Work can be fun too

Cut. Roll. Glue. Pin. Repeat.

x 1,000 (exaggeration)

= amazeballs.

The end.

It's adorable, right? I'd love to say that it's entirely my idea... but that'd be a lie.  It was actually my friend who discovered this nifty little thing somewhere on the interwebs and decided she was going to enlist my craftiness and DIY attitude to just make our own!!  If you're looking at it and still thinking, "Sure it's cute, but what the heck is it?" I can understand.  Technically, this thing was originally created to be a bridal bouquet (why couldn't Pinterest have been around when I was getting married?!).  We took the original idea and decided to make them as "centerpieces" instead!

A mutual friend was having a wedding and we wanted to throw her a little bridal shower "Coffee and Books" was the theme, with a little brunch and some fun times thrown in.  Most of the stuff was DIY, but this was definitely the coolest of them all!

Using a template we saw someone else selling, my friend decided to copy the idea and adjust it to our needs.  Of course I painstakingly scoured through my bookshelves for very weathered and uninteresting books (yes, there is such a thing, see: Jerry Springer biography... it was my husband's don't judge me).  

First I created the template and put it onto my computer.  There are these flowery looking, circular templates that come in 7¼, 6, 5, 4, and 3 inch sizes.  See this chic's Etsy page for a visual. Then I set it up to print out within the confines of the page dimensions. I tore out (yes, the book gods are cursing me now and forever) the pages and ran them through my printer, directly printing the black lined template onto the page and then cutting them out.  It took us an entire day JUST to cut everything out.  And man, were there lots of them!

The next step in the process is to "roll" up the little spiral cutouts to resemble a rose (each individual bud is a singular cut-out spiral).  Once it's rolled tightly (we spun it around a pencil), let it loosen a little, then hot-glue it together.  Then, stick a fancy tipped pin (we used pearl tips, some people use rhinestones or other colors that match whatever they're decorating for) into the center of each bud and shove into a foam ball.  Our foam balls were WAY larger than most people's who do this, so we actually ended doing about double what would normally be used.

You just repeat this process until the whole ball is covered... it took us TWO WHOLE DAYS both doing equal amounts of work!  Cutting, spinning, gluing, sticking, repeat.  We did one GIANT , two large sized, four medium sized, and two small.  They looked great at the shower and I even asked to take one home with me.  It may have taken a lot of time, but it was super simple, kinda fun, and had an amazing end result.  Mine is now a proud member of my book/words/writing wall in my bedroom and I love it so much, I may make a few more to hang up!!

Vienna ♥

My whole life I've been the planner and organizer in my group of everyone.  My friends and family all know me for being meticulous in my everyday life; spontaneous and unplanned are not words used to describe any action I carry out.  It's both a blessing and a curse.  This trip wasn't my brainchild, but I figured (for a change) that I'd roll with it.  I was given an idea of a place to go, and after securing a little apartment on the outskirts of town on booking.com, I looked up some fun stuff to do, but made no other definitive plans.  It wasn't "unplanned," but it was a first step towards spontaneous.  I decided to go with the flow...

...and it turned out to be quite fabulous.

Vienna, Austria.  Home to 1.74 million people.  Feels like your best friend's house, perhaps a smidge dirtier.  It was one of the chillest big cities I have ever visited.  People were friendly, unhurried, laid back, and sophisticated, all wrapped up into one.

Before this locale was suggested to me, I had never really investigated what Vienna had to offer.  The only relation I had with this place was it's in the same country where the Sound of Music was filmed (the city was Salzburg, in case you wondered).  So when I googled what to do, I was pleasantly surprised, even for it being during the "down" season.  Most of the big stuff is definitely history-oriented, which is one of my favorite things about new places.  But there was so much fun stuff to do as well, though we didn't get to do everything in the two days/one night we were there!

Our first stop was a little outside of the city center: the beautiful Schönbrunn palace, gardens, and zoo (though we didn't go into the zoo, it is right beside the palace)!  While fighting the insane winds that day, we manged to see the winter-kissed grounds and gardens, enjoy sun on our face while looking at centuries old architecture and art, and see some fabulous pieces of history inside the mostly golden-papered walls.

The gorgeous Schönbrunn Palace!!!!

After we spent a considerable amount of time touring the palace grounds (and the inside, which was fabulousssssss), we went and checked into our apartment. GO HERE for a photo gallery of the pics of the apartment!

Located at Gellertgasse 5, 10. Favoriten, 1100 Vienna, Austria. It is certainly off the beaten path, reflected in it's affordable (and fantastic) price! Paid €90 a night! Within walking distance of the train station and seems to be an up-and-coming location based on the construction everywhere! It was young and modern, fresh and clean, and had a great view and plenty of space, with a huge bedroom that would've slept three, a sleeper sofa in the living room, a small kitchenette and table seating for four, one half bath and two full baths, one of which is inside the master. It has a great little patio with a cool view and free wifi to go with it all! The only cons I could think were parking was disastrous and we were on the 5th floor (although there was a lift, it was teeny tiny and smelly). And there's nothing really to do in the surrounding area. Other than that, I'd stay there again!

After settling in, taking a tinkle, hooking up to wifi to inform our loved ones we arrived safely, we then ventured to the other side of the outskirts of the city: Prater Park!  Let me note here that using their metro/train system is easy as pie!  Although there weren't many attractions active in the park because it was wintertime, we still got to ride the really cool Ferris Wheel and get an AH-mazing view of the city at night in a way most people don't get to see!

Vienna, ya'll.

We spent the evening walking around and eventually found a nice, albeit expensive, little steakhouse where I had a dinner fondue for the first time (mannnn was it tasty) located very closely to the cathedral!  Then the next day, our first stop was a Starbucks!  Living in Italy, where there aren't any at all, getting a little treat from one of my favorite drink places is always a good time.  We had an early breakfast and people-watched, and for a Monday morning, it was confirmed even further how relaxed the city of Vienna really is.  Then we walked.  We saw beautiful, towering, marble edifices containing museums and art galleries, stables and government buildings.  We discovered another palace squished and hidden around corners and amongst everyday structures.  Eventually, we made our way to St. Stephan's Cathedral and Stephansplatz (the main square in Vienna)!

St. Stephan's Cathedral is breathtaking.  The Gothic style is amazing, and heartbreaking, and solemn, and impactful.  The most memorable part for me was a statue of a nailed man, staked to the higher walls of the church.  I just sort of turned my head while on the upper deck investigating the organ and saw it.  I stopped and gave it my full attention, the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows, illuminating it; unbelievable sadness and appreciation filled me, and I took a little moment to say a prayer.  No fakeness here, or attempt at exploiting a religion.  I took every square inch of that place in.  Churches tend to do that to me, especially the "darker" ones (don't read too much into that people).

 After the church, we really only had time left in the day for one more stop, and we decided to make our way to "Mozart's House."  There's quite a story to our last adventure and it involves a tree and the woman beside it.  Mozart's House was right in front of us, so I'd gotten down into the street to try and get the entire building in a picture when a little lady walked by.

The front of Mozart's House (no pictures were
allowed inside).

She stopped, looked at me and my group and started talking to us in Slovenian.  The gentleman in our group asked her if she spoke English, which she quickly switched to and mumbled something to him that I didn't quite catch.  I sort of ignored her, keeping my focus on getting the shot I wanted, and in the meantime, they continued talking.  The next thing I know, he's saying, "Hey... we're gonna follow this lady."  Of course the first thing that comes to my mind is - NO!  HUMAN TRAFFICKER!!!  But I didn't even get a chance to say anything because off he goes, and drags along the other girl with us.  I decided to follow along and be the lookout, because clearly this dude was convinced this little ole lady was harmless (that's how they getcha kids!!!).  We walked through alleys and doorways and down tight, little, winding staircases, and just as my heart rate really started to pick up, we walked down three steps into this apartment "garden."

She spread her arms wide, turned to face us with a huge smile on her face and said, "Here we are!"  I was pleasantly surprised.  She said it was much prettier in the spring, when the tree was in full bloom, and she always went out of her way during her afternoon walks to see the beauty in it.  Even in the dead of winter, there's still beauty here.

This whole trip showed me not to fear the spontaneity that does live deep down in inside me.  Although it certainly isn't on the level of what most would consider "spur-of-the-moment," it was for me and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to see this place and all the wonders that reside here.


Until next time...

  

I've lost a 9-12 year old child...

Technically, my weigh-in occurs on the 14th of the month, but let's be COMPLETELY honest here - the best time to weigh oneself is after a really healthy poo, and during the afternoon hours, so I took advantage of that today :D  After one year and two months, almost to the day, I have lost 51 pounds, which explains the title of this post:

Thank you, thank you, thank you... please hold the applause!

Seriously though, people do this alllll the time... I'm just glad I'm at this point, and truly need no special treatment or recognition for doing something that I should've done long ago.  Now, I still have 9 pounds until I've hit my goal weight, but I'm not stressing hitting the end goal like I was about hitting the 50 pounds mark.  I'll get there, and I don't really care how much longer it'll take me.  I've not been as crazy about the working out life since I returned to Italy in January; before leaving the states I was at a 6-days per week workout schedule.  Now I'm doing 3-4 days a week, and am interested in adding a yoga morning once a week.  We're finishing out our final five months here, and if I haven't hit the goal by then, I'll just work my ass off when I get back stateside and begin the maintaining process (I seriously miss the kickboxing class they have at the gym in my hometown and am uber excited about joining in once again!!).  I still adhere to my daily 1200-calorie regimen and am looking forward to maintaining so I can increase that a little bit.  But if I'm totally leveling with ya'll, I may just keep losing until I feel like I don't need to anymore.  150 pounds, which is my goal weight, is still on the "higher" side of the BMI index for my height.  I picked 150 because it seemed like a "healthy" sounding number, and because it seemed attainable when I started this whole thing.  Now that I've almost reached it, I may lower that number a little more, maybe aim for 130.  Although I've hated pretty much everyday of this lifestyle change, I'm used to it now and figure, "why not," since I seem to be in a forward progress situation.  Regardless of what I choose to do - I've gotten this far and I am incredibly happy with myself.  I still look at myself and think, "Wow, you're a fatty," but I know I need to put more time into toning and STRENGTHENING my core, which of course I haven't really focused on at all.  BUT when I see that I'm easily sliding into a size 10, and squeezing my belt just one more notch tighter, imagining that it's conceivable for me to surpass my goal of size 10 and go down to an 8 even (something I never even thought possible!!!), it seems a little intriguing to me... I'll let ya know when I make up my mind.

In the meantime... I'll continue my loose workout schedule, keep up my calorie counting, and hopefully get over my agitation with learning to ski (cause you burn SERIOUS calories with that - take advantage while I can)!

I'm going to Vienna this weekend with some friends (unfortunately the hubby has to work) and I'm looking forward to it.  There seems to be lots of fun things to do, I just hope we have enough time, since it's just an over-nighter!!!  AND the hubs and I just saw a little ad for an "Express" Trip to Paris for only $180 per person!!  Basically you drive 16 hours there, get the whole day to do whatever you want, and drive 16 hours back.  No room, no flight, just cheap, quick, and seemingly painless.  The only issue is, the buses are typically pretty cramped and of course, riding for 16 hours one way!?  I want to do it, because there's no guarantee we'll get to be back in Europe again after this, but he seems weary - I guess I'll just have a few weeks to talk him into it since the deadline to sign up is March 20th (keep your fingers crossed for me?!?!)  We still are hoping to squeeze a Pompeii trip in, even if it's just the two of us on a whim.  We both really want to see Mount Vesuvius, although being so close to Naples terrifies us (if you don't already know, it's very dangerous there, especially if driving through the main part which is run entirely by the mob)!  But what is it they say - YOLO???

Anywho... I'll keep you all posted of the goings on.  The next few months will be fairly stressful, more so on the hubby since he'll be taking care of the specifics behind our move. 

Until next time...

Germany in Pictures {Oktoberfest & Dachau Concentration Camp}

An Evening Spent in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (AKA Garmisch) before
the festivities begin tomorrow...

The day began rainy and dreary, but we weren't
to be discouraged!  We were ready to have a fun day!

The weather became amazing and the crowd starting rolling into the
biergarten!  And with that came freely flowing beer and grub!!

This guy was a riot!!!

and on that note... let's crash after a v e r y long day and start day two on a more somber note: a trip to 

Dachau Concentration Camp

a whiny waste of time.

I weigh-in on the 14th of every month, but this past time I wasn't feeling an update.  I wasn't feeling much of anything in the way of proud or accomplished.  I feel bored with this working out shit.  I feel annoyed and so freaking over it.  Then today, after thinking about things that rifle around in my brain, (ie: what do I want to do with my life, will I ever be content with anything, man I really need to get up and do something... etc) I decided I needed to write and here I am.  So, what better thing to share than that progress I was talking about?

I lost another four pounds, bringing my total weight-loss up to 36 pounds and my weight down to 176, which is the lightest I've weighed since like freshman year of high school, no joke... over 10 years people!  Of course at first, like with every weigh-in, I was all gung-ho and ready to roll, telling myself if I lost 6 pounds a month for the next four months, I'd meet my weight goal by the time frame I set out for myself, which is December, meaning it would've taken me a year to drop 60 pounds and I could FINALLY increase my food intake each day and decrease the amount of time I waste working out because I'll be maintaining instead of losing.  Ready to be done sooner rather than later with the annoying EVERYDAY grind I'd established, I hit the gym, running, biking, walking with Lucy, whatever - six days a week, like I had been for the past few months, and I was happy with it... well not with the working out but with my dedication and perseverance.  Then the dreaded period hit, and I got drunk one weekend, and it rained on one of my run days, and on and on... so I find myself with two weeks til next weigh-in and I'm in that bargaining stage.  Where I say, "Oh you don't need to workout every single day this week, how about every other day... just for this week, really."  When I do workout, and get those extra calories to consume, I still eat too much, telling myself that this homemade latte doesn't really count cause it's a liquid, and there's good stuff in there, so really I'm doing myself a favor by drinking it.  And then on my days "off," with no workout under my belt at all, I really overeat, because let's be honest, who can freaking survive on only 1200 calories a day, especially if you're like me and you lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle surrounded by easily accessible food all day and night?  UGH.  I LOVE not having to work outside the home.  I LOVE my freedom and alone time.  I LOVE not having to answer to anyone or anything but myself.  BUT sometimes, living the way I do does not lend to a healthy or outwardly productive way of life.  I am NOT complaining about the way I live, I'm just saying sometimes it takes more effort than I have to keep sticking to my routine.  Because I have nowhere in particular to go or an office that requires my attendance or a husband who's a stickler for a fully-balanced meal every evening or a meticulously, daily-cleaned kitchen (THANK GOD!!!) sometimes it's very easy to squirrel away in my bedroom watching shitty TV or reading amazing books or listening to bumpin' music and let the hours slip away unaccounted for.

That being said... telling myself to get up and just spend an hour on myself, on my health, on my body, on my mind... well sometimes it only ends up as a thought that goes forgotten.  Like right now I'm sitting here on this comfy bed in this almost light-tight bedroom at 630 at night, and I've done nothing worth a damn.  It's entirely my own doing, entirely my own fault, and the only thing I can do at this point is put this damned computer away. suck it the fuck up, and go burn some calories.  I know I need to do it, I know I should do it, but it's just so NOT what I'd like to be doing.  I'd rather stretch out and watch some more One Tree Hill while working my fingers to the bone knitting a sweater.  Or I'd like to push play on my mp3 player and listen to Stephen Fry reading me Harry Potter while I paint my nails.  Or I'd like to scrounge up the motivation to go clean out/organize the office so I can actually USE it over the next 8 months we'll have it.  But alas, here I sit, not moving, not listening to the small motivational me I've pushed down inside my brain.

And those of you who read this when I do get around to posting something are probably thinking, "OH MY GOD stop complaining!"  And you're right.  As I've already acknowledged, my husband has given me an amazing life, I have given myself an amazing life, and honestly the only thing I'd change is him having more days off for us to go do cool travely things... and perhaps being a little closer to my family would be nice too.  But - whatever - these are pretty much first-world problems I'm complaining about, and complain I do well.  It's a gift really.  I just know I can't be the only person out there who thinks and feels these same ways.  So if you're out there, reading this, and knowing exactly how I feel, you aren't alone.

now i'm gonna go and do this shit. because as i've said a thousand times, i'm gonna do it even though i hate it.

until next time...

the buildup...

     She surprised him at the door when he got home from work, dressed in nothing but a tank and her panties.  His eyebrows rose in a happy appreciation and he welcomed her open arms and hungry kiss.  After a few seconds, he matched her intensity and soon he was controlling the tempo, pushing hard against her mouth, sucking lightly on her bottom lip.  She smiled against his greedy kisses and lingeringly pulled away, eventually turning to lead him to their awaiting bed.
     She smiled to herself as he grabbed at her, not wanting any space between them now that he was aroused and filled with anticipation.  She stopped, turning to face him, and dragged his shirt over his head.  Dropping it to the floor, she rested her open palms on his pecs, letting her hands trail down his chest and ending at the top of his pants.  She leaned up on her tippy toes, finding his waiting mouth, already parted to accommodate more passionate kisses.  He grabbed the sides of her face and she melted into him, using her expert fingers to unbutton his trousers and let them fall to the floor.  She took over their embraced lips, parting from his mouth to stream little pecks across his jaw, over his hammering heart, down his fuzzy happy trail.  She bent all the way to the floor and quickly untied his shoes, coaxing his feet out and freeing him from almost all of his clothes.
     When she straightened up, she pulled her own shirt off, both of them equally matched in their near-nakedness.  He looked at her adoringly, whispered a breathy, "God, I love you," before quickly closing the distance between them and entangling themselves together once again.
     While they kissed, their lips swelling with each passing moment, he placed his hand at the small of her back and gently guided her to the bed.  He laid her down, momentarily breaking their connection, then crawled to her.  Suspended over her, allowing himself to take in her full beauty lying beneath him, he lightly traced the curves of her body.  Her eyes rolled back, relishing in his delicate touch, and when his mouth found hers again, she felt herself breaking open, letting him inside her thoughts and emotions.  She allowed him to overcome her completely, letting her own hands roam his body, feeling every ripple of his muscles, the light sheen of sweat already covering his flesh.
     His scent overwhelmed her, and when he parted from her mouth to press soft kisses against her chin, down her neck, and beyond, she could feel that scent burrowing into her mind, knowing she'd never forget it.  Ragged breaths left her as he traveled her body, both with his mouth and his hands.  She shut her eyes tight, grasping the blanket beneath her in ecstasy and let everything else about him take her over, too.


Until next time...