Accountability: Week 11

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Starting weight:   172 lbs.

Previous weight:  164 lbs. 

           Current weight:    161 lbs.            

Weight +/-:          -3         

Total weight loss: -11         

Short term goal:   160 lbs.

Goal weight:        145 lbs.

So, I know I've been really sucky about posting and keeping up here, but I promise I'm trying. As the summer quickly approaches I find myself busier and busier.

I clearly have good news though! In my 3 week hiatus from posting to my accountability thread I lost three pounds! One week I stayed the same, one week I lost one pound, and yesterday when I weighed in it was a two pound loss! I was ecstatic!! To say the least...

Not only did I finaly bust through the 10 pound mark, but I see that I am only a mere pound away from my first short-term goal! Squee!!! Granted, it would have been nice to have done it a wee bit faster, but at least at this pace it's more likely that I'll keep it off. It feels good to be losing weight the right way instead of silly diets of starving myself and losing 4 pounds in a week only to gain two back the next week and then another the following and so on.

LoseIt has me down to 1460 calories a day now. Surprisingly, it's really enough. Of course I'll eat a little more on gym days. I rarely go over my limit, and when I do, it's usually on days we go out to eat. I still haven't quite mastered the whole 'choosing wisely when we're out' thing. Still, it's definitely an improvement from where I've been.

Oh, and I started a new exercise regimen last week. I saw a trainer for the first time and he gave me a new exercise program I'll be doing for 6 weeks and we'll meet again. I'll post it tomorrow in case anyone is interested... you know, if anyone is reading this at all or should happen to stumble upon it ;-) lol.

For once, I'm not dreading the next weigh in. I'm feeling pretty good :-)

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Only 13 more days...

Yep, On May 1st Insurgent hits the shelves... or your ereaders, if you're like me and have it pre-ordered. I cannot wait! If you'd like to read my review of the first book, Divergent, and see if you think it's something you'd be interested in you can find it here. Trust me, you'll want to check it out.

Oh, and something else you might want to check out... this opportunity to win a $100 Amazon Giveaway from Team Abnegation in honor of the new book coming out! How awesome is that?!

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Yummy Crunchwrap Supremes

It's time to share some of the delicious Pinterest inspired recipes we've been trying around here. Up first is one of my favorites- Crunchwrap Supremes! It's so simple I wonder how I've never thought to do it at home on my own before. Kudos to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for coming up with the obvious here. It's much appreciated!

The great thing about these crunchwraps is that you can completely customize them to your liking. If someone wants black olive slices in theirs, go ahead. If someone wants salsa, hook 'em up. Don't like sour cream? Leave it out! Easy peasy! You can also make them a little healthier than what you find at the fast food joint. Try making them with ground chicken or turkey meat. Use fat free sour cream and reduced fat cheese. You could even try healthier tortilla wraps. Again, it's all up to you!

Ingredients (for a basic Crunchwrap Supreme):

• Large (burrito size) tortilla shells
• Small tostada shells (or as FB,HK used, tortilla chips)
• Queso sauce
• Pre-cooked taco meat (I obviously used beef)
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream

Other options could include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Taco Sauce (I usually poor some on as I go)
• Jalapenos
• Bell or banana peppers
• Black or refried beans (which I've tried and really enjoyed)
• Olives
• Tomatoes (which are actually in Taco Bell's version)
• And whatever else you think might appeal to you!

Here's what we used the first time we made them
(I had the taco meat on hand as extra from another meal that week)

Directions:

1. Warm your tortilla in the microwave to make it soft enough to bend
   
2. Put a dollop of queso sauce in the center of your tortilla, but be sure to leave a wide edge so you can wrap it around later
   

3. Spoon some taco meat on the cheese (this is where your beans would go, too, if you wanted to add them)

4. Place the tostada shell, corn tortilla, or a couple tortilla chips on top of the meat (depending on the size of the shell you may have to break it to make the center of your crunchwrap a little smaller so it will close)

5. Spoon a dollop of sour cream and spread over the shell
   
6. Sprinkle some shredded lettuce and shredded cheese on top (this would also be the place for any peppers, tomatoes, etc.)
   

7. Wrap the edges up toward the center until they close around your filling (if it won't cover it all, tear a piece off another tortilla to cover the top and wrap the edges around it)
   
8. With some ninja quickness flip the crunchwrap into a warm non-stick pan, fold side down. Lightly pressed down with your spatula to seal the folds and brown. It won't take long
   
9. Carefully flip it over once the edges are sealed and lightly brown the bottom side. This won't take long either because really, you're just warming that yummy, gooey queso on the bottom

You're ready to eat!! You can cut it in half to make it easier to handle, but with everything sealed into the wrap it's pretty manageable as is. If you were to cut it open though, you'd find this nice layered little pocket.

Yummy!

These are so quick and easy to make! We love our taco nights around here, but I sure do like this alternative- especially since they come pre-made! I don't have to make both kids their tacos before assembling mine, only to take the first bite and have one of them ask me to make them another... *sigh*...

And if you're like me and tend to have taco meat in the fridge at almost any given time, it's great to make single servings with. Nights when the hubs has school and the kids want chicken nuggets, I can make myself a delicious meal that wasn't frozen in some way...

Thanks again to Full Bellies, Happy Kids for thinking to do this at home and sharing it with the world. I'll definitely be paying more attention to some of my favorite meals at restaurants and fast food places to see what else I can recreate at home!

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Book Review: Alibi in High Heels

Alibi in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Maddie's made it to the big time! Her shoe line took off and she's been requested at Fashion Week in PARIS! She's all set to go when she has an unfortunate incident with a sports car driven by a psychic who can't operate a clutch... (any guesses?) She won't let a little thing like "Wonder Boot" and the doctor's orders of no heels for 3 months get in the way of her dream though, so off she goes!

Things are off to a great start, until she finds a dead body, that is. Aside from the person being dead, there's something a little more creepy than that... the person has been stabbed in the neck... with one of Maddie's designer shoes. Coincidence?

The police don't seem to think so. She's getting pretty freaked out during the interrogation when who should show up to save her but... Felix?? The tabloid reporter? What's he doing here?

Not long after that, boyfriend/Bad Cop Ramirez is on his way, too. She promptly ignores his advice to stay out of trouble and gets herself locked up for B&E. Not only does Ramirez have to bail her out, but he has to spring her accomplice out, too. You can imagine he's not really happy about that one.

His unhappiness doesn't stop there, but I won't ruin that for you...


Things definitely got interesting in this book, to say the least. I'm quite anxious to get on to the next. If you're not reading this series yet, you should be!! There are some great laugh out loud moments and always a great story!


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Book Review: Private: #1 Suspect

Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The one thing you can always count on with a James Patterson book is that it will start off with a bang. I won't ruin it for you if you're a little late to the game (as I was) in reading this book, but that's exactly how this one starts when someone close to Jack is murdered... in his very own bed.
Guess who's Suspect #1?!
Amidst all that drama he finds himself working with a mobster. One he's had dealing with before and thought he'd never see again. Sadly, that's not the case. He gives him a job he can't really refuse.
There are a couple other cases going on as well, which I like. There's definitely more action in this series since there are so many players involved. Never a dull moment.

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5 Question Friday

Good morning, good morning! It looks as though it's going to shape up to be a beautiful day here. I sure hope so, because this little cold snap we've been experiencing this week is for the birds... but not this Bird! Anyway, I haven't really been posting like I should, but I'm hoping to change that this coming week. I'd like to challenge myself to post something new every day next week. We'll see how that goes... Hopefully one of those posts will consist of the progress I've been making with my exercise endeavors, especially my new workout regimen. I'm sore as the dickens right now, but hopefully by Monday I'll be a little more used to it. Progress. We'll see...


Anyway, thanks for stopping by from My Little Life for 5Q Friday! Glad you're here. On with the show!



1. Who mows your grass? Actually, as of 4 days ago, I do! The Hubs usually does all the mowin' and trimmin' and weedeatin', but in my effort to get healthy and active I decided I should try to do some of that stuff, too. I figure it's a nice way to multi-task - I get something accomplished that needs to be don and I get my butt up and moving. Win-Win, right?

Monday I was planning on taking a day off from the gym but still wanted to do something physical... Hubby was planning on doing some yard work and asked if I wanted to try to help with that. You see, I had a couple wrist surgeries to repair some ligament damage about 10 years ago and it bothered me for a long time when I'd do certain things, such as mowing the grass. No, I didn't just say that to get out of it ;-) The vibrations, not to mention the bearing weight on it to push the mower, really hurt. Using a blow dryer in that hand is also a problem.

Anyway, like I said, that's been 10 years ago. Aside from the achiness of arthritis sometimes I haven't really noticed any significant pain or problems lately. As a matter of fact I've even caught myself using the blow dryer and realizing it wasn't bothering me.

So, back to Monday, I decided to give the push mowing a try. And I'll be darned if I didn't make it through the whole yard (with only minimal tingliness for the next half hour). It did feel strange, but not in a way that would prevent me from doing it again. I was pretty pumped!

Who gets excited over push mowing their yard? Well, Me. That's who. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon enough, but I'm pretty excited about being able to do something I haven't done in a very long time. It's also exciting to me to be able to help my husband out. He works so hard for us, and if I can take one thing off his workload to give him a hand, I'll gladly do it. Not to mention, again, it'll be a nice way to burn some extra calories. Yay me!

2. Do you have a picture wall or picture gallery in your house (show us!)? I have tons of photos throughout my home. I mean seriously. I'm a bit of a picture whore. Unfortunately, I do not have a gallery wall in my house. Yet. I have several ideas pinned for one though so hopefully I can tackle that project sometime this summer. ...with our new family photos. We actually have a photo session scheduled Sunday with my very dear friend who happens to be a very talented photographer. I'm so excited!

3. What book has influenced your thinking the most? Or, what blog? (I want to read what gets people thinking!) Hmm... this is a toughie. Apparently this question gets me thinking, but nothing definitive is coming to mind. I suppose the news blogs are what gets me thinking the most. That may not be what you were going for, but I guess it's what does it for me.

Articles of achievement give me inspiration. Articles of tragedy give me compassion. Articles of abuse give me rage and heartbreak. I learn from all of these things. They make me constantly evaluate myself and where I stand in a society where these things happen.

They initiate questions in my mind.
How?
Why?
What could I do?

Hmm... things to think about...

4. Do you have allergies? If so, how do you handle it this time of year? I don't really have any known allergies... Good for me, I guess. Right?

5. What's your go to meal to cook in an hurry? My go to meal is tacos. My family loves homemade tacos. And since it really doesn't take that much time it's not a bad meal for when we're in a hurry. Especially when I have taco meat already made in the fridge. (Sometimes I'll make an extra pound when I'm make taco soup or something for just such occasions.)

Well, thanks again for stopping by.
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Diaper Motorcycle

Back in January we celebrated the coming arrival of my nephew Baby M, my bonus-sister's son. Her cousin hosted a lovely shower at my dad and bonus-mom's house. Baby M's nursery theme is Winnie the Pooh, so it made decorating for the shower pretty easy.

Before we get to a few of those photos I thought I'd share the diaper cycle I made for the shower. It was a big hit... especially with my family since my dad and bonus-mom ride Harleys.

I'm sure you can guess where I got the idea...Pinterest, of course. I came across two that I really liked. While they looked about the same, I noticed they had a couple small differences in assembly. I kind of merged the two together to come up with my final masterpiece ;-)

The folks who first created these, and posted the instructions for all to see, deserve the credit for these little creations, and they certainly do a better job of showing you how to do it. So, head to those blogs for detailed instructions. The sites are www.sweetaprils.com and www.baby-shower.com but you can find the specific instructions here and here.

Here's what you need if you're going to make your own:

• About 40 Size 1 diapers (as a mom, I prefer Pampers Swaddlers)
• Two cloth bibs (I used burp cloths)
• One washcloth
• Two (or three, depending which design you prefer) receiving blankets in like colors (I did three)
• A pair of baby mittens or socks (I used mittens)
• One bottle
• One (or two, again depending on which you do) of the baby chain link toys
• Ribbon to wrap around the "tires"
• Stuffed animal of your choice

Optional items I used to add a little fun:

• Toy keys
• Birth announcement pillow for seat

Make sure to coordinate your blankets, bibs, and wash cloths to keep things looking clean. I used Winnie the Pooh receiving blankets to go along with my theme. The blankets and the pillow had some green, so that's what I chose to use for the fabric pieces. On www.sweetaprils.com you can see several examples of coordinating colors and themes.

I used the "tires" from one because I liked the look of them better. Putting them together in the round pans like this just made them look a little neater I think.

Since I found the Winnie the Pooh birth announcement pillow and thought it would make the perfect seat I decided to use the other's instruction for connecting them with the blankets because it left a little more room between the tires. Both had the same concept for the handlebars, headlight, and "fenders". Oh, and one used elastic instead of ribbon to wrap the tires. While I think that was pretty practical and kept a better hold of the diapers, I like the look of the ribbon better. I ended up using a wide solid ribbon and then layering a thinner Winnie the Pooh printed ribbon over it.

Here's the final product!

 And here are a few photos from the shower :-)

I loved the clothesline with the baby items! Such cute decor!

Her cousin made a cute diaper cake and a plaque for his room with a quote from Winnie the Pooh

Again, the motorcycle was a big hit!

Pooh bath toys floating in the punch

My bonus-sister and I
(Wow, that stripe shirt is not doing me any favors! That was 8 pounds ago though...)

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