Love is Definitely In The Air!

And the winner is ... number 21!

The 21st comment was Denise

I'll email Denise and she will have 24 hours to respond.  Thank you everyone for entering!!!

So the royal wedding is officially behind us and tomorrow is the first day of May.  May 23^rd marks my first anniversary to D.  Although I have finally figured out his gift, I can’t write about it in case he reads my blog!  Suffice it to say, I’m sure he will love it.

He also keeps going on and on about how perfect his anniversary gift to me is.  I am a bit skeptical.  This is the same guy who bought me a welcome mat as a Valentine’s gift (his reasoning was I was going to move in May so it fit … I say it would have been a nice housewarming gift but not very romantic!).

I am sure many of my readers have been in the same position.  For the month of May I am hosting a series of giveaways in honor of my anniversary.  I say if you want a piece of jewelry, you shouldn’t have to wait until your partner gets it for you!  With that in mind, I started looking through Etsy stores for something that looked romantic and would be appropriate for an anniversary-themed giveaway.  And I found Brass and Chain.

I was immediately drawn to her flower rings and thought they would be perfect! They are super cute but also romantic (in my opinion).  You can only imagine how thrilled I was when Jennifer, from Brass and Chain, agreed to offer one of her flower rings to one of my readers!  I was so curious about what inspires her and decided to ask.

How did you start making jewelry?

My family has always valued handmade crafts. As a child, my home was filled with handmade treasures from various family members. Keeping with the family tradition, I began giving handmade stocking stuffers for Christmas every year. One year I decide to make beaded bracelets for all the women on my list. My bracelets become an instant hit and soon I began getting requests for different types of jewelry. From there I just never stopped creating, experimenting, and learning about different ways to make jewelry.

Why brass jewelry?

The inspiration for my pieces comes from a love of all things vintage and my love for nature. Brass has a beautiful natural color and an awesome antique quality. I love to take something old and breathe new life back into it. Gold and silver are everywhere, brass reminds me of a time when not everything came from a department store. My favorite pieces to create are items that combine brass with other lost and forgotten antiques that I find in local shops, like sheet music and maps.

Why not get something for yourself?  It doesn’t have to be your anniversary.  Or don’t forget Mother’s day is right around the corner.  I am sure your mother would love one of Jennifer’s pieces!!  Make sure you check out some of her other pieces including jewelry made from vintage maps! So creative.

I can’t quite decide which flower ring is my favorite.  Doesn’t matter what I would pick though since the winner gets to pick one of the flower rings.  For some reason I am really drawn to the light pink flower.  I love how you can see the detail.  

I think this light pink is my favorite







                                                 











WIN IT!

I am thrilled that one lucky reader will win their choice of flower ring!  Jennifer has agreed to ship worldwide!  If your email is not visible on your profile it must be included in one of the comments. 

HERE’S HOW TO WIN!

MANDATORY ENTRY (1 Entry):

•  Visit Brass and Chain’s Etsy Store and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.

EARN MORE ENTRIES! You may do any or all of these in any order.

Leave a separate comment for each entry completed!

• 1 Entry: Follow IDoTheeWedSara publicly on Google Friend Connect
• 1 Entry: Make Brass and Chain's Etsy Store a favorite
• 1 Entry: Like IDoTheeWedSara on Facebook
• 1 Entry: Like Brass and Chain on Facebook
• 1 Entry: Follow IDoTheeWedSara on Twitter
• 1 Entry: Follow Brass and Chain on Twitter
• 1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway and include #brassandchaingiveaway (maximum 3x/day and leave a comment here each time)
• 5 Entries: Blog about this giveaway (one time).  Include blog post in your comment below.

Giveaway ends Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 4:00pm EST.  Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 24 hours to respond to my email or another winner will be selected. 

Delezhen Giveaway Winner!

Our Delezhen Jewelry giveaway ended today and we have a winner!

Using Random.org the comment number 26 was chosen!

And that makes the winner:

Gin for being a follower on GFC!!

I'm going to email Gin so she can get her pair of earrings!  Thanks to all who entered!

In honor of my anniversary that is in May, I have more giveaways lined up for the month of May!

It Has to be Someone

There is always that person when you go to a training.  You know who I mean.  The person who always raises her hand to ask questions.  The person who knows the answers before you.  The person who corrects the instructor and/or calls him on any errors.

Yea ... I was totally that person yesterday.  BUT I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE!!!

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

The trainer was very energetic and lively.  He handed out toys to anyone who participated.  Although I was not on board with 100% of what he said, he did a great job.  When we was going through his power point presentation he had written "who's problem is it."  I just couldn't stand it!  I do not always use perfect grammar.  I don't.  But I try.  (I have to write another post about this but for now, we're getting off topic!).

Anyways.  I noticed this really big mistake.  Now I might be that person but I'm not THAT person meaning I am not going to correct him in front of the entire class!  There was another error that someone else pointed out.  In public.  In front of everyone else.  Whatever.

So before lunch I went up to him to show him the mistake.  He was really appreciative.  And said he wants me to point out other mistakes.

HE SAID IT!!!

So ... I did.  I found two more mistakes, or really the same mistake twice.  I hesitated whether to tell him or not.  But I did.  He promised he was glad I told him.  I'm doubtful.

There was also an exercise he had us do that made no sense.  Truly, no sense.  And he kept being his animated self without explaining.  Everyone at my table kept whispering how confused they were ... but no one spoke up.

Well finally I did.  Yes I might be that person, but something it is because of other people!

I am the person to tell you when you have toilet paper on your shoe, food in your teeth, a run in your hose, your zipper open (this has led to LOTS of uncomfy situations), etc.  You may be annoyed by me...but secretly aren't you glad I'm here? 

And please, if you see me make a mistake or have food in my teeth ... TELL ME!

A Death in the Family

Let me back up ...

When D grew up, his parents never let him have a pet.  This is something I don't agree with and wanted to change as soon as possible.  I grew up with a dog and loved the experience.  Unfortunately, we currently live in an apartment building that doesn't allow pets, so my dream/desire/need/wish for a dog will have to wait.  But I was still determined to give D a pet.

So we got fish.  Serpae tetras to be exact.  At first we had three.  They all had a line and I named them Edgar, Allen and Poe.  Then we go another line-less serpae tetra who we named Eduardo.  We then got one that looked like a punk rocker so D named him Ramone (I am not as concerned with my fish's safety so I am using their full names).  Lastly we got Louie.  Ramone was the only one D named.

A few months ago, Edgar died.  We were sad, but he was the biggest of the 6 and a bully so we secretly thought it best for him to pass away.  Then either Allen or Poe (hard to tell w/o the others to compare in size!) died.  That left us with four.

For the past few weeks, Ramone has not been looking so good.  Like really not good.  Like there have been multiple times that D thought he was dead.

Today I got a phone call at work.  D was near tears...Ramone was almost dead. We were worried that the other fish would eat him so D moved him to another container.  Since he was so upset, I said we could bury Ramone in one of the hosta plants as fertilizer and to wait until I got home.

I was so sad for D.  Personally, I'm not happy about losing a fish but I'm not going to really mourn its loss (is that bad??).  But D was crushed so I wanted to be supportive.

So when he called back a few hours later I thought for sure Ramone had died.  Instead the conversation goes something like this:

D: {static} "... at the liquor store and P (the guy who recommends beer to D) mentioned this beer he has..."
S: "Wait, is this phone call about beer or fish?"
D: "Beer."
S: "Then I don't have time to talk."

It's Spring!

So I mentioned that yesterday D and I did some “gardening” which on our little patio doesn’t amount to a whole lot. Now you may be confused why I, the woman who hates bugs more than life itself, would voluntarily, go outside.  Outside, where there are bugs! Well I’ll tell you … it just felt like spring.

Not too long ago it was snowing. And cold. And icky outside.  Now while this is usually my preferred season, I love when spring first comes.  Those first few days and that first warm weekend when I’ve tricked myself into forgetting how warm summer is going to be and can just enjoy being outside.

It also reminds me of D’s and my wedding and all the events coming up this time of year.  Next month D and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary.  And like most newlyweds, we still have not made our wedding album.  When we got married all I wanted was the rights to our photos so we could make our own albums.  And obviously that hasn’t happened.  Taking a look at Shutterfly’s website options for photobooks

I think it is about time to do just that!  The prices are really amazing and the quality looks amazing.

So of course that got me thinking about what other things I could get on the shutterfly.com website.  My sister and brother just celebrated their birthday Saturday (yes, they are twins and no they are not identical, though you wouldn’t believe how often I get that question!).  Last month my sister’s fiancé threw her a surprise party.  He should have looked for birthday invitations.  My sister would have loved this invitation:

 Yes the image shows an invitation for a 3rd birthday.  But I know my sister would have loved it!

 And of course Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  I was looking at what my options are since I still haven’t bought Mother’s Day cards for my mom, D’s mom, or D’s grandma. (I also buy for a friend’s mother but I’ll explain that another day).  I think this would be my mom’s favorite:

 

She’d love a picture of her three kids.  (And seriously, how cute are that boy and girl??)

Do you have a blog? Do you want a chance to win 50 free cards from Shutterfly? Sign up for a chance to win! 

This blog was sponsored by Shutterfly.  All opinions, as always, are my own.

We're Adults Now...

As a Passover gift, D's parents offered to buy us some flowers.  In the alternative, they said we could spend money on plants.  Which is what we did!

Yesterday, D and I went to Home Depot.  I requested flowers with some color, D wanted perennials so we wouldn't have to replant every year.

Now as a background, when D and I moved in last year our upstairs neighbors were moving out.  They were a cool couple so we were sad to see them go.  But, as a parting gift, they offered us some of their plants.  Three plants of hosta plants and two empty planters.  D and I kept intending to buy plants for the two empty planters but of course, that never happened.  D was in charge of the plants and did a really good job watering them and keeping them healthy.

And then he left for a few weeks to go on a research trip.  Leaving me in charge.  Of the plants.  (And the fish, but they all survived!).  Suffice it to say ... leaving me in charge of watering plants (outside ... where there are bugs!) did not go so well.

My green thumb is lethal!

But we had his parent's promise of some money and wanted to use it to finally fill those two planters.  Now because we live in an apartment building we don't get great light so we can't support many flowers.  But I still wanted something colorful. 

We looked around at the perennials and decided on the lilies.  I actually went outside and helped D plant what we purchased, much to his surprise!  They are really pretty and when in full bloom will be a beautiful addition to our garden!

Picture of the lilies ... taken from inside the house!

It was very difficult to pick what we wanted for our second pot.  However, because we don't get much sunlight that was sort of decided for us:

Parsley! One of my fav herbs

So now our garden is complete ... and ready for D to take care of! ;)  I get credit for helping though!!

Isn't it lovely?

Allow me to offer a key of the above picture.  From the left: hosta plant, parsley, hosta plant, tiny tomato plant (that we bought in the dollar store ... I don't have much faith), lilies and another hosta plant.

Our porch/patio is complete :)

I'd love to see pictures of your gardens!  Seeing all the plants available in Home Depot made me very excited for when we have a house and get due some real landscaping.  And by that I of course mean I can hire someone to do it.  Because the ground/dirt will have worms and other creepy crawlies ;)

Make sure you enter my current giveaway!

My Favorite Color is Blue ...

My new secret (or formerly secret since I’m now blogging about it!) obsession is Etsy.  I love looking at people’s stores and marveling at everyone else’s creativity.  Although I can think creatively (in my humble opinion) I almost never can create something that looks even half way decent.

One of the first Etsy stores I found (and of course fell madly in love with!) was Delezhen. 

There was something about her jewelry that stood out.  I loved the bright colors and uncomplicated nature of her designs.  Although I admire people who are able to wear clunky, heavy jewelry, I am not one of those people. Simplicity is more my personal style (much to my sister’s chagrin after spending a small fortune on a Pandora-esque necklace only to have me remove 2/3 of the charms!!!).  But that doesn’t mean I don’t love beautiful things!

I was also impressed with Masha, the owner and creator of Delezhen.  I noticed on her Facebook page that her boyfriend was a big influence on her current venture.  I wanted to know some more about what got her started.

HOW DID YOU START DESIGNING JEWELRY?

I started doing jewelry design when I was in college and fell in love with creating colorful pieces that were feminine and delicate.  I sold mostly to family friends and wedding parties and enjoyed so much being a part of those wonderful celebrations.

WHAT MADE YOU SWITCH FROM PART TIME TO FULL TIME?

About two years ago while working as a web designer I began taking evening classes at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and learned how to make rings.  At the end of last year, I discovered Etsy while looking for gifts for a friend’s birthday and decided that I would try to sell my jewelry online.  Very soon after that I realized that I could no longer balance a full time job and my Etsy business.  I would leave for work at 8am and get home at 8pm and then stay up until 3am making orders and answering emails.  My boyfriend, seeing how overwhelmed I started to become encouraged me to quit my day job and try to make jewelry full time.  I’ve never looked back. :)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT DESIGNING JEWELRY?

What I love most about what I do now is corresponding with people, especially brides who are picking jewelry for their wedding parties. Their excitement is contagious and receiving photographs of all their friends in dresses and wearing my jewelry is an absolute gift. I have had so much positivity and encouragement from people that I just can’t imagine doing anything else with my day. I try to make my collections seasonal and nothing inspires me more than the spring. I walk around parks and botanical gardens and find color combinations that I then bring into my work.

Imagine how thrilled I was when Masha agreed to a giveaway and to send me a pair of her earrings to review.  I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to receive these earrings!! 

Image Courtesy of www.etsy.com/shop/delezhen

Aren’t these beautiful??  I should confess, I was at least partially drawn to these earrings because they are blue (my all time favorite color!) although a slightly brighter shade than shown.

I was so thrilled to receive the package from Masha that I started tearing it open.  Then I stopped once I saw the packaging.  The box the earrings came in was so pretty I had to take a picture.

Isn't it lovely?

Gorgeous shade in person!

And opened up the box to find such pretty packaging I had to take a picture of that as well!

I mean come on, there are even stickers with her name on it!  Lovely!

And the earrings themselves (I know this is taking a long time but I was so impressed with the packaging!):

And again, a little tag with her name. I’m just too impressed.

Enough about the packaging (which really is important especially if you want to send any of her items as a gift!).  Now as for the actual earrings—they are even prettier in person which is hard to imagine I'm sure.

I was a little worried about hosting an earring giveaway as I have had trouble in the past with wearing earrings.  I have very sensitive ears and was worried I would have problems wearing these earrings.  Since receiving the earrings about a week ago, I have worn them each day (I literally haven’t taken them off except to shower/sleep!) and have had zero (nada, zilch) problems with my ears.  I have been so happy with these earrings!!  (I’m even wearing them as I write about this giveaway!)

Be sure to check out Delezhen’s store and pick something up.  Mother’s day is right around the corner!  Maybe mom would like a piece of jewelry.  (Or maybe you can drop the hint that you'd like something!)

WIN IT!

I am thrilled that one lucky reader will win a pair of these earrings!  You must include your email address with each comment!  If you don’t include your email address your comment will be deleted!

HERE’S HOW TO WIN!

MANDATORY ENTRY (1 Entry):

• Visit Delezhen’s Etsy store and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.

EARN MORE ENTRIES!  You may do any or all of these in any order.  Leave a separate comment (with your email address) for each entry completed.

• 1 Entry: Follow IDoTheeWedSara publicly on Google Friend Connect
• 1 Entry:  Like Delezhen on Facebook and leave a comment (you still need to comment here!)
• 1 Entry: Like IDoTheeWedSara on Facebook and leave a comment (you still need to comment here!)
• 1 Entry: Make Delezhen's Etsy store a favorite!
• 1 Entry: Follow IDoTheeWedSara on Twitter
• 1 Entry: Tweet about this giveaway including #delezhengiveaway (maximum 3x/day and leave a comment here each time)
• 3 Entries: Blog about this giveaway (one time). Include blog post link in your comment.

Giveaway ends Friday, April 29, 2011 at 9:30pm EST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 24 hours to respond to my email to claim their prize before another winner is chosen.  I was provided with a pair of Silver Plated Brush Textured Calla Bead with a Blue Quartz drop Earrings for purposes of this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Happy Birthday

My dad's mother was one of six kids.  My grandma, who is deceased, was 40 when she gave birth to my dad.  (Neat little side story for another post!).  She died in 2001 a few months shy of her 89th birthday. Pretty impressive.

Today is her "baby" sister's birthday.  Her sister, my Great Aunt A, turned 96 years old today.  Yes, 96.  A breast cancer survivor for 45+ years and a widow for 30+ years, my Great Aunt A is amazing.  She still lives in her own apartment and walks every day.  Today when I talked to her I mentioned again that I live very close by and can get her something.  She politely said no, she'd rather just walk to the store herself.

It truly is amazing.   Her mental capacity is on point about 95% of the time.  Every once in a while she mixes up dates/lengths of time.  That's it.  Otherwise, she is a healthy, independent 96 year old.

Today she told me the best thing about her life ... being independent.

Even though she doesn't drive (and never has) she can walk to the store.  And loves the freedom that gives her.

My opinions on age and functional abilities have changed over time.  However, if I were as healthy and had such a good memory as her, I would live forever.

(Now the funniest thing, in my opinion, is that tomorrow my Great Aunt A is going to start saying she's almost 97.  Once you reach a certain age, much like when you're little, you're always the next age.  I kinda figure if you live 96 years, you get to do that!)

Source www.freeimages.co.uk

(Not so) Fit and Fabulous Friday

This post won't be long because I'm heading out the door to work ... and I'm not exactly thrilled with my progress.

I still have not called my doctor (ugh).  I truly intended to and then 4 straight days of cooking/cleaning leading up to 2 seders I got busy (you think?).  But then I noticed my heal felt better.  Maybe I could start working out again! Maybe I didn't need to go to the doctor's after all.  Until my 4 hours in the car yesterday to and from a meeting.  By the time I got home, my heal was killing me.  Although it's feeling ok now, I am scared to work out.  I really need to call that doctor!  I truly think had I been working out I would not have gained this week.

And then there was (and still is!) Passover.  This weekend I did ok.  I wasn't stellar but had I continued on that path I think I would have done fine.  But then Monday night started Passover (it goes until Tuesday night next week so I'm nervous about next week's weigh in as well!).  I knew starting a weight loss/healthy plan right before Passover wasn't my best idea.  But I wanted to do it and the opportunity presented itself ... so I did.  If I'm honest with myself, I didn't eat too badly at the seders (think HUGE Thanksgiving style meal, and then another one the following night).  My biggest problem with Passover is the snacking/desserts.  Because it is a holiday where basically you limit what you can eat, you feel "entitled, allowed, justified" to eat a lot of snacks/desserts.  This is not good.  And this needs to change!  I am being honest and will truly try to do better between now and Tuesday night.  But being totally truthful, I'm not sure how well that is going to go. 

So now for the numbers:

Weight Lost This Week: +1.8 lbs

Weight Lost Since Fit & Fabulous Fridays Began:  1.4 lbs (not good!)
Weight I Need to Lose for First Goal: 26.6lb

How was your week?  

A Very Basic Passover Primer

I was asked to write about Passover for those who don't know.  (I hope no one is offended by any of this.)  So this is a very basic explanation and not 100% accurate explanation about Passover.  (For more detailed information please click here.)

Many many years ago, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.  G-d spoke to Moses in a burning bush and eventually he (along with his brother Aaron) went to ask Pharoah to "let my people go."  Pharoah of course said no and so G-d unleashed ten plagues on the Egyptians.  The final plague was the death of the first born where Jews marked their doors so their homes were "passed over" and their first born children lived.  (Get it ... Passover ... passed over??)  Pharoah was so upset that he finally said the Israelites could leave.

Now this was not exactly a full endorsement and rightly so, Moses was scared Pharoah would renig.  So the Israelites left very quickly and didn't have enough time to let their bread rise.  (In the end Pharoah did change his mind, sent his people out after them and G-d drowned them in a river.)

Passover is 8 days (7 if you are reform or live in Israel) where we remember the time when we were slaves and now that we are free.  To remember, we are permitted to eat only certain foods on Passover (some people already keep it more strictly but I am explaining the basics here).

For me, we can't have what is called chametz.  Basically, that means no grains, breads, pastas, etc.  We eat lots of matzah in place of some of these items.  It makes for interesting cooking/eating for 8 days. 

Some other off limit items: corn; corn syrup; beans; peanuts; pizza; bread; pasta; waffles; pancakes; cakes; cupcakes; lasagna; etc.  Just to be clear, some of these items have Kosher for Passover variations.

Like I said, this is a very basic explanation.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me or leave a comment.  I'll do my best to explain!

Aren't We All Looking for Friendship??

Today I attended a training in Western Maryland (think 1.5+ hour drive depending on traffic).  I arrived early and sat at a table near the front (no I am not just a goody-goody, I was presenting at the end of the conference and thought it appropriate to sit at the front).  Only a few other brave souls, including J, ventured to sit at the table with me.

One woman, J, was very sweet and I swear she is me in 30 years.  Anyway, it approached lunch time and J asked me "so where are we going for lunch?" Which was very sweet ... except it's Passover ... so I had to pack a lunch.  Which I apologetically told her.  She wound up getting something and bringing it back (she even ate the corn bread in the car so as not to eat bread in front of me -- very thoughtful!)

But it got me thinking. When I would start at a new school, what was my primary concern? Not would my teachers like me, not how well would I do, not whether I was wearing the correct clothes (if you know me, that is never, ever my concern). No my concern on that first day was always who would I eat lunch with.

I think deep down we all just want to be liked.  None of us wants to look pathetic or a loser (too obvious a statement)? And I think this woman who is slowly approaching 60 is no different than I was in that regard when I was in elementary school.

'image: www.freeimages.co.uk'

When you get down to it, is that really such a horrible thing?  Wanting to be liked? I would have loved to join her for lunch, and if I see her at another training will gladly do so!

Thoughts?

A Perfect Meal ... or not according to my brother!

Yesterday I was wonder woman/sister/wife.  Allow me to explain.

For those who didn't know/don't observe so why would you know, last night started Passover.  A holiday remembering the exodus from Egypt and when the Israelites were freed from slavery.  Each year to commemorate, we have two seders.  Last night was the first.

Now backing up for a minute.  During past holidays that I've hosted, I usually cook food early, freeze it and then reheat/thaw it for the meal.  In hindsight, this allows me to break up the cooking so I'm not quite as zombie-ish at the end of the day.  But I digress.

What usually happens though is all that perfectly cooked and super yummy food doesn't taste as good reheated AND nothing is every warm on time.  Ever.  So this year I decided to try something new.  To cook everything so that it was all ready for dinner time.

I made a few things before hand, but only things that could be served cold (like the salmon, gefilte fish and cole slaw).  I also made the matza balls on Sunday but those get reheated in the soup so no biggie.

Since I only have one oven (serious dream here is in the future a home with TWO ovens, correction, two SELF-CLEANING ovens since my current oven isn't self-cleaning either) I had to figure out a way to cook the brisket in the slow cooker.  And I did! (If you want any recipes for food I mention here just let me know, I'm not going to post any).

So all day Sunday I prepped a few items (mainly the roasted veggies) and cooked the few things.  Yesterday was a marathon day where I was cooking, prepping the potatoes, realizing my boxed potato kugel wouldn't be big enough and winging a full size kugel, all the while setting the table.  Yes, just any other day.

(Now I have to add or he'll be upset that D did help with the cleaning yesterday, all the while complaining he gets the crappy jobs.  It's true.  But I can't cook and clean simultaneously.  The apartment still isn't clean enough in my opinion but too bad at this point.)

Also, yesterday is what is called the fast of the firstborn.  D and I are both firstborns meaning we are supposed to fast.  However, if you do some Jewish studying, you can be exempted.  So that meant getting our tushes to synagogue at 7am so that we wouldn't have to fast yesterday.

AND, for those who also follow me on twitter, my sister had surgery last week.  She's home and slowly recuperating, but it will take a few weeks.  Her fiance had to work (he'd taken time off last week) so he couldn't be at home all day with her.  My mother would have been willing but she has MS and doesn't have the strength to lift my sister.  So I naturally volunteered.  I was pleasantly surprised how well it went.  My sister was a very thoughtful guest and there was no fighting between us.  (Today she is going to the doctor's office to remove some of the bandages and then her fiance is bringing her here again for the afternoon).

So my yesterday was cooking, some cleaning (thanks D!), setting the table, praying/studying early EARLY am, prepping some dishes, washing and rewashing the same kitchen tools, all to have a perfectly timed out meal.

And you know what, it all worked out.  All of the food was ready at the same time (even if there was a slight delay for someone running a bit tardy ;)) and everyone kept assuring me it all tasted great.  Someone (for his safety I won't even identify the first letter of his name!) said my brisket was better than his grandmother's brisket.  You have to understand ... that's almost like blasphemy!

[I say not according to my brother because as usual, he had to complain about something. He can't ever just compliment me!  This time the first complaint is that the charoset is dry.  D was very sweet and made some kind of comment standing up for me.  I love him!]

The only thing I didn't do was make any dessert.  I am more of a cook than a baker and on Passover what you can bake gets very interesting.  In years past I haven't asked my siblings to bring anything but they are almost 25, it's time to start contributing! Now before you get upset that I made my sister post-surgery bring something, I did discuss it with her before surgery and it was her fiance who brought something.

All in all it was a delicious meal.  That I am now going to go replicate.  Wish me luck!

What cooking/hosting tips do you use?

Lunch and a Baby??

Almost every single friend I've made via blogging is virtual. I don't know these amazing women (and some men!) in person...though some day I hope to meet some of them! However, there is one person I do know in real life. Her name is Beth and she's the mommy/blogger at measamommy.com. (If you haven't already fallen in love with her blog, go! I'll wait ;)).

Anyway.  Beth and I were friendly in high school though not really friends (I think Beth would agree with that description...).  With the advent of Facebook, we became "virtual" friends!  I noticed a little over a year ago she had a blog and started reading.  I was envious and secretly wanted one as well.  But didn't do much about it.

A few months ago, I started thinking about it more and discussed it with D.  I decided I too wanted a blog.  But I wasn't a mommy yet, or even a mommy-to-be, so I figured I would have to wait.  But D encouraged me to start a blog and I did.  I credit D and Beth with starting my blog.

Beth has been a huge support to me in giving me suggestions and passing opportunities my way (and even forgiving me when she didn't know who I was and broke all sorts of twitter etiquette rules).  I'm still waiting for the moment where she just throws her hands up and says, "Ok Sara, I'm done."  Though she's assured me that will never happen ... we'll see ;)

So imagine how thrilled I was when she suggested we get lunch! I was so excited to meet A (her hubby) and her kids (M and TNB ... her daughter's name also starts with an A so as not to confuse people she calls her The New Baby ... hence TNB!)  (Ok ... is it just me or does it sound like I have a blogger crush on her. Super creepy and unintentional!)

So today the six of us met up for lunch. Most people don't completely look like their pictures. Not Beth and family.  I'm talking identical.  It's remarkable.  I think except for the shade of her hair she looks IDENTICAL to how she looked in high school.  Color me jealous! 

We had a great time (and even got free ice cream!).  M was a bit shy but slowly warmed up and TNB slept peacefully the entire time :)  It was so nice meeting A and re-meeting Beth after so many years.

And of course, in addition to talking about blogging ... we started talking about babies.  And now, I seriously want one.  Or maybe four (D and I disagree, he wants 2, I want 4).  Twins run in my family.  My hope is my first kid is NOT a twin otherwise it will be really difficult to convince D to try to get pregnant again!

But we're not trying ... yet.  Though seeing Beth (and A lol) with their two kids seriously makes me want a kid ... NOW!

Fit and Fabulous Friday!

A few days ago, a blogger friend of mine, Kimberly at Mama’s Monologues wrote a post about wanting to make a lifestyle change.  I wrote a comment suggesting we team up to support each other – strength in numbers!  Another blogger friend, Kari over at A Reynolds-Fletcher Merger mentioned she wanted to participate as well.  And Fit and Fabulous Friday was born!

On Tuesday, I wrote about my most recent journey with a healthier lifestyle.  It was amazing how quickly the support made a difference.  The same night we agreed to do this, I had planned to finish the port wine cheese and Ritz crackers that will be prohibited once Passover starts on Monday.  But I resisted.  Why you ask? Because I didn’t want to log a gain during the first mini-week of our new group! (I say mini-week because we decided Tuesday to start doing this and today is Friday!).

Now on and off I have been using Weight Watchers.  When I used it before the wedding when no one else knew about it, it was amazingly successful.  I am thinking about starting to track food again but haven’t completely decided.  That said, my big goals for this mini-week, and my big lifestyle goals are to work on portion control (hello: I’m an American!) and minimizing snacking.  [Funny story: I went to visit my husband’s family in Canada.  We stopped in Tim Hortons, think Dunkin Donut’s Canadian cousin, and I ordered a small coffee.  I did a double take when I got my small.  For an American it was a kiddie size.  Big wakeup call!]

So this mini-week went pretty well.  I had very minimal in between meal snacking.  I am a late night snacker.  Always have been and probably always will be, so I need to accommodate my daily eating choices around that.

I still didn’t make a doctor’s appointment (hanging head in shame) and walking still hurts so I didn’t work out.  Though today I did park on the 4^th floor of the parking garage that doesn’t have an elevator … mini brownie point?

Our weigh in day is Friday morning.  I think my schedules are slightly different than my compatriots.  Although I will be weighing myself first thing in the morning, I will probably not get to post the blog until late at night.  My Fridays usually consist of me leaving the house around 8am and heading to work.  Officially I get off at 5pm … this almost never happens.  Today is was 6pm.  Then D and I go to my parent’s house for Friday night dinner.  THEN we come home and I get a chance to blog.  I try to be really good about not blogging at work.  (Though I’ll probably keep posting a mini “holding the space blog” just so I can keep a high number spot in case others join us!)

Now I know I weighed myself last week.  And I know that the number on the scale this morning was lower than the number from last week.  But I cannot remember with 100% certainty what that number was.  So I logged back into Weight Watchers to see when I last officially recorded my weight…March 18^th.  So my “progress” is being reported from that point until now…

Weight Lost This Week Thus Far: 3.2 lbs

Weight Lost Since Fit & Fabulous Fridays Began: 3.2 lbs
First Goal: Lose 24.8 lbs to reach last recorded weight before wedding day!

(I am going to do one goal at a time.  First right now this is my goal.  When…not if!....I reach it, I’ll make a new goal!)

How was your week?  We’d love to hear about it!  This isn’t just about pounds but about lifestyle choices! Have you recently gotten healthier?? What are you doing differently??

**This isn’t just for the three of us.  If you want to join please go to Kimberly’s page and join the linky! It’s all about support … no judgment!  Notice that only one of us is posting the actual weight.  I’m just posting numbers lost.  All welcome!*

Honesty Isn't Always the Best Policy

Always tell the truth.  Speak up. Tell what you think.  Don't hold things in.  A good friend is honest.

Any of this sound familiar?  In some situations it's a great idea.  And in others it does not work.

For instance, what do you do when your friend is dating someone you loathe?  More often than not, you do nothing!

I remember when I was dating an ex-bf.  I'd introduced him to friends and asked that they tell me what they thought.  All but one person said he was great, wonderful, nice, cute, etc.  One friend a little while into the relationship said "well...if you love him..."  After this individual and I parted ways, I told these same friends who had met him.  Know what one of them said? "Oh good, so I can stop pretending I like him now?"

I had told her to be honest when she met him.  I had begged her to tell me what she really thought (ok in hindsight I think I knew something was "wrong" with him and needed validation to dump him).  And she didn't.  I wasn't mad but wished she had been honest.

But isn't that hypocritical of me?  I have been and am currently in the exact same position for at least three different relationships (that immediately come to mind ... there may be others).  One couple is just dating, one is engaged and one is married.

In all three I dislike the guy to some degree.  Now I fully acknowledge I can be very tough on friend's significant others.  I know this about myself.  But I can like significant others as well.  So it isn't an automatic hatred.

But I can't say anything.  I can't say, "please don't marry him, he's a prick...." or "be honest with yourself, you aren't that into him..." or "your boyfriend is an a**hole."

Ok so that last one sounds harsh.  Except, the first time I met him, I hadn't seen my friend for over a year.  He knew this.  They'd driven 10 hours to visit his family and met up with me.  And he was an a@@.  So much in fact, that my friend had to apologize for his behavior.  She promised me he wasn't usually like that and he was just exhausted.  Call me skeptical but I believed her.  About a year later we saw each other again.  He was again, just as pleasant.  But I keep silent.

Are we being good friends or bad friends?  Probably bad friends, but we all know that honesty could cost us the friendships.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2125

Have you ever been in a similar situation?  What did you do?

Strength in Numbers?

Blogging is an interesting experience.  You wind up becoming "friends" with people who you've never met.  And realistically, may never meet.  And yet, these bloggers become your support, they become your strength, they become your resource and they become your friends.

I got engaged May 10th, 2009.  A few weeks after I got engaged I went wedding dress shopping.  I didn't want to lose weight for my dress.  Instead I found a dress I really liked at my current weight.  In July, I secretly signed up for Weight Watchers.  In some ways keeping it a secret helped.  There was no added pressure.  And for the first time, it really worked.  I lost about 25 pounds (one week I got very sick and was down 30 lbs but quickly gained those back).  I was working out 3 times a week and loving it.  (Though my dad didn’t like how much money it cost to alter the dress to fit!)

I lived with my parents and they were great about buying the food I wanted even without realizing I was trying to lose weight.  I managed to fit back into jeans I hadn't been able to wear since college.  Once again I could wear (not that I had the occasion) my high school senior prom dress.  I still wanted to lose more, but I was happy with what I had accomplished.

Not to sound too melodramatic ... but then I got married.

Now I love being married and I love my hubby.  But my parent’s house was literally a 2 minute drive from the gym.  And it didn't matter if I came home at 8pm and fixed dinner.  Once we got married, I felt guilty being away from D for such long periods of time.  Whenever I did go to the gym, or said I wanted to, he was always supportive.  But I know eating dinner at 8:30/9pm was not his preference.  I know he didn't like that.  And I know that staying home all day alone working on his dissertation, he didn't like me being gone even more hours.  So I stopped going.

But those are probably just excuses.  After not working out for a while, it became difficult to get back into it.  And with that, of course I started eating more (nasty little coincidence).  And slowly but surely the weight came back. I’d find my resolve for one week and loose a few pounds. But then would slip again.  I don’t know why I couldn’t find that motivation again.

Yesterday I read a post from one of my blogging friends who had found her motivation.  So I decided to offer to be a support.  The thought being possibly by helping each other we could be successful.  A second blogging friend saw the messages and wanted to join.  If you want to join, let us know! I think this is kind of a “the more the merrier” thing.

So now there are three of us.  One of my very talented blogging friends, @MamaMuro is going to create a linky so you can follow all three of our stories.  Each Friday we’ll “weigh in.”  Now I don’t know about my compatriots, but I will not be posting my actual weight.  I weighed myself last Friday and will be using that as a gauge.  I will post losses (and hopefully no gains!) in a total number format.  We're hoping that by motivating each other we are actually able to become healthier and stick to our changes in lifestyle! Though we all want to lose weight (and each have a slightly different ideal number of pounds to lose) this is really about more than that. This is about changing our lifestyle.

Now one of the hardest things with doing something like this is not excusing failure ahead of time.  For two of us, Passover starts next week.  For those who don’t know, this can easily be one of the unhealthiest holidays around for Jewish people.  A piece of matzah is equal to THREE slices of bread! Eggs and oil are in everything to allow for even a modicum of good taste.  And it lasts for eight days.  My plan to not allow a complete slacking off is to eat Passover food but work on portion sizes!

My other “pre-excuse” is a legitimate one I need to address.  A few weeks ago (when I went to court for those who regularly read my blog!) my heel started to hurt.  Pretty much since then it has continued to hurt.  I have put off going to the doctor simply for lack of reason and being too busy.  Until I go to the doctor I can’t work out. Walking or even walking down a flight of stairs hurts.  So Zumba will have to wait! (Ok seriously longing to go back to Zumba!)

So Friday is the day we begin.  To be honest I am nervous about this. Scared I may fail and then that will be extra, publicly humiliating.  But hopeful.  Hopeful that this time, it will finally make sense.  I want to get pregnant at the end of this year.  Now is the time to start changing my habits so I can impart positive habits to my kids.

Care to join us?

ps. Thoughts on this name ... "Farewell Flabby Friday???"

Summoning Reinforcements!

In September/October I am hosting my sister's wedding shower.  In case one day she learns I have a blog, I am keeping this limited to something she (hopefully) won't get upset about.

D (sister, not hubby) has seven (yes SEVEN) bachelorettes plus me as matron of honor.  Now two of her girls are out of town so they are understandably not going to be involved in the shower/bachelorette party.  We will leave the bachelorette party discussion for another day.

Today ... I need advice on the shower.

Knowing that D's friends are young and mostly students, I realized we would have a low budget.  In order to plan for this, I realized we'd have to start planning early.  I contacted each girl (privately, so no peer pressure/embarrassment) to ask how much they could contribute to the shower.  Now I hate asking people for money.  Really.  Our executive director never has to fear that I am aiming for her job because I could never do it.  I am the worst fundraiser to possibly ever exist.  But I had to ask.  So I did.  Minus the two out of town girls, of the five girls who responded, only one cannot right now contribute anything.  I told her it would be between us.  I would front her portion (truth: my parents are paying my portion as they did when my sister co-hosted with some of my mom's friends my shower) and asked that she pay me back if/when she was able.  With six girls that leaves us a budget of $50/girl or $300 total.

Background: D's fiance is M.  M's parents had a very messy divorce.  I mean very messy! I had even suggested doing two separate showers  but D nixed that.  One shower it is.

So because of that, there are four people who get to invite people to the shower: my mom, D, M's mom and M's dad.  That's four guest lists.  Four reasonably sized guest lists.  Except, just like when you buy 100 $1 items, it adds up quickly.  So today I got the final guest list.  I may have miscounted so within 3 people plus minus the total right now .... 105.  Yes, you see that correctly.  One hundred and five people are invited to the shower.  Now some of these people are not expected to come, and some live at the same address so the invitation/attendance list will be a bit smaller.

But still ...we're probably looking at at least 80 women.

Now my sister had declared that having my shower at her future MIL's house was sooooooo much work so wouldn't it just be easier to have the shower at a restaurant.  And keeps pushing for this.  For 80 some people ... not happening.  I've already asked my cousin who has a really large house if we could have the shower there and graciously, she's said yes.

But D doesn't know ... and probably won't be too happy about it.  Oh well ... only way we can even think to have the shower.

But now I have to actually HAVE a shower ... for around 80 people ... for $300.

Tips? Guidance? Help?

Thanks!

A Pier 1 Spruce Up!

This post brought to you by Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

D and I have a really nice sized porch.  Last year we moved into the apartment April 30^th (cannot believe it’s almost been a year of living here!) and never got around to decorating the porch.  When we moved in a neighbor was moving out and gave us some large plants and pots.  D did a good job maintaining/watering them…until he left for 2 weeks and left me in charge.  Whoops.  Death all around.

But now March 20^th has passed and spring has sprung.  The snow (from last week!) is gone.  So it is time to focus on that outdoor space.  D and I would love to be able to sit outside just enjoying our time together.  Since we also love having friends over and would love to be able to entertain outside our entertaining/spring must haves are chairs and a table or cart to store items on!  I’ve begun my search online for options to make entertaining outside enjoyable and started looking at Peir 1’s website.

We live in the second floor of a three floor apartment building.  My one complaint about our balcony is that we don’t get enough sun.  Since we don’t get sun, I don’t need an umbrella.  But looking at their website, I’ve fallen in love with this pagoda umbrella.

Think I can maybe talk my parents into buying it for their yard??  I can’t help it.  The colors and style are amazing.  Talk about sprucing up a space! 

And as you may recall from a prior post, I do not like bugs.  Now entertaining outside, this is something I have to take into consideration.  I want something that will keep the bugs away, but I also want it to look attractive and not cost a fortune!  Lucky me I found these citronella glass filled yard stakes.

Now I don’t have a yard but we could use a flower pot (like this garden urn planter).  A little soil, insert a yard stake and we’re good to go.  For me the best part, since we’re constantly watching our pocketbook, is that the stakes are only $6 a piece.  I looked twice to make sure I saw the price correct.

 

The walls surrounding our porch are brick.  So naturally I’d like some color.  How about these great chairs for only $99 a piece. 

Since a lot of Pier 1’s stuff is indoor and outdoor, when we have company in the cooler months, we could easily bring these chairs inside to use!  And I love that they come in four different colors.  Definitely helps to offset the red brick.

And in order to entertain, we’d need something to hold all the yummy food I cook!  The outdoor serving cart looks like it’d fit the bill perfectly.

And when it is just D and me enjoying a quiet night outside?  Their papasan chairs have recently been updates.  I think this double papasan chair would be great!  It would help us since our space is limited.  But they have great individual papasan chairs as well … and according to the website lots of the cushions are currently on clearance! 

Take a look at Pier 1 and tell me what is your favorite outdoor must have?  If you have a store near you, check out Pier 1 Tweetups  for the opportunity to meet other Pier 1 shoppers!

The Blog That Saved Me Money!

Allow me to explain.

About 10 days ago, D was taking out the recycling and stumbled upon $71.  We decided to be honest and post a sign.  About five days later, no one had claimed the money.

D and I don't do "big nights out" and when we do go out, we try to be budget conscious.  So we decided to treat this money as "free" and splurge on a night out: movie and dinner!

Now even though we had free money, we still went to Restaurant.com to print out a coupon! (Ok, seriously ... I really should be getting paid for promoting them lol!) Just as we got into the car, D rereads the coupon and sees that you can't go to that restaurant (with the coupon) twice in a month.  We had recently used the coupon at the same restaurant, but couldn't remember the date.

Now there were a few options as we had to leave to make the movie on time.  First, one of us could have gotten off our lazy tushes and gone into the house, logged onto restaurant.com and tried to figure out when we last used it.  This was time consuming, we had a movie to catch, and neither of us wanted to go back into the house for a fishing expedition since I'm not even sure that info is available!  Since neither of us has internet on our phones, it isn't like we could look this up from the car on our phones.

Option 2, hold onto the coupon for another use and go to a different restaurant paying full price.

Or option 3, I could remember I had written a post about our last date night, D could realize he had his I-pod touch with wireless access and we could find the post I wrote.  The post that was dated March 6th. Just over a month ago!  We were cleared to use the coupon!  See ... having my blog and writing about my life has paid off! ;)

Too bad when we got to the theater the movie had sold out.  Instead, we decided to really treat ourselves and have a really nice meal.  We each had a drink (me a pomegranate cocktail, him a beer) and split an appetizer.  We were sad to see they had changed the menu.  There were a lot fewer items that I would eat.  We'll go back but it will definitely be more than a month!

Not current but I look about the same ... but with shorter hair :(

So we then came home and watched an Israeli movie D had rented (he returned The Shining faster than I thought so he got two Netflix movies in a row ... now I get two in a row!).

All in all I had an absolutely fabulous date night with my hubby.

My Parent's Favoritism

Now most people think of favoritism as parents favoring one of their children over another.  That type of favoritism is for another post.

This favoritism is different.  My parents ... favor my husband.  Truly.  It is remarkable.

Now I love D.  Truly, madly, deeply.  I love him.  But we both acknowledge there are some things about him (e.g. his living in another state while we were dating) that would not thrill my parents.  Yet there has NEVER been an anti-D comment.

Not only that, they prefer him to me.  Ok well that might be an exaggeration.  But allow me to make my case!

D and I registered at three places for our wedding.  One was a funky Jewish art store in town.  Although I registered us for a number of items, D really wanted this pink kitchen clock with this mad/angry face on it made out of recycled parts.  Since he hadn't registered for anything in that store and I didn't mind the clock I figured what the heck.  No one was going to get it for us.  Except my parents did.  As an engagement gift. 

When D and I were registering at Bed, Bath and Beyond, we fell in love with the monkey bathroom set.  My parents thought I didn't like it.  They thought I registered for it as a joke.  They thought it was really D who wanted it and I was just appeasing him but planned to change it.  So naturally they bought it for me.  As a shower gift.

Until recently, D did not eat any meat (including poultry).  A few weeks/months ago I encouraged/forced/bribed/lovingly-and-not-so-secretly-hoped-for D to start eating meat. Well...poultry.  That was raised cage-free.

But it's a start!

When I was in high school I gave up beef but still ate chicken.  You'd have thought I suddenly went vegan in a house of carnivores as much as my parents reacted.  And they'd often get frustrated when I wouldn't eat what they'd cooked.

When D and I started dating I was living at home.  Meaning when D would come to stay for a weekend, he'd be staying at my parent's house.  And you better believe they ALWAYS had fish for him.  Always.

And now that he will eat free-range chicken?  They're stockpiling it.  My dad got so excited the other day  believe he'd found free-range kosher chicken for me to use to make real chicken soup for Passover (it was actually turkey).

He even bought D two drumsticks the other day thinking organic = free-range.

Now do you believe my parents favor D over me?  I know I could have it worse.  I love that my parents love my hubby.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk

But still wish they favored me more ;)