Things I Don't Miss...

You know, I don't like a whole lot about hubs not being around, but I've come up with a list of things I do like:

1. No one is asking "What's for dinner?" I can eat cereal if I want to...no one will care. 

2. My toilet is amazingly cleaner. No pee pee stains in places they shouldn't be...ahhh...so nice.

3. Actually, my whole house stays cleaner for a longer time. Not that he's messy, but he creates a whole lot of clutter. He comes with a lot of accessories and parts.

4. I can watch the news in the morning while I get ready for work. I usually get up at least a good hour before he even thinks of opening his eyes. It's nice to have some noise surrounding me instead of the silence.

5. I can go to bed at 8:00 if I want to and no one will haggle me about it. I usually get a fair load of crap when I go to bed at 9:30. I'm not old and boring, I'm just TIRED.

6. It's way easier to stay on a diet. No one is saying "Let's get a pizza." It's so hard to refuse that!

7. My laundry has been cut in HALF! WOOHOO! I hate laundry with the burning passion of a thousand suns. Not having to wash an entire hamper of underbridges and socks makes me smile.

8. I can watch my brain-rotting reality TV without the haggle. "Why do you watch this shit? Oh my God...TURN IT OFF!" 

Yes, it sucks for the most part, but at least I'm finding the positive, right? 

Josh Ritter - Here at the Right Time

Also, another one of my new favorite songs. It also happens to be my friend Chris and his wife Ashley's wedding song. Makes me tear up. Awwwww...

We The Kings - We'll Be A Dream ft. Demi Lovato

On the way home from PA today, I belted out this song about 1,000 times. I realize that one of the many Disney-made pop singers, Demi Lovato, is featured, but the band, We the Kings, is great. Check out the video...especially the lead singer's carrot top.

Weight Watchers Update

It's officially week 2 of the Weight Watchers plan and it seems to be going pretty well! I'm down 5 pounds, my sister is down 6. Our daily email conversations involve talking about what we had for dinner the night before, what we're having for lunch, and what foods we've found out have 1 point. It's like a little game.


Last weekend was bad because I consumed a lot of alcohol, which is fine in moderation on WW, however I wouldn't say that I really used "moderation." I only gained 1 pound back, so it could have been worse.


I just got home from the grocery store and I decided to buy some Boca burgers. For those of you that don't know, these are veggie/soy meatless burgers. I tried some of the sausage at my sister's place this morning and it actually tasted like meat. I figured I might as well give it a try because each burger is 1 point! Woohoo! It better be good. 


I also came home from my sister's today with an ironing board. Ew. I didn't buy it...because that would be silly. My sister gave it to me because she had an extra. Obviously, she got the "I like to iron my underpants" gene. Really...she and my mom iron things like pillow cases. WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT? I obviously don't take after my mom because my definition of ironing is throwing everything in the dryer for 10 minutes. It works perfectly fine. Takes much less time. But, the ironing board was free...and if it's free, it's for me.


Anyway, I'm wrapping up my weekend watching brain-rotting reality TV. A Bridezillas marathon is on. Obviously, I have to go immerse myself in the drama. 

Cancer Doesn't Care

Tonight, I was channel surfing and stumbled upon the Stand Up to Cancer telethon.


Now, I'm not one for telethons. They usually bore me. But as you all know, cancer is close to my heart. The theme of the telethon is "Cancer doesn't care." It went through all the reasons that cancer doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care what you have going on with your life or what you have planned. 


Cancer didn't care that Nana had grandchildren to watch grow. Great grandchildren to hold. Weddings to attend. It didn't care that we cried on her shoulder, laughed at her quirks, or shared gossip from around town. Instead, it took her life...and didn't care who it left behind. Sometimes, I still pick up the phone and almost dial her number. If it wasn't for cancer, she'd still be here. 


Someone dies from cancer every minute. How scary is that? The cure has eluded the smartest scientists and physicians in the world. It requires research, time and most of all, money. I'm proud to say that my family and I have raised almost $1,000 since January for cancer research and awareness. We're ready to raise more. 


I miss my Nana. It makes me sad that she won't be around for my sister's wedding, or the birth of my children. It's not fair. But it's time to stand up and fight. And that's what I intend to do. 

Homemade BBQ Potatoes

I love potatoes. In any form, really. French fries are one of my weaknesses. But with the new Weight Watchers plan, French fries are obviously not on the menu. So I came up with this little recipe to satisfy my craving.


Heather's Homemade BBQ Potatoes


1 medium baking potato, thinly sliced into chips
1/2 tablespoon, olive oil
1 tablespoon, McCormick BBQ seasoning
1 teaspoon, salt


Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes in oil and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning and salt. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp.


Points Value: 4...for the whole serving! 

Weight Watchers

After a few months of not having any kind of weight loss success, I've decided that it's time to give Weight Watchers a try. 


I'm doing it with my mom and sister. Since her wedding will be in 6 months-ish, it's probably a good idea to start now. First thing I did was made an Excel spreadsheet with foods I eat and the Points values attached to them. Yes, I did. And yes, it's hanging on my fridge. It's totally amazing how many points are in some foods that I would qualify as healthy! 


It will most likely be easier to do without hubs around. He is a really bad influence on my eating habits. Maybe by the time he comes home, I'll be all skinny! Wouldn't that be something! It's really sad how excited I get right now when I find out something is 1 point. It's like discovering buried treasure. 


I started on Tuesday, and I'm sure y'all will be hearing all about this process. I know so many people that have done it and lost a lot of weight, so I need to keep my eye on the prize and stick to it!


I also need to revamp my workout. I need to try something new because I'm getting bored. Running did not work out for me. Besides the fact that I'd rather poke a fork in my eye than run a mile, I'm having some ankle issues that I should probably get checked out. Perhaps it's time to throw Spinning and Yoga back into the mix. I miss my spandex wearing instructor Tom anyway. We should really rekindle our Spinning love affair. 

Slacker

I realize that, as of late, I've been a total blog slacker. My posts have been few and far between, which I can only contribute to my oddly busy schedule. 


Let's get some life updates, shall we?


Fitness: Ugh. I've been working out, yes, but nothing seems to be happening. Looks like I need to switch things up. I'm thinking about embarking on the P90X journey. We'll see. Something's gotta give because I'm losing motivation.


Family: My baby sister got engaged this weekend. Pretty funny that someone so against marriage..."I'll never get married. I'm going to live in mom and dad's attic..." is now planning a wedding for Summer 2011! Holy crap!


Hubs: He's been everywhere but here! We're dealing though. Skype has become my friend. For some reason, his communication skills vastly improve when he's not holding a cell phone. Who knew? I thought he was hopeless.


This past weekend, I went on the annual family vacay to Ocean City, Maryland. We had some good times. This is when my sister got engaged (on the beach). Hurricane Earl, unfortunately, gave us a late start, rough waves, and ridiculous hoards of flies on the beach, but all in all, I can't complain. 


Some photo evidence:

My sister, Momma and me at the beach house before our celebration dinner.

Newly engaged couple

Momma and Dad. Yes, he dyed his hair and beard. It's a midlife crisis thing I think.

Sunset over the bay

This weekend should be a calm one, but next weekend is Seiler/Lewis wedding extravaganza!  Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be many stories/photos to be shared.