Do you ever?

Do you ever have those ridiculously annoying conversations with people- you know- the ones where you aren't seeing eye to eye and neither of you can get through to the other person? Yeah, me too.

I know the saying "we agree to disagree" but sometimes that too is difficult to do. Typically it's even harder when it's someone you are close to.

Do you ever get told a secret- that you can totally keep- but are still so excited you just want to share the news with someone? Yeah, me too.

But the loyalty of me and my friendship with the other person does bind the secret and I do keep it.

Do you ever have a rough day and feel that the world is against you? Yeah, me too

But then I try to think of all the positive things in my life and it helps boost my mood.

Do you ever wish you could complete everything on your to-do list before the day is done? Yeah, me too

Although this doesn't happen often for me. Does it for you?

Do you ever make a decision and then later regret it? Yeah, me too

Decisions aren't taken lightly for some, but they allow us to learn and to grow. Decide on friends.

What are other things that tend to be a wall for you? Feel free to share :)

What you don't learn at school

For those of you who are unaware we had a huge storm over the weekend and lost our power just after 3 pm on Saturday April 12th. Our power was finally restored last night, April 14th just after 9 pm. This was a tough run without electricity. I thought you might enjoy hearing about the things thy don't teach you at school!

1) how to disengage your garage door during a power outage (yes, I now know how to do this!)
2) how often you take for granted electricity
3) how to flush the toilet if you don't have city water (after of course you get water from the Culligan man (aka dad))
4) how to balance a book and a flashlight to read while trying to stay warm under blankets
5) how many layers to wear to keep your body temperature normal
6) where to go to plug in your cell phone long enough to get a full charge

Other things that I've learned during the power outage
- my friends/family are awesome and have all reached out to help where they can (I already knew they were awesome- but I appreciate it so much that I'm still mentioning it :))
- my headlight (typically used for camping) proved to be super useful in getting around the house...and even easier than trying to hold the flashlight to read!

- someone should invite a non electricity based heated toilet seat so my butt doesn't freeze off just to pee
- my husband now wishes he had a smart phone
- when it's dark and 8 pm, it seems later, and with nothing else to do you get more sleep by going to bed early
- small generators are really convenient- even if it's just to run the refrigerator so you don't loose hundreds of dollars on the food
- eating out gets old- really fast!
- 5 gallon buckets and water pitchers come in handy to collect water from the Culligan man

A special thanks to my dad and mother-in-law for all their help- with water assistance, access to showers and laundry facilities, as well as a generator, we couldn't have done it without you! Thanks :)

Little updates

For the past 16 days I've been participating in the happy challenge. Every day I take a picture of something that makes me happy and share it on facebook. I love this challenge. It truly has made me approach my day a bit different- looking closer at the little things in my day. Things that sometimes go unnoticed, but more importantly- still make me happy!

Just a few of my happy posts!

In other news we bought a new refrigerator was delivered yesterday, we can FINALLY take down the Christmas lights outside since the snow is (mostly) gone, and I'm hosting a game night tonight. All exciting (and happy) things too! Life in my little lively life is good :)

Cooking yummies!

I love cooking. Both old recipes and new ones too. Now the clean up part- that I don't love! But who does really?!? Pinterest has been a great site to get connected with multiple recipes to try- and I've done just that- tried and LOVED most of the things that I've tried.

Not from Pinterest, however a beloved recipe indeed. This recipe also gave me my happy day #2- remembering my mom making this delicious recipe. So basic and quick, yet I would often ask for it for my birthday dinner! Go figure. Try it out. Let me know what you think!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 onion, chopped

¾ teaspoon seasoned salt

1 (10 ¾ oz) can tomato soup

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 lb ground beef

1 (13 ¼ oz) can pineapple chunks, drained

Combine onion, salt, soup, lemon juice and brown sugar in glass dish. Microwave 3-5 minutes or until simmering- stirring halfway through cooking time.

Roll ground beef into 1-inch diameter meatballs. Place meatballs in above sauce. Spoon some sauce mixture over meatballs. Microwave 6-7 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Stir in pineapple. Microwave for 1 minute.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy :)

100 Days of Happy

Thanks to the awesomeness of social media, I learned about the 100 days of happy! I went to the website to see what it is all about. Check it out here!  Basically you submit a picture a day- for a total of 100 days- of something that makes you happy. I LOVE this idea! I think it will really make people stop and view their day (and world surroundings) differently.

You can share your happy moments via facebook, twitter, or instagram, or you can even submit via email. My choice was to use facebook. I will admit, this is the first time I've ever used the hashtag in my facebook post before!

Day #1
I'm happy that I successfully finished my BBBS display board for The Family Expo this weekend in Newaygo.

My display board that I used last year- was just on tri-fold cardboard- this display is much sturdier and more professional. So happy to use it this weekend. 

What are some things that make you happy? Feel free to share in the comments- or better yet- join in the 100 days with me! Have a happy day everyone!

Terrific Tuesday

Although it's now Wednesday, I want to share some awesome things that happened yesterday!

First, we had another class of Cheerobix! St. Patty's style. I loved seeing everyone decked out in their green attire! For those of you who aren't familiar with Cheerobix it's an amazing workout that is a combination of zumba, and aerobics- but with pom poms, kicks and jumps! It's totally fun. And the even better part- we get to dress up in fun attire too!

These gems are from last night!

After the workout we went to The Station for some yummy food- and even better company :)

The cool part- 15% of our meal went to The Hope Project as a fundraiser to help support their cause- raising awareness of sex trafficking and bring restoration to those healing.

In addition to all this fun- I got a surprise in the mail! I won a facebook contest from Pam's Pantry  and got these for free!!!

Some of them I'll be trying for the first time and am excited for! Others are good old favorites! If you are interested in checking them out- they visit a TON of craft fairs throughout the state, and are featured at many local specialty stores too! All in all- not a bad Tuesday!

Saving Sites

For those of you (most of you) that know me well, you know that I'm very much a bargain shopping and love to save money. I figured I should share with you my top 3 favorite savings sites. Some of these might be a bit different than the typical saving sites.

1. Twice
This site allows you to purchase name brand clothing for a fraction of the original cost. It is previously owned, however they have strict guidelines on what they accept to sell. All of the things I've purchased has been in top-notch condition. The other awesome thing- you can also 'sell' your name brand items to them and receive money or store credit for your sale. What could be better? The fact that the shipping to send them your items is free! Neat, right?!? The website is super user friendly too. Love it! I'm pretty sure that since I referred you, you will receive a free $10 to get your started. If you load the app you will get more credit and once you do a 'sell' to them you will get credit again! They often have coupon codes to let you save 10 or 20% too. A great go to place when you need something new. Check it out when you get a chance.

2. Shopgoodwill
Who loves a great thrift score?!? This girl! If you are like me- you enjoy hunting and searching for a great find. Guess what--Goodwill has an online site that let's you do that too! AWESOME! I've been loving it! The set-up is very similar to ebay as far as bidding is concerned. Pay attention to additional shipping and/or handling charges. Some items can be a bit pricey to ship- however bids tend to be lower than that of ebay. An additional awesome thing about this site- they allow local pickup. So for anyone in Muskegon, you can do a specific search and only view items that are located in Muskegon. Then you are dodging the shipping costs. Pretty neat! The search function works great and allows consumers to use a keyword search or a category search. You will be able to find what you are looking for in no time!

3. MyPoints
I believe I've shared this site before- but I love the fact that you can earn free gift cards. On this site you earn points for completing surveys, clicking on email ads, and/or online shopping. Instead of going directly to the site you plan to purchase from- do so through MyPoints first. Each dollar spent will equal points that are distributed into your account. Once you have enough points you can redeem them for gift cards to your favorite store. Sweet, right?!?

So busy!

It's been awhile since I've taken the time to write a post. A ton has been going on in the last few months.

First, we celebrated my lovely grandpa's life with memories, laughter and tears. Since he passed on November 15th, the grand kids were shocked when there was a Christmas present for us from Grandpa. Knowing that grandpa loved the outdoors, wildlife and everything that goes with it, we received awesome metal wind chimes from Michigan in Metal. So touching that this was thought of back in October before grandpa passed away. Tears were shed, but memories will always be with us.

Second, I enjoyed my first Christmas as a wife. So blessed to be married to the one I love! We had multiple family get togethers to celebrate- so blessed for us both to be surrounding with so many people that we love.

Third, we rang in 2014 with friends, laughter and fun! We traveled to three different houses to enjoy some food, games, drinks and of course the ball drop! Next year might not consist of three places, but we just couldn't decide this year!

In between all of those major highlights we've still be busy! This week I'll be trying multiple new recipes. Let's hope I have some good luck with them. All of them have come from pinterest. Feel free to follow me here.

Another exciting highlight- my bestie decided to come back to facebook and join all of us crazies! We still managed to stay in good contact with each other- but facebook always helps too! Looking forward to our mini messages- posts and sharing :)

Until next time...

Sad news

Sadly, just after I posted on Friday- I got news that Grandpa passed away.

He was 100- lived an amazing life full of love and laughter- yet to doesn't ease the pain of loosing someone. We knew time was drawing near- but it was still tough to hear the news. This weekend we stayed strong with our family together- through the tears and the laughter we remembered. Through the stories and the games of cribbage we remembered. Grandpa was a wonderful man who taught so much to his kids, grand kids and great grand kids. He truly was a wonderful man.

Grandpa is now reunited with both the love of his life, and his daughter, my mom. Until the day that I see the three of you again- Love, Hugs and Kisses to all of you- take care of each other!

With true Grandpa spirit, we will be rocking our matching outfits at the funeral on Saturday- just as Grandma and Grandpa did for so many years! We know they both will love it!

If interested you can read his obituary here: http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/muskegon/obituary.aspx?n=ferris-hering&pid=168020464&fhid=21047

Wow week

So it appears that I haven't posted in the last 6 months. I would think of it here and there- and then time would escape me and it just didn't happen.

This week has been a wow week for me. Not because a bunch of good things have happened, but rather, a bunch of mixed emotions and struggles this week (with happiness built in between too). Things aren't going very well for my 100 year old grandpa. He took a few falls, went into the hospital to discover a blood infection and has since been at the Hospice House. Things aren't looking good. I mean, he is 100- we know he has lived an amazing life- but knowing you are going to loose someone still isn't easy. It's a tough time to go through, but we know in the end he will be in a better place. Last night they did a pinning ceremony for my grandpa. They do this to recognize veterans. It was a great ceremony, attended by extended family, even though grandpa slept through the entire thing!

In addition to that, I have a twisted and pinched nerve that has prevented me from fully turning my head this past week. I visited a chiropractor for the first time in my life- and saw a bit of relief that day- but the pain has persisted. Not a fun thing to deal with.

On happier notes, a few fun things happened this week- First, I won two tickets to the Big Ten Championship Football Game, including pre-game festivities, a hotel stay and a $100 gas card to get us to Indy! I'm super stoked about it- and although Brent isn't an Ohio State, or Michigan State fan (who will most likely be playing)- I know he secretly is excited to go for the experience. Second- I attended my first ever Cheerobix class last night. It was amazing! A great workout that went by quick and included a ton of laughs! I can't wait to go to the next class on December 4th- so fun! Hopefully by then I will have a full range of motion instead of this crummy pain!

I tried to upload pictures of most of these things- and blogger doesn't want to work- so this is all you get for today! :)

Wedding Whoops!

I've been pretty good with the entire wedding planning bit. I've been organized and getting things done on my to-do list. Last night Brent and I finished our last pre-marital counseling at the church. Afterwards I was talking to Sara regarding our invitations. It dawned on me- that we need to order them ASAP! So my to-do list today includes calling the company and ensure the turn-around printing time still fits with our mailing timeline. The invites have been on my mind, I just never got around to the actual ordering. We are pretty excited about our choice though! I can't wait for our guests to see them too! Too fun! I would share here, but that would ruin the surprise, I guess you will just have to wait and see!

Do you ever find yourself forgetting to do important tasks? I hope it's nothing too important.

On other wedding details- we had our food tasting last week. It went great! We narrowed down our food choices and boy were they yummy! I can't wait for everyone else to enjoy the yummies too! This weekend I plan on figuring out reception centerpieces and searching for our unity candle for the ceremony. Who knows, maybe I'll work on other details too! Any suggestions are welcome!

Happy Wednesday friends!

Throwback Thursday- 2007

The shirts Sara and I are wearing- pretty much sums us up! Girls weekend to Chicago. This picture is of Sara and I at Ikea!



Cathleen was living in Chicago at the time- she met up with us to enjoy dinner, drinks and games at Dave and Busters- so much fun!



On the way back to Michigan we stopped at the zoo in Michigan City! Great time with great friends. Makes me want a girls weekend again soon! Love you gals!

So...the thing is...

I'm excited that I've lost 50 pounds. The journey hasn't always been easy, but I feel such a sense of accomplishment!

But you see...there are other things that go along side weight loss. One of them being clothes. Clearly with the loss of pounds, there has been a change in clothing size. Thankfully my great friend Kristyn has passed along clothes as she has grown out of them (as I do once I've grown out of mine too). However, yesterday (a nice and sunny 70 degree day) I wanted to wear shorts or capris and learned that I didn't have any that fit. I will admit it is more fun to go clothes shopping now- it's much better than it was 50 pounds ago. Although, being on a budget, and saving for a wedding doesn't make spending money on clothes very fun! So, I'll slowly be adding things- buying at thrift stores, using sales and clearance prices and taking hand me downs from friends.

Since I've recently joined the gym I've purchased more workout clothes too. I had some luck finding these at JcPenny and Old Navy. Hopefully these pants don't fall down! (Don't laugh! I had that issue!) Soon on the docket to purchase will be some new athletic shoes too. If anyone has suggestions on shoes- I'd love to hear them. Remember though- I'm on a budget.

So you see...the thing is....along with exciting and accomplished things- comes unexpected challenges. I guess that's life! If everything was always good and exciting they wouldn't call it the roller coaster of life!

Buh-bye 50 lbs!

Yay- it's official- I've lost 50 pounds! After 9 months following the weight watchers plan, hard work and dedication I've lost 50 lbs (50.8 to be exact!).

I'm full of excitement! It has been quite the journey to see the transformation!  A HUGE thanks to Kristyn for helping me get started- I couldn't have done this without you! Thanks also to everyone who has supported me along the way providing encouragement, accompanied me in a more active lifestyle and pushing me to reach my goals! Know that the journey was much easier with you all by my side! Now I just need to be careful so I can fit into my wedding dress!!

I'll work on getting some pictures taken to post a before and after shot. Brent's good at woodworking- but not taking pictures! (sorry love...but I still  love you!)

To all of you on your own weight loss journey- best of luck- I know you can do it!

Crazy life

HI! It's been so long since my last post! And honestly there isn't a specific reason why I haven't been posting. My life has been busy and I just haven't devoted the time to writing posts! So today I thought I would write something quick!

Since my last post...

Sara came for an awesome weekend visit- we had a great time visiting, talking and of course laughing!
I attended multiple Lia Sophia jewelry parties
I made photo books for my sisters and Aunt to remember my mom since it's been 15 years since she passed away
Brent and I started pre-martial counseling
I ran a scrapbooking event for work
We celebrated Ariana's 1st birthday! I can't believe she is already one!
I started attending a kickboxing class that I love- I'm a bit sore today- but it's worth it!
We had a Parks in Focus alumni outing for work
I visited Detroit with some awesome ladies from work!
I was able to get lots of scrapbooking done at a two day crop!
We celbrated Evan's 3rd birthday! I also can't believe he is three!
We had another evening of our DIY group- we made some awesome stuff out of old t-shirts!
Brent and I got our engagement pictures taken! Love them! Can't wait to see the rest!
Keith, Evan, Brent and I went to watch the Griffins Game
And...probably the busiest! I've been up to my elebows in Bowlapalooza stuff!
Don't worry there is still time to support me! Check out the link below- any donation is helpful!
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/lisa-schillaci/bfks2013

Happy monday everyone!

Bits and Pieces

Happy Friday everyone!

Guess what?!? Sara is coming to visit! She is en route right now- I'm super excited!  That's why these are my bits and pieces for the week.


1. Sara is coming!

2. SARA IS COMING!

3. SARA IS COMING!

4.SARA IS COMING!

5. SARA IS COMING!!!!

Can you tell I'm a bit excited?
Happy weekend everyone! I'll be busy with Sara! :)

Happy Day to Sara! :)

Today is Sara's (one of my best friends) birthday! I always love birthdays! And I'm especially excited that she is coming to visit me this weekend so we can celebrate her day then! :)

Living 5 hours away from each other doesn't always make staying connected easy- but we manage. We talk on the phone, use facebook, travel to see one another, skype, snail mail, and text! I love that we have so many modes of communication we can use to help us stay connected!

This year I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to see her since we will have all of my wedding festivities- double yay!! :) It's hard to imagine that it's been 10 1/2 years since we first met. We were blessed enough to be placed in the same group for our Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip to Oklahoma. We became fast friends and the rest is history!

Next week I'm sure you will hear about some of our fun we plan on having over the weekend! Prayers for safe travels as Sara comes to visit! You never know about this Michigan snow!

Bits and Pieces

Happy Friday everyone!

This week has been pretty good to me. Minus the few mishaps on the hill at work!

I was feeling a little sassy with my earrings- so that's my self portrait! :)

Yesterday I got the Savannah vistors guide! Great timing as we booked our honeymoon this week. Super exciting!

Yay for snail mail! I got a fun Valentine's Day card in the mail from Sara! Thanks friend!

Tonight a few of us will be enjoying a comedy show at Camp Newaygo- looking forward to it!

Brent also got me this adoable Precious Moments for Valentine's Day- super sweet!

What are some bits and pieces from your week? I'd love to hear from you!

Enjoy your Friday!

7 months away!

In just 7 short months I am getting hitched!

It's crazy to think how quickly the time seems to be flying by! Our wedding date will be exactly three years since we first met! It's been a pleasant journey--and I can't wait to be Brent's wife! I have to admit I've been finding some great things on pinterest and have been saving them to share with my future hubby!

Wedding details are coming along pretty well! We still have to
-decide on tuxes
-get engagement pictures taken
-determine where we will stay on our wedding night
-figure out centerpieces for the reception
-pick how we will proceed with invitations
-complete pre-marital counseling
-determine my accessories for the BIG day!
-schedule the bridal shower and bachelorette party
-pick reception songs

and we've been busy by
-picking up my dress (just Auntie Nell and I- no Brent allowed!)
-meeting with the florist
-picking out bridesmaid dresses
-sending out our save the dates
-picking out wedding bands
-booking our Honeymoon (Savannah and Tybee Island here we come!)
-registering at Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond
and so much more!


Being a planner, I've been pretty efficient with my planning so I don't have to worry as it gets closer to the date. I've been blessed with amazing friends and family to help me along the way too! Love them!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Scrapbooking!

Saturday I spent 12 hours of my day scrapbooking 28 pages! For those of you who know something about scrapbooking- this is a huge accomplishment! So much time and details go into completing a page! I sure was happy to get soooo much done! I managed to do some Christmas pages, some birthday parties, the U of M football game that Brent and I went to, and so much more! I wish I had the time to scrapbook regularly, but I do try to keep up with everything!

My friend Katie organized the event. It's a fundraiser for the Muskegon Waves Disabled Sports Team. The proceeds help the team travel to MSU for the Michigan Victory Games to compete. Double bonus- I get to do something I love (scrapbook) while supporting an amazing cause! It can't get much better than this!

Next month Kerri and I are signed up for a two day crop. I'm especially looking forward to this so I can get even more done! We are contemplating going to a weekend one (Friday-Sunday) in October. I figure this might allow me to get a good start on my wedding album! What do you think?

I better make sure I get some pictures printed for the next one! Although my upcoming weekends are pretty filled! I guess I better keep taking pictures too!

Have a great week everyone!