Once Upon a Time

Have you guys seen the new show, Once Upon a Time? I LOVE IT! It's about this town that has all these cursed storybook characters in the town and the only person who will be able to save them is Snow White's daughter Emma! It's so good, better than I can tell you. I actually have to do a movie review essay for class tonight, so that's as far as I'm going with that.

I was inspired by the wicked witch's makeup and hair today...




Do I look witchy? I forgot to take a picture before it got dark, so that's why it's blurry and I have bags under my eyes *GASP*

Which brings me to tell you guys.... I'm cutting my damn hair again. it's cute, yes yes, it's cute. It's just not Me.

I'm actually going to get it cut Wednesday from a high school friend of Marc's. Come to find out he had a crush on her...weird.

So wanna see the cut?


I think i want it a tad bit longer, but I think this suits my personality! What is your opinion, is this style outdated, still in, what's up?!

Off to go write a movie review on my favorite film of all time,

F You, Plateau!

Yes I said it. Plateau be GONE FROM HERE! I lost 3.5 pounds this week! I'm so proud of myself, and I even had a cupcake last night, and after lunch today. The difference is I counted it on my SparkPeople, and I stopped myself at just one! Perfect sweet for after a workout!

I went to the gym today, and it's not even a regularly scheduled day for it! I woke up, immediately got dressed, made breakfast for the hubs and myself, went to the gym, jumped on the spin bike, burned 325 calories in 30 minutes! I am on a roll!


Like my spooky cupcakes? I was trying to make spider webs? LOL! My white frosting wasn't runny enough, or at all, for that matter! Or well they were very tasty.

Before we had cupcakes, I made a nice meal for the fam-damily.

Pork loin, Smashed sour cream red potatoes, and Collards. Nobody likes Collards except for me, so they had spinach with ranch.

I was sad that my weekend was over, so I decided that since I can't dress up, I can at least do fun makeup! I chose a purple and black smoky look..bwahahahwhahadhasdioaf






Now I'm off to the land of African American History, and Intro to Modern Cinema. Hate homework.

Oh by the way, that book Unbroken I was talking about?!? READ IT! Seriously, one of the most incredible TRUE stories I've ever heard. chills throughout the whole thing!!! If you read it tell me what you thought about it!

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Hope you are celebrating in style!



Boo!

I'm celebrating by doing homework, housework, and eating (ate lol) a big ass cupcake.


By the way, have you heard of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products? I love the smell of this lavender, and it's so concentrated that I think this whole bottle will last me a year! I bought this at Walmart, at work they use this but will a different floral smell that's equally the bomb.

Yesterday was so busy and so much fun! Marc and I went to the gym where I burn 555 calories, and then I went to my mother in laws house for dinner and ended up burning 429 more calories in her pool! YESSSS! I burned lots and lots, and am feeling great!

Weigh in is TOMORROW!

Check the last post for pictures that should have been up yesterday teehee!

Hydration and Eats

Blogger is being an idiot and not letting me upload my pictures, i'll have to try another time. Right now I've been trying repeatedly since 6pm (9pm now). I'm frustrated so I'm putting stock pictures up. If you want to check back with my pictures (please do) I'll remind you in tomorrow's post.

I found out (what I think was) the reason I was stalling so badly! HYDRATION! I don't think I had been drinking as much water as I needed! That was one big thing, AND I decided to restart my SparkPeople, and it's been really working. I can't give out how much I've lost, since my official weigh in isn't until Sunday!

I'm just in a good place, and taking care of myself as much as possible!

Can I just say I made a killer sandwich for lunch today? It was rockin! Sorry Mollie, I know you hate cucumbers, but that's what this Sammy was all about!


(Mine)


A whole wheat bagel thin,Neufchatel cheese, shaved turkey, and cucumbers!!! (Not pictures, damn it)

I made a 97% on my math test today!! Woohoo! I would have made a 100% but the very last question on the test, was not in the review. I was so mad, because he says he takes every problem from the review and that was not true. The last math question was "how much simple interest will you recieve on 3,000 dollars at 10% for 2 years?" I wrote down 300 as a guess but now I'm thinking maybe it was six hundred? Any math whizzes out there?

Since it was a test day, I got out of class half an hour early. I was so glad to have some extra time to snuggle with my pooch!


(Mine)
(My dog is so much cuter....well this dog is hella cute, I must admit.)

I just enjoyed half of my dinner, so now the lobby smells like roasted chicken and garlic. Kinda feel bad, but my stomach feels good!


(Mine)

Whole wheat pasta, chicken, brussel sprouts (oh yeah), garlic, and Parmesan. I used the leftovers from last nights dinner, and microwaved the pasta! Did you know you could microwave pasta? Just don't tell any Sicilians.

(And I thought my ideas were original. Thanks Google.)

Oh well, have a good night everybody. I'm so ready to get the heck out of here, and go home to my pumpkin beer and my blankets.

SO BUSY!

My Internet has been down all day at work, so I've had no time to do anything! I was stressed because I had lots of homework due, including an essay! Thankfully everything worked out and I had just enough time to finish my (half assed) essay and write down a quick post!

So how was my day, you ask? It was a day! Well meaning, it was just a day!

I watched the Biggest Loser, went to the gym, took a shower, and made this....



oh yeah. Rosemary roasted chicken with carmelized brussel sprouts. I'm pretty sure there is nothing healthy left in those green nuggest of deliciousness, but man oh man, that was good eating.

I can't believe haw many people don't like BRUSSEL SPROUTS! How can you not like brussel sprouts? Maybe you've only had them disgustingly boiled?!
What is your favorite, and least favorite vegetable? My favorite is the above mentioned brussels, and my least favorite is lettuce. EWW.

Also can I just say how much I LOVE my gym?!?!

Blog-iversary and Winner!

I can't say thank you enough for all of my blog readers. Thank you for supporting this therapeutic process that helps me DEAL! A year ago, I needed a creative outlet and started writing what is now known as Czesia Lives (back then it was Czesia's Adventures).

My first post was terrible! I had just gotten braces and they hurt so much!

Soon came Halloween where Marc and I dressed up as the Jolly Green Giant, and Little Sprout.



In those weeks that turned into months, I've made some yummy recipes that I probably wouldn't have tried without the blog...






and lot's of silliness, that's just a part of me!







Thank you for letting me get my drunk smile on



and my serious frown on (I smile to much at work, so that's my excuse)



I'm so glad you've let me enjoy this hobby with the gift of your loyalty, your kind comments, and also your understanding (a couple months I only wrote 1 or 2 blogs!).

For the contest, I put everyone in order from who commented first to last. Then I added each persons amount of entries with a coordinating number.

So that was a total of 14 entries, I then used random.org to get the number....

So without further adieu, I'd like to congratulate SLIMKATIE on winning the first ever contest held here on Czesia Lives. Please contact me (you have my email!), let me know which goody bag you'd like, and your contact information!



Seriously guys, I wish I could give you all a present. Can I say thank you too much?

Happiness is a Choice

I worked myself up so bad yesterday that I got sick to my stomach. It's the worst feeling sometimes. I just wanted to say thank you all for the words of encouragement I feel better today. It took me a while to get the day started but with a coaxing husband we finally made it to the gym, which I LOVE!

(My sister told me I need to smile more so I'm trying, this was after burning 500 calories, hence no makeup and crazy flyaways lol)

I had so much fun trying out all of the equipment and the gym is BEAUTIFUL! Filled with natural light and lots of equipment, Marc and I were so happy! I'm glad we found a good place so nearby that we can chase away our winter blues in.

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So did you remember that the last day for entering my contest is tomorrow? Please click on the link below my picture (right hand side of screen) to enter!

I have decided to group the gifts into 4 different "goody bags", the winner can choose which bag they'd like! I chose the following based on all things that It think encompass my blog's viewpoint, and things I touch on!

#1) The Girlie Bag




#2) The Workout Bag



#3) The Foodie Bag


#4) The Intellectual Bag

Make sure you tune in for the winner will be announced tomorrow!!! GOOD LUCK! TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

100% of the giveaway's cost comes from my pocket, yo!

Sadness

***Before I start this post, I want to put a disclaimer about what I am going to be talking about. Last year I was professionally diagnosed with Clinical Depression and will be talking about MY emotional/ mental issues throughout this post. Please do not read this if the subject offends you, or may upset you. This is a personal post about decisions I have made WITH my doctor's approval. Please do not follow anything that I say for your own personal issues, as it is not meant to be. If you have any feelings of sadness that you think you need help understanding, please seek professional advice. You can skip down to the other half of this post, shown by a line, in order to read about my weekend. ***


I wanted to bring up a very personal topic on the blog today. Depression. It's a word that has so much stigma attached to it. It's a word that can be used to describe a lot of feelings, and is very easily misused. Therefore, after being diagnosed with Clinical Depression last year, I have taken a lot of time thinking about what that really means.

I'm still not very sure, but with medication trials and working on my issues, we decided that as long as I stay up to date with my appointments and be true to my feelings, that I don't have to take western stylized medication.

(I keep erasing things because I'm not sure what exactly I want to say here, I do get embarrassed about this, but I think I need to talk about it) Know that this decision has not erased OR accelerated my issues. I know exactly what I feel when I have an episode and I know that I am going through one right now. In fact, I've felt this feeling for the past few weeks, I know when it starts, it intensifies, and then releases it's hold. I'm at the climax at the moment.
It is more than a sadness, it's quite unexplainable to be honest. It's kind of like (for me) a hollow emptiness mixed with bitter anger and yet again devoid of feeling, at any moment you start crying but you don't know why. You can't associate with other people because you can't understand normal human behavior (hi, how was your day, look at the weather etc).

Anyway I just wanted to let you know, I'm okay. I can recognize the feelings I have and I do things in order to take care of myself when I feel this way. Not going to get into that because I don't want someone to self medicate.

Just know that this is the place I am in and it's hard, but I will make it through. It didn't help that my weight is totally out of whack, and I'm up two (consistent) pounds. In this emotional state, it is VERY easy to say ugly things about yourself, so I'm trying my best not to, however I know I'm failing so far.

But you know what? I've worked very hard these past two weeks. I'm never going to give up, just like in life. Things are hard for everyone, but I've lost 70 pounds and I'm GOING to make it 100. Sure, it's taken me a long time, but I'm going to reach my goals, Just wait and see.

(How perfect is this picture!? I'm in my ugly suit for work, It's raining outside, and my surroundings are gray buildings and dumpsters...)
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Writing that was really hard for me. I write my blog for therapeutic reasons and sometimes it's important to NOT give in to keeping things Taboo.

ANYWAYS

Marc and I went to Six Flags yesterday, which was fun. The scary people didn't come out until we were starting to leave so I was happy. When we first got there I was feeling sick and getting to the worst part of my personal mental issues, so I was having a hard time keeping a smile. We waited in line for hours for rides that were over just as fast as they began. We were there for seven hours and rode 4 rides. The lines for the coasters were averaging an hour wait a piece. Not fun.



This was actually about 1/8th of the total line for the Batman roller coaster. You can see it goes right out of the gate. One line snagged all of the way through the park. I know that line was at least a quarter mile long, it snakes around and around so it doesn't seem as long,. I'm glad we didn't try to wait for that one.

Marc actually admitted to me he had forgotten how crowded, and how long the waits were to get on the coasters. One fun thing we did was a show they had in the theater! It was a hypnotist show, and we laughed so hard! I'm glad that's how we ended our trip, I wish I would have been picked to be hypnotized!

After the amusement park, we went to the Nike outlet store. I was in desperate need for new sneakers.



This was my old pair that had numerous holes. I like Nike's because I got these second hand and they've lasted me about 8 or so years? They probably should have been retired a bit earlier but I couldn't let go!

Please welcome my new shoes!



They are SO light, and can flex a lot!


Even more than this, I just couldn't flex it as much one-handed.

I'm excited to try them out, as tomorrow Marc and I are going to try out the Gym.

Take care of yourselves, I'll be sure to keep my head up.

Goodnight!

TGIF

I had such a nice time with my new friend, Angie! I can not even begin to tell you how nice it is to have a friend in your town. I've really been missing out on a female relationship and I can tell that Angie and I are going to be great buddies! We hit it off right a way, and it wasn't awkward even in the least bit! I felt like I have known her for ages. What a great night!

We got our nails done and I picked a Chanel eggplant color. It's quite dark but I really like it! It's very trendy and fun.

After I got home, I made one of Marc's favorite fall meals, Pumpkin Savory pasta with sausage and peas.

I made this recipe up so it's not exact but I'd say this is close to how I make it:

1 can pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin)

1 cup skim milk

1/2 can water

1/2 tbsp Garlic powder

1 tbsp Onion Powder

nutmeg (tiniest dash)

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne Pepper (tiniest dash, or omit if don't like)

1/2 cup frozen peas

Mix all ingredients except frozen peas, once all incorporated and simmering, cut off heat and add peas. Serve over egg noodles with a dash of parmesan on top.

It may look weird but it is so good, especially if you are really hungry and are craving a comfort food!

Plans Near and Far

Learned about Roth IRA's, Mutual Funds, etc. in Math today.

I am so excited, I finally understand this. Wish we would have talked about this in Economics class in high school! Now I just need to save up and get going! Retirement, here I come!



Can I just say I want to be just like this when I'm old?


This weekend should be fun!

Tomorrow I'm going on a girlfriend date! Guys I made a friend! We are going to get our nails done, and go out for coffee. It's been way too long. Will I remember how to act? What to say?
Oh boy!

I want to get my nails done like this



Or this


What's your vote guys? I really like the dark purple, it's trendy but so pretty! Nana would hate it lol.

On Saturday Marc and I are going to Fright Fest at six flags! I'm excited, but nervous. Not about the roller coasters, but about the things that are probably going to pop out at me! I don't do well with getting spooked! How did I get talked into this? Oh yeah, Marc LIED to me and told me that they don't scare you, it's just decorated for Halloween. What a liar.



One nice thing about the park is that you can go to the parking lot and eat a packed lunch instead of paying (CRAZY) money in the park. I just haven't decided what to pack yet. I think it should be something really tasty then we wont be as tempted when we smell all the good smells at the park! Do you guys have any picnic food ideas that would fit the bill?



One thing I was thinking about doing is getting our caricatures done! I'll let you know what I get roped into buying haha!

Good night!