Under a lot of STRESS!

I've just about got 75% of my apartment packed. I'm getting ready to move. But right now, I still don't have a place to live!
Talk about a lot of stress!!!

I've been looking and looking but still haven't found something...

So, to all of you who pray, then PRAY for me! I would love to buy something, although that can't be done in a week!

Oh, that's right, I may have forgotten to tell some of you that my boss, who had given me two extra weeks after my last day here, has changed that to only week after my last day here (but it wasn't until I talked him into it! Oh, and I didn't get it in writing, so who knows what will happen!)

A new start

After much consideration, prayer, and great advice from my family and friends, I have put in my two-week notice at work. My last day will by April 4th and I'll start fresh at Whirlpool in the the accounts payable department on April 7th!
I have been some-what stressed about the whole situation because my car was acting up and then I got this offer on Friday and they wanted an answer on Monday. Because I get my apartment for free, I also wasn't sure how the boss would take my notice and just have me leave that day, but he actually gave me two extra weeks past my last day at work to move out!
I'm in the process of finding a place to live and I may have something, but I'm not sure quite yet...

Oh, and on other great terms, I lost another three pounds this week!
That makes 9 total pounds!
Yeah!!!

I've got strep throat, now

I got strep throat yesterday or the night before. Boo-hoo!
I don't know how I got it, but I did and it sucks. My glands are so swollen that you can see the huge bumps on the sides of my throat and it hurts to swallow.
I guess I'm kind of like Rachael, when she got her wisdom teeth pulled, when I hope that it helps me lose weight!
I only had a shake and not even a whole bowl of soup yesterday because I felt so bad. I took half the day off and stayed in bed shivering with tons of clothes and blankets on with the heat in my apartment up to 75 or so.
Now, it really hurts to swallow anything! Hot and cold liquids and food especially.
I'm also up here at the other property our company owns, you remember the one where I had "the worst week ever"!
I have to help the office up here get organized and understand everything from A to Z, so currently, I'm in a hotel and yes, they have a workout room, and I've already used it.
I look forward to going home tomorrow and going back to the Y, although I hope I feel better, too!
Either way, if I don't hang out with any of you for a few days, you'll know why.
Oh, and Lori, don't forget to save me that low-fat lasagna you made! I'm already craving that as soon as I get back!

Workin' out is working!

I just wanted to share with my readers and family how my progress is going with this whole working out thing.
I've been going to the Y as much as possible, although I didn't go this last Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, but I drug myself there yesterday and did an hour of work, that I really didn't want to, but felt compelled to do for myself.
Monday's are my scale days... So, I was really curious to see what the results were.

I LOST 4 POUNDS!

That's right! I lost 4 pounds this last week, and two the week before!
So far, that's 6 pounds lost in 2 weeks! Not bad!

(I think one of the best things is that someone already commented today that they've noticed I lost weight! I'm taking it as a compliment!)

Fun with the kids!

Yesterday, Natalie made cupcakes at my house and so I brought them over to Rachael's to let the kids decorate, today.

Aren't they cute? This one's my favorite one.

Just hangin' out with Anthony

I was on my way to Jason's house, when Lori called me and asked me if I would hang out with Anthony for a couple of hours, so I told Jay that he'd have to wait and headed on to Lori's house.

I've been telling Lori that she should tape the gurgling/googling/cooing/laughing sound that Anthony does that just makes your heart melt, but she hasn't yet, to my knowledge, added it to her blog, so hopefully she does.

I guess it was a good thing that for the first half hour*, Anthony did just that, smile, laugh, and talked with me while we watched TV and held hands.

What a cutie!
I wish I would've known I was coming over or I would have brought my camera and taken a ton of pictures.

Either way, if you haven't had the chance to do so yet, or in a while, I encourage all of you who can, to come on over and just hang out with Anthony (especially if he's in the happy-go-lucky mood that's just so adorable!) Oh, and you may want to call Lori before you head over...

Well, it's been about two hours, and he's asleep, so far so good!

*I was over here on Thursday, after Lori and I went working out together and then came here to make that 42 calorie soup made into minestrone with added pasta and white beans (it was delicious!) but Anthony was just so tired and hungry that no matter what I did, he kept crying/screaming. I was just feeling awful and very unhelpful, then to make matters worse, Todd told Lori that I must have pinched Anthony and that's why he was crying and that she should check him for pinch marks!!!! He sure knows how to make someone feel better and just LOL about it later!

But have no fear, I came back two days later, and Todd and Lori still let me hang out with Anthony. Oh, and just so you all know, I continue to check on him and he is still sleeping (and I have the monitor within inches, just in case.)

42 calorie soup!

On my way here to Natalie's I talked to mom on the phone for about an hour. And once I got to Nat's I was able to write down a recipe for a super yummy* soup that only has 42 calories per serving!
Once I find the random envelope that I wrote the recipe on, I'll share it with all my readers because it is filling, fast to make, and so good! Natalie and I ate some before going out to do stuff and a few hours later went to eat dinner and we were so full, we had to take over half our food home as left-overs!
People, this soup is awesome!
Here's the recipe for the soup:
Saute 2/3 cup sliced carrots
with 1/2 cup diced onion
and 2 minced garlic cloves.

Then add these ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes:
3 cups fat free vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans (about one can)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt

Finally, stir in 1/2 cup diced zucchini.

Take a look!

*I say this for my sisters Rachael and Lori! You'll get it.

Workin' out!

On Monday, I said, "why not?" and joined the Y!

I'm pretty sore, but I started good. About an hour of working out. Walking, biking, weights, etc. Rachael and the kids showed up, so I got to do a bit of stuff with her and Kristen while the kids were in kid-care.

Shocking to myself, I also went after work on Tuesday! I said, "why not?" and I went!
This time I walked and did weights, but I also tried five minutes on the stair stepper thing and that was so hard! A lady had told me to just start out at three, but I wanted to prove (either to myself or everyone else) that I could do five! BAD IDEA!
I am REALLY sore now!

Shannon said that I should do that c2k (or whatever it is) that Rachael and Lori are doing and make Lori pay for my Y membership, but I'm not so sure I can run!
I know I'm a power walker and can jog, but not very long and I think I'd get bored, or maybe I just think I'd take too long or wouldn't be able to finish...
How long is it anyway?

Either way, I'm doing this for MYSELF! If someone wants to give me tips or helpful hints, you can, but as I told Shannon last night, I've got to make the decisions and while I'll keep them in mind, I'm not going to go all crazy and try everything that everyone just knows will work.

So, wish me luck!

Oh, and I also bought a Self magazine last night and found that my "happy weight" is 144!
I just can't imagine being that weight, but I guess I'll attempt to make that my long-term goal (seeing as I can't possibly get there in the next few months, unless I was on biggest loser!)

My little baby, Rocco

While I don't really have ways to add pictures to my blog, I figured that while I was at Rachael's house, I might as well add this one of Rocco. He's such a cutie!
He still scratches me, but at the same time will crawl up to my face and lay his head on my shoulder and start purring...
He's so cute!

Folding?

While this happened a while ago, I haven't been able to add pictures for a while, so I just wanted to show the couple pictures of Katya folding blankets!
We had both slept in the family room at Natalie's house and in the morning she wanted to go play, but I told her that she had to fold her blankets before she played, so she started folding the blankets she used for the night...
On impulse, I asked her if she wanted to fold mine, too.
She said yes!!!
It was so great, I had to take pictures!

We went to a ball!

This last week, I had the joy of getting all dressed up and got to go to a ball!
Growing up in private schools, I never went to a prom and never went to a ball, so this was really exciting! I even got off work early, so I could get ready and one of my friends let me borrow her dress and I bought a shawl and curled my hair, although you can't really tell because it went straight pretty fast.
Here I am with my friend, Lindsey. And this is Betsy and me. She's wearing her wedding dress from her summer beach wedding.
This was a ball to celebrate black history month hosted by the Whirlpool Corporation. They even had an amazing Jazz band from Chicago there and served a delicious pasta with roasted red peppers, onions, artichokes, capers, olives, and a few other random things, that I never thought would taste good together, but they did!
We had so much fun there. Jason was going to go, but had been having major neck pain, so he wasn't able to go, but we still had a great time!