WWTK Wednesday

{1} What are your Top 3 blogging tips for other bloggers?

1. Blog more regularly than me

2. Be organized in your posts - while sometimes being random is perfectly acceptable, sometimes it is hard to follow/remember what the blog is about when it jumps from topic to topic

3. Write posts in advance when possible.. This is something I need to start working on, because I believe if I prep posts on my days off, I will be able to more regularly participate in link ups, and even blog when I might not be near a computer.

{2} What book have you read lately that you would recommend?

Hunger Games - The whole series - it is wonderful.

Now I am reading the Lucky One, which I am sure will deliver. After all, it is a Nicholas Sparks book AND the movie has yummy Zac Efron in it.

{3} What is a physical feature you have been complimented on?

Eyes (They are brown, but people still seem to like them ;) )

Eyelashes

Overall appearance, because people are noticing that I am losing weight. This one is not meant to be cocky, but it is nice when others notice, because it validates that the hard work is paying off :)

{4} What color is your toothbrush?

Purple - but it is about time to get a new one - it will most likely be purple or pink :)

{5} What question would you like to add to a future WWTK?

If you won the lottery - would you spend it frivolously or use what you need and save the rest? Why?

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

I am so excited, because I get to put together and mail off the "My Favorite Things" blog swap package this weekend :)

I have an addiction...

to Pick Your Plum. I would call it a love / love relationship. I love the things they offer at the price they offer them for. There might be a tinge of hate... or regret, because it sure does up my impulse shopping addiction. Most of my addictions revolve around spending money - but no gambling.

Maybe I am addicted to sweet tea as well - which is a hard habit to kick when you are trying to lose weight!

Anywho.... back to Pick Your Plum - they are amazing. They offer so many varieties of things, such as: vinyl, gift tags, notepads, handles for pictures, wooden letters...

The thing is, it is one thing every day (except Saturday and Sunday) and you have to catch it before they sell out.

Directly from their website:

Get it before your neighbor does:

• We have limited supplies on some of the most swank supplies. We have agents out in the field who find killer deals on high quality products.
• We delicately slap prim-o crafting supplies on our site at a stellar price!
• We sell it 'til it's gone or 'til time is up.
• You leave feeling like you just won Martha in a crafting contest.
• The supplies arrive in 7-8 shipping days and you've just picked your 'plum'! Doesn't it feel good?

I just had to express my love for this site! The things they sell are so original - and such STEALS!

Go check them out! (By the way, they didn't ask me to post this, I just had the urge to!)

Me... MIA... Neverrr

I really wish I had a good excuse, but there isn't one. For some reason I am behind on all of the important things in life, such as blogging and watching my DVR'd shows.

Today I had a bridesmaid dress fitting, it went well. She was pretty chill on the whole thing. We could choose out own style as long as it was a short dress. I LOVE mine. It looked very Audrey Hepburn, but navy blue (or marine in David's Bridal colors). I'll post a picture at the end of this post since my phone won't let me post it right here.

As for everything else in my life, it has been going well, just working and hanging out with those I love! I really enjoyed checking out from electronics for the most part for a little while.

Next weekend the bf is in a wedding, so we will be heading to Athens, GA for the weekend. I am pretty excited, because I have never been there. I will work on being checked in more than I have been.

Here is the dress (expect picture someone not THAT skinny and the dress in navy blue):

Product of the Week

I am linking up with Aly & Tiffanie for the first time for product of the week.
My product is:

Let me just say that in High School I had normal teenage acne which progressed to get a little more frequent my senior year. I was put on accutane and was acne free pretty much through college and a couple of years after. Well a couple of months ago I started getting acne just on my chin, near my mouth. Which isn't very flattering, since it could definitely be mistaken for a cold sore.
I thought it was my toothpaste and switched it and nothing. My dermatologist told me to use this face wash - which is only about 6 dollars at Walmart. It is amazing. My face is pretty much completely cleared up and it feels SO much cleaner when I use this. I had even tried the Neutrogena acne face wash, which just completely dried out my skin.
I really recommend this face wash - just dampen your face, rub it on, let it sit for 30 seconds, and rinse. That's it! **It will bleach towels and such, so be careful**
Have a great evening ladies!

Weekend Recap

I was off on Sunday, so I had the chance to do a long workout at the gym. It was great! I am excited I was able to have the time to spend there.

One of my cats stopped eating on Thursday, and it was weird, because she was her annoying self the past weekend. She was older and my mom knew they'd euthanize her if we took her to the vet. Instead we made her as comfortable as possible, she didn't seem to be in much pain... Just not eating. We tried wet food, cat milk, and even tuna. Nothing. Unfortunately she passed away Sunday night. My heart was broken and I once again wondered why I was such an animal lover. I have never not had a pet. Living in the dorms, I had a fish to fill the void. Animals are so precious and love you and want to be accepted by you no matter what. My poor pit bull is just as sad as the rest of us. This was the only one of our cats that trusted her and they were best friends.

We buried her yesterday morning and the rest of the day was just a blur of work. This is a picture of the girl (yup her name) and Zoe.

On a happy note... Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all have a lovely day or evening planned with your hunnies!!

The bf and I won't be able to hang out until Saturday, so it will be a little delayed, but that is okay :) more time together!

Have a great great day!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1.  I started my blog because   I wanted/needed a place to hold me accountable for my weight loss.... however, it did not end up going like that. Now I'm in my awkward 20s phase where I am still trying to figure out exactly what direction I want to take. I try though, and one day I will be up to par with everyone else!

2.   One thing I love seeing on other blogs  everything. I love getting a little glimpse into other people's lives. Sometimes the posts are happy and sometimes they are sad, but they are real. I also love link ups like nobodies business.

3.  Something I love about blogging meeting new people. When I open my email and there is a comment waiting for me, I can't help but smile. Someone READ my blog, even if it was only a link up. I love how inspirational and encouraging blogs can be.

4. A favorite blog post of mine is probably The posts about Germany. I love that I did something that I felt was exciting enough to dedicate a post to it. I know, I need to stop thinking that way, because it is the reason I often start blog posts and delete them, because I do not feel they are living up to the excitement of some of the other blogs I read. GAH - this is not High School, Christine, be your own person.... or well blog ;)

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog is I am extremely sarcastic. Pretty much all the time. That is something I have a hard time showing in my writing on this here blog. I am very shy, but once I get close to people, I like to think I'm pretty funny. Oh and I can talk A LOT. 

6.  My new favorite blogs to read are There are so many blogs that I love to read, the new ones being: Asha's Aspects, Analyze this, Jenni Austria Germany, Absolutely Ashley, 365 Days of Slow Cooking, and so many more.

7.  Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are complaining. I try not to. Although sometimes I think it might help to vent my frustrations on here. However, I do not want to ever become to overly negative, whiny blogger.

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be working tomorrow, but Sunday I am off and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it like I did yesterday and will today :)

We Want to Know Wednesday

[1] What is for dinner tonight (bonus for sharing the recipe)?

Tonight (or well Tuesday night) I will be having Turkey Burgers. I close at work Wednesday, so dinner will most likely be left over turkey burgers anyway. Here is the recipe:

Tasty Turkey Burgers

 

Photo by: Photo: Beth Dreiling; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

• YIELD: Makes 4 servings
• COOK TIME:14 Minutes
• PREP TIME:15 Minutes
• COURSE: Main Dishes, Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Marinade
• 4 hamburger buns
• Herb-Grilled Onion Rings
• Toppings: spicy mustard, shaved Parmesan cheese

I did not do the fresh herb marinade or the herb-grilled onions - but I would have if I could find the recipe sooner! My bff had to search for it at home - I could not find it anywhere!

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 equal-size patties.
2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center, basting each side occasionally with Fresh Herb Marinade.
3. Grill buns, cut sides down, 2 minutes or until toasted. Serve burgers on buns with Herb-Grilled Onion Rings and desired toppings.
Classic Burgers: Substitute 1 lb. ground chuck for ground turkey. Prepare recipe as directed.

[2] Share something you are currently looking forward to.

I am looking forward to a couple of things.

1. Valentine's Day

2. Attending a weekend - which will be a weekend getaway - I am mainly excited that I will be off of work for a few days because my best friend's birthday is right after, so I just asked off for 5 days straight :)

3. Participating in my first swap, hosted by Mamarazzi herself, the My Favorite Things Swap.

[3] What are your thoughts on re-gifting?

I have never re-gifted. It isn't that I think it is tacky or something, but I don't usually buy things for people that are not really close to me. So if I am getting them something, I want to put thought into it, so it is from me to them.

[4] How often do you rearrange your furniture?

When I was in college I rearranged TOO much. Now I always want to, but never do, it's too much work!

[5] Share a picture from your cellphone or camera.

This is Zoe.. She thinks she is people and every morning I wake up and she is curled under the blanket at the foot of my bed. Now don't think I have not found her under the blanket with her head on my pillow like she owns the place. Who am I kidding - she does own it or at least runs it.

It's Friday It's Friday...

Is it sad or should I be happy that I never really heard Rebecca Black's version of the song?... but I heard about it and heard it on Glee... hmm

1.   If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross off my life list is pay off student loans so I could travel the world.

2.  Mayo on french fries  is something I like that other people think is weird.

3.  If my life were a movie right now, the title would be   It's a frustrating yet rewarding life.

4.  Three things I am looking forward to this month are Valentine's Day, Super Bowl, and trying on bridesmaid dresses for the wedding I am in.

5.  My favorite song to sing in the shower is whatever is stuck in my head, typically something ridiculous.

6.  If I found out that the production of   Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Mixed Nut bars   was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7.  One thing I'll never grow tired of is the people I love in my life (You like how I turned one thing into a lot, right?).

Happy Weekend everyone!

My favorite things swap!!

I am so excited to say that I am participating in my first swap! The perfect swap at that where I get to make a new friend and send them the things I love :)

This it the My Favorite Things Swap hosted by Mamarazzi :)



Can't wait to see how it unfolds! Go check it out! I hear she is quite famous for her swaps ;)

It's OK Thursday

Hi ladies - Just got home from work and about to go to the park to workout. However, wanted to stop by and say my OKAYS :D 
Life has been hectic with work - I swear the days off fly by. Instead of 5 day work weeks I get 6 or 7, because I work in retail... yay. Who is hiring? Anyone!?
I have been working out a lot - this started off as being kind of a workout accountability blog for myself, but I didn't enjoy that - or well didn't know how to go about doing that. I guess occasionally I might let you all know how I am doing, but I won't focus completely on that. I have been doing very well with my workouts... I want it to stick!
...and here we go with the OKAYS...
It is OKAY that I want to complain about having to work 7 days in a row --- doesn't mean I don't love my job.
It is OKAY that it is comfortably warm outside in February.
It is OKAY that I am so excited that the FINDER comes on tonight.
It is OKAY that it took my way too long to finish the last book in the Hunger games series, because I wanted to savor it... Now it is over, and I am sad. On to The Lucky One. Movie out in April... Mmm Zac Efron
It is OKAY that I ate a chocolate fudge brownie before I am about to workout - it was the Fiber One kind afterall ;)
It is OKAY to spend 60 dollars at Old Navy to get cute spring clothes if you have Old Navy money! Can't let it go to waste!
Hope everyone is having a fabulous Thursday! I am off to work my tush off --- I wish!

That's so pinteresting...

So... I am OBSESSED with pinterest... especially when it comes to motivating me for fitness... clothes, food, nail polish, and everything else!
Here are some of things that I have pinned this week (I will spare you all 1.4 million pins...)
1.

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I LOVE Tuplips, by far my favorite flower...

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 I want to read just looking at this!

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So relaxing.

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 I have to remember this sometimes!

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 FAVORITE color combination - while I love cold weather (call me crazy), I do want to wear cute spring/summer clothes!

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 I feel like sometimes I am running thin, but I keep doing for others... a. because it is the right thing to do, and b. because I hope that if I ever truly need them, they'll pull through.

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 I have yet to try this..

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I tried this yesterday - wouldn't say I succeeded by any stretch of the imagination. I felt like death ... before I even got to the burpees. I thought I was going to be hardcore and knock this out and go on with my day. Let's just say that is not how it happened. I want to keep working on it, but today my legs have some choice words they keep yelling at me, so I just stuck with the elliptical.