A few of my favorite things posts! Featuring Beth from Dot in the City!

Greetings Baxtron Life readers! I'm Beth and I blog at dot...in the city. I'm excited to join you all day, thanks to Courtney!

I usually share tutorials, projects, recipes and home renovation stories, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse by sharing my five favorite posts of 2011 (in no particular order):

(1) Trends on a Budget -ideas for how to keep up with some fashion trends by adding a few accessories to your wardrobe. I outlined my plan to "update" my wardrobe for $50 for fall/winter.

(2) Alternative break trip to Guatemala City and experience working with at-risk youth for a week last March.

(3) Sweet potato "pasta" + alfredo recipe made by my husband, it's one of my favorite recipes!

(4) How to make a cupcake wrapper name tag. These were a hit for a bridal shower and I decided to put together a tutorial. I had seen a photo on Pinterest.

(5) In December I shared our love story in a 5 part series, which was fun!

Thanks for letting me join you today, I hope you'll stop by and visit sometime!

I love all of these posts, Beth! Thank you so much for sharing them with us today.  :)  Your love story is an especially sweet read!  :)  One day, I'll have to share my own eHarmony experience.  Ha!

Muffintop Metldown {v.5}

Progress, Points & Travel
No Pics this week!  Tune in Next week for progress pictures!

Progress Report:

Weight Lost Gain This Week: 1 pound

Total Weight Lost: 7 pounds

Points Earned:

Month of January: 307

I finally arrived in deep South Texas!  My sister asked me, before booking my ticket there, whether or not this trip was going to have a negative impact on my current goals.  I confidently said, "No."  While I'd be kidding myself to think there won't be any temptation, I have watched my hard work and commitment pay off, and after a little over three weeks, I'm pretty hooked!  I'm not saying it is going to be easy to stick with everything, but I did come up with a plan before going, so I'd like to share that with you today.  

I know that I show a 1 pound gain this week, but I have to admit, I have no idea why.  I kept up with workouts, have been eating well and the only thing I slacked on was water consumption.  I'm not discouraged at all though, I know that we all have our plateau weeks.  I'm actually thrilled because I am supposed to receive my first 4 weeks of Medifast meals tomorrow, which means I can begin resetting my metabolism Saturday.  I also have the use of a treadmill, which I can't wait to use tomorrow.  I have one hiccup though, I have no scale to weigh-in for the next two weeks! Eeeek!  I'm going to deal with it, and hopefully this means I will have a fantastic weigh-in on the 23rd.  Look for a more thorough update next week, I'll still measure inches and take pictures.

My tips for travel:

1.  Being realistic doesn't mean accepting failure is certain.  I can't tell you how many times I've allowed myself to fall into the trap of thinking that failure was inevitable due to the "holidays" or "vacation" or "this special event."  Instead of this mindset I have decided to recognize that I will be tempted, I may not have all the same options available, but I can still make good choices that won't set me off course.  Instead of saying, "Well, I'm on vacation, I might as well live it up" I am choosing to say, "I will take each meal as it comes and evaluate my options to make the healthiest decision possible."  Instead of saying, "Well, I'm on vacation, I'll be happy if I workout a few times while I am there" I am choosing to say, "Exercise is a part of my every day life, I will remain active, and find time to get in a minimum 20 minute workout every other day."

2.  The choice is still mine.  I don't have to make bad choices, even while away from home.  It is really empowering to me to know that I am fully equipped to turn away from temptation.  I can say "no" because I've been practicing it over the last month.  I can also say "yes" in a way that won't undermine my goals.  I can choose to say yes to a smaller sized portion of something that is "bad" for me.  And appreciate it all the more! 

3.  Preparation is key.  I've mentally prepared myself for this three week trip, and found it would be the perfect time to start my short Medifast program, eating will be no problem because I've taken the guesswork out of it.  I've also discussed options for exercise ahead of time (sister has a treadmill…no excuses!) and will be bringing my computer with easily streamed workouts.  I've considered the temptations I may encounter, and have resolved to stick with my goals because no food item is more valuable to me than reaching my healthy goal weight and being in optimal shape.

This Week:

I'm proud of these choices:

The  right stuff:  I am thriving on the vegetable-lean protein heavy diet, balanced by small amounts of whole grains, fruits and dairy.  I really feel good about my eating.  And my portion sizes are better.

Consistent workouts: I'm hooked!  And I can't wait to start running again while in Texas!

I'd like to work more on:

Water consumption: I slacked a bit this week.

Doing my physical therapy exercises a minimum of once per day.

Cutting down to 1 cup of coffee a day {I'm getting there! Not kidding myself after all!}.

I totally cheated when:

I totally indulged on a deluxe cheeseburger and fries from Five Guys at the airport yesterday!

How did you do this week?

Missed the last update? V.4, V.3, V.2, V.1

**I am not a certified expert on nutrition or exercise, so please, do your homework/research, and as always consult your physician before making major lifestyle changes that include diet/exercise!**

Tired of Competing for Votes?

By now, I'm sure you've heard that TBB has reset their votes!?  Did you know that I am a contributing editor at the best Fair Non-Voting Parenting/Baby Blog Directory?

Well, now you do, and I might have a little bit of influence on what gets featured over there…so, what are you waiting for?  Go add your blog!

O.M.Y. {oh.my.yum} A little Sugar for your Sweeties ~ Featuring Lish from Imprintalish!

Hello Baxtron {Life} readers! My name is Lish and I blog over at Imprintalish.You'll find crafts, photography, tales of my two little men and a little bit of everything else in my corner of the web.  We love baking around here and this recipe that I am sharing with you is so easy to do with the little people in your life. A bit messy, but fun! It's also the perfect recipe for Valentine's Day. Heads up though, probably not so good for your waistline!! HAHA!

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup of butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Assorted Food Coloring (makes roughly 5 dozen)

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until dough forms.

Separate dough into sections for each color you want to do. Add a couple drops of food coloring to each  section until you reach the desired intensity. Stir to blend color evenly.

Under the command of my 2.5 year old, we did pink, purple, blue and green. Cover and chill for at least an hour in fridge (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on a well floured surface, 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Or a pizza tray in my case, LOL, while the other tray was in the oven! Bake 6-8 minutes. Cool completely. These also freeze well too, just do so before adding the icing.

Icing

1 cup icing sugar

2 tsp milk

2 tsp corn syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla/almond extract

Assorted food coloring & sprinkles for topping

(this is enough icing for a dozen cookies-if more is needed, I would recommend doing one batch of icing at a time)

 In a small bowl, stir together icing sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. Divide into separate bowls, add food coloring to desired intensity.

Paint cookies with a brush or spatula. This icing is really forgiving to work with, the bumps and ridges just melt away into a smooth and glossy finish! Sprinkle with whatever pretty topping you have!

Well there you have it, the perfect little cookie to share with friends, teachers, family and of course to eat yourself!!!

Thanks so much for having me over to hang out Courtney! It was tons of fun and I hope to see some of you over at Imprintalish. I love meeting new people, so don't be shy-say hi!

Lish, what a fantastic Valentine's cookie recipe!  It looks super fun to make with the little ones as well…and currently Zion is on a big baking kick…what can I say, like mother, like daughter…so this is going to be put on our baking list pronto!

Time Away...

I have arrived at my first unsettling encounter with blogging discouragement.  Its okay, I'm not weeping in to my pillow or anything {yet}.  I'm just a bit surprised at how a few really minor interactions have me a bit down about the prospect of blogging.

Specifics aren't even worth mentioning, and I am sure that this little uneasy feeling in my stomach will go away in the next day or two, but it has got me thinking and re-evaluating my goals for this blog this year.  Working with people, especially via email and not in real life is tricky and can be difficult.  I find myself sometimes worried about things that are well out of my control and trivial in terms of real life or even real success.

I am grateful for this moment to have arrived though.  I must be doing something right, as I've heard of similar experiences time and time again.  The timing couldn't be better really.  I am about to leave tomorrow for Texas, to visit my dear sister and her family, as she welcomes her third beautiful child into our world.  I will be bringing Zion, but sans husband for three weeks.

I have connected with a really great group of ladies to share on various topics while I am away, and I'll pop in with my weekly weight loss updates, my pinning series and weekly recaps of the week's adventures.  I hope to have some time to stay up to date with everything you have going on as well, and look forward to jumping back in refreshed in three weeks time!  Wow…three whole weeks!

See you soon friends!