I did it!

So, I had a goal that I set for myself a while ago. The goal was to lose 60 pounds by Christmas. So I cute my calories WAY back and gave up sugars and flours. I only shopped in the produce section of the grocery store. If it didn't grow on a tree or in the ground, I didn't eat it. No caffeine, no soda, just a minimum of a gallon of water a day. I literally had to put myself in a bubble and commit my life to this "diet" until Christmas. 

Well, I was able to do it successfully. Even through all the holidays, I never cheated or treated myself. I was 100% on target 100% of the time! 

Well, hard work and dedication paid off! (who knew?!  haha)

This is me before :

And this is me now:

SO what was my total weight loss at Christmas.....

80 POUNDS!!

That's right! I lost 80 pounds! 

I guess it turns out that when you put your mind to something, and totally commit yourself, then goals can be achieved, and in my case.... SURPASSED!

Caramel Apples!

Okay, so today was my very first attempt at making caramel apples. Well, actually I made Caramel and Chocolate covered apples with toffee bits! I can't tell you how they taste cause I was a good girl and didn't eat any, but they look amazing! It was pretty easy to do....actually, very easy.

To make 1 batch you need 5 unbruised granny smith apples, 1 package of caramels, 1 package of Heath Toffee Bits, 1 package of semi-sweet chocolates, and popsicle sticks. Then you need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that is lightly sprayed with pam.

They come with a wax coating on them that you will need to wash off. just use hot water and rub with a towel. A little trick I used was to gently sand them with sand paper. I know it sounds strange, but it will help the caramel stick to the apple. This is what the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory does. A friend actually called them to ask what they did to help the caramel stick to the apples. Well, I did it and I had no problems at all! Worked like a charm! (just rinse the apples after you use the sand paper!)

Next, take the stems out and push in the popsicle sticks. Stick them in about 1/2 way cause these suckers get heavy!

Melt the caramels over low/medium heat.

 Dip and roll your apples in the caramel. Shake off extra caramel and hold apple upside down for a minute to help set the caramel. This also helps with the caramel pooling when you set the apple on the parchment paper. 

Melt the chocolate plus 2 tsp of crisco.

Dip and roll the apples in the chocolate. Then quickly roll the apple in the toffee bits. This part got a little messy, so I have no pictures for the step.

Transfer the apples to the fridge to set up and harden! If you are giving as gifts, simply wrap in cellophane!

Another variety I would like to make is caramel, white chocolate, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over. Kinda like an apple pie!

It's Been A Looooooong Time

Okay, so I'm not the best with keeping up with things like this. What can I say....I have a toddler I am chasing around all day! Well, the little guy is down for his nap and I thought I would catch everyone up on the latest!

My daycare is going great. I am taking care of some AMAZING kiddos. I am watching 3 kids plus Aiden. The plan was to watch more kids, but taking care of 3 toddlers and 1 infant is a LOT! So for now I don't plan on taking any more kids. I thought Shawn would not be happy about the fact that I didn't want to add more kids, but he surprised me once again! He said, "Baby, you contribute so much to our family anyways. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. As long as you keep doing what you are doing, I am fine with it." Can I just hop on my pedestal and say, "I have the most amazing husband!!" I was worried that he would be hung up on the financial aspect of the situation, but he isn't.

Shawn and I have been attending a new church and we are very happy with it. Several month ago, my neighbor/friend called me to tell me that she would be leading a women's small group bible study and invited me to be a part of it. I have been waiting for this to come my way. I don't really know why I didn't actively seek a group on my own, but God led me to this group at the right time. I had called myself a christian but never walked in the light. I lived my life as a 'good person' thinking that was enough. It isn't enough. I was living my life in a selfish manner. It isn't MY life, it is HIS life. He gave it to me.  I am here as a vessel and I plan on living each day as just that. I am not going to hide who I am. I am a daughter of Christ!

Now, I last left off on this blog talking about losing weight. I must say that I failed miserably! That was in the beginning though. I am happy to announce that I have successfully lost 50 pounds! Let me just say that again, "I HAVE LOST 50 POUNDS!!!!" (Okay, I shouted it!) I just can't help myself! It feels amazing! I don't even know how to express it in words. Now I am going to be completely transparent: I literally was to the point where I had given up completely. I needed to just except myself as being fat cause it will never change. My mother was overweight, so I guess I will be too. Then one day I looked at my beautiful son and said to myself, "Enough is enough!" My husband deserves a wife that he can be proud of, but most importantly, my son deserves a mommy who is happy, healthy, and active. I need to be a good example for my son.  Just because it is 'in the genes' doesn't mean I have to fall victim to it. I can break the cycle by having a healthy relationship with food and teaching my son (and future kids) good and healthy habits.  So, for now I am continuing on this weight loss journey. My goal is to lose 75 pounds by Christmas morning. That is all the gift I need!

Well, that's it for now. I am going to try and grab a quick nap while Aiden is napping!

Why....HELLO!!!

Wow, it has been almost 3 months since I last posted! What can I say...life is busy! My daycare is officially open! 2 spots are filled and I am interviewing someone for a spot next week!  My first kiddo has already started with me. His name is Max and he is 15 months old. He has been such a blessing in my life.  He is such a good boy and he gets along so well with Aiden.  Aiden loves having him around too.  His mother works part-time so I have him only a couple days a week.  His mom and dad are so nice! I could not have asked for a better family to have as clients! 

I have also been busy planning Aiden's 1st birthday party. Those of you who know me know that I am going overboard with all the little details!  The theme is Mod Monkey!

Isn't is cute?!?! Well, I think so! Along with all of this cute stuff, I have a mod monkey pinata, I made water bottles with Mod Monkey lables, monkey piggy banks for favors with custom Mod Monkey 'thank you' stickers, I have ordered a loaf of blue bread and a loaf of yellow bread and will use a cookie cutter to make the slices round so i can make blue and yellow polka dot snadwiches, I am making banana bread for the favors for the parents with cute Mod Monkey tags, I made a fun Mod Monkey welcome door sign, my sister in law made him the CUTEST Mod Monkey shirt to wear, and I can go on and on! I know, I tend to get carried away with planning parties...you should have seen me plan my wedding!

I cannot believe that Aiden will be 1 on May 6th! Where did this year go? He is already taking steps!  Why cant he be a baby for a little bit longer? This past year has been the best year of my life! Aiden is my heart and soul! I love him like I have never loved anything or anyone before.  Watching him grow and learn is so much fun! I just wish I could freeze time, but I can't. He is growing so fast! I can remember this time last year like it was yesterday.  I was HUGE and miserable! I was pretty much living in the bathtub because I was so uncomfortable anywhere else. (I was begging Shawn for a pool.) I was not sleeping at all because I couldnt breathe and every bone in my nody hurt so bad.  Aiden was breech and I had decided to have him flipped to avoid a c-section. I was freaking out about the flipping proceedure. I was an emotion wreck, crying all the time.  I was so scared about getting the baby out of me. How painful would it be? I could barelt walk because my legs were so swollen. I remember taking a trip with shawn to Target and I hurt so badly I couldnt make it out of the store! Shawn literally dragged me out! HAHA! I was trying anything at that point to induce labor because I didnt want to be pregnant anymore! Now here we are a year later! Aiden is sound asleep in his crib and I am 60 pounds lighter! HAHA! Yep! I gained a heck of a lot of weight when I was preggers! It is amazing how much life has changed in the past year. I am a MOM! It just doesn't get any better than that!

Thursday Weigh Day!

Okay, so after my first week I only lost 1.5lbs. I have to be honest with myself though, I wasn't a strict as I should have been. I have to own all responsibility for that.  I did make some good choices though.  On Monday I went out with a girl friend for lunch.  I really wanted to order the angel hair pasta, or a club sandwich w/fries.  But I ordered a side salad with a vinigarette dressing with only veggies on it and a slice of pizza with pineapple and onions.  So my goal for this next week is to continue making even better food choices and also to get Aiden out in the jogging stroller at LEAST 3 times.  If you have any other tips or advice you would like to give me please leave a comment for me!  I will check back in next Thursday!

Total weight loss  -1.5lbs

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

So today I thought I would attempt to make homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time.  It was a LONG process, but they taste amazing! The website says the total time to make is 1hr 50 min, but it took me about 2 1/2-3 hrs! I used Paula Deen's recipe, so yes, there is a lot of butter. Since I am on my weight loss mission, I indulged in one and will be sending the rest of them with my husband tomorrow to take to his office for everyone to enjoy.  The recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html

Making the dough from scratch

Let the dough rise for 45 min.

Punch down and roll out the dough.

It says to roll into a rectangle, but this was as close as I could get.

Fill with butter, sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins.  I was sinful and doubled the filling!!!

Roll it up.

Cut into 1 1/2 in pieces.  Butter and sugar the bottom of the dish.

Fresh from the oven!

(my house smelled AMAZING!)

Yummy Icing!

The finished product! They are SO moist and devine!  Will definately make these for Christmas!

Etc...

Cupcakes inspired by NY's fashion week.

courtesy of http://www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/