An amazing big thank you to the lovely Lindsay over at Jennie called Jane Designs for my gorgeous new blog design! She is so sweet to work with and keeps you up to date with how the look is coming together! Another thank you goes out to Chelsea over at Yours Truly, she designed my new signature that will show up on all of my new posts...of course I had to include an owl! But a very Big Thank You goes to my sweet friend Stephanie over at The Vintage Modern Wife for being so amazing and for hosting an awesome giveaway that I won, which is where the new blog design and signature came from! She has really done a wonderful job with her own blog and right now she is celebrating 500 followers with another giveaway! So head on over and check out her blog!

I want to thank everyone who reads my blog, leaves wonderful comments, and makes me feel like I can write and talk from the heart. I can't believe I started my blog five years ago in 2007 and although I don't update as much as I would like to, I still have amazing followers who stop by and leave sweet comments. Now that I have a new look and a personalized look I'm really hoping to write more and get my little blog going...maybe one day I'll have 500 followers like Steph!

Before I say goodnight... I just wanted to touch a little on Hurricane Sandy.

Last week it hit the Northeast pretty bad and NJ, NY, and a few other states including my own got the worst of it. I have experienced some pretty crazy snow storms, but I've never experienced a storm quite like Sandy before. The winds were horrific and frightening, at one point we thought we might have to head down to the basement. When the power went out at 9:30 pm on Monday night I wasn't sure what to expect next. I'm just glad that my husband was home from work and that we were all together in the house as a family. I'm not sure how I would have handled myself if he wasn't home, I probably would have been on my cell phone with him all night long freaking out! The next morning our power came back on, but my inlaws' did not so they came to stay with us, and the girls didn't have school for the entire week! But we are very blessed compared to what has happened in other towns and states. Some are still without power, some can't go home, and some don't know how they are going to rebuild.

It breaks my heart to see the shores of NJ, places I've traveled to and vacationed at since I was a baby. In some parts the boardwalk and rides are no longer there or they are sitting in the ocean; broken and destroyed. I just couldn't believe when I heard about the town of Breezy Point, NY and how they have lived through members of their community dying on 9/11 and now many of the same families have lost their homes from a fire that went out of control during the storm.

I know many of us don't have the funds to donate money, but if you can volunteer or look through your closet and see if there are any sweaters, jeans, or blankets that you can give to these families in need, please do so. We have some old clothes that we were going to donate to our local thrift store, but this weekend I'm going to see if there is a place to donate them to for a family that was effected by Hurricane Sandy.

 

This was a roller coaster at Seaside Heights, NJ.

 

This is a subway station in NYC.

 

This is the devastation that was left in Breezy Point, NY.

 

(Photos Source)

 

Their homes may have been destroyed, but let's lend a helping hand so their spirits never are.

Giveaways!

It really pays to "Like" pages on facebook, you get to learn more about the company but you also get to find out about giveaways! I've been pretty lucky lately and won many gorgeous pieces. I won a collection of things from HorseFeathers Gifts, lovely ladies! They went to a barn festival and picked up some pieces for one of their facebook and blog fans to win when you entered. Well not only did they send this winner a few pieces from the barn sale, but they also sent me two pieces from their jewelry collection! I was almost in tears when I saw the "T" pendant charm, being that my last name starts with T...I was in love!! I found the mother and daughter team from someone else who mentioned them and now I am friends with them on facebook! Chelsea is just the sweetest! Recently they shared the wonderful life of little Lane, who was battling cancer, but who has sadly lost that battle recently. But there is still plenty of love and support needed for Lane's family and HorseFeathers Gifts is sharing that love with a yellow bracelet that you can buy to help spread the word about Lane and hope for childhood cancer.

 

These are the gorgeous items I won!

 

 

So you see, when you enter a giveaway, don't just "Like" the page on facebook or tweet about it. Get to know the face behind the giveaway and those involved. You just never know what kind of friendship you're going to create.

 

So right now my lovely friend Steph over at The Vintage Modern Wife is celebrating a giveaway and it's a big one with other $200.00 worth of prizes! Steph also makes gorgeous photo coasters.... her etsy shop is Vintage Modern Moments and I couldn't be happier with the way our coasters turned out...

 

 

My lovely family <3

 

So remember when you enter a giveaway, give back by spreading the word, give back by also buying something from their shop, and give back by making a friend!

 

 

 

Fitness Update...

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and beautiful comments from my wonderful blogger friends on my previous post about my journey to a healthy me. Thank you all so much, I love you gals! It's been about three weeks now that I have been using the Diet Diary app and have been keeping up with it every day. The calorie count on each food item may not be exact, but it helps me see what I'm eating as well as how much I'm exercising. I am happy to say that I have finally reached the three week mark of sticking with my workout routine! Usually I would go for two weeks, stop for a week, and so on. But with the help of my workout buddies group on facebook, my food journal, and all of the love and support from family and friends I am sticking with it.

My friends have been telling me about Jillian Michaels workout videos and I have decided to give one of them a try. At first I was a little worried that she would be a little intimidating and scary, like how she is on The Biggest Loser. But she's inspiring, motivating, and makes the workout fun...yes fun! I can't believe I tried her kickboxing video first before trying something that may have been a bit easier. I may not get all of the moves exactly right or do them as fast as she does, but that takes time. When I started out three weeks ago I was about 208-210 and now I'm 204! Besides exercising every day I have also cut out the late night snacking, which I think the food journal is a big help with. I have also started to eat more fruits and veggies and even watch what I eat when I go to parties and such.

Oh and I can't believe I fit into a pair of skinny jeans!! I can't thank you all enough for all of your love and support!!

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