Reward #2: Amazon Mini Shopping Spree

I have accomplished losing a total of 20 pounds!!! Which means I get to reward myself for reaching another 10 pound goal!! Originally I had planned to go to Painting with a Twist but I am saving that fun event for when my best friend comes in April! So instead I rewarded myself with a mini Amazon Shopping Spree and this is what I got.... (I just ordered these so hopefully they will be here by Wednesday!)

Just Dance 2014 for Wii. I love Just Dance and I have been wanting this one since it came out. I rented it from Redbox and new instantly this had to be part of my 20 pound loss reward. Although I have to say I think I would make the best Just Dance game ever!!!

Next, if you read my previous blog Striving To Be Brave, Selfless, Smart, Kind and Honest, you understand this purchase and hopefully why it is quite the reward. I enjoyed Divergent so much that I of course had to get the other two. I already have Divergent but instead of spending over $20 for the second two books I just ordered all 3 in hardcover for $27. LOVE AMAZON! I will always hold onto my first copy of Divergent though not only did my best friend get it for me but now I can keep tabs on all my favorite quotes from the book!

Lastly, I also had to get the fifth book in The Mortal Instrument series! The sixth and final book comes out on May 27th. I have enjoyed each one of them, I am definitely trapped in the shadowhunter world with Clary and Jace, and I can't wait to see how the series ends. I just wish the movies were pouring out as fast as the books!!!

Once again it was wonderful to reward myself for all my hard work. Not only do I lose weight but I get to reward myself with things I love and enjoy along the way!!

Now I am on my way to the next 10 total of 30 pounds, it is getting harder as I go this next 10 pounds will be a challenge. My goal is to hit it before my best friend gets here in 22 days! I CAN DO IT!!!

Striving To Be Brave, Selfless, Smart, Kind and Honest

Recently, I read the book and saw the movie Divergent by Veronica Roth. One thing there is to know about me is... I love Young Adult (YA) Novels!! I always have and always will. I love that YA novels have no boundaries. You can read about vampires (Twilight), shadowhunters (The Mortal Instruments), wizards (Harry Potter), or even about dystopian societies such as The Hunger Games or even Divergent. They explore fantasy, they create their own worlds with their own boundaries and pull you in through real life emotions. How can you read about fictional characters or fictional societies and feel like you are right in the midst of it? The YA authors have found an amazing way of pulling people of all ages into their made up worlds, taking them on a rollercoaster ride of events and emotions, and if done right they never want to get off no matter the ups and downs.

Warning: If you have not read the book and plan to read it, please wait to continue reading. I do not want to spoil anything for anyone.

All of the YA novels I mentioned above have pulled me in to their world and I did not wanted off their ride, I have loved every character, every twist in the story and every moral each had to teach me. But for reasons I am still discovering, Divergent has touched me personally like no other YA novel has. I didn't know how affected I was by this story/this world until I tried to explain it to my mom. I was drawn to tears explaining how I felt, I know that sounds crazy but hear me out first. I was in awe of the relatability of this story. For those of you who have not read this story a quick overview... In the future, after war hit and the world was changed, there was left a society in Chicago guarded from the outside world by a fence. Within this fence, they established 5 factions or groups each symbolizing a value/principle that was in pursuit of overcoming one of the imperfections society had before the war. The factions are: Abnegation are Selfless, they were in pursuit of overcoming selfishness and strive to be selfless in its entirety; Amnity, are Peaceful, they are kind and self-sufficient; Candor are Honest, they believe that dishonesty makes evil possible; Erudite are intelligent, they are constantly in pursuit of knowledge and understanding; and finally Dauntless are Brave, they believe in the ability to acknowledge your fears and free yourself from them. The main character is Beatrice (Tris) Prior who was raised as an Abnegation and discovers she is Divergent. A divergent is an independent thinker, they do not conform, they do not fit into any one category they fit into multiple categories. She has to hide her Divergence from even those closest to her because these free, independent thinkers threaten the system and those threatened get rid of them. She chooses to become Dauntless, where she meets the other main character Four. That is my brief overview, hopefully that helps a little with what I would like to share, but I do really recommend reading the book

I believe if forced to conform and pick a faction most of us would be able to do so. There would be one ideal that would seem more consequential than another. After thinking about it for me that would be Candor, it comes naturally to me to be honest and truthful unfortunately even when others wish I weren't. But like many I see little bits of each ideal in me, some stronger than others. Towards the end of Divergent, Four is talking to Tris, explaining why he has the symbols of all 5 of the factions tattooed on his back and says, "I think we've made a mistake...We've all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don't want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest." I love the power in this statement and relate to it personally. Especially at this time in my life where I am finding out who I am, creating the person I want to be and being confident in who that is. You still have a lot of searching, tough choices and decisions to make it a long the way. I don't want to just be honest, I want to be peaceful and loving, selfless and willing to sacrifice for others, intelligent and understanding, and brave and fearless. Four goes on to add, "I continually struggle with kindness." Once again most of us probably have a stronger quality and a weaker quality. For me I am continually struggling with bravery and overcoming my fears. There is a saying that "A team is only as strong as it's weakest player." What if the same applies individually? We as individuals are only as strong as our weakest trait/virtue. I see my weakness in this virtue of bravery and see the strength I have already received by overcoming even the little fears, the courage I have acquired through acknowledging my fears and finding the solutions to them or crushing the weak foundations they were established on. I also have come to the understanding that it is unrealistic to be fearless, we can overcome some fears but the goal isn't to necessarily be fearless it is to be brave against your fears. "You can't be fearless, remember? Because you still care about things. About your life." Tris reminds Four of this when Four is disappointed that he still has the same fears he can not overcome. If you care then you will always have something to fear, because you will always be at risk of losing what you most care about whether it is a person or a piece of yourself. Remember, the objective is not to become without fears but to become brave when faced with fear.

Tris through Divergent is battling with herself a bit between the balance of being selfless and being brave. She was raised Abnegation where you are to always be selfless though she felt as though she was never able to be selfless enough. When she joined Dauntless she felt brave but never brave enough. As the story continues there are times when she is selfless and brave, she takes the place of a fellow initiate to have knives thrown at her. Four says, "It's when you're acting selflessly that you are at your bravest." When she is only thinking of another is when her bravery shines brightest. Is that not true for most of us? We would amaze ourselves if we could see what we are capable of when being selfless. Four says, "I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different. All your life you've been training to forget yourself, so when you're in danger, it becomes your first instinct." It takes her a while to see the correlation but she finally sees that being selfless and brave aren't totally opposite virtues. Often to be selfless you must be brave and to be brave you must be selfless. Many of the virtues go hand in hand. Many times it takes intelligence to be kind or bravery to be honest, or kindness to be selfless. It is a matter of finding a balance of all the virtues within ourselves and using our strengths to better our weaknesses. If your strongest attribute is to be brave how do you use your bravery to be more intelligent, selfless, kind, and honest?

I feel that we are constantly in search of creating a balance within to create the person we choose to be. Life is so complex, our thoughts hard to decipher, our emotions hard to understand, and our environment impossible to transform to our own utopia. I am on this roller coaster ride of discovery, discovering who I am and what I am capable of. Sometimes we are pushed to our breaking point to discover what we are truly capable of. I have been pushed and pulled until it has felt like I am broken but I was only bent, I am being refined, I am becoming ME. I relate to the Divergent's path of self discovery, choice of embracing and balancing the virtues we hold most dear, and the fight to always be my best independent self.

Divergent is a book that can go as deep as you wish to take it. I recommend hopping on this roller coaster ride and seeing where it can take you.

Rewarding Small Victories Leads to Ultimate Success

As many of you know, I have set a large weight loss goal for myself this year (80 pounds). But I have decided to break that 80 pound long term goal into 10 pound short term goals. So for every 10 pounds I lose I am going to reward myself with something other than food, and I know you people that have been on the roller coaster of losing weight know exactly what I am talking about, (unhealthy) food rewards are never good most to all of the time! But I really recommend setting rewards for yourself that you really want and motivate you to work hard for them. My rewards get bigger as I lose more weight because it gets harder as you lose weight.  But even if you don't have weight to lose, you may want to drink more water or eat more fruits or workout more, set goals and reward yourself for accomplishing them!

About 2 weeks ago I hit the 10 pound mark and since then I have kept it off and continued to lose weight slowly and at a steady pace. I haven't made rewards for all eight 10 pound goals yet but I have for the first three. My reward for the first 10 pounds was to get my cartilage pierced. I got my cartilage pierced my freshman year in college but with softball I couldn't wear an earring all the time so it ended up closing up and I have been wanting to get it redone ever since and I finally did it!!! And it even looks better than it did the first time! If anyone in the Cypress/Houston area is wanting to get their ears pierced I really recommend Cyndi at the Claire's in the Willowbrook Mall she is fabulous!!!

Yes that bottom right picture I did cringe a little. It was a bit of a pinch but after its all over I barely even can feel it's there!

I love it!!! My mom went with me on this wonderful mother/daughter date and we just had a fabulous day! Stop one was to get my cartilage pierced, from there we stopped at Bath&Body Works got some fabulous Spring time gentle foam hand soaps for the house, new car freshener for my car (I will share these items soon!), and travel shower gels. We then swung by the Disney store to pick up my copy of FROZEN!!! We stopped by JC Penny's to look for a curtain rod for my room and of course the only one I wanted was like $90 so if anyone knows of a good place to get an elegant but reasonably priced curtain rod please let me know :) 

 Our last stop was to my favorite cafe in the entire world...NEWK'S. When we got there it was packed as normal for lunch time but by the time we left it was practically empty we were having the best time talking I didn't want to leave!

It was truly a fabulous day and the weather was perfect!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!

Now I am working hard for that next 10 pounds...stay tuned to see my reward when I succeed in accomplishing this next step!

Do you have a goal you are working on? How are you going to reward yourself once you accomplish it? If you don't have a goal yet, what goal are you going to set for yourself?

Best and Easiest Salmon Recipe EVER!!!

My blog Creating Amanda is all about creating the best future version of myself I can. Part of that is maintaining a healthy lifestyle that incorporates daily exercise and a balanced diet. I have lost 10 pounds and maintained that loss for over a week. Now I'm on my way to a 20 pound loss.  But with this new change that I am loving I want to post a recipe I am loving at least once or twice a month. I am going to try to make them as clean, healthy obviously and simple as possible. With this addition of blog posts I of course had to buy some awesome dishware. 

I found these beauties at Kohl's during their latest Bonus Buys Deals. I got all 4 pieces for under $10!!!

The first recipes I am sharing with my wonderful blog readers are Baked Salmon, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli! 

The salmon recipe I found online of course, played with it and have been making the taste buds and tummys' of my family happy for about a year now. 

Ingredients needed: 

4 3oz. Salmon (I get cut portions from Kroger) 

1/2 cup Soy Sauce 

1/2 cup Honey 

Fresh Minced Garlic Cloves or Garlic Powder

Directions:

1. Wash off salmon. 

2. In large Ziploc bag, combine 1/2 cup Soy Sauce (I use the soy sauce my brother gets but if you can find a good low sodium soy sauce I recommend it), 1/2 cup organic honey, and garlic cloves or garlic powder. I have found that I enjoy both the garlic cloves and the garlic powder it depends on what I have in the kitchen at the time. If I use the garlic powder I use about 1-2 teaspoons. Shake bag well and add washed salmon portions. 

3. Lay the salmon portions marinating in the bag for 1 hour. Flipping the portions over after 30 minutes. (Sometimes when I am in a rush I only marinate the salmon portions for 30 minutes: 15 minutes on each side and it still turns out fabulous.)

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

5. Place fish with scale side down and marinade in a clear baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily.

My family raves about this fish recipe and I hope you and your taste buds do as well.

Next, I made some homemade Garlic Mashed Potatoes to go perfectly with my fish. I found the recipe from Food Network offered by Paula Deen. 

Ingredients:

3 Medium Baking Potatoes

4 Tablespoons of Butter (Land O Lakes Light Butter)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Garlic Powder or Garlic Cloves

1-2 Tablespoons of Milk (AlmondMilk)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and chop potatoes.

2. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water about 15 minutes or until tender.

3. Drain Potatoes and return to saucepan or clean medium-large sized bowl.

4. Add butter, sour cream (light sour cream is an alternative) and garlic (I used Garlic Powder about 1-2 teaspoons).

5. Mash potatoes with potato masher or fork until ingredients are well blended. Add Milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until potatoes are the creamy consistency desired.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Last but Most Important, Broccoli!!! 

Ingredients:

2 heads of broccoli

1 Tablespoon of Butter (Land O Lakes Light Butter)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil.

2. Clean and Cut Broccoli into desired pieces and add to water.

3. Cook broccoli in rolling boil for 5 minutes or until cooked to desired tenderness. 

4. Drain and return to saucepan or bowl.

5. Add butter and Salt and Pepper to taste.

The outcome everyone is this lovely dish for dinner. I add about a tablespoon of Tarter Sauce to my fish but that is personal preference. This is nothing too difficult but very delicious and tastes just as good the next day if there are any leftovers remaining. 

I hope you all enjoy and I would love feedback if you enjoy this new idea for blog posts and if you try these recipes and your input! Thank you all!

Happy Monday Everyone!

February Favorites

Not gonna lie, this month was rough. It started out rough got a bit better in the middle somewhere and ended rough. But my high spirits are not down and out just yet. I still have a few favorites that once again remind me and help me focus on some amazing positives for the month of February.

Most of my favorites are going to be new items I got for my new and improved room. Which is wonderful because it shows that I am very close to completing one of my quarterly goals- to finish turning my room from drab to fab!!!

Favorite #1 & #2

First, I got a brand new 42" LG Flatscreen TV with a Sony Blu Ray Player. I got a really great deal from my old pitching coach because he is a distributor for Sony. Well worth every penny.

Favorite #3 & #4

I got two of the best organizers I have ever had from amazon in February. One is a nail polish rack in a beautiful black metal that holds up to 100 nail polish bottles. I love it because it fits perfectly all of my Essie, OPI, ORLY, etc. polishes. If you would like to get the same on you can find it on amazon here.

The other is my over door hanging jewelry organizer. I can see all of my jewelry perfectly. My only complaint is that I am no longer able to fully shut my door, and I am not able to use the door much because of too much noise. But these aren't too big of deals to me because it is easier to exit out my bathroom door anyway. This also comes with tools to hang on the wall I just unfortunately lacking wall space. You can also find this on amazon here.

I don't know about yal but I think both have plenty of room for growth ;)

Favorite #5

The new Daughtry Baptized album is AMAZING!!!! Love the whole CD but the first five (songs are incredible I listen to them on repeat a ton. The song "I'll Fight" (below) is my absolute favorite track on the album.

Favorite #6

My favorite skincare product of the month is the Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Vitamin C Wipes. They are amazing especially for those times when I am just plain exhausted and I don't have the energy to do the full works of cleansing, toning and moisturizing my face. Also great for when on the go or traveling. Being in the hospital this month with my mom these were perfect! I have tried other wipes and what I love about these is they don't irritate my skin or leave it feeling dry and dead. These are on my luvocracy page http://www.luvocracy.com/amandamarieo, under the collection 2014 Favorites

Favorite #7

Orly polish in Rage is currently my absolute favorite color probably in my entire polish collection right now. It is the prettiest rose gold color I have been able to find by far!! You can also find this on my luvocracy page.www.charmingcharlie.com

Favorite #8 & #9

I found some of the most beautiful jewelry from Charming Charlie's. This watch and ring I found while shopping their last month have recieved a ton of compliments. If you are not aware of what Charming Charlies is feel free to check out their website, CharmingCharlie.com.

Songs of the Month:

Bastille-Pompeii

American Authors- Best Day of My Life

Christina Perri- Human

Elle Mae Bowen- Holding Out For A Hero

Merry March Everyone!!!

The 3 Things We All Need Daily

While having some extra down time due to recovering from the stomach flu, I had the wonderful chance to catch up on all of my shows along with The Oscars. 

First off, I unfortunately watched maybe half of the nominees I wished to be able to watch them all but time and events were against me in this endeavor, but I look forward to watching them throughout this month of March. 

Secondly, there were so many gorgeous people at the Oscars of course. Lets start with...

Julia Roberts. Is she infectious or what. I have loved her from her start as Shelby in Steel Magnolias to Vivian in Pretty Woman, Tinkerbell in Hook, Julianne in My Best Friends Wedding, Maggie in Runaway Bride, Erin in Erin Brockovich, The Queen in Mirror Mirror, and many many more roles. She is amazing, and what I rank as my all time favorite actress. And wasn't she absolutely stunning at the Oscars...

She was sitting right behind Meryl Streep so how could I forget mentioning this timelessly talented woman. Age truly is only a number. At almost 65 she hasn't let up an ounce. And talk about class!!!

Next the fabulous Sandra Bullock. I was truly expecting her to win the Oscar for best actress in a leading role in Gravity. But boy was she gorgeous. What a beautiful color on her.

I have to mention the picture Ellen tweeted to break the record for most tweeted picture. Best picture ever taken in Hollywood. Thank you Ellen for this. It really helped capture the energy of the whole night!

Finally, Matthew McConaughey received the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and when he gave his acceptance speech it blew my mind!!! He said there were three things he needs each day, something to look up to, something to look forward to, and someone to chase. For him, he said that God was who he looked up to, his family was who he looked forward to, and himself 10 years from now was who he chased. This statement floored me. I have always believed for a balanced life there should be an order to one's priorities and this is it to a tee. But the person to chase I think is what hit me most. I think we are all chasing to be a better version of ourselves without realizing it, but when visualized we become that much better. So I am vowing to chase myself, to think that my hero is myself 10 years from now. Though I will never be my hero I will always be chasing a much better version of myself hopefully leaving a magnificent piece of me and my story as I go along.

I hope we all take his wisdom under thought and apply the piece we need whether something to look up to, something to look forward to, or someone to chase. We all can improve at least one if not all of these areas. But I challenge you to pick one and see how things start falling into place.

**I also wanted to make a note aside for this Oscar blog post of some posts you have to look forward to. First, my February Favorites blog post will be coming shortly. Second, I have finally lost my first 10 pounds of the year so I will be blogging my reward to myself for accomplishing this goal. Also, I am no health/nutrition expert, but I love to cook and after being so sick I am determined to leave fried, greasy, and possible bacteria infested foods behind for a much cleaner, well balanced nutritional diet, but I am going to do it in style. My food must taste good if I am ever going to stick to it. So I am going to start blogging this journey along with healthy recipes and tips. If anyone has any recipes they recommend I would love to try them out! Thank you for all of your support.**

I hope your March is Magical!!!