Weight Watchers and Baby Pictures...

Today has been a busy day!  Let me start by saying that last Sunday I signed up for Weight Watchers with my hubby.  My parents and sister have been on it for 10 weeks and I have seen some big changes in them.   I wanted to make the change for myself and the hubs decided to make it with me.  We had our first weigh in this morning and I lost 5 lbs!  I'm very excited and even more motivated because I'm 17 lbs away from my first milestone and once I hit that goal, I'm getting a set of Sigma make-up brushes. 


After the weigh in we went to eat breakfast at Subway and then stop at the Weight Watchers store.  We picked up some snack bars and a book and then were off to Goodwill.  On the way, I tried to call my cousin to give her the good news but I realized I couldn't hear anything.  We tested my phone and called a couple numbers and nothing... so we dropped off goods at Goodwill and then headed home.  While I got ready for my visit with my god-son my hubby went to the store to exchange my phone.  Then I was off to take pictures!


We went to a little picnic area by my house with an amazing bridge and creek and got some adorable 11 month pictures of my god-son.  There are a couple preview shots below... not I'm catching up on my DVR since the hubs had to run errands.  Tonight we're going to see Sucker Punch and tomorrow we are helping my parents with some yard work - if it doesn't rain too bad tonight.  This is a fun week and I can't wait for more like it!

I should be on a beach with this polish!

It's official... I have a new favorite nail polish color.  I stopped at Walgreens the other day for some essentials and was making my way to the toothpaste when something caught my eye.  It was the Essie nail polish rack and it was full of colors!  I have a couple Essie colors but they chip easily and I type all day so I haven't purchased any others... but how could I resist?  I picked up two summer colors; lilacism and turquoise & caicos.  I put the turq on yesterday and I love it!  It looks like my nails should be in a summer beach, splashing in the water.  My nails are actually making me jealous.  I haven't tried the lilac color yet but I plan to over Easter break.  I put two coats on yesterday and a coat today because it doesn't cover that well.  I think three coats is the charm. 


Here are a couple shots from my iphone 4... I can't get enough of how AWESOME the camera is on my phone.

I'm in love... with my iPhone 4!

My birthday was on Monday and my amazing hubby got me the best gift... a new iPhone 4!  I didn't ask for one and I didn't even think my contract was up but I was excited he got it for me.  I loved my iPhone 3G but the 4 is awesome!  It seems to run a little faster and there are some interesting updates that have been made.  It has the ability to Skype but I haven't tried that or the Face Time.  The camera on the 4 is a lot better then the old one.  Here's a pic I took on the 4 vs the 3.

Does anyone have a 4 and have any tips or good apps they can suggest?

iPhone 3G

iPhone 4

Lil' Monkey...

When I blogged on 3/10 I said that I was having a mini-photo shoot with my god-son and that I would post some pictures.  Well, I have those pictures for you... enjoy and let me know what you think!

Little drool monster!

Being a boy... playing outside

I think he's trying to tell us something

Sam and mommy

Sam and I

That's my boy!

Back to Blogging...

Wow, has it been a while since I last blogged.  I checked my blog history and my last post was 3/10... yikes!  In all honesty, my life was pretty hectic for a while and I was in the mood for blogging. When 2011 started, my New Year's Resolution was to blog everyday... I've fallen off the wagon but I'm back on.  I have lots to share with everyone - by everyone I mean my two followers who I love so much! :)

The hubs and I went on vacation to Florida to visit the in-laws.  It was a short 4 day weekend but so much fun.  We went the Strawberry Festival, saw .38 Special, and eat some yummy strawberries.  We went out drinkin' with my sister-in-law and her friends and I had too much fun.  We got the chance to sleep in every day and enjoy the sun.  It was wonderful!  I actually didn't take very many pictures though :(

Then we had my grandma's memorial service the weekend after.  It was really beautiful, although some of the people that attended took the opportunity to "spread their word."  I think my grandma would have loved it, but not everyone agreed.  There was also a white bird that flew by the window... this is special since my grandma was all about peace and the sign for peace is a white dove.  It brought chills through my body when I saw it fly by.

So, now I'm back to reality.  My husband found a new job, thankfully!  He starts tomorrow and is really excited.  The funny part is that he's going to be working in the assisted living field (tech support for a large company) and I work for a distributor of goods for those facilities.  The hours are a little different then mine, but I'm just happy he's go a job (and he thinks he's going to love it).  Also, my sister and I have been testing some cupcake recipes for a possible business venture.  We've found a few that we like and we're making some for our nieces birthday party and my god-son's birthday party.  Nothing serious yet though.  I also would really love to take a summer photography class at a local community college, but I have to see if our finances will allow that.

My birthday is Monday and I'm starting 27 fresh.  I am going to try and start going to the gym with my hubby but since our hours are different, we'll see what happens.  The doc says I need to lose 30 lbs... I better listen.

When Life Catches Up...

I have been so busy lately that I've been slacking on my blog.  I plan to catch up tomorrow.  I have a mini-shoot with my god son and then I'm spending the day with my family.  Hopefully I'll have some cute pictures of the little monkey... I could really use a pick me up!

Ahhh.... The Weekend

Good Morning everyone.... and welcome to my 2 amazing followers!  I am so happy that it's finally Saturday.  I slept in, I plan to catch up on my DVR, run some errands, and then dinner with my hubby.  We decided that even though he's laid off we still need to treat ourselves every once and a while.  We're not doing anything fancy, just dinner at Perkins, but we don't want to be in the house all the time.  I'm so happy it's the weekend!  I also decided that blogging everyday might be difficult for me right now but I'm going to try.


Only 6 days until sun and fun!

Photo Friday.... Kinda

I've had a tough time keeping up with pictures, but here's what's on my iPhone camera right now... enjoy!

I sported red lips for my work banquet... it was a 1920's theme.  This was the night before... trying to get used to the red

Flower from my hubby on Valentines Day

This is how my husband takes my Starbucks order... can you see the funny?

My Sunday Project last week

It was nice all week and then it decided to snow on Sunday - are we done yet?



Tuesday night after working from home all day b/c of the snow

Macie visited me at work - she was pooped by 9:30 AM

We got a new coffee machine at work and it makes Starbucks Hot Cocoa - I'm addicted!

It all happens in three's...

You know that saying "bad things happen in threes"?  It's so true and it has always been the case in my life.  This is just going to be a quick blog because I have things to get done tonight, but my husband got laid off today, my grandma passed away, and I'm dealing with a personal issue that I'm not ready to share with the world yet.  It's been a rough 2 weeks, but I have an amazing support system... my boss has been so great through all of this crap I've been dealing with and my mom is always an inspiration to me.

It may happen in three's but I have 100 times that in support.

Hello My Name Is Megan... I live in Wisconsin and I'm afraid of snow!

Ok, I'm not so much afraid of snow as I am driving in the snow.  It's crazy right?!  I mean, I live in Wisconsin and I've been driving in it for the last 10 years... I even learned how to drive in the snowy weather!  My fear started last year when I got into an accident in my husbands Corolla.  I usually drive a Jeep but I had his car that day.  My mom, sister, and I had left my house on the way to theirs after shopping.  I started to stop at a yellow light and instead I slid right through the red light and jumped the curb.  No one was hurt and no cars hit me, thankfully.  Ever since then, I will not drive his car in the winter and I have asked him not to drive it either.  

Yesterday we got around 4 inches of snow and he worked from home while I drove the Jeep.  Overnight we got another 6 inches or so which meant that I wasn't letting him drive in the snow.    I was going to drive him into work on the south side of Milwaukee, but the commute was 47 minutes (usually 10).  To get from the south side to the north side, where I work, probably would have taken me around 2 hours.  I decided to work from home and let him take the Jeep.  Thankfully, I have an amazingly understanding boss and she was ok with it.  We actually haven't had that much snow this winter so this was only my third time all season working from home.  We're stuck with the Corolla for now, but we are planning to start a Truck Fund as soon as we pay down our debt a little.  

On a happy note, I got the cutest phone call today.  My cousin, Holly, called me and said William, her son, had something to tell me.  So, he gets on the phone and I hear a little voice say "Auntie Megan."  It was the cutest thing.  He's almost 3 and has been calling me Megan but he started putting the Auntie in front of it this week.  Then he said "I wuv you Auntie Megan."  So freakin cute!

Why I've Been MIA...

I feel a little defeated.  It was my New Year's resolution to blog everyday and I was doing really well, even when I was sick, but the last couple weeks have been hard.  We had a big awards banquet at work and on top of that have been really busy so I wasn't blogging because of that.  To pile on to that, my grandmother passed away a week ago and I haven't had the urge to blog about my feelings.  I don't think I've come to grips with it 100% - especially since last night I was watching Family Guy with my husband and started crying when the old man Nazi fell and broke his bones (my g-ma passed away from complications of a broken hip and Alzheimer's).  My husband didn't know what to do since I was laughing moments earlier and then just broke into a fierce cry.  Can't you picture that?  It's actually kind of funny to think about now. 

I have been trying to keep myself busy and this weekend was helpful.  I had a photo shoot with my cousin and her kids on Saturday and then date night with the hubs.  We saw I Am Number Four and went out for sushi.  The movie was pretty good, and there was a big set up for a second movie.  I like those action, comic book type movies though so I might be partial to say it was good.  Then, yesterday I cleaned my bedroom, organized the closest and my dresser drawers, cleaned the kitchen and dishes, and cleaned the bathroom sink.  It also started to snow!  I thought we were done with the snow but I guess not since there were about 4-6 inches on the ground and we're supposed to get another 5" over night.  The hubs stayed home from work and I took the Jeep out... the roads weren't too bad, but I can only imagine what it would have been like driving his Toyota Corolla in the ice/snow mix that were on the roads.

So, I'm back to blogging and will be trying to keep up my Photo Fridays too.  Below are some pictures from the shoot on Saturday... Enjoy!

Kaylin getting ready for her photo shoot

1920's hat left over from my work "Roaring 20's" banquet



Yep... she loves diamonds already and she can't even talk!



Packer Clan!



William didn't really understand the frame concept but this is a great picture!

He loves blueberries

This is going to be a busy week...

I don't know if I'm going to be able to blog much this week.  I'm really busy at work and I have something to do almost every night!

Tonight my hubby and I are working on some music for my work banquet on Thursday, tomorrow I have some last minute shopping to do, and Friday I'm baby sitting.  I'll be doing some really short posts I guess :)

The Traveling Gnome!

This is a great Monday!  First of all GO PACK GO!  We won the Super Bowl people... it's pretty awesome to be from Wisconsin today.  I wasn't looking forward to coming into to work though because I haven't been feeling good and I just didn't want to get out of bed.  But I did... I put my two feet over the edge of the bed and made it out with limited complaints.  When I got to work, there was a little surprise in my mailbox... my profit sharing amount!  HOLLA for Profit Sharing!  We plan on paying down our biggest card and saving the rest for vaca money. 

Now, I'm searching the traveling gnome for some good deals.  I looked on Thursday night when we decided to go and the prices have actually come down since Thursday... I wonder if I wait even longer if they'll go down more?  I'm not going to take any chances though, I'll be booking our flight and such as soon as we get our tax refund or my profit sharing check.  Hopefully the rest of the week will be as awesome as today is!

Happy Monday!

Showing some team spirit...

There is no Photo Friday this week because I've been really sick and haven't been up to having my picture taken.  I'm starting to feel better, thanks to Advil Nasal Congestion.  Anyway, tomorrow is a big day for Wisconsin - we're playing in the Super Bowl!  Hopefully I'll feel better and up to making the Reuben Dip.


Here's Lil' Wanye showing his team spirit.... it's all about that Green and Yellow!

No Blog, Just Bed

I'm really sick so I don't have anything interesting to say.  My throat is dry and soar and I have the worst nasal congestion.  This sucks!  I hope I'm better tomorrow because I don't want to miss my little cousins b-day party.... but right now, it's looking like I'll be laying in bed all day tomorrow - again.

Can I get a sick day?

I have been trapped inside the house for the last 2 days because of the snow.  The only time I've been outside is to wipe my car of snow, maybe a total of 30 minutes.  And with that said, I got sick.  How does one manage to get sick when they spend 47.5 hours indoors?!  I'm going to try to make it through the work day and then curl up in bed with hot tea and the remote.

Officially a Snow Day!

There's a lot of snow... and not just a couple inches either.  I think the totals on the news today were between 12-18 inches and my neighborhood is on the higher side of that number.  There were 63 accidents overnight and cars abandoned all over the place.  They even shut down the main highway today because of the snow.  Craziness... but we live in WI so what can we expect.  The forecasters are saying it's the worst storm in 20 years though.  Anyway,  I worked from home again today and so did the hubby.  We just got back in from outside and it's chilly!  We had to shovel off my car and there wasn't much snow on it because I wiped it off last night but there was a 4 ft snow drift in between my car and my neighbors car.  I stayed to help my landlord with the drive way while the hubs went back to work.  It's a sunny day out so the snow is melting slowly but with the cold weather coming in, ice is going to be our next issue.  Pray for safe driving for me and anyone else on the roads.  :)

Trapped Inside...

This is going to be a quick blog.   We are having horrible weather here in Wisconsin so I worked from home today.  I actually missed the office.  I now appreciate my large dual monitors, my comfy office chair, and the ability to get up from my desk.  When working from home, the system is a little slower so it takes longer to do everything.  I have been chained to my laptop screen all day except when I went out in the bitter cold to shovel.  Here's to hoping tomorrow is slower then today.  Cheers!

It's tax time...

I bet you can't guess my favorite time of year.  It's not Christmas, not spring, not Halloween, not Thanksgiving.... it's TAX TIME!  I love that the government "generously" gives me some of my hard earned cash back.  And it seems like every year my hubby and I decide to take a vacation around the same time.  Tonight we're going to get our taxes done so we can get that money and plan our last minute trip to Florida.  Some people like to pay bills off and such, but we like to visit his family.  That's all for today... it's Monday after all.  There is a big snow storm headed our way so it's likely I'll be working from home tomorrow and Wednesday... but we'll see what mother nature decided to dump on us.  Happy Monday!

Sunday Funday!

Today was a lot of fun.  I cleaned the house, got ready and then went shopping with my mom.  Afterwards we went to see Black Swan with my sister.  I'm just sitting down to some ramen noodles and wanted to get my blog done for the day.  So, that's it.  Have a great week!

Book on the Nook!

Picture this, if you will:

It's Christmas morning, 8am.  I have a cup of hot cocoa in hand and my sister and I have passed out all the presents to their designated owners.  Just one month earlier I had given my list out and it was mostly make-up items, a scarf, some gloves, and a few gift cards.  I was so excited for the gift opening that was about to ensue.  My hubby and I had gotten my sister new car speakers and she had no idea - I couldn't wait to see her face!  We had gotten my mom a gift card to her favorite spa for a facial and we'd collaborated with my sister and got my dad a new car stereo.  No one had a clue what we'd gotten them and that makes the face of the gift opener that much more special.  


My sister had the best reaction of everyone... it was sheer surprise, jaw to the floor, wide eyed.  She had absolutely no idea and was so grateful to have the new speakers!  But she knew what I was getting and insisted I open a long rectangular package first.  I opened it up and inside was a NOOK!  I had to think about it for a second because it was not something I had asked for and was not expecting it.  Below are pics from Christmas morn and me reading my Nook.  I absolutely love it!


For those of you that aren't familiar, it's an electronic reader.  It's about the width of my iPhone and it's about as big as a larger greeting card.  There were a few book options already loaded in and it's Wifi ready so you can purchase other books directly to the Nook.  It took me a few times to get used to all the settings and options, but it's a really great gift.  Plus you can connect to the web were there's Wifi so I can go on facebook or check my email too!  Right now I'm readying The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Pretty Little Liars - book 2, and I read US Weekly... and can't wait to read more!

Photo Friday...

Oh geez... I missed a blog post yesterday!  I actually felt guilty about it - even though I don't have very many readers.  It was my personal goal to post a blog a day.  It was such a busy day.  I had an early morning start at work because I had an eye appointment on my lunch which turned into me being gone for 2.5 hours.  Then I had dinner with my dad and we watched Idol and by the time I got home, I was so tired I fell right asleep.  It's been a great week though... lots of yummy meals from my Biggest Loser cookbook, great week at work, new contacts, getting to see my god daughter, and tomorrow is the hubby's company party at the Crowne Plaza.  Good Times!

1/22 - Tired after a long day of cleaning, shopping, and ear piercing

1/23 - Taken by my hubby on Packer Sunday Funday

1/24 - Successful shopping spree @ Fashion Bug!

1/25 - Yummy... shrimp quesadillas

1/26 - Snuggled in bed with my hubby

1/27 - New contacts... in this weird new case with some special solution for better cleaning

1/28 - Playing with my god-daughter

A yummy post... Shrimp Quesadillas

I have been making more and more meals from my Biggest Loser Cookbook that I got for Christmas.  I've made Hula Pizza, Tarragon Chicken with Goat Cheese (and sweet potatoes), and yesterday I made Shrimp Quesadillas.  They were delicious and I wanted to share the recipe with everyone.


SHRIMP QUESADILLAS

• 2 tsp Cocktail Sauce
• 2 tsp fat-free sour cream
• Olive Oil Spray
• 3 ounces cooked peeled bay shrimp (about 1/2 cup); drained -> I used frozen shrimp and followed the thawing instructions in the morning
• 1 - 7.5 inch multigrain or whole wheat tortilla
• 1/3 cup Light Cheddar Cheese 
• Optional: chopped cilantro

In a small bowl, mix the cocktail sauce and sour cream.  

Place a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, spray with the Olive Oil Spray and add the shrimp.  Cook for 1-2 minutes just to remove the excess moisture and heat the shrimp.

Place a large nonstick skill, large enough for the tortilla, over medium heat and add the tortilla.  Sprinkle about the half the cheese over the tortilla and add the cilantro.  Put the shrimp on half the tortilla and top with the remaining cheese.  Fold the bare half over the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Carefully turn over and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.  Please the quesadilla on a plate and cut in half.  Top with the cocktail sauce made earlier.  This makes 1 serving.  ENJOY!

About ready to flip

Yummy... all set to eat

Close up... see all that yummy cheese, shrimp, and cilantro?

Make-Up Collection...This is not hoarding - Part 2

Now for... the make-up.  I was always a bareMinerals user, like I've said, but I'm trying new things lately.  I went to a CCO (Cosmetics Company Store) and purchased a MAC eye shadow and Paint Pot and loved them.  So, I branched out and purchased more items.  I regularly use my Painterly Paint Pot and All That Glitters eye shadow.  Here are some pictures and info.

All my make-up (except lip products) fits into this one carry case.  It's a Sonia Kashuk, from Target.

The top portion holds a pencils and misc items

The bottom portion is my other face and eye items

Here's what was in the top part:  Old Sonia Kashuk compact that I use as a mirror, Tweezerman Tweezers, Brow Brush, Wet N' Wild eye shadow palette, Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencils (Electric, Underground, and Zero), NYX Liner Pencil (White Pearl), and NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencils (Cottage Cheese, Iced Mocha, and Pots & Pans) 

Inside the case are my face products.  I have Revlon Foundation, a Too Faced concealer, some bareMinerals face products, Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush, MAC Cream Blush, ELF Blush, bareMinerals Busom Lashline, and some ELF all over face products

My eye products

MAC Paint Pot (Painterly), Benefit Cream Shadow (Birthday Suit), BM Liner Shadow in Soft Black, BM in Chenille, BM in Cultured Pearl, BM in Vanilla Sugar

BM in Nude Beach, BM in Rose Petal, BM in Pebble, BM in Passionate Plum, BM in Red Velvet, BM in Tiramisu, and BM in Chocolate Fondue

LEFT: ELF Blush in Candid Coral; MIDDLE: Top - BM Warmth, BM Clear Radiance, Middle - BM Compatibles in Joyous Jennifer & Sorbet, BM Blush in Giddy Pink, and Bottom - BM samples in Beauty and Golden Gate; RIGHT: MAC Cream Blush in Sweet William, Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Peach Sation

MAC Shadow Palette: TOP - Scene, Brule, All That Glitters; BOTTOM - Knight, Woodwinked, Sable

All my lip products - I'm not going to list all of them, but the glass jar is a MAC Paint Pot in Girl Friendly (I love the color tapped on my lips lightly).  On top is a Wet N' Wild lipstick and a Sephora one, 2 ELF lip stains, 3 Menthol lip glosses from B&BW, a Kat Von D gloss, MAC glass, 2 BM Buxom glosses, a Smashbox gloss, and Urban Decay lip stain, and then a Maybellone gloss and 2 small Tarte glosses