Tuesday, May 31, 2011

My Weight-Loss Journey

First off, let me just say ... losing weight is not easy. I've lost 34 pounds in around a year. That's great and all but I still have a lot more to go. I'm not losing weight as fast as I should be; I really need to step-it-up. So, I'm going to post this blog to help motivate myself and to keep all of my friends and family updated on my weight-loss journey. It will make me work harder to lose weight when I know that I have people I love watching my progress.

My goal weight is 185. I thought it was 140 or so until I went to the gym and had a body assessment and they said that I have a lot of muscle (they did the body fat percentage test and stuff) and that if I weighted 140 I would have 0% body fat. So, they told me that because of my muscles, that 185 is a healthy weight for me and that it would put me in the perfect weight/body fat category. Once I get to where I am comfortable telling you my weight and what my highest weight was, I will. I'm not there yet. Haha.

So, this is me around my heaviest. This is a gross picture, I know. I only kept it so I could look back and see how much weight I've lost one day. I don't have many full body pictures of me. FYI: I know, I'm not much smaller than the gorilla. Yikes! These were taken in October of last year.



This is me today. Sorry about the scary, no make-up face and for the low quality cell phone pictures. I'm ordering a new camera today. Yay for the pants I'm wearing! They are just now starting to fit me. I haven't been able to wear them for around two years. They are still a little tight. In 10 or so pounds and they will fit me perfectly.



I'll post a new weight-loss blog with a front and side view picture every month. So be sure to check back!

 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Emily's Visit

My friend, Emily, flew in from Orlando this past Friday to visit me. I was so excited to see her again. I had flown down to Orlando to visit her in March. We had an amazing time together, as usual.

A few highlights from our time together:

On Friday, when I picked her up from the airport, we went to sushi (it's our favorite food ... ever). In Knoxville there's an amazing sushi buffet called Makino. It has some of the best sushi I have ever had in my life and it's only $10 for lunch. All you can eat sushi for $10? It's unheard of, I know! They have tons of different kinds to choose from and it's all made fresh.

Emily's plate

My plate


Emily used to be a professional photographer and she took tons of pictures of Oopsie for me. These are a few of my favorites.

How cute is he?!

Run, Oopsie, run!

My favorite of Oopsie and I


On Saturday went to Dollywood Splash Country. We had a lot of fun and as I expected I got burnt to a crisp. I slathered sunscreen on myself twice, too. I'm just white, very white ... so these kinds of things tend to happen to me. It was well worth it for the fun we had ,though. We didn't take our cameras so I found a picture on Google.

This is Fire Tower Falls; it's 70 feet tall ... and I did it.
*Pats myself on back*

A glimpse of my sunburn


A random picture I took of Brad. Hi, Brad! I love you.

Em and I are major goobers and we don't care if the whole world knows it.

I miss her already


Until next time ...

 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Amy's Moist Maple Cream Cheese Cupcakes


Words cannot describe these cupcakes. They are to die for. They are so moist, creamy and delicious! I have made these many times for family and friends and I have been told they are the best cupcakes they have ever tasted. If you make them (they are begging to be made), please let me know how you liked them. Oh, I must warn you, they are addictive ... and your whole house will smell like vanilla and maple. :-D

Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix
1 8 ounce pack of real cream cheese
4 tablespoons of real salted butter
4 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons of maple extract (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (more or less to taste)

Instructions
For the cake: The cake batter I use is Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White cake mix. I do the directions for the egg whites on the back, not the whole egg. Fill muffin cups a little over 2/3 full. You know they are done when you poke one and it springs back up. It should be just barely golden brown.

For the maple cream cheese frosting: Blend the cream cheese and butter until smooth, add maple and vanilla extract and beat until well blended, then add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time and beat until smooth and creamy. Wait until cupcakes are cool and frost. Enjoy! :)

PS: You can add sprinkles or whatever you'd like to make them more festive.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Getting to Know Me


My name is Amy Lee Moyers (Crawford). I'm a Christian. I'm originally from Gulfport, MS. On March 24, 2006, I got married to my wonderful husband, Brad. On October 1, 2008 we moved to Maryville, TN and absolutely love it here. We have a little chihuahua named Oopsie whom we love to death and is like child to us; he's the cutest, sweetest and most loveable little boy ever. Brad and I are praying that God will bless us with a baby but we know it's in God's time, so no kids just yet. I've been blessed with a great family and amazing friends. I'm so thankful for all I've been given; I'm so unworthy. Anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask. :)