First Snow*

I love snow!

I love the freshness of the air and the clean blanket of white that covers everything in sight.

   

Thursday was our first *real* snowfall of the season. 

I celebrated by:

I made a pot of chili
Yum-o!

I pulled my favorite red coat out of the closet
and flaunted it all over town.

 

I drank coffee (of course)

           

               And read a good book.

But the main reason I love snow is because it comes when we celebrate my favorite holiday in my favorite month. In anticipation, and in celebration of our snow, I took a trip to Michaels and allowed myself to drool over these:

Enjoy the snow! and a Merry way too early Christmas!

The Coffee Experiment

I have a coffee addiction. More specifically, I have a Starbucks addiction. Even more specifically, I have a carmel latte addiction.
I love the taste of the milk and coffee and carmel mixture. I love it hot or cold. I love the experience of going to the coffee shop and walking out with my coffee in hand. I would go EVERY day!

But the problem is...$$$

About a month ago, my adoring husband gave me this:

This is an espresso maker. You fill the bottom with water and then it boils up through coffee grounds into the top part. It is so easy to make (and clean!)

So we have been experimenting with making our own coffee. While I have had to give up some of my coffee shop going wonderfulness, I am enjoying sipping carmel lattes on my couch, in my sweats.

Some of the coffee concoctions we've made are:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte (only 3 pp if you make it at home) 

          

• White Chocolate Mocha
• Mocha Cookie Crumble 
• Carmel Macchiato
  And of course...lots of
• Carmel lattes! (both iced and hot)
  
  
  

One-derland

Yesterdays snow was an early surprise, considering it is only the 5th of October. It wasn't my only pleasant surprise yesterday, however.

I have been doing Weight Watchers for almost 3 years. It has been an ongoing struggle, a battle that I sometimes choose to lose and other times push through for a win. I have struggled with my weight since ...forever...and I will have to continue to monitor what I eat and exercise until I die. This is a realization that has been hard for me. I feel like the people I'm around can eat whatever they want whenever they want it and I become jealous and upset. It has taken me 3 years to realize that everyone SHOULD watch what they eat and exercise, that I am not abnormal, but ahead of the curve. My twenty-something friends will realize that they too need to watch their intake of food.

It has been this place of comfort and my incredibly supportive and encouraging husband, who has made it possible for me to lose 26 pounds on Weight Watchers so far! He was the one who encouraged me to join WW at the beginning of my junior year in college. He has helped me become more active and has been so supportive in me watching what I eat! (He even ate Subway EVER Sunday for lunch for almost a year!) I was able to lose 20 lbs in the two years at school. (Stress sucks!)
Since our wedding I have kicked into high gear. I am tired of wasting time and only halfway trying! I want to lose this weight SO bad it hurts and I am so motivated!

Over the last 8 weeks I have tracked and counted ever point. We have exercised every weekday morning for the last 7 weeks and have made an effort to be active on the weekend. I am really starting to notice major differences in my appearance and I am feeling great!

Yesterday I reached my first big goal of weighing less than 200 lbs. I reached ONE-DERLAND!!

I think there is a little difference:

  226lbs 199 lbs