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Friday, December 7, 2012

Peppermint protein shake


Having  protein shakes every day has inspired me to tinker and come up with different flavors so that I never get sick of drinking them. A few weeks before Thanksgiving I had peppermint ice cream at a family gathering. Its one of my favorites and  I seriously could eat like 2-3 bowl fulls of it at one sitting and still want more! It became the perfect inspiration to help  me come up with this healthier creation. Enjoying the festive treat without all the extra fat, sugar and calories. Not a bad substitute for the real stuff!







                                                                 Ingrediants
                                                 
                                                                1 cup milk
                                                                1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
                                                                2 small crushed up candy canes
                                                                1/4 tsp peppermint extract
                                                                1 packet of Stevia (or other sweetener)
                                                                 2 handfuls of ice

                                                                 
                                                                  Nutrition info
                                                   
                                                                     286 cals
                                                                     7 g  fat
                                                                     20.5 carbs
                                                                    34 g protein



Friday, November 30, 2012

Snowflake wreath

Wow I have been MIA on here for a while and honestly had a hard time figuring out where to start! I will  have to do some serious back posting later. For now I will start with my new Christmas wreath that I made.





Got 3 different sizes of snowflakes at the $ Store. I also bought  2 packs of each size.


I scrubbed all the glitter off the snowflakes with soap and a sponge than spray painted them white.While the spray painted was wet I sprinkled fine clear glitter on each snowflake.


 I started the bottom layer with the larger snowflakes and hot glued them to the form. I than filled in the gaps alternating the sizes of the small and medium snowflakes. To add more dimension, I stuck some of them with one pop dot and others with two and hot glued them onto the other snowflakes.Than I added on the rhinestones to give the wreath a little more sparkle.


I got two of these silver sunburst ornaments from the $ store and glued them together.


For the fabric wreath hanger I had an old red curtain that happen to be the perfect length that I needed.


Super simple to make!

                                                                                  

Friday, September 28, 2012

Halloween wreath

I started putting up all my Halloween decor up on Monday. Maybe a bit early but this is pretty standard for the Stanley  household! While we decorate its tradition to either have a Halloween  movie playing.  Nightmare before Christmas...HECK yea!
   This wreath I actually made last year and was pretty happy that it made it a whole year without falling apart!



I have a ton of the Rosemary bushes in my front yard and they were in desperate need of a trim. Used some of the trimmings to make this wreath. Just hot glued the branches and than let it set out to dry  for a few days. Once it was good and dry I just spray painted it. Super easy!!


Not too bad when the whole thing only cost me $1! Just bought a wreath form at the $1 store. Everything else I already had.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Fall wreath

Ok I know that I already said this but I seriously am so exited that it is almost fall. Only 3 more days! We are already noticing changes in our night time weather. Love it!!  Oh and I made the first soup of the season last night. Lentil soup. So good! I am totally dying to get out our Halloween decorations and I am pretty sure I will start decorating next Friday.  Halloween is such a big holiday for us. Sometimes we plan a year in advance what we are going to dress up as.Yea we are that serious about it!
   So I needed to create a fall wreath for this season. I had one last year made out of corn husks but wasn't completely happy with how it turned out. I really have been thinking about this all year. Trying to come up with a fall wreath that I would love. It took a wreath that I already had in my living room to inspire it!




The leaves were cut out of construction paper. I used about 6-8 papers for each color. I also folded the paper in thirds and got 6 leaves out of one sheet. I than folded each leaf.


    I than hot glued the leaves horizontally and stacked the leaves counter clock wise.


     The twig wreath was the best form to use so that I could thread the fabric through the twigs to hang the wreath.






     My original inspiration. This book page wreath in my living room.


  Total random but one day I will have a real mantel!
                                                                     
                                                                          



Monday, September 3, 2012

Dresser transformation

Phew! What a fun filled weekend it has been with family! Did a date night with parents on Friday, than Saturday had a double b-day party for a niece and nephew and today had a baby blessing for my newest  nephew. Though they will continue to party on today  heading to St George for Labor day, I opted out as I don't think I can handle another day of junk food and lots of sugar! Ok really I just want to sleep in and enjoy having a lazy day with the kids home. Do wish my husband didn't have to work but at least he will get off a few hrs early. Well I won't be entirely lazy, pretty sure I will  get my butt to the gym  and maybe start on my fall wreath. Kinda really need to ditch the  July 4th wreath and get something new up!
 So for the last month I have been in the mood to start up some pretty serious projects. Redoing my bedroom being a top priority! Though it was previously painted blue just because that was my favorite color, I was never really  inspired on the decor to go with it. It has taken me a few years to finally become inspired! First step was repainting. I do love color but I prefer to start with neutral walls and add the color in the decor. So my house is pretty much all beige and gray now. It is SO much easier just to change up the decor than to have to repaint all your walls. Just wished I had figured this out 4 years ago when we bought this house!
    After painting I found some fabric that I loved and sewed some curtains for the main window in our bedroom . I than took on the project of  redoing my dresser. Sanded it, spray painted it than got new hardware.




The mirror I got from Ross. It originally had a black frame so I sprayed painted it white. Wanted the contrast.


My husband actually had a strong opinion about  the hardware when we were at Lowe's! Usually anytime I ask him for his option on anything having to do with decor  he tells me whatever I choose will look fine but when I force him to choose I will usually always choose the opposite. Not on purpose but he always wonders why I ask him in the first place! I just get crazy indecisive sometimes and his choice for whatever reason makes my decisions easier. This time I just had to say "Yup you are right" and buy the hardware he liked. LOVE how it looks on this dresser.


The top of the dresser was in serious need of a makeover. My accent color in the room will be yellow. I  recovered some old books in scrapbook paper than found this Owl at Ross that I was thinking of repainting but I am really starting to like the color as is. Gonna need to find a pillow or something to tie that color into the rest of the room.


This spray paint from Krylon  is AWESOME! First off I have never spray painted a big piece of furniture with canned spray paint before but thought I would give it a try. Krylon has come out with this new paint with primer in it. It coated the dresser really well. Out of the 5 cans I had I only needed to use 3! Totally gonna be using this again for future projects. Krylon also has this paint in a variety of colors that you can check out on the website at http://dualpaint.com


Ummm yea my dresser or I should  say my room became the drop off spot for everything! The good thing about makeovers is I have to go through everything and reorganize. BTW in one of my drawers I had a cassette tape and when my son Andrew saw it he asked "Mom what is this?" "Is this like an old fashion CD or something?" Ok that made me laugh and feel old at the same time! My son didn't even know what a cassette tape was!! What?!



Great piece of furniture to start with but much happier with it now. Alright onto the next room project. Working on my night stands and convincing my husband to build me a head board for our bed. Hmm might be a while before that gets done!

                                                                                  


Linked to-Mon-craft-o-maniac, creatingreallyawesomefreethingshomestories a to z,  diy show offsumos sweet stuff, Tues-tip junkienot just a housewifecoastal charm Weds-uncommon designs onlinegingersnap craftssomeday crafts Fri-tatertots and jellosix sisters stuffwhipperberryshabby nestblissful and domestichouse of hepworthsfive days five ways Sat-positively splendid, classy clutter Sun-Under the table and dreaming

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Is it FALL yet??

Ok I know its not but I really want it to be!! I love everything about this season. School is back in, which my kids have had a great few days so far. All except the homework. I think I dread it as much as they do. Other things I love about fall are the changes in the weather because I am really done with the Vegas heat right now.  The leaves turning colors, the smell of the fall air and of course Halloween! My favorite holiday.
   Going shopping this weekend also got me excited for this upcoming season too. Just had to invest in a great pair of riding boots....and a few sweaters! The outfit I am wearing is a mixture of summer and fall. The white skirt I usually wear doing the summer but adding the brown belt and brown shoes made it feel more fallish to me.



                      Loving this braided belt. Perfect addition for the fall. This necklace is one of my classic pieces!

                       
                                         How I dressed this outfit down for a more casual comfy look.


                                                        Yellow top-Downeast clothing
                                                        Skirt-F21
                                                        Necklace-Rapsidelle
                                                        Belt-Ross
                                                        Shoes-Discount shoe factory

                                linked to-The pleated Poppy,Rolled up Pretty,Transatlantic Blonde,two thirty-five designs mom trends,marionberry style 

Monday, August 27, 2012

Back to school

It is finally time! School is back in! Ok its all bittersweet. I know I am crazy but I actually  love all the preparation, fighting the crowds and finding all deals  for back to school shopping. Though having to drop a crap load of cash on clothes and school supplies is my least favorite! Definitely one of my most expensive months along with December! As much as I like having all my kids home, I do love having  the structure of a school routine, busy, busy, busy but GOOD! I seem to somehow  get more accomplished.
   This weekend I also took my sister who is now a senior in high school shopping, than we did our nails  along with my little niece who is going into middle school! Crazy how these kids are growing up so fast!! My boys are now in 5th and 2nd grade!  I can't believe I  am gonna have a middle schooler next yr! I am starting to feel old!



                          My kid HATE pictures, but really they were exited for the 1st day of school.




Kind was going for the Ombre look using my chevron pattered image nail plate from the Monster Bundle set. Wished I would have taken a pic of my nieces nails. They were cute too!

                                                                                                                   

  Linked to-mani mondaythe nail filesfabulousbutevil

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Past, Present and Future of my Food: Advice from Someone Who Has Struggled With Diet and Image, and Found Balance.

For as long as I can remember I have always been fairly self conscious about the way I looked. growing up my dad was a health food nut. We ate oatmeal or cream of wheat for breakfast every morning. Never had white bread and the only meat we ever ate was ground turkey. We also had to eat these nasty chewable vitamins everyday. Not the gummys that our kids are lucky to have now! We rarely ate junk unless it was a party, special outings or holidays. When we did get treats and junk food I remember eating it until we were stuffed full and nearly sick because it was so rare. One time my Step mom made a cake that looked absolutely delicious. It was a chocolate cake, with divinity frosting. I told her that I was so hungry and it looked so good that I could eat the whole thing. She told me  that was impossible and I would be sick.  I persisted in telling her that  I really could eat that whole cake, until finally she dared me to do it. As a kid, having been restricted from sweets most of the time, getting to eat a whole cake by myself was a dream come true! I made it through half of the cake before I was forced to stop and run to the bathroom where I  literally laid on the bathroom floor, doubled over with a horrible stomach ache. It took me a long time before I would eat cake again!
   At 14 years old I moved out of my dads house to go live with my mom. Eating consisted of cold cereal, chips, cookies, candy, and lots of eating out. No more vitamins, and whole wheat bread! I hardly remember ever eating a vegetable unless it was in a stir fry from panda express or some packaged frozen meal. Because I went from one extreme to another in eating habits,  I had no balance and ended up just eating junk all the time. I was not active in any sport either. I should have been seriously overweight! I was just lucky to have some good genes I guess.

                                                               Me at 20 years old -120lbs
                                                   
    At 17 years old I got a gym membership and fell in love with exercising. This helped me to stay lean as well. However I was still eating terribly. I got married a few months before my 21st birthday and got pregnant  with my first child just over a year later. Lets just say my craving for junk and sugar tripled!  I could pound a bag of flaming hot Cheetos in two days. There were times that I would eat ice cream Sundays for breakfast (I know, awful right?!).  Oh, and I could not exercise during most of my pregnancy. This is how I ended up gaining 60lbs!! I felt miserable carrying all that extra weight and would get depressed about the way I looked.
                                                    About to deliver my 1st baby at 175 lbs

After I had the baby I could not wait to get back in shape. As soon as I recovered from my c-section I headed back to the gym and went on very low-calorie diet. It took me 5 1/2 months to get back to my original pre-baby weight.  Unfortunately I never learned how to eat right or enough  to maintain my weight. I again went back to eating all of my junk food (I had a serious "sugar tooth"). Sometimes I would skip meals often (not on purpose) but when I did eat I would binge. I would exercise doing my 25 min of cardio and weight training for a total of two hrs 5 days a week. I knew that I could eat whatever I wanted when I exercised and it would have no effect of me gaining any weight. I became consumed with getting leaner and thinking I was gaining lean muscle too. I ended up loosing more weight and weighing my lowest at 108-110lbs. This was when my first baby was a year old.
       Everyone kept on telling me I looked too skinny and I would just get so irritated with them because I thought I looked great. However it started to have an impact on my health. I would get bladder infections all the time, I would catch colds, and other viruses very easily and I had no energy.

                                                       A year after my first baby 108-110lbs         
     
    During this time I was also trying to get pregnant with my second child. Finally I went to the Dr and was told that I needed to gain 10 lbs. I thought I was gonna die! That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do as I developed a fear of being fat. However I reluctantly did it slowed way down on my exercising at ate more nutritious food and took vitamins constantly again. As soon as I gained that 10 lbs I felt better and got pregnant.  Never did I allow myself to get to that weight again and I have never had a bladder infection since!
    Because of my love for fitness I decided to get certified as a personal trainer. I wanted the knowledge on how to really become fit and learn how to eat properly. This change my habits forever! When I got pregnant with my 3rd baby I ate so much healthier and was able to exercise and only gained 35lbs. Recovery was so much better and I was able to get back to my normal healthy weight 2 1/2 months later.
     Now I have a love for eating healthy and my passion for fitness has grown. I have been able to, not only put back on the right amount of weight for me, but also add some muscle.This has taken time! Yea my pants and tops fit and little tighter and I have a little extra fat with the the amount of muscle I have put on, but that's ok! I actually like that I fill out my bras a little better and I have a butt! I finally feel comfortable in my own skin .
      Not only have I learned healthy eating habits but have learned how to balance that diet with eating junk at times and learning to live life as it is meant to be lived: Enjoyed, and not dictated by food and a constant worry of gaining or loosing too much weight because of it.


                                                 Me now 5'5' tall and happily weighing 125 lbs


     The best advice I can give anyone is that if you are dieting to loose weight or even to gain weight, your diet should be no different than what you would do if you were to maintain your weight, other than you will either be eating less calories or more calories and adjusting your macro-nutrients (fat, carbs, and protein) according  to your goals.  The reason for this is if you do not learn how to eat a balanced nutritious diet while losing weight/gaining weight, you will not be able to successfully maintain your goals for good. That is why fad diets do not work! They do not teach you how to eat for the rest of your life! It is that simple! There are many, many diets out their that promote guaranteed quick weight loss, super low carb, low fats, gluten free, blah, blah, blah diets....(FYI some of those diets were designed for people who had special diet restrictions because of known allergies, or other health issues). If you have no health issues other than the need to loose weight there is no reason why you would need to go on any sort of "special diet" to do so! You need fat in your diet and you need carbs!!
       Do I keep track of my calories? Yes! For me personally this works well because  I want to make sure that I get enough of what I need. I tend to not eat enough if I don't. However , balance has taught me that if I don't some days not big deal. I can pretty much tell the amounts of food I need by now. Also for those of you who are looking for a great way to track you calories, the best free app I have found is "My fitness pal." It is super easy to use and pretty accurate on basic nutrient requirments.

Here is just a sample of some of the foods I eat on a regular basis:

1.oatmeal, 2 peanut butter chocolate protein shake, 3. Quinoa chicken salad, 4 candy, 5. 3 oz steak, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato, 6. almonds
7. Rotissorie chicken, veggie mix, brown rice, 8.  perfect zone protein bar, 9. spinach salad, 10. Chobani Greek yogurt. 11. Lean chili 12. Rice krispie treats

I added the rice krispy treats in because I do sometimes bake and have no guilt doing so.  I consider myself a clean eater but not overly obsessive. I eat 5-7 times a day with my diet consisting of a lot of veggies, fruits whole grains, and lean meat. However, because I generally eat so well and hit all of my macro nutrients and calories to maintain my fitness levels I do not think there is anything wrong or unhealthy about eating a little junk sometimes, even when you are trying to loose weight!  It's amazing how if you feed your body the  nutrients it requires you will not find the "need" for junk all the time and you will not have the desire to eat excessive amounts of it. I can have a candy jar in my house now and have no problem eating only 1 or 2 pieces. I believe you still gotta live life. What fun is vacation when you can not enjoy those foods you do not get to eat at any other time or going to a new restaurant with family or friends  where you have heard amazing things about their food  yet you feel you must order the healthiest thing on the menu. You do not eat like this everyday so its ok sometimes to enjoy some yummy, fattening food and not have the guilt!

I have found that balance is the key to success and happiness!


     Linked to ,MOTIVATE ME MONDAY,FITNESS FRIDAY

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Whole wheat pancakes topped with peanut butter & blueberries

These pancakes are so simple to make! They are super filling and good for you. Last time I made them I doubled the batch and  had enough to eat all week. If I didn't eat them for breakfast, they became a great snack or meal sometime in the day. My kids loved snacking on them too.




                I am addicted to this peanut butter with honey. So delicious. I could eat it by the spoonful!

                                                                         Ingredients
                                     
                                                                   2 c whole wheat flour
                                                                   2 c fat free milk
                                                                   1/2 tsp baking powder
                                                                   1 tsp sugar
                                                                   2 tsp vanilla
                                                                   1 egg
                                                                   1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
                                               
 Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another than mix altogether. Scoop 1/4 cup of  pancake mix for  pancake size into frying pan.
                                                 
                                                Nutrition (With 1 Tbsp of peanut butter and 1/3 c blueberries)
                                                Serving size two pancakes
                                                343 cals, 12.8 fat, 46.7 carbs, 6.4 fiber, 12 protein

                                                                                                                        

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Neutrals

Though I have been trying  to follow my "no more buying neutrals rule" because I have way too much of it, I still find myself drawn to these "safe" colors. When I saw these nude colored heals I knew I had to get them with the same rationalization that I always use "they will go with EVERYTHING!" Ok well these heels really do. I think they are a must shoe color for everyone's closet.




                                                        Top-Rhapsodielle
                                                        Skirt-Rhapsodielle
                                                        Shoes-Discount shoe factory
                                                        Necklace-Burlington Coat factory

                                   linked to-The pleated Poppy,Rolled up Pretty,Transatlantic Blonde,two thirty-five designs mom trends