Dandelions! I can't hate them because I love all the sweet dandelion bouquets my children bring to me!

Crazy Hair Day for my Allie Cat!

How I lost 63 pounds in 6 months

Okay, so some of you are asking how I lost my weight, so here's what I did. On September 30, 2011 I started doing the Atkins diet. It was really important for me to be super strict with myself at first, so that's one of the reasons why I chose that diet to begin with. I didn't lose ANY weight the first 3 weeks of the diet. I repeat, no weight was lost during the first three weeks. I was starting to lose hope, but I had my physical therapist egging me on so I stuck with the diet. I couldn't do a lot of exercise at first, just my physical therapy. After the three week mark I started to lose 5 pounds a week, I guess my body just decided to let it go. After Thanksgiving, my weight-loss started slowing down and I wasn't doing the Atkins diet to strictly anymore I was just trying not to gain weight over the Holidays but still enjoy myself. By the new year I had lost 40 pounds. In January I started a weight-loss competition with the ladies in my neighborhood, and changed my dieting method, and my physical therapist gave me the green light to walk on my treadmill and ride my stationary bike. I ate carb-free for two consecutive days every week and then the other 5 days I allowed myself to eat whole-grain carbs and fruit. I still limited my sweets but I didn't ban them completely, I ate plenty of cookies and other sweets occasionally so I didn't feel deprived. I also made sure to take my fish oil, magnesium and at least 2 one-a-day multivitamins a day. And I walked on my treadmill and rode my stationary bike a lot. I also still do my physical therapy exercises which involve strength training using my rubber resistance band. So, from January to the end of March I lost 23 more pounds totaling 63 pounds thus far. There you go, all my secrets are out!lol;)

I've lost 63 pounds since September 30, 2011 so I thought I'd post some before and after pictures. I still have 30 to 40 pounds to lose but posting these pics will help keep me motivated!

BEFORE (Taken in the Summer of 2011)

AFTER(Taken in March 2012)

So I finally took pictures of my awesome wall! What we did was got a roll of sheet metal and screwed it to the wall then we put up baseboards around it to frame it. Then I cut out the vinyl lettering and my hubby got a piece of knotty alder (it matches our kitchen cabinets) and put coat hooks on it. Maybe it's the school teacher coming out in me, but I love this wall now!

Cookie Christmas Tree

Here are some pictures of the sugar cookie Christmas Tree I made for my parents for Christmas. My mom is the cutest Avon lady you could ever meet and she gave me some star Avon cookie cutters and told me to try them out. So I did! This is the end result! It was kind of a pain to make though because I broke a lot of the bigger cookies. I liked the way it turned out though!