Yep, we moved. Finally. I am officially back with civilization! No more 90 minutes drives just to attend an actual mall, an Olive Garden,  a Target, an airport... Here I have just about everything at my finger tips. Although, an IKEA would be nice to have near. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hiking the foothills, attending Shakespeare Festival, horse races, boating, an actual mall, lunch at the park...

Eventually, whenever I finally settle in I will share with you my lovely nest. But for now, I'll just give you a sneak peak...

I know I'm a tease! It will happen! 

I hope your having a happy hump day! We're right in middle of our week!

Stay happy!

Catie

ooxo

Well dear friend, I have managed to drop almost 4 lbs for the past week and a half! Some days are hard being tempted on those juicy burgers layered with cheese and .... Ah - I should stop! Anyways, I've done a bit of research on how much I should eat on protein, carbs, fiber, and fats. And don't forget the calories. It's really hard to manage all those numbers. I'm not gonna lie it's a challenge.

Although, I've noticed my energy level has been going up. I have been drinking more and more water and finding little ways to adding more activity throughout my day. Even if it's calculating. One of the things I have managed to put onto my schedule for this week (and will be doing for now on) is Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Man, that girl will kick your butt! It's HARD! But I think it's worth it and can not wait to see my picture results. Don't worry I'll share them with you to.

For today, I'm going to share a little recipe that I love that is great for lunches or dinner. The skinny flatout margarita pizza.

Here is what you need:

Preheat oven to 365.

- I Flatout Bread
- 2 1/2 Tbn of Pizza Sauce
- 1/8 c. of shredded cheese
- Basil (preferably fresh)
- Balsamic Vinegar

1. Spread the pizza sauce evenly ontop the flatout

 2. Cute the basil into little pieces and add them as a topping, spread your cheese, and add dashes of balsamic vinegar.
3. Put into oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I hope you will enjoy this dish. It goes well with a great salad as well. The pizza is about 250 calories to eat. If you want to join with me on my journey, you can find my fitness pal under as CatieBuck2013. Find me and join with me on this!

K - D!

Happy Friday! I like doing these link-ups with other fellow bloggers and to also reflect on the week. It is good for the soul.

Here's a look back at some of my favorite things this past week:

1. Went to the town's farmers market this past weekend. It is super small, but worth it. I bought a couple  herbs for my little herb garden. I love having fresh herbs near by, not only do they smell heavenly, they make your food dish taste even better!

2. Now that I have my career, I had to move closer to where the firm is. I've been blessed that I've landed one at an area I really wanted to call home. For the last 2 and 1/2 weeks, I'm still trying to settle in! Although,  I really want to take the time to home decor our new home. I need to allow the house to "speak to me" - you know what I mean? Or am I the only one that thinks this? Nevermind. Moving on..

3. I've started back up my blog! It's so weird to what seems like having somewhat of a life again. What a feeling it is to know that I can sit down, be creative on my own terms, and write about the small things I love about life. And better yet, I get to share it with you!

4. I'm getting healthier. Yep. I'm do'in it! And I already dropped a couple lbs this week. I hope your joining in with me in this journey!

5. Lunch at the Park. It's a restaurant that is in a certain district in the area. It's oh-so-wonderful and had a bowl of delicious vegetable soup. Yum!

How was your week?

I love trying beauty products. But really, what girl doesn't? How about a chance to win a $100 to Target?  This is a sweepstakes through St.Ives and I think their products are really great. The one thing I always have on hand is their apricot face scrub - which smells wonderful. Though I haven't tried the fresh hydration lotions yet. However, I do plan on picking up the coconut milk with orchid extract which sounds wonderful and perfect for this summer.  You may receive (2) total entries and you can find out more on what the details are here. I hope you will win! Which one of these will you go out and try?

*I've received this sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing this blog post.* 

One of my most favorite things to do is browsing and shopping for the home. Especially mine. You can always get a Pottery Barn look for way cheaper if you know where to shop. Also, thanks to Pinterest getting inspired is also a great way to list up a home decor shopping list.  

Here are a few of my favorite places to go and get great home decor on a budget:

- Target

- World Market

- TJ Max or Home Goods

Here is what is on my wish list to spruce up my new home:

So tell me, what are your favorite places to shop for your home?

I don't know about you, but I've struggle with my weight for most of my life. Wait - what am I talking about? I believe MOST of us have this problem! Seriously, my weight goes up and then down. And now it's up - go figure.  However, I thought of this - every Monday, why not start telling and sharing about my journey?

Since last - oh - Tuesday, I've been eating cleaner and been tracking on what I've been eating 70% of the time.  I also been adding a bit more activity into my day as well. It's kind of encouraging to see my activity giving me added calories to intake throughout my day. Your probably wondering what I use as a tracker. Have you heard of My Fitness Pal? It's really a great tool to help you drop weight. If you track everything you eat, your more in likely to drop those darn pesky pounds you want gone.

Here's the best advice I've received that has kind of been my "Ah-HA" moment: Don't look ahead and see the whole mountain, instead, take it one step at a time.

This is my whole overall goal:

- I really want to drop 30 lbs.
- Run a 10k to a Half by Sept. 28th (Found the race I'm going to sign up for)
- Eating a lot more clean.

Oh gosh.. But here is my before shot. Its awful and so embarrassing that I'm putting myself out there like this.  Please be nice.

Urg! That's embarrassing! Who wants to join this journey with me? I'll give this challenge series 3 months and show my progress, recipes, workouts along the way. :)

Going to get my sweat-on,

Caty-DID!

Let's be honest here - I'm struggling. The funny thing is, is during the day, I'm great and on track. But once night falls, I just give up. Why? Why do I consistently sabotage my "being good" during the day and totally fail at night? I'm kind of at a loss of words as to what I should do to move forward with this post.   I'm not going to give up totally with my 3 month getting healthy series. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that I'm just human going through the same struggles as someone else. Are you with me on this? Hmmmm, .... Okay, here is my deal. What if I commit to you I'll NOT sabotage my evening by doing just 3 of them for the week. There. I put it out there. Will you be my support?

Do you struggle at night as I do? Please, let me know!