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!!

Becoming a Health Coach

Its official, I am a health coach!! I'm still learning fun new things about how to be the best coach I can be. There is alot to read through and a ton of information on how to help others through this program. But my coach has high hopes for me.
And I have the best mentor ever!!! My health coach rocks, she is an inspiration with how much she has lost(weight that is), how long she has kept it off, and how real she is with her advice. She doesnt set goals for me (or any of her clients for that matter) that I cant reach, that arent healthy and not something I can maintain for the rest of my life. I adore her with a capital A!!! She has a blog if you would like to cruise on over and glimpse a her awesomeness My Coach's Blog
I hope I can be even half as cool as she is when I grow up! I hope to help others take this journey to a healthier, happier lifestyle. Let me tell you why I like this plan better than anything I have ever tried. Most plans arent as concerned with your over all health as they are at selling you their weight loss product. I have bought into many promises over the years and most all have failed me in the end. This program is different, it is about weight loss, dont get me wrong that is what drew me to it at first, but it also focus's on your continued health after your done with the program. It actually teaches you how to keep the weight off!! How many programs can say they do that?
You get a personal coach, a personal one on one cheer leading squad to help root you on when your doing great and offer a helping hand when you stumble. I love to help others reach their potential, even if they cant see it in themselves at the time, I hope to be able to do that with this new adventure in my life.
So if your ready to take the plunge and lead a healthier, leaner lifestyle then look me up.
my TSFL coaching site

Journal Entry

Day 34 Friday
Man yesterday sucked. I messed up my eating schedule so much!! I missed a morning meal and then had to take my oldest to the dentist, which turned into a 3 hour mess (not her, it was the clinic's fault) and so didn’t eat till on my way home. I ended up having to eat three meals between 7:30pm to 10:30pm… and I only ate cause I had too. I really just wanted to go to bed, not eat.
Today I jumped on the scale and as I expected I had gained a pound, but I did eat three times in three hours, so its to be expected I am sure. Hopefully a more “normal” day today will get me back on schedule today. I am going to have to start being better about eating on time, or at least close to it. I get distracted and time just flies by.
I had hoped to blog and update pictures, links and clean things up but I ended up doing nothing but complaining about being tired while eating, watching tv with my hubby. By the way we saw a movie called “Ingredients”. It was a well written documentary about local produce vs. large production produce. I personally love to purchase my veggies and meat locally (not here because this part of the USA is a prepackaged hell hole, but that’s a story for another time) but this movie brought to light really why we should be frequenting our local farmers markets!!! Here is a link to the movie’s page http://www.ingredientsfilm.com/ I would recommend cruising their site or seeing the movie if you get a chance, good information. It inspired me to plan more to my dream garden. Some day I will be growing everything my family puts in their mouth!! Some day, :0)

My Journal

I am finally up to date with my journal. I will be adding any future posts at the top, so it feels more like a blog than a journal. I am also going to work over the next few days to try to create links to the recipes, or other sites that I am talking about in my entries. It will make it easier for you to see what I am talking about if you can just click a link and go right there.
But please keep checking in, I am trying to add new things everyday!!
Thanks for all your support too, it means alot knowing that there are people rooting me on!!

Goals

My hubby and I have a military ball we are attending in the middle of March. I have set certain goals for myself. I want to fit into a particular ball gown. Did I mention that this is a very formal ball?? Like, lets wear tiara's and long evening gloves? yeah, the girly girl inside of me is screaming with excitement while the big bottomed girl is groaning with trepidation.
I have lost 13 pounds so far and am only inches away from squishing my back fat into this dress. :0) It will be epic when it happens. But now I have to set some serious goals for myself. I want to loose another 15 pounds before the ball. More would be great, but I really feel if I could loose that much I would fit comfortably into the dress in question.
The dress itself is a whole nother problem. Its not complete, I need to modify it some to make it more "Jen Like". I will take pictures and update my sewing progress on this project too.
Lets not even start on shoes, gloves, coat, hair or make-up!!