I'M GETTING READY FOR WEDNESDAY

I've made a commitment to go back to Weight Watchers on Wednesday. So, I'm getting ready.

We are cleaning all the junk food out of our house and making room for all the "better" food that we will be eating.

I say "we" because my sister is going to join me. It always makes it so much easier when you have everyone in the house eating the same type of food.

She is not going to go to the meetings but she will be eating the same food I do.

Yes we will be stocking up on all the fresh fruits and vegetables. The more colors on your the plate the healthier you will be.

But, we surely won't be eating only "diet" food like salads. Nope, not us.

We will be eating yummy things like these lemon bars.

I've been finding all sorts of wonderful dishes to try. All, are allowed on Weight Watchers.

Well, if you know anything about Weight Watchers you know that there is NOTHING off limits. Everything is allowed. It's the amount of how much you eat that you need to watch.

There are so many people over the years who have taken high calorie recipes and found ways to reduce them so they still taste wonderful yet, you are allowed to eat more then one bite of it and still stay on plan.

Look at this yummy Red Velvet cake. Can you believe it was made from a mix and diet soda? I can't wait to try this one. I've heard about this for years. I just never tried it.

I've been on Weight Watchers many times. Each time I loss a good amount of weight. Then I went off.

I've been trying to think about what to do different this time so I don't fall into the same old trap.

One thing I'm going to do different is to cook a lot this time. If there are great things to eat and even sweets then I believe it will be easier to stay on plan.

I love pizza! I have never made my own pizza but I'm excited to give it a try. There is nothing like fresh homemade pizza.

Sure, I love french fries! But, I also love roasted potatoes. I wish I could have some of these right now!

With all the great fresh fruit coming out in summer time I am going to be baking too.

Even for breakfast, I'm not going to settle for a bowl of cereal every day. Nope, I'm going to try things like this broccoli cheese omelet. It takes very little time. You can always use whatever vegetable you have left over from dinner even.

I'm really rather excited to get started. I think it's going to be fun trying out so many different things.

I know it's not easy to lose weight. It's even harder to keep it off. But, I'm not giving up until I find a way to do it.

It's so much more then just what you eat really. A lot of being over weight is mental and figuring out a way to deal with stress, depression, anger, sadness and all the other emotions.

I'll be keeping a journal this time too. I wish I had done that before so I could go back and read where my head was when I quit.

Yes, this time, I'm looking at this weight loss thing a whole different way.

If you would like to hop on my band wagon, I would love to have you join me :)

Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER!

LITTLE MISS BUSY

When I came across this cute book I thought it must have been written for me. I feel like I've been Little Miss Busy lately.

I know I've not been the best blogger but, it's not because I don't think of all of you often. I do.

It just seems like every day I've got stuff to do and I run out time or rather energy to blog at night.

I've been working at my friends Cupcake Shop helping them to come up with new and tasty flavors and getting things to run more smoothly.

I've also been doing tons of stuff with the Girl Scouts. Being a leader really does take a lot of time and energy.

I have really let myself go while being there for others. So, I've decided to stop that and get myself back on track.

Next week I'm going to rejoin Weight Watchers. Now that it's been so pretty out, I have no excuse to get out and exercise more. I'll start walking and hiking and taking my dogs out more.

I can't stand the way I feel or look. I think by putting on most of the weight I had lost I now feel tired all the time. My knees hurt, my back hurts and I just don't feel well.

I have no one to blame but myself and no one can fix it but myself.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here. I still read your blogs, just have been super bad about leaving a comment. I'll try to get better at that.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and if you don't celebrate Easter well, have a great weekend.

UNDER THE SEA

I have always wanted to go scuba diving. Yet, I have a fear of fish. I know, I know. It's silly to be scared of fish.

I'm not scared of the big guys like whales or even the sharks really. I'm scared of just normal every day fish. Even those that are in the pet stores that they sell for home aquariums.

But, I still love to look at them.

I took my Girl Scout Troop to the Aquarium today and I got to enjoy all the critters under the sea. I didn't even have to learn to scuba dive.

Like this Tiger Shark. I think she is so cute. I love the dots. She is so in fashion.

Did you know sharks lay eggs? Here they have taken live eggs and actually peeled away part of the shell so you can see the baby inside.

No, they didn't hurt the baby. You can even see the babies moving around inside and breathing.

I actually touched this guy. He is very slimy feeling.

Whenever I see a stingray now I can't help but think about The Crocodile Hunter and how one of these actually killed him.

Of course, the aquarium removes all the stingers off the tail so no one can get hurt.

I did enjoy all the different kinds of sharks they had. There is something so eerie about sharks.

I adore the jelly fish and how they come in so many different shapes and colors.

This guy creeps me out. Can you picture yourself under the water and this big guy gets hold of you and those suckers won't let you go!

They have several open aquariums that you can touch the different kinds of sea life.

They also had these beautiful birds. They were all around and would land on you if you had purchased some nectar for them to drink.

I reached up to let one get on me so I could bring it to the girls and of course it bit me. Not hard really and not enough to make me pull away. I used to have birds so I don't get scared by their bite.

It finally came to me. But, it flew away pretty quickly. So, we had to break down and buy the nectar.

They also had some wild looking frogs.

No! This was not our lunch! However, I'm sure many people there wish it could have been their lunch. This guy was huge!

This eel was something that made me happy I wasn't under the water with it. A cross between a fish and a snake. What could be worse?

This is the underside of a stingray. I think they look like they smile all the time. They are actually very friendly. Unless they feel threatened. They will whip their tail up and sting you.

Doesn't this look fake? The colors of these fish were out of this world.

My favorite was actually the Sea Horses. I could watch them forever.

I had no idea there were so many different kinds of Seahorses. These were a bright orange. Everything you see here is real. Again, the colors are amazing.

Can you see the Seahorse here? Look closely.

He is swimming upside down. Can you see him now? He sure can blend in well with all the plant life.

These strange looking guys are also Seahorses.

It's when I see things like I saw today, I think to myself that maybe I could get over my fear and actually go diving. I'm sure it would be like going to another world.

Then I think about it again... octopuses, eels, sharks...no thanks. I'll stay on land and just go visit the Aquariums.

BUILDING CASTLES IN THE SAND

Today it felt like Summer here in So. CA. It was in the 90's in some places. Perfect beach weather. As a child, I loved building castles in the sand when I went to the beach.

Only they looked more like these. Not the beauties that they now create.

Some can't even be called Sand Castles any more. They are sand sculptures.

Lovely pieces of art in and of themselves.

So would you call Snow White's cottage a castle? Maybe??

I love going to the Sand Castle building contests they have every year.

I'm just happy I don't have to judge them. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite.

Every time I see a new Sand Castle it becomes my favorite.

I am just amazed at how creative these people can get.

Wow! I mean really! What else can I say but WOW!

BOSTON CREAM PIE

Have you ever had a craving that just won't go away until you satisfy it? Well, that's what happened to me today.

I couldn't stop thinking about Boston Cream Pie. I have not had a piece for over a year and yet it suddenly became something that I "had" to have.

I've been helping a friend of mine, who owns a cupcake shop, come up with new recipes. I've been baking daily so, I wasn't in the mood to bake today.

But, that wasn't going to stop me. I made a quick stop at Marie Calenders and bought one. They have WONDERFUL Boston Cream Pies.

For those of you who have never had a Boston Cream Pie before, it's a must!

It starts out with a crust, then topped with a yummy pastry cream. On top of that is a layer of golden yellow cake and another layer of pastry cream. One more layer of cake and then topped with chocolate and some rich whipped cream. Sprinkled with a few chocolate bits and you are ready.

Ready for what, you ask? Well, for a burst of flavor that is like a party taking place in your mouth!

I think this would make a great flavor for a cupcake. Don't you? I think I would leave out the crust so it would be a Boston Cream Cupcake and not a Boston Cream Pie.

Look who is hoping a little bit of crumbs fall on the floor! Yes, Elton would be thrilled to get his very own piece of Boston Cream Pie.

Sorry little guy, it's not for you.