Handmade Hairbows Review!

I received these adorable photo-bottlecaps from Handmade HairBows!!   When asked to provide a picture for the purpose of this review I chose of course my little dawge, Damzl. Any picture can be used for any of these items. I was amazed at the picture quality as it is very good (much better than the ones i took of these) , as is the construction of all three. Shipping was very quick too!  

Customer service at Handmade HairBows is excellent and the owner, Toni is as nice as they come!  Always willing to go that extra mile for her customers!  I highly recommend that you visit her shop! 

 These would make awesome gifts for grandparents with your child's picture!  Or a great gift for a Dad or Mom that was getting ready for deployment! 

 One is a Keychain, one a Magnet, and one a lapel Pin. Here is a reverse picture so you can see the backs.......

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Diet Day #15

I supposed I did rather well in eating the right oily, greasy and fatty foods because I only gained a very little the scales said 194.8 this morning so only up .8 from yesterday!  

For those of you just tuning in, I began the HCG diet 15 days ago.  I was doing good having lost ten pounds and then on the 10th day on my rush to hurry into the office, my bottle of HCG fell out of my purse onto the pavement and shattered! After contacting Las Vegas HCG.com another bottle was ordered and on its way! I maintained the weight loss that I had over the first 10 days and now am off to finish what I started! 

So today its back to protocol and the VLCD (very low calorie diet) and back to shedding those pounds! 

Diet Day #14

Kudos to Las Vegas HCG.com!!!  The drops have arrived and I am ready to get started again!  I started yesterday afternoon again eating the fatty, greasy, oily foods and will do so again today so I can get going tomorrow losing even more!!

They say when you are dieting to pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.  Anyone that is the slightest bit overweight should be able to relate to this.  You know when you first put on your jeans and you get that OMG they feel so tight feeling. The one where you can see the "muffin top" effect in full force.  You sit there saying hurry up and loosen up a bit (the way they do when you wear them for a while).

For the fist time in a long time, my jeans dont do that! They fit almost perfectly!  My "muffin top" is less noticeable!  Now granted the size is still good (16) and i so hope to change that but just the fact that they actually feel good when I first put them on is awesome!

So the scales read 194.0 this morning so that is my new starting point!

I am going to enjoy the day eating some foods that I have actually missed but try not to overdo it too much! 

I am so excited!

Diet Day #13

Still waiting on the Mailman....but good new to report!  I am doing rather well at maintaining the weight that I did reach before disaster struck and I dropped my bottle of HCG drops.  In fact am doing so well that I lost another pound on my own!  I am at 193.6!!   YAY!

I am anxious to get back to losing even more weight.  I for one am glad that Las Vegas HCG.com has come into my life!  

So has anyone seen that Mailman????

Link Bug Kids Art Contest!

Its time to have some fun with the Kiddos!   This is a great project for any rainy day (or snow) afternoon!

All you need is a coffee filter, some markers, and a pipe cleaner!  Color the flattened out coffee filter (the more colors the better) Make sure to put something underneath the filter to protect the surface as they do bleed through.  When they are done coloring take a spray bottle and light spray to give a tie dye effect. Let dry. Pinch together in the middle of the filter and tie off , leaving enough to make your attenna. There is no end to what kind of Bugs you can create!  You are only allowed to use the three above items to enter this contest.

When your project is finished.  email your picture to Linkbugbrenda@aol.com  (along with the age and gender of the child) .  All will be uploaded in to an album and we will have a vote to see which "bug" is everyone's favorite!  The deadline for submitting your photos is February 7th 2011.  The winning Bug will receive a coloring activity pack!  (value $10) (prize items will depend on age and gender of child but will include crayons, markers, coloring and/or activity books etc)

There will be two winners one from each age group
0-6 yrs
7-12yrs

Diet Day #12

It has been rather easy to maintain while waiting for the new bottle of HCG drop to arrive from Las Vegas HCG.com !  I was surprised that the scale still said 194.4 this morning!  

I decided to make a huge pot of  :Diet Soup (mostly veggies and is only 45 cals per serving) to have on hand and eat while I was waiting for the new drops.  It is pretty filling and tastes delicious. 

Were is that Mailman????

Diet Day #11

Another bottle of the HCG drops has been ordered and is on its way from Las Vegas HCG.com!  The trick is to maintain what I have lost and not go back to old eating habits before it gets here! I am still at 194.4 for the third day in row so maybe it will be easier than I think!  

The advice from Las Vegas HCG.com:

 If you stick to no sugar or startch I can get you another bottle in the mail tomorrow and then just do a 1 or 2 day gorge and quick start back up

Sounds easy enough....I CAN do this!   I am really amazed at how well the HCG plan does work!  After all the years of dieting I have done this is probably the easiest way I have ever come across.  It is sure worth the money!   

Mailman Mailman...hurry hurry hurry!

Diet Day 10! Disaster Has Struck!

Not only did the scale disappoint me this morning (it read exactly the same as yesterday!) But in my rush to get in the office this morning, my precious bottle of  HCG fell out of my purse onto the pavement and shattered!  I almost wanted to cry watching that liquid spreading all over the ground!  I have asked myself all morning....OK so what now?  

I have decided to switch over to a low carb diet for a bit until I can get some replacement drops ordered. I dont know how my body will react to this but I do know from past dieting it has worked for me. I will say that the HCG has worked really well in the time that I have used it. And WILL use it again!

So guess I will need to go make and order over at Las Vegas HCG soon!   I will still post what progress I am making with the low carb thing.......heres to hoping that it will work!

Diet Day #9

HCG apparently really does work!  But its not just all the HCG....its something that YOU have to work at too. I still have a long way to go to get to my desired weight but am pretty excited that this method of weight loss does work.  AND am excited that it still works even if you slip up and eat more than you should.  I have said before this is a diet not for the faint of heart or those that dont have at least some sort of will power or determination.

I stepped on the scale this morning with the expectation of it saying i gained!  I had one of those sweet cravings yesterday.  I tried a cup of blackberry tea with some stevia (which by the way, stevia is REALLY sweet) but that did not help one little bit.  So, yes i ate a piece of CHOCOLATE!   So much to my surprise the scale still said 194.2  which means I am still a loser!

I have decided that in between these sessions of using HCG I am going to do a few experiments with my eating/dieting to see what happens.  I sat and wondered what would happen if you followed protocol for a few days WITHOUT using the drops?   What if you used HCG and followed the low carb diet plan?   So many thoughts and so much to try!  

Stay tuned!

Diet Day #8

I knew a day spent with family would be tough!  Especially when part of the outing required going to a restaurant to have a meal.  As I sat there with my family each of us with menu in hand and all of them talking about what they were going to order, I found myself thinking OMG everything on here is either fried, greasy or starch ridden!  What in the world was I going to find that I could actually eat and not do too much damage to my diet!  

As the waitress was taking orders from everyone else (of course they were ordering pasta, fried chicken, hamburgers~~all the foods I wanted to eat myself) I bolstered myself to ask if they had anything that was maybe a bit more healthier.  With much ribbing from my family I decided upon a tuna salad. I was worried that the mayo would have too much oil but I had to try something!  I had resigned myself to not losing any weight for the day!  

When the food arrived I looked at the salad and thought?  should I do this?  should take the chance? There was lots of lettuce, some tomato, cheese, boiled eggs and two delicious looking mound of tuna!  I decided what the hell....go for it!  This whole salad was probably more calories than I was allowed in several days! As I sat eating and enjoying every luscious bite I just had to tell myself "Its okay!  You can always do the diet thing again tomorrow"  My stomach was already use to having very little food for the past several days so that I felt full very quickly.  But did I stop eating?  No!  Of course not!  I ate so much my stomach hurt!  I just knew that the scales would go in the wrong direction in the morning! 

Trepidly I stepped on the scale this morning expecting to see that I had gained a pound or two. Much to my surprise I was at  195.6!   YAY  I didnt gain!  After all that eating I still lost a pound!   

So now its back to the grindstone to see how much more I can lose! 

Diet Day #7 HCG does work!

Amazed is the only word I can think of for how I am feeling today!  Yesterday was terrible!  It was probably one of the worst days feeling hungry!   And I actually ate more than the protocol allows.  I mean that in that my portion sizes were a bit larger than they should have been. So I was fully expecting when I got on the scale this morning to see either 1. no weight loss at all or 2. that i had maybe gained a pound or two. 

So I tried to bolster myself for that disappointed feeling (anyone who has been on a diet before knows exactly what I am talking about) and had even rehearsed the pep talk to myself in my head! Imagine my surprise when the scale read 196.6 lbs!   I am down another two pounds!   Thats a total of 8lbs!!  (9 if you include the pound I gained on the first couple of days on this diet). So yes I am totally amazed!  So far these HCG drops seem to be doing exactly what they promise to do! 

I am hoping that today is better in the hunger department though.  I suggest to anyone contemplating doing this diet to make sure that they have plenty to keep them busy to keep their mind off of eating. I re-read the book  (yes I say its a book at 96 pages) to see if there was something more I could do to help ward off the hunger feelings. The support that I got from Las Vegas HCG was wonderful with the suggestion that if I am hungry to just eat! (There are a few items that you can eat all you want if you are hungry Lettuce, Celery and Cucumbers) And to add lemon to my water (to give my stomach something to do) which I am going to try today.  

I have a family get together today which includes eating at a restaurant so I think this will really be a big test for me.  One of the "rules" in this diet say to try avoiding eating out. I will have to scour the menu to find something that will be appropriate and to leave most of it on the plate. Restaurant portions are ALWAYS to large for a balanced diet as it is! 

Here to hoping that I make it through this test today with flying colors! 

Diet Day #6 Success!

So far so good!   I have to admit that so far the HCG diet has been quite the success!  I actually had to step on the scales twice this morning because I just did'nt believe it the first time.!  But even the second time it still read 198.6!!  That amounts to 6lbs gone!  YAY!

I must admit that I "cheated" yesterday.....I just HAD to have a diet coke!  HAD to in that my brain was telling me "oh go ahead..one little bottle of "diet" coke wont hurt"  Even though this diet so far seems to be working exactly as it says it will, I have to say that from all my past experience of dieting this is not a diet for a person that has no will power.  I have heard from a lot of people that you dont feel hungry on this diet.  NOT!   I feel hungry all the time! Now whether its actual hunger pains or if its just in my head is a matter of debate. Example:  I live close to a "fast food" place, a few minutes ago I walked out my door only to smell the tantalizing aroma of a burger being fried and OH MY it smelled delicious!  My stomach automatically started growling!  What I wouldnt do for a juicy burger right now!  My mouth is just watering......so instead I came in the house and pulled out the bag of celery!  Not quite the fair trade....but a girl must do what a girl must do!

Diet Day #5

I am not going to lie...Yesterday was tough!! I honestly feel that I "thought" I was hungry when in reality I think it was much more my brain telling me that I should be eating. And the water....UGH the water....I felt like I had drunk enough to choke a horse!  More than anything I miss my Diet Coke!  I think that is going to be the real test for me. I know that Most diet sodas claim to have 0 calories, but I also know that they are full of salt.  And salt makes your body retain water. So as much as I miss it I am going to try my hardest to leave them be.  

 I made it through that first day though! AND the scales dont lie!  I was a bit skeptical about this whole HCG diet and to be honest still am a bit. This morning the scale read 201.4!  So yes I am down 3 lbs from when I started.  

Diet Day #4

And the REAL DIET begins! 

So today is the day to begin the 500 calorie a day diet....mentally I still think this cannot be a good thing!  I have all the veggies ready, the bottles of water...(ugh!) And most importantly the right frame of mind! 

One good thing to start this out...the scale was nice to me this morning!  203.6 already down a pound....One pound doesnt seem like much but its a start!  

Protocol: Day 4‐ either 23 or 40 OR UP TO 60 DAYS

Continue the drops and start the VLCD (very low calorie diet) not to exceed the below items

and trying to stay at 500 calories.

Protocol Diet

1. Liquids: You must drink at least two quarts of water, but up to a gallon is preferred. This

amount of fluid should be spaced throughout the day. It is best to use filtered water instead of

tap. (1 rule of thumb is to divide your weight in half and drink that many ounces of water

minimum per day).

2. Breakfast: Tea (herbal, green black etc.) in any quantity. You may drink tea or coffee

throughout the day if desired. You may sweeten your tea or coffee with stevia.

3. Lunch and Dinner: Your choice of 3.5 ounces (measured raw) of super lean beef, veal,

chicken breast, turkey breast, white fish, lobster, crab, shrimp. Ensure that the meat is very

lean with no marbling. All visible fat must be removed before cooking. The meat can be

cooked by broiling, grilling, or boiling with no additional fat or oils. Again, all meat is to be

carefully weighed in the uncooked state.

2 Vegetables, from the following list can be chosen per meal: (calories shown are for ½ cup)

Cauliflower (32) Lettuce, chard, bok choy, beet (13)

Broccoli (32) Asparagus (26)

Celery, fennel (8) ½ cup eggplant

Cabbage (24) 1 tomato (18)

Cucumbers (10) Radishes (13)

Green or red pepper (18) Zucchini

Spinach (23) Mushrooms (15)

Onions (49)

It is best to eat the vegetables raw if possible. You can eat celery, lettuce or cucumbers in any

reasonable portion if you are hungry.

1 Fruit, from the following list, may be chosen per meal:

10 Strawberries

½ Grapefruit

1 Orange

1 Apple

½ cup cherries, raspberries or blueberries

You may have the juice of one lemon per day as well as one tablespoon of milk per day.

With each meal you may choose a fat free or very low fat cracker serving that is around 50

calories per serving. Ryvita, stoned wheat thins, Melba toast, or grissini’s are great choices.

Diet Day #3

Stepping on the scale this morning I expected to see that I had gain a pound or two.  Instead I am back at my starting weight!  204.6....wonder if the scales are broken? 

I did manage to drink the required amount of water, I still dont like the taste of it but I am willing to do what it takes.  I am already not feeling hungry but that is probably due to the fact that I am constantly eating! Tomorrow will be the big test.  Day #4 that starts the very low calorie diet. 

Diet Day 2!!

The basics:

Six drops, six times a day. Basically every 2 – 2.5 hours. Hold under tongue for 15 seconds.

Days 1‐3

Take the drops and GORGE. Eat as much as you can and focus on fatty, oily, greasy fried foods.

Like peanut butter, French fries, McDonalds would be a great choice. You can eat whatever

you want but sometimes carbs and sugars will make you gain more than you want. The idea is

to get the HCG into your system while you flood your body with fat. This way you will NOT be

hungry come day 4 which is the first day on VLCD.

I fail to see how "gorging" oneself is going to help you lose weight.  In fact I have actually gained a bit on the first day!  I know its all psychological but the word diet implies that you lose weight not gain!  As I stepped on the scale this morning and saw the number 205.2 it makes my day start out not feeling very well about this!!   am however following the protocol to the letter!  I have to remember that this will only be a few days!

I have one slight problem that I have to deal with......Call me strange but I never have and still dont like the taste of "plain water" !!!   ALL diets require that you drink a lot of water.  I have always had to force myself to drink water! I have tried using a slice of lemon, lime, you name it and still have a hard time drinking water! 

Well......I am going to keep on with the game plan and see where this leads........

Diet Day 1!!

Even though I knew this day was coming,  I took the weekend to eat everything my little heart desired!  And I am sure paying for it already!  I gained over 5 lbs !  Subconsciously I knew it was not a good thing to do but as any well versed dieter would think, I know that some of the foods I enjoyed over the weekend I wont EVER get to eat again!  At least not if I want to stay thin! 

I have already taken my first set of drops this morning........at least that part wasnt hard!  I feel that by following protocol the first few days wont be so bad either!  (see protocol below)

The basics:

Six drops, six times a day. Basically every 2 – 2.5 hours. Hold under tongue for 15 seconds.

Days 1‐3

Take the drops and GORGE. Eat as much as you can and focus on fatty, oily, greasy fried foods.

Like peanut butter, French fries, McDonalds would be a great choice. You can eat whatever

you want but sometimes carbs and sugars will make you gain more than you want. The idea is

to get the HCG into your system while you flood your body with fat. This way you will NOT be

hungry come day 4 which is the first day on VLCD.

I have been debating over the past few days as to whether or not I should post my weight on here. I dont have too many full body pics of myself but did find one that I could share.  I hate having my picture taken as in mos of them I look extremely fat! For that matter there are not many pics of me period!  I need to keep it honest here sooo.......

Day 1: Starting weight 204.6 lbs!

As any good Doctor would.....

Of course as I expected my doctor said NO ABSOLUTELY NOT!  I sat and listened to him rant and rave about how unhealthy the HCG diet is. How anyone that only ate 500 calories a day would lose weight!  He also said they would very quickly be malnourished. He yelled so loud the Nurse came in to see if everything was okay!  After about 45 mins of his raising his voice and going on and on about the importance of eating a well balanced "healthy" diet he looked at me and said  "So when are you starting?  I know you and know that you are not listening to a word I have just said! If you are so determined to do this I guess I will be seeing you on a weekly basis!"

Ahhhh   He does know me so well!   As I sit hear munching on a bag of peanut M&M's I AM making my plans to start this diet on Monday!  

It has started already.......

I haven't even started it yet and it has already consumed my brain!  All I can think about is this stupid diet! I so wish I was like the other millions of women in the world that was blessed by a skinny body!  You know the ones I am talking about..the ones that can eat everything in sight and never gain a pound!  The ones that never have to work at it!

In my past adventures I learned that losing weight is a complete lifestyle makeover. Its not something you can do for a short while then go back to your same way of life. Everything must change! Its a bit daunting to think of all the changes that are coming because lets face it change is not easy and a bit scary!

I am going to do this diet with the help of a product I won from Las Vegas HCG.com. I have read the booklet and must say that this diet plan seems a little drastic to me and may be just a bit unhealthy?  I have a Dr appt this morning and am going to check with him to see what he thinks.

Can we invent a new word for "Diet" please?

Once again I am preparing myself mentally for another Journey.   One that I have taken several times in my life!  I hope to use this blog to help me with the ups and downs...as I am sure there will be many (past experience has taught me that much!).   


A little background history for those of you that choose to come along with me.


My entire life I have been "big" is the nicest way I know to put it. In elementary school I was the biggest girl in the class and it followed me all through high school too.  Although in High School there were many others like me too!  That seemed to make it easier.  Easier to be fat!  Woohooo I said it! Seriously though I’m not fat, I just insist I'm 4 feet too short!!  I carry my weight very well  and most would be very surprised to see what the scale tips out at!  


A few years ago I decided it was time to do something about it!  I put my mind to it and started a new diet! Low carb even!  Went to the gym 5 days a week for at least an hour.  It took me over a year and half to do it but I was very successful because I lost 129lbs!  I had never felt so good in my life! Had never been so small! I could shop in the junior department if I wanted!  Life was good!


I got a phone call one day.  My mother was just diagnosed with acute Liver Disease. Liver disease is an affliction that i wouldn't wish on my worse enemy.  You would be extremely surprised at all the body functions that are controlled and filtered through your liver. My father suffers from various disabilities due to war injuries he sustained in Vietnam and has a mild case of dementia. I started going over to "help" them out with daily chores,grocery store runs, Drs visits ya know the things your parents need when they get older.  It got to the point to where I was spending more time at their house than mine.  So to make a long story short I ended up moving in to help them on a more permanent basis. 


Since I have moved back in with them and have not had much time to myself, no gym, diet geared to their diet...I have gained back over 60lbs!  So its time to get busy! I know that I need to mentally prepare myself for this so have set a goal of Monday to begin!  I hope you come along with me! 

My First Review!

 I have heard throughout my life that EVERYONE has something special that they can accomplish that is special to themselves.  I marvel at women like that who has found a special ability.  Probably because I have yet to find what mine is!  

I dont remember exactly when or how I found Loris Lovelables over on Facebook but have never regretted finding it!   Lori is one very amazingly talented woman!  She makes and sells some of the most original hats I have ever seen.  What amazes me even more is that she makes each and everyone of these without any type of pattern to guide her!   I like to think that we have somewhat become friends!  

My daughter has alway been a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan and the I knew when I saw the Skully cap over at Loris Loveables I just had to have one for her!  The perfect Christmas gift!  

I can say I was very surprised at how well made it was.  Very professional. Even down to the Loris Loveables label!   My Daughter loves it!   Wears it all the time!

With the great experience that I had with the Skully cap...I sent Lori a picture of a hat that I thought I would like to try for myself. I have never been much a hat wearer but I saw this style and thought to myself....why not...who knows you may like it!  From just the picture I sent her Lori made me the perfect hat!  When I first put it on it fit a little tight but after an hour of wearing it, it now fits perfectly!  And the non-hat wearer has become a frequent hat wearer!

Loris Lovable has many styles to choose from in her album.  Pricing is affordable and shipping is prompt.   If you dont see what you are looking for ASK!  I have yet to see a style or pattern that she cannot master!  I highly recommend her! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loris-Lovables/157313830947153

Blogging 101

Sometimes...not not sometimes.....all the time I forget that i even have this blog!   I really should try to utilize it more.....even if its just to vent!   I know that it could serve its purpose in many ways but how to remember that its here?   Anyone else have this issue?  Any advice??