My Top 10 reasons.....

....that I gained weight over Christmas week. Actually I don't know for sure that I gained because I am refusing to weigh until next Saturday. That is partly because I have to work this Saturday and partly because I need at least that long to detox. Anyway, on with the list:

10. Chex Mix- I made the KB version with Tobasco this year. And KB I can't do your "I just shake in some" method. Last year it was so hot I cried so this year I measured and I am using 4 teaspoons of tobasco. And I also put 1.5 times all of the other spices, double the amount of nuts, and add in 2 handfuls of cheez-its.

9. Real Dr. Pepper- for some reason my mind decided that since I was eating everything in sight I might as well go all out and drink DP like it was water. It was fantastic though. No regrets.

8. Breakfast- sausage sausage sausage everywhere! Sausage ball muffins, sausage biscuits, sausage and egg casserole....and of course a good Cracker Barrel breakfast to mix it up a little bit

7. Going out to eat with friends and family- the aforementioned Cracker Barrel, Pei Wei, Mi Chula's, pizza on Christmas Eve, Birraporetti's..there are probably more but I can't remember them now. They were all fabulous!

6. Parties- 4 Christmas parties and 2 birthday parties...do ya think I just had veggies? you're right, no way!

5. Rolls- I can't have just one

4. Casseroles- I made hashbrown casserole and mom made corn casserole- very similar ingredients- starch, cream of something soup, sour cream, butter, cheese, and a crumbly topping make for cheesy creamy goodness for days

3. Deviled Eggs- I seriously could eat a dozen deviled eggs without blinking. I love those things so much and I'm glad I ate so many because they were amazing.

2. The Perfect Chocolate Cake- not because I made it but that was really the name of the recipe. And it required weird things like sifting and separating eggs and making your own whip cream and putting the hot icing saucepan in a bowl of ice cubes and mixing it for like 5 minutes. Was it worth it? Um can you say it was half a cake worth it?

1. Fudge- I can't explain the fudge this year. Every year Mom and I make it together and we never know how it's going to turn out even though we use the same recipe (the one with marshmallow creme). Sometimes it's too hard, sometimes it doesn't firm up, you just never know. But this year? This year it was yummy fudgy chocolatey creamy smooth but not hard heaven in your mouth. I can't say how many pieces I had because I didn't count. But it was so awesome that I would do it all over again. Fudge and chocolate cake? That's right, don't judge me.

I'm boycotting writing captions because I just wrote a bunch and went to post and then the whole thing froze up on me....so here are some Christmas pics and they can speak for themselves!! We had a great time!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to say a quick Merry Christmas to everyone! I am trying to sort through my pictures and will probably post them tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great holiday and hope to see you soon! (BTW my hair has totally gotten lighter than when I first got it done)

RED HAIR!!

Well I know I'm posting this without a picture but I just wanted to let everyone know not to be shocked if you see me on the street because my hair is totally daaarrrk red! At least I think it's dark. I was tired of the highlights for a little while and told Ian to do whatever he wanted and I ended up with dark red and I love it! I can't take a pic right now because I am totally gross from the gym. Speaking of the gym I think I am behind on The Challenge. I'm not sure because I haven't counted lately but I missed quite a few days last week because of stupid work. I kind of don't want to count it up because if I'm behind I would probably just give up altogether. So I'm not counting. Not yet anyway. And I didn't lose any weight this week either because of Thanksgiving. But I didn't gain either so that was actually very exciting! My goal is to lose 3.7 more pounds just by the end of the month so I can be at an even 40. But it's getting really hard to lose right now so we'll see! I hope everyone is having a great week and is not as busy as I am! Talk to you soon!

OH and a quick Congratulations to my 2 friends Sarah M. And Sarah L. for their pregnancies! Both are due in July! I don't know if you read this but I wish you well and can't wait to see the little babies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A little late Thanksgiving post....Mom and I went down to the well known De Leon, TX for my dad's family's Thanksgiving reunion. We always used to go when we were growing up and we haven't been for 3 years so it was a fun time! Then after that we came home and had a little mini-Thanksgiving which was too big even though we tried to make it small. So I am sitting here feeling like a big balloon but it was all very yummy and worth it! I will be starting food detox week tomorrow! This is my dad's sister-my Aunt Ann- any family resemblance?
This is my dad's Aunt Hazel- she is 94 and still very feisty! She's the oldest member of the Preston's. She has always organized the reunion and she was in the hospital last year so it was good to see her back to her old fun.

Minor Success

Just wanted to post a quick note for those of you who may be concerned...I lost 0.8 this week! Hey it's not much but it's more than 0.2! And I lost it just in time to gain it again because of.....cue scary sound effect....THANKSGIVING! My most favorite holiday of all! Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week and I may try to post again soon. BYEBYE!

God is teaching me patience

Another week of no weight loss....BUT I really think I have been building muscle this week because I have really been lifting more weight. I did workout # 15 today (very fun Everlast Shadow Boxing if you go to 24 hour fitness) so that means I am 1/3 of the way done! Yay!

One of these days the results will come...I just need to learn to be more patient.

Here are some more food finds for you KB:

Little Debbie Nutty Bars- 100 calorie- 2 points- these are the same things that used to come in packages of 2 and now they are just singles....but still very yummy

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Breakfast Quesadillas- 4 points each and you just microwave them!

I am a huge fan of the 100 calorie pack and one of the newest ones out there are the 100-calorie twinkies! It's like the hostess cupcake 100 cal packs but there are three little bite size twinkies. They taste just like twinkies so if you're a fan you will love them! I'm going to stick to my chocolate ones though...

I also wanted to share a recipe this week:

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 package yellow or spice cake mix
2/3 cup water
1 15 oz can pumpkin (not the pie filling but the actual pumpkin)

Okay this is the complicated part: stir up all the ingredients and pour it into the cupcake pan and bake it according to the box! It's supposed to make 24 cupcakes at 2 points each- I made it into 18 cupcakes and counted them as 3 points each. I have also made this with a chocolate cake mix and it is just as good....they are kind of like muffins...very thick batter. And if you have to have icing you can spread a very thin layer on for an additional point I think. Anyway if anyone decides to make them let me know if you like them! Have a great week!