Easy Green Bean Casserole

I have to share this super easy way to make one of everyone's favorite holiday sides. I love green bean casserole and so does my husband, so I decided that I would bring that as my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house this year. Since we would be visiting his parents first and I didn't want to have to put it together at their house and take up their oven I decided to try a crockpot version. It worked great and tasted just like the baked type! 

Super Easy Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 10 ounce bags of frozen green beans

1.5 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I know- annoying, but I didn't want it to get too soupy)

1 can of French's crispy onions

In a large Crockpot, combine both bags of green beans and the mushroom soup. Add 1/2 can of onions and make sure to mix well. Cook on high for about 4 hours, making sure to stir occasionally. Turn heat down to warm until ready to serve. About 10 minutes before eating, top with remaining onions. Enjoy!

I told you it was easy :)

A Beautiful Quote

I was looking at some blogs today and I ran across this quote by my favorite controversial figure, Madonna. I love it and wanted to share. I think it sums up my life and marriage pretty well :)

“It's not easy having a good marriage--but I don't want easy. Easy doesn't make you grow. Easy doesn't make you think. I thank God everyday that I am married to a man who makes me think. That's my definition of true love.” 
― Madonna

2013 Resolution

I have almost completed my New Year's resolutions from this past year. My goals were to read 25 books by the end of the year and to lose 30 pounds. Originally I wanted to lose the weight by our first wedding anniversary (June 4th) but that ended up not working out. Now I am working hard to lose my last 7 pounds by the end of the year though! I know I can do it and I desperately want to lose the weight so I can set a new weight loss goal for 2013. I also have to read 4 more books to complete my goal of 25 for this year :)

I have already started thinking of what I want to accomplish for 2013. Obviously I will continue to lose weight and get myself into better shape. I also want to take on a project though. I want to take one photo every single day for the year 2013 and then at the end of the year compile them into an album. I want the pictures to reflect every day life for me. They won't all be family photos or even pictures of very important things. That will be my goal for the new year- to record the everyday things that happen for a year.

Quick Post

Just a quick post to share a photo that I took last week- this is the view from our balcony and I just looooove this photo! Every time I wake up and the weather is not so great, I remember that at the end of a rainy day you can often see things like this.

I'm a Slacker

It's been a little bit since I posted! I have been trying to keep up with my journaling so instead of writing  on this blog I've filled my 2012 journal. But I will try to keep up with both from now on!

Things I'm looking forward to this autumn:
-baking cookies
-painting a pumpkin(i've never done one so I'm going to try to take it on)
-attending one of my oldest friend's wedding this weekend
-going through a corn maze
-trying some new low calorie recipes
-going to Belterra Casino with my in-laws next weekend
-getting some GREAT fall pictures of the leaves and sunset

I'm a Real Photographer!

This past weekend I got the opportunity to start working with a friend of mine. She has been photographing weddings for a while now and she was in need of a second shooter so she called me up!  I was beyond excited- I spent the three days before the wedding looking up ideas for photos and trying to figure out the best way to get to the site :)

To make it short- I loved it. I was so nervous that once I actually got to work a wedding that I would find out that this isn't what I wanted to do after all. I have a hard time committing to things and finishing projects, so my biggest fear was that I would FINALLY get to start doing my dream job only to find out that this was not it for me. I was wrong. It was so exciting and I felt so privileged that this couple let me share in their special day. I was a little timid about telling people what to do and jumping in with my camera, but I'll get over that.

Now I can not wait to get back to work. I have another wedding this weekend and I wish it was here already! I am trying to book some sessions for families/engagement photos/senior portraits over the next few weeks so that I can continue building my portfolio and get comfortable directing people. Wish me luck!

Puppy Searching

My husband is definitely a dog person. He loves them and they always seem to be naturally drawn to him. I never had a dog growing up, but I always wanted a cute furry one. Well now that we have been married for over a year, the search has begun for a new addition to our little family. No, we do not plan on having children any time soon. We have both said since we started dating that although we love kids and plan on having them one day, we want to be married for a while and be more established in our careers before we start worrying about diapers and preschools.

So here is our dog dilemma- Ethan is obsessed with the idea of getting a pug and I have always wanted a dachshund. I love all small dogs but for some reason I just can't get my mind off of those cute little old-man looking dogs! I feel like I may lose this time though. Ethan has taken to looking up pictures of pug puppies whenever we are together at home and i have to say- they are pretty darn cute.

I guess we will just have to see what we can find. Either way I know that it will still be at least a couple of months before I am ready to fully take on the responsibility. One major decision that we have agreed on is the name for our puppy- Dr. Archibald Morris. Archie for short :) (We are both big E.R. fans and we love the idea of naming a dog after a surgeon) Wish us luck in our search!

Healthy Snacking

I'm back from Vegas! we had such a wonderful time- we renewed our vows, gambled a lot and drank plenty of margaritas. I gained 5 pounds while we were on our trip but I managed to lose that extra weight the week we got home. Now I am focusing on losing my last 7 pounds to make it an even 30! My most recent accomplishment has been cutting out on mindless snacking. For some reason it's hard for me to stay out of the kitchen in between meals so I have been coming up with some snacks that won't completely ruin my efforts-

*celery with low fat cream cheese
*rice cakes with Better N'Peanut Butter
*individual string cheese
*frozen strawberries
*banana blended with 1 cup of low fat chocolate milk to make a shake
*light yogurt
*coffee or other hot drinks (they curb the urge to eat more)
*Blow Pops- can't eat anything else when you're chewing gum!

These are just some of the things that have worked for me :)

New Goals

I have decided to become a runner. Well, I guess right now I have decided to become a jogger who needs to take a walking break every half mile, but I am working to become a runner! I have done pretty well with my weight loss but it seems that my body has hit a plateau at -19.6 pounds. I simply can not get the scale to budge from this number! My original weight loss goal was to lose 30 pounds by my first wedding anniversary, but seeing as that date is in 4 days, I don't think I can quite accomplish it.

I'm not discouraged in the slightest though! For the first time in my life I have lost weight and kept it off for a considerable amount of time, I have been exercising regularly, and I have tracked my food consistently since I started Weight Watchers on January 1st of this year. Yes, I would have liked to be another 10 pounds lighter right now, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up- I simply need to extend my deadline :)

One of my new goals is to train for a 5K run coming up in September. It's called Color Me Rad and I will be running it with my little sister in Indianapolis. Knowing that I have someone else counting on me to be ready for this race is definitely a good motivator. I have never been a big fan of running or any kind of exercise, but I have found that forcing myself to go for a jog in the 90 degree weather makes me feel like I'm working toward my goal and I always feel good when I come home sweaty and disgusting.

Wish me luck as I train for the race! And if you want to check it out for yourself, the link can be found here: Color Me Rad 5K

Motivational Tunes

I have never liked exercise. I don't run, I don't enjoy being competitive and I am one of the least coordinated people you will ever meet. However, since I have been trying to lose weight I've come to the conclusion that I need to get motivated to get up and MOVE! I'm finding ways to exercise that I actually enjoy now- zumba, going for long walks in my neighborhood, etc.

So here is my playlist that keeps me going when I don't want to make myself leave the house-
"The Party Song" by Emery
"Shake It Off" by Florence + the Machine
"Revolver" by Madonna (featuring Lil Wayne)
"Life Is Beautiful" by Sixx AM
"Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury
"The Feel Good Drag" by Anberlin
"Only" by Nine Inch Nails

In a couple of weeks my husband and I will be sealing up our wedding time capsule and I decided it would be fun to make a cd of all the songs that we love together/he loves but I hate/I love but he hates. Some of these will definitely be on that list!

I have finally started serious work on getting my photography career on a roll! This past weekend my family celebrated my younger sister's birthday in Columbus and she also graciously allowed me to pretend she was a high school senior and follow her around with my camera. I am so happy with how the pics turned out!

My new goal is to get as much practice as I possibly can between now and this coming August (when I should be starting work with a wedding photography company). I want to be completely comfortable and come up with some more interesting and fun poses. I already have had a great response to my work and I really think I'm going to be pretty good at this once I have a little more experience :)

I created a Facebook page for my independent photography which you can access here:
Furlong Photography on Facebook

Or you can visit my personal website here:
Elisabeth Furlong Photography

Thanks for the support!

The Little Things

My work schedule has been kind of wacky lately, with my boss scheduling me to close five days last week and then doing a complete 360 and only scheduling me three shifts TOTAL this week. It's frustrating but it has given me a chance to get a lot done. I've been practicing with my new camera and working on some projects around the house so at least this free time has not been a total waste.

I've been making a lot of plans for Ethan and I in the coming weeks- I'm tired of being a hermit and we've decided that we really need to take advantage of where we live this spring. We're SO CLOSE to so many things but we usually end up watching movies we get from Netflix because we're too lazy to get out of the house after work. Not anymore though! I've been making a list of all the things I want to do and it's my goal to get at least 75% of them done by the time the summer is over. Here's a sample of my list:
* visit my little sister in her new town once she gets moved in
* go to a Cincinnati Reds game
* visit the zoo
* have my niece and nephew (M & K) come to stay with us for an overnight (I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for the other younger set to come stay with us yet, so we'll see how it goes with the older kids first)
* participate in a 5k walk for charity (we usually do one every year in the fall, so this might not be one of our top priorities)

I have some other ideas but I'll have to narrow them down to a final list. Part of my inspiration to get out and do more things comes from a blog I've been reading about a little girl who suffers from SMA. Her parents have created this blog as a "bucket list" of things they want to accomplish before their little girl is forced to leave them and it is just awe-inspiring. The blog is titled "Avery's Bucket List" and I encourage everyone to read it- it will really inspire you to do the things you want before it's too late. Warning: this blog makes me teary-eyed on a regular basis.

Woah!!

I can not believe that I didn't post anything for the entire month of March! I guess that just goes to show how busy we have been lately. I'll just put a few highlights for now, but will DEFINITELY start updating more often.

*I have finally purchased my first "professional" camera. Ethan and I have been discussing it forever and since we had a little surplus money these past few weeks we decided that we should just go ahead and buy it. I've been having fun playing around with it and taking pictures of ridiculous things, but I'm ready to start practicing on people now. I have some "photo shoots" set up with some of my friends and family so I just need to get going!
*I am still working on my weight-loss goals. I'm holding steady at 18 pounds gone and I have renewed my motivation this week to get to that 30 pound goal! I have begun working out again and I have to say it really helps me to re-focus and work toward my healthier me.
*This weekend Ethan and I are heading to the Keeneland horse races in Kentucky. I have never been to a horse race before and I am really looking forward to it. We are taking a bus down with a bunch of E's friends and then going out to dinner afterward so it should be an amazing day! I just need to remember to get some pictures while Ethan and I are dressed up :)

That's all I can think of for right now so until next time!

Setting Goals

I have reached the halfway mark! My original weight-loss goal when I started on January 1st was to lose a total of thirty pounds by our first wedding anniversary (June 4th). I am very proud of my progress so far and I find myself wondering why I always thought it was so hard to eat healthier and make myself exercise? It's really just an issue of commitment- I no longer have any excuses as to why I can't be healthy. I have time each day to get up and move and I buy almost all of the groceries that come into our house.

I have an appointment for a routine physical in a few weeks and I am going to be asking the doctor what I should realistically be setting as my ultimate weight loss goal. Thirty pounds is a lot of weight and will definitely be a huge step in making me a healthier, happier person but I will still be technically "overweight" for my height. I want to be the best version of myself that I can so I may be re-setting my goal soon. For now though, I am thrilled with my progress and pretty darn proud that my formerly "skinny day" jeans now require a belt to stay up! :)

Great Expectations

In addition to being the book that I am currently reading (as part of my New Year's Resolution), this phrase has really started to describe my life recently. I am actively pursuing a few different endeavors and so far my most successful one is working to lose 30 pounds by my first wedding anniversary. I am ecstatic about my progress so far (I'm less than a pound away from losing 5% of my starting weight!) and this experience is really proving to me that I CAN accomplish my goals if I really put forth the effort. I have a bunch of little projects going on right now and I am so optimistic about my ability to get them all done!

My current projects:
-Finish organizing and turning our spare bedroom into a home office/guest room
-Finish my wedding scrapbook (that I have been working on since waaaay before we even got married!)
-Work on my reading list
-Buy a camera and secure an internship so I can finally quit waitressing
-Complete my Daily Challenge each day

I have a lot more going on, but these are my goals that actually have a tangible result :) I'm going to keep working on these and all other projects that come my way so I can be as proud of my progress as I am of my weight loss!

In Search of a Healthier Donut

I love that I am finally losing weight. I love the energy that I have and the fact that my clothes are already starting to fit better.

However....
I still find myself craving those things that I used to eat on an almost daily basis. Cheetos, buffalo wings, candy, macaroni and cheese, the list could go on and on! I've done pretty well keeping my cravings at bay with some substitutions. But this week there has been one thing on my mind and I don't think it's going to go away until I have satisfied the urge to indulge.

I want a donut.  I want one so bad that I feel the need to drive 30 miles north of my house and find the Tim Horton's that I know is hiding from me. But I will not let this happen! I will not risk my gaining weight just so I can have 30 seconds of indulgence! (It would literally take me that much time to devour a cruller right now). So instead of buying those bazillion calorie treats at the bakery, I have decided that I am going to make a skinny version at home that will make me feel better while still getting my craving conquered! Some of my options right now:

Low Fat Baked Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar
Lemon Blueberry Donuts
Chocolate Chip Donuts

I'll update after I've made some for myself and let you know how they turned out!

In Memory

This past week has been very emotional for me. The world lost a wonderful teacher and mentor this past Sunday and her loss is being felt by everyone I grew up with in my hometown. She was the choir teacher at the high school for 20+ years and she was one of the most beautiful people that I have ever met.

This weekend her students will come together one last time to pay tribute to and say goodbye to this woman who taught all of us how to love music, how to try new things, and that even though we're all different we can come together to make something beautiful. I will never be able to express how much this teacher meant to me. Without her influence I would not have some of the life-long friends that I made when I was a teenager. I would not love music the way I do today. I would not have the confidence in myself that she repeatedly encouraged me to have. She was so loved by everyone that knew her and I truly believe that her death is a reminder from God that we need to cherish life while we're here. This weekend I will be traveling to my hometown to say goodbye and share some time with people that loved her as much as I did and I know that she will be smiling and watching over al of us from above. 

We will miss you Mrs G but you will always have a place in the hearts of all of "your kids"

                            

                                                    Me, Mrs G, and my sister Lauren after a show

5 Down and Vegas Bound

This week was my second weigh-in since I have restarted my Weight Watchers program and I am proud to say that I have lost my first five pounds! I've been working on incorporating more exercise into my everyday activities and I am definitely reaping the benefits. I can definitely tell a difference- I have been sleeping better, I have WAY more energy and I actually am starting to enjoy exercising. I have five more months to lose the other 25 pounds and get to my goal weight and I am excited to see even more changes in myself. I may decide later that I want to lose a little more weight, but for now my goal of thirty pounds seems so reasonable that I'm going to stick with it. Plus, this is the weight that I was when I started dating my husband so I know that it is definitely possible.

In other news, today my darling husband and I booked our trip for our first wedding anniversary. We are heading to Vegas baby! I have never been and we have been talking about going ever since we started dating so we decided that it would be the perfect getaway to celebrate our first year of marriage. The thing I'm most excited about? We are planning on renewing our wedding vows at a drive-through chapel! We decided when we were engaged that we wanted to renew our vows every year on our anniversary in a different place and it seems perfect that our first vow renewal will be in the tackiest place possible(hopefully we will be in the backseat of a cab for this). We had the big fancy wedding- now we just want to have fun and come back with some great memories. I can't wait!

Coffee Mocha Recipe

I have been doing really well with sticking to my weight loss program. I have been using my Weight Watcher points, getting regular exercise, and spending a lot less time sitting on the couch channel surfing :) This morning I really wanted one of those fancy coffee drinks that they sell at Starbucks and other coffee chains, so I made up a WW friendly recipe and it came out pretty darn good!

Coffee Mocha
2 Tbsp nonfat milk
1/2 cup brewed strong coffee
1/8 cups chocolate chips
2 Tbsp processed cocoa
handful of ice cubes
2 Tbsp Splenda

I simply put all of these ingredients into a plastic cup and used my immersion blender to mix them until the concoction was frothy and delicious. It turned out great and didn't cost the usual 4 bucks that it would at a fancy coffee shop. I calculated this recipe to be worth 4 WW PointsPlus.

My Book List

Okay, I think I've finally decided on the list of books that I will read this year! I will keep this list as a reminder, but I may end up substituting some of them for other titles during the course of the year (this is what happens when you come from a family of people who are all as obsessed with reading as you are- you get stacks of free books!).

My List (For Now)
1) "Emma" by Jane Austen (I'm currently reading this so I added it)
2) "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
3) "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larrson
4) "Frida" by Kahlo
5) "Michael Jackson: A Life in Music" by Geoff Brown
6) "I'm Not the New Me" by Wendy McClure
7) "Eight Cousins" by Louisa May Alcott
8) "Planting Dandelions" by Kyran Pittman
9) "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10) "Why Do Catholics Do That?" by Kevin Orlin Johnson
11) "The Miracle of Saint Anthony" by Adrian Wojnarowski
12) "Lucky Man" by Michael J Fox
13) "The Fallback Plan" by Leigh Stein
This is as far as I have gotten... if anyone has any good books I can add please let me know! :)

2012- The Year of Actually Keeping My Resolutions :)

So every year I make a New Year's resolution. Usually I try to keep them very vague so that I'm not disappointed if I end up breaking them (eat better, walk more, read more, etc.). Not this year though! I have made two resolutions this year that I plan on keeping.

1) Lose thirty pounds by June 4th. This will be my one-year wedding anniversary. I want to be more energetic, have less stress about my clothing not fitting, and just be healthier! On January 1st I joined Weight Watchers online and I am already working towards my goal. I will be weighing in every Sunday morning so I'll update on my successes(or lack thereof).
2) Read twenty-five books. I find myself spending a lot of time staring at the tv and not really getting anything productive out of it. My plan is to make a list of the twenty-five books that I have always wanted to read and then work towards accomplishing this goal. I have the time to read and I should do it now as a stress-reliever instead of wasting time watching reality tv shows. I will make my list some time in the next few days and post it here.

These are my resolutions and I am excited to say at this time next year- goals accomplished!