The Magazines are Taking Over

     I can't believe how many magazines I've accumulated free each month. I was saving all the fitness ones and the crafty ones but they were taking over space. I am trying to fight the clutter in my house but I have SO much stuff stockpiled that it's a fine line between stockpiling and hoarding. I just couldn't throw them all out though. I had a really hard time with that idea so I went through every single magazine and ripped out all the recipes that I liked and articles I wanted to spend more time reading, or anything with a website I want to check out.
     I got a mini laundry basket filled and I just have the Shape & Weight Watchers magazine left to sort. I got burnt out so I'm calling it quits for a bit. I put an ad on Craigslist thinking that there's a teacher or someone that could use these for making collages or something and I got a mother that is homeschooling her kids that will use them for that purpose.
     Now I just need to organize all those cut out pages. Ahh the cycle never stops but at least the clutter is majorly cut down in size.

My Bathroom



     In my search for inspiration to perfect the inner domestic goddess in me (hee hee) I follow a lot of blogs that share ideas for organizing and decluttering your home, one of my favorites is Organizing Junkie. Last week she had a post, Finding a System, that just made me so excited to implement myself. She contained her bathroom beauty products with a shoe organizer. Yeah I know! Genius right? 

     After reading this I searched online to order one but just wasn't ready to commit... I kind of wanted it NOW and didn't want to pay extra for the delivery. So yesterday that my honey wanted to take me shopping I was on the look out for this shoe organizer.

     Burlington's Coat Factory sent me a coupon for $10 off of $20 or more so that was our first stop. The store around the corner had a really pretty blue floral print one for $6 and I was happy. I also wanted to pick up a shower curtain because my bathroom was looking pretty plain. I just bought new towels a few weeks ago from JCPenny's and changed the color theme. And I found a curtain that I just had to have, it was SO different from the others... but it was out of stock.
     My sweetheart was TOTALLY awesome and was up for trying another Burlington's in Southern Vegas. And... they were out of stock there too. So I bought a different style and pouted a little. They also didn't have the shoe organizer I wanted in blue but they had a clear one that I bought.
   So what does this amazing man of mine say to me? "Let's try another store" Yep I'm going to marry this man that gets me so well. So off to the store in the West side of Las Vegas. Strike three. Determined not to leave without a resolution I spoke to the store manager and bought the floor model. Best part is that I got it for $4.99. SCORE! And the day just got better by going to 2 other stores that I posted about earlier.

     Made with designs included in My Memories Suite software.

Retail Therapy

     Today was my honey's day off and being the GREAT guy that he is he took me out shopping. Does this guy get me or what?

    

     We hit all the great stores today!  At Ross I picked up some great big coffee cups, they're twice the size of the ones I have now. And red to match Juan's rooster theme he wants for our kitchen *insert eye roll* LOL

Also at Ross my honey spotted the Biggest Loser Glass Nutritional Scale for only $13.99!! (This is on Amazon for $48) I've trained my honey well to spot a deal. I've about worn out the small $5 scale I got from Walmart. This is the neatest scale. It will measure your food and then tell you how many calories, fat and other nutrient values are in this food.

At T.J. Maxx we scored a great deal on salt and pepper grinder for $8. We just returned our last pepper grinder to Kohls after only lasting 3 weeks. I'm hoping these will be a little more durable for 1/2 the price of our last.

Last but not least was Burlington Coat Factory I picked up a shower curtain and shoe organizer, but more on those purchases in another post.

All in all it was a pretty good day out but then again any day out shopping is usually a good time.

My grandmother passed away this morning...

Background and Embellishments- Long Time Ago by Rebel Without A Pause 

My Birthday Dinner

     My brother-in-law had to work for my birthday but wanted to take me out for a belated birthday dinner. So back to Freemont St we went for Prime Rib specials at the Four Queens casino. And of course the boys had to try out the home-brewed beer... AND of course get it in a 50 oz souveneir glass. :D

  Background & Embellishments- Blooming Hearts by Let Me Scrapbook!

Happy Birthday to Me!

     Yikes! It was my 31st birthday yesterday. I had planned on having a party with family but I was a little out of the party mood with the news of my grandmother. All day home alone with a few updates from family of the condition of my grandmother I really needed a distraction. When my honey got home we decided to get dressed up and see where we could find to celebrate my birthday. After all people travel from all over to celebrate their birthdays here and I should be enjoying Las Vegas for the time that we're living here.
     We got dolled up and headed to the strip to check out the deals at Half Price Tickets for the night. I have always wanted to see Tony N' Tina's Wedding dinner show but I did my research with Yelp.com before heading out. Their reviews were not so hot but I came across Marriage can be Murder and they had 4.5 stars. So I was very excited to see that VIP tickets were $53 at the Half Price Tickets!
     Oh man the show was GREAT!! We were called on and picked on through out the whole show SO much that we were voted as possible murder suspects. It was just the greatest experience that I can hardly wait to go again in 3 months when they change the plot and the actors.
     To end the night we walked around Freemont St and checked out all the fun performers. I met up with 2 Johnny Depp impersonators; One was The Mad Hatter and Jack Sparrow and the accent was so great with the Jack Sparrow impersonator that I had to get a photo to remember him.

Background & Embellishments- Ready to Perform by Albums to Remember; Big Birthday Fun by StoryRock;

Viva Las Vegas by Scraps N Pieces; and Christmas Traditions by Lindsay Jane

:'(

     My grandmother took a fall over her walker and broke her collar bone Saturday morning... she's only gotten worse by not eating... She's been brought home and is on medicine keeping her comfortable... but it's only a matter of days now... I'll update later :(

Embellishment- Ready to Perform by Albums to Remember & Summer Dance by 3Scrapateers

My Memories: Rememberance Challenge

     My Memories is the new digital scrapbooking software that I've become addicted to. Every Wednesday on their blog they have a theme for a scrapbooking challenge and this week with 9/11 approaching they fittingly have a challenge of Remembrance for a loved one that has passed away.
     My page is of my amazing grandfather whom I miss dearly. My grandfather lived a very full life into his 90's... Wow, it's tough to write about him. I have SO many great memories growing up in my grandparents household. I can remember my grandma getting upset with me and I'd run to my grandpa who would protect me from being punished and he'd just hold me in his arms. I remember stretching out on the sofa watching TV with my head in his lap and my grandma always saying how she'd end up with my feet.... I miss you grandpa! 

Background- Vintage American Papers, Yellow Scatter- Little Yellow Canary by StoryRock

I can't find where the word art is from and I'm assuming it was with the program.

This Is Me Challenge: Challenge #21

I just stumbled on this fun blog yesterday: This Is Me Challenge. A blog that helps you "TELL YOUR STORY, YOUR WAY!" I'm so excited to go back through everything that's been previously posted and catch up. Every week there is a challenge to tell a little story of your life and this week's challenge is about sleep...
I really recommend looking at her site and checking out a few of the tip she has about getting started. It doesn't have to be digital scrapbooking, it could be journaling or one of the many suggestions she has. I'm really new to digital scrapbooking and it is really nice to have some direction on how to direct my creativity.

This is my page for this weeks challenge:

Background is Love U Berry Much by StoryRock and Black2Basics Word Art by Ettes & Company

I love my bedroom.... It's not the masterbedroom in the house but the tiny spare bedroom but... that's a story for later :D

Giveaway Winner

I guess a holiday weekend was the wrong time to host a giveaway but I have a winner....

It's All About Me- Entry

Made this with My Memories Suite. Enter my giveaway by Monday to win this digital scrapbooking software.

Do you like my new header? It only took me a quick 5 minutes to create it with My Memories Suite but a half hour to change my blog LOL. Enter my giveaway by Monday. Good luck guys!!

My First Giveaway: My Memories Suite

Yay! This is my first giveaway!!

I've never tried scrap booking much less scrapbooking software before but I've got a ton of pictures on my external hard drive just waiting for me to put some order to them. So I was thrilled when they offered me their product to try out. I kind of got in stuck mode and spent ALL DAY yesterday the past 4 days sorting through my photos and playing with this program. I got so excited with all the kits you can purchase that I've downloaded almost all the FREE kits (because that's my favorite price LOL) and I've bought a couple kits too. Here's a couple of my pages that I had auto-filled with a few of my favorite photos of myself.

Looking at the My Memories Suite You Tube videos I've learned so many neat tricks for this software Not only can you make scrapbooks maybe set it to music, you can make calendars, movies, photo albums or a DVD. I've decided I want to make calendars for everyone for Christmas. I'm really excited to try out this program more in depth but I figured I'd take time out and give you guys the chance to win your own My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software.

All New or Present Members of 31 Weeks Till 31 Years are Eligible

Join this Site with Google Friend Connect in the right side bar.

To enter you Must visit www.MyMemories.com and browse around and leave a comment on this post about your favorite scrapbooking kit.

For extra entries to the contest leave a separate comment for following My Memories:

1. Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
2. UPDATED FACEBOOK LINK- My Memories Facebook
3. Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite

This giveaway will be over and a winner will be drawn Monday morning Sep 5th.

As a Bonus: My Memories Suite has offered my readers a coupon code: STMMMS73617 for a $10 discount off the purchase of My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store- $20 value!

Day 3 and 4: Just my luck

Uugh! Aunt Flo only comes to visit me a few times a year and this year it has been everytime I start working out. It drives me crazy to think that this is some viscious circle. I don't get my visit due to my weight and when I workout she comes. When she comes it puts me in a really weak state and I don't want to work out.

Yesterday I was motivated and did the Shred but I felt very dizzy. Even imagined falling into the tv I felt so off. Today was a huge struggle to find the motivation. When my honey came home for work I knew that this was going to be my final shot as he'd want to continue watching a series on Netflix so I pushed myself to get moving. I was moaning and grunting so hard he came out to spot me just to make sure I was okay.

I got through it though! I might have to install some bars in the shower next. I'm totally shakey and don't feel steady on my feet afterwards. My skin feels great as well as my pride when it is all said and done.

Tomorrow I'll be half way done with Level 1! Whoo Hoo!!

Day 2: I'm a Survivor

Day 2 complete of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and I survived it. Starting out was tough, my arms just didn't want to raise above my head. My little kitten came out and was rubbing against me so much that I finally picked her up and used her as my weights. I could feel her purring so strongly as if she could tell I was doing something really good and it boosted my energy a little more.

Before my workout today I did a little google swagbucks search to find other bloggers who have done the 30 Day Shred and came across this one: The Casual Perfectionist She's completed the 30 days with before and after photos and just the first 3 days were very fun to read. I look forward to reading them day by day for that little bit of motivation. Tomorrow I'll look for another blog to keep me motivated. 30 days is a huge challenge for me.

Meal Plan Monday 8/22-26

This week with my E-Mealz:

• MONDAY- Left Overs


• TUESDAY- Broiled Shrimp Baja, Green Beans w/ Potatoes, Garlic Toast, Strawberries. 8


• WEDNESDAY- Orange French Toast, Turkey Sausage Link, Orange Slices 8


• THURSDAY- Onion-Dijon Pork Chops, Green Beans w/ Potatoes, Strawberries 6


• FRIDAY- Honey Mustard Chicken, Steamed Cauliflower, Lima Beans 6

For my breakfast and lunch I am having a Slim Fast shake and 3 small snacks and a ton of water. It's actually more food than I'm used to in the mornings so I think this may actually work. We'll see what this week brings to the scales though.

I DID IT AND I DIDN'T DIE!!!

I really felt like I was going to die but I made it through it. Lots of modifications like wall push ups and jumping jacks I bounced from one leg to the other. I didn't use any hand weights because my 5 lb ones were too heavy for me the time before that I've tried this workout. I looked at Walmart yesterday for some new ones but couldn't decide between a 1 lb or a 2 lb. They were $7 for a pair of walking weights and I don't have the money right now so I figured I'd look online first. Well after working out without weights I think the 1 lbs will be just fine for now. I can't believe how out of shape my arms really are. Yikes!

My arms are shaking so bad right now even typing this is an effort. I don't know if I'll be able to walk tomorrow much less another workout. It took me about 4 hours to work up the motivation to do this workout and I'm really hoping it will get easier and easier to the point I just wake up and do it. Now how do I get my honey out of the house on his days off. I'm kind of ashamed at my attempt at a jumping jack. He's very into fitness and completely supports my efforts so it probably won't be a problem and maybe one day I'll be comfortable with him even joining me.

Do you think going from couch to 30 Day Shred maybe too much? I want to maybe try going every other day but also figure that's my lazy side of me trying to negotiate.

The price of success is much lower than the price of failure.
Zig Ziglar

This week has been a little less than I'd hoped for. I weighed in at 249 today which is 1 lb less than what I weighed in last week (but didn't blog about). I'm slowly working on my diet and pairing Slim Fast shakes with my E-Mealz dinners. All the grazing in between is what's holding me back though. I just want to say that I really rocked it this week when it comes to drinking my water! Yay for something at least :D

I bought Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and I just want to say WOWZA! I can't even do a jumping jack. Most women complain about not enough bra support and I have a problem with no support for my tummy roll. Not to mention I can't do a pushup except against the wall. And my 5lb weights are really too heavy for me... and I can only do half the reps required. As with anything though practice makes perfect so I'll keep at it until I can at least make it to the end of the video.

Oh well it's late and time for bed but I just wanted you to know I'm still here.

Complaining will not change things in your life; only action will. Make a list of all you need to do to change what doesn't work in your life and, little by little, begin making those changes.
-Susan Jeffers

Whew what a relief the scale was this morning in a good/bad way. I thankfully lost 5 lbs by 8:30 this morning. It's still a 2 lb gain from my last weigh in on the 24th of June. I'm really glad I got on the scale yesterday. It really was the fright I needed to push me up off the couch.

I'm so tired of being this unhealthy. For almost 2 weeks I've had burning in my stomach and I'm sure it's from all the chili I eat. Plus I just got back from a week in Utah visiting family and eating more than a fair share of fatty foods. I was just waking up feeling so nauseous that I wouldn't even drink my morning coffee until later on after I had breakfast and my stomach settled a little. I was even started to wonder if it was morning sickness and went out and bought a pregnancy test (which came out negative).

I'm also tired of cropping all my photos to get the most flattering photo. I totally cropped myself in this photo to avoid showing the full width of my upper arms or my tummy rolls. I really hate getting my picture taken by a camera that isn't my own. This way I can crop it before it's downloaded.

So this morning I got up and was motivated. I started off with weighing in and my honey jumped on the scale as well. (Yay for the spousal support!) We made oatmeal with bananas for breakfast. I let that settle and built up the motivation and got on the wii and did a 6 minute workout on Gold's Gym Cardio Boxing. It kicked my butt for just that little of time. It said that I burned 72 calories and did 311 punch count.

My thighs are extremely sore now from the squating so I'll definately have to mix it up and try something different tomorrow. I can hardly wait!

34 Days Until My 31st

... and I've gained weight! It's been 46 days since my last weigh in and even longer since I've blogged about it. Today I got the motivation to get up off the couch and at least weigh in. I weighed in at 246.5 lbs on June 24th around 9:30 am. Today I'm weighing in at almost 4 pm and the scale says 253.5 lbs. :'(

Please oh please let that just be from my breakfast and lunch today. I had french toast with butter, syrup and bananas; bacon and sausage links; 2 over-easy eggs; and 2 cups of coffee with sugar and hazelnut creamer. Lunch was a plate the neighbor brought over consisting of some chunks of beef in a chili sauce with beans and rice.

The scale has offically scared me straight. I've been on vacation this past week in Utah visiting familly and I've had this consistant feeling of my stomach burning and I've been telling myself that now is the time to eat better. I've just found the place in my mind where I'm ready to give it another shot...

So I'll see you tomorrow after I weigh in first thing tomorrow. As for tonight I'm going to order my E-Mealz and maybe do some grocery shopping to prepare.

Walgreens and KMart

We went to Walgreens looking to pick up some sunscreen before the sale ended. I was expecting to find them for B1G1 free but they had tags hanging for B1G1 50% off. So I went back home and double checked the blog list and look up the ad online. Why didn't I just pick up an ad while I was in the store you ask? Well my husband hates waiting for me to figure out the kinks in things and I figured I would just come back alone if I figured it out. As it turns out I was right about it being B1G1 free and the 50% off was for the ad tomorrow. I picked up Twizzlers for $0.25 each after coupons and RR. And I have no idea what the other stuff is... hairspray maybe... it was on $0.99 each after $4 off.

Kmart had Beggin Strips on sale B1G1 Free and pair that up with 8 coupons for B1G1 free and I got 16 Free packages. ($0.24 tax on every 2 packages)

Chicken and Fruit

 

Working on stocking up my freezer we took advantage of a sale at El Super for chicken quarters for $0.57/lb. They were sold in 10 lb bags and we bought 40 lbs and seperated them into freezer bags. Mangos were on sale for 5/$1 and the nectarines were 3lbs/$1.

Last Day of the Month- $

I have about 50 coupons for Dial Body Wash or Lotion without a size limit for $2 off. Lots of other areas have been able to find travel size body washes for $0.97 making this coupon a $1.03 money maker. Unfortunately I've ran around town since the coupon came out and every store is out of stock. I never have luck finding things in the travel department.

So being as this was the last day to use these coupons I was able to use them on the Dial Lotion priced at $1.97. I also had coupons remaining for Nozxema bikini razors $2 off the $1.97 price. While at Walmart I took advantage of price matching El Marketon's ad for oranges 8lbs/$0.99. And El Super's ad for Bar S hot dogs $0.76 matched with a coupon for $1/2. $0.16 is such a good price for hot dogs but my husband only likes Oscar Mayer so I only bought a few. I'm sure that by the end of the week I'll buy some more. I just can seem to pass that price up. And the corn nuts... well they were only $1 each and my honey had to have them. :D

Organizing the Spices

I don't spend much time in the kitchen as it is more my honey's domain. I'm a mess in the kitchen... I tend to overcook, under cook, over salt, or my long hair turns up in the food (YUCK!!). So I stick to baking cookies or banana breads maybe the occasional Jello mold :D I hate going into our kitchen because I can never find what I need or I can't reach it.

So when I came across this blog by Frugal Decor Mom I was so excited to make a change to my chaos. She uses baby food jars which is a really interesting idea but there is no plastic shaker on the top of them. I have this other spice rack that's just been chilling on the microwave.

I rarely use any of the spices there but I hadn't been able to get myself to throw it out and reduce the clutter. I'm thankful I have it because I put the spices I don't use in a little snack size baggie and stacked them in the back a drawer and I refilled them with the spices I do use. I'm happy now to have two places free of clutter but now what to do with the extra space? I need to figure out how to organize all my storage containers that are spread all over the kitchen next.

Facebook Giveaways

1st 75,000 to "like" Aussie Products on Facebook and fill in the form under "Aussie Giveaway" will receive a coupon through the mail for a Free Aussie product (up to $3.99).

Herbal Essences has the same giveaway here for a Free product up to $3.99 for the 1st 125,000 to enter.

Milani is giving away 25,000 HD Advanced lip color when you "like" them on Facebook and fill out the form. This is not to the 1st 25,000 submissions but is open all day and randomly winners will be picked. Here's hoping I win!

Pantene has a giveaway as well for the 1st 100,000 to "like" them on Facebook and fill the form under the giveaway. This is for a shampoo/conditioner up to $4.99.