Just a little excited...

Soooo in mere days...we are closing and moving into our new house!!! I can't explain how excited we are. We went out there last night and were planning where we're going to put everything. I will try and blog at Em's b/c I don't know how long it is going to take BlueRidge Cable to get to my house (read: hopefully super fast!) plus we will be unpacking & stuff. I will post pics as soon as we are settled! Love you all! Ciao! xoxoxo

Avo-licious!

I just ate the most delicious breakfast ever. Just thought I would share. I took two eggs and cooked them over-easy using about a tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter. I topped it with my beloved avocado, thin slices of red onion, squeeze of lime, and siracha pepper sauce b/c I am obsessed with my food being spicy. I also dashed on a bit of salt & pepper. I was going to use tomato but I think it would have dominated the dish so I am happy that I left it the way it was. Words cannot explain how yummy it was. Try it out! Bon Appetito!!!

A quick blog before my avocado snack.

Its Thursday morning and the weather is looking a little more promising. Yesterday was still cold but we had tons of beautiful sunshine so that lifted my spirits. Right now the kids are playing and I am watching re-runs of one of my fav shows, "Giada's Weekend Getaways." I just love her and every single thing that she cooks. This particular show highlights her travels that are centered around, what else, food! Today she is in Santa Fe, N.M. and I am happy that I brought an avocado with me b/c I am sure craving one right about now.

Speaking of food, yesterday I made the yummiest little snack ever! I took button mushrooms (stems removed), and brushed them with olive oil. I then took some of my goat cheese, basil, chopped tomatoes with the pulp scraped away, and a little more olive oil...mixed it all good and put a scoop inside each mushroom. A sprinkling of breadcrumbs and then I popped it all in the oven at 400 degrees and baked for about 15 minutes. A little salt and pepper when they came out and oh my word were they freaking delicious. That alone put me in a glorious mood, I tell ya. Today I am pondering on what I'd like to do with my aforementioned avocado. I might just eat it plain with a little lime and salt. Mmmmm. That sure got my stomach growling.

Yesterday, we received some great news. Our home loan is completely done and processed and now we are just waiting on the final appraisal. It is very possible that we may close on Mon or Tues and move in right away! Of course, this is all a whirlwind right about now, but for sure in a good way. So, this weekend we will begin the treacherous task of packing. *groan* I absolutely loathe packing but at least this is for good. I am eager to just get everything done. If I could fast forward time, this would def be the week to do it! I can't wait to be settled into our new home. I am excited to post some pics for everyone. Me and Ant were debating on inviting everyone over for Easter but I fear that may be a bit too soon. Sophia's bday is the day before, the 11th, and planning a party is going to be a task altogether. I always take on too much so I am trying to slow down and not get ahead of myself.

Today is going to be pretty routine: babysitting, work at OB, gym, sleep. Tomorrow evening I have a jewelry party at my BFF's house so I am looking forward to that. I love the combo of socializing, shopping, and making $$. lol. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day thus far. Aaaahhh the weekend will be here before you know it. Ciao! xoxoxox

Pure Yumminess.

Its a beautiful yet COLD Tuesday morning at Em's. Our lovely spring weather has taken a dip into the freezing and we've been robbed of warmth once again. NYC even got flurries last week. I swear the Ice Age is making it's grand re-entrance up here in the northeast. No fun. I really just want to break out the flip flops. My precious UGG's have been overused and abused this year. The last week has been super busy with work work work for moi. Babysitting 40 hours a week, 4 exhausting nights at OB, jewelry parties/business functions filling in the gaps, and on top of that I have decided to return to the gym at least 3 nights a week. lol. Yes, I said busy. I really need the gym though, as I was discussing with Em this a.m., its just so nice to have an outlet. Now that I think of it, I have many outlets: unnecessary trips to TJ Maxx, black & white cookies, watching countless reruns of The Hills, this blog, wine, Starbucks, more wine. Ha ha. What's your outlet?

This past Saturday I attended our bi-annual lia sophia Zone rally down in the depths of PA and had an absolute burst of inspiration and motivation. I really cannot express how amazing it is to be involved with this company. I have so many amazing women who have quickly become good friends and the self-confidence that I have found in myself is worth its weight in gold. Its hard juggling it with everything else and there is slight pressure b/c I know everyone believes in me to go far with it but until my work load lessens just a tad, it is what it is. Right now I am working on being promoted to Unit Manager and then I will be well on my way to earning next year's trip to Cancun. I keep a mini-sombrero on my desk and a chili-pepper necklace in my car for a shot of positive thinking.

Which brings me to one of my favorite topics to discuss. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an avid follower of The Secret. I truly believe that "What you think about, you bring about." My other favorite book is "Excuse me, your life is waiting." by Lynn Grabhorn. I actually like that one better than "The Secret" and I carry it everywhere with me in my purse. The law of attraction works and I have used it for quite some time now and received extremely lucrative results. It simply revolves around the power of positive thought and I am confident that if our planet followed this way of life we'd see perfect harmony rather than the nonsense that occupies our daily living. This is why I have given up reading the newspaper (except for the horoscope, lol) and I refuse to watch the news. What I need to know in life will come to me in one form or another, I do not need to clutter my mind with sad stories that start my day with sadness and worry. So start your day with a glass of sunshine (O.J) and think positive thoughts of a perfect day and I promise that is what will follow.

Due to our money conservation plan, we've been grocery shopping more frequently and I have been "cooking" more as well. One of my favorite ways to save money is to buy more whole foods rather than processed junk. It is also way healthier, and with my return to the gym I need to eat better anyway as to not reverse the effects of my hard work. This week I loaded up on tomatoes, baby spinach, bananas, avocados, mushrooms, baby carrots, and goat cheese (to be used in moderation). I also replaced bread and rolls with sun-dried tomato wraps. Also, I did not buy ANY soda products at all, gasp. Soda is the hardest thing for me to give up as I lovvve it. But Emily told me that I will yield direct results from just giving it up alone, so I am giving it a shot. Now I didn't say I was giving up ALL my favorites, hee hee, so I did manage to slip in a pack of my treasured B&W cookies that I mentioned earlier. Hey, baby steps are better than what I was eating before. And I allow myself just one a day instead of 2 like before. So here I am with my fresh fruits/veggies and I must say I have been pretty creative with them. I eat them plain with low fat ranch to dip, in omelette's, in a wrap, roasted in the oven, and my fav-as a flatbread. Its so easy...I take a baking sheet or stone and lay out a wrap, spray it with a little olive oil, pile on veggies and a few dabs of goat cheese and bake at 400 degrees for a few minutes. I just kind of watch it to make sure it doesn't burn. Then I take it out and sprinkle on some salt & pepper and balsamic vinegar and enjoy! Soooo good and it doesn't get boring b/c there are so many combos of toppings that you can use. Throw in a small side salad or a healthy soup and you have one of my favorite lunches or light dinners. Another really yummy meal that me and Em were talking about is using baked potatoes as your main course. I like mine piled with veggies, freshly made salsa and a dab of low-fat or fat-free sour cream. Pair it with a small side salad and you have yourself some yumminess. Again, if anyone has some easy and tasty recipes or meal ideas...please share!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! Remember-positive thinking! I swear it'll change your life! Ciao! xoxoxox

10 Days til Spring!!!

This weekend was very low key and laid back...exactly what I was hoping for. Friday night I had a jewelry party from 6-9 so I got home around 9:30 and Pasquale & Kelly had stopped by for a little bit after having dinner out. It was sooo nice to see them as we haven't been able to hang out for a while now due to all of our busy schedules. It was super fun and exciting to talk about the wedding, I still have wedding fever even though mine is over so at least I get to re-live the fun stuff all over again. After they left, me & Ant snuggled for a bit on the couch and passed out watching a movie...we were both pooped from a busy week.

Saturday brought GORGEOUS weather and it finally felt like spring was on its way! The air smelled so fresh and clean, the sun was shining, the air was warm. I opened every single window in my apartment and just enjoyed the breezes flowing in, pushing out the leftover stagnancy of winter. Me & Sophia didn't do much, just lounged for the whole morning and watched movies. In the afternoon we went over to Hannaford to pick up some groceries...and I ended up being $4 under my $30 budget...woohoo! I even put back the devil dogs after fighting long and hard to rationalize buying them...but they just were not necessary. And they were too damn expensive! I decided I would bake a chocolate cake instead b/c I already had all of the stuff at home but in the end I didn't even do that, but at least I stuck to my budget! It is so weird having a cash only budget for groceries but I found myself buying things that we really needed and a few treats that I wanted too. But those treats outweighed my desire for devil dogs so in the end they stayed on the shelf. lol. That night I made a yummy taco lasagna that I had a recipe for and it was actually pretty good! After dinner, we went to Sam's Club to return our water cooler bottles to get back our deposit and then we headed over to Lowe's to browse around. Ant got us an insane deal on a washer and dryer and I really wanted to see them. The builder of the house was going to put in a standard pair but b/c we got our own he is going to compensate us in cash. I am so in love with them too...I never thought I would get so excited about a washer and dryer but these were too good to pass up:


We got them in the same color as the pic and the dryer looks exactly like the washer. They normally retail at $3000 but we got them for $1000. We got them so reasonable b/c they were missing the little rubber feet on the bottom. I can do without rubber feet to save $2000!Supposedly they are super efficient as well, saving us $$ in the long run on water and electric. The dryer will completely dry a load in 30 minutes! I can't wait to do laundry! lol. We also picked out a really pretty shower door for our master bath. I fell in love with a glass one by kohler but of course it was over $500 so we settled on another on that is on sale for $100 but Ant might be able to get it for less and he will also get his store discount. Oh how I love my husband's job sometimes! These doors aren't the ones that we are getting but the design is the same idea, just not quite as fancy...

After we were done at Lowes we headed home, put on another movie and passed out. Hey I meant it when I said low key!!!

Sunday brought us another gorgeous day and due to DST we lost an hour of sleep. At least we gain an hour of sunlight everyday so I feel it is a fair trade. I am welcoming the fact that spring is officially 10 days away and I will take all of the sunlight that I can get. Anthony had to work during the day so me and Sophia hung around and played "tea-party" which is her new favorite game. Then at 4:30 I had to be at work, so off to make some $$ I went. The restaurant was a good mix of being busy but not overly crowded. My bff, Nicole, brought me a sushi roll from our fav place, Tai Fu, so that was beyond stellar of her. It definitely hit the spot that night when I got a chance to actually eat it. My shift flew by and after making a quick $100 I headed home to have a glass of wine and pass out.

Now it is Monday, and a rainy Monday at that! I was chosen as one of five advisors in my region to participate in a special training program that lia sophia is testing out. It is called the "hip" program which means that someone above you chooses you to "mentor" or "take you on their hip." It simply consists of 8 weekly conference calls every Monday and then having a 15 minute conversation with my "mentor" to discuss my progress and exchange ideas. I was very honored to be chosen by my region manager and she has told me on several occasions that she can see me moving up into higher management with lia sophia. It definitely motivates me b/c I love this company so much and can see myself doing this long-term. Tonight is also girl's night and we are soo excited about the season 5 premiere of The Hills on March 30th. Sadly though, this will be the last season so it is very bittersweet for us as this show is our absolute favorite! We are gathering at Nicole's house this evening and I am going to make a taco cheese ball that I had gotten from a Tastefully Simple party a while back. It is very rainy and gloomy out but at least it is not cold and snowy! I hope everyone's weeks are starting out great! Ciao! xoxox

Blinded by the light...of the tv that is.

TGIF!! The weekend is here at last!! After a verrrry busy week I am super happy that the workweek has ended, well sort of anyway. I have to do a jewelry party tonight, which I barely consider work, and I have to work at OB at 4:30 on Sunday. This Sunday I am actually waiting tables though, so it'll be nice to shake things up a bit. And they feed us on Sundays which is always a huge bonus!!! lol.

A while back I signed up for paperless billing with our Internet/cable company, so basically they send you an e-bill in your email account. However, due to us not physically seeing the bill this caused us, well me, to "forget" to pay it. No, Mom, this does not mean we're poor and can't pay it, we were just a tad irresponsible as humans tend to be lol. Anyhow, so this week I was sharply reminded of my non-payment when our Internet access and cable was abruptly shut off. And right now with the house and all of our other bills that are due, the cable bill was not on the top of the priority list so it had to wait to get paid. Now the purpose of me telling you this is not to inform the world of my scatterbrainedness/occasional irresponsibility, but to let you in on a little lesson I learned. I was spending too much time in front of the damn TV and computer! I had become completely addicted and absorbed into my weekly reality shows and my daily celeb gossip. This week I spent time on other things that I had stopped doing a long time ago-like reading books, organizing my apartment, spending more time with the kids. Not that I don't do these at all...just not enough. Its amazing to see that life does go on without certain luxuries that you are certain are essential...until they're gone and you don't miss them as much as you think you would have. Of course, this does not mean we are reforming to a cable-less household, but I do think that I will be more moderate with the "junky" brain food and balance out my activities better. Its amazing how warped we get by who Brett Michaels is fake dating or how certain "housewives" are living their life. I was also more tuned into my life and what is so great about it rather than compare it to those of celebs and feeling crappy about myself. We tend to get a little jaded by the shadow of the spotlight and can quickly forget about what defines a "rich" life to us, and not that of a celeb who makes a gazillion dollars more than us, with a private chef and trainer, makeup artist, stylist, blah blah blah. I know I am getting a little off topic here but the point I am trying to make is that I realized I was focusing a little too much time on other's lives rather than my own. And with a little less TV...I think I might find that my life is just as wonderful and fulfilling.

A while back I wrote of a certain experiment with money that we were going to try. I admit I wasn't as strict as I should have been, but now is the perfect time for it due to our upcoming move into a new home. I have to say, we've really cut out about 95% of our daily spending and have been going bare bones. No more Starbucks for me, weekly poker nights with the guys for Ant, and bottles of wine for relaxing on the couch at night. We've also been, gasp, eating at home!
This was a foreign concept to us before but not anymore! I have also picked up more work at the restaurant for a little income boost and Ant received a slight raise at work. Hey, every little cent helps! And yet again, I quickly learned that, like the lack of cable/Internet, life really does go on!!! Its very eye opening. I also appreciate more of what I already have and am actually using things that I own rather than always needing something new! And its amazing to me that I took for granted before what I own. I have some stinkin' cute clothes, shoes, bags, etc. that I barely took notice of! I even have countless books that went unread while I shopped up one of my fav stores, Borders. It was like the thrill of the buy had gotten more exciting to me than it was to actually use the stuff I was buying. I guess lately, I have been learning alot of valuable lessons, lol. So the moral of this story is, like the TV-everything in moderation. I am not about to totally give up my coffees and discount stores (TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, etc) nor am I going to stop watching my fav shows (hello, The Hills!!) but I am going to make a conscious lifestyle change and nix overdoing it all the time with my indulgences.

This weekend my bff, Kelly is coming home from school in Albany, and I am excited to see her and finally get to celebrate her and Pasquale's (Anthony's bff) engagement! It is so exciting b/c they caught the bouquet/garter at our wedding and now they are getting married!! They are two of our closest friends and we love hanging out at the apartment and playing wii. Maybe we'll even splurge and get a cheap bottle of vino to mark the occasion. lol.

I hope you all have a great weekend! If anyone has any yummy, cheap, and easy dinner recipes...please share! I am running out of ideas!!! Ciao! xoxox

Homeowners at Last!!

Hello everyone! Its Tuesday afternoon at Em's and I am making the kiddies mac-n-cheese so I figured I'd sneak in a blog while I wait for the water to boil...

First and foremost I am just going to cut to the most important news that I have for everyone....We bought our first home! Finally the persistence and patience has paid off! We bought a brand new bi-level in Milford, Pa. which is about 10 min from Ant's parents and 40 min. from mine. I am beyond excited! Milford is such a trendy, cool little town and the whole area is safe and clean. We are going to be living in a community called Sunrise Lake. It has a very "country without being in the boonies" vibe. Our home is a little over 1800 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms. The kitchen is gorgeous with all SS appliances and granite counter tops. The living room has a beautiful stone fireplace with a huge stone mantle. But the best part is the master suit...HUGE walk in closet and a private bath with a jacuzzi tub (my fav feature!) and separate stand up shower. I will post pics as soon as I upload them. The siding is green with cranberry shutters. We got such an incredible deal too! Our purchase price was $199,900 with $5,000.00 back for "furniture reimbursement" and we will be getting the $8,000.00 tax credit as soon as we close. We financed at 5.25% 30yrs fixed. The house also includes all appliances brand new! I can't wait to have a washer and dryer of my own! No more laundromat! I feel like we definitely reaped the rewards from a shitty housing market! There is a silver lining on every cloud! We signed the contract last night and a bunch of papers with the MetLife guy so basically all we have to do is wait. This is the stressful part b/c I keep getting nervous that something is going to go wrong and we're not going to be able to close. At least its a new home so we don't have to worry about people moving out or deciding not to sell. And the home is built so we don't have to wait for that either. Just the routine inspection, appraisal, etc. I will keep everyone updated!

Other than the house, everything else has been quiet and pretty normal around here. We got yet another snow storm yesterday and I can't take the sight of the white stuff anymore. Give me sunshine and warmth! Sundresses and bathing suits! I long for my flip flops! Aaargh. I am super excited for summer this year. I am looking forward to my conference in Milwaukee in June and for a few mini-getaways that me and Ant have discussed. Trips to the beach, Dorney Park with the fam, and maybe Sesame Place with Sophia. I am also excited to go "flea-marketing" with my Mother-in-law. There is a great one in Marshalls Creek, a little over a half hour from where we will be living. But most of all, I am just looking forward to getting settled and concentrating on selling jewelry/growing my business. I haven't been able to dedicate the time that I would like to it lately so the summer will allow me to do that.

We have had some exciting family news lately and I am so happy for my cousin Becky who recently got engaged! Weddings are very exciting in this family. I still haven't seen the ring yet so email me some pics, Becks!!! lol. I am also very excited for my cousin Vance and his wife who recently had their first son, Logan Vance Louis. They had tried for a baby for a crazy long time and suffered 2 or 3 miscarriages and 2 tubal pregnancies. After my cousin's wife, Muriel had her fallopian tubes removed they pretty much gave up hope...until one day she found out she was pregnant! She had a healthy, normal pregnancy even though everyone was completely mystified by how she even got pregnant in the first place. Well, to make a long story short, a Cesarean birth revealed that a 3rd tube had regenerated and grew allowing her to get pregnant and finally be blessed with a healthy baby boy! It is a story that Oprah should seriously consider doing. It goes to show miracles happen everyday! We have our own miracles in our family, as well, and everyone prays for them everyday...I love you Aunt Patty & Tricia & Joe!

Last week, I had my "ladies night out" and it was a blast! We had an amazing meal at Outback followed by seeing "Confessions of a Shopaholic." I just thought I would quickly share my opinion of the movie. First of all, I have to mention that we were almost late to the movie due to some impromptu shoe shopping at Target! Oh the irony but who can resist two amazingly cute pairs of summer sandals for under $$40!!! Needless to say, we arrived at the movie in the nick of time and my feet and wallet were happy! The movie was fun and cute, but a long shot from the book. I have to agree with my cousin Tricia's blog on her opinion of the movie. I was a tad disappointed but was grateful to have a fun night out with my friends. I think our next ladies night is going to be at the local Mexican joint. Maybe it'll even be warm enough to wear one of my new pairs of shoes??

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy for us as we get everything prepped to move...groan. But at least its for good this time! No more apartments! I also am going to be busy with jewelry parties and extra shifts that I will be picking up at OB. Its money crunch time! I have to admit though, I have never been so excited to save money before! Its all for a good reason!!! I will keep you all posted! Have a great week! Ciao! xoxox

Check out the goods:

I got this pair for $6 even though they aren't that price on the website...but I am not complaining:http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Paulina-Gladiator-Sandals-Patent/dp/B0018Q6752/qid=1236107759/ref=br_1_4/181-9383377-5062100?ie=UTF8&node=3429501&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

This pair I have been lusting after for a while and I didn't want to risk waiting for them to go on sale and losing out...they are sooo cute on and very comfortable:http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Petrova-Gladiator-Sandals-Black/dp/B001G7BSG6/qid=1236108084/ref=br_1_8/181-9383377-5062100?ie=UTF8&node=13851741&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=13851741&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=2