Merry Christmas!

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season! I know I didn't post last week about weighing in, hubby and I decided to restart our dieting tomorrow, so I'm going to weigh myself when I wake up and start from there! We aren't waiting until the new year, because I don't want to wait! So I'll have new goals and all that tomorrow! As for today, I'm not going crazy, but tomorrow is low-carb and exercising! =] Until then -

Merry Christmas! 
-The Andersons

Week Five Weigh In & Crockpot Mexican Chicken

It's been a really good week! I didn't work out, but I stuck to my carbs and calories and stayed with it all week! And it really paid off! Down almost 6 pounds! This week I want to lose at least a full pound, so I'm going to add in exercising 3 times at the very least. And since I'm not working out tonight, and my husband's mom gets here Friday afternoon and is staying for the weekend, I'll be doing a workout here at home the next three evenings. I'm seeing progress and it's making me happy! 

Starting Weight - 255.8
Week One -       253.4
Week Two -       252.2
Week Three -     257.0
Week Four -      260.4
Week Five -       254.6
Lost  -                5.8lb

Plus, I went to the doctor today for the first time in about 3 years. When I went three years ago, my hubby and I had been married for almost a full year and we had been trying to get pregnant without out anything happening. The dr I went and saw told me that if I lost 100lb, I wouldn't have any trouble getting pregnant. He was so unhelpful and dismissive, he made me cry on my way home. I decided that I wanted to lose weight before I found a new dr. Fast forward 3 years later and I'm still trying to lose weight. I seem to always stall out at 240lb, the lowest I've managed to get. So I decided to go ahead and just make an appt. My boss/friend recommended a local ob/gyn, I made an appt and it was today. And it went great! The staff was super nice and friendly, and my actual doctor was amazing. He listened to all my concerns with having PCOS, not being able to lose weight, not being able to get pregnant, and my symptoms. He asked questions and made sure he had all the facts before he came up with a "game plan" so to speak. We decided that I'm going to start Metformin, a drug that should help regulate my insulin and sugar intake. It won't make me lose weight, but it will help me lose weight when I combine it with my low carb dieting and working out. And my dr was very happy when I told him that I'm not in a huge rush to get pregnant at this very moment, because I want to be at a healthier weight first. He said that usually when a woman has been trying as long as I have and has the problems I've been having, by the time they see him they all want to be pregnant asap, no matter what they weigh. So he thinks that since I want to focus on losing weight first, I'm going to give my body time to start regulating itself while I'm getting healthier instead of trying to get pregnant first instead. I really don't want to weigh as much as I do right now and then get pregnant on top of that, only to gain more "baby weight." I want to be healthier first. So I'm setting weight goals for myself, starting small and going from there. I'm starting metformin tonight, and we'll go from there! I'm starting with one pill a day, then moving up to twice a day and getting up to three times a day like the suggested dosage. I want to be a mom, but I want to be a healthy mom. And I think I'm on the right path! =]

Now, on to the recipe for the week!!


Crockpot Mexican Chicken

Chicken Breast (can be frozen)
2 cans Rotel - tomatoes and green chiles
1 medium sized jar Salsa (any kind)
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 can Corn
Shredded Cheese for serving plates
Sour Cream for serving plates

In the crockpot, dump in the chicken breast and empty both cans of Rotel and the full jar of salsa over it. Put the lid on and cook that until the chicken is tender and starts to break apart when you stir it. I usually cook mine on low for about 7 hours.
Next, shred your chicken. You can either pull out the chicken and cut it up, or you can use a spoon and just break it up while it's still in the crockpot.
Now, open and drain the cans of beans and corn. Dump the beans and corn into the crockpot, stir and replace the lid.
Now, I let it cook on low for about 30 minutes to an hour. Once everything is cooked, hot and smelling good, serve it up!
Once you have your serving in your bowl, sprinkle some cheese on top and a bit of sour cream! Enjoy! =]

**If you aren't eating low carb, cook some rice and serve the meal over rice. It's even more yummy! But since I'm eating low carb, no rice for me! It's still really good, and because you pick your own salsa, you an make it mild or spicy depending on what you like! =]

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I'll try to post again before next weigh-in, but if I don't - see you in a week! =]

Week Four & Healthier Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

I know, super late! Oops! =]

Oh, Thanksgiving.. Why must you disagree with me about what the "normal" amount of weight gain is this past week. Granted, I didn't work out and had a very good Thanksgiving, but still! So I considered this past weigh in as a START OVER weight, since I weighed in at more than my start weight a few weeks ago. But I'm going to do better this week. My weigh in date was Dec. 2nd, so I set the goal of losing 8lb by Christmas eve. I'm going to stick to that goal! Little by little, I'm going to lose this weight. =] 
 
Starting Weight - 255.8
Week One -       253.4
Week Two -       252.2
Week Three -     257.0
Week Four -      260.4
Gained -             3.4lb    =(


Healthier Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Chicken Breast
Carrots
Can of Peas
Can of Corn
Cream of Chicken soup
Cream of Celery soup
Tube of Crescent Rolls

Preheat oven to temperature on crescent rolls instructions.
Boil your chicken and cut up carrots together on the stove with whatever spices you love. Once the chicken is done and the carrots are tender, take them off the stove.
While the chicken is cooling down enough to cut up, in a bowl, mix together your canned soup and canned vegetables.
Cut up the chicken, add chicken and carrots to bowl of soup and vegetables. Mix together. Add seasoning if you like - salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc.
Pour bowl of ingredients into a baking pan that has been greased or spraying with nonstick spray.
Open crescents, unroll and lay flat over your pot pie filling.
Bake until the filling is hot and the crescents are golden brown.


My wonderful boss/friend made this for my hubby and I, so yummy!!!!! She doesn't recommend chilling the filling before putting the crescents on and baking, the filling doesn't get as hot on the inside before the rolls are baking on top. =]  My pot pie was delicious and my hubby already asked for me to add it to the rotation of dinners! Thanks boss lady! And thank you readers, until next week! =]

Christmas Wreaths

Hello blog world! =) Today I'm posting two wreaths I just made. One is a candycane wreath for my husband's grandpap, the other is a Christmas wreath for my awesome boss/friend. Both are made from Christmas garland from hobby lobby, and a giant, red gift bow. I think both are so pretty! And for sale if you need a wreath for your door this year! =) www.Facebook.com/ShesFreakingCrafty

Cyber Monday

Hello everyone! To celebrate Cyber Monday and shopping handmade, I'm offering free shipping on anything ordered today, including special orders! Go check out my Facebook page - www.Facebook.com/ShesFreakingCrafty

Week Three Weigh In & Devils Food Peanut Butter Cookies

Not a good week.. lol This past week was not good for my diet or exercise. My hubby and I ate out more than we should've, and I didn't work out a single time. It was just an off week. So, needless to say, I gained weight. But I'm not beating myself up over it. This coming week, I'm just going to try and do better. It's Thanksgiving, so TRY is the right word at the moment. =]

Starting Weight - 255.8
Week One -       253.4
Week Two -       252.2
Week Three -     257.0
Gained -             4.8lb


That was my weight Monday morning when I woke up. I weighed myself again this morning, and was 256.0. So I think that part of my weight at the start of the week might've been water and being "that time of the month" almost. So, hopefully next week is a better week. I'm working on it! =] Now, on to the recipe of the week!




Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies


Ingredients
1 Pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter chips

DirectionsHeat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, peanut butter, water and eggs. By hand, stir with spoon until dough is formed. Stir in chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart, on cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove, place on cooling rack and cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen cookies

Notes
I found a sugar-free devil's food cake mix, it has less sugar, less carbs and less calories. =]
I used a No Stir, Natural Peanut Butter - I think the lack of oil made to cookies a little dry. So I would recommend using normal peanut butter or adding a little oil while you're combining ingredients.
I didn't use the peanut butter chips, as I forgot to buy them, but I didn't miss them either.

These cookies are good! A little dry, like I said, but even better the next day. =] I'll definitely be making them again, I'm even thinking about adding some peppermint oil or maybe some peppermint chips. Yumm!!

Baby Boy Knitted Set

I finished these a little while ago. I absolutely LOVE them, but since I don't have a newborn and don't have any little boy baby showers coming up, I figured I'd sell them! Hopefully, they can make a baby somewhere nice and warm!

I have a super soft and snuggly baby blanket. It's blue, safe for washing machine and dryer, and very thick!
For sale - $25 + $10 for shipping.

Then there is a matching set of hat, booties, & mittens to keep his little hands warm and prevent scratches to his face.
For sale - $15 + $5 for shipping.

Week Two Weigh In & Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Hello everyone!! It's that time again, and I'm actually posting on the day I weighed in! I surprise myself sometimes.. Lol =)

So, this week was pretty good. I think I only worked out once (oops!) but I stuck to my diet really well. My hubby and I ate out Saturday, but I didn't go crazy with carbs. This coming week, I'm going to commit to working out at least 3 times. Either cardio or walking the dog, I'm not sure which. But I want to try harder with sticking to a workout plan! =)

Starting Weight - 255.8
Week One - 253.4
Week Two - 252.2
Lost - 1.2lb

Woohoo!! =) Lost weight during week two, and that's always been one of my most difficult weeks! And without working out, which is definitely new for me!! =) *happy dance* Now, on to my recipe for this week!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
1 cup cream cheese
5 large eggs
1 cup Splenda
2 cups 100% pure pumpkin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Whip cream cheese with a hand mixer (30-45 seconds)
2. Whip eggs along with cream cheese
3. Add pumpkin after the eggs are properly mixed in
4. Add the spices, the Splenda, and the vanilla
5. Spray your mini muffin tins with nonstick spray and distribute batter evenly. I used tin foil cupcake liners instead, no problems with sticking!

Bake mini muffins in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
My batter made 21 mini cheesecakes.

These are so yummy!! =) I think they taste like tiny pumpkin pies without crust. I had one today with a little whipped cream on it, oh my goodness!! Next time I think I'm going to cut back on the Splenda a little, just to see. Besides that, these will definitely be made again!! =) Until next time!

Week One Weigh In & Low Calorie/Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

I lost weight! WOOT WOOT! =]

I didn't work out as much this past week as I said I was going to, and I don't really have any excuses for that. But as I was talking to my boss/friend, she told me not to worry about exercising like crazy. She said that I should focus on keeping with my diet, and then when I plateau one week, I can bump up my workouts. So I'm not too worried about it right now. =]

Starting Weight - 255.8
After Week One - 253.4
Lost - 2.4

WOOHOO!! I've stuck to my diet and staying under my carbs really well! It's not easy every day, but it's getting easier. I made lower calorie, low carb peanut butter cookies that were yummy!! I found the recipe on pinterest, and decided to give it a try!

1 cup peanut butter (lowest calorie, creamy or crunchy)
1 cup spenda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Use a spoon to combine all ingredients. Roll dough into balls about the size of walnuts. (Cooking oil sprayed on your hands works to keep the dough from sticking.)
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking tray a few minutes before you remove them. My dough made 12 cookies.
They are good still warm from the oven or the next day. I'm not sure about 2 days later, because these didn't make it that long!
Next I'm going to try and make low calorie, low carb mini pumpkin cheesecakes! If they are good, I'll post a picture and recipe for those next! =]

Hello Everyone!

I know I haven't posted in AGES! Part of the reason is - we moved!! From Albuquerque, New Mexico to Hewitt, Texas. Now we are RIGHT outside of Waco, halfway between Dallas and Austin. It's a cute little town, and where we are is pretty small town. Just last week a nearby bank put up a sign that said "We are now open Saturdays! 9am-Noon!" It's great. But during our move, I spent 7 week down by the beach with my in-laws while my hubby was in Houston, training for his new job. And then I moved up here, and he spent another 3 weeks with training before he could finally be here too!
Now that we are both in our place, and we've both gotten settled with our new jobs, we are back on the diet and exercise wagon. I definitely fell off and gained weight during that 10 weeks. It wasn't a crazy amount at first, but I slowly gained back about 11lb before I weighed myself for a starting weight last week. I wasn't happy with that, but I know that it could've been much worse. =]
A little about my new job that leads me to my new diet. I interviewed on the phone with a great woman named Christie, she was looking for a back-up nanny for her 3 month old son, on the days that her nanny is sick or has a dr appointment. I was looking for a solid part-time job and had already applied at about 10 daycares in the area. I told her this, but we still had a phone interview and TOTALLY HIT IT OFF! It was like talking to a really good friend on the phone, so awesome. The very next morning, as I'm walking down the stairs to put on my shows and workout, she calls me and asks if I can come watch her little boy that day! It was supposed to be her nanny's first day of working, and she called Christie to tell her she'd be a few hours late! What?!? I said absolutely! I was there all day, and I completely loved it! The little boy is super sweet and happy, and she is just great! Talking to her was like we'd already been friends forever. Before I'd left that day, she offered me the full-time position!! I was really looking for full-time, but I couldn't pass it up! So, I now work for her full-time, but most days it's not even like a job. She works from home, so she tries to take her son while she's on her lunch break so I can eat lunch without having to worry about a crying baby. And we have become good friends! I absolutely love my job!
In my first week, she and I got to talking about weight and dieting. I told her my dieting and fertility problems, and she knew exactly what I was talking about because she had the same problems! She has PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and had such a hard time losing weight that she had gastric surgery and still has to diet and go to the gym to maintain her smaller size. She told me that with her PCOS, she had to do a low carb diet before she saw consistent results with dieting and going to the gym. I told her that I was willing to try that! So we are dieting together now! Both doing low carb, and I'm trying to workout when I can. This past week was my first week of low carb and working out. I didn't go crazy with the exercise because I didn't want to over do it, especially since I'm working full-time now. I'll weigh myself in the morning, hopefully I do well! =] This coming week, my goals are to work out 5 days for 30 minutes each time. At least 3 cardio workouts, and at least two 30 minutes walks with my dog. I'm actually going to show for 3 walks with Fezzik. I know he could use the workout just as much as me!
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost 4 years now, without any success. But I have only gone to see one doctor, and I had such a bad experience, I haven't been to the dr since then. My goal is to now be 50lb lighter before I go see a dr about not getting pregnant. If it doesn't happen before then!! =] Actually, right after I started low carb, Christie had a dream that I was pregnant with a little boy. 2 days later, one of my old bosses texted me to say that she had just had a dream that I was pregnant with twin girls. 3 days after that, my mom asked me if I was pregnant! So, since I'm about 95% positive that I'm not pregnant just yet, Brian and I took that to mean that we are on the right path. =] He's got his new job that he is awesome at and is really liking. I have a new job that I LOVE! We are both getting healthier, and we are in a new place. I'm going to lose weight and then see a doctor, going to finally seriously try for a baby!! =]
I'm going to try and get a post up once week after I weigh in. And maybe I could even post in between with some crafty projects! Since that is kinda the whole reason I started a blog in the first place! haha =] I do have a bunch of stuff that I have done, but most of them are gifts that I can't post just yet. I'm mailing 2 boxes tomorrow that have 3 projects in them, once I know they have been received, all post about them. I'm excited to share! I'm actually about to go set up my shows to record for the week, and I'll be getting back to knitting Christmas presents! Hopefully, I'll be posting again soon!! =]

Viking Hat

I made this one recently and I absolutely love it! My best friend sent me a picture of a Viking hat with a long beard, causing a google image search of Viking hats to make. I found an infant version I loved, so I decided I just had to make an adult version!! And this hat was born! =) I already have an order for a pink one!

Head-Sucker Fish Hat

Newly made! Just for fun! This is what I make when the house is clean and I'm bored.. Haha! I saw a picture online of something similar, and I just knew that I would have to try and make one too! This guy took be about 3 days to make, although I didn't have to work any of those days.. Lol

Good vs. Evil Minions

Hot of the knitting needles!! After seeing a sneak peek of evil minions in the new Despicable Me 2, I knew I was going to have to make them into hats! =) I already saw the movie and I'm going to see it again tomorrow, wearing a hat! =) If you would like to order one, contact me! ShesFreakingCrafty@Yahoo.com or www.Facebook.com/ShesFreakingCrafty

Marathon crafting!

I have been working on a few different crafts lately. I had planned on making an evil minion hat, but then I got a last minute order for 2 hats! The same day I found out that 2 of my styrofoam wreaths were broken. And I decided to make a patriotic wreath to send to my grandfather-in-law, to hang on his door. Having cleaned the house yesterday, I had my hubby take the car to work his 10am-8pm shift, leaving me to marathon craft and marathon Harry Potter movies! =) And I'm done! 2 hats, done! 2 wreaths fixed! Another wreath made, start to finish! Now, I have to folds one load of clothes out of the dryer, and I can get back to working on the minion hat. =)

For the pictures - 2 hats, 2 fixed wreaths, and the wreath for grandpap.

Chugging along!

I'm working out, losing weight, knitting and cleaning house! Besides that, still battling with losing weight and trying to get pregnant. But thankfully, I seem to be surrounded by love and support. Some from friends and family and friends I consider family, and others from people I hardly even know. It's just great. So I'd like to share a blog from a wonderful lady who had been experiencing infertility and just announced on her blog that she's about 13 weeks pregnant! I'm so happy for her! And this is the link to her blog posting that pretty much hit my feelings on the nose sometimes. =] Go Read! =]

Mothers Day & Belated Bday Gifts

 I made this for my mother and father in law's birthdays. They're only a day or two apart in April, so their gift was LATE, but they loved it! It's a girl outline with Pittsburgh over the heart, where my mother-in-law is from. And a boy outline with Denver over the heart, where my father-in-law was raised. Plus, their anniversary date and a Beatles quote, as my fil is a HUGE Beatles fan. =] They love it!

Tutorial at The Crafty Scientist

And then I made these necklaces and photo pendants! I bought chain and clasps because I couldn't find any necklace lengths I was happy with. Then I used this tutorial to make my photo pendants. This set was for my mom, a picture of all us kids & her favorite picture of her mom who passed away a few years. We miss her a lot. Each pendant can be removed and worn one at a time. I already have plans to make more for future holidays! 

And this one I made for my mother-in-law. These pictures came out lighter and I couldn't figure out how to fix them, but they worked out in the end! One pendant is a picture of my hubby and I, with his mom and stepdad from of vow renewal. The other is a picture of my MIL and FIL from our vow renewal, the picture is actually of something else entirely and they were caught in the background. I managed to pull their portion out and tweak it a bit and TADA! lol She loved them both! I have more pendants planned for her too! =]

I'm alive!!

Haha! I'm still around! Currently, I don't have any orders or even really any projects going right now. I thought I was getting two orders recently, but the customers didn't really follow through. Oh well! So, I had an idea for a knit backpack, so I'm thinking and designing a little something. And I am definitely about to make an EVIL MINION hat for Despicable Me 2!!

EVIL MINIONS!!! I want to make a hat asap! I just need to get some better purple yarn. I only have a very dark purple and a purple that is a little too light.. To the yarn store! lol I'll post about it after I get started! =]

Dinosaurs! =]

I made an awesome dinosaur gift a little bit ago that I forgot to post! =] Hat with matching 'claws'!!

Green hat with orange spikes

Orange gloves with green claws

 RAWR! 

I am completely loving them! And I made two sets. Orange and green for a 5 year old little boy and pink and green for a 4 year old little girl who is in love with dinosaurs. =] Both kids loved their gifts a bunch, making me a very happy knitter.

National Infertility Awareness Week

Although it is coming to a close, this week is National Infertiltiy Awareness Week. And to share and show support, I'm going to post my story. It's personal and might be a little too much information for some, so I'll edit here and there. But just fair warning, if you don't want to keep reading. =]

First stop - wagon falling

Yes, falling off the wagon. It is disappointing, but I'm starting over again. I don't want to be fat anymore. I don't want to be the reason we can't get pregnant anymore. No, I haven't been to a dr in a while, but I believe that my weight is the reason we haven't been able to get pregnant. And I want to have kids, I want to give my husband beautiful little ones. And losing weight is the first step. So my starting weight, on Tuesday April 23rd was 254.8. And I'm done making excuses. I'm going to do this.

After Week One

I did pretty well this week! I fell off a little with myfitness, but I caught back up and I'm getting back into the swing of things!

Restart weight - 252.2
After week 1 - 248.8
Difference - -3.4


AWESOME!! Little steps for a better life!

Starting Over!!

So we have started fresh! Losing weight, eating healthy, keeping track of our calories. New start!!

Restart weight - 252.2

My goal is to lose at LEAST one pound a week. I'd like to lose 17lb by my birthday. June 15th, I want to weight at or less than 230lb. And then I'd like to be at or less than 215 by the time we're supposed to move, Sept. 1st. I can do this!! I've also given up all sweets until I hit my first goal. And I can't go buy a tea (sonic tea is a weakness of mine!) until I'm at or under 240lb. I have to love 12 pounds before I can go buy an iced tea. And no sweets unless I hit my birthday goal! I can do this! It's going to be great! My husband is working with me too, he wants to lose a little weight, so we picked up tennis together. It's tough, but we're getting better already! =] WOOT!

Starting over.. Again..

My hubby and I have decided that we're going to officially start on April 1st. It's this Monday, it's going to be our new day to start fresh. And since we're pretty darn positive that we're going to move Sept. 1st, that gives us exactly 5 months. To save money, lose weight, eat healthier, get fit, all that jazz. So, I'm still going to update on my weight from last Tuesday morning, but we're going to weigh-in Monday morning and go from there. And then I'll also update some goals and what I want to stay under for calories too. I'm excited to get started with my hunny! =]

Last Week's Weight- 253.0
This Week's Weight - 250.4

So last week I'd lost 2.6lb. WOOT! Lol We'll see with happens next week, starting over!

Back to work!

I'm going to "start over" with my weight loss now that vacation is over. Darn! lol So when I started losing weight at the very beginning, I weighed 275. I'm excited for the progress I'm already made. I did gain 9lb over vacation, but it's back to work now! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Week Eight weigh-in - 244.6
Week Nine weigh-in - 246.4
Week Ten weigh-in - 246.4
Week Eleven weigh-in - 244.0

NEW Starting Weight- 253.0

Week Eleven

I am on vacation!! WOOT! This past week I didn't kill myself, I was working every day and when I wasn't working, I was getting ready to leave. I'm going to enjoy my time off, and then I'm start up again when I get back. VACATION!! lol 

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Week Eight weigh-in - 244.6
Week Nine weigh-in - 246.4
Week Ten weigh-in - 246.4
Week Eleven weigh-in - 244.0
Difference - -2.4
YAY! =]

Week Ten - So Very Late!

I know, I'm way behind! I've been so very busy! I don't have any excuses for not losing weight, I was still sick and I didn't eat right or exercise. It's my fault. I'm already on vacation mode! lol Bright side, I didn't gain either! But I'm afraid I'm going to have gained when I weigh again on Tuesday. I've had to work crazy days the past week and I'm still be working every day until we leave Wednesday morning. But I'm not going to beat myself up about it all. I'm going to have a great vacation, and once we get back, I'll write up another weight goal list and start my weeks again! =] It's going to be great. Back to work once we get back!! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Week Eight weigh-in - 244.6
Week Nine weigh-in - 246.4
Week Ten weigh-in - 264.4
Difference - 0

Week Nine

One step forward, two steps back! I got sick. I caught a cold and just when I was starting to get better, I got the flu! It was awful. Plus, the only good about being sick is not being hungry and losing weight. Except this time!! I was sick ans starving the whole time! Plus, I didn't work out of much because I felt like death. So I gained 1.8 this past week. I'm slowly starting to feel better, so I'm worked out yesterday and again today, so hopefully it will be a much better number next week! Woot! =] Not letting a gain get me down!

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Week Eight weigh-in - 244.6
Week Nine weigh-in - 246.4
Difference +1.8

Week Eight!

I've been working hard this week and I've noticed a difference. What's even better, my husband has noticed a difference too!!  I haven't been hitting the gym, but I've made sure to just be active in other ways. From moving around more with the kids at work, going out to the tennis court with my dog and doing a little cardio, or taking a very long walk like yesterday. On Sunday, my hubby and I went to the tennis court with our dog. My husband puts on his hockey goalie gear and I have a tennis racket, I lob balls at him and he throws them back at me when he catches them. Our dog is our official ball boy and runs to catch the fly balls. A few weeks ago, when we started this, I could MAYBE do 20 minutes before I'd get winded and need a break or even need to stop. We were out there running around for a full hour and only came back in because both of our arms were getting sore. It was awesome! Then yesterday, it was so nice outside, I decided to take a walk with our dog. I'll admit, I went a little too far and should've started out smaller. We walked 3.6 miles and it took us about 70 minutes. It wasn't until about halfway back that my too big shoes gave me a blister. But this morning I don't even feel as sore as I thought I was going to, besides the blister. =] I feel great, I'm excited to be losing weight again! I also made a conscious effort to eat less. Less snacking, eating less for dinner has been a big deal too. And it's making a difference! I'm going to keep going this next week, we only have 3 weeks until we leave and although I'm not going to count on making my goal, I'm still going to work hard! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Week Eight weigh-in - 244.6
Difference -5.2

Ladybug hat!!

I made this super cute ladybug a couple months ago, I love it!!

For this little monster!! 

The antenna bounce and flop when she runs around like a goober. Freaking adorable!! =]

Week Seven!

I've been sick. The boys I nanny for came home from vacation with colds that morphed into strep throat and ear infections along with coughs, runny noses and fevers. Well, I didn't get the ear infection.. But although I was sick, I was STARVING the whole time. Plus, I worked like nuts and didn't work out as much as I should have. I ate really well this week, I just didn't work out every day. I did lose this week! It was only .2lb, but it was still a lose!! I have made a new goal for vacation weight. I don't think it would be too healthy to try and lose 20lb in the next 4 weeks before we leave. So my new goal is to be under 240lb. So I was to lose 10lb in 4 weeks. More exercising and less eating. I'm going to work hard at it! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Week Seven weigh-in - 249.8
Difference -.2

Week 6

No excuses, but I gained this week. I didn't work out 3 days, we ate at a burger place and we went to a superbowl party that was full of fried foods. I fell off the wagon this past week. But I'm not going to get caught up in feeling awful, I'm getting back to it right away! I don't think I'm going to hit my goal for vacation weight, since I would need to lose 20lb in 5 weeks. So I'm not going to have a "free day" until we're on vacation and I'm going to do some sort of work-out everyday until we leave. Even if it's just a long walk with the dog or hitting the gym, something every day to get my heart pumping. I'm not going to strain myself too far to get a lower weight, but I'm going to be working hard! Until next week! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Week Six weigh-in - 250.0
Difference +2.4

Hello Kitty!

I made this hat for Christmas for a danged adorable little girl I know! She loves it! I don't know how to crochet, so when I saw on etsy a bunch of really cute character hats, I was like "I CAN FIGURE THAT OUT!" lol So I did! 

I started with a line of red, just for a little accent. Then I knit a normal hat like I've done before, in white. After I was finished, I knit little white triangles for ears and a red bow. The eyes and nose are felt I sewed onto the hat, and the whiskers are just bits of yarn I sewed through the hat from the back. =] I think it is so adorable! 

And my favorite little elementary girlie loves it too!

Week Five!!

I LOST FOUR POUNDS!! Woot woot! lol I'm super excited, if you couldn't tell. I really worked hard last week. I only took one day off from working out, and I started doing a full body cardio video that is 28 minutes long. I'm getting a full body work-out every day and last Friday I changed how I was eating. So I had 5 days of eating differently, combined with a better work-out = 4lb!!!!! On how I changed how I was eating - I decided that I needed to get and be hungry between meals and snacks. I hadn't been letting my body get hungry, using the excuse of "well, I'm under my calories!" for each day. That's over now. I eat breakfast, then I'm hungry before it's time for lunch. Between lunch and dinner, I eat one snack, and we're trying to eat dinner at least 2 hours before we go to bed. And I've been trying to get to bed a little earlier the nights before I go work at the daycare, so I'm not dragging the next morning. =] Slowly making changes, but they're working! 4 pounds!! So excited!! =]

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Week Five weigh-in - 247.6
Difference - 4 lb.

Week 4

This past week was a little up and down, not going to lie. I had a bad last Monday that resulted in cookies and chocolate and some frustration. I woke up Tuesday morning after a lot of sleep, weighed myself and had lost .8lb. So I decided to change my weigh-in day to Tuesdays. I realized that this will also help me to blog on my actual weigh-in day, since I only work a few hours on Tuesdays. Funnily enough, this being my first actual Tuesday weigh-in day, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night! lol Brian had to close last night and then be at work at 8am this morning, so we're both running a little on empty. I also had a HORRIBLE migraine, starting on Thursday afternoon and not really leaving completely until Saturday afternoon-ish. I stayed in bed all of Thursday afternoon/night, didn't eat anything. It was awful. Then, Saturday was a holiday in our household. After a 4 month long lockout, this past Saturday was the first day of hockey season. I celebrated with a steak and 2 way too big brownies! I was pretty sure any weight I had lost from being sick I had to have gained back on our holiday. I was a little tentative to weigh myself Tuesday morning, but I lost! 1.4lb! Woot! It's not as much as I wanted to lose, but I'm still happy for a small weight than last week. I'm going to work hard and just eat less. I've decided that I shouldn't feel "full" so much during the day. I should start to get hungry between meals. And I usually don't. So I'm going to try and change that this week. I'm optimistic for the next weigh-in!

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Week Four weigh-in - 251.6
Difference - 1.4 lb.

Monkey Hats!!

A little boy that I watch all the time had a birthday right before Christmas. His room is decorated in a jungle/monkey theme, so I decided to make him a monkey hat!

So cute! He loved it! =]

He's such a silly boy! He wore it the whole time I was watching him on the day I gave it to him.

I also made a pink bow to clip to the monkey hat, pretty much just seeing how it would look as a girl monkey hat. I thought it looked pretty cute! It's the same hat, just with a bow. And I kept the bow, so if I decide to make another monkey hat, it won't be hard to make it a girl monkey! =]

Week 3 Weigh In (LATE)

Last week was rough. I weighed in last Monday, after feeling like I had busted my butt to work out, and I ended up having GAINED .4lb. I was really upset. My husband was very supportive, saying that he KNEW I had gained muscle during the week. Since the only exercise I had been doing was in the gym, either the stationary bike or the elliptical, plus just a little weight training with 3lb hand weights, I wasn't doing a lot of cardio. So Monday, I kinda crashed my diet with some cookies and chocolates. I went to bed and slept almost 10 hours (I'd worked all day too) and then woke up Tuesday morning with the intention to weigh myself again, and start fresh. I weighed and was only 253.0lb! I had actually LOST .8lb, even though I hadn't gone to the gym and eaten like CRAP on Monday. Then I realized, how much I sleep before I weigh really makes a difference on what my number is! Sunday nights, I rarely get to bed before 1am and then I wake up at 7am to go to work. So I'm usually weighing in on less than 6-7 hours of sleep. And my weigh numbers haven't been that great. So I've decided to change my weigh in day to Tuesdays. Monday nights, even if Brian closes, I just always seem to get more sleep. Even if I have to work my other job Tuesday morning, I still get more sleep. So I'm hoping that I'll see a bit better numbers with more sleep before I weigh in.
I also got out the tape measure and measured myself. That way, I can measure myself every so often and see results that aren't just weight based. Because I want to continue working with some free weights, building strength and tone and all that. So we'll see how my numbers look on Tuesday!

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Week Three weigh-in - 253.0
Difference - .4 lb.

Week Two

Little bummed about how much I lost this week, but my hubby keeps reminding me about the week two curse. So I'm trying to just be happy that I lost! =] 

Starting weight - 260.4
Week One weigh-in - 254.2
Week Two weigh-in - 253.4
Difference - .8 lb.

I didn't got to the gym on Monday, but I went for at least 30 minutes every other day besides that, ending with an hour on Sunday. I feel good, I'm not dreading going to the gym anymore. I'm feeling a little blah this week about diet and exercise, but I'm still pushing to lose weight and get healthy! =]

Very tired, haven't been sleeping well and worked a long day, so I'll try to write a longer post another time. =]