Is this some kind of joke?

Because frankly, Haagen Dazs, it isn't funny.

Here I am, strolling through the ice cream aisle (shut up) and I spot you. Calling out my name. Taunting me.

You were the right price.

And I thought to myself, "Self, this is the kind of serving that I can sit down and inhale enjoy without feeling too guilty."

Right?

Wrong.

For a scoop of chocolate ice creamy goodness that very easily fit in my palm, it cost me 260 calories and 17g of fat. It's official...Haagen Dazs, I'm breaking up with you.

Trust me. This will be MUCH harder on me than you.

Sigh.

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

Wow, what a difference a week makes! (Warning, this is going to be a LONG post, so if you're just looking for results and link up info, please scroll to the bottom. Thanks!)

As evidenced by my pitiful posting for the past few weeks, I had fallen off the wagon big time and needed to make some big changes...and quickly. I finally purchased the book "The Flat Belly Diet" that my dr recommended and decided that enough is enough. I took their shopping list, purchased a whole lot of stuff that I never eat and set out on a journey that I'm hoping will be the first step of a new way of life.

I also knew that just fixing my diet wasn't going to solve the problem. I had to get my tail into the gym regularly if I have any hope of getting this massive amount of weight off. In stepped my friend Diana, who asked me to join her in a cardio/strength training class 2 mornings a week. At 5 a.m. no less. Geesh. Last year, when I was attending boot camp workouts 5 mornings a week, I took off 30 lbs. I knew that Diana's proposal might be the answer to keeping my motivation high with exercise.

And so, Monday morning came and I worked myself almost to vomiting during class. Then I came home and proceeded to eat my first breakfast in AGES. Not only was I not happy about having to eat that early, but also what I had to eat. I am a self-professed PICKY EATER. I like what I like and I'm in a generally pissy mood when I'm not allowed to eat it. And let me take this moment to tell you more about this diet. It's broken up into 2 parts. The first 4 days are called the "Jumpstart". I like to refer to this as "Hellstart". Today marks the 4th and (hallelujah) final day of the jumpstart and frankly, I'm stunned I survived it. You are VERY limited on what you can eat and you have to drink a special concoction of water that was nauseating to me. (I'm a purist when it comes to my water. No lemons please.) Thankfully, when the actual diet starts on Friday, my food choices are wide and normal and I'm going to be working lots of new dishes into my routine that I think will be great! And so, let's review the results since last week.

I wanted to get in 3 workouts. I got in 2 really awesome workouts and am now on pace to work out at least 3 days a week. That's progress!

I wanted to do the 4 day jumpstart. Like I said, today is the 4th day and I'm so glad it's almost over. I'm looking forward to starting the "real" part of the diet tomorrow!

And as a side note, I weighed myself Sunday night, to get a starting point on this journey. In 3 days, I've dropped 2.6 lbs. Now I'm finally starting to feel like all this work is paying off. Yay!!

My goals for next week are:
1) Maintain the new diet
2) Get in 3 workouts
3) Not have any ice cream (did I mention that chocolate is allowed on this diet? SCORE!)

So, how are you doing? Wanna jump on the Flat Belly Diet bandwagon with me? Link up here and let's support each other!

Paula Deen Giveaway Winner

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my giveaway! Random.org chose comment #10 as the winner and that comment belongs to....BRANDY at Not Your Average Soccer Mom. Congratulations!!

I will be announcing a string of giveaways beginning Thursday, August 13th in conjunction with the countdown to my birthday! So make sure you come back to get in on the goodies!

"Wreck This Journal" Wednesday

</center><a target="_blank" href="http://anticswithangie.blogspot.com"><img border="0" alt="Angie's Spot" src="http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n120/dragonfly101201/wreck-this-journal.png " /></a><center/>

This is a new feature that we're launching this week that will hopefully be appealing to you creative thinkers out there. And I say "we" because this weekly post is going to be co-hosted by my new friend, Tonya! Tonya was one of my swap partners in the Christmas in July swap and she gave me this really cool book called "Wreck This Journal". It's a journal like no other!

This journal is an experiment. It's a chance to show your creative side. An opportunity to express yourself in a journal like you never have before!

And so Tonya & I really hope that at least a few of you will pick up a copy of this journal and join in this experiment with us. Let's unleash the creativity!

Each Wednesday, one of us will post here about what we've done in our journal that week and talk about how that experience affected our lives. It's going to be an interesting journey! So, pick up a copy of the journal, work on a page or 4 and be ready to link up your entry next week. Let's learn about each other together!

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

Another week that was heavy on movies. Good grief, I'll be glad when the Fall t.v. schedules kick into gear. Here's the skinny!

The International - Clive Owen stars as an Interpol agent who is trying to take down a crooked bank. The story was interesting, but I felt it dragged on a bit. Hubby liked it more than I did. I did NOT like the ending. My assessment...MEH.

Smart People - I've never seen Dennis Quaid looking quite so homely as he does in this role. He plays a pompous college professor who is working on all of the key relationships in his life. The cast is full of talent and there is some great writing in this film. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. Definitely an indie film.

Passengers - This movie stars Anne Hathaway as a psychiatrist who is helping a group of airplane crash survivors. Patrick Wilson (love him!) is one her patients who just isn't what he seems. This movie wasn't fantastic, but I would say overall that I enjoyed it. Any movie that can illicit tears from me has to be somewhat good.

New in Town - I had a feeling when I rented this one that it was going to be dud. It had a few heartwarming moments and a couple of laughs, but this one lacked a whole lot of something. Renee Zellweger's performance was just flat. Harry Connick Jr. (who I normally adore) was forgettable. Save your money on this one folks.

Next week should be an interesting (and possibly very lean) report because I've started working out at 5am every morning, which is putting a real damper on my late night tv/movie viewing habit. Maybe the answer is more books? Yes!

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Welcome back to Monday Morning Eye Candy! This week is an abbreviated post because I'm exhausted from a 5am workout and frankly can't think. So, I went with an approach that I've never used before.

Some of you might already be readers of Cosmopolitan magazine, which means that you've probably seen the annual Hottest Eligible Bachelors issue. They choose a hot guy from each of the 50 states. It's a great issue.

Here's a group shot from one of the more recent years.

And these are just a few of the cute ones that I found on a quick search. I don't know names, but they're pretty darn cute. Enjoy and Happy Monday!

Polite Dinner Conversation

Many of you have commented on how much you enjoy the stuff that I post about conversations with my kids. All I can say is, be careful what you wish for. This was our dinner conversation a few nights ago.

{Hubby, the 2 kids & I were sitting around out kitchen table eating dinner}

Little A: I poo poo'd in the potty today! (yelling at hubby just in case he couldn't hear her from the 3 ft away that he was sitting)

Hubby: Oh that's great honey!

Little A: And I have My Little Pony undies on!

Hubby: Wow!

Little A: Wanna see?

{And then she pulled her pants down. At the dinner table.}

I'm just glad it happened at home because we had gone out to dinner the night before this little peep show.

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

It's that time again everyone! Let's see how I did this last week. Here's a hint.

Yeah, THAT good. This week is sponsored by this fabulous Red Ribbon Cake that I enjoyed during game night at Shannon's last night. And that piece missing, well, it was on my plate. Sigh.

I meant to mention last week that I've decided to only weigh in once a month. I'm really hoping that will help me stay away from the scale and becoming obsessive about it. Moving on...

1. Get in 3 workouts - FAIL
2. Cook a nutritious recipe - FAIL
3. Get the book that my Dr suggested - WIN

I don't know why I keep forgetting to mention this book that I keep talking about. It's called "The Flat Belly Diet". It's from the people at Prevention magazine and what I've read so far makes a lot of sense. It starts you off with a 4 day jumpstart that is supposed to prevent bloating and then it gives you a 4 week meal plan that is supposed to drop those lbs and inches like crazy. I'm a little afraid of some of the food choices (because I'm a very picky eater) but I'm determined to give this 100% effort. So, let's check out the goals for this week.

1. Do the 4 day jumpstart to this diet
2. Get in 3 workouts

Now, tell me how YOU did this week! I need to celebrate someone's achievement (no matter how small). And good luck to you all this week!

Seeing is Believing

I've been working on a project for the last 7 weeks that I've been keeping under my hat. I wasn't sure if it was going to work out the way I hoped and frankly, if it crashed and burned, I wanted to suffer that embarrassment alone. Thankfully, it didn't come to that!

This is me...and my $500 Visa Giftcard that arrived today!

I follow several money saver blogs, and Amber blogged about how she had received one of these in the mail. I was intrigued. I can't tell you how often I get those email spam offers that promise me a huge giftcard for FREE. Well, let me just say that it definitely wasn't free, but it only cost me about $26 out of pocket to score this giftcard. Not bad for a profit of $474!

This will definitely come in handy for clothes shopping when I lose all this weight.

Anyway, rather than recap all the details on how I did this, I'm going to send you to visit the blog who walked me through this process. Carrie has done all the legwork on researching the good offers and writing great instructions on how to make these deals happen. It's legit. It works. And now I'm off to start working on some other giftcard offers. Yippee!!

One word of caution. Make sure you read everything before you dive in. This is not a project for someone who doesn't pay attention to details and doesn't stay on top of things. Now, have fun with it and if you get a giftcard, please let me know!

FRIENDS Swap Goodies

I recently participated in a swap hosted by Khris and the theme was FRIENDS. The idea was to send a package to your partner with things inspired by each letter in the word FRIENDS. My partner was Allison and I am simply overwhelmed at the awesome package that she sent me! Here's a shot of all the goodies. And my MANY MANY thanks to Allison for being such an awesome partner!

My Christmas in July Swap Goodies

Hosting my first online swap was a blast! But nothing compares to the excitement of opening the packages that my partners sent to me! I ended up with 2 partners and I'm so lucky. Both gals were awesome and sent me packages that I truly loved!

First up was my partner, Rae Ann's package. She sent me all kinds of scrapbooking goodies, stationary and most importantly, CHOCOLATE! She went all out festive and included a Santa hat and stocking full of goodies. Rae Ann, I just can't tell you how much I loved this package! You're awesome!

My other partner was a soon to be newlywed named, Tonya! Tonya hit it out of the ballpark also with my package. She sent some great scrapbooking supplies, which I can't wait to put to use. She also sent me something called "Wreck This Journal", which is going to be a project in itself. It's definitely going to challenge my creative side and I'm really excited about it!

This swap was incredibly successful and again, my many thanks to Rae Ann & Tonya for being AWESOME partners!

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

This last week was a slow week. Not much new on t.v. and I just didn't have much time for movies. Here are the few things worth noting.

Nurse Jackie - Edie Falco has made her way back to Showtime in this hilarious dark comedy about a drug addicted charge nurse who has got a whole bevy of problems in her home and work lives. Smart writing and a great cast! Hubby & I are both enjoying this new series!

Top Chef Masters - I can't explain why I love Top Chef so much, but I do. And this installment is putting some famous chefs on the hook to raise money for charity. Love it!

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince - I must say, as someone who hasn't read the books, I think I'm enjoying these movies more than the people who are comparing the two. And it's unusual, because I normally do read the books prior to seeing the movies. That aside, I must say that this was the first HP movie that I saw in the theater and frankly, this is place to see them! I really enjoyed the movie and now have vowed to go back and read ALL the books in preparation for the final 2 films to be released starting next year. Heaven knows it will take me that long to read all 7 books.

I swear, I feel like I'm never going to finish these 2 books that I've been working on for weeks now. And Netflix is officially sending me a thank you card for completely under-utilizing my membership this month. Sigh. Next week should have a whole lot more to report. Have a great Tuesday!

Christmas In July Swap...The Results!

Well, my first swap as a hostess is officially in the books! I hope that everyone who participated has had as much fun with this as I have. I ended up with 2 partners and had so much fun shopping for both of them and getting to know some new people.

As you receive your box of goodies, please make sure you blog about it and then link that post here. I'm curious to see what you guys received and I'm sure I'm not the only one. LOL! Thanks again everyone and Merry Christmas in July!

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Hello all you Monday Morning Eye Candy enthusiasts! Last week, time (and inspiration) got away from me, but I'm back. This week has no particular theme...just hotness!

Adam Levine (this frontman for Maroon 5 is what Shannon would refer to as dorkalicious)

Magnus Scheving (ok moms, has anyone seen LazyTown? Sportacus? Anyone?)

Ian Somerhalder (a LOST hottie and a Brit)

Jeremy Sheffield (saw him in The Wedding Date)

Hunter Parrish (currently cougar hunting on Weeds; and yes, he looks 17, but he's actually 22)

Enjoy the view! See you here next week.

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta - The Beach Trip

Yes, it's been a month and a half since we went to the beach. Yes, I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. Yes, we had a lovely time. Yes, I wish I was back there right now. Ok, yes, I would actually rather be at Disney World, but right now, a trip anywhere would be favorable. Here are some of my favorite shots from the trip.

The beach at Hilton Head, SC

Playgrounds, a Dolphin Boat Experience, Miniature Golf

The Sights of Savannah, GA

We had a great time and have lots of memories to last us until we make it to the beach again!

For more fabulous foto stories, head over to see Candid Carrie!

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

Let's review another week of results!

Last week's goals:
1. Get in 3 workouts - Let's just say that last week was sponsored by the letter "L"...for lazy. I only got in 1 really good workout. (That is unless you count marathon scrapbooking for 48 hours)
2. Try a nutritious recipe - I did accomplish this, despite the fact that I didn't cook it. It had lean chicken breasts, sundried tomatoes, olives, zucchini and some other veggies. I can't remember the name of the dish, but it was pretty good.
3. Take measurements - I did accomplish this...with some frightening results, but at least I have a starting point now.
4. Get the book that my dr recommended - I looked it up on Amazon, but never made it to the bookstore. Adding that to the list for this week.

Goals for this week:
1. Get in 3 workouts
2. Cook a nutritious recipe (bonus points if my kids will actually eat it!)
3. Get the book that my dr suggested

How did you guys do this week? Link up here and let's encourage each other! Good luck to everyone this week. We're all in this boat together!

Paula Deen Cookbook Giveaway

Before I tell you about the items that I'm giving away today, let me give you a little backstory. Grab a cup of coffee and sit back, because this is a tale of disappointment.

Last month, I traveled to Savannah on a family vacation and was very excited to visit the Paula Deen store that's adjacent to her restaurant. While taking the elevator to my room, I struck up a conversation with some girls who were carrying bags from that store. They informed me that the books in her store were signed. Well, that was all I needed to hear and I was off like a shot of lightening! I got to the store, carefully perused all the books and then chose 2. One for myself and one to give away here! Upon returning to my hotel, hubby carefully examined the books and then proclaimed, "these aren't really signed. This signature is printed." I was aghast! And he was right.

So, I brought the "fake signed" books back home, knowing that all was not lost because I still had a chance to get her signature. You see, Paula was in my town this past weekend at a women's expo. And Shannon & I attended. However, even I couldn't have predicted the massive crowd that obviously showed up hours before the doors opened to the event, in order to line up for the autograph line. By the time we figured out where to line up, it had already swelled to about 500 people easily. Here's a diagram.


Since we had no chance of meeting Ms. Deen, we decided that getting a picture was our next option. Well, after being yelled at by the event staff, I managed to get this pic. Fabulous, huh?!



And so, Shannon & I left, our heads hanging in disappointment, resigned to only seeing Paula on one of her many cooking shows from now on. Oh well. Which brings me to my giveaway.

I am giving away 2 Paula Deen cookbooks to 1 lucky winner! The titles are "Paula Deen Celebrates" and "Paula Deen Kitchen Wisdom and Recipe Journal". The second one is the "fake signed" book. Ha ha ha.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post.

For extra entries, leave a separate comment each for:
1. Being a follower of my blog
2. Subscribing to my blog
3. Following me on Twitter
4. Tweeting the giveaway, but you must include "@anticswithangie" in the tweet

Entries will be accepted through midnight (eastern time) on July 28th. Winning comment will be chosen by random draw. Winner to be notified by email and announced here on the 29th. Good luck everyone!

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

This last week was a rather interesting one for movies. Bear with me. because there is definitely a theme here.

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Yes, this was my first time seeing this movie. No, I haven't read the book. Yes, I enjoyed the movie. No, I'm not going to read the book anytime soon.

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Since I enjoyed the first one so much, we decided to tackle the next one in the franchise. I liked this one even better than the first! I was pleased to see the special effects improve with this movie.

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - I heart Gary Oldman. I'm not sure why, but he's a great actor. And scary. Another great movie!

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Two words...Robert Pattinson. I big puffy heart this installment of the franchise!

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Definitely the best of the 5 thus far. In my humble opinion, each movie has been better than the last. Hubby & I are now looking forward to seeing the newest movie which starts in theaters tomorrow!

Sleepless in Seattle - This is definitely one of the best romantic comedies of all time! I've seen it multiple times, but this particular time was nostalgic for me. I started reminiscing about seeing this movie in the theater with my grandparents who were married for 50+ years. That was a cool experience.

Mamma Mia! - I know I talked about this movie when it first came out, but it begs to be mentioned again. If you love musical comedies, SEE THIS MOVIE! If for nothing else, you must see the closing number that runs during the credits. Priceless!

August Rush - This movie was way too long. The few redeeming qualities are as follows. 1. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is nice to look at; 2. Freddie Highmore gives the only decent performance in the whole movie; 3. There's some lovely music in the movie. My overall grade is a C+.

That's it for this week! I'm still working on some books and at the moment, I'm recovering from a weekend of marathon scrapbooking. I finished 117 pages in 2 family albums this past weekend and I feel like I painted my whole house or something equally strenuous. Ridiculous. Happy Tuesday everyone and come back later this evening for my giveaway announcement!

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

Well, another week, another update! I must admit that I started this day out on a major downer, but it's wrapping up nicely, so I'm going out on a high note. Let's do this!

Let's review the progress of last week's goals.
1. Get in 3 workouts: I am thrilled beyond words to say that I didn't get in 3 workouts last week...I got in 4!!!! That's right! Two yoga sessions, 1 cardio/strength class, and 1 class (that is now the bane of my existence) of spinning. Have I mentioned that spinning is HORRIBLE? Just checking. My special thanks to both Lisa & Diana for being so encouraging to me this week. I'm so glad that I've got great friends!
2. Try a nutritious recipe: Yeah, not so much. Michelle, email me your handle on Sparkpeople so I can find your recipes that you mentioned. Thanks!
3. Take measurements: Didn't happen, but that's going to change this week.

I weighed in this morning and discovered that I had gained 1.5 lbs. I was PISSED! And then the emotional eating set in. It was bad. And then to add insult to injury, I had a Dr's appt this afternoon and that's where I got a serious dose of tough love. I love my Dr! She's realistic, informative and a straight-talker. She gave me a lot to mull over and a healthy dose of perspective. Anyway, all of this to say that I am finally ready to get serious about the food side of things. And I've already stepped away from the scale. I didn't weigh myself once since my weigh in last week! But my capris are feeling looser, so things must be changing.

Now for this week's goals.
1. Try a new, nutritious recipe
2. Take those measurements!
3. Get the book that my Dr recommended
4. Get in 3 workouts

So, how did you do this week? What did you struggle with? What triumphs did you have? Link up here and let's support each other!

Honesty is the best policy

Another blogger bestowed this very sweet award to me a few weeks ago, and I'm incredibly embarrassed to admit that I can't remember who she was. (hangs head in shame) I mistakenly deleted her emailed comment and can't seem to find the comment she left me on one of my entries. So, to the very sweet blogger who gave me this award, please let me know so that I can give you a proper shout out! Thanks!

Now, with this award comes the responsibility of listing 10 things about me that you might not know. So, let's dive in, shall we?

1. I totaled my first car when I was 16 by making a left turn in front of a Cadillac. I was so upset by the event, that I asked my grandparents for a bus pass. I had no interest in driving after that and still don't particularly care for it.

2. When I was 18, I shared an apartment with a co-worker and we used to go the 24 hr grocery store in our pajamas and slippers ALL.THE. TIME. In the middle of the night. Which wasn't terribly unusual because we worked at a movie theater and often didn't home from work until 1am.

3. I can quote almost all of the dialogue from the movie The American President. It's kind of frightening. I big puffy heart that movie.

4. When I was about 11 yrs old, I was away at Girl Scout camp and had a horrible dream that something happened to my 2 cats. When I got home from camp, they had both disappeared and never came back. I was distraught.

5. If I had a ridiculous amount of expendable income and a huge house, I would have a large room that had a scrapbooking area, a nook for cross stitching, a sewing area and a pottery area. And I would hire a person to teach me how to sew, quilt, and throw pottery.

6. Someday, I would like to have enough property where I could own a horse. I love horseback riding!

7. I refuse to swim in lakes. Especially the ones that surround the area I live in. Yuck. And scary.

8. I love thrill rides. Especially roller coasters. The more loops and dips, the better!

9. For about a week, earlier this year, I was terrified that I might have cancer. My biggest worry was how it would affect my kids. Thankfully, everything is fine, but I get to go back in a year for another round of tests, which I'm not looking forward to.

10. I love to play the piano, but refuse to play in front of others. I have severe stage fright.

Now, I'm supposed to tag 10 others to do this, but the truth is that there are far more than 10 of you that I would love to know more about! So, if you're reading this, please consider yourself awarded and when you do this list, please let me know so I can come read all about it. Thanks!

The Tuesday Entertainment Roundup

This was a particularly busy week of entertainment! It was nice to have a whole week with some room to breathe and enjoy some downtime. Here's the low down!

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont - This is a British indie film that I've been wanting to see for a while. Wonderful casting, great writing and beautiful scenery! And it stars another cute British actor who is new to my radar. Hello, Rupert Friend!

The Handmaid's Tale - This 1990 film is based on the book by Margaret Atwood and I truly LOVE the book. As with many book to movie adaptations, I was completely let down. Natasha Richardson (may she rest in peace) did a good job with her character, but I found most of the other performances to be lame. This is an oldie that should just stay in the archives.

The Proposal - Ryan Reynolds...SWOON!!! I loved this movie. Sandra Bullock played an ego -maniacal boss from hell perfectly. And Ryan Reynolds proves yet again that he can play drama and comedy equally well. His comic delivery and facial expressions are HILARIOUS! And Betty White, well, that woman is just amazing. Loved it and highly recommend it!

The Reader - Kate Winslet proves again why I love her so much. This is a great movie! It's the story of an evolving relationship between a young man and an older woman in post WW2 Germany. I definitely recommend it!

Revolutionary Road - I'm not at all surprised that Kate Winslet was nominated for her role in The Reader as well as this movie. Kate plays a sad housewife who is trying desperately to keep her family together and into a happier life. It's difficult to watch the struggles between her and her husband (Leo Dicaprio), but the acting is excellent. This one gets a good recommendation from me also!

W. - Ok, it's official...I don't like Oliver Stone's movies. I was expecting something different from this film and it just didn't deliver. The one positive thing I'll say is that Josh Brolin did a great job imitating W. The end.

I'm expecting another big list of movies for next week! And please continue to leave your feedback on what you're viewing and/or reading. I'm keeping a list for myself. Thanks!!

Monday Morning Eye Candy

Rob says, "Thanks for stopping by. Angie is, um, busy at the moment. You can check out her eye candy post this week over at Shannon's Nut House. I hear that it's an extra special post full of pics that you gals will love. Enjoy!"

You can call me Al

Kids say the funniest things. Here's a recent conversation between Little A & myself.

Little A: (holding a plastic figurine of the picture to your left) "What is his name?"

Me: Lumiere

Little A: (she looks at the figure, then back at me) "Can I call him Steve?"

"Trim the Fat" Thursday

Welcome back to "Trim the Fat" Thursday!

This is your chance to blog about your adventures in weight loss and link up so we can all support each other in this little endeavor!

Here's my recap of the last week.



Here are my goals from last week and the results.
1. Get in another yoga workout - YAY! I accomplished this happily. Yoga is my FAVORITE activity, hands down.
2. Keep working on the food journal - I'm not as disciplined as I would like to be, but I'm doing much better with the food log. I need to get in the habit of logging things before I eat them. (That should also help me with portion control)
3. Not obsess with the scale - I'm happy to report that I only weighed myself twice in the last week, which is heads above what I've been doing. Several of you suggested measurements as my progress gauge, which I think is a great idea!

And I'm ecstatic to report that I lost a lb from last week. Yay me!!

This week's goals:
1. Get in 3 workouts
2. Take measurements for progress gauge
3. Try a new recipe that is healthier than my usual fare

So, how did you guys do this week? Link up here and good luck to everyone this week!

Memorial Day outing pics

It's been a while since I've blogged about any family outings. For the handful of people who come here specifically looking for pictures of the kids, well, here ya go.

For Memorial Day, we took a little drive to a new development in North Georgia that is building vacation homes. The first house is still under construction, so we were checking out the amenities that the place has to offer. (We're not in the market for a vacation home, mind you. Hubby was involved in one of the recreational activities on site.)

Isn't the view gorgeous?

There was this giant pipe tube that served as a great slide!

And here go the 3 Musketeers

Next up was a spirited game of tetherball

And then we went to check out this AWESOME tree house. I would love to have this in our backyard at home.

The girls thought it was pretty cool

Little A & I were fighting over the swing. Ok, not really.

Daddy & Big A

It was a nice little outing and thankfully the weather wasn't miserably hot (like it is currently). A good start to our Summer!