first weigh in..... and some other randoms

and I lost 2lbs! yay! I'm sure it would havebeen better had I managed to get my head round the plan and also hadnt been yoghurts that I thought were free and actually had one or 2 syns in there.

Never mind! Onwards and downwards!  I feel better already and healthier and I filled in my gym application form today! And I am so excited to get the started  :-)

My new job is going great and I get every Monday off. Murray and I both got to have a day off today, together! :-) He even took me out for lunch. I forgot how awesome it was to have an actual date! Instead of a couch date like we usually have. He is now in the kitchen cooking up a yummy slimming world curry and some areebee for another night. Recipes and pics will follow , just in case anyone out there might be interested. If not, it is always good to have back up copies of recipes ;-)

The weather is just crazy this week! it has pretty much snowed and hailed constantly for almost a week! But we are yet to trudge through any fabby snow, it all just melts on impact. But very pretty and freezing to walk through (in a crazy , stormy, feels like stones crashing off your face- kind of way :-)) K and I have been curled up on the couch all afternoon with hot water bottles and cozy quilts.

My creativity seems to be on holiday at the moment, which is a pity seeing as I have 4 quilts to finish! I am hoping a good old clean up in the craft zone will help. I did make a new outfit for miss Emmy and I am so very pleased with it!

And this random blog post will show that I also seem to be a bit rusty at this too!

I'm off to eat another orange, I've had one already and it was very yummy. It is no substitute for chocolate but seeing as I have used my syns for today already (on garlic bread and naan bread!) I can't actually have any chocolate. But I will be having a chocolate bar tomorrow! for sure! X

So far so good

It's going well so far :-) I made a menu plan on Sunday night and it has worked out great! We have enjoyed some yummy meals this week and I am going to share links and pics so everyone else can enjoy them too! I'm generous like that :-)

 I am in the - this is so easy why have I not being doing it all along phase!
It wont last.
OR it might! Positivity LeeAnn!

 Maybe this is the time that I am actually ready to stick to it! I am crazy enthusiastic about soup and cous cous! lol So that HAS to be a good thing, right?

The cous cous I have enjoyed the most was this stuff

Aldi lemon and coriander cous cous with tomato, cucumber and spring onion chopped up through it. Yummy! I added feta cheese the first time and it was too much for me. I prefer it with just the veggies. I ate this for lunch two days in a row and it was great. I always need good alternatives to bread when on slimming world.

Pinterest has been amazing for me , so far. So many yummy recipes at the click of a button! This dish is

 Ginger and garlic prawn stir fry with noodles

So yummy. So so yummy! The only thing I changed was to marinade the prawns in the sauce as I prepared and cooked everything else. Delicious! AND totally syn free! I made more in the evening and ate it for lunch the next day. This will definitely be on our menus many many weeks I think!

Tonight I made this.

Garlicky prawn and pea risotto

This was yummy too, I ate mine with a large side of steam fresh veg. It was very filling and I couldn't eat it all

And these little lovelies are going to be my life line. 3 syns each or two bars as a B choice healthy extra. They are yummy and chocolaty and filling enough to warrant using a healthy extra for but yummy enough to seem like a treat. Very good.

So thats it so far, thankfully as I am typing this I was chatting with Lor Lor and she enlightens me to the fact I have actually been doing something wrong all week! Holy smokes! Hopefully I will still lose weight and thank goodness I found out now! Oops!  No wonder it has been so easy this week :-)

Tomorrow we are having a lovely lazy, cosy home day. DVDs, family time and maybe catch up on some laundry.

It has also been snowing all day but not lying at all, so its perfect weather for snuggling.

Happy Friday everyone xx

A new old venture

Tomorrow morning I am starting back at Slimming world.
To lose the same weight that I have lost countless times before.
BUT I am still hopeful that this time I willl reach target and above all else I am looking forward to being healthier and having more energy.

I have pinned lots of exciting recipes and made my menu plan for the week.
I am excited this time and I am not nervous! Which is a good sign.

So watch this space for updates and some of my favourite recipes and hopefully some updated pictures of my success!

Positivity is my word for 2013 :-) that is what is going to help me succeed

I love this pic of me and KP from our party on New Years eve but it is still going ot be my "before" pic as it is the most recent full ish body pic :-)

Be positive!

Hibernating.

One of my favourite things about the festive season are those precious days in between Christmas and New year where we hunker down and hibernate.

Those days where we play with new toys and wear our new clothes.

Enjoy post birthday , birthday treats with christmas pennies at our disposal.

And brunch with cousins.

Those oh so precious family moments.

Yes please 2013, I would like lots more of those xxx

And so it came.

Most Christmas mornings start with Murray and I waiting for the kids to wake up. We are always too excited to sleep.

This year as we woke up we became aware that Miss K hadn't been awake at all in the night. This is most unusual.

I squeaked the door, I flushed the toilet. Everything.

No hurrying footsteps to be heard.

Seeing as K had had a temperature at bedtime, I was really worried that she had worsened overnight,  so I sneaked in heart pounding to a dark and silent room.

I crouched down and kissed a very cool cheek and heard a beautiful deep sigh as our girl turned over and snuggled back in.

That moment, that precious sigh was my favourite gift this Christmas.

Finally those footsteps came hurrying to our room with hqnds clutching stockings stuffed to the brim.

Even Emmy's stocking was full

Miss K was so touched that Santa would bring a lovely snowglobe for Emmy.

and Emmy just loved it.

Getting to spend time with Joseph on Christmas day was another precious gift.

Look at that smiling relaxed lady! Enjoying spending time with her favourite people without ANY stress!

And Christmas dinner cooked by someone else?

Bliss.

Some of us may have eaten so much that we immediately crashed on the couch and snoozed for a whole hour.

Christmas Bliss.