June Favorites

June was HOT!!! And busy and fun! My dad came out to visit us for a bit which was awesome as usual. Now I am preparing for a visit from my mom....so excited! Here are some of my favorite things from June:

Random: Since the weather has been so nice all we have wanted to do was be Outside...hiking, picnicking, camping, playing in the backyard, going to the park...

Movie/TV Show: I have been really into Fantasy Movies lately, being transported to a world where there are Witches and Wizards and Gods and Royalty is so amazing to me! Its always fun to check out of reality for a bit!

Style: I have been loving my All Saints Bag! Its big so it holds all my stuff and has room to grow, it has sturdy leather straps and I scored it for only $24 from a second hand store...its a $400+ bag! Whats not to love?!

Food: Since its been so hot and sunny all I've wanted to eat are cold things like Fruit!

Music: I heard this song, Gloriana - Can't Shake You, for the first time on Hart Of Dixie and was immediately hooked! I listen to it every day!

I have also been obsessed with Imagine Dragons - Radioactive 

 My June Disappointment: My Allergies have been kicking my butt this year!

Midsection Exercise Moves

My tummy is my trouble spot so I really try concentrating on toning it up. For this Weight Loss Wednesday I wanted to share the midsection exercises with you.

Plank

                         
                         Hand Walk To A "Plank"-Hand Walk Back                          

                        

Hand Walk To A "Plank"-Walk Up

Bicycle

Side Twist

Scissor

Leg Lift

A Favorite Colorado Company (Photographer)

One of my favorite things is photography! I love taking pictures, looking at pictures and getting pictures taken of my family and I. My favorite photographer here in Colorado is Shawntell of Shawntell Hansen Photography. Her ideas are fun and creative, her personality is easy going, she is super easy to talk with and her pictures always turn out amazing! So if you live anywhere in Colorado I would highly recommend Shawntell Hansen Photography for your engagement, wedding, maternity, baby, family (and if your feeling a little sassy) boudoir photos!

You can check out her work and contact her here:

Website - http://www.shawntellhansenphotography.com/#

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ShawntellHansenPhotography

Dollar Tree Deals

I love The Dollar Tree! Its the store I go to if I feel like doing a bit of shopping but don't want to spend to much. Plus if my son says "mommy can I have this please?" I don't have to say "it's to much money dude...sorry!" They always have some amazing deals, but not everything they sell is worth spending a dollar on. I have pretty much bought and tried everything The Dollar Tree sells so I thought I would make a Worth It.....Not Worth It list to help those that aren't as familiar with The Dollar Tree as I am.

 The cards at The Dollar Tree are a steal...totally Worth It! You can get 2 for $1, the cheapest I have found at any other store was 1 for .99 cents. 

 Their party supplies are also Worth It! Every time I throw a party or a themed dinner I get most of my supplies here. 

 The crayons are Not Worth It! They are so waxy that the color doesn't transfer onto paper very well at all.

The shredded Sargento cheese is Worth It! Its a dollar for 3 oz of cheese and at my local grocery store its almost $4.00 for 8 oz.

The hot dogs are Are and Are Not Worth It! Its a little over $1.00 for name brand hotdogs at my local grocery store making The Dollar Tree hot dogs worth it but I can also buy the grocery store's brand of hot dogs for .88 cents making The Dollar Tree hot dogs not worth it.

 The batteries are totally Worth It! A pack of batteries at any other store is outrageously priced!!! Here you can get an 8 pack of AA batteries for $1 which you cant beat anywhere else. I have both The Dollar Tree batteries and pricy batteries powering stuff all over the house and I haven't noticed that much of a difference.

The Tater Rounds are Not Worth It! They don't taste like tots and they left a gross film in our mouths.

The make-up remover is Worth It! They get the job done and you get a pack of 40 for a dollar.

The Sally Hansen nail polish is Worth It! This nail polish is almost $4.00 in stores.

The cotton swabs are Not Worth It! There is barely any cotton on them and they bend as soon as you touch them against something.

The hand soap is Worth It! You get 15 oz for a dollar and at other stores the cheapest you can get hand soap is .99 cents but this is only for 7.5 oz. Make sure you grab the 15 oz bottle though because The Dollar Tree does sell the 7.5 oz bottles of hand soap and that would not be worth it.

 The lotions are Not Worth It! Every bottle I have perched from The Dollar Tree was more like water then lotion.

This dog waste bag holder is Worth It! I bought almost the same one from Pet Smart for a little over $3.00....dang it!

The Rip It and Monster energy drinks are Worth It! My husband loves these and has me pick up a couple whenever I go to The Dollar Tree because anywhere else you will pay $2.00+ for an energy drink.

The toys are pretty much Worth It but you get what you pay for! My son loves all the toys they sell and when he ends up breaking the toys, he tries to destroy most things....total boy, I don't get that upset because it was only a dollar.

A Quick Tip:
Ladies, always take a look at The Dollar Trees stalk of make up because every once in awhile they will have great name brand make up such as Almay which is Totally Worth It!

If I Can Do It YOU Can Too!!!

I was NEVER into health or fitness, I used to be pretty damn lazy! When I was in high school I could eat anything I wanted and never gained a pound. I never had to work out because I weighed 112 pounds no matter what I did. Then I went on Depo Provera and *wham* my whole life changed and I've been struggling with my weight ever since. 

(Click here to read my whole story, it was my first Weight Loss Wednesday post)

I spent 11 years clueless trying to loose weight with no results of course. It wasn't until May of last year when I weighed the most I have ever weighed, 208 pounds, that I started educating myself on healthy living, healthy eating and fitness.

It is very true what they say "you never know what you're capable of until you try." Like I said I never worked out.....EVER! I had absolutely no stamina so working out was very hard for me and there were many times I wanted to give up. I pushed through though and now all the work out DVDs that I despised are fun and a part of my every day life. I have also recently started jogging and I surprise myself every day by how far I can push myself and how great I feel after every jog.

I have dropped 47 pounds, 5 pant sizes and I feel the fittest I have in my whole life. It feels like it has taken me forever to get where I am today but I am so amazed and proud of myself because of what I have accomplished.....and I am not done! 

Now instead of saying to myself "I wish, I wish, I wish" I say "I can and I will!"

And if I can do it.....YOU can too!

I wore these black pants last year to my husbands company banquet when I weighed 208 pounds, they are size 18's.

Its now been a little over a year of non stop hard work, A LOT of slip ups and having to learn a ton about self control and I weigh 161 pounds and I wear size 8 pants. 

(Now I am going for a jog!)

Victory On The Voice

My husband and I are big fans of The Voice. I have never been into any reality show, especially a reality competition show, but for some reason I really enjoy watching The Voice. The judges are awesome...and not bad to look at...and the talent is amazing! Plus my husband and I like to make the show a little more interesting by making bets on who will be crowned The Voice as soon as the blind auditions start. My husband won the bet last year by choosing Cassadee Pope, I choose Terry McDermott, but this year we both won because we both bet that Danielle Bradbery would be The Voice as soon as we saw her blind audition! 

We both think its awesome that Danielle won and I cant wait for her to make a record. We both think that she has a long career ahead of her and we are both totally jealous of her voice...we both wish we could sing so badly!

 

So congratulations Danielle and keep doing what you are doing because what you are doing is amaze balls! 

(If you watched the show you'll get it)

Me being the nerd that I am watching The Voice finale! Go Team Blake!

This Ones For The Rockers!

I love rock, especially older rock, so I was stoked when my friend told me about his radio station The Noize Faktory! It is an online radio show where he plays classic rock from the 60's all the way to today. He plays the rock songs you know and love, lost classics and new music from new bands! He just had Tony Cardenas -Montana, the lead singer of Twenty Two Hundred and the former bassist for Great White, on his show a couple weeks ago. Plus during the show that will be posted on the 28th he will be interviewing Todd Kerns who has a new CD out and plays bass for Slash! The Noize Faktory is now one of my favorite radio shows so I just had to share it with you! 

Go give it a listen, you wont be disappointed!!!

Website - http://thenoizefaktory.com/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/noizefaktory

A Day For Dad

Father's Day is tomorrow so I came up with a list of thoughtful, creative, easy and inexpensive gifts for dad's day!

Father's Day Ideas

1. Make a mans gift box filled with things he loves.

A few cute ideas:The Dating Divas, Keep Calm And Carry On

2. Clean his car inside and out.

3. Make him a homemade card.

A few creative ideas:Craftaholics Anonymous, Juxtapost 

4. Take him out to the driving range or basketball court or batting cages or the lake to fish.

5. Make him a candy bar card. 

A couple fun ones for you:Lil' Luna, Bits Of Everything 

6. BBQ him lunch or dinner.

7. Take a cute, thoughtful picture for his desk.

Some ideas I liked:Crafty Texas Girls, Nest Of Posies, Oh Baby 

8. Pull out his favorite board games and get the family together for a game night.

9. Make him a mug.

A couple cool ideas:Lessons From A Teacher, Jen Gordon 

10. Have a Movie Father's Day. 

Here is the link to my Movie Mother's Day (just change the things that say Mother's to Father's): Movie Day


(I personally am making my husband dinner. I am going to make him a copy cat recipe of his favorite meal from his favorite little local Italian restaurant.)  

A Few Fitness And Diet Tips

One of my very best friends is a Personal Training Expert so I asked her for a few fitness and diet tips to help me get the most out of my daily health routine. Here are the 10 tips she told me:

Fitness & Diet Tips

1. Do a cardio workout in the morning on an empty stomach, this will give you the highest fat loss.

2. Walking (3mph) at an incline burns more fat then running or walking flat.

3. Eat a high protein breakfast within the 1st hour of waking.

4. Eat at least 5 small healthy meals a day.

5. Do not eat dinner after 8:00p.m. because your metabolism has slowed down to prepare itself for sleep.

6. Try to replace your sliced bread with Romain lettuce leafs.

7. Try not to eat any bad carbohydrates or starches for dinner, only the good ones. 

Example of good: broccoli, spinach, asparagus, edamame.... 

8. Allow yourself to have one cheat day a week.
If you don't give yourself one cheat day where you can eat that treat that you have been craving all week you could be in danger of binge eating.

9. Only weigh and measure yourself once a week so you don't get discouraged.
 Average weight loss is 2-3 lbs a week so weighing yourself once a week will help you tell if you need to step it up the next week.

10. Drink lots of  water!

Men: 13 cups a day (104oz)    Women: 9 cups a day (72oz)

Get To Know Me Tag

I saw this tag on a couple other blogs and thought it was a fun idea and a great way for you to get to know a little more about me! 

Get To Know Me Tag

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes, my middle name is my Grandmama's maiden name.

2. When was the last time you cried?  
Just the other night when I was thinking about a family member.

3. Do you have kids? 

Yes, one very active little man.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?  

Yeah. I think I would be a fun person to hang out with and a great person to chat with, especially since I am very good at keeping secrets...shhhhh!

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? 

Pretty much always!

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? 

Heck NO! I am terrified of heights and jumping from an extreme height with my feet tied to a rubber band just to plummet towards the ground head first does not sound appealing to me at all!

7. What’s your favorite cereal?  

Trix. Silly Rabbit Trix are not just for kids!

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? 

Their smile.

9. What is your eye color?  

Hazel.

   
10. Scary movie or happy endings? 

Scary movies scare the heck out of me so I would have to go with happy endings. 

11. Favorite smells?  

Cinnamon, Vanilla, Bath And Body Works Butterfly Flower and Ralph Lauren Romance.

12. Summer or winter? 

Winter. I'm a freak that likes when the sky is dark, plus I love the rain and the snow. 

13. Computer or television? 

That is kind of a tie! Both bring me the same amount of happiness!

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? 

Hawaii.

15. Do you have any special talents? 

Does being naturally extremely clean and organized count as a talent?!

16. Where were you born? 

Oregon.

17. What are your hobbies? 

Photography, Blogging, Cooking, Crafting, Cleaning....

18. Do you have any pets? 

Yes, 3 boxers and a pug mix.

19. Favorite movie?  
I have a lot! Empire Records, Cry Baby, Practical Magic, Tombstone, The Wizard Of Oz, Back To The Future 1, 2 and 3...

20. Do you have any siblings? 

Yes a younger brother.

 

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? 

A great mom! I also want to be successful in whatever I decide to do!

Full Bar Review

I always get hungry between lunch and dinner and my afternoon snack never fills me up so I end up munching a lot more then I should which is very irritating. So when I saw these Slimful bars at my local grocery store I thought I would give them a try. If they worked then there would be no more munching for me and I would probably see more weight lost. I was excited! So for this Weight Loss Wednesday I wanted to talk about the Slimful bar.

Unfortunately they didn't work for me. I ate the Slimful bar and drank the 8 ounces of water like I was supposed to but I was hungry not long afterwards. I was pretty disappointed to say the least! This one bar cost me almost $2.00 which is pretty crazy. I could probably get the same results by drinking water and eating a fiber bar that comes in a box of 6 for $3.00.......lesson learned! 

(I know that there are more brands out there that make a full bar so if anyone has found one that actually works please let me know!)

May Favorites

May was busy! The weather has finally become nice enough that we have enjoyed being outside and doing outdoor activities which has been a lot of fun! Here are some of my favorite things from May:

Random: I have really been enjoying the time Ive been spending with all of my Friends...old and new.

Movie/TV Show: Every time Road House came on one of the movie channels I watched it.

Style: I bought a travel bottle of Fresh White Musk Fantasy spray and was shocked by how much I liked the smell and I love how it stays on ALL day. 

Food: Every time I go to the grocery store I buy an Avocado, I have been putting it on and in everything!

Music: I had two favorite songs this month! The Band Perry - Better Dig Two...

....and P!nk ft. Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason

My May Disappointment: I adopted this adorable 2 year old Chihuahua from a friend but unfortunately no matter how much love and affection my husband gave her she just did not like him so I had to give her back which was very sad because I quickly fell in love with the little lap dog.


Update:

 Having to give back the Chihuahua made me seriously sad so my husband adopted this little pug mix from our local animal shelter for me for Mother's Day! Yea!