TSFL Moving Sale!!!

I'm writing today to let you know of a great sale that I am running for the next three weeks. As you know my family is moving and so I am having a MOVING SALE!!!
If you make your first order for TSFL before May 11th I will give you $25 off your first order!! On top of that I can help you get 5% off your first 6 orders, free shipping, and 28 free meals your first and second month orders!! That's almost $100 in savings!
Please contact me and lets get you started on your path to optimum health!! I can walk you through the steps of your first order, give you discounts and help you with tips to make your journey smooth as possible. Don't worry about me not being close by either. I can support you from anywhere in the world. Through phone, email, or my website I can support you on your path.
Take Shape For Life offers three unique components (the Medifast 5&1 plan, your Health Coach, and the Habits of Health) that are essential in reaching optimal health. As you learn to make the choices that will help you take charge of your health for the long term, remember that Take Shape For Life is here to support you along the way. Reaching a healthy weight is just the beginning. 
Please don't hesitate to call me with any questions--and remember to send your referrals to me, you get a $20 credit for EVERY PERSON that you send that signs up on program! How fun would it be to have a hand in helping someone else get healthy?? I am so excited for all of you!  I can't wait to see where this adventure takes us!!

I'm so excited to help you!!
Jenifer
TSFL Health Coach
LivingUpToTheAdventure@gmail.com
www.LivingUpToTheAdventure.blogspot.com
www.LivingUpToTheAdventure.tsfl.com

transitioning, working out, and rambling

I haven't written in a while for a few reasons. I have been busy with life, and all that entails. Not a good excuse but its the truth. I also have been reading other people's blogs and have been inspired by their stories but I also felt that my personal struggle wasn't that different. Why write just to write? I'm not one of those people who likes to talk just to hear my voice. But I do use writing to work through issues, problems or just to get my thoughts in order.
So, after a week or so I am back. Like I said, I have been reading a bunch. My Hubbs is going through transition so we are both learning how you do that and how to do it right. I will be starting my transition in a couple of weeks.
That's a side note I haven't talked about in a while. Ok, so I didn't hit my secret weight but I am healthy and honestly, deeply happy where I am at. So I am going to give my body one more chance to loose a couple more pounds. For the past few weeks I have been floating at the same weight, only going up or down at about a pound here or there. So I think my body likes this weight. But in two weeks I am going to start officially transitioning too. So May 1st is going to be my end date of being on plan in the loosing weight mode.
If we were a normal family and we weren't moving in 6 weeks then I would be staying on plan till I got that magical number. But with the move and all that goes into that I need to focus my priorities (and my money) in that direction.

So I think from here on out I will be recapping what goes on with transition. I don't know how much time I will have to dedicate to writing on this blog but I am sure I can let you know how my week went and what was new with the transition week.

I am also going to try to get my newest recipes up on the site this week. I have three or four that need to go up. It took me a few weeks to tweak them to where my family really likes them.

I have been changing up my workout too. Well I took a week off last week, and my body is rather upset with me because of it. But I have been walking my dogs every other day. We make it about a mile or so. The weather has gotten nicer and that makes it even more fun to take them out.
I still rock my wii fit. I love that program. It really is like goofing off and calling it working out. :0) My serious workouts are from the "10 minute solution" programs. I have netflix's so there are about 5 different versions of it on there. I switch them up and try to do them about 3 times a week. A few of them are considered weight training so you aren't supposed to do them each day. You have to let you muscles recoup in between workouts. I really like them. They are quick and if I don't have an hour to give to the program I can do half of it and still feel like I got some good work done.

Contact Me

I have a bunch of new people checking out the site and wanting more information on Take Shape For Life. I am so excited to help you with your journey to optimum health!!

But I wanted to let you know that if you contact me I can give you special discounts and savings, as well as walk you through the process of your first order. I have some tricks, personal tips and well, I just want to make the process as easy as possible for you! So please contact me. If you don't already have my phone number (and I'm not naive enough to post it here, lol) then email me at livinguptotheadventure@gmail.com I check that email at least 3 times a day. So I can get back to you pretty quickly. I will be happy to share my phone number through email too, if you would prefer to communicate over the phone.

If you haven't already been to my website at Take Shape For Life please check it out too. All of the product information is there, you can order from there and a whole lot of other fun stuff!! Its www.LivingUpToTheAdventure.TSFL.com.

It can be overwhelming, the amount of information, on that website so please feel free to contact me with any questions you have. And again, before you make your first order let me know and I will walk you through the process and give you discounts!!

Good luck to everyone!! I am so excited to hear about all of your successes!

LivingUpToTheAdventure@gmail.com

Congrats!

I want to congratulate my Hubby!! He hit his goal weight, and has gone past it!! He worked hard at being good and the extra weight just melted off his body. He looks amazing and has more energy. He said he really likes this way of life and will work to do it for the rest of his life. I am so proud of him.!!

He started transitioning this week and is loving the extra veggies that he gets now. He also snuck some fruit the other day, cant blame him though, the strawberries looked Amazing!!!

Again Congrats Hubby, you did amazing!!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!! We had a lovely time. The girls found eggs, we talked about the real reason for this holiday. We made colored eggs and sugar cookies (which the Hubbs and I promptly ate, but that's another blog). We ended up taking a drive, it was a lovely spring day. The dogs came with and we ended up at a French battlefield in Yorktown. It was a fun little walk. Of course the girls and I weren't dressed, or shoe'd, for taking a hike but it was still fun searching for flowers.
Our dogs are a big part of our lives and we love to have them with us as much as possible. But it does present a problem, we get stopped all the time. Questions are asked, petting ensues, and I always feel like I am pushing the boundaries of rudeness as I usher my family back into whatever we were doing before we were stopped. So, there were more scenic places to stop and walk through but this one was all ours. We got to walk the full length of it, listen to Hubbs tell us the story behind what happened there and made it almost back to our car before we got stopped. :0) All in all a very enjoyable day. Hope yours was as sunny and blessed as ours.

moving, diets, worries and kids

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been struggling with personal stuff and feel like I have wandered off my path a little. But I am back!
As many of you know my family is going to be making a cross country move in a couple of months. This presents a bunch of problems in different aspects of our lives. I am concerned about my oldest, her school work, her medication (I blogged about it on my family site here). I worry about incomes, housing, and setting up house all over again, diets and weight gain. This has put a damper on my happy scale and who wants to read about me complaining? I don't even want to write about that, lol.
One aspect of the move that is rather worrisome is how it will affect my plan (TSFL that is) and my hubbies plan. He is so close to his goal, I'm sure he will hit it in the next week or two and then he will start to transition right away. That would put him on the tail end of transition, if everything goes according to plan, right when we move.
Now we all know that the best set plans always go out the window when on a move or vacation. This will be both. Since its going to take us over a week to drive to our next home, we are going to try to take a slower approach and stop to see national monuments and the biggest ball of yarn, those kinds of things. He is nervous about gaining his weight back and I cant blame him. He worked hard to get where he is now. But unfortunately we cant afford to have us both on plan after we move.
That brings me to my plan, well I am about 6 pounds from my goal. But I continue to hit plateau after plateau. I should have, if things ran smoothly, reached my goal a few weeks ago. I hope to reach my goal within the next month. But as I haven't "cheated" since I started this journey I'm not sure if that will happen that quickly. I am ok, if we get closer to the move, and I haven't reached my goal. If I stay at this weight for the rest of my life and lead a happy, healthy and active lifestyle I will feel this was well worth doing. Of course, I would love to see that magic number on the scale, who wouldn't? But its not the end of the world for me if I don't. So, that being said I have to make a cut off date so I can start transitioning before we move. I am really worried I will gain all my weight back while we move, then cant afford to go back on plan and will just be fat again, sigh...
I am hopeful it will all work out in the end. I trust that God will walk in front of us and get us safely to our next home, he will get us an income, and he will slap my hand when I reach for that cookie while on the road so I don't gain back what I have worked so hard to loose. :0)
Want to leave you with a picture I just love! It is of a couple of tree's outside my daughters school last week. So pretty!! Happy Spring Everyone!

Cinderella made it to the ball!

The ball has come and gone. It was magical, fun and well, every girly girl's dream come true! I had a blast, my hubby had fun too. I really think he would have been just as happy sitting at home eating pizza, but this was a once in a lifetime deal. He is off the hook now, lol.
My neighbor was sweet enough to watch the kiddies for us and they had a blast playing with the other kids. They both raved about using chopsticks to eat their dinner, now it seems I will need to come up with a few sets for them.
My hubby looked so handsome!! I'm a little partial, but really. He was HOT! He said it was ok to post a couple of pictures of him on this blog, so I will add them later.
I managed to get ready in about 3 hours. My hair worked out nicely. It wasn't what I had originally planned to do, but I think it complimented the feel of the vintage vibe of the dress. The dress didn't fall apart either!! yippee, I'm always secretly worried that something will just pop off. But everything held together and stayed where it should. I got alot of compliments on the dress. I was the only person wearing anything close to vintage and definitely was the only one not wearing a prom style dress. My husband was surprised, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed, at how inappropriate some women were dressed. This wasn't an evening to show off your goods, it is an evening to support and celebrate our soldiers.
The venue was pretty. It was held at the big convention center out here. It was packed, I honestly didn't think that so many people would be attending. From our estimation there was somewhere from 600-800 guests! Most were higher ranking or officers and their significant others.  There was a lovely band that played during cocktail hour (which you had to pay for, lol). During dinner there was toast after toast after toast. Not even kidding. Even before we had a bite of food there were 6 toasts that we HAD to use wine for, it was rude to not use alcohol for those toasts... the Army does like to start things off right away! Now remember, Hubbs and I haven't had any alchy for a while, we are both on TSFL. So there was a serious buzz right off the bat. lol.. good thing that there were another 3 hours of speeches and toasts still to come.
Alright to the prep work. I did end up rag rolling my hair (I have pictures and could do a tutorial on how I do it, comment below and let me know if you would like to see that). I pulled my hair back into a french twist and just hated how it looked, so for about 20 minutes I just pulled and pinned, then took out my hair. I finally felt that leaving a few strands down on the side and then pulling the rest back looked the best. My bangs were the worst, I ended up curling them and teasing them, then rolling them into a fake victory roll. Again it was totally by accident but the final outcome was pleasant. I used the flower pins (left over from the dress flowers) and then hairspayed till everything felt like cement. There is nothing worse than hair falling down halfway through the evening!

 

 *These are pre make-up, so no judging!! lol)*

My dress you already know about from previous entries (here, and here, oh and here). My earrings I picked up on clearance at Kohl's, my shoes are "michael" and I got them at broadway shoes. My wrap is vintage mink and my bag is vintage. That's most everything that I had on me.
So now for the fun part, pictures!!!

Here it is, finished makeup, dress and hair. I wore my bolero for most of the evening (it seemed inappropriate to show too much skin, even though I was the only woman there not doing it)





We took a couple fun ones. My hubby requested these and they are totally his idea, but I have to admit, I had fun taking them. (do you see his face??? he is loving it!)






And last but not least, the pictures of us together. Told you he looked hot!! The car isn't ours, Hubbs insisted that I take a picture in front of it. :0) The evening turned wet, windy and cold. So I am glad I planned ahead and had my stole with me.

Hope you enjoyed the trip into our evening out. Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you think!

Thank You!!

I just wanted to post a quick thank you to everyone for continuing to check out my little blog. I enjoy adding new things (like my newest journal entry here). I love that people have met each other and support each others journey to better health.

I am so inspired from everyone. Thanks for the support on my journey. As well as the compliments on my sewing projects. (I added some new, well old projects but new pictures, here) I promise to take pictures of everything finally put together for the ball. It's this weekend!! EEEEKKKK!!

Anyways, thank you guys for coming back, following me and the amazing outpouring of love!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Recipe Yumminess!!

I have posted some new recipes on my pages. They are all on the left hand sidebar. I added pancakes here. I added new hot sandwiches here. I have added dinner (lean and green stuff) here. I'm working on pictures to go with it all. As well as perfecting a couple new recipes choices. I hope you like what I have added. Feel free to leave comments or questions!

Oh Shellac How I Love Thee..

I posted about my first experience with Shellace here. I told you that my bestie and I went and got Shellac nails done for my th#$%$ birthday. I loved it, it was so pretty and shiny and lasted for something like 15 days without chipping. I finally took it off simply because of the grow out.

We decided that we couldn't live without doing these more often and so took the plunge in getting the set up for ourselves. Its not cheap, but pays for itself after about 4 applications.

I have done in only twice so far and am surprised at how well it has lasted. I haven't had two plus weeks worth of wear yet, but after a weekish I only had one nail start to chip off. My left pointer finger. Now I'm left handed AND had scrubbed the floors and walls in my house that week. So I was impressed any of it stayed on. You can see how it looked, not too bad right?

My right hand still was rockin and didn't have any chips till about day 13. I ended up taking off all of it and starting over to try out a new color anyways. Speaking of color, This color is called Rock Royalty. The bottle doesn't do it justice at all. Its almost an eggplant color (one of my fav. colors ever!) and has blue and pink sparkle to it. I wish I could zoom in a thousand times so you could see it, its really pretty. I don't do glitter, but the sparkle adds more shine and catches the light every once and a while. I would be moving my hand in the light and get side tracked playing with the sparkle on my nails, lol.

I have the ball coming up and so did some experimenting last weekend. I redid my nails with the red color that I have. Its called Hollywood. Its a great bright tomato red. It doesn't have a orange or blue hue to it.. its right in the middle. I adore it, it looks great with all my vintage dresses. But as I am going for a little darker red for the ball I mixed the Rock Royalty with the Hollywood and came up with a pretty combo. Well at least I think so.

I did only Hollywood on my toes and decided it was too light. So I did one coat of Rock Royalty and then two coats of Hollywood on my hands. Its not a huge change, but it lowers the red glamour enough to make it look good with the dress and accents for the ball. You can see them next to each other.

So far this color has been on for about 6 days. I am still happy with it overall. My toes look like I just had them done. My fingers are good too. The usual chip on the left pointer finger is growing. But I still feel like I am learning how to do this correctly to make it last longer.

R.I.P.

Today we gather to say goodbye to a loved friend. She helped create yummy recipes that filled our tummies when they rumbled. She heated up at a flick of a switch. She led a busy life, getting used at least 3-5 times a week.

We lay her to rest today, sending her off to be melted down to be a water bottle or tire. Towards the end of her life she did burn a corner yet left another uncooked. She was scratched and so everything stuck to her surface. But she was a good little machine and always did her best.

Rest in peace, you will be missed... (sniffle, sniffle)

Updates

I just updated my journal for this past week worth of fun. :0)

I also have moved around my recipes into their own pages. I don't remember if I let you guys know about that change, but I have them organized so they make more sense to me. I also have a couple new recipes that I will be adding this week. Yummy stuff that I just adore and I hope you like too.

Wishing you all a happy week of reaching for your Optimum Health!

~My Puppies~

I have had a few requests for info on my pups and where I got them. So this post is for you. :0) I have two dogs, a boy and a girl, both are a little over one year. They both are Great Pyrenees. And yes, no, no, no and yes. There you go!! LOL Alright let me give you some background first.

I have always wanted dogs, the more the merrier! But our lifestyle up to this point hasn't been a fair one for a dog. While in Germany we decided that it was time and started to look around. But as luck would have it, Europeans don't adopt to Americans.. they don't like that we see animals as easily forgotten as an old clothing lineup. Now, I personally see my pets as an extension of my family and would never leave them behind. I would make arrangements and preparations for moving them if need be. But long story short, we were going to have to wait till we got back to the states.

We always wanted big dogs, bernards, great danes, pyrs, newfies.. anything BIG. We researched (and by saying "we" I mean I did.. obsessively actually) and found that Pyr's have a longer life span, better health and the best demeanor of all the breeds we looked at.

I fully recommend that anyone looking for any dog should research what they are getting into. True they are easily to take care of as puppies, and are super cute. But that wears off and if the final product is going to top out at 150 pounds.. you better be prepared! Its your fault not the dogs, that you cant handle them and or didn't take the steps to train them. Anyhoo.. off that soap box.

We decided pyrs were for us, knowing the pitfalls as well as the selling points. We started contacting rescues in the area that we were going to be moving into. Every single one turned us down. Yep, it would seem that we are military and military is unsuitable for big dogs (I think Roonie and Sophie would say otherwise). So I turned to breeders. The dogs are more expensive, of course. But they come from proven and tested lines of healthy dogs. I found and talked to a breeder that I loved and hoped to get a dog from her soon after we had settled. Unfortunately she didn't have any puppies available and wouldn't for some time. But she knew of a breeder she has gotten some of her dogs from who had a boy left from a litter. The poor runt, left overs... awwww sniffle, sigh...

In walks Roonie to our lives. The moment the hubb's saw Roonie, he announced we weren't leaving without the fluffball. <insert awww>

Roonie came to us at 27pounds and he was 9 weeks old. Small and gentle were never in his vocabulary. The is the goofiest, sweetest moose you will ever meet.

Now fast forward about 10 months and right before we headed out of town for vacation we got a call that there was a female pyr who was in need of a home.

 *Now side note about pyr's you cant have two males living in the same house unless they are always separated. They would fight to the death, seriously, they would kill each other trying to take the dominate role. And neither would back down, it just isn't in them to back down. So if you want more than one (they are like chips you cant have just one) then you create a harem for you little man. :0) *

 We had plans on getting another puppy (or two or three if I have my way) and we needed girls. So this call was exciting, she was untrained, and under weight. The family that had her just wasn't equipped to take care of her. Again, people, please I beg of you do your research before you dive into having a dog!!! So Sophie came to live with us when we got back from vaca. She was super shy, skinny, and in need of some medical attention. But she was the sweetest soul you will ever meet!! She doesn't expect attention, unlike my moose, she will sit in the corner and just wait... poor thing. She is just.... sweet, its the best description for her.

So another jump to now.. Both dogs are just over a year old. Roonie is about 115pd now and still growing. They will both grow till about 4 years of age. Sophie is catching up and doing great. She weighs in at 87 pounds.

I started Roonie in training from the first day we got him home and he has done amazingly. Sophie started once I got her too and she is doing good also. She is a struggle sometimes, she reverts to fear at the most awkward times. But those times are farther and farther apart the longer she is with us.

The two dogs are the best of friends, always playing, sleeping or laying on each other. They fight like siblings and are a huge source of entertainment for us. Can you tell I love my dogs???

 Ok, props to Sam Denney who took these photos. She rocks and I cant wait to work with her again!! (Denney Photography)

And to Kirsten Sherman, my dog trainer and long lost sister. I love who you are and the talented person I am blessed to be around. (Kirsten's Tumblr Site )

Keep up the good work ladies!!

The Joy of Completion!!

I have finally finished my ball gown!!! I am so excited to have it done and ready to go. The ball is in a few weeks. With everything else going on I NEEDED this to be done.

Now lets take a quick look back at the original beauty... aawww.. so pretty. Love this dress, its AM-azing!

Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh!!! Here is mine. Now the lighting isn't the best, and the velvet picks up every little bit of flash and runs with it, but you get the point. :0)

I have added a vine, rosebuds and flowers. Then crystals for a little sparkle.. not that you can see it on this photo. The velvet gathers at the hip, along with the petticoat which I edged with lace. The same lace that is across the bodice, I wanted to soften up the lines. To the right is a close up of the flower. I painted these obnoxious red flowers black (with watercolors to deepen the overall color of the flower), then added layers of chiffon, then crystals at the center.

Here you can see close up the vine that I added (wasn't on the original) that runs over my hip and curls at the base of my spine. It has rosebuds and crystals. Really wish you could see them better, but they are the lighter dots on the vine and leaves.

The dress with my bolero. I made this jacket for my brothers wedding but as it ended up being about 95 degrees that day it wasn't needed. But its being re-purposed as it will still be cool the day of the ball, AND I'm concerned with seeming immodest at such a formal occasion.

Of course, Roonie is never far from me. But he especially loves being in the sewing room with me. Its my favorite room in the house and I think he can feel how happy I am in there... and he always is happy to lend his fluff and drool to any project I attempt. Love my boy!

 Last but not least, my shoes for the occasion. I tried to find something that would honor the 50's style of the dress, not be too overly sparkly (I didn't want to take away from all my effort) and was low enough that I could hide that the dress is a tad bit short for me. Oh yeah, that was another reason I added the lace to the petticoat, trying to cover that the dress is short.. not bad but noticeable when I wear heels.

Now all I need is earrings and a good bra and I am ready. Oh and figuring out what to do with my hair and make-up. I was thinking simple and clean for hair, maybe I will rag roll it and then just pull it back in a loose french twist. And I want to do pinup make-up, but its alot harder than it looks and I really don't want to look like a clown at this shin-dig.. so we will see what I come up with.

Comment and let me know what you think of my finished product!!

Stress and my fat A$$

My family has moved so many times I have lost count. We move about each year to a new state, or new country. So stress is part of my life. I don't feel I have more stress than other people. I don't deserve pity of others. I just have different stresses.
 I worry about transferring medications and doctors for my oldest child. I worry about my husband being deployed right after we move (which happens most every time). I worry about forgetting records, passports, back up meds. I worry about clearing every department that the military has to offer. Each one has to say "yes, this soldier is ok to leave here", and that takes alot more work than you can imagine. I worry about finding a new house, making it a home, and keeping that transition as smooth as possible. I worry that the next deployment will be the one that my hubby doesn't come back from. I worry that something will happen to me while he is gone and my kids will be left to others who couldn't possibly love them as much as I do.
I also stress that my butt will stay this size or grow larger.. which is ironic that I worry about that, since my worrying about it makes it less likely that I will lose it. :0)
So, see, my list of stresses aren't the normal list, they are no more important than other people. But they are a set of worries that only a mother of a special needs kid, who's husband is in the active army, living on the other side of the U.S. to her family worries about.
I have spent the last few weeks planning our next move and making appointments and then making decisions that will dictate how our lives run for the next few months to years. I almost always have knots in my stomach. I have them all day, have nightmares about those stresses at night, and then wake up to worrying that I am forgetting something super important.
Now don't go feeling sorry for me. I don't!! Its all a matter of perspective. This is the life I lead. I wouldn't change it for the world. Every decision I have made in my life has led me to this point, I don't regret any of it. AND this too will pass. The move will happen, all the prep work will ensure that it goes as smoothly as we can make it. And my hubby and I will stand together to figure out whatever happens, when it happens.
What does this do to my diet??? well if you have been reading my journal you will have noticed that for the last few weeks I have barely lost 5 pounds. It would seem that my stress is making my body think its time to hold onto all that fat stored on my butt. How nice of it. I try to meditate and pray and release my stress as often as I notice it creeping up. But that doesn't seem to be working too well, lol.
Ultimately I am happy with where I am, weight wise. Not excited, I really wanted to loose more, but I have dropped 4 dress sizes and am starting to be happy with what I see in the mirror.
So what does all this rambling mean? Don't stress or your butt will stay the same size, lol. Now if only I could convince myself of that...

~mascara giveaway~

Hey! Wanna with some glam goodies! Kandee Johnson is giving away 50 EYEKO Mascara's (worth $19 each) on her blog- check it out: www.kandeej.com

A Dogs Life

This has nothing to do with my normal posts, I just wanted to share it. :0) As you all know I have two dogs, well more like moose.. moose's?, meese? lol.. whatever, they are large dogs. They are my furry babies. I love them and adore their stubborn independant spirits. I couldnt live without their fur everywhere and their slobber on my nicest clothing. They are precious to me, and the day they pass away it will break my heart. That being said I got this in an email. It was a forward so I dont know who actually wrote it originally, but I really was touched so thought I would share it. Even though its talking about a dogs life, it can easily be transitioned over to all aspects of your life. enjoy..

A Dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old).....

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named, Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's
family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why they are.''
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me!
I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try to live.
He said, "People are born so they can learn how to live a good life.....like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?
TheSix-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to live as long.''

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog were the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good.

So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Falling down is part of LIFE...Getting back up is LIVING...

Have a great life.

Updates

Alright so first off, I updated my journal. Check it out (its on the left hand side of this blog).
Secondly I updated my recipes too. (again left hand side of the blog) I am trying to compile my recipes for the Lean and Green's and then I will add those too.
Just because I label these as "breakfast", "lunch" or "dinner" doesnt mean that you have to eat them then. Its just how I organize them in my brain and it seems easier for me to remember where to look for them later.
As always, I will update these as I come up with new trick, tips or suggestions. Oh and I guess I should mention that all the recipes (except for the lean and greens) are all based off of the Medifast prepackaged meals.
If you would like to learn more about TSFL or Medifast please feel free to contact me! I would love to help you on your journey to better health!

Goals

I have always been a goal setter. I like having a finish line to cross (even if its only in my mind). I also like to see a project completed, no matter what form that completion may be.
With this weight loss I set goals for myself. Secret ones, that I really thought would never come to pass so told no one about them. And public realistic ones that I hoped would come around but was ok with others knowing if it didn't work out.
Today I had to reset my goals. Originally I just wanted to get back in my old clothes. You know, the ones that made me feel good about myself. The ones that screamed out my personal style. The ones I haven't worn (comfortably) for years. Ya, those ones.
Well today I tried on my "goal clothes" and half of them are already too big for me!! I am rather excited about this. A dress I purchased a couple years ago and have never worn, fits like a glove! Another dress that I have tried to wear now is loose and I might have to take it in before I wear it again. More importantly a dress my hubby bought me years ago and haven't ever worn fits so well that I cant wait to wear it out! It might need to be taken in at the waist (again, I'm cool with that) but really, this dress hasn't ever seen the light of day. This is big news in my world.
So all that being said I have to set new goals... I don't have any jeans to measure by. The ones my coach gave me fit super comfy (and yes they are a size 6, the company runs a little big.. but who's complaining?) I don't have any dresses that don't fit either. I have one skirt that is snug and fits high, but its a vintage one and should sit high on my waste, so I'm not too worried about that. I might just have to go out and buy future clothing just so I have new goal clothes, lol... I'm a little giddy about this prospect.
The downside to all this new goal setting is that I have cute clothing that I am either going to have to alter to keep wearing or get rid of them. I am particularly bummed about a pair of slacks that were expensive and now hang funny on my hips. I wish I had known they would fit back when I weighed more and I would have gotten some use out of them. I will most likely try to take them in, but am not sure I know enough about tailoring to make them look good.
Would you be interested in better health for the rest of your life AND have headaches like these? Then contact me and I can share how I came to be here.

surviving vs. thriving

Ever have one of those weeks where your list of things to do is just insurmountable? A week where your list quickly turns into just one thing, surviving? Ever feel like your burning your candle from both ends and just cant get anything completed?
That is my week in a nutshell. It shocked me this morning to realise its already Thursday. My plan this week was to do deep cleaning, room to room style. On top, of course, of my normal routine. I planned to grocery shop, cook, do laundry, preschool with my little one, finish my ball gown and reserve hotels for our move.
You want to know what really happened? I didnt do any of the deep cleaning, I hope (and I stress hope) to get groceries today. Only half the laundry is clean and that is still sitting on my couch screaming at me to fold and put it away. I didnt get any school work done, poor Rosie has been following me from room to room, lol. She's as lost as I am. I havent finished my ball gown (only gotten the vine sewn down, I still have flowers, leaves and jewels to add to it) and no reservations have been made. sigh.. its been a week.
I havent been sitting on my butt watching TV though, Im busy all day long and fall into bed at the end of each day. So what DO I do with my time??? You got me, I have no idea. The house is a disaster, there is little to no food in the house, and all the projects are still... unfinished.
I have to say though, that I feel great. I am sure this week I will loose more than the single pound of the past two weeks. I also managed to sneak in a workout session on monday.. yes my goal this week was to work out monday, wednesday and friday for 30 minutes each time.. ya so far Im behind, lol. I pulled out my Wii fitness plus. I love that game program, its like goofing off with the perk of burning calories! But now I have to say, I am sore.. not the "I kicked my own butt" kind, but my arms are sore and my butt is tired, lol.. (never thought I would claim that). I really wanted to work out yesterday while the girls slept, but alas.. bill paying and ordering things we needed took precedence. I will reattempt working out today. But today I really want to scrub the bathrooms, uggghhhh, a stay at home mom's work is never done!
I guess my point is that I am thriving with TSFL and just surviving with the rest of my life. But one of the big reasons I love this program is that I know that as I journey down this road to better health, the other stresses in my life will become easier to conquer and I will be thriving in every aspect of my life!! I cant wait.
If you would like to join me, or learn more about my journey let me know!!

Vintage Ball Gown

As you already know I am making a vintage ball gown for a military ball coming up. If you check out my sewing page you can see where I started out. I have now managed to get the base dress sewn and prepped and started applying the vine to it.

Here is the dress after I had sewn up the gather at the hip and pinned in the lace across the bodice as well as pinned it to the tulle underskirt.

Here I have finished hand sewing the bodice lace into place. I had to take out the broken zipper and add a new one and put a hook and eye at the back. There wasn't one originally, but its not good on zippers to be holding all that stress, especially with a strapless gown. I wouldn't want the zipper to give out at the wrong time, lol.

Here are the finished gathers sewn in. The picture is sideways, sorry, but you get the idea. I did the same thing with the tulle underskirt. The tulle and lace hangs lower by about 3 inches and has only about 4 gathers in it, but it flows with the velvet and I like that.

Lastly are the pictures of the pinned vine and flowers. I haven't sewn these down yet. It took me a good hour to get the vine to lay the way I wanted it to. I then added the flowers and leaves so I could make sure the vine was going to hang right when it was all put together. I ended up twisting the vine a few points, which wasn't in the original design, but I like how it lays and actually how it looks, more 3D this way.

The side view of the vine pinned down with the leaves and flowers. Since I altered my original design I am going to use these pictures to help guide me to where I liked everything. I spent an afternoon perfecting it, so I didn't want to forget where I placed a leaf, or what angle I had a flower at.

New Journal Entry

I added a new journal entry for this week. I have decided that I am going to update it weekly. The daily updates were hard to keep up with, and honestly.. how often can I write about what I eat? I will add new ideas, recipes, and rants about my health and the health of others around me. But will leave the journal entries for once a week. So please check back and see how my progress is going!

Vintage Jen's Style

First off I must say that my husband is a very patient man, he puts up with me and my need to change EVERYTHING!! Poor man.. That being said, I am busy on a sewing project (of course without a pattern) that has been a fun mix of sewing, painting, beadwork and all of it vintage inspired.

Let me back up a bit. A few years ago I was cruising Etsy.com... yes that site is eevil! I saw this dress and couldnt stop staring! It was magical I fell in love with it, but couldnt afford it (as it was going for about $450). I saved the pictures in my "dresses I like" file so I could drool over it at a later time.
Now, lets be clear, this is a vintage, one of a kind, beauty! It was made by Fred Perlberg.

Fast forward about 6 months and while shopping at my favorite second hand store I came across a lovely simple strapless, floor length black velvet dress. I purchased it for a whopping $15 and figured it could be an "oh crap we have a formal to go to and I have nothing to wear" type dress for me. It didnt dawn on my how close it followed the lines of the vintage one till I was in my photo's drooling.  (and no I dont have any picture of it before I started messing with the dress, sorry)

Now we are upto about a few weeks ago. My husband, thinking I would turn it down, announced that a formal ball was coming up in the middle of March. To his dismay I jumped at it, it will be the last oppertunity to go to a military ball for us, so he's gonna have to suck it up. We are going!

For the last couple of weeks I have been slowly altering the dress to follow the "flow" of the vintage dress. Here you see it pinned up with one of my flowers that I use for my hair. It is starting to get the feel of what I want it to ultimately be.

Next I laid a pattern out for the vine that the flower and its rosebuds would sit on. That was the easiest part of the whole process for sure.

Since I wanted the vine to twist and turn I had to cut out the vine pieces in sections and then sew the sections together before I could even start sewing the vine. I used green satin for the vine to make it stand out from the rich black velvet.
That was harder than I figured, it took alot of precise sewing to get the corners and loops right and ironing it about two inches, sewing that two inches and then going back to ironing. It came out nicely in the end but took me about two days to finish just that piece.

I then purchased a store bought silk red flower, it was too bright for what I really wanted, which was more blood red than cardinal red. So I pulled out my paint set and painted it black. :0) Told you, happy crafter here!! With all the petals dry I put it back together and still it didnt look full enough so I added layers of chiffon (in matching red) in between. I have some extra smaller flowers so I will use those in my hair I think. (aand the close up of the flower is gone missing too, I will find it and add it later too)

So with the vine and the main flower finished I made the rose buds with chiffon and ribbon. they were pretty easy to make. The leaves however were another test of my patience as they were so small!! I am going to go back over and top stitch some veins in them to finish them and then they will be ready to go onto the dress too. (picture note.. the shiny dots on the dress are the pins, I havent sewn anything down yet in these pictures)

Now that I have almost got all the pieces ready I am going to finally attempt to sew it and put it all together this weekend. I am going to start with sewing the gather in the dress first. Hand stitch on the vine, sew on the main flower and then the buds and leaves. Simple right? right... lol

Oh I forgot I am adding lace to this too. Its not what the original has on it but I want to soften up the look a little so I bought this pretty dainty black lace that I will add across the bodice and then attach to the tulle underskirt. It will fancy the whole dress up but also add some length to the dress, with heels it looks a tad short for me, so I am going to try to cheat that by adding lace to the bottom edge. We shall see how it all comes out. Pictures to come soon as I work away I promise.

I hope to get most of this done this weekend. I love this project a bunch but I have other projects that I need to get onto too, sigh.. a crafters work is never done!!