Cupcake Delights and TSA Idiots

I feel I am a pretty good baked good connoisseur. I feel you may agree just by taking a look at the size of me. {Yeah, see what I mean.} And then you may be saying, 'Hey, what are you doing writing about cupcakes?! I thought you were supposed to be getting fit with your Chunky Brewster group, fatty!' And I say to you, 'Whoa there fella, don't be so quick to judge!' Hear me out...

The other day I read what I felt to be an outrage of a story. I woman traveling from Las Vegas had her cupcake confiscated by TSA because they said the frosting constituted a 'gel like substance' and exceeded the allowable limit...

What?! Outrage I say! Outrage! That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have EVER heard! I bet those idiots at security were hungry and saw this tasty little treat come through and decided to confiscate it and I bet they ate it themselves.

Had I been this woman, I would have flipped a bloody lid. No one, I repeat no one is going to take my baked goods away from me! Especially with some lame ace excuse like they gave. No way, no how would I have just turned them over without a fight. I think of every time I go to New York...I come back with cupcakes from a delightful little place called Crumbs Bakery that is just  a hop, skip, and a sprinkle away from David Letterman's theater. Has anyone tried to take those from me at LaGuardia? Nopers. And it better stay that way!

So as I speak of baked goods and cupcakes, I thought I would share a local little gem with you... It is a place called "Ye Old Cupcake Shoppe" in 'The Junction' in Ogden. It is one of the best around. And the lady who owns and runs it, Shelly, is an absolute delight! I highly recommend you go in and try it out. She is a gem. Tell her that Shannon of the Chunky Brewsters from Salt Lake sent you...

Shelly and I in front of the case of 'magic'...

Remind Me Who I Am...

I heard this song and loved it...

Remind me who I am

Sometimes we need the reminder...

We are loved...

We are important...

We are valuable...

We are His...

I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of those things. And equally as thankful for the people and the places and the things and the gentle ways He reminds me when I forget...

Jane Fonda in the Water

Last night I attended my first water aerobics class with some of my fellow ChunkyBrewsters. Sweet mother of aquatics...it was an experience. Who knew one could sweat while submerged in water?!

When class began, the instructor asked if there was anyone there for the first time. I announced that I was a water aerobic virgin. She said "Oh good. You in the great swim cap. Welcome." And that was it, we were off and jogging and skiing in place... (And yes, I did have on a pretty great swim cap (see pic below)...thanks Danielle!)

See, it really is a kick-a swim cap...it helped me feel like I was channeling my inner Mary Katherine Gallagher.

All in all we rocked the class. No one drowned. We didn't get kicked out. And wait for it...we even got invited back! Yeah, that's right, we were such a bucket of fun they invited us back next week. Will we take them up on the invite? That is still TBD as the chlorine in the water was so strong it ate off a fair amount of flesh...but hey that is still considered weight loss isn't it?...so on second thought, maybe we will!

Happy 90th Betty

Two of my all time favorites...Molly Shannon and Betty White...it doesn't get better than these two!

Today our dear friend Betty turns 90. Yep, you read that right, the big 9-0! She looks bloody amazing and is still feisty as ever. So here's to you Betty...wishing you the happiest and healthiest of 90th birthdays and wishing you 90 more! If anyone could live to be a 180 and do it well, you could!

Chunky Brewsters

So the contest and de-chunking of myself has begun...Heaven help me!

If you want to follow along, here is the blog I have set up for my friends and I to share our adventures and our journey...

www.chunkybrewsters.blogspot.com

Last Supper

Today was supposed to be weigh in day. D day. But we decided to change that and used it as our last hurrah. We went to Chili's and had a 'last supper' of sorts and got our minds wrapped around the fact that tomorrow is going to be less than desirable with scales and measuring tapes...

It couldn't have been a finer evening...While seated in the bar area, the BCS Championship Game playing on the tele (and in case you missed it, the Tide decided to roll and roll and roll right over LSU), the Coke flowing freely, and I do believe that I ate my body weight in salsa and may have even eaten a few chips along with the said salsa. And best of all, the company could not have been more delightful!

So here we go girls, we are setting out on a journey to become a little less flabulous and even more fabulous! If tonight is any indication of the fun we are going to have...we are going to do nothing but laugh our fool heads off through this entire process. It's gonna be good. Real good. And that's the way we shall look as well!...

Happy Birthday Ma

I know you all saw this picture not too long ago in those that I posted from Indy. But it is just so classy and is one of my most recently taken faves that I just couldn't not use it again for the birthday post...

Happy Birthday Ma!

Love, PussyCat

deChunking...

 
Some friends and are starting a 'Biggest Loser' competition. I'm pretty stoked about it as I need the motivation to get off my baked-good-loving-butt and doing something about what the just said loving has done to the just said butt...

Anyone who wants to join is more than welcome. The more the merrier! It promises to be an absolute blast. One thing I can't wait for is the blogging aspect of it all. We are going to set up a blog to follow our new adventure so stay tuned for the deets of that as you are not going to want to miss the video clips of me as I try my first Spin class or attempt Zumba (yeah, picturing my uncoordinated largeness at any of these feats is enough to make anyone laugh so hard they'd pee a little...). Like I said, its gonna be good! And its gonna be fun! So join us!...

Oh yes, the contest starts Monday, and I think that if we are going to start let us start this puppy off right...by having a 'last supper' of sorts! Maybe endless baby back ribs and Coke? Who knows what will suit our fancy, or where we will end up...but one thing is for sure and that is that we will get together and do dinner and do it up right! Who's in?!

Here is just a copy and paste of the email I sent out with all of the necessary deets...

Biggest Loser Contest

We've all seen the show...The sweat, the tears, the guts (figurative and literal), the glory! Come join us for our own biggest loser contest and get in shape for the New Year! 

Starting date – Monday, Jan. 9, 2012

Ending date – Monday, April 9, 2012

Cost: $35 Includes …

• Weekly emails filled with motivational tips, tricks, workouts and recipes from a trainer
• Monthly winners & Grand Prize Winner
• Determined by weight loss percentage
• 100% of your fee will be used to pay Monthly and Grand Prize Winners and the trainer for motivational emails 
• Depending on how many enter the contest will determine the winning prize amounts

Here’s how it works:

• Weigh yourself and record your weight and your measurements of Chest – Waist – Hips (your weight and measurements will only be seen by the trainer as she will have to view them and compare them each month so as to calculate the winners.)
• Take before photos of yourself (I know you may not want to now, but you will be so glad you did when you're svelte and want to show off the transformation you've made at the end of this bad boy!)
• Place your weight and measurements in a sealed envelope with your name, email address and phone number on the outside. 
• Place your entry fee of $35 in a sealed envelope with your name, email address and phone number on the outside. 
• Give your 2 envelopes to the person who contacted you by Jan. 9^th  

We will contact you via email for your weekly motivational and informative emails. We will also try to set up a group on Facebook and maybe even a Blog so that we can get to know one another a little better, share our stories (whether they be of success or less than...we wanna hear it all), and just get to know one another a little better and try to support each other in what promises to be a fun adventure!

It’s the start of a New Year and a New YOU!    

The Plan For The New Me...

Everyone is blabbering on about their New Year's resolutions...oh wait, that is what I am about to do too...oopsy poopsy...

But this year I really am committed. No, really, I am. Especially after my little reality slap the other night with my road rage. (see the post above)

I've got a friend who is absolutely amazing. She is more like Jesus than anyone I think I've ever met. And I tell her this all the time. She tells me that she is far from perfect and that I just don't know her well enough. I respond by telling her that I know her plenty well enough, and that what I know what I am talking about! None of us are perfect, we all have our shortcomings, but the powerful goodness that radiates from this friend is undeniable. She is one of those people that make you want to be better just by being around her. Her words and her deeds are consistently kind and loving.

I told her about my little escapade and said, "That is something that you would have never even thought to do! You wouldn't have even had the thought to flip out and flip the guy off!" Nope. No she wouldn't have.

And so, enter my resolution...to be more like this friend of mine. To have a little something called self control. Yes I may have these thoughts, but I'm going to do my best not to act on them. You may honk at me or cut me off in traffic, and I now will use the sign language for "I love you" or "Have a delightful day" instead of  telling people where to stick it... And as I encounter the difficult to love along my path throughout the day, instead of wanting to kill them or thinking of ways to do so, as I may normally do, I shall 'kill them with kindness.' I'm going to seek out the positive and accentuate it...

(To aid in my success maybe I should start by sporting mittens to prevent the hand gestures, and pray for laryngitis to keep the words I speak kind or inaudible just until I get the hang of it...No self, you can do this...You think you can, you think you can...)

Wish me luck as I begin this resolution and journey to better myself. If I am successful it's gonna be a good day in my neighborhood.Oh boy, here I go...

~~~

"My choice of friends has helped keep me straight. I have had friends who expected me to be good, and I have tried not to disappoint them." 

-Camilla Eyring Kimball

~~~

Oopsy...

So tonight I realized that I have a very serious road rage issue. Well, I already knew I did. Not a serious one like I pack heat and wave my gun at you if you cut me off. But rather I do scream and yell mostly to myself if foolish things are being done by the vehicles around me, or if they are not going fast enough, or if they aren't doing things quite like I would like them to be done... Look people, I said I knew I had a problem, so back off! 

So long story short tonight I ran to grab dinner for the fam. I got some extra food, and realized why when I saw a homeless kid crossing the street. I called out to him and asked if he wanted dinner, he said yes, and came to my car window to get it. As I was digging through the bag to grab him a sandwich (which took a total of 6.9 seconds) I hear someone lay on their horn. I immediately go into full blown road rage. Yes, I am in the middle of helping a hungry young man who has no home, and I snap and have the urge to flip off the honking truck in front of me and tell him that he is an a-hole and to calm down...As I look up on the verge of doing the above, I see that the honking gentleman is giving me the 'thumbs up' as he sees me helping this kid.

Whoops...

Not exactly what the hands of Jesus should look like, huh?!

Everyday I do pray that I will be what He needs me to be, for who He needs me to be. I pray to be an answer to peoples prayers. An instrument in His hands...

And there I go, ready to flip out on a honking truck, who was only offering a kind gesture. The only thing that stopped me from the instant bird and profanity...the face of a homeless kid at my window...

Heavenly Father really has to use powerful visual aids to help me 'get it' at times. As I lay here tonight, I really wonder how I can exist in my own body at times. I have good intentions, and I do try, but then there is the part of me that is naughty and so unbridled at times. And so I just look Heavenward and say, "God, I am a mess, but I am your mess! Use me as you need me. And p.s. Sorry about today. Oopsy"

CHRISTmas...

I absolutely love Christmas. And I am so thankful for it. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the commercial aspect of it. I loathe the shopping and the craziness that it brings out in people. What I love is the spirit that comes along with the true meaning of it all. There is something magical that happens to a lot of people between Thanksgiving and December...they begin to look outside of themselves in a way that don't tend to throughout the rest of the year. The needs of others are noticed, and taken care of. It is tender and special. It's the way that God intended it to be all the time. We are meant to care for and take care of one another. And there was no better example of that than Jesus.

I am so thankful for the gift of Jesus...

I am thankful that two thousand years ago God sent His Son into this world for us...

He lived for us, He died for us, and He continues to care for us...

I can't imagine what that night in Bethlehem was like. The star. The stable. Mary. Joseph. Seeing Him in the manger. The Wisemen. It's all incomprehensible...

And I can't imagine what it will be like when He comes again. The greatness. The glory. The Majesty. The joy. The peace. It too is incomprehensible...

But I look forward to that day as they did the day of His birth. He came, and He will surely come again...

Zapping South of the Border...

 I HATE to shave. Absolutely hate it. So I wax a lot. I don't care for that much either, but it does a better job for longer. So awhile back I bought a Groupon for laser hair removal and have loved it. And now I buy them whenever they come up and plan to zap every hair producing part of my body.

Today was one I was somewhat anxious about...I was going South of the border if you will...the 'Australian Outback' and the lower legs were getting done. And guess what...it was not bad at all. It was a total breeze! The back of my neck is more painful zap for zap compared to what I had done today...

Here are my two new besties that preformed the 'procedure'...Success! And yes please I am rockin' the MooMoo as it is Friday and I was all about being comfortable. I also have on a new pair of boots that are the greatest things ever!

It's an early Christmas miracle on 69th Street that I lived to tell about this. And I would like to give a special shout-out thank you to all you who have been so kind and concerned and sent your well wishes to Nicole. She really appreciates all of the support...as well as a special thanks to Dr. Nic for the Lidocaine!

Tis The Season with World Vision

 It's December 1st, and everyone is now thinking about Christmas and shopping and gift giving. I just wanted to toss the following out there as a possible option for people this year...

So many of us have so much and want for nothing, while there are so many out in the world who have so little and want for the simplest of necessities. World Vision is an incredible organization that helps offer these necessities to needy families and individuals. It is the group that I sponsored a little boy named Festus through. (click here to see the blog post on him...)

As I have talked with some of my friends, we have decided that instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas this year, we are going to make donations to World Vision and give a gift that will really matter.

Below are just a few of the many options and ways that you can give and make a difference for a fairly small cost...

2 Chickens...$25 (Chickens are used as food and fresh eggs. They can be eaten to sustain the family, or sold so that they might purchase clothes, medicine, or other needs. Chickens are easy to breed, so this gift will multiply and can benefit an entire village.)

3 Ducks...$18 (Ducks are also used for providing food. They are especially beneficial to those living in Bangladesh as many times their chickens are killed because of the torrential rains.)

1 Rabbit...$16 (Rabbits reproduce rapidly and offer a great way to feed hungry children.)

5 Fruit Trees...$30

Fast Growing (drought resistant) Seeds for 1 Family... $17

$385 Worth of Medicine...$35

Bed Nets For 1 Family...$18 (Mosquitoes kill nearly 800,000 people a year. These nets are one of the best ways to help protect children from Malaria.)

$385 Worth of New Clothing...$35

2 Soccer Balls...$16

Though the above are for children in other countries, you can also help children here within the United States...

(Due to corporate sponsorships, the gift you give will be multiplied...)

$150 worth of Urgently needed clothing and other necessities...$25

$150 worth of School Supplies...$25

To check out their online livestock and gift giving catalog click here...

To learn more about sponsoring a child click here...http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsorship-redirect?Open