blog It. - Take 2
Thankfully the last week hasn't been too terrible, however, I am still not showing much progress on the scales. But, I am seeing a slight difference in my pants and I'll take inches over pounds any day.
Eat It...
For the most part I have been staying within my daily points allowance on Weight Watchers, however, Saturday night I over indulged on the yummy recipes that I made from Gina's (here and here). I also baked some cookies and got into those (maybe my week wasn't as great as I thought). I have been working towards trying new recipes that are healthier and involve clean eating. I found a delicious recipe over at Molly's and we tried it out last night and it was a hit - even Cole liked it. While he didn't eat the kale, he devoured the chicken. Clean eating isn't terribly tough for me to follow Monday to Friday while in routine, it's the weekends when I lose control and eat almost anything in sight.
Work It...
Last week my work outs were great. Monday and Tuesday I went to kettlebells, then Wednesday and Thursday I ran 3 miles each day. I have increased my running by a minute and reduced my walking by 30 seconds and I can already see a difference in my endurance. Kettlebells is never a dull workout and I am almost always feeling it the following day. Unfortunately the weekend didn't go quite as planned and I skipped my workouts BOTH days (with every word I type I realize how terrible my week ended up being!). I started up again last night with a 2.5 mile run, upping my running time again...loving running so far.
Blog It...
This week is already shaping up to be better than the last.
This morning I was down 1 pound which is motivation enough to keep it up as I plan to weigh in next week and would like to be down a couple of pounds at least. Tonight I will be heading to kettlebells and then the rest of the week I will continue with jogging and might even bust out my 30 Day Shred Video. Jillian knows how to work abs and mine could definitely use some of her help! Next week I am hoping to blog about how wonderful this week was with food and exercise and hopefully I will have some positive results on the scale/clothes front.
If you are working at losing weight, making better eating choices, leading a healthier lifestyle or anything of the sorts head on over to Amber's to link up.
February 7, 2011
T2T - Blogging
February 6, 2011
Weekend
We have had a fairly quiet weekend so far and it has been great. Friday night we went to Ryan's parents' for a delicious supper and a visit and then I went to a friend's for a visit with the girls. Saturday was spent lounging around the house, working on our budget and doing groceries. We made a delicious supper (thanks Gina, amazing as always) and then had some friends over for a visit. We played Things and had some Skinny Baked Jalapeno Poppers (again, yum Gina!), a great night!
Things is a game where you need 4 or more players and everyone has a small slip of paper to write on. The reader picks a card and reads it out loud, for example...Things that make you feel stupid.
Everyone writes something down and hands it to the reader where he/she reads them all to the group and then the guessing starts. You have to guess who said what and if you get them all right you get a point. If you guess wrong then the next person guesses and the last person to guess right gets the point. Winning or losing really doesn't matter with this game because you will laugh and then laugh some more. The answers range on the people playing, the alcohol consumed, trying to trick everyone to think that your answer belonged to someone else, etc. and for fair warning - things can get a little inappropriate sometimes. If you haven't played Things, you most definitely need to try it out.
Today we are heading to my sister's house to skate on their outdoor rink with the boys. Cole will be skating for the first time and he is beyond excited. He was so proud when Melissa sent an out-grown pair of skates with my Mom for Cole to use, he put them on and stood in the kitchen showing them off. We were planning on enrolling Cole in downhill skiing lessons starting this weekend, but after getting his new skates he had zero interest in skiing, he only wants to skate. Today is the day! Can't wait to visit and spend time with my sister, her husband and their two boys.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend and HAPPY SUPERBOWL SUNDAY to all you football fans!
The thoughts expressed in this post are solely my own opinion. I was not at all compensated in any way by the creators of Things.
February 3, 2011
Ummm...
February 1, 2011
Eat It. Work It. Blog It.
Amber started Eat It. Work It. Blog It. because 'I know that many bloggers are on a journey of their own to accomplish weight loss or fitness goals. Some may want to lose 20 pounds or more. Others may simply want to clean up their eating habits and incorporate exercise into their daily lifestyle. Whatever the goal, I think it would be SO much easier to accomplish that goal with the help and support of other bloggers. To share your "Do's & Dont's". To share your favorite recipes or favorite healthy snack ideas. To share your triumphs and failures. To hold one another accountable and celebrate each other's success.'
Today is the first edition so head on over and join the fun.
Eat It:
Breakfast and Lunch tend to be pretty similar day to day.
Breakfast is either 2 egg whites with 1 slice of Weight Watcher's toast and fruit or 2 egg whites with a yogurt with 1 tbsp granola and fruit.
Lunch is most often a large salad with a chicken breast, hot peppers and low-fat salad dressing or 1/3 cup hummus with cut up veggies.
Snacks tend to be fruit or yogurt or a Weight Watcher's bar when something really yummy is needed.
Dinner is always something healthy, we don't eat a whole lot of processed or packaged foods and I've begun measuring my portions out to ensure that I don't over eat.
All of that doesn't sound too bad at all, but when it comes to the 9 p.m. post work-out snack, all I want is chocolate, popcorn or chips. Any suggestions to curb this?
Work It:
I started Kettlebells 3 weeks ago and am absolutely loving it and will be continuing to attend classes 2 nights a week. The 3 other nights a week I have started my 'running' and am really loving the cardio and how simple it has been to get into it. I'm hoping to add in the 30 Day Shred again here and there just to mix things up. Yesterday and today were kettlebells and the next two evenings are running so hopefully the progress on learning to run will continue.
Blog It:
I would like to see a loss of 5 pounds in the month of February, but even more, I would love to see a difference in my clothing. My biggest focus is my love handles (hate them!) and if they would shrink slightly I would be so happy. I will also continue to link up with Amber and support others who are working towards their own goals.
Here's hoping that I can continue to stick with my workouts and healthy eating, I'm hoping that some of you will remind me when/if I skip any updates.
Are you working towards any goals/changes?

















