Guess Who got Married!!!!!!

Hello Guys and Dolls,
Yes its been a very long time since my last post far far to long , However I've been a very busy bee!
 Many wonderful and happy changes have occurred in my life. First I got Married!!!!!!

AAAAANNNNNDDDDD we bought our very first house!!!!!!

Its a bit of a fixer upper but we get to make it our own and I'm so excited about that.

The best part i can't show you as my plan is to blog about all the improvements we make along the way. The room I'm looking most forward to is my Laundry/Sewing room!!!! So stay tuned!

Love & Laughter

Phoenix

All Great Journeys begin with one Step

                                

                                            Morning Darlins

   Well I've finally gotten to it and got my bum in gear for the past few months I've slacked off tremendous I've been eating so poorly, and not been working out as much, or as effective as i should and could have, Being a fitness instructor id say shame on me , but being human id say hey it happens.

     I always tell my students the good part about falling off the fitness train is you can always get right back on! So with that said i have a few things going for me to Help aid in my motivation to get back to what I consider my best.

    1. My lovely BFF Lainie and i (see a pic of here gorgeous self here…aagghhh she so darn cute)

 We are going to the amazing Breathless Punta Cuna in May i will be teaching at the resort so id like to be at my best! And Then the biggest day of my Life is 3 month after that IM GETTING MARRIED!!!!! WHOOO HOO! To the most gorgeous wonderful man alive!( isn't he lovely isn't he wonderful… lol)

   And the dress ….well i can't show you the dress but lets just say it will be vintage inspired and would make Marilyn Monroe very proud!:)
  So I've decided to go back to what i know and what worked for me, Ill be calorie counting, measuring and using strict portion control, water, water, and more water, Wearing a waist trainer daily( Ill do a separate post on this as well) and during workouts, and exercising, 6 days a week!
   Ill post some meals and recipes, and work out routines I'm using. So with that said lets go Day One!


BREAKFAST

Measurments

MY STATS

Weight : 140lbs
Goal: 125lbs

Waist: 28"
Goal 23-24"

Bust: 35"

Hips: 37 1/2"
Goal 39

Thighs: 24 1/2"
Goal: 22"

Arms (Biceps) 11"
Goal: Not Sure just want to tone and build a little muscle

(never mind the stretch marks i gave birth to 3 9lb babies so its ok to have those) :)

So Stay Encouraged and you will succeed!

CRAZY for coupons!

Hello all Happy Memorial Day!
And a big Thank You To all our men and woman who serve this country!
I wanted to do a post today because so many of my friends have asked about my coupling and how i do it. I can't give myself the credit really i like many of you tried couponing here and there over the years saving a few pennies and being grateful for that but never in my wildest dreams did i imagine that i could save hundreds of dollars or get anything for free!
  Ive always considered myself a frugal kinda gal sure i drool over $1700 Christian Loubotins like the next gal with a shoe fetish but i can't bring myself to pay tons of my hard earned cash on such a thing.
My fascination with the tremendous amount of savings that can be gotten threw couponing began with I'm sure the same as many of you the show Extreme Couponing!, I couldn't believe how much these people saved, Although i know that some of it is not as accurate as it may seem there is great savings to be had by devoting a few hours a week and some patients to couponing. 
I live in a small space so i can only coupon so much but i have managed to make a pretty nice little stock pile of things we need and use This does take time so be patient .

Ive made it a point to not by things for the sake of getting them free, I do by some things we don't use like Dish washing machine products, and diapers and wipes(i don't have a baby)

Certain things like this i buy because 1. I shop for a friend of ours9 I've become a personal shopper of sorts), 2. So many people i know are having babies  and my neighbor has a disabled child and she uses them as well so i buy these things and make gift baskets for baby showers super cheap(wipes and diapers make the best gifts i think MY FIANCEE CHALLENGED ME TO MAKE A GIFT BASKET UNDER $20! I made this gift basket pictured above for $12 it had 6 jumbo packs of diapers 6 containers of wipes and 6 outfits, 2 packs of hair bows and a blanket) 3. I donate where ever and when ever i can(i have 3 kids at home but none can use 55 tubes of toothpaste) but if its free I'm sure my friends and family and a good charity can use it.
   So with that said i did a little research and i have settled on 2 websites i use the most first is Livingrichwithcoupons.com i swear by this website she does all the work for you short of shipping for you this woman Cindy is amazing, her site is very easy to follow, and so informative she took all the anxiety out of it. And i also usehttp://thekrazycouponlady.com this was the first website i tried and it too is very useful but i do have to say i like livingrichwithcoupons.com better but that's the thing you have to use what works best for you, so just give it a try i believe its so worth it my kids and fiancee thought i was crazy at first but my daughters never have to buy make up

 and my fiancee loves the money we save and never running out of anything, ( I fondly remember last summer when i was able to get 300 SoBe Life waters and 400 Lipton Tea's all for free)And always having what we need and want without it breaking the bank! In this economy its worth the time and effort you will put in,I shop about 2-3 times a week making trips to or from work as not to go out of my way and in due time you will see your stockpile grow Good Luck! And here's a few pics of my shopping trips for inspiration!

                           PHOENIX

PAID LESS THEN $5( THATS MY NORMAL GOAL)

PAID $2.23

PAID LESS THEN $5 AND RECIVED $7 BACK

ALL FREE

PAID $6.15(TODAYS HAUL)

Where have i been….well life has been B NAN NERS!!!! YES I SAID B NAN NERS!lol

Well I've been doing a bunch of things…..All of you know i teach Zumba and its my Love it has been the most amazing experience of my life, i began teaching at gyms but always in the back of my mind wanted more so my big plan is to eventually have my OWN space but for now I'm renting space and I'm having my first class this Wednesday Ive also been teaching at many local senior centers and I've been having the time of my life with them! I'm super excited and scared, I've had so much support and help making this happen i can't thank and express my gratitude enough to those that have help me get here Tara RomanoGetyourfitonwithtara.com My dear friend without who's encouragement i would never have felt i was able to do half of what I'm doing. And even during the times when she pushed and i resisted about starting a website for my custom cut fitness clothes CutzByPhoenix.storenvy.com I'm so glad she never let up on me like a true sister would. Lainie for her tireless efforts in securing the space, and endless encouragement, for all the talks when i felt like i couldn't do it or was to scared to try, for being a living example of a amazing woman inside and out(stylish as heck and a monster in the gym!) My Retro crew(if i named you and all you have done individually id never stop typing you all make me happy to wake up on Thursday's Knowing I'm going to see you all and dance i will always do my best to never disappoint you! And last but not least MyLove Greg who's love and support has kept the light in my life for 7 yrs no words…..OK I'm done gushing So there you have it my month long hiatus has yielded my a new space to boogie and a online store that now has customers from all over the world (Just send a shipment to Ireland! Whoo hoo).. So I'm off to prepare for my first class tomorrow be well and stay tuned!

Phoenix

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone
I hope your enjoying your family and friends, and plan to enjoy a wonderful dinner, and eat lots of chocolate like me! :)
I started it off yesterday with me and mini me making a array of tasty treats for today's dinner we make homemade biscuits

                                                              Easter sugar cookies

                                    and a Mint Chocolate cake with mint cream cheese filling
                                              

And Easter baskets of course

I always enjoy spending time with Mini me it reminds me of the times i spent with my mother learning to cook and make traditions, I didn't have my mother in my life for as long as most but in the short time i did she taught me so much and with out even knowing she instilled a desire to build long lasting traditions with my kids.

I was very fortunate to have a great relationship with my mother when she was alive, and i can only hope to have the same with Mini me.

Well on to other things a had a great day coupling this morning as well i went to Rite Aid and CVS and got quite a bit of items for free

here's what i got and the break down

Rite Aid

(2) Pantene conditioners $5.49 each on sale for 2/ $6

(2) Pantene Silk Mousse Stylers $4.99 each on sale 2/$6

(2)Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara $8.99 each Buy 1 get 1 %50 off

(3) Dawn dish soap $1.99 each on sale $.97

Retail Total $41.85

Sale Total $28.49

Coupons used

(2)Buy1 Shampoo or Conditioner get Styler free

(2) $3 off Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

$10 Rite aid rewards from last week

$1.99 in Rite Aid rewards from last week

Total coupon saving $24.49

balance $1.96

tax $1.85

Out of pocket paid $3.81

Received $10 in Rite Aid rewards to use for Next week!!

CVS

Rescue Stress reliving aid $8.99

used $5 Register Reward from last week

used $2 Register reward from last week 

Out of pocket paid $1.99

Received $8.99 register reward from Rescue stress aid

Gillette Pro Glide Razor $12.49

Clear Mens shampoo $4.99

Eggs(i only had 3 in fridge needed more to dye lol) $2.99

Coupons used

$2 off Gillette Razor

$4.99 of Clear shampoo from Magic coupon Machine

$8.99 From Rescue Stress relief

Retail Total $20.38

Out of pocket after coupons $1.99!!!!

Received $4 Register reward from Gillette Razor

Second Transaction

(2) Sunday papers

used $4 Register reward from Razor 

out of pock paid $0!

Couponing started off as a hobby for me but is now sort of a way of life it is easier then people think Yes you must invest a bit of time but to save as much as we do its well worth it and with sites like livingrichwithcoupons.com How can you go wrong this lovely woman named Cindy Runs the site and does a amazing job she practically does all the work for you short of going to the store and shopping for you check out her blog you will be glade you did!

Have  great day 

Phoenix 

Busy, Busy,Busy Bee !!!!!

This week is a week of madness to say the least  Ive been toying with the idea of opening a Etsy store and now I'm finally going to do it! Ive been crafting like a mad woman lately and lots of my friends seem to think i need to sell a lot of what i make so here goes! My store will be a collaboration between the things i make and a new joint venture with RPI Hair Company a hair distribution company that I've recently began working with. They sell weaving, and braiding hair, and hair maintience products. I've personally used there products and they are of high quality and standard which is the only reason i decided to work with them ill bring you more information on the store and all the products featured so stay tuned……..Btw i am rocking my RPI hair which help me create this awesome victory roll today!

And these fabulous glasses are the ones from my previous post Phoenix Freebie Finds check out that post to see how you can get a great pair of glasses for free!

I Did IT! Im a monster!!!!!!

Sooooooo I've been a busy girl in the past few weeks lots of things going on right now lots of plans being made. First things first, In and effort to expand my fitness career i took the Les Mills CX WORX training course LesMills.com. Let me tell you it was brutal to say the least the program is a wonderful program for toning and strength training

 my instructor Angel was awesome but a no nonsense kinda fella we had to hold a 5 minute plank/hover i hurt in places i didn't know i had mucsles!

  I was the one to cry on the first day i admit it BUT i left the class feeling accomplished now i have to practice practice practice and get my video finished before i can't teach on my own, If you have never tried a strength training class and your a cardio junkie like me i recommend trying CX WORX or any of the Les Mills programs I'm looking forward to building and toning my mucles giving my body more definition! NO WORRIES in a ZUMBA ADDICT for life! this is just something I'm adding to the resume! Have a great Day and be Happy, Healthy, and Blessed! And remember anything is possible if you believe in yourself!