FRIDAY FAVORITES

It's Friday!! This week just seemed to zip by. I am so looking forward to this weekend. We have had plans every weekend, and this is the first one in a while where it is just going to be C and I. We are heading out on a little mini road and shopping trip tomorrow and I am TOO excited about it!!

Speaking of exciting...I thought I would link up with a few blogs and share my favorites for this week!

NFL Memes

1. The Dallas Cowboys won (in overtime) Sunday!!! The first part of the game was a little iffy and I was feeling the stress. By the end of the game, I was bouncing off the walls.. SO intense...but so so so amazing. I am telling you...it's SO much more fun to be a fan when you are winning!! Added bonus? C's old boss is a huge Eagles fan...so he likes to give me a hard time. He was A LOT of talk all day Sunday but suspiciously quiet on Monday!! Ha. 

2. The CMA's were on Wednesday night and they were the best they have been in a while. I LOVED hearing a lot of the older music. It reminded me of my childhood. Here are my favorite looks for the night. I thought I would also share my favorite performances, but it ended up being like 10 so I'll just say again that it was awesome!! 

3. I will share my favorite new song though. Little Big Town performed it at the show the other night. It's so good. And, Taylor Swift wrote it!!

4. I finally painted my nails yesterday. They were looking pretty sad. I love the look of fresh nails but I HATE painting them. Even though the fall weather is still not quite here, I broke down and painted them a nice fall color. It's "flirt" by Sally Hansen. I also love using their base and quick-dry top coats.

5. I got this magazine a few weeks ago when I was sick, but I am just now going through it. Like everything else from Chip and Joanna, it's amazing. AND....we are going there next week!! My grandmother is a huge fan of the show and she has been wanting to go to the shop for a while. C and I went last year, but it was right before the silos opened, so we are excited to go back with her!!

Have a great weekend!!

[linking up with Momfessionals, The Farmer's Wife, and A.Liz Adventures]

FRIDAY FIVES

It's Friday!!!! I'm feeling lots better than I was yesterday, so I'm celebrating with a Friday Fives type of post. Linking up here, here, and here!

1. I'm still pretty pumped about hitting the 11 pounds lost mark. I have spent months getting as close to 10 pounds lost as possible...without actually losing 10 pounds. I was gaining and lose the same pound and half over and over and over.  I really do feel like this 31 days of blogging about weight loss has been SUPER helpful!! I've got a long, long way to go... but I've got my eye on 15 pounds... then 20 and so on. I can do this!!

2. The COWBOYS. Y'all. I am blogging about weight loss this month, so I haven't talked much about anything else. But, I can not go without celebrating the big win last week. We were watching all the pregame shows and everyone was picking Seattle. I was rolling my eyes all over the place. I mean, I was nervous... we were playing the Super Bowl champions. BUT... I just knew that we (and I use the word "we" like I am actually on the field. ha). could do it. And, we did! I may be crazy (go ahead and laugh) but I actually had tears in my eyes with that final interception that ended the game.

3. I am not domestic at all. Oh, I wish I was... and I love to dream about being a little homemaker. Maybe one day I will fulfill that dream, but now? Not so much. Anyway, I couldn't sleep the other night, and I was laying in bed thinking about food (ha!). I was craving vegetable soup so the next day I picked up everything from my late night made up recipe day dreaming. It turned out pretty good. Was a little bland... so next time, I might try more seasoning or something.

It was SUPER easy. I just browned some onions and bell pepper in pot (with olive oil). I sprinkled some garlic powder on them while they were cooking. Then I added a bag (frozen) each of: corn, french cut green beans, carrots and peas (these were in one bag together). I poured in about 3 cups of organic/low sodium veggie broth and added some diced red potatoes and a small can of tomato paste. Yum Yum.

4. I won a giveaway sweet Ryan was hosting. She has been SUCH a huge inspiration for me in the weight loss arena. She was giving away a couple of copies of  It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I have been tossing around the idea of doing Whole 30 for a while now. I tried to get the book at the library the other day and apparently lots of other people had the same idea... there were like 15 people ahead of me. The next week, I won a copy from Ryan! Yay. I got it this week and am several chapters in. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend and start next week!! Have y'all done a Whole 30? What did you think? Any recipes?

5. Speaking of next week, I am starting my first ever DietBet. Have you heard of this? You pay a fee (mine is $35) and then you have 4 weeks to lose 4% of your starting weight. If you achieve this, you split the pot of entry fees with everyone else who hit their goal. I'm SUPER excited. I think this will be a great motivator. I do like keeping my money!! Ha. If y'all want to join, email me and I will send you an invite to the bet I'm participating in. It starts Tuesday!

Have a great weekend y'all!!

FRIDAY FIVES

I keep seeing girls link up their 5 on Friday.  I used to link up to another one a while back, but it has been on hiatus for a while (just saw it's coming back next Friday!) . SO... I knew I'd have to jump in and join this one!

1. I debated skipping the blog-tember challenge today as well. The topic is great (how have you changed in the last year), and it is something I want to address... eventually...when I have a bit more time to think about that. But, I thought I would share just a little. If you don't know my story: the last 2 years have been the most difficult of my life. My dad was diagnosed with cancer and passed away 6 months later. Our sweet cat (who was basically my child!) passed away at the first of June this year, and three weeks later, my mother in law died rather suddenly. We've moved twice...with the majority of our belongings packed away in storage for over a year.  I've attempted to eat away ALL that sadness (which has only really succeeded in making me struggle with my weight even more). SO... I feel like I don't have anything positive to share for how I've changed in the last year.

Obviously, I do realize that I have changed over the last few years. The main thing that has stuck with me the last two years is that LIFE IS SHORT. It's here and then it's gone. I remember when my mother in law was in the hospital, C and I kept saying how quick this was all happening. It's like she was okay one day and the next, she wasn't. I don't wan't my "one day" to come too quick, ya know? I want to make sure I'm living, truly living, all of my days...so I don't have any regrets.

Of course, the "wanting" and "doing" part of my brain don't communicate well. So we are sort of stuck in a rut right now. Maybe next year, I will have amazing, inspiring, encouraging story of personal growth to share?!

2. On a lighter note... we are actually getting all of our stuff out of storage this weekend!! Hallelujah!! We have two dressers that we had bought right before we moved. I have big plans to refinish them and use one as a buffet in the dining room and one as a media cabinet. Here are some of the ideas I am loving (do y'all follow Noteworthy Home on facebook? You should!)

one/two/three/four

3. We need a new couch. We've had ours for 6 years...which doesn't seem like that long for a couch. I guess we got a new couch every 10 years or so growing up? I don't even remember!! But, it's showing some definite wear and tear. I don't want to spend the money on a new one, so I'm thinking about buying some foam and adding it inside our cushions. Has anyone done this? They are so flat right now!! I do know that the next time we buy a couch, we are going to spend a little bit more and get a really good quality one. I want a big leather one! I can't quit looking at these tufted ones.

top/bottom

4. The State Fair of Texas starts today! I haven't been in YEARS. But, my best friend's husband is performing there this weekend (The Commandant's Own). C and are going to try and get out there for a bit on Sunday! Charlie told me the other day that he has NEVER been to the fair. WHAT?!! He's so weird! Ha. After 14 years together, he still surprises me.

5. We managed to go for a walk the other day. I know. I should have told y'all to sit down before I revealed that. Ha. I hated every single second of it, but was so proud when we were done. Also... a 20 minute walk made sweat like crazy and I was actually sore afterwards. Proof positive that I have GOT to start doing more. A girl that graduated with my sister lost a bunch of weight after high school. She has been SUCH a huge inspiration to to me. And... I just found out that she is moving into the building around the corner this weekend!!! I'm going to try and talk her into making me skinny too! Ha.

Y'all have a great weekend!!