Been MIA lately and needed to touch base with my blog

These couple of weeks have been a bit crazy with events but it's been fun. This past weekend I took part in a bridal show and had the opportunity to meet many brides and grooms, plus networked with many local vendors. Today I have been invited to attend a private cocktail party at Villa Woodbine and tomorrow I am going to see Janet Jackson in concert. Oh and I can't forget the Ultimate Fight that we saw with a huge group of friends this past weekend. Basically all my other time has been tied up helping clients plan their weddings/events and my daytime office job. Life is exciting and as an Aries, I'm ready for the ride always.

Now all I have to do is get on the treadmill this week and prepare for the 5K breast cancer walk-a-thon this Saturday coming up. I do want to thank all my girls and friends that have donated their portion to help out for a good cause. I'm definitely looking forward to it and think we will have a great work out. Much love like always and I will be sure to call you all soon.

Excited its week 23 and I hit the 30 lb. mark

Oh yeahhhh! Doing the happy dance. lol First I'm excited that its Friday and I'm definitely ready to celebrate this weekend. I know I've been out of the loop for over a week, in touching base with my blog but I've been working on a few projects here and there. I figured it would be great to share my excitement today & catch up on updates.

As for Weight Watchers, it is still going great as it has from day one. I can't complain. Every 10 pounds seems like a milestone for me. Honestly, I feel like I lost the weight of a 2 year old baby. Crazy when you think of it like that. I'm achieving more than I had expected and its a goal that I feel will come to an end, when the time is right. I'm just sticking to the plan daily and I've become so comfortable with it. All my friends have been super supportive in helping work out at the gym, always tell me what a great job I'm doing not being tempted to eat their junk and always pre pack my fruits and snacks in zip locks, when I go to their house. When we bbq, they even buy skinless chicken legs just for me. Awww...they are too sweet. What can I say, not only am I making myself proud but I know that my friends and family are behind me 110%.

On to the subject of my crafts and party planning, I have been really focused on getting all my resources together and putting my mind to work. I've made some amazing progress and I'm really excited to see it all pull together soon. Looking forward to a new beginning and exciting career in the making.

Thats it for now folks...........!!!

Feeling like I'm hitting a plateau

Lately I feel like the diet has been on a stand still position, even though the numbers and my graph shows other wise. Every week I loose anywhere from 1/2 a pound to 2 lbs a week on average. Though I feel I need to step it up a bit more to continuous results in the 1.5 - 2 lbs a week. These couple of weeks have been in the .5 - 1 lb. Overall I can't complain since I'm on week 22 and have lost a total of 28.5 pounds to date. I am hard on myself and I know it. Though when I set a goal, I will push to the end and nothing or no one can stop me.

I came across a statement on the WW website that even as simple as it is, it really put me to think. It said, "I came to realize that it took me years to put on all of my weight, so it wouldn't come off in a couple of months. I had to learn to be patient." Boy do I need to read that over and over again. lol It's like they say, "Patience is a virtue."

Now Andre and I are planning on hitting the community gym tonight or taking a late night swim. I do have things that need to be done around the house like sweeping, mopping and vacuuming though. I will just have to head home immediately and get started asap. I will be sure to focus on continuous laps back and forth, race hubby a few times or do an intense work out at the gym. Let's see how tonight plays out for us.

Guest Bath Light Fixture, has been ordered.

Dre and I had looked around for the perfect light fixture, that would work well in our modern spa guest bath. We both agreed that this would be the one. It had to be an oil rubbed bronze to match all the other hardware installed. This ones iron oxide but the match is close enough. All the ones we had seen, where extremely antique or too traditional looking for our style. Patience paid off because hubby had training class points accumulated from work, that he got to trade in for Home Depot gift certificates. He made out good with $100 plus I had a $10 off coupon of $100+ purchase at HD. So the $178 upgrade to the house, only cost us $63 out of pocket. Oh yeahhhhh!

Celebrating our 3 year Anniversary today!

Opening my eyes this morning, all I could do is smile as hubby kissed me on my head. He was all showered, shaved, cut his hair and smelling all fresh by 7am. What a wonderful way to start the day. I instantly knew he was preparing for a lovely night out with wifey(me). With a quick, "Love you babe! Have a nice day at work and see you later alligator", he was off to work.

I just received an email from him saying, "How does it feel to have been 3 years as a rusty bucket baby?" Laughing at the goof ball he is, he tells me that when we celebrate our 5 year anniversary, he will be getting me a 5 gallon drum of oil so I can soak my old @$$. My response was, "I will lube you up like the tin man from Wizard of Oz you old fart. Broken joints that crackle and snap like Rice Krispies cereal. lmao" Can't you just feel the love. =P

Now I sit here remembering how many things we have done in the past 3 years, feeling super excited about what life has yet to bring. I am truly grateful to have DH like my partner in crime, best friend and loving husband. It's clear we are not the typical couple that is always mushy...mushy crap but the time we spend together is always hilarious and enjoyable. When you can honestly "want" to spend quality time with your partner, no matter what you do after 9 years together...the love is clearly strong and going in the right direction.

As for now all I know is that tonights plans have changed and bowling is out the picture. Hardrock here we come! Updates to follow.

My new Weight Watchers Gadget

I have been pretty down in the dumps recently, when I realized that I lost my point slider. I actually saved that slider for about 4 years and was excited to use it once again. Even though I am registered for online tracking, it is wonderful to have the scale in your purse. We can't be in front of a computer all day so this method has worked very well for me. I have been feeling really good, knowing that WW has been working its miracle on me once again. I am down 25 1/2 pounds now and still excited to keep going. Right now my motivation is like a train that keeps on going.

Going one day without my scale has been torture. Has become like a safety blanket for me now. I made the decision to go online and check out what point calculators WW is now offering that I could buy ASAP. To my surprise they have an amazing gadget that calculates the WW points, keeps track of all your daily points, also saves your activity points, plus all the water, fruits, veggies, vitamin, etc. that we normally log in daily. Talk about relief. No more writing down and trying to remember what points I have left. This sucker does it all for me.

I can't wait to get it and continue on the plan. Right now I am playing the safety net, just eating things that I know the point values to, until I receive the points calculator. So far, so good.

Mom's 50th Birthday

I have to say that I haven't seen my mom so happy and excited, in a long time. I am glad that her birthday surprise turned out so well. Considering we had my baby brother (only 10 years old), I managed to have a nice day planned out for the 3 of us.

At first she showed up and my brother and I, sang happy birthday and she cut her cake. She went to the stores, to do some shopping. She really enjoyed that part. Can you blame her? Well I helped her pick out a nice outfit for her and my brother. We then went to Muvico to catch the new Kung Fu Panda movie. Super cute and definitely recommend. Then we went back to the house to shower and get ready. Andre was home from work by this time. Finally we made it out to Benihana's. A nice way for my brother to be entertained and my mom could enjoy a nice pina colada in her souvenier geisha cup. Must I add that she had lobster, shrimp and scallops. Woman wouldn't stop smiling and the best part is the fact we got an amazing picture taken of us. With a little more happy birthday singing and an icecream desert, the day was a success. Here are a few pics of the evening. I am just waiting for the family pic to be scanned and emailed. Once I get that, I will be sure to add it in this post.

Hubby is so wonderful that he promised to take care of my brother, so we can have a girls night out. We are heading to the comedy club for some good laughs and good drinks. =) Oh yeahhhh!

Why I Love Mi Media Naranja

Let me first explain that "mi media naranja" is spanish for "my other half". Cute term we use a lot in Puerto Rico.

So my hubby decided to surprise me with an early 3 year anniversary gift. Our anniversary is not until June 25th but he couldn't wait. Poor thing was super excited. Regardless the thoughtful gift left me speechless and I couldn't stop smiling. He knows that the materialistic items don't necessarily make me happy but the fact that he put so much thought into the gift and knew what would mean something to me, meant the world to me.

He told me the basic chains were all 16' and he knew I always use 18'-20', so he made sure to purchase another chain that fit me well. He knew I love clean straight lines and simplicity but also wanted it to match the princess cut diamonds on my wedding rings. All I could say is, "wow babe!" I give him much credit because I know how difficult it is for men to shop and needless to say, pick out jewelry with so much thought behind it. How can I not love this man?

What he doesn't know is that I have a nice surprise in store for him too. Hubby loves carbon fiber details on cars and now it seems that they are implementing them into jewelry for men. I found him a nice titanium bracelet and ring with carbon fiber details. I am sure he will be super happy. I will be sure to post pics soon.

What a shocker from thenestbaby.com!

Let me first start by saying that I have the worst luck when it comes to winning any kind of free prizes. That kind of explains why I never gamble or set my hope up for things because I always get the short end of the stick, kind of deal. Well to my surprise this morning, I received an email from Nest Kaitlin (Editorial Assistant), telling me I just won a free Ducky Layette cake from Hold the Flour!

I couldn't believe it. Just for entering some not so common and unique baby shower games. Thank goodness for creativity huh! I have been to so many baby showers with the same set ups and same games. Considering all my losses I've had in the past, I was preparing for my baby showers to eventually come and I knew I wanted to put a fun twist on things. Still never giving up hope, DH and I have plans of TTC towards the end of this year again. Now I have another great gift I can put away till our time comes. With the way this year is flying by, our time will come sooner than what we can even imagine.


These are the items the cake consists of:


Gently rolled between the soft blankets is a complete layette. Each baby cake includes a night gown, a sleeper, three onsies, two bibs, booties, pacifiers, a teether, and a soft toy. Also folded in are two receiving blankets and color coordinated cloth diaper burp cloths. We have included everything needed to welcome the little one home in style.

Birthday Surprise = Beer and flowers

So I gave in and figured, hey I might as well send him flowers to work and give him a nice surprise. 1 800 Flowers totally had me cracking up because what is Dre's favorite thing to drink? You got that right, Heineken! lol This is what I found on their website and I couldn't resist. Definitely a manly mans flower arrangement along with a balloon. hahahaha

Do I get the award for the best wifey of the year or what? =P

Un pinon: Carribean style lasagna mmmm....

Ground beef filling:
1.25 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground achiote
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 16 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained (juices reserved) and chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup raisins
1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

For the lasagna layers:
4 semi-ripe plantains, yellow with some spots
olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of a pan
2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. milk, or water1/2
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella or swiss cheese (choose your preference)
cilantro, optional for garnish

*Note that you can make the ground beef filling in advance and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the rest.

Cook ground beef in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the onion, red and green bell pepper, bay leaves, and spices. Cook for a few more minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

Add all remaining ingredients to the beef, including the chopped tomatoes and reserved juice, tomato sauce, raisins, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and let the flavors combine for 10-15 minutes. At this point, taste and adjust the spices to your liking.

Set the beef aside to cool while you prepare the plantains.

Peel the plantains and cut diagonally into 1/4-1/3 inch thick slices. (Tip for peeling a plantain: the skin is a little thicker than bananas, so you'll want to cut one end off and slice through the skin lengthwise three times, spaced evenly around the plantain. Then the skin will peel off easily.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly oil a large rectangular baking pan (3 quart capacity). Combine eggs and milk in a bowl and lightly beat. Add half of the egg mixture to the bottom of the pan. Follow with a layer of 1/3 of the plantains, 1/2 of the beef mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat another 1/3 of the plantains, remaining beef, and remaining cheese. Top with a layer of plantains. Finally, pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot and bubbling. If you started with freshly cooked beef (not out of the fridge), usually all the ingredients start warm and you only need to bake for 30 minutes. However, starting with cold beef, you really need to bake for about an hour to heat through.Remove the foil, sprinkle with cilantro, and enjoy!

Key Lime Pie as easy as 1, 2, 3!!!

Maybe not the healthiest choice but theres nothing better than a refreshing citrus dessert during the summer season. Best part is that it only takes 10 minutes max to complete and then chill at least 4 hours till it sets.

What you need:
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 6-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
1 cup of heavy cream
1 6-ounce graham cracker pie crust
and zest of 1 lime

Preperation:
In a bowl, place the condensed milk, limeade concentrate and cream. Beat all together with an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, until fluffy and soft peaks form. Then pour the filling into the piecrust and smooth the top. Refrigerate until chilled for at least 4 hours or even leave overnight. Sprinkle the top with zest before serving.

*Note: All we need now is Jackie's (cocojack10) Margaritaville Machine to whip us up some margaritas and get the party started. lol

Thank you HGTV

Browsing HGTV's spanish rooms and modern baths, I thought these 2 rooms really represented my style really well. Now if only I had the extra space. lol All I can do is dream for now.

Dream Foyer


I actually had the chance to see this episode of Candace Olsen and her choice of glass subway tile, looked amazing. Even the simple clean lined lighting sconces she used, give great impact as well. Really like the contemporary hotel details that make you feel relaxed. I would take this bathroom make over any day.

Melting away the FAT!

I am floating on cloud 9 today, out of pure joy. It's official that I have lost a total of 20 pounds as of this morning. I feel like jumping for joy, blowing horns and shouting to the mountain tops. This is simply a self achieved goal that I have set upon myself and I feel relieved. First time in my life that I have lost so much, in such a short time and in such a healthy manner.

I have struggled all my life to maintain a descent weight. Always have been overweight up to a point that I fell in a black hole. Turned to alcohol, never ate and truly hurt my body in ways I never thought possible. Everyone thought I looked beautiful but I felt the ugliest I have ever felt about myself. My duty was to lift my spirits again and get my life together. Never turned to food for comfort but yet again my weight sky rocketed.

I give thanks to numerous surgeries, on birth control for 4 years (note: once I got off of it, I immediately dropped 10 lbs. in 2 weeks. Hmmm....makes you think huh!), activity level in work place changed, miscarriages, genetically I have 4 generations of heavy family members, lack of energy to work out at times, etc. Yes I can sit here and point the finger but I was ready to do what ever it would take at this point. Diet after diet, work out after work out, personal trainer, meeting with a dietician, injections by my doctor... my body was just not changing. So a light turned on and I said, "Wait a minute!" Back in the day Weight Watchers did work for me, for the short time that I was on it. Why not give it a try again, especially since its available online now. Best decision I've made in a long time.

As of this morning, I tried on a pair of pants I haven't been able to fit in since over 3 years ago. I couldn't believe it. So today I am rocking what feels like new attire =) What a great feeling. Can't wait to lose another 20 pounds and keep on forward with my struggle. God is seriously on my side.

Baby Fever & Chubby Cheeks

So Y100.com (our local radio station) is having a vote for cutest baby contest online. With all the baby fever and over 1,000 of the cutest little faces, how is someone to choose. All this does is warm the heart to a whole other level. Dh is probably exceedingly baby crazed, so to make his day I saved a few pics of the cutest ones that I thought would make his heart melt. (slaps hand) Yes, I know...bad...bad...me! =P






and of course we can't forget to vote for our special mini nestie family member Sophia

Genius crafting $ saving schemes

Cricut, I'm sorry to be taking business away from you but I couldn't stand to purchase a 2 pack of your 12x12 mats for $12, everytime the glue wore down.

Crafting gets to be a bit expensive, as you may know, so I try and find alternative solutions that work. I have to say that Krylon introduced me to an amazing product of theirs. Who would've thought that a Krylon repositionable spray adhesive would exist.

It is so easy to apply. Just spray on outside and let dry. Only takes a few minutes to be ready for mounting. With Michael's 40% off coupon and the can costing around $5 regular price, it came out as a steal. So for all the crafting ladies out there, hope this tip helps you all save a few $$$ from time to time.

Finger lick'n good!

I have to give major credit to a couple that recently started their own cooking tv show. I'm sure many have had a chance to catch a show or two. It's "Down Home with the Neely's".

Yes, they are a loving couple that always say cutesie names to one another but a side from all that, the bbq food items they create look delicious and really easy to make. I'm always looking forward to watching a show of theirs. Definitely worth checking out. Plus my SIL just gave me an amazing BBQ recipe book this weekend that I am looking forward to putting to good use.

Ready for "La Isla Del Encanto"

So it's official we finally booked our stay in PR. Keep in mind that even though I grew up here, I couldn't resist than to give DH his own taste of Puerto Rican fun and atmosphere. Bring on the coquitos, masita de puerco from Los gorditos, chocolate covered strawberries from Plaza, a jabarito from the Boriquen Lounge...omg! (pic below) Just makes your mouth water. Deep fried plantain sandwiches with yellow rice. Mmmmmm....Ok enough with my fat @ss. lol I need to remember that Weight Watchers is my priority right now.






So here are some pics of the hotel. Always nice to have our own privacy even though we will be having tons of fun with my father and grandfather each day. Get dropped off, relax, sip some frozens by the swim up bar and just chill. I do that soooo well =P Best part is waking up and staring out the balcony, right towards the ocean. Can't wait! You would think I've never been there, with the way I'm writing this. Though truth be told I grew up the first 7 years of my life there and traveled 2 times a year to see my family. It's just that I haven't been since 2002 with trying to finish school, work, new home and everything else, that I miss being there so bad.

Island Fantasies are hitting close to home

I'm truly excited about this months issue of pottery barn. Since DH and I both have an island background, its only natural we love spanish and island decor. He continues to tell me time and time again, how much he wants a hammock for the back yard. Considering I love the colors and the fact it is super wide to fit us both, this might just be on the list to order. If only I could have that scenery in my backyard. Absolutely beautiful!

This armoire represents much of the island feel. With all the shutter doors and distressed yellow, this would be a keeper. Comes with a hefty price though :( Is it Christmas time again??? lol

To frame a mounted tv in a black or espresso finish, is truly a nice touch. Just like a piece of art, all on its own.

The mediterranean tile design on these rugs, are to die for. I love the burnt orange but against my mexican tiles in the home, they would blend in too much. Maybe the brown one is worth considering for under the dining room table. Hmmm...still need to think about it.

Welcoming my new nephew to the world

Once again I am an auntie =) I am now officially an auntie of 13 nephews and nieces. Yup, can you tell that birthdays and holidays are tough on us? lol DH has 5 sisters and he's the only boy. Pressures on...he's the only one left to have a child. We come from a tight family unit and would be delighted some day.

Well my SIL sent us a pic from NY of our adorable nephew. Check out the smile, absolutely priceless! He looks just like DH when he was a baby.

Reaching success on Weight Watchers

I am so proud to announce that I have reached my 15 pound mark today. I am on week 9 now and plan to stick with this for the long road. It's clear I have a lot more weight I need to drop but this is a huge accomplishment for me. Everyone keeps mentioning to me, how impressed they are with the fact I am so determined, sticking to it without breaking and are all noticing my results. Just yesterday, my coworkers ordered NY style pizza and fried ravioli. I said thanks but no thanks and went to Wendy's for a salad. Which I ended up not eating anyhow but thats a side from the story. I honestly don't go around telling family and friends how far I've come because its not about numbers to me but more about how I feel and look. Though I admit it doesn't hurt to see great results on the scale. I guess the good feeling hits you when people start calling you out on it. My husband is like, "Babe I think its time to go shopping for new clothes. Your jeans are drooping from the back and fit you big." I turn, smile and think..."Now that's what I'm talking about!" lol

Beginning of Kitchen Remodel in Progress

Last night we had the tiling expert come over, to go over details and layouts for the kitchen. We are really excited that all the plans we've had in mind are all coming together. They will begin working this evening so at least its a start. The tile we picked out is amazing, all in natural stone. The backsplash and border are beautiful with the accents of crackled glass. I will be sure to take pictures of the process and post them soon. If only 5 pm can come sooner than later, we can get the ball rolling today. I'm super excited =) Here is the stone backsplash, border, crackled glass insert (I placed in there so you can get an idea of the complete look) and pencil rope tiles to give contrast. The stone ceramic tile is what we will be using for the countertop and it will all be sealed carefully along with our kitchen faucet and new Kohl stainless steel sink, that will all be replaced and installed.

Accent tile inserts and countertop complete. Excuse the pieces of duct tape =P Those are to avoid the side tiles from sliding, so they dry in place as necessary. Tiles need to set before grouting.

Close up of the countertops

Under cabinet spot lights that will be wired in. Thanks to Ikea for a great deal =) 3 for $25

As of 4/28/08 - Popping out outlets, replacing door hinges and starting to paint over yellow

Sink and faucet installed