Croptastic!

On Saturday night I attended a P.J. crop with a bunch of fun gals that I used to have the pleasure of working with. We had an absolute blast!!! It was scheduled to go from 5pm to 5am, but I knew that I was never gonna make it that long. I still cropped for like 7-8 hours though, which was awesome!

The crop was at Scrap Funattic out in Andover. Unfortunately I don't make it there a lot since it's sooo far away, but it really is a cute little store. And they know how to throw a fabulous crop night! They set up a projector and ran great movies all night long (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Music & Lyrics...and Phantom of the Opera, which was my DVD that I just happened to bring along. *haha*) Most of the Scrap Funattic employees were there and it was fun to listen to them gab, giggle and bicker like sisters. Reminded me of how fun it was to work with people you really get a long with. Plus they were all cropping and having a fun time right alongside the rest of us! How great is that?  I even managed to win a giveaway during the time I was there - some great FancyPants rubon letters! Oowah oowah! :)

My table consisted of the delightful Samantha,who still thinks it's acceptable to silhouette-cut her photos, even after I advised against it...the little rebel! *wink wink* 

And crazy-fun Kim with her equally silly daughter Megan.

We were having a great time...and then slumber-party-itus set in and we started to have a really great time! *haha* You know when you get the most ridiculous case of the giggles and laugh so hard that your face is literally stuck in a scrunchy, almost painful configuration and you're gasping for air and your stomach hurts? Yeah, that was us. It felt so good to laugh like that. I'd love to tell you what we found so funny, but I can't even remember. I'm sure it was mostly pretty stupid, but that's OK. Even better, I say. 

I do remember this one incident, only because I took a picture. It came to my attention, as I was digging through the stuff I'd brought with me, that I have "invested" in a million-bajillion cupcake embellishments and papers. Partially because I think they're so cute, partially because they somehow satisfy a need to buy cupcakes (but they're made out of paper and are calorie free), but mostly because I thought I had all these cupcake pictures from NYC. (Turns out I only had two sets and they're both scrapbooked now...and I have a ton of cupcake leftovers. *haha*) Anywho, as I was lamenting about all of these cupcakes spread out before me, Kim pulls out this mega-huge cupcake die cut and says, "Those aren't cupcakes...now THIS is a cupcake!!!" a-la Crocodile Dundee (that might not have been how she meant it, but that "This is a knife!" quote is what came to my mind!). And this sent us all into hysterics as we joked that it was the Godzilla of cupcakes and it was there to destroy all my measly, dinky, pathetic little cupcakes. Well, maybe you had to be there. ;)

The table next to us consisted of our other dear friends, Nikki 

and Linda & Mary

whom I'm sure were all much more productive than we were! *haha* And I happen to know (cause Mary said so in her blog) that all three of them made it till 5am! Impressive! I wanna be like you gals when I grow up. :)

In the end I got four 2-page layouts done, plus the start of a 5th. Here's a sampling! I'm not gonna take the time to list products and details about all of these. If there's something you're curious about, just leave a comment and I'll be more than happy to get back to you! :) 

Cornbread muffin sabotage

Jeremy's Birthday is on Wednesday, so his beloved Famous Dave's sent him an e-mail coupon for a free meal. We decided to take advantage of that offer yesterday afternoon on his day off. 

I was determined to be good on my diet and not use this as an excuse to splurge. I thought surely I could figure out how to do that. Unfortunately, we decided to go there after we were already out of the house running errands so I couldn't look up the nutritional information in advance. But when we got there, I decided I'd have a cup of chili (not a bowl! Just a cup!) and because I cannot resist them...one cornbread muffin. Just one! And I didn't add any butter, like I normally would. I estimated that one of those was maybe 300-350 calories. 

Hahahahahaha. When I got home, I looked up the calorie information on the net - what a shock! ONE STINKIN' MUFFIN = 600 calories!! 600!! That's like, two meals!!  Then you add in the chili I ate and I practically couldn't eat for the rest of the day. Obviously, I have a long way to go when it comes to estimating calories. Stupid muffin. ;)

One thing I'm definitely learning is that bad food + cardio = a nasty, awful feeling. I had a replay of my vacation-gym indigestion last night at my Cardio/Core class. Several times I thought I might actually vomit and I kept getting a stitch in my side. (Jeremy doesn't acknowledge "stitch" as a legitimate description...so for those of you in that camp, I kept getting a CRAMP in my side. OK? *hehe*) Plus I had zero energy. Normally I'm huffing and puffing but I can make it through the whole cardio routine. Last night I was pacing around on wobbly legs, completely nauseous, holding my aching side. Yuck, not fun. Note to self: LOG this feeling in your memory for next time you get tempted by things you shouldn't eat!

Luckily, there are so many things that I can have that are completely delicious! For instance, several years ago my manager at the time gave me a recipe for the yummiest Taco Soup. And it is easy-peasy-lemon-squeazy!! You literally just dump cans into a pot. Love it! 

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 can diced petite tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 lb browned hamburger

1 package taco seasoning

And that's it! 

Well imagine my delight when I found practically the exact same recipe in my Hungry Girl cookbook! The only difference is that she added black beans and a package of ranch seasoning. I was thrilled to see that it's a very low calorie meal. So I whipped up a batch the other day...minus the ranch seasoning (cause I forgot to buy it) and I used ground turkey instead of hamburger. I even used low-sodium taco seasoning and corn. Yay me. :) It is so super yummy!! 

(Couldn't resist using my new measuring cup. *hehe*)

With some crushed baked Tostito's and fat free cheddar on top, it's a completely easy and guilt-free lunch/dinner/or even (in a smaller portion) a snack! Yum!

A-weigh down south in Dixie!

(Have you figured out that I find it necessary to give all my weigh-in posts punny names? Wonder how many plays on "weigh" and "weight" I can come up with...)

I skipped last Monday's weigh-in since I was in Minneapolis indulging beyond my dieting limits. So today's lost pounds are from a two-week period (that included way too many calories and several skipped workouts.) So I'm quite pleased to tell you I'm down 3lbs!  I don't know if I gained after our Valentine's romp...I didn't weigh myself afterwards. So this loss could include a gain, but I'm not complaining!! No siree! 

I sometimes feel like it's coming off too slow...like maybe there's something I could do, or something I could deprive myself of, to get faster results. But then I think, y'know, I am getting results this way and it's not torture. The occasional treat (I had about a handful of peanut butter M&M's and several Twizzlers at Saturday night's crop) not cutting anything out entirely... (I mean, I had pancakes for breakfast again this morning. What kind of diet IS THIS? *haha* They were Fiber One pancakes of course, but golly they're so good they taste sinful!!) The odds of me sustaining this long enough to reach my goal are much higher than if I were eating nothing but tuna and lettuce. (I don't even like tuna!) So I'll just plod along, doin' what I'm doin'. Slow and steady wins the race, right? If I stop losing weight, I guess I'll reevaluate the situation.

Hey I have some other news! My blog got an award!! I know, right? Who would've seen that coming?  :) But it's true. (I would also like to note that I now have 22 followers! I am beyond boggled by that...thanks for reading, folks!) Etta from over at Adventures In Holy Matrimony deemed me worthy of this cute little bloggy award:

TaDa!

I am quite flattered! Thanks Etta! And now, because this honor has been bestowed on me, I get to pass it on! Here are the rules of selection:

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So in no particular order, here are my nominees!!

1. Michelle's My Little Crazy Corner of the World

2. Toni's Creative Impressions

3. Samantha's And Then I Said... 

4. Kim's Don't Bother Me I'm Scrapping

5. Mary's Scrapper's Unite!

6. Nikki's A Scrappy Chick

7. Krissy's A Window To Who I Am

8. Ginny's Chris & Ginny

Due to the "Friend" nature of this award, I chose to give it to the bloggers I do know in "real life." But I couldn't even fit all of you in, since I'm limited to 8. (I have way too much guilt over this. *haha*) 

"Talking 'bout the car wash!"

C'mon sing it with me!

I think the fella's at Green Lantern Car Wash run when they see me comin'. Well, they would if I went there more. The problem begins (and ends) with these three little lovelies. 

They look innocent enough, don't they? Well they're really quite naughty. You see, they've joint together in an evil conspiracy to shed as much as possible when inside my car. I think they hold loose hairs in all day, only to release them upon entering my backseat.  It's terrible.

Now, some people would probably just stop taking them on rides. But that's really quite impossible. They love to "GO!" and I love to take them on walks in other areas besides our immediate surrounding neighborhood. Plus, my car has been deemed the official "dog vehicle," so whenever there's any vet runs or kennel drop-offs to be made, my car is chosen for the task. 

So whenever I pull into the line at the car wash, I feel a mix of extreme embarrassment and sick amusement. I watch the faces of whatever poor dude is assigned to vacuuming my car, then count the seconds before he calls for backup. Eventually there are two or three vacuums going at once. They scrub and they huff and they puff and they change nozzles...I feel so incredibly guilty that I think I should join them out there with a hose. No matter how long they go at it, though, they're never able to completely de-hair my car. And I would never, ever think to complain about that. I'm just thrilled that they can get the top two or three layers of hair out. *haha* (Ok it's not really THAT bad folks...)

Today, however, was a first. The manager approached me and said sheepishly, "Ma'am....is that your little red Pontiac?" (It's a Pontiac Vibe, specifically. Isn't it cute??)

I cut him off before he even started, "Yes. I know it's bad, I'm sorry."

Him: "Well, we just weren't able to remove all the hair."

Me: "Oh I know! That's fine. That would be impossible."

Him: "They worked diligently but..."

Me: "I'm sure they did great! Don't even worry about it, I'm sure it's fine."

Him: "Well thanks for understanding, ma'am."

Me: "Thank you for your hard work!"

Then for some reason I felt the need to explain that I had three, all with different fur types and colors so my car was just bound to always look furry. (He probably thought, "Geez lady, I'd hate to see your house!" But really, I DO clean my house waaay more than I do my car. Really!) He told me that he has a "little dachshund" that likes to go for rides, so he understood. But I kinda doubt that he does. *haha*

Tonight I'm going to a crop with a bunch of gal-pals that I used to work with. I'm very excited to see them, but I haven't packed or prepared a single thing. The scrapbook bug that had bitten me so badly a few months ago seems to have died off (y'know, like a bee dies after it stings you? Great analogy, right?) I'm still way excited about all my neat goodies and supplies but for some reason I haven't felt very inspired to do anything except admire them. So here's hoping that I can actually get something done besides gabbing! 

P.S. Sorry about the lack of the premier Flashback Friday. Turns out that when my hubby got our wireless network all hooked up for my MacBook, he didn't connect the scanner. Soooo I couldn't do the photo portion of the Flashback, which I see as almost the whole point. I hope he'll get it set up soon. 

Confessions of a Shopaholic

It was ironic that we went to see this movie while on a trip that revolved completely around shopping (and eating! Don't forget the food. *haha*). Like I said yesterday, it was a cute movie. I think Isla Fisher is just about the cutest thing ever. (I think I must have a thing for red-heads. You now, Amy Adams? Love her too.)  The entire time I was watching her I was thinking, "Hmmm...maybe I should try red again." But then I remember what a disaster that was last time I did that and it changes my mind.

It was funny to watch it after just coming from Macy's with a bag of clothes. I found myself dissecting my own behavior to see if I was a shopaholic too. I really don't think I am. For one thing, I just don't get into name brands. I really don't understand it. I'm not attracted to a purse or sweater based on who designed it. If it's just a basic black polo, I'm gonna buy it based on fit and price, not based on what the label says. (I say this because I bought a black polo at Macy's that was on clearance. Hmmm...now I can't even remember who makes it!) 

I was mentioning this to my husband as we left...probably trying to show him how lucky he is to be married to a woman with such great self-control. Well then he had to go open his big mouth and say, "But you have favorite scrapbook brands, right?" *gulp* "Like that brand that was half-off at that scrapbook store...you got really excited, remember?" Oh yeah, I remembered. He was SO totally right! Clothing brands might mean nothing to me, but there are certain scrapbook brands that really make my world go round. But I argued anyway. "Well it's just because those brands have designers that I...eeeh....yeah." I wasn't helping myself.  "Oh, designers that you like huh? Is that what you were going to say?" *haha* "Yeah yeah yeah...you got me, OK?"   But I still hold to the fact that I won't buy something JUST because it's made by a certain company or designer. I only buy it if I like it. Unfortunately, I almost always like it. ;)

So onto the goodies!!  I would like to preface this section by saying everything I purchased on this trip was on sale. Every single thing. So there. *haha*

First, the stuff I got at Scrapbooks Too.

Here's the FancyPants stuff I came away with. I know, you thought there'd be more, right? Well I did exhibit some self-control. These are felt-shape packages...I was so excited to see them! I have the girly pack and have really enjoyed it, so I picked up the boy one with buttons to match (for Jack pages!) and the Christmas set.

New Easter stuff from Reminisce. Loved that bunny!

I've been wanting these templates for quite a while, so when I saw them 30% off I jumped on it! (Gotta love the hotel carpet...)

And now what I got at Archiver's....

I love sales!! I'd been wanting the paper pack (on the left) from Cosmo Cricket for a while. It's called "Jack's World" and it will be absolutely perfect for pictures of the kiddos (or even my pups, for that matter.) And who can resist a set of Autumn Leaves stamps for 75% off?!? Wow!

This collection of goodies is from My Mind's Eye. It's their newest line and I'm in love with it!  I spent probably 20 minutes around that display, picking and choosing and putting things back and then picking them up again. I wanted it ALL but clearly couldn't have it all. So here's what I ended up with.

Has anyone been to Old Navy recently? I don't know if I just have spring fever really badly or what but walking into that store was like a big breath of fresh air! Oh the colors! I just wanted to scoop them up in a big pile and wallow in them. *haha* I would have bought out the whole stinkin' store...if more things had fit properly. But I did leave with enough to make me feel fresh and happy. (Have I mentioned that there's no sales tax on clothing in Minneapolis?!? What a thrill! Sale items with NO tax!!) My favorites are the sweaters with the dragonfly and sparrow on them.

Speaking of fun spring colors, look at these measuring cups I got at Urban Outfitters. (Which is a really cool store...but I didn't feel that I was quite cool enough to shop there. *haha*) I thought these were the cutest things ever.

And finally, here's the new rug we picked up at IKEA...and Cubby doing his best impression of a Price is Right model. 

Mall Madness

(I'm sorry I left you all hanging! Truth is, I probably could have fit everything into one long run-on post...but I thought this would make it easier to read. AND I was way too tired to type anymore last night! *haha*)

Day 2 continued...

The Mall of America is awe-some. I love it! We arrived after our IKEA breakfast and found a parking spot in one of the TWO monstrous parking garages. Oh, I should mention that Jeremy and I are rather neurotic when it comes to mall-walking.  Under no circumstances is there any meandering allowed. We pick a direction to walk in and stick with it, making sure we see every single thing along our way. So we were worried that this huge mall might have absolutely no organization and would leave us zig zagging around in bewilderment. Turns out, it's really well organized in a big 'ol square and we had no trouble making our way around. :) What a relief huh? I'm sure you were worried. ;)

What's amazing is that every single section and level of the Mall feels and looks different. The colors, the design...everything makes you feel like you're in a new mall around every corner. 

The MOA was hosting a Knitting and Crochet Convention on the main level. It was packed!  Lot's of ladies crowded around kitting demo's and make-n-takes, plus a huge gathering in the main circle where they were listening to speakers. 

I thought it was all a little silly...until I found out they had just recently done this same thing for scrapbooking! WHA'?!? Oh my gosh, that would've been SO fun!! Not for Jeremy, but I would have had a cow! *haha*  Speaking of scrapbooking and having a cow...the Archiver's inside the MOA is huge! It's bigger than any free-standing Archiver's I've ever seen.

In retrospect, I wish I would have taken pictures INSIDE the store! But I was too busy walking around in a scrapbook stupor, filling up my basket. *haha*  The people there were so, so, so nice. I wanted to put on an apron and jump behind the counter with them. 

The best thing about the MOA is the variety of stores you won't see anywhere else. 

The "Life is Good" store. I love their products, especially the ones with the little yellow dog!  And they were having a sale! (I think everyone was having a sale this weekend!)

The QVC store! (Which really didn't have squat but it looked so cool from the outside.)

The American Girl store. Two stories high, with all the same features as the one we saw in NYC.

Old Navy! Ok so we have those here, but this one was two stories high! :)

Lego Land was a kid's paradise! They even had buckets and tables full of legos for kids to build with right there. (Jeremy and I speculated as to how many of those tiny blocks "disappear" every day. *haha*)

For lunch we ate at Famous Dave's, one of about a dozen full-size restaurants inside the mall. There are also two full-sized food courts! Craziness. And the rest of day one at the mall involved lot's and lot's and lot's of walking. And whenever we changed levels, we took the stairs. Just trying to make up for all the calories I was taking in. *haha*

That evening we went to see "International," or whatever that stupid bank movie with Clive Owen is called. I didn't like it, can you tell? But I just can't stand Clive Owen period, so that might have blurred my view.

Day 3

Wish I could tell you I got up and worked out again that morning, but I didn't. :(  After walking the entire MOA the day before, plus being out late with the movie, I was ZONKED. Sorry to disappoint. I went once, OK?! Geez get off my back. *haha* Ok so I feel a little guilty. ;)

We had breakfast at the hotel and then headed back to the MOA. This time we parked on the opposite side and started with a visit to the aquarium! Yes, the aquarium! It's underneath the mall! Bizarre. 

We took the Behind-the-Scenes tour, so we got to see the lab (where they were dissecting a baby stingray that had died recently - NASTY!) and the top of the tanks (looking down at the sharks swimming around was pretty freaky, they seemed closer somehow). We also got to see the kitchen, where they keep the "fish food." Here's our tour guide showing us one of the "larger portions." 

The majority of the aquarium is a tunnel which you ride through on a moving pathway. It's kept really clean and clear, so it's practically like being underwater. The sharks and fish got SO close on the other side of that glass. 

This aquarium has the largest shark exhibit in the world. Get a load of some of these beasties...

This guy is called a Guitar Shark. I don't think I'd ever seen one before.

I haven't at all mentioned the amusement park in the center of the MOA. We had originally planned on riding one or two on this day after the aquarium, but Jeremy wanted to do the "Underwater Rollercoaster" simulation thing at the aquarium and it made me SooOOOoooOOoooo motionsick (or would that be seasick? *haha*) that I totally didn't feel like riding anything else. But I'll still show you some pictures, because it's a really cool area. It used to be Camp Snoopy, but it's recently been made over as Nickelodeon Universe. I kept thinking that my niece would LOVE all the familiar characters! 

What's really cool is that because the center of the mall is lit mainly by skylights, at night it seems to get much darker. Which allows all the rides to be illuminated! It really adds to the atmosphere and makes you feel like you're at a carnival or something.

Macy's was having a President's Day sale so we spent some time there. And then we passed New York & Company and saw they were having a $5.99 sale! Holy moly! I got a sweater, a tank top and a long sleeve shirt for just $5.99 each! I couldn't believe it. :)

Since Jeremy had chosen our movie the previous nigh and it turned out to be not-so-hot, he took me to see a late matinee of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" in the mall theater. It's completely girly and silly and cheesy, but I really liked it. :)

Our last stop in the MOA was the mini-golf course. We love putt-putt and never pass up an opportunity to play. (Even though I'm really quite terrible.) It was a nice little course, too!

And then we decided we needed to get back to the hotel, considering we had to figure out how to pack all of our purchases into the very little space we had left in our luggage. Plus, our flight was at 6am the next morning, which required us to be up and gone before 4am to get our rental car returned and to our gate on time. (HENCE, why I was so tired yesterday. "Yeah, hence!" *hehe*) 

So that's it for now. :) If you would like to see all the trip photos, feel free to visit my two Facebook albums (you don't have to be my friend on Facebook to view.)

Part One

Part Two