​My first item is about Warmth! With the frigid temperatures lately, this was on the top of my list! This great Canada Goose Winter Jacket has all the feels! And since they offer all kinds of styles, you can find just the right one for your taste here www.canadagoose.com/ca/en/shop/women/

Next, you can't go wrong with Sparkles!! I'm loving these Morganite studs from Peoples Jewelers!! And guess what..... they are on sale! www.peoplesjewellers.com/50mm-morganite-stud-earrings-10k-rose-gold/p/V-19563576

​I have a scarf on my list this year as well. Are you starting to see the theme of Warmth!!  Not just any scarf, but this gorgeous Louis Vuitton Beyond Monogram Shawl! LOVE LOVE it!! This silk-wool blend comes over sized and in many different colors! 

If you are like me, and have like a zillion perks cards, this next item is one for you! The Yves Saint Laurent Card holder. I really am into this Monogram Card Case in embossed leather! It is 100% calf skin leather (which I'm not sure I want one know, after reading this) and is made in Italy! Come to think about it, I'm gonna take a look at Matt and Nat for one now..... be right back......

There we go, much better!! This is their slim wallet. This is cruelty free, and not made with animal based materials! Plus they are Canadian Based!! Starting out in Montreal!! Yep, changed my mind to this one! Hey, a girl has the right to change her mind right?? 

Next up is some UGG slippers.... again with the warmth!  But alas... yet again made with Sheep Skin.... Grrr... Can't a girl get some warmth without the cruelty. But if you're OK with that, then these babies will keep you warm through out the rest of the winter!

I'm hoping for a nice night out as well.  I highly recommend the Wildstone Grill here in St. Marys, Ontario! Their food is wonderful and the atmosphere is great! You can find their menu and address here wildstone.ca/

Back with the jewels! Seriously, you can't go wrong with Sparkle!  I am loving this heart necklace and earring set from Stella and Dot. But if they aren't your cup of tea, then for sure you will be able to find something from this company! They offer all kinds of styles! You can shop here www.stelladot.com/sites/cherylwhatley

Do you like flowers on Valentine's Day? I'm really not one for flowers, and I not a fan of roses either, but these just scream my name!  These Luxe Bloom Infinity Violets are the real deal! They come preboxed and are said to last a year or more!! Yay!! I would love to have these delivered to my door!

And last, but not least, just to make my life a little bit easier, I'm looking at this Roomba! You can purchase the iRobot Roomba at Canadian Tire here: www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/irobot-roomba-652-vacuuming-robot-0436889p.0436889.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAs8XiBRAGEiwAFyQ-esjFPWkXobg64yXrI_rsSoeqxgPrpnIEaNivHm-5JfhWkSNvw9-atBoCIuMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=91

The whole idea of not having to get out the vacuum and spend my time doing this stupid chore is awesome, but with a dog and 3 cats, just how much hair will it pick up?  But the thought of not having to vacuum out weighs the reality of the quality of the performance of the machine, let's me add it to my list!

Of course, you know, I probably won't get any of these items, that are on my list, but it helps to put the ideas out there..... please universe (or hubby)!  What are some things on your list for Valentine's Day?  Do you get gifts or give them?

Until Next time, Happy Valentine's Day



Cheryl Ann xo

Below you will find what I ate on my first week of weight watchers! I have to say I started out very good! I stuck with it and ate within my points value!

Going Clock wise starting at the top left, PF Chang Chicken wraps, Ham and Potato Crock Pot Back, Tacos, and Egg White and Veggie Scramble!

My Lunches looked like this

Salad, Almonds and Low Fat Old Cheese! Keeping myself accountable!

Until Next time


Cheryl Ann xo

Before I started WW, I made this recipe for my family and it was a great hit! I haven't made it since joining Weight Watchers, so I can't begin to tell you how many points are in one, but if I ever make it again, I will let you know.  I just call this Chicken Goodness, and I have been known to make it with Pork Chops as well.  Here is what I did.....

First start off with your choice of Chicken or Pork Chops. On this particular day, I used Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, but you could use either.  I then sprayed the tin foil with Pam, to avoid the end result from sticking to the cookie sheet.

I then placed the chicken evenly on the sheet and grabbed the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge! I used only three ingredients besides the meat. Italian Style Bread Crumbs, Ranch Dressing and Parmesan Cheese.

I covered the top of the chicken breasts with a light layer of Ranch dressing using a spoon. You could do thick, if you want, it all depends on your preference of Ranch Taste. I keep it light as my son is very picky and would never eat it if it tasted too "Ranchy".

Using a spoon, I smoothed it out on top like this.

Next, I coated the top of the Ranch dressing with the Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs.
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Next I sprinkled the Parmesan Cheese on top of the bread crumbs. I then placed them in the oven and cooked them for 30 minutes at 350, flipping over half way through the cooking time and following the same steps as above!

And Voila!! Done! It may not look like much but it is very yummy!! You should try it!
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Let me know if you try it! 
Until next time


Cheryl Ann xo

It's about that time again for EMPTIES!!! Yep the time that I show everyone what's in my trash!! I collected a bunch of different things, this time around, so let's get into it!

First off, I went through a bottle of my Bioderma cleansing water. Love this stuff, and constantly repurchase this, but if you have been following me for a while, this wouldn't be the first time you have heard of this magical water, as I use this stuff everyday and have been talking about it for forever.
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​If you have been a follower of my blogs, you know that I tried out the Monat Line when it came to Canada.  While it did make my hair silkier, because it is all made from OIL, I didn't like that I couldn't go more than one day without washing it, and that REALLY, it didn't do much at all different from other shampoos and conditioners. Now saying this, I am speaking of professional brands, not the crap brands that you can find.  I mean, I don't have to tell you, you get what you pay for! So.... of course there were lots of Monat products that I finished and trashed!

I finished the Revive Shampoo, and yes I WON'T be repurchasing it! Like I stated earlier, you can get great shampoos that don't cost an arm and leg. I know they state that they have no harsh chemicals etc, but if you shop around, you WILL find other options then this line.  I also finished the Replensh Masque. It was ok! And no I'm not repurchasing it either! Sorry Monat!! I just found that with extended use, my hair felt like a grease pit! Again, research products that are similar! 

Keeping with hair products, I found a professional brand that worked well for me! I purchased the Matrix Total Results High Amplify Shampoo and Conditioner line and am happy to say that I was very impressed.  My hair felt great and their wasn't as much hair loss! The smell was good and I felt that it did the job! (Sorry for the gross ness of the pictures, keeping it real folks, it was in my shower for over 2 months!)

I have a couple face washes that I used up. The  first was the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Detox! I felt this was a good cleanser, BUT not the cleanser to remove any makeup.  If you were using it for just a morning face cleanser, like I did, it was fine, but it wasn't the best at taking off your face for the day!

The next was the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser from Drunk Elephant. Now I'm gonna be honest with ya, I only used this a couple times, because I couldn't get past the horrible scent.  It almost smelt like it went bad!! I mean, it shouldn't have, because I purchased it from Sephora and used it within a couple weeks, but HOLY!! It smelt rank!! Gross! If anyone has used this cleanser, please let me know your thoughts on this, because as you know the brand Drunk Elephant is a fairly high end brand, and I'm not willing to spend a ton on something that normally smells this gross!  Maybe I did get a bad batch, but I'm not emptying my handbag to repurchase another to find out! Let me know.......

I bought my favourite hand soap at the end of summer and this time I decided to try out a new scent. I bought this at Canadian Tire (which is where I purchase this brand) and although I have used the brand Mrs Meyer*s forever, I had never tried this scent.  I LOVED it! It was strong, so if you aren't a big peony scent lover, then skip it, but for me it was life!
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Next up I have a face moisturizer and a face mask. The moisturizer was the Garnier Moisture Rescue! I have used this before and would again repurchase it! 

The face mask was the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask . I really didn't like this, because, I don't like peel off masks, and I didn't read the label 100% before clicking the "add to basket" button on the Sephora website! OOPPS my bad... but as far as it working, I'm not sure cause I only used it a couple times, and as you can see, there is still a lot left in the tube, but I just can't do it! That's how much I can't wear peel off masks!
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I was at an event not so long ago and I decided to try the Billion Dollar Brow products.  I was so interested in seeing the results of the Brow Boost has my brows have seen better days. I honestly didn't notice any big difference! Now I have heard people rave about lash and brow serums, but for me, there wasn't a noticeable difference. Maybe another product line would give different results, I'm not sure! 

The last couple months have seen me go through a couple mascara's!  I know lots of people who have lash extensions and love them, but I am still a mascara and false lash typa gal!! So I tend to go through lots! Here are my choices for the last bit! ( I also took close up's of the applicators, as some ladies are quite fussy with them!)

1) Younique Moodstuck Epic Mascara - Was great! Loved it! Already repurchased it!

2) Marcelle Extension Plus  - Liked it, Liked the plastic applicator, would repurchase!

3) L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara - ( I know, I know, I hated it last time, why buy it again? Well to be fair, I really wanted to try it again and so many people love it.....) - Hated it, NOPE NEVER AGAIN - WILL NOT REPURCHASE!! FOR REALLLLL THIS TIME!

What were some of your products you used up?  Did you want to try any of these?? Let me know
Until next time,


 Cheryl Ann xo

PS.... After finishing up this post, there are a couple more items I would like to add... These 2 lipglosses went bad and well the blush died! 
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The first gloss was the NARS gloss in Turkish Delight! Yes, I jumped on that band wagon and bought it! I actually found it a bit too light for my complexion, but I made it work.  
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Next is the Hourglass Gloss in Child. I liked it ok, but didn't reach for it much!
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And lastly, the Benefit blush in Bella Bamba. It was one of my older blushes, but I still used it quite often. But alas, it came to it's death the other day, and I have to say Good Bye to it! It was probably time anyway!

OK well I did it! I went to my first night at Weight Watchers! I was so nervous to go for two reasons, One being that I was unsure of who all would be there and judge me, and Two being that I would have to step on the scale, which is something that I haven't done in a long time!  I actually know what my beginning weight was BEFORE the new medication and now.... I've gained over 20 pounds on the damn stuff.... 24 to be EXACT! 

It wasn't so bad, going to the meeting, I only really knew a couple people, and no one seemed "judgey" at all! I took in all the information that the coach and speaker said to me, filled out my forms and jumped on the scale.  From there, there is the "meeting" part of the night where you could ask questions and the speaker/coach would talk about your previous week.  Since it didn't really apply to me, as I just started that night, I was more or less reading the information that was given to me.

I'm going to be completely honest with you friends.... my weight has NEVER been this much and I feel that in order to work on it, I must see it in writing! I starting weight is 270 lbs..... That's right, you read it correctly... 270 lbs. Holy Fuckers!!  Right now as I am typing this post, I am feeling very vulnerable.  I'm feeling very scared and anxious, and very very much ashamed.  I am putting this out for the whole world to read. Shit just got real!! By doing this, I'm hoping that I will stick with this program, and not drop out like last time!! You can't believe all the guilt and frustration and humility associated with pressing the post button and leaving myself wide open for comments.  But, as I stated earlier, I'm hoping to use it as a tool to keep me motivated!! 

The way Weight Watchers works, is you are allotted a certain number of points, mine is 31, and each food is given a "point" value. ie: eggs are 0 points, where as 1 cup of 1% milk is 4 points.  You track all your food choices for the day with the "points" and your main goal is to stay within your allowed points!  You do have some "weekly points", that you can use if you happen to go over your daily, but that isn't the idea, and they are to be used if you were say going out for supper to a restaurant.  There are several 0 point foods that are meant to help you feel full during the day or are to make better snack options, And as well as food tracking, you also track your fitness level. Now I believe the more fitness you do during a day, you are awarded some extra food points! (Haven't yet confirmed this*)

Every week I hope to being doing a blog post "check in" for my followers! It will consist of how I'm feeling, my results of my weight in and my food choices for that week, whether good or bad! I will hopefully, (fingers crossed) be also touching on what fitness routines I am also doing!

This weekly check in, is really only two days... but I'm writing it out anyway.  The first day was a total flop (I actually started counting my points on the 1st, before the meeting) I ate pie and licorice! "What a failure! But I have to do better the next day", I told myself. Wednesday, the 2nd was a better day, I followed the points system well, but then had too many nuts, and a glass of milk, chocolate in fact! Okay, I know what your saying, that's not on the program... it is but I used A LOT  of points to drink it... To be honest, I actually grabbed the glass and poured myself the chocolate milk and drank it, BEFORE checking the points value!  Let me tell you, I will not be doing that again.  I will check the points value FIRST, before eating/drinking anything.  Of course, this comes out of habit.  I never had to check into the meal/drink before hand, so I am hoping to will start to become a habit! All in all, the two days, were in fact, not the best ones, but I am hoping for a better week this one!

As I am writing this, I am chopping on carrot sticks! They are 0 points, so I'm okay there! For lunch today is a salad with a hard boiled egg, 0 pts, and 0 pts! (pts = points) And of course, I can't forget my water.  This afternoon will be tough, as I have more paperwork and reading to do, and I have noticed that when I get bored or when I watch TV, I tend to munch!  So I have to be so careful!  Are you like that?  For me night time is the worst time! I have purchased gum, so I'm hoping that will help me not think about eating.

I know this post was all over the place, with no apparent purpose, other than spew out my thoughts on paper, but I'm hoping you will stick with me, as when I do the weekly posts in the future, I hope to be logging my meals etc too!

Thank you for reading until the end of my verbal diarrhea.....

Until next time,

​Cheryl Ann xo
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Wow!, I can't believe it's 2019 already! Where did the time go?  I remember, not so long ago that I was set in a deep depression and I honestly didn't know if I could make it until the summer! Well summer has come and gone, and so far, so good, my depression is at bay, and hopefully won't come back anytime soon this winter! Now that I seem to be on level ground, it is time that I make some new years resolutions!

Now I don't like to call them resolutions, as I don't like to set myself up for failure, so I call them my 2019 goals. I have set two major goals for myself and 2 minor goals. The two most major goals for this year are: 
1) Save Money - Well this one seems to be on everyone's resolution list this year. I have asked around and this seems to be the top one on everyone's list.  For me, tho, it is imperative. Since I was off for over a year in 2016/17, then we used up most of our savings and our finances are not were they should be.  I will be going further into the "Save Money" plans and strategies in an upcoming post, so keep an eye out for that!

2) Lose Weight - OK ... don't most people say this at the first of the year, after they have pigged out at Christmas time?  I know I do!! But this goal is A MUST for me! I am going to be totally honest with you, I can't see my feet anymore!! Or bend over properly! Things have gotten right out of hand!! Now I know that it was mostly the fact that I have been eating terrible, And of course my age, but no matter what I ate or what I did, I seemed to be hungry ALL THE DAMN TIME! I caulked it up to depression or the weather, or anything else that I thought was going on at the time.... WELL this is where it gets interesting....
So you all know by now that I was fighting an invisible battle with my mental health right.?!.. if you don't see post here www.theemptyhandbag.com/lifestyle/so-sorry-its-been-awhile .. well as well as that (or in combination with that) I also was having difficulties sleeping, which then didn't help me at all with my anxiety! My doctor put me on a different medication and tweaked my other one, well..... as I got to reading the contraindications for this particular drug, I read.... Used mostly for help with eating disorders - The drug has also been prescribed as an appetite stimulant. (One of its most common side effects is weight gain.) WAIT WHAT!!!  Am I reading this right?  Common side effects are GAINING WEIGHT AND INCREASE IN APPETITE!! Well for fuck sakes!!! No wonder, I am having such an issue with weight lately. Well now that I know this and now that I recognize that symptoms, I am able to better understand my eating, more importantly, what I put in my mouth!! I went to my doctor to discuss this, and more importantly, how to stop it. There is another drug I can take to stop the feeling the sensation of "being hungry".... But I have decided to not take it. Firstly, I really don't need anymore medication in my system and secondly, It has been know to cause tumours. No thanks... I'll do it on my own. So I'm hitting up Weight Watchers! (again) and this time I'm committed to winning! I would really like to see my feet again! I am also planning weekly check ins with you via this platform, to hold me accountable! I start WW tonight... I'm very excited yet not really wanting to see that weight number on the sheet!

Those are the two major ones, the two minor goals are blogging more, and living more "in the moment".. I seem to aways be thinking of the next day or next week. I really want to be living in the present. Along with the financial planning that I'm going to do, I'm also going to be doing time management and time management planning... Got to get it together this year!

As I stated earlier in this post, I will be covering each of these "goals" in more detail in the coming days/weeks. Please keep your eye out for them, in the mean time, I hope you all the best for the new year, and I hope that if you set goals for yourself, they will manifest into reality!!

Until next time,


Cheryl Ann xo