MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

- Luke 2:10-14

christmas week.

i can't believe christmas is just a few days away! the past few weeks have flown by so fast between finals and work. which in a way is a good thing, but i feel like i haven't prepared for the holiday's like i used to, or have been able to enjoy the "christmas spirit". i'm not sure how much of that i have left after this holiday season. last week i worked 45+ hours, and was completely exhausted.
yesterday was my last day off before christmas and i am still un-prepared for friday night / saturday. i have a couple more things to pick up, and i can do the majority of it at work, so it shouldn't be too bad.
friday after i get off work, i'll spend the evening with my dad & step-mom's family before they head to cincy, permanently. i'll attend midnight mass with some of my cousins, and probably my brother. and christmas day will be spent with my mom's family, and getting some rest (i'm going to need it!).
my brother, t, and i will be taking pictures today to give to our parents as gifts. they don't really have an "updated" picture of the two of us together, so this will be nice. i'll develop them tonight while i'm at work. perks of working retail i guess.
i cannot wait for all of this hussle and bussle to be over to head back into a normal, scheduled, routine. and i always say this after big events like holidays, but for some reason my life can never find, normal, scheduled, and routine, hmph. but i really could use it!

christmas shoes.

this christmas, i don't really have a wish list of material things i really want, because usually when i see something i must have i purchase it, i am just that type of person.

this christmas, i really want ...

more time with my family.
more time with my friends and the people who are dear to me.
more me time.
people to stop complaining about the petty things in life.
people to respect one another.
others to come through on commitments and keep there word.
people to keep there cool over little things.
good conversations about life.
less time worrying about everything.
days spent doing what makes me smile.
days spent soaking up all of god's glory.
to get back to the simple-ness of life.

f-o-r-t-y.

i've officially lost 40 pounds. what a great feeling that is.

marshmellow.

so yesterday i opened an e-mail with this recipe in it and i couldn't wait to try it! so i picked up the ingredients while i was out and got a chance to make it before i headed off to mass last night.

here are some pictures of the process, which by the way was super simple. i've never melted any chocolate before, so i was really impressed with myself.

 

 chocolate and butter in the pan.

the chocolate starting to melt.

chocolate's all melted. 

all done!

i took the pan off the stove, and i mixed the marshmellows in there before putting into the pan. i lined the pan with the non-stick foil. it comes off pretty easy. we've just been picking off of it! but it only took about fifteen minutes to make. so it was a quick and simple treat!

5 years ... WOOOOO HOOOO

today i celebrate FIVE years with the best company ever! the past five years have gone by so fast, and i'm super excited for another five! i started as a seasonal employee so i only thought i'd work for a month or so when i was hired, nope, five years later i'm still there (and very happy about it!)

you light, light, light up the sky ...

1. i survived black friday, barely. i awoke at 115am and headed to work. i got home just after 1pm and crashed. it was a crazy busy day, but also exciting. it's just another hurdle that we have to jump to get through the holiday season in the retail world.

2. i actually lost another pound the week of thanksgiving, i'm really not sure how, but i'll take it. most people gain during this week of the holiday season, and are okay with it, i would have been to the way i ate, but a loss is a loss and that's super exciting.

3. the last week has been super busy with the end of the semester and work, i'm excited that school is almost over because it's been taking up a lot of my life lately and makes it difficult to get anything else "life" related done.

4. today i was supposed to attend a meeting for a board i sat on, and i woke up saying to myself, you've been so busy, tell someone no, tell something no, so i sent out an e-mail saying that i wasn't able to make it. that was a fantastic feeling right now. especially since i have to work tonight.

5. i'm actually going to update a bit more the next couple of weeks with the lack of school work so stay tuned to some super exciting posts :)

black friday.

I'll be getting up soon to brave, not the crowds of people to shop, but the crowds of people to go to work. I have to be into work around 3am.

I know that I like to go shopping and find the best deals around, but today is not the day. I will work through the madness, and I am looking forward to getting home to take a really nice long nap. If I feel up to it, I might stop on the way home for a pedicure, but I'm thinking the nap thing might win in my day.

If you are into this craziness of Black Friday shopping, I hope you enjoy your day and find many great deals! If you have to work, I wish you good luck!

thankful.

thankful: conscious of the benefit received; expressive of thanks; well pleased, glad. 

When I take a step back, and look at my life I have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day and holiday season that is approaching us.

My loving God.

My faith.

My amazing family. From my mom, dad, step-mom, brothers & sister. My aunts & uncles & all of my cousins.

My best friends who I couldn't live a day without.

My job and co-workers. Five years later, many of them are like family.

And everyone else that has come in and out of my life and made a difference in it.


Happy Turkey Day!

veteran's day.

"I thank God for my life;

& for the starts and stripes;

may freedom forever fly, let it ring;

salute the ones who died; 

& salute the ones that gave their lives so we don't

have to sacrifice all the things we LOVE." 

hey mr. dj ....

1. It's been weeks since I blogged. I have sat down several times and could not come up with anything to write down in this box. Hopefully this post will be worth while.

2. Right now I am super bummed that Publix will no longer be accepting Target as a competitor's coupon. I get many good deals partnering my Target coupons with a manufacturer's coupon. And the fact that I learned this as I checked out today, and I had a few things in the cart because of my coupons. Oh well. I haven't had any great deals lately, hopefully soon something will come my way.

3. I've been sick all week. I've been home from work, and glued to the couch and the television. I've been bored out of my mind and I can't wait to be back to feeling 100%. I haven't worked out now in over a week, and I am actually missing the gym and my workout time.

4. I got an early Christmas present from my dad, I am the proud owner of a new BlackBerry Torch. I am super excited about this new technological device I can carry with me everywhere. So much faster than my old BlackBerry Curve that I have had the last couple of years. It just has me smiling. (I guess this means I also need to alter that Christmas list of mine ;) )

5.  I can't believe that it's November 11th. The holiday season and Christmas are right around the corner. They will be here and gone before we know it. There is just so much to do in so little time, I hope it all gets accomplished!

6. Today I was feeling better than I have felt since early in the weekend, so I took some time to clean through my closet and drawers. I've pulled out everything that doesn't fit any more so that I don't have the temptation through the holiday's to end up back in it. I'm also ready to push through this darn pleateau that I've been at. I need to get back into the program, asap.

7. And I'm pretty sure I've decided what I'm doing for Christmas presents this year, and I'm super excited about it. :) That will be leaked to the blog, soon-ish.

- K Dub

putting things into perspective.

This picture shows a one pound vs. five pound replica of fat.

When I look at this picture and the replicas its unbelievable that I've lost those five pounds of fat, seven times over, and that I'm slowly replacing some of it with muscle mass. Over the past seven months, I've lost those thirty-five pounds. Most days its hard for me to tell that I've lost any of the weight when I look at myself. But when I look at this picture, I know what I've done is incredible, and it helps me to move forward.

diet coke bbq chicken & pumpkin cheesecake

Tonight, I made two new things that I am super excited to share about.

For dinner, I made Diet Coke BBQ Chicken. It was very delicious and very easy.
It calls for 12oz of diet coke and 1 cup of ketchup per pound of chicken breasts. I then cooked it in my *brand new* crock pot for a few hours on high. The chicken came out very tender and very delicious. The only thing was that the sauce did not thicken  like regular BBQ sauce. But still so good.

I also made the No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake from SkinnyTaste. This was also another hit in my book. Here is a picture of the cheesecake after it had been setting in the fridge for a little while.

is it too early for my christmas list?

.... because here are some of my favorite things that are making the list this holiday season.

 

a food scale.

this giraffe pandora charm.

a blackberry torch.

 

 and these lovely earrings.

and it's thursday again ...

1. It's been a long few weeks that were out of control, but I am happy to be back on track. I also finally broke my plateau this week. I lost five pounds from where I was last week, and it brings me to a grand total of 35.2 pounds. That my friends, is a great feeling.

2. I haven't had any good deals lately. And last weekends coupon selection was not the finest. I was actually very disappointed. I am looking forward to this Sunday's paper in hopes for something useful for my shopping. Although, I am getting creative with what I have here and eating through some of it before returning to the store. The only stuff I have grabbed from the store is fresh produce. I will have to stockpile again soon, only if I can produce some good coupons!

CVS Trip

I'm so excited to share about the good deal that I got a CVS today!
I was able to purchase:
1 Brilliant Brunette Shampoo - $6 on sale with a $2 off coupon
1 Brilliant Brunette Conditioner - $6 on sale with a $2 off coupon
and then spend $10 on these products get $3 Extra Bucks
2 Quaker Instant Oats - 2/$5 with two $1 off coupons
and then spend $5 get $2 on these products and get the $2 in Extra Bucks
1 Advil Liquid Gel 20 ct - $4.49 with a coupon for FREE so I saved $4.49
And then I also had a $4 off a $20 purchase.

All for a grand total of $7.69 and I also received $5 back in Extra Care Bucks!

TOMS

After much research and reading about TOMS, I purchased my very first pair in the classic black canvas. I have to say I absolutely love them! They were the perfect addition as we are heading into "fall". They are also super comfortable, and the canvas stretches as you wear them (so I bought mine a little snug). I wore them to work tonight and they didn't make my feet hurt!

Here I am sporting the TOMS in a late night trip to 7-11 for some fountain diet coke!

I also was talking to a friend this week who bought her first pair of TOMS in the natural canvas color and then she decorated them. They are super cute and it was such a great idea! I have to ask her what she used to draw on them but it looked like an ultra fine permanent marker.

10 thoughts on whole living.

I found these ten thoughts on whole living in the October 2010 issues of Whole Living, and wanted to share them with you.

1. If you can successfully change one bad habit, you're likely to change another.
2. Don't assume you know what someone needs you to do. Ask.
3. Sometimes all it takes to get through a tough time is a single, powerful word.
4. Be courageous enough to listen for the truth.
5. When you shine a light on a negative thought, it loses its power.
6. While you can't shut out illness entirely, you can make your body a place where health thrives.
7. Do something that makes you sweat.
8. Embrace frayed edges, worn pages, and laugh lines. True beauty lies in imperfection.
9. Remind a loved one that she's not alone.
10. Learning to love requires as much openness as it does strength.

a trip to publix.

Yesterday morning, I made my way to Publix with the coupon binder and coffee in hand. I also had a list of things that I wanted to gather because of the sale price and because we were running out of them. My grand total today was a whopping $34.50. (Disclaimer: I do like to save money, and I do love my coupons, but there are somethings that I won't sacrifice for, and I'd pay the extra money to have what I do like versus buying things that I am not particularly fond of. Also, since I am trying to eat better I tend to put out the extra money towards the things that are better for me, versus buying what's the cheapest, on sale, or free.)

Anyways, here's what I got:
10 Cans of Progresso Soup - 2.29 a piece But they were BOGO and I had 2.50 off.
5 Fage (Fa-yeah) Greek Yogurts - 5/$6
2 Breakstone's Cottage Cheeses - 2.75 a piece and I 2 $1 off coupons
6 Lean Cuisines - 1.97-2.50 a piece and 2 $1 off coupons
4 Healthy Choice Meals - 2.39 a piece and I had a competitors coupon for B3G1 and a $1 off of 3 Meals
2 Luna Bars - .99 a piece with two $.50 off coupons
3 Pears and 1 onion - 2.50 (or so for both) plus I had a $1 off produce from a competitor.
and the DEAL OF THE DAY 2 Crystal Light 12q Packages - 4.69 a piece with 1.50 off Publix Coupon (times two) and $1 off Manufacturer coupon (times two). So this was actually a .31 cent money maker!

And added on top of that I a $5 off of $50 dollar purchase competitors coupon for additional savings!

a modge podge of things.

1. I spent this past weekend in Miami, visiting my brother. First time that I have ever visited the city, and it's quite the interesting place. The city is huge, and the traffic is bad. But overall it was nice to be able to spend some time with my brother and family. We visited the Vizcaya on Sunday morning, it's a very pretty place and really do suggest visiting if you are headed down that way.

2. Tonight, I'm cleaning out my closet. I have way to many clothes that are too big now, which is a great feeling, yet I am still in between sizes. But I am happy to rid of the things that are too big. Many of them are going to be donated because they are still in decent condition. I am happy to be almost fitting into clothes that I used to love.

3. I am hoping at Thursday's weigh-in, I'll finally have a drop. I haven't dropped anything in over three weeks and the Life Coach is getting frustrated with me (and I'm getting frustrated with me.)

4. I ordered Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD from Amazon, it should be here in the next couple of days. I think this will be a nice mix up to my normal work out routine. I read a lot of reviews on this, some positive and some negative. I'll keep you posted on how it is, but I definitely can't wait to get started.

5. I'm excited to share with you my great deals that I'm going to get tomorrow at Publix. I'm going to be thoroughly impressed with myself when I am done with my grocery shopping. So be on the look out for a post.

6. The weather here is turning into fall, and it's beautiful. I really enjoy being able to ride with the windows down and the air off. (Also, a great help to the gas mileage on the vehicle!) I really just hope it stays like this and doesn't go back to summer like temperatures.

- K-Dubb

25 things about ME!

1) The name is Kelly, but I go by K Dubb as a nickname, and often respond to that better than my given name.
2) I live in the SUNSHINE state.
3) I'm a BlackBerry addict (more like my crackberry...).
4) I currently studying Business Management and also work for a major retailer.
5) I'm a very organized person; I believe in calendars, to-do lists, and a clean work area.
6) I have a big brother, step sister, and a half brother.
7) I have a coupon binder, and love to save every penny that I can.
8) I read blogs for inspiration, and I hope mine can help you, too! (If you are like me...)
9) I'm currently on a hardcore journey, which I'll write more about, but I have this amazing support team.
10) Disney World is by far, one of my favorite places to go.
11) Grey's Anatomy is my favorite tv show.
12) I believe that I am Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
13) My favorite thing to do is to sleep.
14) Quotes and song lyrics get me through my days.
15) I believe in retail therapy.
16) I believe in the power of prayer, and miracles.
17) The rosary is my favorite prayer.
18) I don't drink anything blue in color.
19) My friends, are my family. My co-workers, are also my family.
20) It's all about the little things in life that really bring happiness to me.
21) ADS & LaurLaur <3
22) I am a very crafty person, I just don't get the time any more.
23) My release is driving with the windows down, and the music up.
24) Starbucks & Diet Coke.
25) I like who I am, and who I am becoming ....