Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide from the US Fish & Wildlife Service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently revised their <a href="http://www.fws.gov/cno/pdf/HabitatGuideColor.pdf">Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide</a><br /><br />The Schoolyard Habitat Program helps teachers and students create wildlife habitat at their own schools. Typical projects include: wetlands, meadows, forests and variations based on specific ecoregions. <br /><br /><br />Many projects are planned through multiple phases and change over time as children from various classes build upon the existing work of past students. <br /><br />This 132 page guide provides a comprehensive resource to support new and existing habitat improvement projects.  The guide includes information on the following topics:<br /><ol><li>Forming a Team</li><li>Developing a Master Plan for your site</li><li>Assessing the Project Site</li><li>Designing Your Project</li><li>Deciding Money Matters</li><li>Project Installation Tips</li><li>Developing a Maintenance Plan</li><li>Using the Site</li><li>Sharing Your Story</li><li>Includes Appendices on Specific Habitat Types, Equipment, Choosing Plants, Soil Testing, and more!</li></ol>You can download the entire guide from their <a href="http://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/schoolyard.cfm">website</a>.  <br /><br />You can also check out the Ohio Division of Wildlife's WILD School Site program on our <a href="http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/Educator_Resources/Wild_Schoolsplaceholder/resourceswildschoolsdefault/tabid/5821/Default.aspx">website</a>.  We offer grants, consultations, workshops and a certification program for Ohio schools.<br /><br />Happy Planting!

Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide from the US Fish & Wildlife Service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently revised their Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide The Schoolyard Habitat Program helps teachers...

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The 16th Annual Civista Run/Walk for Wellness 5K

On Saturday, May 16 I participated in the 16th Annual Civista Run/Walk for Wellness 5K.  Civista is one of the local hospitals around here.  <br /><br />I planned to walk this entire 5K again because of the back pain I've been experiencing.  However, once the race started and the adrenaline started pumping, I had to take off!  I jogged and walked off and on throughout the entire race.    <br /><br />I was happy that the organizers of this race chose a different route through the town than I was previously used to doing.  The <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/05/march-of-dimes-march-for-babies-5k.html">March of Dimes walk</a> and the Charles County Walk for the Homeless that I did 2 years ago used the same route.  Admittedly, it gets boring doing the same route and knowing what to expect.  Even though I jogged at various points during the race, my back never really bothered me and I was <i>so </i>happy about that.  I hope this back issue starts to dissipate because I haven't been pushing myself at the gym for fear of injuring myself further. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuUFgYDUIQIpjQaCqGrfVF2rpLpAQNL9KOwnEC5t2m9MVtjlJeioVQRlDnW64lcmrmjWoY2OW3AN__UWTcwkOQx5bCB8n7z8K2FpzKcgWa2qdB3yd5p6CdL14HCHpyI9jgPl69EZYwH0/s1600/May+2011+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuUFgYDUIQIpjQaCqGrfVF2rpLpAQNL9KOwnEC5t2m9MVtjlJeioVQRlDnW64lcmrmjWoY2OW3AN__UWTcwkOQx5bCB8n7z8K2FpzKcgWa2qdB3yd5p6CdL14HCHpyI9jgPl69EZYwH0/s320/May+2011+032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crossing the finish line!</td></tr></tbody></table> I was also pleasantly surprised to find Joel waiting at the finish line!  I've been doing all these 5K's alone.  It sucks, especially whenever you see other groups of people clustered together before/after the race.  It's awkward just standing around by yourself.  That's why it was so nice to finish and see a familiar face, especially Joel's :).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgtgtuoOT08xYGlB8y_3PerG52OGlmca3FhgxGaREXGSoHcvLNjiRNSuaj6KpoZjZpxf6fEXDX4DCdzfZSpvwXJmUJSDaKPEVgNUkmJUqTAgtDoXM6ZWuzPfuBCMX7rZE1_z5Xqqay5Y/s1600/May+2011+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgtgtuoOT08xYGlB8y_3PerG52OGlmca3FhgxGaREXGSoHcvLNjiRNSuaj6KpoZjZpxf6fEXDX4DCdzfZSpvwXJmUJSDaKPEVgNUkmJUqTAgtDoXM6ZWuzPfuBCMX7rZE1_z5Xqqay5Y/s320/May+2011+036.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">very sweaty and hungry.</td></tr></tbody></table>I've done four 5K's so far and I would do them all again next year if the opportunity arises!  I have three left as of right now and don't plan to do anymore until I move and class is over.  This weekend is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides 5K (Saturday) and the Weight Watcher's Walk-it Challenge 5K on Sunday.

5K The 16th Annual Civista Run/Walk for Wellness 5K

On Saturday, May 16 I participated in the 16th Annual Civista Run/Walk for Wellness 5K.  Civista is one of the local hospitals around here. ...

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Heartsick in Seattle

Yes, that would be me. I found out today that my other best friend at work is leaving my team. I knew he'd applied for a different job, and although I wished him the best, I secretly hoped he wouldn't go.<br /><br />This is the second person to leave my team in one week, and they're my two best friends on the team. A year ago my absolute best friend on my team left the company. Now in one week I've lost my other two best friends at work. <br /><br />These guys are more than just coworkers. They're actually friends. They help me with problems, they were my go-to people when I wanted a second opinion, and I felt like I was the same for them. They made me laugh even during the most difficult situations. I sort of feel like I'm getting divorced or something. <br /><br />I feel really, really sad. Heartsick as <a href="http://hopefulandfree.wordpress.com/">Hopeful and Free</a> would say. I know life goes on, but it's not going to be the same. I like the other people on my team. They're all nice people, but I just don't have the same type of relationship with them that I had with these guys. <br /><br />For even more misery, I've spent the last two days sitting in on peer interviews. There's not much I hate about my job, except this one thing...interviews. I detest sitting in on interviews. <br /><br />I skipped the gym this morning. I've gone the past four days, but this morning I just couldn't do it. I walked at lunch, a very brisk walk (which resulted in a blister because of rock in my shoe that I couldn't find...I think it was in my sock). By the time I was back at the office I was a sweaty mess.<br /><br />When I got home my husband had picked up fried chicken from the deli (why?!). I ate two pieces, and no vegetables. Now I feel sort of nauseous, and very, very sad.<br /><br />Not my best day.

Heartsick in Seattle

Yes, that would be me. I found out today that my other best friend at work is leaving my team. I knew he'd applied for a different job, ...

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Note To Self..

Do NOT overeat raspberries.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://michaelkhong.com/whatsinseason/graphics/raspberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://michaelkhong.com/whatsinseason/graphics/raspberries.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://michaelkhong.com/whatsinseason/fruit/summer/raspberries.html">Courtesy</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I've overeaten A LOT of things.  Many of those things, like chocolate, have done numbers on my intestinal tract - need I say more??  I think you get the idea ;).  Still, it was no surprise to me.  It is junk food after all (in most cases) and it never came a shock to me when my stomach started rumbling.<br /><br />Never have I <i>ever </i>overeaten fruit, or vegetables for that matter.  I think I'd be kind of proud if I said "Yeah I ate 2 full bags of broccoli florets for dinner".  Nevertheless, I ate a <b>ton </b>of raspberries yesterday.  Ok, not a ton, but I'd estimate about 3 cups worth.  I wasn't planning on it - it just happened.  They were so good!  Plus I figured - they're 0 Points+ and they're fruits - they're supposed to be good for me!  It wasn't long after the consumption that my stomach started to hurt..... BAD.  I assimilate the feeling to when I've taken Vicodin post-surgery - almost a burning sensation rising from the pit of my stomach to somewhere in my chest area.  And I don't mean heartburn either! <br /><br />It was awful and it lasted for several hours, and there were repercussions even 24 hours later.  Blah!  I guess overeating <i>anything </i>is never a good idea!

Random Weight Loss Thoughts Note To Self..

Do NOT overeat raspberries. Courtesy . I've overeaten A LOT of things.  Many of those things, like chocolate, have done numbers on my in...

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Willl The Episcopal Church Survive? God Knows.

Will the Episcopal Church survive? God knows.<br /><br />The allusion is to Ezekiel: “’Son of Man, can these bones live?’ ‘O Lord, thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37: 1-14. Life and death are God’s business. So is the future.<br /><br />But some of our folks have been reading that if the Episcopal Church continues to lose members at the same rate we did in the past 7 years, we won’t last past 2060. Numbers and trends can be made to say all sorts of things, especially if you skip the facts of the story.<br /><br />We have not been losing members randomly or through being boring or spiritually irrelevant. In fact, up until 2003, we were the only mainline denomination that was growing. In the past 7 years or so we have gone through a major controversy over gay inclusion. We did the right thing, in my view. We were true to an honest reading of Scripture and we acted faithfully on our theology. We were true to our beliefs. But it cost us the attempted secession of the Dioceses of San Joaquin, Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, and Quincy. It led to the loss of congregations in dioceses that remained in the church, and the loss of members from congregations that stayed in their dioceses. Statistically, it was not a tsunami but it did make a notable dent in our membership for the past 7 years.<br /><br />That controversy may not be completely over. But it has certainly lost a lot of steam. Much of American culture seems to have gone our way, and other mainline denominations are reaching similar conclusions to the ones we have reached. Even internationally, more and more of us are agreeing to disagree and get on with serving Christ.<br /><br />As for the future and the doomsday predictions based on “current trends,” we would have to come up with a series of new controversies as divisive as the one of the past 7 years to keep up that rate of schism and chaos. I’m not sure we are that creative. Besides, new controversies don’t seem to be what we are doing these days. We are more interested in moving on beyond the old liberal-conservative point and counterpoint. We are settling down to the business of being the Church in the 21st Century. Everyone from Alban Institute to the Evangelism and Congregational Development folks are teaching how to close the door on old fights and live into a newly invigorated mission. See for example “Changing the Conversation” in Alban Weekly for May 16, 20111, <a href="mailto:weekly@alban.org">weekly@alban.org</a>. The controversies of this decade have been hard, but they have brought us to a deeper understanding of the faith and a deeper appreciation of each other – those of us who are still together in this battle scarred old Church.<br /><br />So what does the future hold for the Episcopal Church? God knows. I only know what I see here today in Nevada. I see children’s Sunday Schools in Ely, Elko, and Nixon where there were no children just three years ago. I see young adults at numerous congregations where there were no young adults three years ago. I see active campus ministries in Reno and Elko. We had churches packed for Easter this year that had not been full for years. Epiphany, one of our newest and demographically youngest congregations, is looking for a larger building because they are regularly over crowded. The Grace in the Desert juggernaut of growth goes on.<br /><br />I see more and better parish web sites and Face Book pages. I hear our ministries recognized on NPR. Billboards are going up outside Ely and Fallon. Our Latino ministries happen in existing churches so we don’t count them as new parishes. But if you consider a worshiping community as a congregation, then we have seven brand new congregations all growing rapidly. We are offering small church music workshops and initiating a program of emergent ministries for miners and energy workers to rebuild our rural ministries. A plan for evangelism in Asian ministries is on the drawing board.<br /><br />It isn’t all rosy. One of our well loved small congregations in Reno closed last year. But I see its former members now actively engaged and strengthening the other 3 congregations in Reno, one of which is a fairly new parish. Another of our small congregations went from about 24 to around 12 this year over a local fight. But some of those dozen folks have found their way to another Episcopal congregation in the area that was on the ropes a few years ago but now is coming back strong.<br /><br />What does the future hold for the Episcopal Church? “O Lord our times are in your hands.” God knows. I don’t. No, I don’t know our future. But I know our mission and it is not perpetually checking our pulse. Our mission is being faithfully present in a culture where people are lost, alienated, lonely, and despairing. Our mission is shining the Christ light of hope into the dark corners of society – corners darkened by poverty, sometimes economic, more often spiritual. I believe people need the Episcopal Church and I believe God loves it. If God did not love it, it would have surely died long ago from all the things we’ve done to it in our human frailty and ineptitude.<br /><br />What is God doing in the Episcopal Church? We have a lot of wind out here in the High Desert. Jesus said “God is wind.” John 4:24 “The wind bloweth wherever it listeth and you hear the sound of it; but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goest. So it is with every word that is born of the Spirit.” John 3: 8. The Church is God’s word born of the Spirit on Pentecost, reborn of the same Spirit with each and every baptism. Where is the Church going? Wherever God wills.

Willl The Episcopal Church Survive? God Knows.

Will the Episcopal Church survive? God knows. The allusion is to Ezekiel: “’Son of Man, can these bones live?’ ‘O Lord, thou knowest.” Ezeki...

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Get over it! (cheesecake) / 185.4

<b>Cheesecake </b><br />Yes, I had a piece of that Costco cheesecake last night. It disappeared from the refrigerator, and I thought my husband had put it in the garbage (he purchased it while I was in Fairbanks). Actually, he froze it. I found it last night and not accidentally, but on purpose. I went searching for it. <br /><br />After a great day of eating and no exercise (never made it to the gym last night), I had a 12-Point piece of cheesecake, (the nutritional information is on CalorieKing.com). I only had one slice (1/16th of the cake) because that's all that I could find. <br /><br />The verdict: Get over it Diana! It didn't lead to some big, crazy all-night eating binge. I ate some extra salmon later in the evening (leftover from dinner), five tiny Clementines, and a bag of SmartPop popcorn. None of this was planned. I put everything into eTools, and yes, I had a 53-Point day yesterday (I'm allowed 29).<br /><br />It's not the end of the world. I'm not mad at myself for not being perfect. It was just a piece of cheesecake. I'm pretty sure I would have eaten more if there was more available, but it wasn't and I didn't.<br /><br />I still feel in control in spite of the 53 Points. Okay, maybe I was a little bit out of control, but it's not a big deal. I'm okay with it. I'm not going to Costco today and buying a cheesecake, hiding it, and eating the whole thing within a day or two. I've done that before. Fortunately, it's been a few years (about three plus years).<br /><br />Ironically I had one of my best ever workouts at the gym this morning. I seemed to have extra power and stamina. I did the elliptical again for thirty minutes (still hate it and the StairMasters are still broken), and a full hour of lower body/abs exercises. I'm not sure if it was the salmon or the cheesecake that gave me the extra energy (maybe both?).<br /><br /><b>Sunshine!</b><br />Yes, we have sunshine today in the Pacific Northwest. It was 38 degrees at 5:30am when I went to the gym, so it's a bit chilly, but it's gorgeous. If I could take today off from work I'd do it in a heartbeat (a bike ride would be really fun). Unfortunately I have two meetings that I can't miss today. At least I can walk at lunch, so that will be some extra calorie burning (hopefully burn off some cheesecake).<br /><br /><b>Torchlight parade</b><br />I'm going to walk in the Torchlight parade this year in Seattle (July 30), and wave at people. My husband has wanted to go to it for the last twenty years. I'm not really fond of parades so I found an excuse every year to not go (I know, bad wife). This year my company is asking for volunteers to walk the route behind the float (or in front of it, I'm not sure). You can only ride on the float if you wear a uniform (flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents). I haven't worn a uniform in over 20 years. I'd really rather walk it anyway. My husband is actually excited about it. <br /><br />Now it's off to work!

Get over it! (cheesecake) / 185.4

Cheesecake Yes, I had a piece of that Costco cheesecake last night. It disappeared from the refrigerator, and I thought my husband had put i...

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CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon - The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGBYYaTT1CRE9TsYvka5ikTm7KxLkDdEYtcmUmIJIQpSBdCzBUVwZm3LIqBhHslng9CcpYCDUDrDbwCUPajCC8wE3CTjMzTrWVRTNhc1TTG9OTs2t84cmlSeqF6rrLBZ1wyHbH7Xx9NMS/s1600/bette+as+eliz+i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGBYYaTT1CRE9TsYvka5ikTm7KxLkDdEYtcmUmIJIQpSBdCzBUVwZm3LIqBhHslng9CcpYCDUDrDbwCUPajCC8wE3CTjMzTrWVRTNhc1TTG9OTs2t84cmlSeqF6rrLBZ1wyHbH7Xx9NMS/s400/bette+as+eliz+i.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“In 1939, I secured my career and my stardom forever. I made five pictures in twelve months and every one of them was successful.” Bette Davis was referring to the string of movies she made in rapid succession, beginning with <i>The Sisters </i>in 1938 and followed by four more the next year – <i>Dark Victory</i>, <i>Juarez</i>, <i>The Old Maid </i>and <i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i>. If 1939 was a watershed year for Hollywood, it was, too, for the actress who was about to begin her reign as America’s top film actress.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Of6MJeEASW17UARIlA9Vz8TUukkQulfrs2F2c6GHrmjoM0bD8MWlcIpNC1iVhV6glLeegZ9WBA4BGAu784WhXQF2g8ZQdbvkQMjavYTkigo21CBV-w7DPySmKHzRT9OKoLWVs8MvXJxi/s1600/bondage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Of6MJeEASW17UARIlA9Vz8TUukkQulfrs2F2c6GHrmjoM0bD8MWlcIpNC1iVhV6glLeegZ9WBA4BGAu784WhXQF2g8ZQdbvkQMjavYTkigo21CBV-w7DPySmKHzRT9OKoLWVs8MvXJxi/s200/bondage.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Of Human Bondage </i>(1934)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis spent most of the first half of the 1930s making her way through a series of mostly dreary film assignments, first for Universal and then for Warner Bros. Her startling performance in RKO's <i>Of Human Bondage </i>(1934) changed the course of her career. She won her first Best Actress Oscar for a downbeat role in <i>Dangerous </i>(1935), and her second for her turn as a headstrong Southern belle in <i>Jezebel </i>(1938).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Maxwell Anderson’s <i>Elizabeth, the Queen</i>, a historical drama written in blank verse a la Shakespeare, opened on Broadway in 1930. It starred Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt and ran for 147 performances. The production and Fontanne’s portrayal of Elizabeth I were legendary. Eight years after the play closed, an adaptation would make its way to the screen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Based on events of Elizabeth’s late years, the story follows her relationship with the much younger Earl of Essex. After a victory against Spain at Cadiz, Essex returns to England a hero. Ambitious and overconfident, he is a favorite of the queen. However, the two are often at odds; she favors measured statesmanship and he is for bold action; both have a taste for power. Not surprisingly, the Earl is unpopular with the queen’s advisors who maneuver him into leading an ill-fated intervention in Ireland. Essex fails and returns to England in disgrace. Unable to bear ignominy, he attempts to raise a rebellion against the queen. This ends badly for Essex. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17cwyXLxnTZf8u_Z5ZNoBB6m8pPtMjLWkvM7QV__pZLBUFpof8cFzsZ0iMJGWQBC_hZlYJhUBRFeLt8zJLRwfDn310BEJmCyc0O3v88jUXKKRj1S2D0SWydgisgkNgFIvIWuSlZGU5eWC/s1600/picture%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17cwyXLxnTZf8u_Z5ZNoBB6m8pPtMjLWkvM7QV__pZLBUFpof8cFzsZ0iMJGWQBC_hZlYJhUBRFeLt8zJLRwfDn310BEJmCyc0O3v88jUXKKRj1S2D0SWydgisgkNgFIvIWuSlZGU5eWC/s320/picture%255B1%255D.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth I by Hans Holbein</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When Bette Davis learned that producer Hal Wallis bought Anderson’s play for her, she was elated. “Elizabeth was my tankard of tea,” she later recalled. Familiar with the Broadway production and Fontanne’s performance, she saw in the part an exciting opportunity as well as a real challenge. Davis was only 31 at the time and she would be portraying Elizabeth in her 60s. Additionally, the script primarily consisted of complex blank verse dialogue. As was typical of her, Davis threw herself into the project completely. She began extensive research on the Elizabethan period and monarchy, and she was happily surprised when she saw in Holbein's portraits of Elizabeth a resemblance between herself and the queen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Davis campaigned for Laurence Olivier to be cast in the role of Essex. “He was perfect for the part…he <i>was </i>arrogant, beautiful, virile and talented,” she remembered years afterward. Olivier was in between <i>Wuthering Heights</i> (1939) and <i>Rebecca </i>(1940) at the time, but Jack Warner wasn’t enthusiastic. Olivier was not yet a star in the U.S. (though he was on the very brink) and Warner felt the film required a box office powerhouse equal to Davis. The adaptation of Anderson’s play was a big picture for Warners in 1939 and Jack Warner wanted Errol Flynn, the studio’s hottest leading man, for Essex. Flynn had completed <i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i>, <i>The Dawn Patrol</i> and <i>Dodge City</i> all within the past year and was at the height of his popularity. Davis was not convinced. She did not think Flynn had the experience to cope with blank verse or the professionalism to work at it. But Warner prevailed; Flynn it would be. Davis was deeply disappointed. Perhaps the fact that Flynn was being paid twice as much as she amplified her disappointment…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPbgyo0KMcIZs3nVRiaVesajV7gzhNvPRFE-F33_KyyQ3tlTt_jPx9omcjXSERvme6sxlq7EJYoSSVTrUP15fd_218bc0SIYPU6iX2QUe5CNApFVQfsRBClxEdjWAWYz-zVgUtsk8vywT/s1600/curtiz+and+queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPbgyo0KMcIZs3nVRiaVesajV7gzhNvPRFE-F33_KyyQ3tlTt_jPx9omcjXSERvme6sxlq7EJYoSSVTrUP15fd_218bc0SIYPU6iX2QUe5CNApFVQfsRBClxEdjWAWYz-zVgUtsk8vywT/s320/curtiz+and+queen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Michael Curtiz on the set</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Warner Bros. veteran Michael Curtiz was tapped to direct. Though Curtiz and Flynn collaborated on several popular films, the dynamic between them was not ideal. Curtiz viewed  Flynn as little more than a blank slate, referring to the actor as “my beautiful puppet.” </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the other hand, Davis put up with nothing from Curtiz on this set, she would not  forgive or forget his dismissive treatment of her before she was a star.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The supporting cast was steeped in solid character actors: Donald Crisp, Henry Daniell, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Leo G. Carroll, Alan Hale and James Stephenson. Olivia de Havilland appeared intermittently and young Nanette Fabray (Fabares) made an affecting screen debut as ladies in waiting. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though Davis anticipated the film and her role as “a dream come true,” the production did not go smoothly.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It might seem logical that in making a film of a famed stage drama, the name of the play would remain intact. But Flynn did not like it that his character was not mentioned in the title and insisted on a change. <i>The Knight and the Lady </i>was proposed. For Davis, whose character was the centerpiece of the drama, that was unacceptable. <i>The Lady and the Knight</i> was offered as an option. No one liked this, including Davis. The success of Alexander Korda’s <i>The Private Life of Henry VIII </i>(1933), an Oscar-winner for Charles Laughton, inspired the film’s eventual title.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTm6KRxNik69VbaP79gJEHuOy3WETwMXhblpCTjWALq_k-eN7CRDlY5OEUga8ymk-tumpHCevxYY6iTP9SVY2vZHDCuoufe-gibySidWCoJECzy65dQ6fk5537ynD11YqENx53Yy5CBRB/s1600/eliz+and+essex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTm6KRxNik69VbaP79gJEHuOy3WETwMXhblpCTjWALq_k-eN7CRDlY5OEUga8ymk-tumpHCevxYY6iTP9SVY2vZHDCuoufe-gibySidWCoJECzy65dQ6fk5537ynD11YqENx53Yy5CBRB/s320/eliz+and+essex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Errol Flynn</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When Olivia de Havilland arrived to begin work, she was still doing retakes for <i>Gone With the Wind</i>. She claimed that she wasn’t ready to start, she couldn’t play two characters at the same time. Jack Warner convinced her, at least to some extent, that she could.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Davis insisted on authentic costume design, but Curtiz thought that authentic costumes would be “too much for the camera” and wanted them scaled down. According to Davis, designer Orry-Kelly made two complete sets of Elizabeth’s costumes – the first conforming to Curtiz’s edict, the second historically accurate. Davis tested in the first set and played her role in the second. “Tricky is the determined female,” she later mused.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Makeup artist Perc Westmore worked closely with Bette Davis to achieve Elizabeth’s age and appearance. He remarked on her dedication to the part but said that he had to walk a fine line to create what Davis wanted while not exceeding what Jack Warner would tolerate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As it turned out, Davis’s concerns about Errol Flynn were well-founded. Notes in the film’s production reports mention the actor’s difficulty with the dialogue. Flynn apparently protested, “I can’t remember lines like that,” and screenwriters Aeneas MacKenzie and Norman Reilly Raine simplified his lines by rewriting them out of verse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In one famous scene (and infamous incident), Davis gave Flynn a hearty slap across the face with her heavily jeweled hand. Flynn called it a “right hook” and reportedly never forgave her for it. Davis did not seem to think she’d done anything out of character…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lgo-7Wu2llM" width="425"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Orry-Kelly, Perc Westmore, art director Anton Grot and cinematographer/d.p. Sol Polito, all masters of their respective cinematic arts, worked inspired magic. Polito was especially valuable on the production for his wizardry with Technicolor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anton Grot’s lavish sets are an eyeful. At times Elizabeth seems to exist as if within an enormous chest of jewels, so surrounded is she by plush shades of amethyst, turquoise, ruby, emerald and gold. And Grot creates an evocative mood...in vaulted candle-lit chambers, a massive fireplace blazes and flickering shadows leap across dim walls.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkgpGYUwbopIboiLg4uigqwmaM1V5jw2kz9rbtKcYma_mjjPji79XwCFRLus4QaLunVxV5O9AxeM-By2QqCeZJ0XVwteiLd2qtspu1bOh7Hmxe2NcEVuc-LUpLLuK1Bp4HFW5NAdGiZge/s1600/anton+grot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkgpGYUwbopIboiLg4uigqwmaM1V5jw2kz9rbtKcYma_mjjPji79XwCFRLus4QaLunVxV5O9AxeM-By2QqCeZJ0XVwteiLd2qtspu1bOh7Hmxe2NcEVuc-LUpLLuK1Bp4HFW5NAdGiZge/s200/anton+grot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art Director Anton Grot</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anton Grot dominated art direction at Warner Bros. from the late '20s through the 1940s and is often credited for the realism of "the Warner Bros. look" of the 1930s. He was known for his interest in the expressive qualities of light on film, and his work was influenced by European modernism. Nominated for five competitive Oscars, Grot was given a special technical achievement award in 1940 for his design of a "water ripple and wave illusion machine." His films include <i>Little Caesar</i>, <i>Anthony Adverse</i>, <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i>, <i>Captain Blood</i>, and <i>Mildred Pierce</i>. The UCLA Library houses a collection of Grot's original sketches (see below and <a href="http://potulentpalaver.blogspot.com/2007/01/anton-grot.html"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>click here</b></span></a> to see more).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWVhrIZ2OKpcG1YMp2DEJQBN62lpb0Tq5u07hyS89OEJw2oVRtZRrhvE5JTM1dYjQ4bLwuHFr62O0R_Qo9JiE60bY1EfNmjA9eACQiag3tl2WuomjEZZwadwGjaXjI3T7gxZg0u9xPQV6/s1600/Anton+Grot+sketch++Eliz+and+Essex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWVhrIZ2OKpcG1YMp2DEJQBN62lpb0Tq5u07hyS89OEJw2oVRtZRrhvE5JTM1dYjQ4bLwuHFr62O0R_Qo9JiE60bY1EfNmjA9eACQiag3tl2WuomjEZZwadwGjaXjI3T7gxZg0u9xPQV6/s320/Anton+Grot+sketch++Eliz+and+Essex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anton Grot's sketch of the court of Elizabeth I</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis in an intriguing performance is the finest of the film's<i> </i>fine qualities. In his <i>Great Stars</i> monograph on the actress, David Thomson wrote of Davis that she "often moves like a beast fearful of being leashed." As Elizabeth, her erratic gestures and movements, her voice and her eyes are alive with frustration and exasperation, insecurity and rage. At times she seems to prowl the queen's quarters like a caged cat. Davis captures the spirit of a weary but wily and indomitable monarch, a woman trapped in the power she has fought hard to hold.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">While I don't think Flynn was up to this script, it isn't hard to imagine an aging queen (or any woman) falling victim to his many obvious charms. It's true that Olivier's brooding charisma along with his mastery of Shakespeare might've made for a compelling Essex - and I'm very sure he would have held his own with Bette Davis. But many among the film's cast and technical crew were veterans of Curtiz/Flynn action adventures and that may have something to do with why, overall, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><i>Elizabeth and Essex</i> plays as a slightly off-balance marriage between historical drama and swashbuckling epic.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i> was a moneymaker for Warner Bros. <i>Variety</i> reported, “Bette Davis dominates the production at every turn…” and pointed out it was the first picture to be released using fast new Technicolor methods. The picture's "slow spots" were discounted as minor shortcomings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99gq21O3db8RU_BwrN9YfrquFiBkqizXLru4rgxNxyyWHmPKtSYp8oRKH1IDSIRyqwr_C6a2Rs7FiTEdbdBHRGqUX8k2oOGRNJg1Mc_t2rk6tjyIMlNiJlivuE3m7bmogdc_PQu2Kgv0/s1600/Private_Lives_of_Elizabeth_and_Essex_%25281939%2529_4%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh99gq21O3db8RU_BwrN9YfrquFiBkqizXLru4rgxNxyyWHmPKtSYp8oRKH1IDSIRyqwr_C6a2Rs7FiTEdbdBHRGqUX8k2oOGRNJg1Mc_t2rk6tjyIMlNiJlivuE3m7bmogdc_PQu2Kgv0/s320/Private_Lives_of_Elizabeth_and_Essex_%25281939%2529_4%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bette Davis and Errol Flynn</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Frank S. Nugent of the New York Times, voicing a complaint common among critics that Flynn was a weak Essex, observed that Davis delivered “a strong, resolute, glamour-skimping characterization against which Mr. Flynn’s Essex has about as much chance as a beanshooter against a tank.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bette Davis needed a rest at this point. “I weighed 80 pounds when I discarded Bess’s ruff and hoop for the last time. I was really exhausted. I knew I must take a holiday and recharge the battery…” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex</i> received five Academy Award nominations - for art direction, color cinematography, special effects, music score and sound recording. Davis was nominated for <i>Dark Victory</i> instead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKUJBJf4BJmvFJ6I_lfUpRj0iAyvFJRHqTNKBIwZFU8mpcreDn0JkmlJ8-4kSv4LqaORaGL3vZ3MgzBK1YCFha-EclXuWJ3Ecmn7QHroxyQDSB7PUxBz1_1DZ3nnr5XQWtkZpbTPOHKgc/s1600/essex1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKUJBJf4BJmvFJ6I_lfUpRj0iAyvFJRHqTNKBIwZFU8mpcreDn0JkmlJ8-4kSv4LqaORaGL3vZ3MgzBK1YCFha-EclXuWJ3Ecmn7QHroxyQDSB7PUxBz1_1DZ3nnr5XQWtkZpbTPOHKgc/s320/essex1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nominated for art direction, cinematography, effects, score and sound</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Forty years after the film’s release, the actress told a biographer, “I have very mixed emotions when I see it.” She questioned whether she had, young as she was at the time, enough life experience to draw upon for the role. And she admitted that she had “secretly” been a bit unsure about playing Elizabeth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In her 1962 autobiography, <u>A Lonely Life</u>, Bette Davis recalled a moment that stood out in her memory of the production. One day Charles Laughton visited the set. It was her first meeting with an actor she admired very much.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hi, Pop,” she greeted him, playfully referring to his role as Henry VIII.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Ah, it’s my favorite daughter,” he replied.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As they talked, Bette mentioned that perhaps she had a lot of nerve to be trying to play Elizabeth. Laughton’s response was something she never forgot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Never stop daring to hang yourself, Bette,” he told her.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>~</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2011/04/classic-movies-of-1939-blogathon-may-15.html" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a></b><i> for a full list of links to blogs participating in CMBA's "Classic Movies of 1939" blogathon.</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjPkNY3g2YA_JM99NkIAA7a98sPn89HJnWEQ9C-rkGaONao6SKOyn846fiOriIn4yfBPCOLnGGmKhUy6XoaPbMhMOHedYGFgAtWdMoAyEzZJad5nHdKQRGDk0LRAU7PAVhRWAsI4XRx8/s1600/Cimba+Best+Film+Review+Drama+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjPkNY3g2YA_JM99NkIAA7a98sPn89HJnWEQ9C-rkGaONao6SKOyn846fiOriIn4yfBPCOLnGGmKhUy6XoaPbMhMOHedYGFgAtWdMoAyEzZJad5nHdKQRGDk0LRAU7PAVhRWAsI4XRx8/s320/Cimba+Best+Film+Review+Drama+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Classic Movie Blog Association honored this post with the 2011 CiMBA award for Best Film Review (Drama) </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Sources:</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>The Lonely Life</u> (1962) by Bette Davis, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, A Personal Biography</u> (2006) by Charlotte Chandler, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Dark Victory : The Life of Bette Davis</u> (2007) by Ed Sikov, <u>B</u></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>ette Davis</u> (2009) by David Thomson (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Great Stars </i>series)</span></div>

Anton Grot Bette Davis Donald Crisp Errol Flynn Jack Warner Michael Curtiz Orry-Kelly Sol Polito The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex CMBA Movies of 1939 Blogathon - The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

“In 1939, I secured my career and my stardom forever. I made five pictures in twelve months and every one of them was successful.” Bette Dav...

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Hungry Girl Cooking: Berry-licious Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes while at my sister's house celebrating my niece's 3rd birthday.  I'm pretty sure they were a hit since almost all of them were devoured rather quickly.  The icing tasted great too. You can find this recipe in Hungry Girl's first cookbook or on the <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=140951">Weight Watchers website</a>.  Enjoy!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0q5pSCw8ozyJugSrScRefrhqxv93mv-NO4fI3U9PustvCp0TrtooEbNP9C21ev9j5fDEXSw8cfBEqAoaOfkNsmrecbFGyWwZR2W_8g3yqyn04TPTmyDb-gWfFZo1cZnA_mWbLk94bFc/s1600/hungry-girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0q5pSCw8ozyJugSrScRefrhqxv93mv-NO4fI3U9PustvCp0TrtooEbNP9C21ev9j5fDEXSw8cfBEqAoaOfkNsmrecbFGyWwZR2W_8g3yqyn04TPTmyDb-gWfFZo1cZnA_mWbLk94bFc/s200/hungry-girl.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><u>Hungry Girl/Weight Watchers Berry-licious Cupcakes</u> - 3 Points+</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCKZEE0ISoRapuahWZDeyb_1IC684UyAt0ZA1U-U_ykWHSmFelbelX3BVqMMAsZ_zIkFji2KIUd99J85KoA_Dd3IRa4axpyYJ2mx9CTZVPiKcVQZs3nkOhxG1uZmJnuMlj2GRf6nR8Pk/s1600/HG+Strawberry+Cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCKZEE0ISoRapuahWZDeyb_1IC684UyAt0ZA1U-U_ykWHSmFelbelX3BVqMMAsZ_zIkFji2KIUd99J85KoA_Dd3IRa4axpyYJ2mx9CTZVPiKcVQZs3nkOhxG1uZmJnuMlj2GRf6nR8Pk/s320/HG+Strawberry+Cupcakes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><b>Ingredients</b></i><br /><ul><li>4 oz Cool Whip Whipped Topping Free Whipped Topping, half an 8 oz container   <br /></li><li>1/4 cup(s) fat-free cream cheese, softened   <br /></li><li> 2 Tbsp SPLENDA® SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener<i> (I used regular sugar)  </i><br /></li><li>1/8 tsp vanilla extract   <br /></li><li> 1/8 tsp food colouring, neon pink, divided (2 drops)   <br /></li><li> 1/2 Tbsp Hershey's Sugar free strawberry syrup, or raspberry variety   <br /></li><li> 9 1/8 oz regular white cake dry mix, 2 cups (half an 18.25 oz package)   <br /></li><li> 1 cup(s) diet cola, black cherry flavor <i>(I used Diet Dr. Pepper)</i><br /></li><li> 4 large egg white(s), about 1/2 cup   <br /></li><li> 6 medium strawberries, pureed    </li></ul><i><b>Instructions </b></i><br /><ul></ul><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350°F.<br /><br /></li><li>In a medium bowl, combine whipped topping, cream cheese, Splenda, vanilla extract, 1 drop of food coloring and syrup. Using an electric mixer at medium-low speed, blend until frosting is thoroughly mixed, about 1 minute. Chill frosting in freezer for 20 minutes and then transfer to refrigerator until ready to frost cupcakes.<br /><br /></li><li>In a large bowl, combine cake mix, soda and egg whites; add pureed strawberries and remaining drop of food coloring. Mix with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.<br /><br /></li><li>Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with cupcake wrappers. Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.<br /><br /></li><li>Bake until firm, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan. Once cool, remove cupcakes from pan and evenly spread with frosting. Yields 1 cupcake per serving. </li></ol>

Hungry Girl Weight Watcher Recipes Hungry Girl Cooking: Berry-licious Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes while at my sister's house celebrating my niece's 3rd birthday.  I'm pretty sure they were a hit since alm...

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Rambling Monday / 185.4

I'm back at work. wonderful, lovely work. I found out one of my best friends on my team accepted a position on another team. It made me want to cry finding out he's leaving. True, he'll only be about ten cubicles away from me on the same floor, still, it won't be the same. Things change, people come and go, it's called life. Sometimes it sucks.<br /><br />Today is day four of the rest of my life. Three days in my pocket where I ate healthy, tracked my food, and worked out each day at the gym for an hour. Three days. Doesn't sound like much does it? Yet it makes me feel strong and capable of staying with this plan. Seeing the 185.4 on the scale this morning made it worth it. "It" being the hunger I felt these last few days. I'm starting to become accustomed to the slight feeling that I want to/need to eat. Often I don't even know if it's real or all in my head. <br /><br />The 190.6 I saw last Friday morning was horrifying. I didn't really express how upset and scared I felt when I saw that number. So very close to 200.  There's always that little "what if" voice talking to me in my head. What if you can't rein this in? What if you gain back every pound and more? What if you kill yourself with food? <br /><br />Did I mention before I left on vacation I purchased three pairs of blue jeans, all size 16, different brands? I didn't even try them on. They're all baggy and too long. I don't care. They feel great. Sort of like pajamas. My nieces told me I should have bought a smaller size, the 14's probably would have fit. Who goes from a size 12 right into a size 16? I was tired of the 12's cutting me at the waist and my muffin top overflowing. No muffin top now. Loose pants are good.<br /><br />I skipped the gym this morning. Too tired. Now I have to pay my penance and go tonight. I detest evening workouts but it's not optional. It's part of the plan to lose the fat.<br /><br />This post is all over the place. I really have nothing newsworthy to talk about. It's part of my new commitment to the blog every day. It helps me stay focused. Whether it helps anyone else, well, probably not today.

Rambling Monday / 185.4

I'm back at work. wonderful, lovely work. I found out one of my best friends on my team accepted a position on another team. It made me ...

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HilJoe Competition - Week 2

<div style="text-align: left;">I guess it was only a matter of time that I'd have to face a beating from Joel.  Hopefully this will only be one of a few I'll have to endure.  <b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.beautyandwell-being.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/weight-scale-400x400.jpg" width="200" /></a><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Joel</b> <b>(6')</b>: 239.6</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hilary (5'8")</b>: 258</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, I'm frustrated with myself for yet again another gain.  When am I going to get it together? I get one thing under control (exercise), only to have the other one suffer (eating).  I'm not one of those people who can simply 'eat right' <i>alone </i>and lose weight - I need both elements.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not giving up.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">And so we move on to Week 3.</div>

Gain HJ Competition HilJoe Competition - Week 2

I guess it was only a matter of time that I'd have to face a beating from Joel.  Hopefully this will only be one of a few I'll have ...

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Shake the job search blues

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/m9/ar5m1s872166487nchm9.gif?time=3/9/2011%203:53:59%20pm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/m9/ar5m1s872166487nchm9.gif?time=3/9/2011%203:53:59%20pm" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder writer</span></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine"><br /></span></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></b></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In both his books and speeches, Donald Trump often <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHpNweVn6bQ" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">mentions a story</a> that his father told him when he was a child that goes something like this: There once was an entrepreneur who started a soda company called Three Up. Despite the man's passion for his company, though, Three Up eventually went under. Undeterred, the entrepreneur started another cola company called Four Up, which also went bankrupt. He persisted on, but after Five Up and Six Up failed as well, the man was tired of struggling and gave up. A short time later another company came along and invented 7 Up, which was wildly successful. The point of the story, according to Trump, is that if the man hadn't quit, he would have created 7 Up.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i></i>If you're a job seeker, you can probably relate to the entrepreneur in the story. It may seem hard to stay motivated in the face of rejection and success can seem elusive -- you might even feel like giving up on your job search or settling for a job you don't really like. But, if you quit when the going gets tough, you may miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime -- like the entrepreneur did.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The job search blues can certainly be tough to conquer -- but it can be done. Here's how to get through the tough times in a job search.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pay attention to your thoughts</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Listen to the things you say to yourself about your job, your abilities and your chances of achieving your career goals," says Colette Ellis, founder of leadership consulting firm InStep Consulting and author of the e-book "Focus on your vision."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you realize that your "self-talk" is predominately negative, make an effort to change it any time a negative thought pops into your head. "When you hear your negative messages and begin to feel badly, say 'stop!' and replace the thought or message with a more positive statement," Ellis says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dave Sanford, an <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/executive+vice+president/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">executive vice president</a> at recruiting firm Winter, Wyman, agrees: "You can't force hiring decisions to go your way. But you can control your reaction to the circumstances. Allow yourself that healthy moment of disappointment and then pick yourself up and dust yourself off. This will help you move on a lot more quickly, which is imperative to your search," he says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Set goals</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Let's face it: The modern job search can be a long and tedious process -- but that doesn't mean it can't also be rewarding. Set smaller goals throughout your job search to keep you focused and give you a sense of achievement.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"As part of your job search, you will certainly have set goals for yourself, [like] the number of networking meetings you will have each week, how many résumés you will send out per day and the [number of] hours you will dedicate to researching opportunities," Sanford says. "Feel good about completing your objectives and find ways to celebrate your accomplishments."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Be careful not to be too hard on yourself when setting goals, though. When outlining your job search goals, don't limit yourself to an overly-stringent time deadline for getting a job. "It may feel proactive to say 'I will be working by June 30' but you are really setting yourself up to be let down," says Cheryl Heisler, <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/president/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">president </a>of Lawternatives, a career coaching firm for <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/lawyers/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">lawyers</a>. "Concrete goals are good -- as long as they are within your control. Do commit to goals that you can reach, like 'I will make five new contacts each week.'"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Talk to people</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Making an effort to talk to people in your industry can give your job search a much-needed boost for a number of reasons: It's great for networking, it can provide you with a renewed sense of motivation and energy, it'll help you stay abreast on what's new in your field, and it can present you with options and opportunities you may not have known you had.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Best of all -- talking with your industry peers can help you get a job faster. "After speaking with someone once or twice and building a rapport, they are much more likely to bring up potential job leads or contacts for you, rather than you having to ask for them," says Kathryn Minshew, co-founder and <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/editor+in+chief/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">editor-in-chief </a>of Pretty Young Professional, a <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/blog/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">blog</a> and online resource for young professional women.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Is there someone in your field that you'd like to know, but don't? Reach out and ask the person for an informational interview. "I firmly believe in informational interviews," Minshew says. "Everyone loves being asked for advice, and sometimes the best thing you can do to get your foot in the door is to find people who work at the company or industry you're targeting, and ask them if you can meet."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Take a break</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Although it's important to maintain momentum and keep up a steady job search, it's also important to take time out of your day to de-stress. "Stress can be palpable and you don't want to present yourself to prospective employers or networking contacts as someone who will crack under pressure," Sanford says. "Whether it's a morning yoga class or walking around the block, find what works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Reducing stress also means fighting the e-leash during "you" time. While you may feel compelled to check your e-mail or voice mail every five minutes, fighting the urge will help you relax. "Access your voice mail and e-mail a few times a day -- and then let it go," Sanford says.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, </i><a href="http://www.theworkbuzz.com/" style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i>The Work Buzz</i></a><i>. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.</i></div>

Shake the job search blues

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder writer In both his books and speeches, Donald Trump often  mentions a story  that his father told him when he ...

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Sleepless in Seattle / 186.6

<b>My night from hell </b><br />Last night was a real struggle for me to not binge. My husband went to bed at 10 p.m. since he was exhausted from yard work. Although I was tired from pulling weeds and planting the Gerbera Daisies and Lobelia (they're beautiful), I didn't feel sleepy. This always happens when we get a nice spring day here, yard work up the wazoo. Today it's back to gray skies and rain. Although I have to admit, everything is a brilliant emerald green, hence the label of the Emerald City.<br /><br />I had managed to drag myself to the gym at 5 p.m.,and got in an hour and twenty minute workout. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but I told myself, very firmly, that not going to the gym wasn't an option. I'm dying without my StairMaster, and was forced to use the elliptical again for cardio. It's not my favorite, but better than the treadmill or the stationary bike. I lifted weights for forty minutes, but noticed I felt weaker than normal. The 20-pound dumbbells felt much heavier than I remembered. Maybe it's because I was tired from the yard work, or because it was late in the day, but it was a difficult workout.<br /><br />My eating for the day was pretty close to perfect, and I had entered every bite into eTools (two days in a row!). I was under by six Points  but since I had eaten five fruits I figured it all worked out okay. I'm still a little opposed to the idea that fruits are free on Weight Watchers PointsPlus. A lot of people think this is the greatest thing they've every heard of. For me, an avid fruit eater for years, I tend to overdo the fruit. Especially when that wicked little voice in my head says, "Hey, fruit is free! Eat up!". Fruit has calories too, and it's a challenge for me to not overeat on fruit. <br /><br />I finally went to bed around 11 p.m. last night and couldn't sleep. When I did sleep, I dreamed about food all night. I tossed and turned, woke up several times, practically every hour. I felt like I was starving to death, but my eTools told a different story. I ate more than enough for a "normal" person. I even dreamed I was sitting in a Weight Watchers meeting, something I've never dreamed about before. All night I had to fight the urge to not get out of bed and head to the kitchen, where I could satisfy the hunger.<br /><br />It was a hard-fought battle last night, but I'm happy to say I won this round. I know many of you will agree that if you can just get a day or two under your belt of healthy eating and exercise, it gets easier every day.<br /><br />Cutting out all processed sugar is really helping too. I can already tell the cravings for sweets has diminished tremendously. I still use a little <a href="http://www.nunaturals.com/productcategory/20">NuNaturals Stevia</a>, my favorite sweetener. It doesn't have any added chemicals and is pure Stevia. The trick is to not use too much. I use a little on my fresh strawberries, especially since I can't seem to find a strawberry in this part of the country that is sweet. I also add a little Stevia and vanilla to my Fage 0% yogurt, with a half cup of frozen fruit. This is my replacement for the frozen Weight Watcher bars I was hooked on, which are essentially junk food. I totally quit buying any of the Weight Watcher products over two months ago (and proceeded to gain ten pounds, but that's not why).<br /><br />Now I have to get through today. I know that sounds terrible, like I'm struggling just to get through the day, but it's the truth. This fighting the good fight against fat continues to be a battle of wills for me. I keep thinking it will get easier, but I know from my past that I can't let my guard down for any length of time or I will zoom right up to 240 pounds and most likely, even more. I could easily see myself in the 300-pound range in a matter of months. <br /><br />I really did think that at this point in my life, 55 years old, this would have become easier for me. I read other blogs where the people (usually much younger than myself), have figured it out. They don't seem to struggle like I do, or at least, they don't talk about it if they do. They seem to maintain their goal weight with ease. I'm envious of them, but I have come to the conclusion that's not my lot in life. I suspect this will be a battle until my death, and one I will not give up on easily.<br /><br /><b>Another book for us fatties -- Designated Fat Girl</b><br />Right before I left for Fairbanks I purchased a book to read on the flight (no, I haven't been "Kindlized" yet). <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Designated-Fat-Girl-Jennifer-Joyner/dp/0762759623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305482514&sr=8-1">Designated Fat</a> Girl by Jennifer Joyner. I'd never heard of this book before and just happened to see it at my local Fred Meyers (a grocery/everything store in the Northwest). It was tucked down behind some other books and didn't appear to be a best seller.<br /><br />When I read the first two lines of the description on the back of the book, I knew I had to read it. It's the story about the author, Jennifer Joyner, and I could completely relate to these two sentences:<br /><br /><i>Jennifer is slowly killing herself with food. She is powerless to stop. She weighs 336 pounds.</i><br /><br />Then the last sentence of the description:<br /><br /><i>In the end, it is also a story of recovery and survival.</i><br /><br />The author tells about her life as a morbidly obese woman, and tells about her journey with gastric bypass surgery. It's strange because I had just read an article that gastric bypass cures diabetes in 95% of the people that had the disease when they went into surgery. It cures it by the next day. It cured Jennifer's diabetes by the day after her surgery. That alone is a miracle. If I had diabetes, I'd seriously consider gastric bypass. <br /><br />Her story is interesting, and I could completely relate to her secret eating of massive amounts of food. Unfortunately, I think it may have done me more harm than good. Knowing there was someone else out there just like me wasn't as comforting as I thought it would be. It made me just that much more aware that I have a serious illness when it comes to food. I'm still on the fence about being a food addict, which Jennifer talks about. I'm just not sure if someone can actually be addicted to food. <br /><br />It's still a great read, and she's very honest about her struggles. I would highly recommend it, especially if you're considering gastric bypass. Unfortunately for Jennifer, she almost died from complications after the surgery, yet she still said she'd do it again. I don't think I could ever agree to be surgically altered to lose weight, whether gastric bypass or the lapband. Neither of these paths are an easy way out, and although I understand they're the answer for a lot of other people, it's just not for me.<br /><br />By the way, I've seen several blogs recently where people that weigh less that me, in the 170 to  180 range, have had lapband surgery. Personally, I find it odd that someone that needs to drop 40 pounds is undergoing surgery and that a respectable doctor would perform the surgery. That's just my opinion, maybe they had a reason for it that I don't understand (and they never mention on their blogs). I'm not against it, it's just that surgery of any type is always my very last resort.<br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Lazy Sunday</b><br />I'm feeling super lazy today, and only have a couple things on my agenda. One is to make my most favorite soup in the world, <a href="http://katieinthekitchenherethere.blogspot.com/2011/03/chicken-and-veggie-chowder.html">Veggie Chicken Chowder</a> (a South Beach recipe), and then hit gym before noon (which means I'd better get going!). Afterwards I'm going to catch up on my blog reading. A nice, lazy Sunday afternoon, my favorite kind.<br /><br /><i>Postscript:  I just went to <a href="http://jenniferjoyner.com/blog/">Jennifer Joyner's blog</a>. I read some of the reviews on Amazon about her book, Designated Fat Girl, and someone mentioned that Jennifer never tells us her weight in her book. Whether she's 5' 1" or 5' 11" makes a huge difference in her weight of 336 pounds. They also mentioned she has a blog, which I wanted to look at. What I found on her blog, posted Friday, May 13, 2011, was a little troubling. Jennifer is struggling big time. Even though her gastric bypass surgery helped her lose a lot of weight (I can't remember for sure, but it was over 100 pounds), she's still fighting her inner demons. Interestingly, she says she's tired of fighting and just wants to  "be". Hmmm...where have I heard that one before? Oh yeah, inside my own head. :)  </i>

Sleepless in Seattle / 186.6

My night from hell Last night was a real struggle for me to not binge. My husband went to bed at 10 p.m. since he was exhausted from yard wo...

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Tweet Baby Girl

<p>A few Saturdays ago my sisters threw me an AMAZING baby shower!!! I am so blessed to have these 3 wonderful women in my life! <img alt="_DSC4765" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp21swj3Bkp783bZxKnDRC4dKJ7Ul5ZNWZONaSbFMA8t9_0AEYMUbDnJbVq3tvm0LAV8DoaAG5EgFEan5gR5twU-_ACTBiVaUax_cPhIPA38VUuWCyJA9ZRi5osCFVifx2wm2A4Gu1NesY/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4765" width="404"></p> <p>Warning:picture heavy post! ;)</p> <p>I arrived slightly early, but got a sneak peak of the place!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzuTnxIT2IvYAlOyow3OgqJPS58uwspDjqOc8vNeQl81kE8lo4HqEf1EV56rlvBgWMxUqwQbonmhOXaNhbxSFM2LYpsinLNywSR34VBnKXAErcKYWB8NuevJMSrjHYcF14pPvJnXMugu5/s1600-h/_DSC46873.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4687" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga7fCqUtrtY1zOKtM698Rkz58CwXYIdVRtxg7zY7M7ZlslIihzbxf7RL4O0Gxjx5Ujj8trbyS61-SPTCELBjk7ooajbGJ23ehkUx2zGLxm8JKwubJwivmxSbG3JFWBewGZ6BgtepzL5uH/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4687" width="404"></a></p> <p>The food table looked great! I loved the decorations and of course the food too!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2EkpeSJrdmX7z7u5d6PLltbXl9AeoZl35z0FF8Z8hIvQX3rwY7_kZMHIvliCZlgiFvX9iibZASd3W3nN04jh3U2fLvvSHGVPXBWGQMRk-S35f1HldbCwiEJTpCxMngw3rUhPTWagpJdz/s1600-h/_DSC4694%5B2%5D.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4694" border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UUUAIyeeeuHZXZ7S8jdE8RePX_cm2n8vbdFwrmUd1euYdPBvNWusiFi41e9_TbpCjbfjZg2W4D07bEr-SCZWjAEZRhiQcf0zYbO4uaRf0pEkNMoJHP3xWzLxaWK-auDvduWtOrPcdr4_/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="_DSC4694" width="404"></a> <img alt="_DSC4696" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSQuNAH-cFPIE0-ZJo35DIoklJyX-AToxMyxNtqf12m0WeD5uFlZyrAn5UKgsyZyzPjxT3sjayPnU-hiIXaEgc0E3MIX6nps2Vxyotbh1tKzQbPaUPAlFSTHb-yIFhv4AVOiFE6pKCPKV/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4696" width="404"></p> <p>They served mini quiches, roll ups, triple chocolate cake, mini “bird’s nest” cupcakes, and Larita’s cookies (they are famous in my town!). <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKVrAxO6UOeHnhHorZCj32Fv7obofOYdRht7g_yCOHLz0Qvfy1kitI4v5kUfoQgJ3EgLUWtSTw-adMISB0e-WLtPxYeWaNDsowHPURJ4zufXdwj8NFcpAVr3IuIP_3mSk14Wc8S1imSbQ/s1600-h/_DSC46953.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4695" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0l6bqWFQReOZhVXb_oeTVSgQgo6oZdI0oNFk8-mYiJbb-bunTukY0nPoeDVRU1ajp5vgy1VXZ0ZQPleXo-OdHIy3mMuVg_Gp_9g3i2mv_sLJw8RVvgdtFF1ZCAIauJkOqzkFrWxg9XKsm/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4695" width="404"></a></p> <p>The theme was SO cute…”Tweet Baby Girl”!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtas2PZ8R8psQ3Vc-hG9HJxCVzd166cvK2iwuNEpmfPoJDPOJRGfgT8if2rMuE_Dginzeaii1wIt_uXw3HTPa3Y3Fq5-vPUkbBSf66D2IO9YRNC_t6Q2CssyypUMDaelyTEGh-JAc2c8Yh/s1600-h/_DSC46973.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4697" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzsKpvRHnjWI9PL3xu75BC5sA7DYmUGuWUodcafBNZNK7Gykr6WxqXx0ghprh3iNAKB_1QyBUAj_PCXDLXGv8qIAI6sSRIXK-QMAbtqwa35hXN0M_G7gwv9szbqhfFWsJS3TP8ieTTz3R/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4697" width="404"></a></p> <p>The sign in table did not disappoint! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvOxJHuTYS_GMQ-_jy8UKhPkYkhQGlBj17SAm4oOgpbqY_Lvh8sfOebk4qw0ptkBzoolwBNdHEhM9SuX56G_bIxbmJuR6_uywCQVEa3k-I5E5KWIed8pJjAAVk0sgegTbGfkIK1KUpnne/s1600-h/_DSC47013.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4701" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkHb_S77HyyHr_dpdZVAG7QbOdLVbtTGqbbe-js3HZLtFJWcjUVFTEl_F9ZvwBnD_oaaoef_NQSCy8gUnS24T8qjFItGV6XMQVWwwNaWbNqmFj1kj6K_d6nElH-a2E99fN5U47MkeND_2/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4701" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38XN_EhhrSH99t-yD81dlaIp4c3AyuPBcg7rfuN1Ely7ZNqTyppAgaLJ_H6K0IFr_h9t4uUvdiYu4bfuk-Aop8a0uXM5xnKGmj9dcsbz6HIXsM7jqAaby1SOTELgYHFFTus3tBQFvHLcG/s1600-h/_DSC47033.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4703" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine7edOFwT7tlO2bIkhwXfBmuwzfZtdcvGTm3tdX3SLEihEzJilJTatyuwq4Y2sHq5Aiv5wsBlry428i5so4gcuikGnD9mGYWES_rZ0YJw3gVpSfIhtEBjM6VwBVPhf266Iw9glv0E7Rk8/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4703" width="404"></a></p> <p>Let the party begin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSWWsDf-tKt-JzggvhYZrhWaMq4NQOIPsPucETPzhUYfOxq1V2udEeSqQ2014-LfAX5513OvaMJbAnbeLOZdpnPFPmgLMQ3v0wUeUsfDO1aOW5QOhbc7tJr0tV0FhKVB05gUWyrAuqSIr/s1600-h/_DSC47063.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4706" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUWTp0KGIj4OWGlM-fb9us44BWx67Gr8lJhu-UJd0nCo6-di61pR61njWfXKiHCXylUCtzEUylDzE06xQ1k4qzVDXosiDF8hPq2Y3UkRZwl5fWfXXVHqc1maU-ToLnAWjSk3QX7EKumuu/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4706" width="404"></a></p> <p>There was a great turnout for my shower!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9B4j1eZgD9vYcwZkuUx6wnJJMHTMuxrcXDxk-tFFtwUCSq9HM7gsAFh492vLfjXK9hK5PRcjL1FWNC4DQW4fHe_BTzfyAYWvmyGjBOKDESKwwVISECJN_pueltvOYrFzbUziZ9e3E2JF/s1600-h/_DSC47083.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4708" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRW1-4MQZKLTcfru3jw06ozRIwHPecG91HzJRhEEj2wjgzs8Oq4u5g-iv-xs1rhbadmXFgoXadPEYWoFNJOndFWwDrTEN8nd_dfwPb8X5lhIEOvNvQ6m5cOGuFih7jK59DQlhtepSGFlck/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4708" width="404"></a></p> <p>So many friends came to shower “baby bangert”!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzSvOc_spNS9kvO4MjXC2SHM4pZc5H2F2Zv9oj8qJqU-u-2JqiICu4t9-R9V83ZJWbsvGNTQ2KRio8aOJMrvaAkxTTNcVviZm6YraWSORUYUaTxajb3wCSgwUedlzv1Q0W0DQdB5l2CTv/s1600-h/_DSC47134.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4713" border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoILafbeIEc2YrKp0tQni1x5dJ3xJYriI2xzu0z1yx_Ozh_EtSYEH1OLmm8jfrFTOQNQ3ai-ecn6V1td-QRRnMwo8ncw2_SSLYZ8T4Nd_59mx8yuvmBjMwMXTV5FhuXhWfOY-mQhYzTOJ6/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4713" width="340"></a><img alt="_DSC4729" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAUbI0wc_WljlfaveCJPSKR3zyJDtba9Inl_Rfm7fddrhKSTtw13FKdPDDCYGbV7Znwo-XEcczkyHumQoFat1KRphcOAUURc5-98ao8XHTNEzzCbsi7Ft6TuYExhhwbhJj1jJ5BvMycYi/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4729" width="404"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtt1xf8dNDRmI3P_eE_jmFrax_QmCYZD2gf8YRG5wZgPJ5AwYaZOTD-zeyzf8MoE-xWsFaU9odPPM9rDcla3hsKGQvhrJZbDDxpBzFjs8aGCI4V8gZji0Hr4wFCxkn8tgODW8GsYbzQKe/s1600-h/_DSC47143.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4714" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyXguU9pqH2Ltl2wAN5s91xZDjrj7MUTjroWZb6zyanNmy0AIWJXqgIHj6KVNvXRg_q1e_zB1lkuw5AZZnzO56tMSYPpKpXwGFmk-jpNVvYSX04i4olwxFj4jXj85y070TaWAVPqUT_Gy/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4714" width="404"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5suHt9VdOHUf8L4W3CbW_6TYTNd60UQLbNCf3J74x60jMsBtUSWiOukSiT6uh34J5URZWATxtIstAmx5Bmu8haTWaFEyDq6TPAxLo-zWAy0B3ZQBk35B8u16RrB65xkuTzQiHQ3x04D_/s1600-h/_DSC47313.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4731" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kPw94LwRvoTOIF_zTldGFFlN_JIEIqVxrMWPyBEDW5NAs04S2DwrhFZfwgC6-yy4f97hqg9kdH8sMPf_UrOSP8epYg-MQfXh5dG97lIgPkE65s6-Q8I7oDtucGD8ZZaMjga50ffh1Xan/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4731" width="404"></a>                    <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLm83RBADbQY8go40LppT4x5nTknnPtcjvx4ZwLNTTTRRB7aTZS0L_rrvyb-k0xsMuNP3AHxh6NupIHw31h7xTq-K6p-mPO4jcihp8W70CTj7IAabapBpmUnmAWaOj9trOs5_yH8aVJIju/s1600-h/_DSC47154.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4715" border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyquLuYBqR07nQ2_2J-_nqYp_IOMZCXg_Yo4cCBAHO16ZZ9kil5ccCSnVdtqsKllMHQb1VRrQ48uzatiy-UNxIoBoDoyMfK2rF_ol4L6sjVOYWbiI1tcSa7RHC2jTMugHDCnTMCO71DfdZ/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4715" width="314"></a></p> <p>We even allowed a few cute boys into the party!<img alt="_DSC4734" border="0" height="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XNAgFmTH6Iid6OS4Z3H4aWa31vnz_-QMpM5M3_ziSNS6Uij6hcfOoEcglstwFfhCZ-saP_rK8hDhtIu8KYWubRQRGlnOfDGXZ5TUd2j29Zo8qTySZfnvCp-7lanHsaS2L97lTrnmr8ew/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4734" width="404"></p> <p>To say that I had a lot of gifts to open was an understatement! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHP8snLgC4qmEHfIZhbZnm7cm_bh8QdrgOYHCpdxYzDM-IT1dDSBipvmBr0s4AKyPTMm2lpgC83q_WzNU4AWEKFSc0qhXFSPQlw28EY5AhTNsqiq684XfxFQUnzkJ3hvLhwTS1kW7jcwdg/s1600-h/_DSC47183.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4718" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieryrLKu25p9_MVpr8T1TH-MPD_bx3RdXaAuhLxCpWrB2Yc1K-UAkzsrLD4W_-zNCTWyJr_0bs8GgVn7DT9Ru_4Vc-EwR6p8KlahpoFnK7DfPQ5aBr9ZvcDkW1tP6p1isaieYORH8fEamm/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4718" width="404"></a></p> <p>This little girl is already blessed beyond belief and she isn’t even here yet!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0zusHVOc3B0QstbcublVFNN9wARxMZZ5S0KWGPknIA3RgpTogXE3BWlOSZIwBXSTQONIOuxjLzY18aybsKL8A_0zvrVMlJHnDCa7-l0VanPT445MFudUips4eCPiQzYcnZ-o02hyphenhyphen9WJI/s1600-h/_DSC47203.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4720" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3nYs3pLAIjNnkE9wJ2fyO-2inKHeIx46dQ20D2fnjJ8NcyefX_ApjDlMVvV7rLqyvKGV7JfUkreDI_ULmsTwsDPa4u9EMjHqzowXdHWeo9Wz66fNi_0FuDvTkAMHfE0ctFDskv86s6Lr/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4720" width="404"></a>          <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCXVUi4c1fLQ7MpkPI60Z5DvTtEm8IZb2aWZ139p9G7q2j7QAcs5L6nTLV0A7JujdDLzskkUI9KuXBrvVH8Aq1BEVFzky1EW_LleIlwWmMVUfrWvsGdSL2XOlq88S_naa2i8xPdLr9sN-/s1600-h/_DSC47303.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4730" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G7jspZVvsrTRTYbT2zsrrHw4D16talybPoW4tChEhPPLnItFzlx0nWHItQrHIt0cIS4E8yvl4bvv2fvR6NWOqPAijrrcXkUT7V8_w1Yf0FfkE-APJ8BWl7XeplSYiFYXmTv3MnhG5W2c/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4730" width="404"></a></p> <p>I had a few little “helpers” with the gifts too!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlng6f85qdPC_mnKogtWWczQeVMZh1ZVpP-BuTj8TvyL0Xl30v5tcGGsEJ7fQNybKKnkr9_JY3EVvHuph-LgaY85AcI8naJ7LNEWSbjjQC9GvTBWvJcfCHOgFFfd6yr-bN9lWZ-IsIxBXo/s1600-h/_DSC47363.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4736" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEFZb9wgZfnbykfLBdgO28jlODPmzEHAkGW4BmkLl2w4fpf2Ar-fBaKz3FvGhYLqCycH-urYdJudvBhKzvOEZKemFSKlStTmBGHscklgeBuI10EGzRM0M1Kuwi6RwL0btjgRKtIqMNF4v/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4736" width="404"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGcChe5HGddreBFpJB6KN6SUSIW0n6ETJ6vXVA9NknXwU0ZBQezkk39ersgeLQy7vB5GcOxTHMjaUv_NyKFb-zYA_t5YRrcWc4cm_rJjaxnumlsWNGDIe5Scl1PXLZM2veyT6qnvRIcyI/s1600-h/_DSC47435.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4743" border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCSVe2EccWYv1Tz0NUL_7KvUOsHeycDMIraSzW200lQDH0RueXT93VGJTFxmNbyN4Lc8LqE8jRMpzHfiAfLBRxf3vAOItvOHMsZpsP78OTJG-jdGGVtkn7j_RGZ-i4aAkPA-R5rxjzU5R/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4743" width="404"></a></p> <p>Needless to say, I’m pretty sure we have everything we need and more for this little girl!</p> <p>Afterwards we snuck in a few family pictures! My Mom…aka Grandma!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPDtUQo7lsmbPARFLSahtAuTlKZuXqltsYT1vgrf_Ea1upODPfkT398VKqBlaG6bBm6NWuJwBqUGzd-bQodyXF1KY8IgXsZh8pA7iilohWd9L8a3X3bCdpB7DzIHhl_Yq2WGdMCHqgXHF/s1600-h/_DSC47555.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4755" border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnAdggeZtRQc0TVkbQDonqcM3zr0uG1hAXtqjIowQKePlpNUzylfrFBuMNQ6_R6Mc7w5EJ85q_gqgoGNwB3fL_qJ2vp_6qdwkp0lpvnnUeHOLidVHJWpi4FYJse_4VuHCBy_vgq6YpgxU/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4755" width="404"></a></p> <p>Me and Grandma…or should I say Great Grandma! :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsTPOpgBf_jANRX9mm_pWYDtPQ3WqYB8RmONQ323-j8MgzKpp9onuY9XQxju6KX1S7oqWHw817Lq1O4LR-xNG7Hkjs27gA5PNOSzTBWRq_CMNrU2QVrm5mCxDID0KhsWwW9dyY-ov6skH/s1600-h/_DSC47604.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4760" border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn5pDN9eBZmdlWUyRBsUXNV9m91yzAmui4tpc0CsgZQd4af6c-tkyE-i6RXVwFFi4P56cI04eo06NDOkJDcfhGueT_jwLY4e_lbDhLpCk5fRQUw5DFHHvOjyFWoCheVEr3a5arWq6ffe4/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4760" width="291"></a></p> <p>And we cannot forget 3 of my bestest friends…my sisters!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4wXHRyCznm0p5MZmpcqRGH9ruLXLiVoNQpk1mfR1WW0-vPopDR8YlZgKZ61OyCuFAqoHfx8DUIpHZrt7zQDMFbZbUaEtvPuwBPykfnLcxB72aTQuTqcXqU_4EJp4L2ImPJwxyqWEm1qV/s1600-h/_DSC47665.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4766" border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF88b3Ozgu3o1LUNaAx6vqquYmboi3pXzQDC__QTcKenlE2Nmfl1-vGk6m9WRt_oZS0OFGq0PuULxczTJUmmrqIqNEHhyphenhyphenfpFYKyIu7ZPSJnxoQiI2jgxVlsIJ94sSu2PNwVIXYBIXceuMW/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4766" width="404"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6apEEaK7U4H8MZjAOYVap0Emd-rUCjg8oB8JB_vQcKW8AZ7PeSPeq6ssfSWhQKmL07QQMxa5HFhfTVCkkNLJtlbkO10WvgwU9X25Vf6_KbmXibhCi-1-7Wu9NFJR8TE0xYhMzHilmBGum/s1600-h/_DSC47673.jpg"><img alt="_DSC4767" border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefGXnfNP7PQOKLLKO7xwlWZdXWPAK__lEsqBWsoUWkFfHcdAtoSeTGQ0SdG20A6Mn14BdfhYu9R4iea7K_YPNOjjFlaOj_Nb960yqU1NtiZIRfkh7QOSQG_ZsJyDVtQY1kvk7aWOhFWwX/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="_DSC4767" width="404"></a>  </p> <p>Stay tuned this week for more baby updates! I’m a few weeks behind on my weekly posts…and I had ANOTHER baby shower…and a few projects I want to share!! Have a great week everyone!!  </p>

Tweet Baby Girl

A few Saturdays ago my sisters threw me an AMAZING baby shower!!! I am so blessed to have these 3 wonderful women in my life! Warning:pictu...

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Day 1 down and the rest of my lift to go / 188.6

<b>This is only the beginning, again </b><br />I made it through yesterday, eating exactly my PointsPlus allotment of 29. I only had three servings of fruit all day (my personal limit), but lots of vegetables. I even managed to follow all the healthy eating guidelines (except for dairy - I can never get in three dairy a day).<br /><br />The day wasn't without challenges. It started first thing in the morning when I opened our refrigerator in the garage to check on how many fresh vegetables and fruits were on hand. It's our "overflow" fridge when the one in the house is full. There wasn't a fresh vegetable or fruit in sight in the house fridge. I honestly don't think my husband would ever eat either one if I didn't insist on it.<br /><br />Instead of fresh fruits and vegetables in our extra refrigerator I found a giant cheesecake from Costco with two slices missing. What the hell?! My husband gave me some lame excuse that it was for a party at work but he forgot to take it into the office so he decided to have a couple slices. I'm not sure if that's the real story, but he insists it's true.<br /><br />When I got to the gym BOTH of "my" StairMasters were out of order. Seriously, both of them, how could that happen? I had my heart set on a good StairMaster workout. It's the cardio machine that gives me the biggest bang for the buck, easily getting my heart up in the 140 range. It's just about impossible to cheat on the StairMaster (because people are watching me it's embarrassing to slow down the speed).<br /><br />Instead of the StairMaster I decided on an elliptical workout. That's when my iPod stopped working. It wasn't that it wasn't actually working, but the wheel thing stopped working. It was on a low volume, which I couldn't adjust. I couldn't get to a playlist, but had to listen to the songs with the performers listed alphabetically. I had no idea I had so many <b>B</b>lack Eyed Peas and<b> B</b>ritney Spears songs. It was really annoying. I finally took the time to sit down on the floor and do the reset thing and now it works just fine. Of course this was after my cardio workout, which by the way was hell. The fatter I get the harder it is to do cardio. <br /><br />I didn't binge last night or eat anything that wasn't planned yeserday. Everything was entered in the online eTools. That's the first time I've done that in about two weeks.This is just the beginning. I have the rest of my life to stay on plan. <br /><br /><b>What I learned the last two weeks</b><br />There's something I've learned from my week of "not really eating that much" but gaining five pounds. It's that I have to pay attention to what I eat. I almost have to be obsessed by it. I will probably never learn to "relax" and "be at peace" with food. I know a lot of people are capable of doing this, and not stressing out about their food and they learn how to eat "normally".<br /><br />My lesson learned is that I'm not one of those people. We're all different in this world and what works for a lot of people doesn't work for me. My peace with food means that I have to be completely committed to eating healthy and smaller portions, and I have to aim for this commitment 100% of the time. I can't go off for a week and eat full-fat cheese and candy whenever the mood strikes me. The resulting weight gain is simply not worth it. <br /><br />Of course, I realize I can't be 100% perfect all the time, but it's my goal. I'm not a failure if I fall off now and then, but I can't fall off for an entire week. <br /><br /><b>Daisies</b><br />Now I'm off to plant my Gerbera Daisies I bought at Costco this morning (where I stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables, salmon and chicken...and no cheesecake!). They're so gorgeous I can't wait to get them planted and take a picture to post here tomorrow. <br /><br />Then the gym later today when it's suppose to start raining at 5pm. Right now it's 61 degrees and sunshine. Around here you've got to enjoy that sun while you can, because it'll be gone in a few  hours and not return for days (Seattle, need I say more).

Day 1 down and the rest of my lift to go / 188.6

This is only the beginning, again I made it through yesterday, eating exactly my PointsPlus allotment of 29. I only had three servings of fr...

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I Love the Today Show!

This is a late post about an awesome experience I had on April 30 at the <a href="http://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland's</a> <i><a href="http://www.marylandday.umd.edu/">Maryland Day</a></i>.  <br /><br />Joel works for the police department as a police/911 dispatcher at UMD.  Each year, he participates in this Saturday event in order to fingerprint children.  Maryland Day was created a few years back in order to showcase what the university's departments are working on.  This year was the second year I attended.  My original intent in going was simply to get out of the house.  I had some computer stuff I wanted to do and was looking for a change of scenery in which to do it, and plus I love hanging out on college campuses - it brings back fond memories of the <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Blue & White</a>. :)  Then on Friday, the day before the event, I happened to be perusing Facebook and realized that <a href="http://www.joybauer.com/">Joy Bauer</a> was going to be in attendance for MD Day, thanks to her Facebook status update!  Joy Bauer is a <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20823138/ns/today-today_health">health correspondent to the Today Show</a>, the health columnist in Woman's Day magazine, and the nutritionist for the NYC Ballet & American Ballet Theatre.  I was sooooo pumped!  I LOVE the Today Show!  I watch it religiously when I work at home!  Yes!!<br /><br />So my plans for MD Day shifted because of Joy, who happens to be a UMD Alumni.  Basically, in conjunction with dining hall chefs from the university, she held 30 min cooking segments throughout the day - cooking through her latest book - <i><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/joybauer-20/detail/0061834777">Slim & Scrumptious</a></i>.  At the end of each cooking session, samples were passed around to the audience - I didn't have a sample I didn't like!  In between the cooking segments, she held mini sessions related to nutrition, fitness and weight loss.  It was all very inspirational and I learned some important things.  One of those things is that you should always have 5 go-to meals - 5 things that are easy and quick to make that don't require much thought.  By having these 5 meals, you're more likely to stay within your nutrition goals and not feel overwhelmed with choices, possibly resulting in a diet bomb!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2rDgUrP5nLKPkNGtKwQ_f8x1-PKfp4Y3h5iNHosT84GB6JZARlKSRRR9fX45eteOoLed3kMqpxN_uESygAZqAsbIGiw7ZBtMF_2ZyqDLmD4aEUSNMmLf6IBbf4RSZ6BqEmc7vj6Z9Wk/s1600/mejoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2rDgUrP5nLKPkNGtKwQ_f8x1-PKfp4Y3h5iNHosT84GB6JZARlKSRRR9fX45eteOoLed3kMqpxN_uESygAZqAsbIGiw7ZBtMF_2ZyqDLmD4aEUSNMmLf6IBbf4RSZ6BqEmc7vj6Z9Wk/s320/mejoy.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was SO excited!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMot9w1diU8yDWf6l2tOD159RiMqwe58kjR8g8rZRkqtS6EMdw2KJIhJVjRjRIhZADZ9yEFrROeOuDhj4PuAJ3o5V6qC_XBXXGkX9kXYbx1kHs9-nMpe078AKAtbr3gpSz-7rtsGG9_0/s1600/May+2011+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMot9w1diU8yDWf6l2tOD159RiMqwe58kjR8g8rZRkqtS6EMdw2KJIhJVjRjRIhZADZ9yEFrROeOuDhj4PuAJ3o5V6qC_XBXXGkX9kXYbx1kHs9-nMpe078AKAtbr3gpSz-7rtsGG9_0/s320/May+2011+031.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3JgDdXocBPlDBUh7MqNmbRdslYAocFP-Z2yS-nfPQ_K_RrNo38kokPpDvpZad1AvqmlOL1kYFHcmsufIyawtX31xP2jej2YvCN10_B1_XTsk0whrPF2i_Y-ZWrsPLAN0As2Un4Miwmw/s1600/May+2011+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3JgDdXocBPlDBUh7MqNmbRdslYAocFP-Z2yS-nfPQ_K_RrNo38kokPpDvpZad1AvqmlOL1kYFHcmsufIyawtX31xP2jej2YvCN10_B1_XTsk0whrPF2i_Y-ZWrsPLAN0As2Un4Miwmw/s320/May+2011+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Somewhere in the mix of cooking and speaking presentations, Joy stopped to sign autographs in her book.  I bought 2 of her books, <i>Slim & Scrumptious</i> and <i><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/joybauer-20/detail/0061665754">Your Inner Skinny</a>, </i>had them signed AND had my picture taken with her.  She also gave me her personal email address and asked that I send in 3 diet/nutrition questions for the Diet SOS segment on the Today show!!!!!!!!!!  She said she'd pass the questions on to the producers and then I could Skype in and ask them live on the air.  Holy moly!!!  I have yet to send in my questions - I'm still thinking about what to ask.  But I'm so pumped!<br /><br />It was a Saturday well spent at the University of Maryland - if you're in the area I'd strongly recommend checking it out next year!

I Love the Today Show!

This is a late post about an awesome experience I had on April 30 at the University of Maryland's Maryland Day .  Joel works for the po...

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Home sweet home / 190.6

<b>The wicked weigh-in May 13, 2011</b><br /><br />The first words out of my mouth this morning when I stepped on the scales for the first time in over a week:  HOLY SHIT!<br /><br /><b>190.6 </b><br /><br />The last time I saw this number was June 2008 (I checked my stats). I'd been on Weight Watchers for about four months at that point. I had gone from 240 to 190 in five months. I passed it quickly and never returned. Until now.<br /><br />To say I'm horrified and scared is a BIG understatement. Have I been beating myself up all morning? You bet.<br /><br />I gained five pounds in seven days. I didn't think I ate that poorly, but it would appear I was wrong. I barely moved off the couch in seven days since my sister was still recovering from pneumonia. She was doing much better and just had a mild cough, but she was very tired. Normally, she goes to the gym five days a week, every week. She's been doing this for over three years (she's 72 and normally the picture of health).<br /><br />All week all of us (my sister and two adult nieces) sat around all day, talked non-stop, watched a little TV, went out to eat a few times, and I ate two things that never pass my lips normally:  full-fat cheddar cheese and candy (darn those grand-kids and their candy). These two things are my kryptonite. Extra sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese and every variety of candy you can imagine.<br /><br />This extra weight is very uncomfortable. It's depressing, and I'm angry with myself that I let this happen.<br /><br /><b>What's next?</b><br />Number one on my plan to get back in control is the gym. I can honestly say I've missed it terribly in the past week. I know my consistent exercise has kept me from re-gaining all my weight. It makes me feel good and happy. It builds my self-confidence, and I really think it helps me keep better control of my eating. <br /><br />As soon as I publish this post I'm heading out to the gym. I'm actually excited about it. It's become a huge part of my life and it's something I'll never stop if I can help it. <br /><br />I have a plan for my eating too. Back to the basics. When I first went to Fairbanks I was following a Detox diet that some of my friends talked me into doing with them. One of them has a daughter that's a nutritionist and she'd put together an eating plan that was suppose to detox the body of toxins.<br /><br />I tried the detox for the first couple of days. Since it's very restrictive and there were some things we were suppose to eat that I couldn't stand and things we weren't suppose to eat that I love, I was miserable. After two days I said to hell with it. That's when I started eating cheese and candy.<br /><br />In addition, my sister is barely eating since the pneumonia (she barely eats much when she's feeling good). I counted her calories for a couple days and she was eating about 400 calories a day. She's just not hungry and she refused to eat. Getting her to even eat the 400 calories was difficult. <br /><br />The result was I'd go long stretches without eating. Of course, I could have eaten anything I wanted at any time. I'm very relaxed at my sister's house, it's just like being at my own home. Yet I found I'd try to go long stretches trying to not eat since she wasn't eating and hoping I'd eat less overall. That did NOT work. When I finally ate something, I'd be starving and I'd overeat. <br /><br />So when I say back to basics, it's back to eating basic food, and eating every three to four hours, and following the <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=2071&sc=3010">Good Health Guidelines</a> (Weight Watchers, and why in heaven's name is this so freaking hard to find on their website? ).<br /><br />The Good Health Guidelines <br />1. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day, (nine servings if you weigh over 350 pounds.) <br />2. Choose whole-grain foods, such as brown rice and oats, whenever possible. <br />3. Include two servings of milk products – low fat (1%) or fat-free – each day. If you’re a nursing mom, teenager, over 50 years old, or weigh more than 250 pounds, you should have three servings of milk products each day. <br />4. Have 2 teaspoons of healthy oils (olive oil, canola, sunflower, safflower or flaxseed) each day. <br />5. Ensure that you are getting enough protein by choosing at least a serving or two of lean meats, skinless poultry, fish, beans, soy products, and lentils. <br />6. Limit added sugar and alcohol. <br />7. Drink at least 6 8-ounce glasses of liquid a day. Water is the best choice. <br />8. Take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement each day.  <br /><br />That's all there is to it. It's simple, easy, basic, nothing fancy. Just back to what worked before and I know will work again.<br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>A note about the hCG Diet</b><br />I have three friends doing the stupid hCG diet, where you get injected with a hormone from a pregnant woman's urine, eat 500 calories a day, and you're NOT suppose to exercise (other than short walks). These are smart, intelligent women doing this diet. Until now I couldn't find a really good article about the hCG diet. I finally found one in the June 2011 issue of Prevention magazine. Check out this article:  <a href="http://www.prevention.com/health/weight-loss/diets/the-hcg-diet-side-effects-and-health-risks/article/2959e8baeb5df210VgnVCM10000030281eac">Diet Spotlight:  Does the hCG Diet work?</a><br /><br />I knew this was a bad idea!<br /><br /><b>A few Alaska pictures from my vacation</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> About ten minutes from the Anchorage, Alaska airport </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJfSY9qK396q7H6zaGXyZBHplKpEl-r6VJtOCplLH17e_63_Ir-Auxsp_0ioUvmdc3hWbysN7dZ9jo0nLDoLn58B7sWZ2uRWF1Qe9iMpdzYOyyWDBtX2KG_0TmU5qpBZg3PIH1I_vUm9H/s1600/P1020847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJfSY9qK396q7H6zaGXyZBHplKpEl-r6VJtOCplLH17e_63_Ir-Auxsp_0ioUvmdc3hWbysN7dZ9jo0nLDoLn58B7sWZ2uRWF1Qe9iMpdzYOyyWDBtX2KG_0TmU5qpBZg3PIH1I_vUm9H/s400/P1020847.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> More of the same </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jZOzg3q6NbqMqIOQ2w6GZDJalhv1dE8BO459KP9hTOu-AlVD-SyxslxdvpFJQ9uKbFCAZUhf-UuiTjiONk27SKYgjrrSWPp45SmvfM2zBuG86NukqNT5pWCvl1iR5KZ8-EpvB6GBOLee/s1600/P1020831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jZOzg3q6NbqMqIOQ2w6GZDJalhv1dE8BO459KP9hTOu-AlVD-SyxslxdvpFJQ9uKbFCAZUhf-UuiTjiONk27SKYgjrrSWPp45SmvfM2zBuG86NukqNT5pWCvl1iR5KZ8-EpvB6GBOLee/s400/P1020831.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> About a minute before landing in Anchorage</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbak-PIvqU3N3FGH6Ok5x9ExJ3QWft0DgvOKwCD2OsHyGKPhcoqvoFh9TkElfg0O8tLyef_DE6WdGJIJvkuy_SRtRLkCFKzqMGEfiV_DMfaJPdoiflC3p9XoIV2imtRbLIn3O7hrl_Zff/s1600/P1020844.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbak-PIvqU3N3FGH6Ok5x9ExJ3QWft0DgvOKwCD2OsHyGKPhcoqvoFh9TkElfg0O8tLyef_DE6WdGJIJvkuy_SRtRLkCFKzqMGEfiV_DMfaJPdoiflC3p9XoIV2imtRbLIn3O7hrl_Zff/s400/P1020844.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> Obviously, I love mountains!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTTL72Ji2sPm9rNRbBles04Mp6qUuamdI2qG26Oqx0rcGWcNxezD6gaCwUqmvnRo5KtFo5hV5gTWo9Y1vL-fdYxDwpghuGTKVm2So1jjcUPJRFzy_pLwvMBqvD991rn7ShGThYYpn_inY/s1600/P1020842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTTL72Ji2sPm9rNRbBles04Mp6qUuamdI2qG26Oqx0rcGWcNxezD6gaCwUqmvnRo5KtFo5hV5gTWo9Y1vL-fdYxDwpghuGTKVm2So1jjcUPJRFzy_pLwvMBqvD991rn7ShGThYYpn_inY/s400/P1020842.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> The view from my sister's house, off the front porch.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> There's a moose out there, but you can barely see it on the left. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvgK06Dg6v7GqUsmKAoQjl_h0mPxT7o-WtXmZTarfOtNC0mcPqvhL4UzhSnCPBk75DZ5XvZI9VEjs89LlZsraqTq1vM-iQsUJft7yA68zexKttGApC7ncekNe6KPvhWDt6yt4cYGBYlKI/s1600/P1020851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvgK06Dg6v7GqUsmKAoQjl_h0mPxT7o-WtXmZTarfOtNC0mcPqvhL4UzhSnCPBk75DZ5XvZI9VEjs89LlZsraqTq1vM-iQsUJft7yA68zexKttGApC7ncekNe6KPvhWDt6yt4cYGBYlKI/s400/P1020851.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The view to the other direction</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjaq-IUQ9nL9JQeOQ0Q3U5wKt5v1DDrVhpmxfUmmn-AriU13VCaOuwdx5OB0bz4g4ImkcP5cly598Xkb76hWsxKf-yDCTFOrmKhxwqpOAdGeXzE0DRCrXhpGZqyA94FAQ7LZaZbq6gdSV/s1600/P1020866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjaq-IUQ9nL9JQeOQ0Q3U5wKt5v1DDrVhpmxfUmmn-AriU13VCaOuwdx5OB0bz4g4ImkcP5cly598Xkb76hWsxKf-yDCTFOrmKhxwqpOAdGeXzE0DRCrXhpGZqyA94FAQ7LZaZbq6gdSV/s400/P1020866.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>

Home sweet home / 190.6

The wicked weigh-in May 13, 2011 The first words out of my mouth this morning when I stepped on the scales for the first time in over a week...

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