Lighter

It's time to share a little update on how this lovely die is going! Thought I would give you a run down!

Starting weight: 180.2

My current weight: 160.2

Current weight lost: 20 lbs

Pound to goal: 5 lbs.

Favorite foods while on my diet: I am so loving Greek yogurt! {I will be posting about how I make this a tasty treat soon!} I also am really enjoying fruit leathers from trader joes! Mm mm

Cravings: I was truly craving peanut butter like none other but that has seemed to subside for now! (Actually it comes and goes a bit) Really feeling like I can control that rush to the kitchen to grab a snack! My problem is I am a snacker and I wish I could just snack and snack and snack!

Frustrations: my frustrations revolve around the 5 day plateau that I had about a week ago! Boy I though my body was just done losing and I still wanted to lose another 9 lbs! I really watched what I ate, got in a extra workout and tried my best to taper my meals by the end of th day! It finally worked and I lost 8/10ths of a lb. a few mornings later. It was really discouraging but it turned out ok!

Another frustration has been that I am terribly forgetful! I forget to pack certain parts of my lunch and that just irritates me! Working on trying to remember to pack all that I need for them when I head out for work!

Overall reflections: I am feeling relief! Having lost 20 lbs feels really good. My clothes are loosening and I even had a modeling session trying on old clothes to see if they would fit! The good news was that more fit than not! So awesome! Also, it has felt good to hear hubs' comments about how much smaller I am. I am also pretty excited that hubs has lost about 10 pounds! 

What a trip it has been! The six week marker is tomorrow and then i will be gradually increasing my food while trying not to gain weight! Boy, am I in for a challenge! The hard part is not losing, it really is the maintaining that is SO TERRIBLY difficult! Either way, i am gonna give it a really good try! thanks to friends, family and of course, my adorable hubs who have all supported me! Oh and of course, all of you! Your comments are definitely encouraging! 

A to Z About Me

Thought i would work on my about me and I found this great post on Just Stuff for Fun. I thought why not combine the two? So here's a little bit more about me! 

A is for age: 

32! I always tell my students that i am 131 years old! They are on to my game, but it sure is fun to see if they believe me. They think i am a dinosaur! 

B is for breakfast today: 
I had 2 mini-whole wheat pitas from Trader Joe's and 1 morning star sausage patty! Plus some tea! 

C is for currently craving: 
Peanut butter for sure!

D is for dinner tonight: 

Hmm not sure! Wherever hubs and i decide to go after church.

E is for favorite type of exercise: 

I love to kickbox and i enjoy running a bit too, but that hasn't happened in a while. :(

F is for an irrational fear: 

Snakes... ughhh 

G is for gross food: 

Cottage Cheese and Ranch Dressing

It's unfortunate that hubs likes both! Yucko! 

H is for hometown: 

Tustin, CA (yep, i have not moved far!) 

I is for something important: 

Hubs, God, family, friends, can't just name one!

J is for current favorite jam: 

Loving the song Springsteen by Eric Church... woooooah wa-waooooh wa-waooooh wa-waooooh woah

K is for kids: 

Someday

L is for current location: 

My desk... home of the blog!

M is for the most recent way you spent money:

Costco and Costco Gasoline

N is for something you need: 

Needing to straighten up the apartment!

O is for occupation: 

Special Education Teacher

P is for pet peeve: 

When a person's tag is sticking out in public and you cant put it down! 

Q is for quote:

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.” - Steve Jobs

This is on a sticky note stuck to my computer screen at work!

R is for random fact about you: 

I am 100% full-blooded Maltese but born in the U.S.

S is for favorite healthy snack: 
Veggies and hummus! 

T is for favorite treat: 

Cookies, cakes, cobblers, oh my!

U is for something that makes you unique: 

Alot! I am a left-handed, smart, quirky, cute (as my hubby likes to say), baseball-loving, short, and sometimes sassy gal!

V is for favorite vegetable:

How can i pick just one? Broccoli, bell peppers, cucumbers, so many more! 

W is for today’s workout: 

Kickboxing every Saturday morning! 

X is for X-rays you’ve had:

Chest x-rays when I had pneumonia in 2006. No.Fun.

Y is for yesterday’s highlight:

Dinner out at a new place with book club peeps!

Z is for your time zone: 

Pacific

High Five Up Top 6.29.12

Its time for a High Five and Top Five events of this week!

|one|

We had dinner with my mom down at the beach at a lace called The Cottage! Hubs wasn't going to be able to make it and his appointment got postponed! Wahhooo! I love this spot. It's a restaurant in an old historic house and i love all the cute little touches! The iced tea wasn't bad either!

|two|

New bathing suit top- looks like this:

But it is this color:

And i am wearing the top with black bottoms that are a similar cut to these bottoms above! 

(Turns out they are cutting the bottoms a little bit different and i would rather mix and match than just match than wear the bottoms you see above! There were less than flattering!)

|three|

So, I don't have any pictures of this, but i have been wearing dresses a lot lately! they are so comfortable! I just wish i could wear them to work too! Someday maybe? Here's one at Target that i have had my eye on:

|four|

My book club meets tonight and we are trying out a new restaurant! (Its even fun to eat out while on a diet! A new place means a different variation of a salad! (Sounds boring, but right now anything different just flat out rocks!)

|five|

A BBQ with our life group was fun and it was great to meet up in a differnet spot! Thanks to our co-leaders for hosting! It was a fun highlight in our week!

Have a great weekend friends! 

Thursday Thirteen 6.28.12

I did not realize this when i scheduled it but this week is obviously my week to link up with anyone and everyone! I have really wanted to link up with All Things Lovely and CJVZ Hearts You for the Thursday 13 link up! So, I am linking up again!

Here are 13 things about me this week! 

1. I am 5'2". I call it vertically challenged. :)

2. Now that i have lost some weight, i truly want to buy a new dress for every day of the week! (shh don't tell hubs!)

3. My number one snack right now is either a protein bar or a yummy flavored Greek yogurt! (its not what you think ... my recipe is not loaded with that icky sugar stuff! Recipe post to come soon!) 

4. I love to watch TV! The Bachelorette is my current addiction plus I love so many other shows! 

5. I have lived in California my whole life and love living here! 

6. I currently have 10 students in my class for summer school and they bless me each and every day! Some of them in different ways than others! 

7. My hubby is 11 days younger than me! Robbin the cradle?!? Not really! 

8. I have a younger sister who lives in London! (not sure if she has been reading!) I miss her and am soooo proud of her!

9. My first car was a 1997 Honda Civic. It was grey and gave me many headaches because it did not always have a clean bill of health!

10. I kick-box and have since 2003! Watch out! 

11. I didn't start dating until i turned 25 and that was by choice. 

12. I cannot wait for what life brings for my hubs and me. 

13. I rarely have trouble sleeping! I thank my job for that! 

Welp, that's 13 things about me. I will randomly be linking up with All Things Lovely and CJVZ Hearts You! This was fun! In the future i will theme my posts so that you can learn something. Well, maybe! 

Hope your Wednesday felt like a Friday! (Mine has felt like a Friday all afternoon, but alas, I must work tomorrow!)

Ocean Blue

All i have been day dreaming is about the Ocean...and all the sights i will be seeing on the upcoming vacay! Here are a few blue pins from my week! 

Source: alaskarugcompany.com via Simone on Pinterest

Made in Alaska!

Source: beautopia.onsugar.com via Simone on Pinterest

Might be my next new color! 

Source: us.topshop.com via Simone on Pinterest

So pretty! 

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

Source: zazzle.com via Simone on Pinterest

Still looking for some guest bloggers while i am here seeing soooo much BLUE! Leave a comment below if you are interested in guest blogging on this little site! 

Source: evokingyou.com via Simone on Pinterest

loving that dress! 

Source: google.be via Simone on Pinterest

This piece is so unique! 

Source: google.com via Simone on Pinterest

Source: everbooty.playz.it via Simone on Pinterest

Source: brightontheday.com via Simone on Pinterest

Definitely thinking about some ocean blue.... can't wait til its all i can see! What are you pinterested in?
Link up with Michelle @ The Vintage Apple to share your pins!
 

Fonts, fonts, fonts!

So late to this party ... but thought it was a fun chance to find some new fonts to add into my classroom decor for next year! 

I think i have decided on a bugs theme.... so all my groups will be named after bugs and i will be renaming all of our tables/areas with habitats for bugs! Can't wait! and i think i may offer them ALL as a freebie this time around! (Especially since my TPT store is not up and running!) 

Oh and i forgot to mention the font Skinny Jeans Solid (which i used for the title for the above graphic!) That font can be found on Dafont.com as well! 

I plan to put a few to good use right away. Elephants in Cherry Trees and Sketch Block are on the top of the list!! I want to use these for titles and especially for all my table/area signs for around the room! 

A red bucket, cinnamon cake, and Just skinny are just flat out guilty pleasures! But since i am new to making teacher resources, i figure a plain font or two cannot hurt! Can't wait to put these all to good use! 

Head on over to Teachery Tidbits to check out more rad fonts! (Yep that's right, i said RAD!) 

BTW I was nominated for another award! Holy Cow! This one is a big one and i am pretty stoked to get this one! I am not sure i have a chance at winning this award, but i am pretty flattered that i even got nominated! So how it works is that beginning on July 2nd and ends July 9th! During that time I may ask for you to vote for this blog a few times! Won'tch help a gal out? 

Hope your Monday did not have "a case of the Mondays"! 

A Rosey Week

Ahhh... just smell the roses! 

(& hopefully you don't have allergies like me!)

So this week's task was to do something to get the creative juices flowing! 

I did a couple of things within the last week or so to get my creative juices flowing. Here they are:

1. I visited Hobby Lobby for the first time! They just put one in that is not more than 2 hours from the city we live in and it was a fun experience. I had trouble figuring out what my next project would be just out of the fact that i was a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of the Hobby Lobby. I did however need to get some fabric for the 100th Post Giveaway. I definitely found what i was looking for!

 

2. I decided that Friday night would be filled with a trip to the local Joann's to purchase items for my next wreath! I definitely want ot make this one quicker than i made the last one so that it is ready to go for 4th of July! Here are my supplies ready to go.... you will have to wait for the finished product!

3. Some of my gal pals really liked my previous wreath and would like to learn to make it! I am so excited to host then over at my place for a crafty afternoon! Can't wait! Get your glue guns ready girls!

So that is my link up with the lovely Jessica over at Lovely Little Things! 

I also thought i would give another Monday link up a try this time around!
(Don't worry i love the smell the roses link up and i don't want to give it up! Keep it going Jessica! The tasks are things i feel i could/should do for myself.) 
Anyway Classy Living is a blog i have followed for a while and thought i would give their the Good, the Bad and the Ugly link up a try! Here goes nothin'! 

The Good - Blog Planning with Jami! I loved our time to chat and sit down to talk about the future of our part of the blogosphere! We made some preliminary plans for some great stuff that i am way excited about! 

The Bad - I spent Friday night alone! I really don't think this was all that bad, but the truth is, I did miss him! (He did seem to be home before i new it tho!) 

The Ugly - Totally needing one more day to do this:

Grab a button and share your good, bad and ugly!

Wowie Zowie

Hope your Sunday is treating you well!

I have had a great weekend and one reason why is I have been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award from Jamie @ Just Stuff for Fun. I have followed her blog for a while and she even won my 100th post giveaway! She was even kind enough to give me some pointers for my trip to Seattle! Bottom line - go visit her site! 

the rules for this award are as follows:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their site.

3. Include the award image in your post.

4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.

6. When nominating, include a link to their site.

7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated.

 

7 random facts about me 

1. I like my pajamas to match. They don't have to be from the same set, but they should match a little!

2. My favorite color is purple. I even painted a couple walls in my old bedroom a pretty shade of purple! 

3. I FINALLY cleaned my desk at work! This was lonnnnngggg overdue! Typically my desk is only clean for Back to School Night... not this year! I am vowing to ty and keep it clean! #whathaveigottenmyselfinto

4. Italian, Mexican, or American food.... count me in! Oh, and i love to snack. 

5. I love the movie You've Got Mail. It is probably the only movie that i can recite quotes from. 

6. Diet Coke is a huge treat for me, but other than hat i drink tea ALOT. 

7. I have lost 17.2 lbs as of Saturday morning!

15 bloggers I love 

Katie @ Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans

Jami @ Somewhat Domesticated

Molly @ Carry Your Heart With Me

Chrissy & Nate @ everyday with the jays

Emily @ Emmy June

Elyse @ My Life With a Cherry on Top

Meg @ Sweetly Complicated

Beverly @ la, la, love, learn, laugh

Tiffany @ the coffeehouse

Sarah @ the {mr.} and the {mrs.}

Lindsey @ Trial By Sapphire

  Michelle @ The Vintage Apple

Susan @ Suzels Says

Carissa @ lowercase letters

Ashley @ Adventures of Newlyweds

Lovin' all of these blogs and I wait for their next posts. Head on over to their blogs & make a new friend! 

A Kind Request

I know I have mentioned the trip to Alaska at least a few times. I have, haven't I!?!?!?

OK, so maybe I have mentioned it a little too much. A girl can be excited, can't she? Well anyway, my point is to kindly ask for some help! I will not be blogging much while on the trip. In fact, my plan is to have everything scheduled to post ahead of time!

So I am kindly asking, are you interested in gust posting? I would love it if you would and I would truly look forward to what ever you would provide for this little blog o' mine! My last few posts show a random spattering of topics, si really any topic would do.  Even if you would like to participate in some of the link ups that i post on, that would be great! If you care to share I wold love to add your input to this cute little blog! 

If you are interested in guest posting, please leave a comment with your email address and I will be getting back to you!

Thanks in advance to those who volunteer!