You WON'T believe this...........

Brody and I go to Carbondale at least twice a week just to get out of the house and run errands.  I usually try to get back home in time for Lunch or leave after lunch so that I am not eating out or spending the money to eat out.  It gets expensive!! Well today I was there during lunch and I was hungry so I decided to go where I usually go, Panera.  Who doesn't love Panera?  Its healthy and they have a drive thru which makes it very easy and convenient. 

On Monday of this week, I started counting calories and running.  I downloaded MyFitnessPal for my Android to help.  If you are looking for an app to count calories this App is AMAZING!  It lets you log everything you eat along with your exercise for the day.  You can even bar code scan food items and it will enter everything for you.  You can type in what your calorie intake goal for the day is, and it will tell you how many calories you have left, and if you go over.  Let me say it one more time....I LOVE THIS APP and you should definitely try it out.  So back to my point.....I was sitting in the parking lot to see just how many calories were in my favorite sandwich(Sierra Turkey) that I always get from Panera.  I entered Panera Sierra Turkey and hit search. The reason I am angry is that when I hit search I about passed out in shock.  My favorite sandwich that I get because it's healthy, is NOT healthy.  Just the sandwich and nothing extra is.....are you ready for this..........................you may want to sit down................................






920 calories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I was so angry that I decided to look up McDonald's and Arby's food to see if my App was malfunctioning.  Well it wasn't.  I even got on Panera's website and researched their nutrition guide. 
I decided to look up Arby's roast beef sandwich.....It's Good Mood Food right? :-)

This is what I got and what the calories are:

Arby's Classic Roast Beef.............154 Calories (no sauces just plain)
Medium Curly Fries.......................170 Calories
Ice Water..........................................0 Calories

A grand total of 324 Calories!

I could have ate this three times to equal close to what my turkey sandwich is at Panera.

Now I know a lot of health nuts are going to get on to me because french fries are greasy and not healthy! I am just counting calories, nothing else!  I know grease is bad for you but I don't eat it very often. PROMISE!

As soon as I get home and put Brody down for his afternoon nap, I get on my home computer at home to research why the Panera Sierra Turkey Sandwich is so bad.

-The bread was 510 calories....next time I will ask them to replace the bread they use for their lowest calorie bread which is honey wheat.  It may make the sandwich have a different taste but it's worth a try.  The honey wheat has only 290 calories.

-The chipotle mayonnaise has 300 calories and this is seriously what makes this sandwich.  It is the BEST!  I could(not going to happen) substitute it but I can eat the mayonnaise spread by itself because it's so good.

-I never get the onions and it's only 10 calories for them.   

If I decide to get this sandwich again with the honey wheat it will be 700 calories, which to me is still high for a turkey sandwich.  I may even just eat one slice of the bread and not two, taking it down to 555 calories.  It helps! :-)

My point is just because you think it's healthy doesn't mean it is.  If you have a smart phone and are trying to watch what you eat please download MyFitnessPal.  You will be so happy with it!!!!!
Please comment below what you think about the MyFitnessPal app if you already have it on your phone.  Also comment if you use another app that you enjoy.

XOXOXOX
Brianne 

Brody turns ONE....Sock Monkey Birthday Theme

My baby….YESSSS he is still a baby, turned ONE last month. Being pregnant seemed like it lasted an eternity but since he has come into our life it has went VERY fast. In January, I started thinking of themes. This was harder than what I thought because I am horrible at making decisions…Ask Josh….he gets angry! :-)  So I was texting one of my best friends, Ashley Hicks(Hill) one day and she sent me pictures of the nursery she did for her new baby boy Houston Howell (love his name and he is precious!!). She did Sock Monkey and I fell in love!!! Thanks to her I decided to do Sock Monkeys. My first place to find stuff was Etsy. If you haven’t tried Etsy yet..... you are missing out! They have EVERYTHING!!! You can find some great stuff and it’s handmade (most of it). I needed to get invites ordered and sent out first before I did anything else. I picked out 18 different designs I liked and put them all in my online shopping cart. Then I called my mom and asked her to narrow it down to three. Well lets just say that wasn’t a good idea. She picked out 8 she liked. GRRRR She wasn’t any help….thanks mom!  Here we go with me trying to make a decision. Finally after 2 weeks this is what I decided on(see below) and I LOVED IT!!!! I also ordered the matching thank you cards.

Luv Bug Design is who I bought them from. I sent her my info and she sent me a file 24 hours later. I emailed my file to Staples and they printed two images per sheet on white card stock paper. I supplied my own card stock paper I got on sale at Hobby Lobby. I also got envelopes on sale at Hobby Lobby! Heeeeey!

This is her Etsy website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/luvbugdesign

Then I needed to pick out decorations. Photodesignz was having a 50% off sale. I was sent a file that I also sent to Staples to have printed out. I got 30 sheets for $5.00.  Yes $5.00....that was not a typing error.  I didn’t need it all so I just picked the sheets I needed and decided how many I would need of each. Here are some of the decorations I printed and cut out. Some are hard to see. Sorry!

This is the Etsy website where I got all my print out decorations.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/photodesignz

The polka dot balloons I ordered from Amazon.com

This was a print out that I cut and tied together with red ribbon.

This is a close up of the fabric from Hobby Lobby.

This is what I had on the cupcake/cake present table.  I bought paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby and covered them with scrap book paper from Hobby Lobby.

This is the food table with red pom poms hanging in the corner.  I bought them from Party City.

This was brown table cloth with red table skirt from Party City.  The center cloth is Sock Monkey material I bought from Hobby Lobby and made into a centerpiece with hem tape.

I made the "I AM 1" sign with scrapbook paper.  Hobby Lobby has sock monkey scrap book paper that was really cute and I added red and brown to it.  I wasn't impressed with it, but it was okay.  The balloon I bought from Amazon.com.  The sock monkey dolls I purchased also from Amazon.com.

Brody wanted to be playing, not taking pictures in his high chair! HA

Picture timeline.  I used clothes line and clothes pins to hang pictures and the signs I had printed.

Another timeline picture.

This was his present and Cupcake/Cake table.  I did the opposite colors I used on the food table.  I did red table cloth with a brown skirt.  I did a triangle sock monkey fabric piece and used hem tape on it.  The matching napkin and plates which I didn't take a picture of I ordered from Amazon.com.  The sock monkey on the corner my mom bought at Target and it sings and dances.  It is so cute and Brody loves it! :-)

My mom made the treat bags.  I printed the Thank You tags for her and she cut them and glued them on these small brown bags she bought from Hobby Lobby.  She then attached red ribbon.  She bought little toys and candy to stick in them for the kids to take home when they left.

This is my centerpiece.  I bought sock monkey fabric from Hobby Lobby and cut it into squares.  I used hem tape to make them look clean on the edges.  I then bought big paper bags from Hobby Lobby and glued sock monkey print outs on them.  I also printed out water bottle tags and hot glued them to water bottles to stick on all the tables.

The pom poms that are in the inside came from Party City.  They were pom pom garland and I cut them so I could sit them inside the bags.  I was pleased with the way they turned out.

Next step was finding an outfit for the party. I found someone local and her name is Angie. I told her what kind of onesie I wanted and she did it EXACTLY how I wanted. It was PERFECT!!!!
Thanks Angie!!

This is her website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lois-Jeans-Linens/239001752102

Brody and his cousin Jax.  They are exactly one day apart in age. I love this picture!

What’s missing????….a cute party hat for Mr. Brody of course! Sweet Lily Tutus from Etsy had a hat that matched his outfit perfect!




This is her website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetlilytutus 

This picture was taken from Nicole at Whimsey in Murphysboro.  She did amazing!  This picture shows his cute hat!

The cake was done by a lady I use to work with. I was going to just stick with the cupcakes but she loves to make cakes and she did my baby shower cake and was VERY cheap and does AWESOME!

I was suppose to sit the sock monkey doll I bought next to the bottom layer of the cake where it says Brody and I forgot! GRRRRRR

The cupcakes I made and cut out the red and white polka dot trays to sit them in.  I also printed out monkeys that said happy birthday and glued them on tooth picks to stick in the cupcakes.

 

 

 

 

I think I covered everything. We had it at Mase's Place Bar and Grill and it was a B-E-A-U-T-F-U-L day so we tried to do a lot out on the patio.  We had a great turn out and Brody had a blast. He enjoyed his day and it lasted till 5:00.  He was wore out and took a nap after the party! :-) I also need to thank Patty(Josh's mom) for helping with the party.  She come over one day and saw everything I had to cut and she about die....LOL.  She helped me make a lot of the decorations.  I also want to thank my mom for helping me.  She also came early to help get everything ready and stayed to help clean up.  They made my day a lot easier!!! xoxoxo

If you have any questions on where I bought anything or how I made it, please ask!  I got most of my ideas from Martha Stewart. She is amazing!

~Brianne~

Pinterest Jewelry Project

I am obsessed with jewelry! O B S E S S E D !!! But I don't pay anymore than $20.00 on anything I wear.  If I ever have something on that is more than $20.00 it's because somebody bought it for me. :-)  If I leave the house without earrings, bracelet and a necklace I feel naked.  I have made Josh drive me back home when we are on our way to eat just because I forgot my earrings.  He has now started asking me before we leave if I have alllll my jewelry on?  LOL  He knows me well.  Last year when we went to a Cardinals game I asked him to put all the bags that were on the kitchen bar in the vehicle for me.When we got to St. Louis I noticed he had left my make-up and jewelry bag at home....GRRR ......that's worse than forgetting my clothing bag! I cried....I was so upset.  NO MAKE-UP AND NO JEWELRY....EEEK!!!  I wasn't mad at Josh for not putting it in the SUV (even though it was next to all my other bags... :-) Everybody makes mistakes.  I had packed everything to match my Cardinals outfit!!  So my bestie Julie(Fog) had me come to her room and let me borrow her earrings and bracelet. God love her....she told me I could wear anything and she just wouldn't wear any!  Julie=lifesaver!!!!  My make-up I borrowed from my friend Amy...along with some hairspray. Again I have great friends!  

Ok...So whats the reason for this blog>>>>>>>

 This is my PINTEREST PROJECT

I am so proud of it and it was so cheap.  I debated on so many different ideas I came across on Pinterest, but this was by far my favorite.  I had Josh hang it in my walk-in closet.  It looks so clean and classy.  My son even likes it.....GRRRR

I bought the curtain rod, and shower curtain hooks from Wal-Mart from the clearance shelf.  The curtain rod was $4.00 and a set of 12 shower curtain hooks were $2.00.  I have lots of jewelry so I had to purchase 4 sets of hooks.  I still need more hooks for all my jewelry.  I am so happy with the way it turned out.  And SUPER happy with what I paid.  

If I had to do it over I would've had Josh hang it a little bit higher so Brody wouldn't try ripping my necklaces down, or ripping the whole thing off the wall! He has even figured out to stack my shoes and stand on them so he can reach them....yes he just turned ONE and is so smart!

**If you have done the same project please let me know how yours turned out. I would also like to know if you did something similar.  If you have any questions on my project please ask!

St. Louis Cardinals Opening Weekend Ring Ceremony

Who went to the St. Louis Cardinals opening weekend ring ceremony? This Girl!

Yes our good friends got a group of 40 tickets and we went up early Saturday morning and went to the game.  They had a rain delay. BOOOO!  But we were in the Champions suite and got to enjoy all you can eat and drink while we waited.  The food was GREAT!  

Right before the rain delay we got to watch the ring ceremony since the St. Louis Cardinals were the 2011 World Series Champions.....who was at the winning World Series Game? This girl!  Josh is good to me.  I have never been to so many Cardinals game in my life.  

I took this picture of the ring ceremony.  This is the closest the CUBS will ever get to a World Series ring ceremony! (Sorry Cubs fans) :-(

I also want to share with you about my outfit story.  If you know me, then you know I love coupons!  I love a good sale and try to get the best possible deal!  My son just had his 1st birthday and I bought him summer clothes.  In addition Kohl's gave me a Kohl's cash coupon.  Kohl's cash allows you to go back a later date and buy anything for $10.00 + and get $10.00 off.  I was super excited because I knew we had planned on going to this game and Kohl's online had some cute Cardinals shirts.  The Carbondale store doesn't carry many ladies Cardinals gear. :-(  Kohl's had recently sent me an email offering me free shipping last weekend so I decided I would purchase my new shirt with my Kohl's cash and get free shipping --- SCORE!  Well that didn't turn out like I planned.  Does anything? NO! The shirt was on sale for $20.60 originally $32.00.  I had a 30% off coupon, which brought it down to $14.42.  Then I used my Kohl's cash of $10.00 and it was $4.42.  So with free shipping and plus tax I got a GREAT DEAL! The shipping that was free said my shirt would arrive Thursday which was perfect because we were leaving Saturday morning.  Well I started tracking it and by Wednesday it said I wouldn't get it till Monday! GRRR That doesn't make me happy since I was suppose to wear it to the game.  So I decided to wear an old Cardinals shirt.....But when we were on a rain delay Josh took me to the team store and bought me a new rhinestone tank....Double SCORE because I love rhinestones.  I was super excited!!!! Thanks Josh!

Then we get home Sunday morning and guess what was in the mailbox....GRRRRR  You can't tell from the picture but the lips are glitter!!!  :-)

Here is a pic of some of the guys and me and my favorite girls Julie(Fog) & Sherry(Prin).

Fog & I

Prin & I

Timmy, Matt, & Josh


Oh and by the way we WON!  Go Cards!

(Sorry the pics are not the best.  They are from my phone and Julie's)

xoxoxox

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Well I lied....I said today I was going to share a recipe from Pinterest but it's not.  A friend of mine Beth McDannel (soon to be Beth Medici....so happy for her) posted she was cooking Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches for supper.  I messaged her for the recipe and she sent me the link to a website.  As soon as I read it only needed 4 ingredients...YES I SAID 4...I jumped up off the couch and had it started 5 minutes later...no lie.  And all you need is a crockpot.  Here is the recipe link.  The website is called The Crockin' Girls.  They have tons of recipes and I can't wait to try some of them.  If you try one of them please let me know how it turns out.  I changed the way it was cooked just a bit.  My boyfriend Josh whom I cook for about 5 out of 7 nights is not much on bread so I decided to just make it spicy buffalo chicken.  This recipe also calls for a dry packet of ranch dressing which I did not have so I put half a bottle of liquid ranch salad dressing. I used Ken's Steakhouse salad dressing.  The Buffalo Hot wing sauce I used was Frank's.  My favorite part is I put the chicken in frozen.  LOOOOOVE THAT PART! No I am not lazy, I just love quick recipes that taste delicious.  This recipe is more than just good, it is DELICIOUS!  It is a little spicy but I love a lil kick.  When I put it on my plate I took a spoon full of the sauce and poured it over the chicken.  I cooked steamed asparagus, and Stove Top Stuffing(I am obsessed with that stuff...Josh doesn't care for it because I think I have burned him out on it.  I make it quite a bit. :-O Sorry babe).  Please try this recipe.  A girl on Beth's post stated she had made it and used the left over sauce to make a buffalo chicken pizza.  I am thinking about doing it because I did save the sauce.  :-)  If you do try this recipe please let me know how much you love it(or hate it).  I also thought about putting noddles of some sort in the crock pot or cooking noodles separate and cutting the chicken into chunks to put over the pasta. HMMMMM Maybe somebody reading this can try it and let me know for the next time. :-)  

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
 

I wanted to do a blog on a recipe since a friend of mine "Redbird" likes to look at recipe books and enjoys to cook. This is for you "Redbird"......even though it's nothing elaborate please try for me! xoxox

 

I DID IT.....FINALLY

WOW! I am finally doing it.  YEA! I have been wanting to blog for the past year and finally decided to start after becoming addicted to Pinterest.  If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet....you are missing out....PROMISE!  After seeing so many neat and cute ideas and then learning a majority of them came from bloggers I decided it was time.  I have been on Pinterest since October and I have created some cute stuff.  It is very addicting.  If you're not careful you will notice how you tell yourself your just going to look through the first page.....then you click view more, then you click it again.  It's almost like your scared your gonna miss something great if you don't hit the view more button just one more time right? right???? So thanks to Pinterest and to other bloggers I have been following for a while, I decided to start this week.  My goal is to post 2-3 times a week.  I have a one year old who keep me pretty busy so I guess we shall see how it goes. I also hope to Vlogs in the future as well. For those of you who don't know what that is, I will explain in a later post.   I will basically just be talking about my everyday life on Hickory Ridge and what's going on.  I will share my favorites things with you, and sometimes my favorite things from other bloggers....... and I hope you comment and share your favorites with me.  If there is something specific you would like me to blog about I would love to hear from you.  Hope everybody had a great Easter.....I know I did.  :-)