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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

So this morning I concocted a yummy, healthy smoothie. It was super easy, super quick and did the trick.

Ingredients:
1/2 frozen banana (I already had it sliced and in the freezer)
1 c. fat-free milk
1 t. PB2 (powdered peanut butter is my favorite right now)
1 packet of Weight Watchers chocolate smoothie mix

Combine the ingredients in a blender until smooth. The frozen banana will give it a thicker texture and won’t water it down like ice will.

The best part of this smoothie? It’s only 4 PointsPlus values! The banana and PB2 are both 0 PP+ values.

If you haven’t tried PB2 yet then I recommend it. 2 Tablespoons are only 1PP+. It can be combined with water or your daily oil, which is my favorite because it makes it a bit creamier.

The only sad part about my smoothie was when I finished it! HA!

Cheers!

An exciting time

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

It’s a pretty exciting time for me right now. I’m ready for what the future has to offer, my eyes are open and I will not ignore any more opportunities.

The most exciting part of 2013 is J and I’s wedding in November. We’ve been planning, organizing, and buying items for it. The closer we get the more ready I am for it to get here. I haven’t been too overwhelmed yet, but I’m sure it’ll hit. We are almost 5 months away from the big day!

These two pups mean the world to me. The love I get from them and give to them is priceless.

And finally, my new Etsy venture is thrilling. I will be adding more items to the shop this coming week. I’ve spent time creating new designs, working on my policies, and even my business plan. I may have a degree in Marketing, but actually attempting to use what I’ve learned is a whole new ball game. I’ve been reading up on SEO, advertising, sponsorships, etc.

Cheers to exciting times!

New Adventure

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Alright, it’s time for a new adventure. I have to keep moving.

You may have noticed that the name of the blog has changed. That’s because ….

I would like to introduce you to my new Etsy shop – MereLynneConcepts. I will continue to add items over the next few days (hopefully) for a long time.

I would love it if you would take a look at my shop and I am open to any suggestions that you might have.

Prioritizing

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

photo by DColeman Photography.

Priorities. I’ve given it a lot of thought. I know what makes me happy in life from work-life to home-life. I know what I need to succeed and go to bed each night knowing that I have accomplished something that day. Whether my accomplishment is big or small.

For me, it’s pretty simple (at least I like to think so). I need:
– the love of my fiance, J
– cuddles from two rowdy pups, Maggie and Tiny
– a job that not only pays the bills, but one that I feel I am truly helping someone else
– a roof over my head
– something to be working towards
– my friends
– my family
– being creative

A lot of these parts intermingle with each other. For instance, being creative, having a job, and something to works towards can all be combined. I believe that if I find a passion that combines all three then I will have found my dream job.

Having something to work towards is something that I’ve recently struggled with. I graduated with my undergraduate degree. One year later, I started pursuing my Masters. Now, I’ve graduated and … now what? It’s hard for someone who has always been working towards some sort of degree to know where to go to next. I know that I need to find a career that I am passionate about; however, I am wanting to move out of Springfield within the next few years. So, for me this time needs to be spent finding out what qualities of a job make me the happiest, what qualities I want to avoid at all costs, and where J and I want to end up.

It’s a process. A deep process with quite a bit of thought and time. I cannot rush and I have to go with the flow.

For someone who is as Type A as I am, this time can be challenging. Here’s to hoping that I can take a deep breath.

Cheers!

Now that the moving is done, it’s time to unpack

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Oh how I hate moving. Something about moving furniture, boxes, trying to stay organized is one of the most tiring things I can think of.

J and I are officially in our new place; however, the unpacking has begun. It’s a challenge combining two people’s apartments into one house. Compromise is huge. J has dealt with the fact that I get more of the master closet than he does, but I have accepted that I now have a Bud Light picture hanging in the kitchen. It’s all about compromise people. I’m trying hard here.

While moving I’m sure that there will be items that you no longer need/want to keep. For instance, I have a lot, a lot of clothes. So, I went through while packing and unpacking to see what I don’t wear on a normal basis. I’ve collected about 6 garbage bags full of clothes to donate. Now I’ve done my research and have decided to make my donation to Missouri Council of the Blind that is here locally.

This week will be long and feel like it’s going to be some time before all of the boxes are unpacked. Just keep working, one box at a time. I had a goal to get the kitchen in order, most of the master bedroom, and the guest bedroom (mainly because my Mom and sister are coming this weekend). Slowly, but surely it is coming together.

Cheers,

Mere

I said “Yes!”

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

It’s official, J and I are engaged!

I still get a big, goofy smile on my face when I say that sentence. I have been in la-la land planning, dreaming the perfect wedding.

I hope to share ideas and DIY projects that we will be incorporating into our wedding. So far, I’ve ordered a few items from Etsy. A lovely save-the-date sign from ArmyMOMOfTwins for our engagement photo session and because her signs were just too hard to pass up I also ordered a Mr. and Mrs. sign for our reception chairs. Check out the save-the-date sign here and the reception chair signs here.

I had a hard time deciding which projects that I wanted to make myself and which ones I would order from Etsy or have someone else do. I finally reached a decision maker that was too hard to argue with… If it is going to cost more to get the materials needed to make it than it would to purchase (including shipping costs) than I would order it. It was simple money-saving tactics that persuaded me. I don’t need a bunch of paint, ribbon, and other items that I will not use for another project.

I hope to share my projects, ideas, and final outcomes throughout the planning process. We have about 9 months till the wedding, so I have some work cut out for me.

Cheers,

Mere

photo credit

reflection of the past 3 years

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I know, I know. It’s a bit late around here, but I’ve been working all day and then came home to cook a delicious dinner for J and I. Then in ironic fashion I sat on the couch for two hours while watching The Biggest Loser. At least I got in some activity at work today!

Now, here I am prepping for my Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow and it’s got me thinking about where my life has taken me the past 3 years. It’s been a pretty amazing journey and I’m happy to say that it’s nowhere near over.

I’ve discovered so much about myself. For instance, I’m an extrovert. I didn’t know that 3 years ago. I love to cook healthy. Developing a healthy body starts with your mind. When I started to lose weight 3 years ago it never occurred to me that your mind needs to be in partnership with your body. Once my mind snapped to it, then the rest followed in suit. Such a great feeling!

Cheers!

P.S. I am still well aware that I need to share my Resolutions still. However, for January I decided no more Diet Coke and so far … so good! I’m a week strong!

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Life is a ride. Simple phrase that explains so much.

I graduated from college with my Masters. Celebrated Christmas with my family and J’s family. Traveled over 8 hours in a car in less than 36 hours. Rang in the New Year with J and some great friends. Started living on my own again. survived what felt like a plague that lasted way too long.

I plan on sharing my New Year’s Resolutions with you in the next few days and to blog a bit more consistently in 2013.

Here’s to hoping and trying to develop better habits, spend more time laughing and less time stressing this year.

Cheers!

Diet 7-Up Biscuits

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a day filled with love and yummy goodness!

J and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together this year. Due to work schedules we both weren’t able to make the drive home, especially since our drive is in opposite directions of one another. It just made it too difficult. So, we made the best of it and celebrated on our own.

I got there just in time for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to start, which is my absolute favorite part of the day. I’ve seen a 7-Up Biscuit recipe on Pinterest lately and it looked delicious. I adapted the recipe to be a bit more Weight Watcher friendly and the results were a-mazing.

Ingredients:

2 C. Heart Smart Bisquick
1/2 C. light Sour Cream
1/2 C. diet 7-Up
1/4 C. melted butter (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix sour cream and bisquick together. Add 7-Up to mix. The dough will be really soft. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of a 9×9 pan. Next, sprinkle some bisquick mix onto the counter and spread out the dough. You don’t want to knead the dough, but just pat and spread to be about one-inch thick. Use a glass or a biscuit cutter and cut out biscuits. Place in pan and bake at 450 degree for about 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 9 servings – 4 WWPointsPlus per serving

I had one biscuit that didn’t want to cooperate when I was putting it into the pan… I’m sure you can figure out which one that was. Oh well! Recipes can’t always be picture perfect, but they were still delicious.

Check Marks for Fall

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Now that it is finally starting to feel like fall around the heartland I can create my fall to do list. Here are a few of the things that I cannot wait to cross off with my favorite season of the year.

1) Ghost Tour of the historic Pythian Castle here in Springfield.

2) Carve a pumpkin.

3) Host a ‘family’ Thanksgiving dinner with J and the pup. Since are families live 3 hours apart it will be hard to spend time together on the actual day, so we have hopes of celebrating together – just our little family.

4) Update my wardrobe with a few new chunky cardigans and eye catching scarves.

5) Spend some time reading something out of enjoyment and not necessity. First up – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

6) Complete a few crafts that I have been putting off, including my new nail polish display rack.

7) Start researching a new home to rent this coming Spring.

8) Become a bit more organized with my budgeting.

9) Drive to my absolute favorite in the world Apple Butter Festival in Kimmswick, MO

10) Develop some new post ideas and tutorials.

Now that fall has officially arrived, what are your plans?

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