tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24536899456980644752024-03-13T22:20:59.135-07:00Fat to FabNEVER GIVE UPTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-65353212616716367982013-06-18T08:19:00.000-07:002013-06-18T08:42:21.495-07:00Trim Healthy Mama CrazeHave you heard of this? I hadn't until a couple of weeks ago. It's the newest diet craze out there. Wait. It's the newest "lifestyle" craze out there. I've never been one to try the "latest" thing. In fact, the only program I've ever tried is Weight Watchers, and that was many, many years ago. The 110 lbs or so that I've lost came from my own calorie counting and walking.<br />
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This interested me because for one, I've never read a "diet" or "lifestyle" book. And secondly, from what I heard, this is a really good laid out plan of how to eat well for a diabetic...for life. It's not something where you get to your goal weight, you go back to the dangerous habits you had before and gain all your weight back. It's a way of pairing the right types of foods at the right time, and eating that way for the rest of your life. Something that becomes second nature and you don't even have to think about. It tells you to eat protein, fat & carbs.<br />
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I got my book last Saturday and have read most of it. A huge chunk of it is all different kinds of recipes, broken up in to "S" (satisfying), "E" (energizing), "FP" (fuel pulls) & Crossovers. This is not low carb but rather "controlled carbs". It eliminates bad/starchy/simple carbs/sugar for the most part, and encourages you to use the complex carbs for your "E" meals...up to 45g per "E" meal. Sugar is a big no-no and gives you alternatives to use such as stevia extract, xylitol, etc. This is a big thing in the life of a diabetic. I, personally, have been using Stevia in place of sugar for about 5 years, so it's no big deal to me. I have never used Xylitol, but hear from the facebook group that the chocolate recipes/desserts taste much better with Xylitol instead of Stevia...something I'm looking forward to trying.<br />
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Basically, your body's fuel comes from 2 sources....fat and healthy carbs. The idea is to not eat both in large amounts at the same time, because your body can only efficiently burn one type of fuel at a time...and the other gets stored in your fat cells. Pretty basic concept. So it's just learning to pair the right foods and eat them at the right time. You go 3 hours inbetween switching fuel sources. So if you have an "S" meal for breakfast (fat is the main fuel), then go 3 hours before you eat an "E" meal (carbs are the main fuel). Protein is to be eaten with both "S" & "E" meals. <br />
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There is no counting calories, which is one of the biggest reasons I'm interested. As I said in my last post, I am just completely burned out on that process and can't see myself counting another one as long as I live. I'd rather stay fat (not really....well kinda').<br />
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I will say that common sense needs to be used. When you are having an "S" meal like I had for breakfast this morning, it probably wouldn't be wise to eat 6 eggs and 3 porkchops and expect any weight to fall off. You are eating the right foods together, but if your portion sizes are ridiculous, then don't expect amazing results, if any.<br />
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My breakfast was 2 eggs scrambled in butter & mixed with sautéed mushrooms, onions, orange pepper w/ diced tomato on top. I also had a leftover pan-fried pork chop (coconut oil) from last night's dinner. The fuel source being burned here is fat, obviously....the butter and coconut oil. I got my protein in with the 2 eggs and porkchop. You can have between 6-10 net carbs w/ an "S" meal, but I didn't feel like working any in. Since it's not the fuel source you're trying to burn, then it doesn't matter that I left it out. Also, it was a pat or 2 or butter that the veggies & eggs were cooked in.....not a half a stick. I cooked 6 pork chops last night in a couple of TBSP of coconut oil....I did not DEEP FRY them in a gallon of oil. This is what I mean by common sense. The book probably gives a guideline on the fat amount for an "S" meal but I don't remember what it is off the top of my head...I'm still absorbing the info. <br />
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Here's a pic of my "S" breakfast:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpCO6XCjh7A/UcB3gOh8-HI/AAAAAAAAALI/yslaIpADjIE/s1600/DSCN0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lpCO6XCjh7A/UcB3gOh8-HI/AAAAAAAAALI/yslaIpADjIE/s320/DSCN0210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have not jumped in full fledge yet. Yesterday I started playing around w/ pairing the right foods together. I have not tried any recipes out of the book yet....I may do that today. But the truth is, you don't have to use a single one of their recipes if you don't want to. They're just suggestions to show you what foods to pair together. There are several fabulous-sounding things in the recipe section and I plan on experimenting to see what I like and what I don't. But for right now I'm just eating what I would normally eat...but in the right way.</div>
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I also had an "E" meal yesterday, which allows up to 45g of healthy carbs, some proten, and a small amount of fat (I think it's 5g or under...still learning). The fat has to stay small in this meal because it's not the mail fuel source you're trying to burn in an "E" meal...the carbs are. I had a medium sized baked sweet potato w/ 1 pat of butter & 3 lettuce wraps w/ green leaf lettuce, a couple oz of Boar's Head natural ham (no nitrates), pickles slices & spicy mustard on each one. I didn't use the lite mayo I would normally use because I already used the pat of butter for my small amount of fat.</div>
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So it's just learning and getting used to pairing the right foods together at the right time. There is a learning curve...it takes a little time. But that's ok. I'm going to follow the plan loosely over the next couple of weeks, test some recipes, etc. I noted that my weight was 227 yesterday morning so when I weigh-in on Sat morn I will note if even following it loosely made any difference.</div>
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This is not set up for fast weight loss. It's set up for getting your body to a healthy state through burning fuels more efficiently and healing yourself from the inside out w/ healthy foods. I have full faith from all that I read that it is going to be a great lifestyle for a diabetic, and that's really what matters to me. If I treat my body properly, my labs will start coming into normal range, and the weight will fall off naturally.</div>
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One last thing. This book is Bible-based. The two sisters that wrote it are Christians, as I am, and I appreciated all the Biblical references/verses they provided for the way people ate in the earliest of times. They are not doctors/nutritionists themselves, but provide plenty of scientific references as well to support their ideas on the right way to eat for optimum health.</div>
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I'll be back to report on Saturday for a short report whether there's any weight loss or not. I'll try to have more food photos to demonstrate what the "S" and "E" meals look like in real life. There are also "Fuel Pull" meals for stubborn weight loss (not recommended in the beginning) and Crossover meals for when you get to maintenance and don't want to lose anymore. I'm not concentrating on either of those right now. I'll concentrate on them when the time comes. :) </div>
Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-23993158471932584122013-06-06T17:06:00.004-07:002013-06-06T17:07:05.048-07:00ConsistencyI've walked every day now for two weeks and finally made it 2 laps around the neighborhood this evening. It's a love/hate thing. I hate it when I first start out and love the way I feel when I'm done. I'll admit that it feels good to get off my fat a$$ and MOVE. The food however hasn't been spectacular. I started out the week w/ the calorie counting but after 2 days I just quit. I swear, it may not be this way for everyone, but for me, restricting very quickly leads to binge feelings and I've been rid of those for too long to re-visit them now. I calorie counted and walked all the way down from 340 lbs. to 240 lbs. and I am just flat burned out on it. I can't seem to muster whatever it takes to use that tool to lose the rest of this weight. I know the math works. I know if I do it the weight will come off. But....I just can't/won't/refuse/abhor/loathe....whatever you want to call it. I do not have another plan in place. I'm not one of the believers in "intuitive eating". I intuitively ate my way up to morbid obesity. My intuition cannot be trusted.<br />
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My friend Pam told me about the Trim Healthy Mama craze...at least I think that's what it's called. I'm interested in reading the book but don't want to spend $30+ on it right now. From what I heard it involves no white foods/carbs...which is the way I'm supposed to be eating anyway with my diabetes. The 650 page book is supposed to be stocked full of recipes, and that's what has piqued my interest. I love it when I don't have to think up meals...where I can just make what's written on the page, know that it's healthy and all the right food portions & that's it. We'll see. I'm waiting to hear how Pam likes the book. I've read 2 other book reviews and those bloggers both seem pleased having used their methods to get to their goal weights and supposedly w/o counting a single calorie.<br />
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I know....there's always something new out there. But I do need to find something that's diabetic-friendly as a way of life. The diabetes are genetic for me and will never go away, but can definitely be controlled with the right eating lifestyle.<br />
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I'll report back on Sat if I manage to drop another pound this week. We shall see. In the meantime, I'll be walking. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-15862107206470195682013-06-01T07:17:00.001-07:002013-06-01T07:17:55.825-07:00Finally, A PoundI said yesterday I'd post again when a pound fell off. Well one left me in my sleep last night. I'm 228 this morning. Going back to counting every (stupid) calorie next week. Let me see if I can drop 2 next week. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-67757420910839429532013-05-31T12:07:00.000-07:002013-05-31T12:10:11.044-07:00Frustrated But Hanging InWell, my official weigh-in is tomorrow but the scale still said 229 this morning and I don't see much changing overnight. I've tried to be patient knowing it's cycle week, and I suppose I could be thankful that I didn't have the normal 3-5 lb. gain that I normally have during this time...but I'm still frustrated. I don't like posting maintenance weights when I'm supposed to be reporting losses! Doing everything right this week and still maintaining has me a little frustrated. :)<br />
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My food has been good this week, I'm drinking a truckload of water, and I've been consistent in making myself walk every single day. I will say that it's getting easier to walk up the one hill in my neighborhood. I'm not huffing and puffing quite as hard as I was a week ago. Progress! Maybe my hormones will mellow out in another day or two and I'll feel happier next week. Also, I think I will be going back to calorie counting next week. I always have an estimate in my head just from having so much memorized, but I've proven again and again that the only thing that really works for me is writing down every single calorie before I put it in my mouth. The numbers never lie. It aggravates me...I get sick of it....but it's hard to argue with what I know works. I'll post again when I actually lose a pound. Happy Weekend everyone. Make it a great one. :)<br />
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**And yes Pat, lol, 120/17 was the wrong blood pressure number, lol...sorry about that. I would probably be dead if it were that low. I meant to say it was 120/77. Sorry for the typo! :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-41107195734864911902013-05-29T09:43:00.001-07:002013-05-29T09:43:23.786-07:00Moving AlongI jumped on the scale this morning hoping to see some movement downward but nothing yet. Still the same 229 I was at weigh-in last Saturday morning. I'm being mindful of my food, walking every day and drinking 3 to 4 32 oz. glasses of water every day. Of course, I started my cycle Sunday night, so that may have something to do with it. All I can do is just keep on the same path and know that results will show eventually. I'm still doing one lap around the neighborhood and feeling like I'm going to die when I make it back home. So, so out of shape. My knees and lower back hurt terribly. <br />
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I went to the doctor about 2 months ago and actually had them do a blood test to see if I have an auto-immune disease. I have so much fatigue and joint pain and didn't have an explanation for it. I was starting to worry. The test came back negative but did show that I have high iron. The doctor asked me if I had started taking iron supplements because I've never had high iron in the past. I told him no...that I had just started trying to lose weight again and I'm eating lower carbs/higher veggies & protein. I told him I eat spinach nearly every day and he said to stop eating it. That's the first time a doctor has ever told me to stop eating something healthy! I was also eating almonds for snacks and it turns out nuts are high in iron also, so had to stop eating those, too. My blood pressure was perfect...120/17...but my cholesterol was 50 pts. too high. I told him I had been eating a lot more eggs in the last month to up my protein and make up for not eating many carbs. He said to cut way back on those, so I have.<br />
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Someone asked me about swimming to make the exercise easier on my joints. That's a fabulous idea, I just don't have access to a pool right now. I don't want to join the YMCA because I don't want to create another monthly bill. I just got done paying off all of my debt and am enjoying keeping what's owed to just my cell phone, car insurance and the house utilities. Sales on Ebay are never guaranteed. You can do great one week, and fall in a hole the next. So it's necessary for me to keep my bills very easy to maintain.<br />
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On the ebay note, I had a good sale today. I bought a set of Bavarian Schumann dessert/salad plates at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. I got 6 plates for a total of $5.00. I just got them listed a couple of days ago and they sold this morning for $135.00. I love it when I have no idea about what I'm buying...just bought them because they were pretty...and it turns out to be a fantastic find. :) Here's the link to the sale:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/370821565180?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649">http://www.ebay.com/itm/370821565180?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649</a><br />
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And here's the link to my store if you want to see what I've got listed right now. I put several things up for auction this week so feel free to join in on the bidding! LOL Shameless...I know. ;)<br />
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<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures?_rdc=1">http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures?_rdc=1</a><br />
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I hope everyone's having a pleasant week...I'll check back in a few days. :)<br />
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Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-36601331866313772282013-05-27T16:00:00.004-07:002013-05-27T16:03:37.358-07:00Green Memorial DayWe went to Dwayne's mom's for a cookout yesterday. I had 4 baby back ribs, a spoon of potato salad and coleslaw (both were vinegar-based...no mayo) and 1 slice of bread. Dessert was a watermelon cake. I had 2 bites of a small slice and left the rest. She bought it at Whole Foods and it was actually kind of gross.<br />
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Today Dwayne and I spent the day at home. I've been working all day on my Ebay stuff and got a ton accomplished. For dinner, Dwayne grilled Cajun chicken sausages, asparagus, and mushrooms/onions/bell peppers. I steamed some broccoli and heated up some leftover ribs from his Mom's. I also made us both a salad.<br />
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I decided to skip the buns on the sausages and I skipped the ribs, too. I loaded up on tons of green veggies, thus my green Memorial Day. I had 2 chicken sausages cut up, steamed broccoli, grilled asparagus & grilled mushrooms/onions/green bell pepper. I decided to throw some more veggies in and had a salad w/ romaine, tomatoes and cucumbers w/ 2 TBSP of ranch dressing.<br />
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Getting ready to head out the door and do my walk. I'm only able to do 1 lap right now....I'm just too out of shape. It takes 17 minutes to make the loop. Hoping to make it up to 2 rounds by next week. I weighed in on Saturday morning and I'm at 229. I'm really trying to make myself focus more on the walking/healthier food and less on the stress of house hunting. It does drive me a little nuts to have to put that much thought into my food to keep me in line, but things get out of hand way too fast when I throw caution to the wind. I'll post again later this week. :)<br />
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Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-5445738947665068652013-05-21T14:05:00.003-07:002013-05-21T14:05:54.736-07:00Resuming WalkingI haven't exercised in a long, LONG time. The truth is, I've been dreading it because I have a lot of joint pain that I didn't used to have, so it just hurts. The shin splints are a killer, too. But I've got to make myself start doing it again. I made the decision when trying on a pair of shorts at Target today. I looked in the mirror and saw sagging skin above my knee caps. Ummm....I don't think so. As fat as I am, and have been for most of my life, my legs have always been the most decent thing about me...the thing I was least ashamed of. I have the calf muscles of a marathon runner and have never had much problem with cellulite or the like on my thighs. Apparently that has changed, and it's time to do something about it. I know walking again will tone them up a bit so I'll be starting that tomorrow morning before I shower for the day. I'll start w/ 30 minutes and work up from there. The shin splints are going to suck but I'm hoping they'll ease off as I go along. Wrinkly legs of a 70 year old will be fine...when I'm 70. Not when I'm 40. Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-61822969074991882582013-05-17T07:02:00.000-07:002013-05-17T07:02:14.441-07:00Maintaining AgainI maintained at 240 lbs for nearly 2 years. I finally decided to jump back on the wagon and try to lose some more and I got down to 225 over the last few weeks. Naturally, after I start blogging again, I've maintained for the last 2 weeks. That figures! It's apparent that I'm eating too much to show a loss and I know it's due to the unbelievable stress of house hunting. Dwayne and I have looked at 32 houses so far and still haven't found the right house. Yes, 32 of them. Our realtor told us at the beginning that the average person looks at 11 houses before they make their decision....obviously, we're not average. So for now, I'm back in the maintenance phase...and now hoping this stretch doesn't last another 2 years!! I do know that I need to lose a good bit more...225 lbs is not acceptable. And as always, my first goal is to get anywhere below 200 lbs. I'm 26 lbs. away from the first goal..and I'm hoping to reach it sooner rather than later. Enjoy your weekend. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-27791087535586442802013-05-10T10:04:00.001-07:002013-05-10T10:04:45.950-07:00Hanging In ThereI swear I cannot remember to post! Trying to get back into the blogging. I'm still using Friday as weigh-in day. No loss or gain this week....stayed the same.<br />
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And just real quick...here is why I love Ebay. I went to some garage sales this morning looking for inventory. I made it to an estate sale and paid $30 for some sterling silver flatware. There were 12 pcs in the box...6 teaspoons and 6 dinner forks. I got home and looked them up and according to completed sales, it looks like they're worth around $500. I just got done polishing them and will be putting them up for bid this evening. Enjoy your weekend. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-50785194577739348402013-05-05T19:54:00.001-07:002013-05-05T20:18:36.344-07:00Getting Back Into ItI almost forgot to post tonight. It's going to take some getting used to again, and I think I'll try to do a post every couple of days for now. I might get into a Mon - Wed - Fri routine.<br />
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We had a good weekend. It rained all weekend but I guess we need it. Had a friend over for dinner Saturday night, did a lot of household chores, grocery shopping, etc. Then today I did a Walmart run for some essentials. I thought I might pick up a couple of cheap summer tops while I was there but that didn't happen. I've never seen so many sequins and horizontal stripes in my life! I just couldn't do it, lol. Afterwards, Dwayne and I went to see the new Iron Man movie. Eh. It was ok. I liked the first one better.<br />
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My change up for me on food for this week is a new breakfast. My cholesterol is 50 pts too high due to too many eggs, so cutting way back on those and this week it's smoothies from the blender. Eventually I might buy one of those Nutribullet thingies to grind up some veggie drinks, but the blender's not strong enough for that, so this week it's fruit. I bought some strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, bananas & Fuji apples.<br />
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Breakfast this morning was a blackberry smoothie...pretty tasty. Here's what I put in it:<br />
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1 scoop whey protein powder - 130 cals<br />
1 c. skim milk - 80 cals<br />
1/2 c. Chobani plain yogurt - 70 cals<br />
1/2 c. fresh blackberries - 37 cals<br />
1 zero calorie Stevia packet<br />
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So total cals around 317 if I added that up right. That's a decent amount for breakfast. I can't say it was extremely filling, but it's fine to get me through til lunch time. I made chicken stew for dinner tonight w/ just chicken breast, tomatoes and onions. There's enough leftover for lunch for a couple of days. I'll probably throw in a few garden salads too in order to make sure I'm getting my raw vegetables in.<br />
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The plan for tomorrow is to photo some glassware to put up in the Ebay store. Lighting is always tricky with glass...sometimes it's hard to get good definition. I've already photo'd these pieces once and didn't like how they turned out, so it's time to re-do them and get them listed. Talk to you again soon. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-37370046360536009832013-05-03T13:04:00.000-07:002013-05-03T13:04:00.660-07:00Hey Er'Body!Wow it's been a while! I've been reading my regular blogs all this time but for whatever reason decided to do a new post today. Just a quick one to say how I'm doing. <br />
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Still running my Ebay store and now have an Etsy shop as well for vintage items. I love working from home...it is such a joy. I spend my days surrounded by Scarlette and lots and lots of inventory. <br />
I'll post my links here in case you want to check them out. :)<br />
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<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures?_rdc=1">http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures?_rdc=1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FiddlestixandFancy">http://www.etsy.com/shop/FiddlestixandFancy</a><br />
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On the weight loss front, I hung around 240 lbs. for almost 2 years. No more bingeing, but then there's no need to binge when you're eating whatever you want and restricting nothing, right? While I'm glad that I never climbed back up over the 240 mark to the 340 I used to be, it still takes a whole lot of calories to maintain 240 lbs. <br />
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After dropping the first 100 lbs, I got way too comfortable. WAY. No desire to drop anymore weight, until a few weeks ago.<br />
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Today I am 225, so I've lost 15 lbs. in the last 7-8 weeks or so. I don't know exactly what happened...just woke up one day and said this is ridiculous...I need to try and drop some more weight. So I started. Nothing crazy or fanatical...just trying to eat less than I did before. No timeline. No major stress. Changing things up every week or so as far as what types of things I eat. For me, boredom is a diet killer. But I have an overall low-carb thing going to get my diabetes under control. Definitely addicted to carbs....definitely hard to restrict them. But I'm trying again. It feels good to be back at it. It's still as hard as it ever was with Dwayne eating his usual stuff right beside me. I guess I'll always be a work in progress, but I'm still here. Still kickin'. <br />
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Dwayne and I are looking for our first house to buy. This was not the happy, euphoric experience I thought it would be. It is actually a living Hell. Neither one of us are enjoying it. We've had more fights in the last 30 days than we've had in our entire 9 year relationship. Seriously. I'm sure we'll be happy when we finally set up home in one....but getting there is real pain in the ass. I think we're just about ready to give up until this Fall. Hopefully by then the rush to get a house and get your kid in a new school will slow down. Right now, everything is under contract.<br />
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So just stopping in with an update and to say hi. I'll post again in couple of days. Have a great weekend. :)<br />
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Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-66822774460237025942012-07-23T07:51:00.002-07:002012-07-23T07:51:37.147-07:00I Gained It All BackI'M TOTALLY KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL<br />
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How else was I going to get everyone's attention after being away for so long?? <br />
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I'm actually the same weight as I was the last time I talked to you, or right around there. I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm 238 lbs. So I've been hovering right around 240 for months on end. I know that sounds horrible....but I'm actually a little relieved. You see, I got laid off from the part-time insurance job a couple of months ago and I was sure I was going to balloon from stress, depression, etc.....but it hasn't happened. Instead I've been concentrating on Ebay. In fact, instead of just doing auctions, I bought a store. And then I bought a SECOND store!! <br />
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So now I'm running 2 stores and making twice as much as I was at the insurance place....Woo Hoo!! On the downside, I have ONLY been concentrating on Ebay and haven't given weight loss a single thought, which is why I'm still 240. <br />
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And speaking of depressing stuff....I'm turning 40 years old this week. The horror!! I've been stressed out about this for about 361 days, lol. I've truly been dreading it my entire 39th year. I have no idea why....it's probably no big deal. I guess I just really loved my 30's and I'm gonna' miss them. :)<br />
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Thanks to Biz for stopping by my blog a couple of weeks ago and saying hi! That's when I realized how long it's been since I posted. I didn't intentionally drop off the map...I've just had my nose to the grindstone with the Ebay thing. I treat it like a full-time job as I definitely devote full-time hours to it. <br />
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More good news is coming.....Dwayne and I are looking to buy our first house this coming spring! Soooo excited about that. After years and years of renting and keeping my decor/treasures to a minimum, I'm really looking forward to settling into a place I can finally call "home" and buying some stuff to put on the walls! And after all this Ebaying, I will most likely be buying my items from yard sales. After seeing what people get rid of in these sales for dirt cheap, I can't see myself ever paying retail again. :)<br />
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In case you want to see what I've been up to, here's the links to my 2 stores:<br />
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<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Fiddlestix-and-Fancy">http://stores.ebay.com/Fiddlestix-and-Fancy</a><br />
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<a href="http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures">http://stores.ebay.com/TJs-Timeless-Treasures</a><br />
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Things are going well but I still have a long way to go to get the sales where I want them. I belong to an Ebay Underground group and they post new stuff on the forum each day. The info is invaluable....so much stuff to learn, ways to save in shipping, items to look out for that are hot right now, etc. Yesterday someone did a post asking how everyone's sales were for July. Most everyone considers the summer the SLOW months due to weddings, graduations, vacations, etc., but one of the ladies has done really well this month. Her first week of July she made over $500 in sales, the 2nd week, over $800 and this past week she made over $900!!!!! Now THAT'S where I want to be!!! They say things really take off in September when the kids get back in school and the vacations end. Supposedly it stays busy through January, so we shall see. <br />
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Well I'm off to do some more work....just wanted to pop in say hey to everyone!! I still get online and read blogs about once a week so I can keep up with everyone. Drop me a note and let me know how you're doing. :) Talk again soon!Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-4005069844786359842012-05-07T06:52:00.000-07:002012-05-07T06:52:26.294-07:00Getting BetterDid you know that when selling on ebay, your settings are defauled to letting the buyer change the invoice on an item before they pay??????? Someone on the ebay underground website told me that, so I went in and changed it. I sold 8 items over the wknd, most on calculated shipping, and everything came out right. Hallelujah!!! <br />
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I got online and ordered shipping supplies (free) from USPS, and I also scheduled a pick up for my front door. I'm finally getting the process streamlined.<br />
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Someone asked me on my last post to give my ebay id so you guys can look at my stuff that's up for sell. I don't know why I didn't think of that before! It's tort8451. I don't know if you can just enter that somewhere or not....I don't know anything about the buyer side. But if you can figure it out then come visit me! :)<br />
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Have a FABULOUS Monday everybody. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-515379112601481812012-05-03T07:40:00.003-07:002012-05-03T07:40:49.197-07:00Death By ShippingWhere have I been?? Completely immersed in learning how to sell on ebay. How's it going?? I still have a lot to learn. Am I making decent money?? Not yet...but I'm working on it. What have I learned so far?? Here's a list:<br />
<br />
Well I finally found the form that allows you to do the calculated shipping, so that the buyer can enter their zip code on their end and pay exactly what it would cost to ship to them. However that's not working out for some reason, and I have no idea why and no idea how to fix it. Here are 2 examples...<br />
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I sold a kid's baseball glove and a Brighton handbag on a "Buy It Now" price this week. I had entered the dimensions and weight for both in their listings on the calculated shipping form. But when they paid, one paid $5 for shipping and the other paid $6. Somehow I knew this wasn't right...it was way too little for a priority mail shipping cost (one lives in CA), so I didn't print the shipping label from home because I knew it would come out postage due. Instead I drove to the post ofc and had them weigh each thing and tell me how much it would cost to ship. Each item was $11 to ship. Grrrrrrrr.<br />
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I was just about in tears over this. I really thought I had it figured out with the calculated shipping form and was feeling a lot less stressed...until this. Now I'm scared the shipping will be wrong on EVERYTHING and I'll just continue to lose money. If each item were a high enough profit margin, it wouldn't be that big of a deal....but most of my things aren't. I'm still learning what to buy and not to buy at yard sales, based on what's selling for me. I quite clearly have a lot of learning to do...and I'm feeling completely helpless and screwed on the shipping....I just don't know how to fix it.<br />
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I've also learned that I think things are worth a lot more than what people are willing to pay for them. I had 12 items listed for auction last week and only 2 of them sold. So I re-listed everything and dropped the price on it all for this week, and so far I've sold 2 items on a Buy It Now price....but don't have a single bid on anything else. It's Thur and the auction ends Sat.<br />
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I'm not sure how long you should keep re-listing things before you say to heck with it and just throw the damn thing in the Goodwill pile.<br />
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I have about 50 things total listed this week due to some heavy duty garage saleling last Fri and Sat (including the 12 I re-listed). Some of them are clothes. I got an error msg saying I can't list anymore clothes because I've reached my limit in that category??? Something about being a new seller and having limits for 90 days. WHATEVER. I'm quickly growing weary of all of ebay's selling rules. There's a ton of them. <br />
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Someone who commented on one of my posts turned me onto a REALLY cool website called Ebay Underground. They have a forum where people talk about all kinds of things, give tips, list what they bought at what price and what things are selling for. I haven't been able to spend a lot of time reading it yet though. And a lot of them are moms and talking about buying kid's stuff and listing off things that I have no idea what they're talking about, lol. I need to learn the names of kid's toys/games to be looking for....apparently there's a decent market for that. Someone mentioned the other day they picked up one of those little Golden Books from years ago, in mint condition, and sold it for $150. Now that's the kind of deal I'd like to find!!!<br />
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I'm trying to get my picture-taking down. I bought 2 small desk lamps $7.97 ea. at Walmart and a white foamboard for background and set up a little table with a white cloth, and for whatever reason, some of my pics are still coming out dark. Dwayne thinks I need a new camera. The room is all lit up and the item is nice and bright, but when you take the pic, the backlighting comes out sort of cream-colored, not nice and bright. I don't know what to do there either...if it's the camera or something else.<br />
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If anyone has any tips, I'm all ears. And I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in a week....237.8. Have a great day friends. :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-20349592892954869332012-04-24T08:14:00.000-07:002012-04-24T08:14:12.731-07:00Selling Clothes?I've had one person tell me that selling clothes on ebay is worthless. Then I had another person tell me I should sell all the clothes I've shrunk out of. I went through my closet last night and I've got about 30 pieces of clothing, tops/blouses and pants, that are in really nice condition....things I wore to work. Has anyone else out there tried to sell clothes on ebay? Any opinions on whether I should or shouldn't? I was thinking if I could get an average of $10 per item, that would be better than giving them away for free to Goodwill (I sent 3 garbage bags full to Goodwill just a month ago and now I'm feeling kind of sick, lol). I'm curious how many people try to return them due to not fitting right, or whatever. I have a "returns not accepted" policy on everything I've sold so far. I'd want to do the same with clothing....I really don't want to fool with returns at all. So what do you think? Is it worth it? Thanks for any tips!<br />
(And my weight is the same as it was a couple of days ago....holding at 238).Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-8168063181286185782012-04-22T08:37:00.000-07:002012-04-22T08:37:44.466-07:00Happy SundayGood morning everyone :)<br />
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The scale says 238.2 this morning...in the middle of a wknd. I know, right?!?! Yay.<br />
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This past week was really rough with learning the whole e-bay thing. I lost a lot of money on shipping. I listed items for sale on every day of the week, so that when the auctions ended, I had to go to the post office and/or UPS store every day of the week to ship stuff. Duh!! <br />
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I figured some things out though so I think things will be better going forward. Dwayne ordered me a scale on Amazon yesterday, so I'm not listing another dang thing until it gets here, so I can be MUCH more accurate when I'm listing the shipping.<br />
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I will be garage saleing on Sat mornings (we went yesterday, and I LOVE that Dwayne is doing this with me), and listing any/all items for sale on Sundays, so that the auctions all end on a Saturday. If people pay for their items the same day, then I can go out and ship them the same day, instead of all through the week.<br />
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But to streamline things even further, I'm going to study up today online about how to have packages picked up at your front door. If I print my labels out on ebay, after I have a scale, then I might be able to eliminate the post ofc if scheduling a pick up at my house is free. I have to read about that today.<br />
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My next order of business is to open another checking account that is solely for ebay. I went to Bank of America yesterday and tried to do this, but the banker talked me right out of it. He forewarned me that BOA is about to force everyone into 1 of 4 accounts that they will be offering in an effort to collect more on fees (yes, he actually said that to me). He said all of the accounts have monthly fees, but there are things you can do to have those fees waived...the most basic one being keeping a daily balance of $2,000 in your acct. at all times. I had to LOL at that one. I told him that would never happen. I told him it sounded like it was time to find another bank altogether. He said eventually there will be no such thing as free checking at ANY bank. I told him I didn't believe that...that I would be able to find it at a smaller bank. He agreed that a smaller one might keep offering it. I said it sounds to me like SMALLER is BETTER. It was almost noon when I left, so no time to run the roads to find a smaller bank on a Saturday.<br />
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Anyhoo, I feel like I want a separate account because PayPal sucks out the shipping every time you mail something (you pay upfront obviously). And I know that ebay will eventually take out 9% of everything I've sold within a month...I think this happens at the end of the month. And it just makes me nervous that all of these transactions are going on in the acct where I keep my bill money and have to watch out for checks to clear on bills. I looked around online yesterday for a smaller bank, and I think I'll be opening a new account at one I found on Monday morning. I'm trying to get the ebay process as streamlined as possible.<br />
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Btw, I refunded the lady her money that bought the Gucci wallet. What it boiled down to I think is that she had a brown Gucci purse, and wanted a brown wallet to match. When the wallet got to her, it was just the wrong shade of brown (we've sent several emails over the wknd). It's not a fake Gucci. She emailed yesterday to say she shipped it back, so now I have to decide if I want to re-list it. I guess you can only tell so much from a picture, so I'm a little nervous about it happening again. The chances of me re-listing it are slim to none. I only paid 50 cents for it at that yard sale in the ritzy neighborhood where the lady was also selling her Porsche. So I'm not out much.<br />
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I've got a frig full of veggies and need to do some prep today, make some soup, maybe another veggie/pasta salad, etc. Hope all of you are fully enjoying your weekend. :)<br />
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**KatieJ, if your'e reading today, I sent you an email yesterday...write me back! :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-68318166462724151322012-04-19T19:27:00.000-07:002012-04-19T19:27:43.410-07:00I Was Waiting For It...Remember how I said I accidentally listed a fake Kate Spade bag the other day and E-Bay threatened my life? Well...I half-joked about waiting to hear back from the lady that bought the Gucci wallet saying it was a fake, too.<br />
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WELL GUESS WHAT???<br />
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I just got that email. She wants her money back. She chided me for trying to sell something fake like this on ebay and how she would NEVER do such a thing. <br />
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DEAR. <br />
GOD.<br />
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I have lost so much friggin' money this week with the shipping and now the fakes....talk about gunshy. I'm not sure if I should push on and try to keep learning about stuff...or if I should hang up my auction gloves.<br />
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What do you think?<br />
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Help me before I go complely broke.....or nuts....whichever comes first. So damn frustrated.Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-80895893101091253792012-04-17T20:59:00.000-07:002012-04-17T20:59:19.054-07:00e-Bay UpdateAre you guys tired of hearing about my e-bay stuff yet? Sorry...I know a couple are interested so I'm going to keep updating for a while. :)<br />
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OH...you wanted a weight loss update since this is a weight loss blog??? Fine. The scale said 240 again this morning. Oh how I love that #.<br />
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Back to ebay. It turns out, I'm a complete moron. I really don't have this shipping thing down yet. I listed a box of 60 DVD's, and ebay would only let me list a max amt. of $3.00 for shipping (I guess they assume you're only shipping ONE dvd??? So I'm like ok, whatever, it can't be THAT much, right?? RIGHT?? WRONG.<br />
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Those DVD's sold last night....all 60 of them....to a guy in CALIFORNIA. Do you know how much it costs to ship to the West Coast when you live on the East Coast???????? Yeah. THAT MUCH.<br />
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$51 for priority mail....$25 for parcel post. Those babies went parcel post. God knows when he'll get them, and who knows that kind of nasty feedback he'll leave about me for that. <br />
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I made a beeline for home after my horrifying post ofc trip to UNLIST the paper shredder...made out of CAST IRON that I only had $10 for shipping on. Someone emailed me about it, suggested I take it to the UPS store and have it weighed. They said shipping large or awkward items are better shipped through UPS Ground for some reason. So I went to the UPS store, found out the box it ships in costs $8 and the price to ship it to San Francisco is $27. So I re-listed it tonight, with a shipping price of $35, thankyouverymuch. I did put a note in my description box that if the buyer lives much closer to GA, then I'll be happy to adjust the shipping. Three people have it on their Watch list again.<br />
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This learning-as-I-go thing is about to kill me, lol...and my quickly depleting bank acct is not happy AT ALL. At this rate, I won't have any gas money left to get to work!! Needless to say, it's been a rough couple of days.<br />
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Exasperated, I googled shipping tips for e-bay. I read a guide that a girl wrote about shipping on ebay, and her very first point of advice is BUY A SCALE. No shit, dude. It's definitely on my list of things to do. She said she bought one at Wal-mart for $22 and it's been well worth it. She said to print labels through e-bay instead of USPS. E-bay charges .17 for delivery confirmation, where the post ofc charges .75 or .85. <br />
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I also mis-guessed on how big a small flat rate box was when I listed a book last week. I was thinking The Hobbit should fit in a small flat rate....surely a small one would hold a book! NOT! It had to go into a medium flat rate box today, going from $5 to $12. (eyeroll). Now I know the size of all the flat rate boxes...I brought a few home with me today.<br />
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As of right now I've made $188 on ebay so far....then you minus ALL THAT SHIPPING, so I've made like $5. lol None of the money will be available and sent from PayPal to my bank acct until about 3 days after the buyers actually receive their packages, and somehow report it back to ebay. Something about that makes me nervous.<br />
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Thanks for all the tips Chrissy...I love your input. Please keep the advice coming! In answer to your questions, I haven't found something I love, other than I love the prices that designer handbags go for. But after the fake Kate Spade I listed (having no idea who Kate was at the time), I am now terrified to purchase these bags at garage sales. I must of just gotten dumb lucky on that Gucci wallet. Unless, of course, the buyer contacts me in a couple of days and tells me I sold her a fake. I'm waiting for it!!!!<br />
And no, I haven't heard of that Backroom place. What kind of place is it exactly?Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-50077432613980253302012-04-15T20:33:00.000-07:002012-04-15T20:33:01.348-07:00Learning As I GoSelling on e-bay is not as easy as it may sound. I've already screwed up and this was my first weekend garage saleing!<br />
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Thanks to Jennifer and Chrissy for the tips. I truly appreciate your help. I've spent the last 2 weeks trying to learn how to research things and learn the ins adn outs of selling on ebay. I went to a garage sale yesterday in a ritzy neighborhood and picked up a Gucci wallet for 50 cents. I searched the completed listings to see what they were going for, then posted it with a starting price of $29.99. A couple of hours later a lady emailed me and asked if I'd set it on a "Buy It Now" price for $65 and she'd purchase it immediately. SOLD!!! That was fun!!<br />
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Today I went to a flea market with Dwayne. The plan was to look around at different things and then go home and research prices to see what's hot and what's not. While there, a purse and matching wallet caught me eye. It had a price of $10 on it and I gave him $7. I did not know the name brand on it, I was just thinking it was a cute set and I should get $30-35 out of it for both the handbag and wallet.<br />
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When I got home and researched it, I found out Kate Spade was a popular name in handbags, and the bags by themselves w/o a wallet were selling for $70 and up! Since I'd never heard the name, I googled how to tell if a handbag is fake. I looked at a bunch of labels, read that her bags were made in many places over the years, such as USA, China, Taiwan, etc. The labels looked real to me, so I listed the set at $60. About an hour later I got an email from ebay basically threatening my life for trying to sell a FAKE handbag on their site. I was warned in a page long email, and if I try to do it again, my account will be suspended. GREAT...not so much fun. So that has me feeling a little wary and I know to be a LOT more careful about buying things I don't know diddly squat about.<br />
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I also purchased the paper cutter that I posted about yesterday. The lady at the garage sale (same ritzy neighborhood...it was a neighborhood-wide sale) was asking $20. Dwayne offered $10. She said she couldn't take less than $15. I wasn't willing to risk more than $10 on something that I thought looked cool, but wasn't sure if it was really worth anything. So we started walking back to our car. The lady yelled out that if we really wanted it we could have it for $10...she was just glad it was going to a "good home", she said. I had to giggle inside, thinking "Yeah right lady, as soon as I get this baby home it's going up on auction!", lol. I emailed my friend Kathleen who deals in antiques and she's guessing I can get $30-$40 for it. I listed it at $29.99, 40 something people have looked at it, and 10 people have it on their "watch list", so I'll let you know what happens when the auction is over.<br />
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Dwayne had a collector's edition of The Hobbit that he let me sell, so it was free to me. It brought $28 this wknd, and I sold some vintage pillow cases for a little (they're really not worth anything, which surprised me). So I had 3 shipping labels to print out tonight. We went to Office Depot today and bought labels...and I bought the wrong ones. I realized I needed full sheet labels AFTER I hit print label on the ebay site, so they sucked $5.15 out of my paypal account, I had to void the label since I didn't have the right kind to print it out on, and I got a message back saying that once the post office verifies that I didn't actually use the label, they'll refund my $5.15 in about 2 weeks. UGH. <br />
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So yeah...it's been a learning experience to say the least. Some of it's been aggravating, but overall, I can see where I can make a little money on the side to supplement my income. I made $100 this wknd. If I can work my way up to $200 a week, that will be perfect. I obviously still have a lot of learning to do and will continue to do searches, etc. for a couple of hours each night, so that my garage sale purchases on the wknds get better and better. <br />
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If any of you sell on e-bay and have any tips for me, I'm all ears. Thanks!! :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-58192794696585280752012-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:002012-04-14T10:22:56.523-07:00Ever Seen One of These?I started garage saleing this weekend to re-sell stuff on e-Bay and see if I can supplement my income. Dwayne and I purchased this today, but when I do a search on e-Bay, I can't find another one exactly like it. It's a Victory 24" cast iron & wood paper cutter/butcher's roll that they used to have in old country stores. Has anyone seen one or know what it might be worth? Thanks for the help!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCPqx6Q_KpI/T4myS47ZHeI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/NoRs_xcFra4/s1600/SAM_1564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCPqx6Q_KpI/T4myS47ZHeI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/NoRs_xcFra4/s320/SAM_1564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-20096656872605853682012-04-10T08:32:00.000-07:002012-04-10T08:32:23.087-07:00PoisonI think there's a lot to what people say about carbs (the bad ones) being poison. I've really been paying attention to the way I feel after I eat too many carbs these last 2-3 months, and there's a notable difference. They really do make me feel hazy, foggy, sluggish...overall like crap. When I'm sticking to mostly protein and veggies w/ fats like EVOO, then I just feel BETTER. My head/mind seems clearer, I feel lighter, and just less junky. I hate that junky feeling.<br />
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Being someone who's always loved sandwiches, getting away from the bread has really been hard. I continue to work on it, and take the choices day by day. Sometimes I fail miserably, but I keep trying.<br />
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Yesterday was one to be proud of. I had an egg scramble with grilled chicken and mushrooms, onions & red bell pepper. Lunch was the soup I made with chicken and veggies (broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, datil pepper & 1/2 c. fat-free Half & Half, all pureed with the immersion blender into creamy deliciousness (shredded chicken added in after blended). I had a snack plate of veggies at work with grape tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet mini peppers and baby carrots. Dinner was chicken fajitas but I skipped the tortillas. I ate them over a bed of romaine, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and a few sliced black olives (no cheese) with a little sour cream on top and a small amount of dressing by mixing 2 Tbsp of Ranch and 2 Tbsp of Texas Pete hot sauce. <br />
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I did excellent in the low carb department overall. My only bad choice was splitting a Little Debbie brownie with Dwayne (1/2 is 130 cals...but pure sugar). I don't expect any of my days to be perfect...but I do expect to get better.<br />
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Breakfast this morning was 2 eggs scrambled with 2 oz. Boar's Head low sodium ham, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms with Texas Pete on top. I made a salad for lunch with romaine, spinach, red cabbage, red onions, bell peppers, sweet mini peppers, and tomatoes. My snack plate is celery, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, baby carrots and a 35 cal. wedge of the Laughing Cow chz (for the celery). The plan for dinner is a 93/7 plain hamburger on the grill (no bun), and a bowl of the chicken/veggie soup. (Dang I miss my camera!!)<br />
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I'm feeling good today...no bloating, no ovary pain, healthy food planned, and the scale says 238.6 again this morning. Happy Tuesday!! :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-2813988495198012502012-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:002012-04-09T09:43:59.029-07:00No Camera!I left my camera at Mom's yesterday when I went over for Easter dinner so no food pics from yesterday or today. I'm trying to get mom or my sister to meet me at lunch tmrw to get the camera back...it feels like my arm's been cut off w/o it. <br />
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The scale says 238.6 this morning. :) The fact that we had turkey instead of ham yesterday probably saved me from a big sodium hit. I'm trying like heck to stay under 240 and inch on down the scale. <br />
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Breakfast today was an egg scramble with veggies and grilled chicken...same thing I had yesterday for breakfast. Lunch is a bowl of the veggie soup w/ chicken that I made a couple of nights ago, and I have a snack bowl of raw veggies for this afternoon.<br />
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I laid out some chicken breasts to thaw so I'm thinking I will probably make fajitas for dinner. Happy Monday! Only 4.5 days til the weekend! :)Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-73074294418857946762012-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:002012-04-07T18:44:23.627-07:00Brittany and Food PicsToday was a good day...I really enjoyed it.<br />
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Breakfast was only 2 cups of coffee with fat-free Half & Half.<br />
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I got to Brittany's restaurant for lunch and to take her the Easter basket around 12:30p. At this point I was HONGRY! I've been promising her I was going to try their wings, so I got 6 of them as an appetizer. I had decided that whatever I got for lunch, it wasn't going to have a bun on it, and it wasn't going to be fried. I wanted to go as low-carb as possible today. She suggested the grilled chicken tenders with grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms topped with provolone cheese. So that's what I got!! Sooooo delicious. I ate 4 of them and had to leave 1 on the plate. I was STUFFED. And by the way, she LOVED her basket! She couldn't believe how much yummy stuff I filled it with. :)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Had to leave one behind....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeqmJxbfgJQ/T4Dqb55Ag7I/AAAAAAAAAI4/D8zj8G4COb4/s1600/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WeqmJxbfgJQ/T4Dqb55Ag7I/AAAAAAAAAI4/D8zj8G4COb4/s320/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She didn't like that her hair was messy...I think she looks great no matter what. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After leaving her a nice tip, it was off to the Flea Market. I'm trying to do some research on what to sell on e-Bay so I took my camera to the flea market, took some pics of things, and went home and looked them up. I didn't find anything worth selling yet....so bummed. I'm going to start garage saleing next weekend though and hopefully I'll do ok.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After grocery shopping, I laid down on the sofa at 5:30p and woke up at 7:15p...so HONGRY!! I told Dwayne to fire up the grill while I rinsed off some chops and chicken and drizzled some House Italian dressing on them for a quick marinade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6Y-OoOBEIc/T4DrXVBDHaI/AAAAAAAAAJA/KPpF4y2gY50/s1600/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6Y-OoOBEIc/T4DrXVBDHaI/AAAAAAAAAJA/KPpF4y2gY50/s320/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While the grill was heating up I threw 3 small chicken breasts in a big pot and added some broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini and onion. I boiled it on the stove til the chicken was done. I took the chicken out to shred and will use an immersion blender to puree all the veggies into a creamy soup. I'll probably add a datil pepper and some FF Half & Half also...then throw back in the shredded chicken. I'll take pics of the finished product tomorrow...when I'm eating it. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_LCh6cUBJc/T4DsCvi3iuI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/e72gWJwreP0/s1600/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_LCh6cUBJc/T4DsCvi3iuI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/e72gWJwreP0/s320/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While the food was grilling, I made up a snack plate and went outside to sit on the deck with Dwayne and Scarlette. He ate almost all my carrots and Scarlette ate half of the mozzarella cheese stick!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dinner was finally ready and I madea big ol' plate with 2 pork chops (Scarlette got 1/2 of 1 of them), some grilled asparagus, and leftover carrots and mushrooms from last night (I threw the leftover potatoes away so I wouldn't eat them..low carb day!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TueH2hTd7tU/T4DspQ0xRfI/AAAAAAAAAJo/DhEFt9-JY34/s1600/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TueH2hTd7tU/T4DspQ0xRfI/AAAAAAAAAJo/DhEFt9-JY34/s320/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chops and Chicken</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The tastiest way to cook asparagus....GRILLED!! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">YUM</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While I was at the Flea Market I spent $6 on myself....$3 for a Christmas Hurricane lamp and $1 ea. on 3 Christmas soaps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSysNDSf8JE/T4DtM00CL9I/AAAAAAAAAKI/UcSGoGMHQdk/s1600/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSysNDSf8JE/T4DtM00CL9I/AAAAAAAAAKI/UcSGoGMHQdk/s320/Easter+Basket+Britt+and+Food+Pics+030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We're having Easter dinner tomorrow at Mom and Dad's and it will be carb heavy, so I'm going to keep carbs out of the other 2 meals of the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hope you're all having a lovely Easter weekend. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-13084437865314109952012-04-06T20:47:00.000-07:002012-04-06T20:47:32.060-07:00Happy First Easter Brittany!It was a crappy eating day and I've got (most of) the pics to prove it!<br />
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Hit the door at 6:30am this morning headed in to work the morning shift. Totally forgot to pack a piece of the breakfast casserole and any snacks. So I hit the Chic-fil-A drive-thru and got a chicken burrito minus the cheese. I heard they've started selling grilled nuggets now, although I haven't tried them, so I asked the girl at the window if they were going to start offering a grilled chicken burrito for breakfast. She asked her manager and he said no. Oh well...I thought it was a good idea, lol. Sorry, no pic of the burrito. Use your imagination. :)<br />
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Was supposed to have lunch with Kim today but she had to cancel, so I headed home. It was nearly 1pm when I was passing the grocery store, almost home, and my stomach was growling. The burrito was at 7am with no snacks inbetween then and lunch. I knew I was making a roast for dinner, so I stopped in to pick up some portabello mushrooms to throw in the pan. I already had the potatoes and carrots at home. <br />
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I knew I didn't have any lunch foods at home because it was the end of the week and time to grocery shop again, so I just grabbed 4 buffalo chicken tenders and a cup of chicken noodle soup for lunch out of the deli.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kVUuHSDflFQ/T3-zBoh7LVI/AAAAAAAAAHo/6xaPghet8Wc/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kVUuHSDflFQ/T3-zBoh7LVI/AAAAAAAAAHo/6xaPghet8Wc/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UnQO8fcWQKc/T3-zG14pvaI/AAAAAAAAAHw/FKI2gDQoB4s/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UnQO8fcWQKc/T3-zG14pvaI/AAAAAAAAAHw/FKI2gDQoB4s/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes I know this was a crappy lunch...trust me...the day gets worse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Having only gotten about 4 hrs. of sleep last night, I crashed on the sofa and didn't wake up until 4:30pm. Crap! It takes 3 hours to cook a roast!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I threw everything in the pan and we didn't end up eating dinner until about 7:30pm. The only snack inbetween lunch and dinner was a few grape tomatoes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYlscw9mQAM/T3-zlSuPMpI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Tc7LNFOOsus/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fYlscw9mQAM/T3-zlSuPMpI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Tc7LNFOOsus/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I always make rice and gravy with my roast. I decided not to tonight, because if I make it, I'll eat it, and Lord knows I'd already had enough carbs for the day. I've loved rice and gravy since childhood and where other people may choose mac 'n' chz or mashed potatoes as their ultimate comfort food....rice and gravy is mine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So...Dwayne comes home from work and tells me that Mark is coming over. He's a friend of ours that is originally from Baltimore, and will be moving back there soon, so Dwayne invited him over for dinner. He gets here and I tell him we're having roast for dinner. He says "Damn! I can't have any...it's Passover!" Can't eat meat. So now all I have for him is veggies for dinner. Here comes the rice and gravy....and biscuits.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And you know I ate it. Although Scarlette had her fair share from my plate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZwWltVhmHU/T3-0ldj2G_I/AAAAAAAAAIA/Vypnl-Q4nf0/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZwWltVhmHU/T3-0ldj2G_I/AAAAAAAAAIA/Vypnl-Q4nf0/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It finally dawned on me that this is the first year I'd be able to make an Easter basket for Brittany!! Having never had anymore children since I gave Brittany up for adoption, I've never had the happy experience of filling an Easter basket. I've made them for other people's less fortunate children before, but not for someone as close to me as her. I told Dwayne what I wanted to do, and he gave me the money to go get the stuff.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I got everything at Walgreen's. This basket has white eyelet material around the top of the outside and the pink gingham fills me with glee. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mHubJPuKFO4/T3-1brLyYFI/AAAAAAAAAII/1PCOcc9V19g/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mHubJPuKFO4/T3-1brLyYFI/AAAAAAAAAII/1PCOcc9V19g/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6Jcb1L3GKA/T3-1tSvDD4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/ITcaxLV4Ezk/s1600/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6Jcb1L3GKA/T3-1tSvDD4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/ITcaxLV4Ezk/s320/Easter+Basket+&+Food+Pics++04-06-12+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">$30 worth of candy....this was just too much fun!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One thing really disturbed me. I specifically wanted to give her a chocolate cross instead of a chocolate bunny and I know Russell Stover sells them. They didn't have any and I searched high and low. I asked the incredibly disinterested cashier and she told me she had no idea what I was talking about. I told her that Russell Stover makes them along with the bunnies to give you a religious option. I said as cute and fun as the bunnies and chicks are, it really is all about the Resurrection. She sarcastically sniped, "....and yet they still seem to sell it", with a disgusted look on her face. She may have been an atheist, lol. And as far as her not so subtle innuendo about the commercialization of the religious side of the holiday by selling the choclolate crosses, my only response to that is "Touche".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had a small bowl of candy leftover...some mini Reese's eggs, Butterfinger eggs, Cadbury mini eggs (Mark calls them raptor eggs...as in Jurassic Park, lol)...and some jelly beans. The REAL Brach's ORIGINAL jelly beans. Mark's brother Kevin showed up and all 3 of the guys have been munching down on the leftover candy...thank goodness. I will admit to 2 chocolate mini eggs and about 10 jelly beans. The bowl should be empty by the time the guys go home tonight. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I've got a good day planned for tomorrow....breakfast casserole will start the day. Then I'm going to do my grocery shopping, and I'm going to try to make 1 or 2 new recipes this week so I'll have some different food pics to post. I'll do this until I get completely bored with it. Then I'm going to the restaurant where Brittany works to have lunch and talk with her for a few mins, and give her the Easter basket. She knows I'm coming but the basket is a surprise...I'm so excited!! Definitely taking some pics. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After lunch I'm heading up the highway to check out a flea market and make a list of things I see. I want to come back home and look them up on e-Bay to see if I can get a feel for what's selling and what's not, and for how much. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not certain on dinner plans yet, but I imagine since the weather is supposed to be gorgeous we'll be grilling out. I LOVE grilled food...will probably be chicken or pork chops and some veggies of some sort.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'll be back tomorrow night with pics and another post. Hope you have a GREAT Saturday!! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2453689945698064475.post-70071570945601463142012-04-05T18:29:00.000-07:002012-04-05T18:29:24.347-07:00e-Bay and Thai foodLet's start with today's food pics, and then we'll get to the E-bay question. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDoTNxfT3Ls/T35EILcGPsI/AAAAAAAAAHA/qWkyY5h-HJ8/s1600/Food+pics+04-05+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDoTNxfT3Ls/T35EILcGPsI/AAAAAAAAAHA/qWkyY5h-HJ8/s320/Food+pics+04-05+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I finally got to try the breakfast casserole and I'll tell you the truth...I didn't love it. What was missing? The grease. I skipped the step of sauteeing the sweet potatoes (and there was supposed to be onions) in the grease left over from cooking your sausage. First of all, I used the bagged turkey sausage crumbles so there was no grease, and therefore, no flavor, lol. I didn't hate it mind you...it was just kind of bland. I've got 5 pieces left and won't be wasting it though, so it's all good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eHBPRhE2UoU/T35Eus92spI/AAAAAAAAAHI/J04Pz-lxzVU/s1600/Food+pics+04-05+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eHBPRhE2UoU/T35Eus92spI/AAAAAAAAAHI/J04Pz-lxzVU/s320/Food+pics+04-05+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lunch was some turkey breast that I cooked last night and some more pasta salad...I made a HUGE bowl of this stuff on Sunday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JnpGdLeqSu4/T35E8dFIW2I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/KYRNNShddN0/s1600/Food+pics+04-05+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JnpGdLeqSu4/T35E8dFIW2I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/KYRNNShddN0/s320/Food+pics+04-05+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what I've been snacking on at work instead of the big ass box of donuts in the breakroom...thankyouverymuch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnw6DI9LMcQ/T35FHypeaPI/AAAAAAAAAHY/ddLFt4XWmrM/s1600/Food+pics+04-05+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnw6DI9LMcQ/T35FHypeaPI/AAAAAAAAAHY/ddLFt4XWmrM/s320/Food+pics+04-05+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the turkey breast I roasted in the oven last night....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrGEjjKRHN4/T35FRJEckkI/AAAAAAAAAHg/3SoTv53oqNo/s1600/Food+pics+04-05+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrGEjjKRHN4/T35FRJEckkI/AAAAAAAAAHg/3SoTv53oqNo/s320/Food+pics+04-05+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I took the easy way out and made turkey sandwiches for dinner. Mine is on sourdough bread with thick tomato slices, sweet onions, dill pickles and a swipe of lite mayo. I ate less than half of that pasta salad because the sandwich was ginormous!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm done eating for the night and sipping on some decaf coffee w/ fat-free half & half right now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm thinking of buying and re-selling items to make some extra cash until Errand Fairy brings me some more business. My idea is to pick up stuff for dirt cheap at yard sales/garage sales and re-sell it on e-Bay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Are any of you selling stuff on e-Bay? I'm looking for some tips. I've been trying to do searches for things to see what kind of prices they're bringing, but it's just too broad. They sell EVERYTHING on there, so I haven't really been able to hone in on specific items that I should be looking for. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tomorrow I have to work from 8a-12p...we're only working a 1/2 day for Good Friday. Then I'm going to meet my friend Kim for lunch whom I haven't seen in at least 2-3 months. We're going to a Thai place close to my work. I've only had Thai food once and it was quite a while ago. I have no idea what's on the menu and less of an idea of what tastes good. Any Thai food lovers?? I need some lunch suggestions! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Tammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18227258052735438881noreply@blogger.com3