Happy....

Happy Easter friends and family......I hope your day is filled with Love, Peace and Joy!

WW Recap

For the 10 days I had company I tried really hard to keep my portions in check and I did an ok job considering we indulged in all the Columbus has to offer! I gained just about 2 pounds of my weigh loss back but after trying hard all week I lost those 2 pounds again this week. So my total weight loss is 11.6 pounds and I'll take it! I tried some new recipes this week that I want to share with you............

SkinnyTaste Salisbury Steak, this was so good and Matt loved it! I served mine with green beans you can see the recipe HERE!

Matt is not huge on fish so saying that he loved this meal from Cooking Light is a huge endorsement. You can find the Panko Crusted Cod HERE! I served mine with asparagus.

For dessert this week I tried out a simple WW cobbler...I was leery since it has only 3 ingredients...and 2 points per serving. The Verdict? It was good, easy and satisfying! Here is how....
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- In a 9x13 spread out 2 packages of frozen fruit of your choice
- Sprinkle 1 cake mix on top, I used french vanilla
- Pour in 1 can of Sprite Zero....do NOT stir. I criss-crossed the cake up and down while pouring the can out.
- Bake on 350 for 45minutes!
YUMM.....we served ours with Fat Free cool whip!

Let me know if you try any of these recipes out! Happy Good Friday friends!

KD is my main squeeze....

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the wonderful time I got to have while Mom and Marissa were here. I love playing hostess, cooking for them and planning each day to ensure that they have a good time. I am so lucky to have a family that comes to visit me. Here are the snapshots from their trip, enjoy..........

Marissa......

Something we did when Mom and Marissa was here was celebrate Marissa's (almost) 21st Birthday! Her actual Birthday is April 2! I wanted to make it special for her since this is the first time I will be missing her Birthday. I baked her favorite cake......Cherry Chip........ I couldn't find it in stores so I bought the mixes off of Amazon....I swear you can find anything on that site.

 I did a little Spring decorating over the kitchen table to help us get in the spirit........Becky and I picked these out from Martha Stewart crafts.

 I gave Marissa a couple of gift cards with $21 on them......get it?? Ha! And then she loves to bake so I found the cutest cookbook to give her!

 When we were out and about shopping Marissa was able to spend her new gift cards! We had such a wonderful time. How cute is this store?

I love her.........

Rosemary & Lemon Salt

Mom and I did a fun little project while she was here........we made Rosemary and Lemon salt. We made 4 "batches" for Me, Mom, Marissa and my sister-in-law Jordan. This was SO easy and fun......isn't Pinterest awesome? I pinned this and did it! You can check out the original blog I pinned over at Garden Therapy HERE!

 Rosemary Lemon Sea Salt

• 1 cup coarse salt
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1-3 smaller sprigs for garnish
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 canning jar of choice (I got mine at Kroger)

Add all the ingredients to a pot/pan and stir well over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until warmed through. (Make sure to bury your Rosemary into the salt) Remove from heat and cool. Remove the rosemary branch, then pack into clean, wide-mouth jars. Add the smaller rosemary sprigs to the sides and top of the jar for garnish. 

TIP! Mom and I did chop up one of the Rosemary sprigs and mixed throughout before we added them to the jars! This will go great on fish, chicken and veggies I think! YAY!

 We kinda made a salt mess if you can't tell! Hey, no one ever said Pinterest Projects were clean!

 SO cute!!! This project made the house smell so good........

Movie Monday

Happy Monday to you friends.......back to reality for me....boo! Over the past 10 days I have been beyond spoiled with Becky visiting and then my Mom and Marissa. I think you forget how full your heart can be until you have the people closest to you visit. Now what do you think is something we defiantly did??? Movies of course!!!!
The Friday Becky was here we (Matt too) went to the eat in movies at AMC to see the new Halle Berry thriller The Call. It was very entertaining, non-stop stress from beginning to end.....it might have lacked a little in the "why?" department but it is what it is. I thought this was very enjoyable and if you don't see it in the theater be sure to rent it. It was a great "behind the scenes" look at what it takes to be a 911 operator.

 The past Saturday Mom, Marissa, Matt and I went to see the new Gerald Butler action flick and it was great. We loved the action, explosions and crazy story line. Essentially the White House is taken and the president is held hostage and there is only ONE man to save the day! This is a great guys movie, Matt loved it so take your man to see this and you might get brownie points.....or take your girl if she likes action as much as I do!

 Mom, Marissa and I also rented Life of Pi while they were here and we really didn't know what to expect... we were all pleasantly surprised. This movie is a bit slow but the actual "film" is stunning. This movie wants you to think about life and what God can do for you which is a great message. Yes, this was sad at times but the whole story is just grand. We really enjoyed it. Have you seen it?

So, last week Zero Dark Thirty came out on DVD and I did a review on this back in January you can see it HERE! I love a thinkers-action-movie and this movie was JUST as good the second time. This is really WAY up on my list of all time favorite movies. If you still haven't seen it.....what are you waiting for???

Check back this week and I will share the rest of Mom and Marissa's trip here with you all! Have a great day!

Books!

She’s the brutally honest breath of fresh air on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, known for her dramatic divorce, her barely-there clothing, and her inability to keep her mouth shut. So why should she change now? Brandi Glanville tells all in this hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.

Fans have been waiting for Brandi’s scoop on one of the biggest divorces of the decade, since her husband of eight years abandoned her and their two sons to marry country singer LeAnn Rimes.
I knew Brandi had wrote a book and I am a huge fan of hers on Real Housewives, but it never occurred to me to pick up her book until I saw her on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. When I looked up her book via Amazon I saw she had OVER 1500 4 1/2 + star reviews so I dove right in. This book is written just like she talks and as if you had a girlfriend over spilling juicy gossip. I loved this book, it was easy, fast and super funny. (so she said, ha) Sure, some of the book was a tad repetitive but she isn't looking for a book award here just to entertain the masses. I enjoyed reading more about Brandi and I am now an even BIGGER fan!

 Now switching gears completely....................

Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t, and they become companions.

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret—one that nobody else in town would ever suspect—and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?

I have never read a Jodi Picoult book before but after reading a review of the Storyteller in People magazine I knew I had to go and get this book. This book was amazing and I just loved how it's characters were weaved into history. I don't want to give anything away but there are 3 people/views this story is told from and I found myself being completely immersed into one story and I was always sad to see the narrator switch. I kept reading as much as I could each night because I had to know what was going to happen. This is hands down one of the best books I have read in.......probably a year. Have you read it? Thoughts? I sent this book home with Becky and included little note for my Book Club girls to pass around and think of me. 

You know ever since we have moved I have mentioned how my love of reading has taken a back seat....I just couldn't find the joy in it for a long time which made me so sad. I am really hoping that these two books broke me out of my rut and will open the door for me to regain my enjoyment and escape while reading!

Green Lawn

On Saturday after brunch Becky, Matt and I went to visit a Columbus historical site that I have been wanting to see....Green Lawn Cementary. This place was amazing and the headstones were like none I have ever seen.

 Look at this marker......1792, I can barely wrap my head around this. I love history and being at this place was a dream. This headstone looks to be a newer replacement but we saw hundreds that were so dilapidated that you couldn't make anything out.

 The cemetery also houses veterans a few from the Civil War and then WWI and WWII.

 Look at this.....this was a memorial like headstone and it was so old we could not even make out a year...but this is so creepy and I love it!

 Isn't this headstone right out of a movie? There were a ton of famous "Ohioans" buried here and you can learn more about this piece of history by clicking HERE!

The Jury Room

Do you all watch the Dead Files on Travel Channel? I do and I LOVE it! It is about a medium and a former cop who investigate haunted locations....you have to watch it and you can learn more by clicking HERE

Back in December they filmed at a location here in Columbus....so what did Becky and I do?? We became haunted tourists thats what! Long story short....this place opened in 1831 and some of the decor is from the original restaurant. It was also home to a bordello and a murder or two.....

 Here is a recap I got from Travel Channel on what Amy found out during her investigation.....

 We didn't eat lunch here but next time I think we will.....the owners were really nice to us after we told them we are "lookie-loos". Just look at this place, it was like being transported in time. Very cool.

 And yes, I am sure the people actually there eating lunch thought we were crazy people....I am lucky Becky shares my love of weird/haunted places!

 After the Jury Room we went to The Book Loft in German Village, here is a little bit about it...
One of the nation's largest independent book stores, The Book Loft of German Village, is located at 631 South Third Street in Columbus, Ohio, just a few blocks South of the state capitol building. The pre-Civil War era buildings that once were general stores, a saloon and a nickelodeon cinema, now are home to 32 rooms of Bargain Book

 Ya, this place was beyond amazing and they even host authors we found out so we were able to buy autographed books! It is like a maze in the book store with some rooms no bigger than a closet and I would be shocked if it wasn't haunted.