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 

#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

Beehive Bazaar

Today was a fun day because I actually had something fun to do, and not boring (like laundry) hah! I decided to go check out the Beehive Bazaar down in Riverwoods. 
I met up with a friend and we had fun looking at all of the different booths vendors had set up. Everything was set up beautifully, and it was all so crafty and adorable. 
Some things were so simple yet I would never have thought to make it! 
I got a lot of cute decorating/crafting ideas and 
I purchased a couple of cute items that I want to share with y'all.

{i am going to do my best to mention everyone who 
crafted these items, to give credit where credit is due my friends!}

Item #1 is this cute little wooden iron-man, which I believe all the Avenger ones were strategically placed at toddler eye level for a reason ;-) hah but he really wanted it,  I usually don't give in to all the toys he wants, because he always wants toys whenever we are out and about, but this time I did. It was too cute to pass up. I would have liked to get all of the Avengers!

made by littlethingshappy instagram

IRONMAN aka "man man" as Grayson likes to say.

made by unknown, if you the crafter of this beautiful-ness
happens to read this blogpost, let me know! :)

Item #2 is this darling deer antler decoration (by which I can hang jewlery on... and anything else that needs hanging. Maybe my race medals! I am wanting it to be hung with all of my other girly items like my makeup and shoes and nail polish. :) aka #myhappyplace I have actually been wanting to craft something similar to this for a while now, one of my good Youtuber friends did a whole tutorial on something similar she had made, and it was so cute! So when I saw this I had to have it, because I know I probably wouldn't be making it any time soon, since I've been saying I'd make one ever since she put the video out. Which was a while ago....

Going to this shin dig made me realize all of the things I want to craft up, so I making a personal list of crafty projects I want to finish/DO.... feel free to ignore this haha
*paint thrifted bookcase, you bought it in JUNE....
*make a pretty bunting banner with fabric for my Youtube Videos.
*make a cute wooden sign.
*make a christmas tree like this whimisical one by noelledesigns instagram:

the green one with the pink pedestal is my fav <3

#tiredmommyselfie

I am including this lazy selfie of me, because I really liked my outfit today. I'm wearing a Lilly Pulitzer mermaid top and a mermaid necklace to match! Both of which were purchased on ebay and I got a really great deal on both items. #ilovelilly and #iloveebay

I feel very sleep deprived right now, even though last night was the first night in a while that I was able to sleep. Perhaps that's why. Do any of you function better on less sleep than you do with more? Or am I just extremely strange? I still need to work out too... I ran a mile this morning... and then I talked to MY SISTER, which may not seem like a big deal to most but she has been serving a mission for our Church in the Phillipines, and today was the first time i got to talk to her for 18 months. I am so happy she is home and I am so proud of her for serving for our Church. She's a good egg! <3 hah

Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell

#MIMM Black Friday Sales and a SPECIAL announcement!!!

So I went Black Friday Shopping at Khol's, I don't go there too often, but I decided to go because they were having pretty awesome deals on their Asics. I swear by Asics, I try out different brands and always go back to my Asics. I think they just work out really well for my feet, and these are my best yet. It was a toss up between this pair, and these bright, fun colorful ones..... #ilovecolor 

 I decided to make the adult, mature, decision haha *shocker*... and I went with the less-colorful, "boring" but-fit-amazing ones. And so far, I am very happy with my decision. They are very supportive and I like how the heel fits, it feels snug against my heel and with other running shoes I own it has felt too loose and has caused me to have heel pain. I have a heel spur so finding the right shoes has become super important to me. That is the only Black Friday purchase I made. I didn't really go crazy this year, because there isn't much that I need. I have been trying to focus more on my need purchases and less on my want purchases. ((confession:iwantallthethingsallthetime))

Who wouldn't want results like this?!

Speaking of sales though! Beachbody is having a magnificent sale right now, and it only goes until midnight tonight, the markdowns are amazing. You can purchase the workout program turbo fire for just $39.99, which I've been dying to try out Turbofire, it looks like such a fun workout and it gives awesome results. It's a great time to stock up and save...plus get some amazing gifts of health for your loved ones! 

But...things will sell out fast so sign up to get the sales live here!

www.beachbodycoach.com/GBPOWELL  I think if you've considered trying one of Beachbody's workouts now would be the most sensible time to buy because if it doesn't work out for you, or you end up not liking it there's always Beachbody's 90 Day Money Back Guarantee. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about your purchase ( bmpowell10@gmail.com ) plus when you purchase through the link above you get me as your coach... yay! haha  I really love being a coach, being able to help and motivate others really means a lot to me.  Well, I am off to go running, I put Grayson down for a nap before writing up this post, and I want to get a run in while I can. I'm going to imagine myself running in this cute outfit instead of what I'm actually running in haha which would be my sweatpants, and pajama tee 8-) that's the beauty of working out at home though, nobody can see you and all your frumpy-ness glory.  Xoxo, Brittany Marie Powell

And The Winner Is....

Kayleigh Thulin!! Congrats, I will be emailing you shortly to give you your prize info! Thank you for all that entered and stay tuned for I will be having more fun give aways for you all! For those of you that didn't win you can go to:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idealshape

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdealShape

****And I want to offer you a Special one time 20% discount code for my followers.

Simply put the code BPOWELL20 in the space provided at checkout for 20% off your order.****   

Xoxo,
Brittany Marie Powell

What I Ate Wednesday

What I Ate Wednesday!

   I haven't done one of these in ages! Mostly because I have #strangebutgood food choices! haha This morning I made egg white chips, which my husband thinks is the oddest thing on earth! But I think they are a good low carb option, and high protein, and great for when you're craving something crunchy. Plus you have so many options when making them, you can make them sweet or savory. What I do is spray a few muffin tins with a non stick spray and pour a tiny tiny amount of egg whites in each muffin spot. And then I let it bake at 350 for however long it takes them to get crispy, I am weird and like them to be a bit burnt... haha.

egg white chips

I also ate some carrots with Grayson (side note: he LOVES carrots, he always tells me when we eat them "MOM bunnies eat carrots!" haha funny boy) in bed while he watched a show and we both tried to wake up a bit. I then made his breakfast too which is usually Eggo waffles, not the healthiest thing, but he's so picky when it comes to food. I'd like to make him a healthier alternative such as spinach banana pancakes, I know he would probably like those since he loves 'nana's.  I went running after I ate my egg whites I like to eat something light if I know I am going to go running after. 

  After my run I made myself shakeology, I love the chocolate it tastes just like a frosty. Then Grayson and I got ready for the day. We went up to the mall so I could return some shoes that ended up not fitting... I was trying to be frugal and decided to buy some boots that were children's size which normally that works out for me when it comes to certain boots like Uggs or Hunters but these were some Steve Madden zip up boots and they wouldn't fit around my calf, haha I think I have large calfs... But I was happy to see that Burlington Coat Factory had the same ones for $35! And I had paid $75 for the ones that didn't fit so it was sort of a blessing in disguise in a way. I've wanted these boots for years, I just love the red zipper and tan color, I can't wait to wear them with skinny jeans. 

  And for dinner I had a Garden lites souffle, more egg white chips haha, and butternut squash. 

XOXO,
Brittany Marie Powell

   

Me Party Of One!

   Well, Grant went to the movies with a friend so I decided to have a ME party, as the Muppets Movie would say! Which really just consisted of having a sugar free Rita's Italian Ice...watching trashy girly reality TV shows and reading blogs. Livin' it up over here. ;-)

   We are on the bulk phase of Body Beast. I've really enjoyed Body Beast, and even though it is tough it is worth it to me because I can see and feel the changes. I can even see myself doing another round of this! I'm starting to enjoy lifting more. I still don't think I get quite the same endorphins/stress relief as I do with running. 

   

   Lately Grayson just thinks it is hilarious to cover himself (and mommy) in stickers. It's so funny to see what he thinks is funny. He's developed such the little personality. He's my boy<3 

   Tomorrow for dinner I am hoping to make a turkey meatloaf. The body beast nutrition guide came with a recipe book for one. I am also thinking of trying to make a key lime cheesecake or maybe a Carmel one or maybe a cookies and cream one. Or I might just get the church lazy's and not make a dessert haha we shall see. Church wears me out sometimes (my service is 3 hrs).

   

^ I like this quote a lot. For me personally, I think I let fear win when it comes to things I want to do. I think, I think I won't succeed and that scares me. But honestly I have come to the conclusion that I would rather try and fail at something, than to never have tried at all and spend my life wondering. Anyways that's my "deep" thought for the day haha getting sleepy now. Good night everyone! 

Xoxo,

Brittany 

   

   

Sunday Funday.... Or not ;-)

I CUT MY HAIR!!! It's gone, #shorthairclub now. 

   This weekend has been crazy with two sick boys on my hands (Grant and Grayson). It's hard being a mom sometimes. I'm tired haha. But I wanted to talk about a long time pipe dream of mine...

   I've always wanted to do a healthy meal delivery service. It'd be a lot of work but I always think of how great it would have been for me, and even sometimes now to just have meals/snacks ready! And HEALTHY. I think it takes so much of the stress out of dieting, especially when you're first starting. It's hard to have 5-6 small meals a day, and track your calories and make sure you're hitting your macro goals. I want to help myself and others do this! I think shakeology has helped me a lot because that's one meal I don't have to think about and really helps energize me. 

   My game plan for this week and the next for weeks really is to give myself a sort of mock trial with this. I want to start cooking and preparing creations. Freezing them and seeing how they hold up. I just have so many ideas, and I really want to help others with nutrition. I want to take the guessing and stress out of it. I want to show others that it doesn't have to suck, and that it really can be easy and fun! Some of my meals/snacks this week are going to be:

Vanilla shakeology waffles 

Quinoa with a twist

Protein cheesecake

Homemade protein bars

Salmon burgers

Broccoli

Stir fry

Crockpot chicken

I'll be sure to post what I make each day this week (if it turns out good) ;-) I'm also BEYOND excited for bright night event this week!!!! I really can't wait I need a Me party day haha.

Xoxo, 

   Brittany 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

  Today I got a ton of cleaning done around the house. I also went to the gym and did the cybex machine. No running today because I'm waiting for my knee to cooperate. Tonight's Body Beast workout is back and bis :) I really like these workouts so far they're hard but I like it. 

   I made Cauliflower Pizza today, and I filmed it. It's kind of a complicated process but very worth it if you're trying to lose weight and want something Pizza-esque. So hopefully, my subbies will like watching that. youtube.com/theianuzified
I'm also going to post some pics of the process and the recipe on here. :)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

Cauliflower

Egg

Any seasonings you'd like

Toppings of choice

Sauce of choice

-I used my Blendtec to pulse the cauliflower into a sort of rice-like mixture. 

-Using lots of paper towels, I did my best to squeeze out all of the cauliflower juice/liquid. You could also use cheesecloth but I didn't have any. 

-Next I added an egg and blended. 

 -I put my mixture in a mixing bowl and added Mrs.Dash onion and herb, garlic and herb, and Italian medley.

-I let my crust bake at 420 for about 40 mins or so.

-I then topped with my toppings of choice which included: tomato sauce, cheese, chicken, bacon, celery, fire-roasted red peppers, and jalapeños. :) 

-I then let it cook a few more minutes to heat up all my toppings and make the cheese all melty and delicious! 

 And Voila! Cauliflower crust pizza! 

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy. 

Xoxo,

   Brittany Marie Powell. 

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter! 

  We had a lovely Easter together as a family. We went to church and had a big Easter egg hunt for the kids, it was so fun to watch Grayson gather all the eggs. He kept saying boo-ket whenever he put the eggs in his bucket. It was so cute.

   I ate way too much candy tho, and I am going to put Grayson's candy up high so I don't get tempted and have to think twice about eating it. I'm also going to make little treat bags for my scouts with the candy to get rid of some of it lol.

   I've had a productive day today and got a lot of cleaning done. That always makes me happy. One of my goals for this week is to organize my makeup room. Which is quite the daunting task! 

   I've been obsessed with this show on Hulu called 'the only way is Essex' it's basically like a British version of 'The Hills'. All of the girls on the show are gorgeous and I love their makeup. It always gives me inspiration. 

  I made a strange-but-good concoction for breakfast this morning. It was a sweet cauliflower mash with strawberries and walden farms chocolate sauce. The consistency reminded me of cream of rice. I think this is going to be a new love of mine. Here's the recipe:

1 cup cooked cauliflower 

1/2 banana 

12 drops English toffee stevia drops

More stevia haha 

Blend in blender until it reaches a purée/mash consistency, then enjoy! I think this would also be good with some sort of nut butter on top. 

xoxo, Brittany 

   

New Blog, Same Blogger.

Hey Everyone,
So I am switching my blog over here. It was just easier to do through my primary email. Plus I am fairly certain that nobody was reading my other one anyways hah! If you're curious to see any of my old posts you can go on over to: 
http://ianuzified.blogspot.com

My hopes are for this to be a fresh start though and for me to be more consistent with my blogging! And youtubing! Lol people don't realize how much work it is to keep up on social media! My youtube channel is:
youtube.com/theianuzified


Okay, so now that you can fully stalk me... 8-) I want to talk about Mommy Life for a little bit. Grayson has seriously been such a sweetheart lately, (at times haha) and it makes me so happy. He is such the little mama's boy lately, and I am loving how cute he has been with me. He is growing up so fast and he really is my best friend. Having a baby has been one of the hardest and best things of my life. I never was one of those women that was "excited" about motherhood, I knew I'd have kids one day but I guess I never really thought I'd enjoy it as much as I do. Having this little person in my life is such a blessing. I can see why people have more kids. :)

As far as running goes, my mileage hasn't been where I want it to be lately. I've been doing more cross training with the stair master/elliptical. Prior to going to new york, I was having heel issues, so I decided to take it easy for a while, because I didn't want to injure myself any further. I hate getting injured. I really would like to start training for a full marathon. I really need to get new shoes! I want to go to a runner's store and have them fit me I'm nervous I still don't feel like I qualify as a runner. It's funny how with weight loss... at least for me... Idk if your mind ever fully catches up. I still sometimes feel like I did 85 lbs ago. I've done a lot of research on these mizuno stuft mama has talked about them on her blog. I want to try them on, but I will probably end up purchasing them online, since I've not seen them in any stores. It's going to be my hubby's christmas present to me haha I just know about it 8-) And aren't the colors so fun?!

I just found out that Urban Decay is coming out with a Naked 3 pallet. I am ABSOLUTELY obsessed with the naked line. I have both the first and second pallet plus the basics pallet and the flushed pallet. I really would like to try their foundation as well. I am excited that my area is getting an Ulta. I can tell I will probably spend way too much money there. I got a catalog in the mail the other day and was drooling over this Tarte Gorgeous Getaways Palette. I think it is such a good deal ($433 value!) And I've been wanting to try this line for a while now. I also would love to get their amazonian clay foundation. Now that it is winter, my skin is SO pale. I need to get more lighter foundations because I only have two that really work for me right now. I also really need to get a spray tan hah! The other product I actually got a chance to play with at Ulta when I was in new yorkwas the Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder. I think this product is great for it's versatility because not only can you use it for it intended purpose, but I think it would also do a great job as an eyeshadow or hilight, and it is a product that would last you a LONG time, it's huge! And I also want to get a good makeup setting spray, do any of you have one you are in love with? #buyallthemakeup #makeupjunkie #addicted #beautyguru

Anyways, I am going to go run now, I've been procrastinating all morning, it's funny. At least my house is super clean now, and my laundry village has been folded. Having my little has made for SO MUCH laundry, it is seriously never ending. I want to start with my early morning workouts again. Or just working out before I eat breakfast. I've been really good with my workouts and eating clean lately. I've been stressed and I think now I just turn that into motivation, where before I'd just eat all the things. haha 8-) self made.

xoxo,
brittany