The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go

   I've liked this quote lately. To me it is a reminder to keep pushing myself towards all of the 'mountains' in my life. Losing my baby has been really hard. And with my son's 3rd birthday coming up, I being the weirdo that I am, am feeling sad because I had envisioned being pregnant for this event. I pictured Grayson blowing out his candles, while I had my little baby inside of me. I know my baby is still with me, but it doesnt make it hurt any less or the hurt go away. 
   I want this month to be a better month than last month. I want to grow from this and not let it destroy me. I know what I need to do to get to a better place, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I know that this season of my life has just been a hard one. And I want to be a good mom for Grayson and really be present and there for him. 
   My weight is at an all time high since my initial weight loss. It's depressing but I also feel like it's just reflecting how hard things have been. I'm going to start waking up early for my runs again, I function better when I do this and get more done through out my day. I want to eat healthier as well, since that hasn't been on par lately... I just want to feel like myself again and not so sad. 
  I realize this post is a downer but it's hard trying to act like i am "okay" all of the time. Because honestly I am not okay sometimes and sometimes I am. And for a while that is just how it's going to be. 
  I am happy we are moving so we can have a new start and make new memories. I am thankful so much for Grayson and my husband. Our relationships have gotten even stronger because of this. I can't imagine a life without them. <3

Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell 

The Reason For My Social Media Hiatus...

 So it's been a while, and while I was running today I tried to think of the words to say. And how to say it. Because it's still hard. And it still hurts. And even though this isn't my diary I feel a weird compulsion to put all my feelings on my blog. I know I don't owe an explanation for my absence and yet here I am.... 

  My husband and I were expecting our second child, I was over the moon excited. My husband has wanted another baby for a year and a half now and I was just getting on board with the idea, and starting to feel really happy about growing our family. Its crazy how quickly you can feel connected to such a tiny baby inside of you. 

  It was my 10 week appointment and we had the ultra sound scheduled. All of us got ready, including Grayson, our two year old, because I really wanted him to see the baby, and hear its heart beat. 

  So we get to the appointment and the lady starts doing the ultra sound. She put the jelly on my belly and felt around silently, for a long time... too long...i knew it was too long... until finally she wrote 'no heartbeat' up on the monitor. Right away I started bawling, how could this be real? How could this be happening?? It turned out the baby had passed at 8 weeks, however I was 10 weeks. 

   What's funny is I read a story right before this. talking about miscarriage. I had tears in my eyes telling my husband about it. It's always been one of my biggest fears. And when you have had a child yourself, it's even harder because you know what you're missing out on. 

  I'm sad for my baby I won't get to meet in this life. It's a heart breaking thing, this whole experience has made the term "heart broken" a very real thing (my heart has literally ached). But I am so beyond thankful for my son and my husband and without their support, I know I'd be a mess. My husband has been so caring and attentive throughout all of this, I couldn't have chosen a better man to be with. I am putting my faith first, trusting God's timeline, one of my favorite quotes has been "The Lord knows where each piece belongs, so that it fits into the plan."

Xoxo,

Brittany Marie Powell

IT'S RAINING & Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Hey Y'all! 
It's been a while since I've written on here. Lots of events have taken place since I have last written! To say the least ;-) We were lucky enough to be able to visit family for Christmas this year which was a lot of fun.

lilly presents from my lovely mother! #lillychristmas

I loved seeing Grayson interact with my little brother, it was too sweet. I miss my family a lot and I am happy to at least have my sister out here now!!

All of us, after Church. I love how you can only see my Husband's head! Ha.

We also had it flood in the home we are renting out. It completely flooded in the kitchen and it was quite the ordeal. A huge mess, and a lot of stress. Grayson came running saying "IT'S RAINING" and I was thinking he was just playing or watching a show, and then I see this.... 

I had a melt down (and that's putting it lightly).... luckily nothing *really* got ruined even though some major important things got wet.... vacuum... computer..... and other random kitchen appliances. At least my Blendtec was safe ;-) I think I actually went to get that first thing haha. I feel like our place is still  in shambles a little bit. We had to use every towel we had, plus a lot extra from my husbands family. They were really great in helping us and helping shop vac out all the water. They've had this happen a few times to different homes they've lived in or rented so they knew what to do luckily! I am also glad that we were home when this happened because we were about to go out on a date and let my sister tend Grayson. Which that would have been way worse to have her alone and have that happen! I am thankful for my family and everything that they do for me. I wouldn't have been able to make it through this weekend without them haha. 
I am trying to at least find a silver lining to this in that I can now completely re-organize my kitchen, pantry (it leaked in there too) and linen closet, since we had to use all of the towels and it was pretty much a mess prior to this. [well a "trying to look halfway organized" mess.] So there's that! ;-) 

Sisters<3

I want to also take this time to announce the IdealShape Boost Packets Giveaway Winner, not too many contestants this time! But it's all okay, since the winner is Kendal Ianuzi, my sister... She's pretty pumped to try these out and is thinking of starting a Fashion Blog herself. She is seriously amazing at putting outfits together! She is also one of my biggest supporters when it comes to my blogging and youtubing which means a lot to me :) I love her and I am so happy she is back and that I get to see my son, Grayson spend time with her and see how much he loves his Auntie "Kennel". Thank You to all those who have entered and stayed tuned to my Youtube Channel for some more exciting Giveaways which shall be taking place soon! 

Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell 

Have you ever had anything major happen to your home or where you were living?

What's Cookin' Wednesday plus an awesome GIVEAWAY!!

Hello my loves! Time for another #WIAW.... Idk if I am just weird or nosey, but I like seeing what people eat. haha. (ijustrealizedthecreepinessofthatstatement) BUT for me, when I was trying to lose weight it was SO helpful to see what kinds of healthy meals and snacks people would come up with. Especially if you are just starting out on your weightloss journey and don't really know how to cook healthy, or just aren't very inventive when it comes to food.
  I think a big part of eating healthy is to keep it interesting and fun. You'd be suprised at how much simply chopping a vegetable or fruit differently for your salads can make a big difference. I have this little kitchen gadget that makes my apples into apple slice rings and I love it! It's like I'm eating apple chips and it makes me crave apples!

My Breakfast was a Shakeology mug cake with pb on top (ask me if you'd like the recipe!) and slice apples sprinkled with sugar free raspberry jello.... random I know but don't knock it till you try it! hah

For Lunch I had some of my leftovers of this dinner I got when we went out to a Mexican restaurant on Monday night, it's hard to choose healthy options when going to a  Mexican restaurant for me, because I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD. And Cheese<3 haha But I went with this chicken filet with grilled onions, avocado, rice, and black beans with some cheese on them. I think it was a pretty good choice. 

I ended up not eating a snack today because I got busy cleaning. I did however drink one of my IdealShape Boost packets, which are awesome for keeping my energy up and my cravings down. I seriously LOOOOVE these things so much. And they taste delicious. 

For dinner I kept it light because I  had some errands to run and was still full from lunch. I had a naked juice smoothie, love those things!

When I got home I was a bit hungry so I made some of my #strangebutgood egg white chips. I also had one of my ideal shape bars, the cinnamon bun flavor, which is my fave! It tastes like a treat. And I also had some baby carrots haha.That sums up what I ate today, not super exciting, let me know if you try out the egg white chips or the apple slices with jello! 

Now onto the exciting part, since I love Idealshape's boost packets SO MUCH I wanted to give y'all a chance to win a pack of each flavor. This is a $70 value you guys! And they really do help give you a boost of energy and curb hunger in my opinion. They are by far my favorite product that ideal shape has to offer. I also want to offer you a Special 20% discount code for my followers. Just simply put the code BPOWELL20 in the space provided at checkout for 20% off your order. 
You can go here to order: www.idealshape.com













                         And you can go here to learn all about the boost packets: http://www.idealshape.com/weight-loss-drink/



I am going to let this giveaway go on until January 1st, so you have plenty of time to enter! Make sure to follow all of the steps, and I will be giving bonus entries for those of you that pin my Youtube videos on Pinterest, like my Youtube videos, like my facebook page, and subscribe to my Youtube channel. 


Here are the links to do so:

Youtube.com/theianuzified

Facebook.com/brittanymariepowell


a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are some things you eat that are a little bit weird? What do you consider a treat when you are trying to eat healthier? What would you do if you won my giveaway?! 
Let me know in the comments below!
Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell

www.idealshape.com

Call 1-800-51-0896 and ask how you can save 10% and FREE Shipping on every order. 

Follow us on Social Media:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/IdealShape

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#TBT Weightloss Edition

Here's a little #tbt action for you guys! In my first picture I was prego with Grayson boy. My second pictures was prepregnancy and actually the day that my husband proposed to me!!! An my last picture is one of my more recent pics, on a side note I REALLY need to get my hair done haha. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this short and sweet post. I love reading/seeing weight loss transformations myself. 

Xoxo

Brittany Marie Powell

#MIMM~ Anthropologie Inspired Snowglobe DIY

Happy Marvelous Monday, my friends! 
Today I decided to get a little bit crafty... Thanks Pinterest! hah
I am obsessed with, and totally in love with the store Anthropologie and what I love most is their home decor items. Unfortanately they're a bit on the pricey side so I am always trying to figure out a way to make or diy myself whatever it is I am coveting at the time. 
Right now it just so happened to be this little beaut....

How Lovely Is This Right??

So I headed to my local thrift store and was able to find a bottle brush tree attached to  a creepy  ornament/decoration of some kind. I broke it apart so I had just the tree intact. If you'd like to see the entire process/tutorial on how I made this Anthro Inspired Snow Globe, go to my Youtube Page now and watch my DIY Tutorial! Don't forget to subscribe and like, for many more videos like this. Do you like crafts? Do you like making you own Christmas Decorations? I love it! 

Xoxo,

Brittany Marie Powell

www.youtube.com/theianuzified

www.youtube.com/theianuzified

www.youtube.com/theianuzified

www.youtube.com/theianuzified

13 Virtues

So, I am reading this book and it's talking about Benjamin Franklin and a list he made to take control of his life and set a higher standard for himself. He made a list of 13 Virtues that he wanted to follow daily, for the rest of his life. Sort of like a daily self improvement check list. He would write down all twelve states in his journal and made a grid for each day of the month, "Every time I violate any one of these virtues," "I will put a small black dot next to that value for that day. My goal is to have no black dots on my chart. Then I will know I am truly living these virtues." 

I really liked this idea and decided that I wanted to do this myself. 

So here's my list, for myself:

1. Cheerful
2. Passionate
3. Balanced
4. Courageous
5. Active
6. Happy
7. Loving
8. Faithful
9. Dedicated
10. Ambitious
11. Strong
12. Thankful
13. Open-Minded

That list took me a while to come up with hah! I even thought about this while I worked out too. Some of these are going to be harder for me than others. But I know that by doing this, and seeing these through it will help me be able to grow. I think it's very easy to get caught up in life, never stopping to see the good in it; or even really think to focus on self improvement. I think that when we take the time to work on ourself, we help better those around us as well. 

And this is totally un-related to this post but super cute, Grayson's FIRST hot chocolate!! Don't worry it wasn't to hot, it was more like luke-warm-hot-chocolate. But he was so happy, and cute. I love seeing him experience things. 

Xoxo,

Brittany Marie Powell

What is something you would put on your List?
What's your favorite Holiday/Seasonal Treat?