And the winner of the "Spring Fever Giveaway" is....

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CLOSED: Spring Fever Giveaway!!!

Hello my lovelies! It's finally SPRING!!!!! Okay, I know it's been spring for a little while now, but I am finally feeling the spring-y spirit. I thought the perfect way to launch my blog into this lovely weathered season is to celebrate with a giveaway!

Last week I was browsing my local Fred Meyer's cosmetic aisle and I couldn't resist a handful of items. I had already snagged a few products for myself and decided that I wanted to treat my loyal readers to some goodies!

As I was picking up item after item, I thought.... this will be a nice little collection to get ya'll into the mood of spring!

 

Personally, I LOVE Baby Lips Lip Balm; when I saw this gorgeous pinky / red color, I thought it would look lovely for spring.

I'm a HUGE fan of Tree Hut products; granted, I've only used their Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub and Body Lotion. I think this hand cream would be perfect for your desk, purse, night stand, anywhere! The scent of fruit, especially tropical fruits, reminds me of spring / summer.

This was totally a last minute add-on. When I saw the witty saying and adorable classic lady on the front, I had to buy it! Every person, man or woman, should think they are "stunning, fantastic, AND perfect!".

Never tried Physicians Formula, but when I saw this packaging, I about died! The mascara is in a delicious candy apple red tube, covered in a black velvet design and adorned with a little silver high heel charm; adorable!

 

The pictures don't do this polish justice. "Toucan Do It If You Try" reminds me of a pinky / peachy coral; leaning more towards orange than pink. It's part of their new Brazil Nail Lacquer collection.

Okay... down to the nitty-gritty.

I purchased all of the items with my own money, the companies selected to be included in this giveaway were selected by me while browsing the cosmetic aisles of my local Fred Meyer. I was not contacted by any of these companies in any way to promote or gift their products. The contest is only open to U.S. residents (sorry, will due an international giveaway down the road) and I am not responsible for any damage caused during shipping or lost packages. There will be only one winner and will be contacted once they are randomly selected by Rafflecopter. If the winner does not claim the giveaway within 48 hours, another entry will be selected. Good luck my dears!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filling “Salad” without the Lettuce + Weight Watchers Breakdown

Hello my lovelies! I thought I would share with you a new creation I made last night and loved it so much I’m having it as part of my lunch today! I’ve seen different versions with similar ingredients floating around Pinterest for a while, but whipped this one up on the spot last night based on what I had in my fridge.

I’m currently following the Weight Watchers plan and although there are a TON of different things about this program that I love, I will simply share one item for now; calories = meaningless! The Weight Watchers plan focuses on fat, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Using some magical calculation, it takes these four items of a food / product and calculates the point value per serving; also known as the “points plus value” (pp.).

Depending on your gender, age, and weight, you are allotted “X” number of points per day and 49 “extra” points that you can use throughout one week. You can use a little bit of your extra points here-and-there, or splurge on the weekend! OR you can opt not to use them; which is what I’m currently choosing to do.

You can also exercise and earn points that you can later eat and there are even “free” foods that are worth ZERO points! As in… YES, you can eat until the cows come home! Those holy-grail foods are most of your fruits and vegetables; there are some exclusions like starchy foods (potatoes, peas, corn, etc.) – those have a point value per serving.

As I am of the larger end of the “fluffy” scale, I get allotted quite a few daily points: 54. The lowest number of points you would ever be assigned as a female is 26; this number will still allow you to lose weight. Once you get to your target weight, and if you want to maintain, your points per day will increase to a stabilizing weight value.

Because some of you may have a lot less points to use than myself, I’m going to provide two versions of my “salad” recipe: “Ferga-licious” – the one I ate (because I had enough points) and “Skinny-licious” – the one I will be eating as I get smaller (and for those not as voluptuous):

 

Ferga-licious Ashly’s Ingredients

• 1 cup 2% cottage cheese (5 pp.)
• 1 medium avocado (9 pp.)
• 1 tomato (of your choice / size) (0 pp.)
• Salt + Pepper, for taste (0 pp.)

TOTAL POINTS: 14

Skinny-licious Ashly’s Ingredients   

• 1 cup of fat free cottage cheese (3 pp.)
• ½ medium avocado (4 pp.)
• 1 tomato (of your choice / size) (0 pp.)
• Salt + Pepper, for taste (0 pp.)

TOTAL POINTS: 7

 

RECIPE

1. Scoop that wonderous cottage cheese into the prettiest bowl you own; rock that food!
2. Dice the avocado and tomato into the size of your liking; although I’m a big girl, I love itty-bitty baby bite-size pieces.
3. Mix the avocado and tomato into the cottage cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper; the touch of salt and pepper is what makes the dish! Just be careful of your sodium levels.
4. Enjoy!

I love this “salad” as it is quite filling and mighty-tasty! It’s perfect for the warmer weather and makes for either a great lunch or light dinner.

BIG Girl Spring Time Wardrobe for the Office + The FAT Talk

Hello my lovelies! Long time, no post :( After taking some time today to peruse the blogs that I follow, one in particular caught my eye; The Anna Belle Blog. Today she featured a fun spring fashion post about neon colors. I honestly thought that I would NEVER write a fashion-y type post, but a few things changed my mind:
 

1. Her post was undeniably cute and got me excited about the fun-filled spring colors that are just waiting to be incorporated into my makeup and fashion!
2. WARNING - this is going to be a mini-ramble: Some of you who follow me on other Social Media sites, or know me in person, understand that I struggle with food and weight. I've been on countless diets and the only one that really seemed to be successful (when I actually followed the program) was Weight Watchers. My mother recently purchased me a 6 month subscription for my birthday (yay mom!) and I weighed-in / went to my first meeting last night. I've made it thus far with my breakfast and am just about to devour my lunch. I'm still battling a sever cold / cough so I'm mainly going to focus on changing my portion / eating habits this week; next week I'll incorporate fitness!
   
   The reason why I don't normally enjoy reading fashion posts is due to my size, I'm not able to enjoy the typical fashions / shop at "normal" stores. There is literally two stores that I "shop" at and since they've closed their location near me, I solely shop for clothes online. Boo-who-who; no biggie! I'm just glad I have at least ONE place to buy clothes. However, you can see my point? Fashion is NOT fun for me. With that being said, I decided that there's no reason I can't put together a fun spring-y wardrobe with the available online retailers; I may just have to get creative! And I may even create "future" wardrobes for WHEN I reach my many, many, many goal weights. Yes, I have an ultimate "goal," but it's a long ways-off, so for now, I'm going to make mini-goals and celebrate each one!

So.... without further ado, onto the spring office wardrobe! FYI: I like to look cute, but remain incredibly comfortable and find items that can be used in multiple outfits. I also live near Seattle, WA and it actually got to 72 degrees F yesterday; so the tanks may appear to be "summertime" clothes for some of you, but for us FLUFFY girls, we carry year-round insulation!
 
 

SKIRTS

 

 Okay, I pretty much always wear a black skirt and alternate pretty tops. Therefore, I thought I should add a little variety into my "black skirt" collection.

 

Sleek Hi-Low Skirt

$48.00 - $58.00 (depending on size)

Sizes: 0X - 5X

 

To Be Paired With: Either tank and corresponding Beachwalk Cardigan

 

 

Polyester / Rayon / Spandex

Machine Wash

24" Long

 

This style is unique with its hi-low hem with slimming vertical seams on the back. Bi-stretch fabric stretches two ways for ultimate comfort and style. All-around elastic waistband (MY FAVORITE PART) gives you an easy, pull-on design. Complete with a discrete zip opening on the side.

 

Cozy Linen Skirt

$68.00

Sizes: 0X - 3X

 

For the days I don't feel like shaving. LOL

 

To Be Paired With: Either tank and corresponding Beachwalk Cardigan

 

 

Linen / Rayon

Machine Wash

34" Long

 

Cozy style has an elastic waistband on the back for complete comfort. A delicate openwork design cascades down and flares at the hem. Complete with a discrete zip opening on the side.

 

 

TANKS

 

Greenhouse Tank

$48.00 - $52.00 (depending on size)

Sizes: 0X - 5X

 

To Be Paired With: Either skirt and White Beackwalk Cardigan

 

 

Polyester

Machine Wash

30" Long

 

Palm trees blend along a sea foam backdrop on our silky sublimation talk. We updated the scoop neckline with raised fabric for a touch of texture. Bust darts. Asymmetrical hem.

 

Layering Tank

$48.00 - $52.00 (depending on size)

Sizes: 0X - 5X

Color/Design: Light Red

 

To Be Paired With: Either skirt and either Beachwalk Cardigan

 

 

Polyester / Rayon

Machine Wash

30" Long

 

Our long scoop neck tank comes in an assortment of one-of-a-kind prints for versatile style. Light and cozy fabric features layered tiers for a flattering effect. Complete with a bust darts at the armholes for added fit.

 

 

CARDIGANS

 

Beachwalk Cardigan

$44.00 - $48.00 (depending on size)

Sizes: 0X - 5X

Color/Design: White

 

To Be Paired With: Either skirt and either tank

 

 

Color/Design: Light Red

 

To Be Paired With: Either skirt and Light Red Layering Tank

 

 

Polyester / Rayon

Machine Wash

30" Long

 

This cozy cardigan comes in an assortment of essential colors for lightweight layering all season long. Open-front piece features a burnout stripe design that offers a touch of see-through style. Complete with short sleeves and a draping, asymmetrical hem that falls longer on the sides.

 

 

TOP

 

Gentle Drape Top

$68.00 - $74.00 (depending on size)

Sizes: 0X - 5X

Color/Design: Mineral Teal

 

To Be Paired With: Either skirt

 

 

Polyester / Spandex

Machine Wash

31" Long

 

Silky stretch top. Clinched, draping fabric cascades from the V-neckline to visually slim your shape. Gemstones and embroidery at neckline. Three-quarter sleeves. Solid color.



 

 

As you can see, most of the items can be interchanged. I don't currently own any of these items, but I have never been disappointed with the quality or look of clothes from CATHERINES. These are all items that I hope to purchase soon and start wearing immediately. When I no longer need to turn the heat on at night, I know it's time to get into some lighter / shorter clothes!

 

As for the "FAT Talk" of this blog's title, I was wondering if you all would be interested in getting updates of my journey? I was considering doing weekly check-in's with the weight-loss, perhaps tips / tricks that I've learned along the way, and of course, commiserating! If there are any fluffy friends out there that would like to join me on this journey, I'd love to form an alliance of bulge! Regardless if you have a kazillion pounds to lose (like mwah), or just a few.

 

Disclaimer: This post and future weight-related posts are in no way an attack on the fluffy community. I joke about weight as it is a personal struggle, and I am in NO WAY referring ANY of my comments/jokes to anyone else but myself. I love all, judge none, and have just learned that I need to laugh about myself and LOVE myself; regardless of my size.

 

30% off EACH of these items with code LOVECA