GratiTuesday- New Size for Life

I have a friend who goes to Weight Watchers with me and is my walking buddy.  She started out smaller than me, so as we have now both lost a good bit of weight we’re not fitting into our clothes anymore.  Well….  She came by last night and gave me some of the clothes that she no longer fits into…  They’re size 14 and THEY FIT!!!!  I’m so excited!  It’s always fun to get new clothes.  And, I’ve never cared whether my new cloths were actually “new” or “new to me”…  But I DO care that they are a smaller size!!!!

I also got some new bras in the mail that I had ordered from Bare Necessities.  They are the only place I can find my size of bra for a decent price.  For those few men who read my blog, you can stop reading now…. 

Ok….  Is it just us girls now?????

I wear a 34 DDD, and it seems the retailers think 2 things.  If you’re a 34, you’re not a DDD…  And if you’re a DDD you’re not interested in cute bras, you just want an over the shoulder boulder holder.  I have, in the past gone to specialty bra shops in the area, but end up paying close to $75 per bra that way.  I just plain can’t afford that.  I love Bare Necessities because they have every size known to man (literally), and their prices are good.  I got 3 bras for less than $55 shipped!    And they’re cute too! 

So, today, I’m thankful that I’m in a different size – a smaller size – which means I need new clothes and new bras

I can’t believe I just broadcasted my bra size to the world……….

FYI- I was not compensated in ANY WAY for my endorsement of Bare Necessities.  I just love the site

Menu Monday- 9/26

Well, it’s been another off week for me.  I’ve got to get better control of my time.  It was my husband’s 40th birthday last week and I didn’t walk Thursday or Friday because I wanted to spend some time with him while he was home.  My problem is, if I don’t do it in the morning it doesn’t happen   I also ate way too much cake and drank way too much wine on his birthday LOL…  The next day I ate the majority of the remaining rice crispy base from his cake and by the evening I threw what was left AWAY!!!  Clearly, I can’t stay out of it.  So, I’m disappointed in myself for giving in to the sweets…  And I paid for it with a very upset stomach all night Saturday night too….  WHEN will I learn????  But, I am proud of myself for ultimately throwing it out instead of continuing on my bad cycle for another day….

The good news is that when I weighed in last week I had lost all 4.6 pounds I had gained the week before and another .4 for a total loss that week of 5 pounds!  Just goes to show when I’m really focused the plan DOES work..

So, here’s my plan to get back with the program this week:

• Walk a minimum of 30 miles
• Do some upper body strengthening exercise at least 2 times this week
• Check off my good health guidelines at least 5 days
• Drink at least 2 full water bottles each day
• Make sure to eat enough protein
• Continue to work on finding healthy breakfast options

Here’s my review of the breakfast foods I tried last week:

• Two Bite Breakfast-  SOOO Yum!  I figured them to be about 4 points a piece depending on the type of bread and cheese…  I liked them so much I made them twice last week!!!
• Bacon Egg Cups—On the list to try this week
• Power Bars--  Made a version of them that didn’t include Grape Nuts, but just extra oats.  These were very filling and good.  I figured them at about 4 points a piece as well…  Will definitely make them again, probably this week
• Blueberry Muffins—On the list for this week
• Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole—On the menu to try this week again- didn’t get to it last week…

Here’s the menu:

Monday:  Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus (from last week)

Tuesday:  Chicken Sausage on the grill, mixed veggies

Wednesday:  Big kids at EYC, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, fruit for the babies

Thursday:  Chili to Warm You

Friday:   Macaroni and Cheese for the kids, Date night for me and the hubs

Saturday:  Chicken and Dumplings

Sunday:  Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

Singing Saturday- Love is In the House

This is like my theme song…  Mostly because of the chorus- “When love is in the house the house is packed….”  My house is packed a lot!  Especially last night as we celebrated my husband’s birthday

 

Love is In the House- TobyMac

I clear my throat before I grab the mic
I need uno momento
Them cynics gonna ride me like a pinto
No resentment do you comprehend my innuendo
You still can’t leave the party til you drop your crucial info
Am I jaded in assuming that you’re simply bound to do me
Like them other lyricists who’s message ain’t so gloomy
Pan my positivity cause love has let you down
Cuz if they taste the love you tasted
They’d be making sweeter sounds, ‘T

Government checks they flex with no dollars
Two turntables and a plate full of collards
Royalty checks reflects with few dollars
But my DJ makes the people wanna holler

[CHORUS]
Love is in the house and the house is packed
So much so I left the back door cracked
Mama always said it’s a matter of fact
that when love is in the house the house is packed
Love is in the house and the house is packed
So much so I left the back door cracked
Daddy always said that I wish I was black
cuz when love is in the house the house is packed

Packed like a baby nine months in the womb
Man it was packed like the closet full of Nike’s in my room
Singin’ Oh sweet Lord take me to the next level
Where the love’s much thicker than the stares of my devils
So whether or not this is a dream or reality
Let me appeal to the graces of His majesty
Amazing it will be when this tree bears life
My roots run to the river and the Giver of Life

Corporate jets they flex with big dollars
Two palm pilots and a room full of bawlers
Royalty checks reflects with few dollars
But amazing grace makes the people wanna holler

[CHORUS]

Woke up this morning, didn’t know what to do
There was people all around me tellin’ me to sing the blues
Said they ain’t seen no happy since 1992
Then they turned to me thinking I’d agree and I offered
this humble view

Family Time Friday- The Importance of Time

It has been said by many a busy parent- “It’s not the quantity of time, but the quality of time that matters”.  Well, I’m here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.  I’m sorry, I know people will disagree with me on this, but hear me out.

Think about when you go to dinner with someone.  Very rarely will your conversation turn deep right at the beginning.  Even it is someone with whom you are very close, you still get certain pleasantries out of the way first before really going in deep.  How many times have you stayed after a church activity with a friend because right as you were about to leave she dropped something heavy in the conversation?  That’s because the required amount of quantity had been reached for her to feel safe enough to drop it.  This is not a conscious decision most of the time.  It just happens.

I listen to our local Christian radio station almost exclusively in the car, and the speaker was talking about how some of his best conversations with his teenage son have occurred when he is dog tired, and ready for bed.  He had gone in to say good night and asked if there was anything the son needed------and well, they were up all night.  He was cautioning us parents to not put those moments off.  This really spoke to me, because by the time I’m ready to go to bed, which is very early in the evening by teenage standards, I am in no mood for a deep discussion.  And, my kids know it…..  It’s so easy for me to say- I’ve been with you all day, and I’ll be with you all day tomorrow, can we talk about it then?  And you know what?  It doesn’t ever happen.  We as parents need to remember to be available for our kids.  Even if it’s in the middle of the night and they want to talk about how hard Algebra is…….

Moreover, I think it’s especially hard to balance taking care of ourselves and our goals and dreams and still taking care of our children and even our spouse.  We’ve all heard it said a million times- weekly date nights are so important for the marriage.  Why???  Because quantity of time matters.  My husband and I never really had a chance to do weekly date nights out when the older kids were little.  We don’t have family around with whom we can regularly drop our kids.  It’s something I plan to be for my kids- a regular drop point for babysitting- anyway, it made it difficult for us.  We made a commitment when we were pregnant with our oldest child that I would stay home, and that meant we would have to sacrifice financially.  Because of that, paying a babysitter, or even the expense of going out on a date weekly wasn’t really feasible.  So, we didn’t have date night.  We  made it, obviously, but I really want to communicate that if you have a friend you can trade off, even every other week, or once a month it is very important.  Recently, with the addition of our two youngest children, my husband and I decided that in order to survive all of these kids we MUST go out on date night.  We aim for once a week, and it doesn’t always happen, but it happens more than not.  It has done WONDERS for our marriage.  We have a great marriage anyway, don’t get me wrong…  but the quantity of quality time we’re now spending together has made us click more.  We don’t always have deep discussions while we’re out…   sometimes we barely talk….  but we just have a deeper connection because of the quantity of time.

So, if you’re busy with life- busy transporting the kids from one activity to the next, busy living your own life with your own social life, even busy at church, I want you to really pray about the quantity of time you are spending with your immediate family.  If you’re gone more hours in the day than you’re home and awake- there may be a problem here.  And, FYI- transporting them from activity to activity doesn’t count.  If you’re transporting that much- your kids are too busy too.  This is so easy to do in our society these days…..

In Bible study yesterday our leader said something that I wrote in my book and circled and drew arrows to:

If the devil can’t make you bad- he’ll make you busy.

Thoughtful Thursday-Financial Peace University

Have you noticed I haven’t posted since Monday?  Yeah…  I’ve got a little case of writer’s block….  I just keep staring at the blank screen…  I don’t know why….

It’s not that I don’t have anything on my mind…..  I’ve got lots… 

My husband and I recently started Financial Peace University at our church and it’s really beginning to open up the lines of communication between us.  This is a great thing for us.  It’s not that we *don’t* talk, it’s just that the way we handle the bills in my house is my husband works and I handle the money.  He trusts me (maybe even more than I trust myself) to do what is best, and I just do what I think is best.  Us communicating more about it is a good thing because I’ve never felt real good about having the responsibility of all of the decisions.  I mean, after all, HE is the one who works 3 jobs to support us, I think he should know what the money is being spent on!  He just hasn’t wanted to deal with it because, no matter how much money you make there just isn’t enough……  And, to him it bothers him that I can’t just go buy what I want when I want it.  It doesn’t bother me at all.  I wouldn’t trade the ability to be home with my kids for the ability to buy what I want when I want it….  And, while we don’t have play money, we have a nice house, and food on the table, and gas in the cars, and the bills are paid (most of the time LOL)…  Not everyone is as lucky as I am to have a husband willing to work as hard as mine does so that they can stay home with the kids.  I am truly, truly blessed to have a husband who believes in the importance of that as much as I am.  He’s never guilted me about not working.  Never. 

FPU is much more than what I expected.  I think sometimes it doesn’t get the reputation it deserves.  People thing FPU is for people who aren’t able to pay their bills, or are in debt to their eyeballs.  It is helpful for that, but there is SO much more to the program.  So much about budgeting and saving and how that all works.  I’m really enjoying learning more about those things so I can do better with our financial future (not present)….  And, having two heads on the matter instead of one actually kind of makes me giddy inside   Am I weird?  I just know this is going to make a real difference in our family’s future.

So, I guess my message for today would be if you have the opportunity at all to attend FPU, whether you are doing “fine” financially or not, I think you should go.  Heck- we can always learn more and do better, right?????

Menu Monday- 9/19

Last week when I weighed in I got a “talking to” by the scale.  You see, one of the main reasons I don’t make many cakes anymore is because it is very bad for my waistline.  And, evidently a wedding cake is VERY bad.  4.6 pounds in one week bad.  And start a downward spiral bad.  I’ve already lost some of it, but to be real honest, it’s been very difficult to get back on the bandwagon this week.  I’m hoping some good grocery shopping and planning will do the trick. 

I also didn’t walk as much last week, which I did get back into the swing of this week.  And, honestly, it felt good to complete that 10 mile walk on Friday!  Because of my tendonitis I haven’t done a 10 miler in a while.  But, it’s feeling better, and so was I

My goals for this week are:

• Stay in my points range
• More veggies
• More water
• Less sugar
• Check off the good health guidelines at least 4/7 days

I also want to do some healthier breakfasts around here, so I’ll be trying some new ones out.  I don’t have the desire to cook every morning….  Or even most mornings…  but it is better to start the day with a healthy breakfast, so I’m going to give it a try

Here’s the menu:

Monday:  Taco Soup, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

Tuesday:  TV Dinners for the kids, Date night for me and hubs

Wednesday:  Tater Tot Casserole 

Thursday:  Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

Friday:  Lasagna Cups, Artichoke Bread, Birthday Cake, Ice Cream

Saturday:  Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus

Sunday:  Snack Dinner

Breakfasts to try:

• Two Bite Breakfast
• Bacon Egg Cups
• Power Bars
• Blueberry Muffins

Singing Saturday- When Everything Falls

I have a friend who is going through an incredibly difficult time right now. I hope she can find peace in just holding on.

When Everything Falls- Fee

You said
You'd never leave or forsake me
When you said
This life is gonna shake me
You said
This world is gonna bring trouble on my soul
This I know

When everything falls apart
Your arms hold me together
When everything falls apart
You´re the only hope for this heart
When everything falls apart
And my strength is gone
I find you mighty and strong
You keep holding on
You keep holding on

When I see
The darkness all around me
When I see
The tragedy has found me
I still believe
Your faithful arms will never let me go
And still I know

 
When everything falls apart
Your arms hold me together
When everything falls apart
You're the only hope for this heart
When everything falls apart
And my strength is gone
I find you mighty and strong
You keep holding on
You keep holding on

Sorrow may last for the night
But hope is rising with the sun
Its rising with the sun
There will be storms in this life
But I know You will overcome

When everything falls apart
Your arms hold me together
When everything falls apart
You´re the only hope for this heart
When everything falls apart
And my strength is gone
I find You mighty and strong
You keep holding on

 
When everything falls apart
Your arms hold me together
When everything falls apart
You´re the only hope for this heart
When everything falls apart
And my strength is gone
I find You mighty and strong
You keep holding on
You keep holding on

Family Time Friday- Fun Recipes

In one of my email lists there was a link today. It’s a link to painted recipes from all over the world! This site is pretty cool!

  There are several types of recipes, all fairly simple.  They are very beautiful and you could print them up and use them to cook with small children, or even just to try something different for yourself

Some that I think I’ll be printing at some point are:  Chocolate Éclair Cake, Chocolate Cherry Mice- which I think would be especially fun at Christmas time

Let me know if you find any that you really like!

Thoughtful Thursday- Staying out of God’s Way

I have a lot going on in my thoughts right now.  There is a good bit of unrest among some of my closest friends and I have them in my thoughts and prayers constantly.  I feel very weighted down by the amount of “Stuff” that is going on around me.  My need for control drives me to want to go in and fix things for my friends.  My empathy for them makes me writhe in pain and cry out in prayer.  My past life experiences tell me that things are not always as they seem and we should approach some life circumstances with caution.  My faith tells me that God is always in control.  My head knows that even forgiven sin has consequences.

It’s a lot to balance.  I’m having a hard time finding myself in the mess.  I’m ok with that, because if I’m called to a season of prayer for my friends, then I’m honored to do it.  It’s just overwhelming sometimes.  And, while I’m in deep prayer for my friends I know that I’m doing something to help them with their various struggles, but I still feel like I’m not doing anything to help them.  I’m a doer.  A fixer. 

As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve learned that some things need to remain unsaid.  I’ve learned that it’s easy to overstep when your intention is to help.  I’ve learned that sometimes help isn’t help.  So, I pray.  I pray that God would direct my actions.  I pray that God would open my mouth when it needs to be opened, and shut it when it needs to be shut.  I pray that God would protect my friends, and cover them with peace.  I pray that I would stay out of HIS way!  And, I pray that above all else HIS WILL would be done.

There are many times in our lives when it’s so tempting to try to direct God’s will.  We really resisted it hard in the foster system.  Sometimes better than others.  We  learned a lot about God’s will through that.  But, it’s still hard when you have to go through hardships and scary times to not try to be in charge, or put God in a box.  And, by put God in a box I don’t just mean not acknowledge His awesome power, but I also mean that we expect a certain answer for our prayers. 

So, as I pray for my friends and their different needs I pray a pretty consistent prayer- that God’s will would be done, that above all else we would get out of His way, and that we would have peace at the end of the day, no matter the outcome, that He is in control. 

Wordless Wednesday- My First--- and Probably Last Wedding Cake :)

GratiTuesday

I have so much to be thankful for.  But this week I’ll focus on God’s perfect timing.  You see, my husband took a 20% pay cut back in March, and we’ve been hanging on, but barely.  We were already tight when that happened, and now we’re even tighter.  Over the summer we’ve sold furniture to make up the difference, he’s been working a ton of “extra jobs”, and we’ve cut all non-essentials.  For example, my husband has only 3 days off the entire month of September.  It’s tough, and it’s tight, but we’re ok

3 1/2 years ago my husband was in a car accident.  He was hit from behind and our car was totaled and he was out of work for 6 weeks.  It was rough.  The other person’s insurance company did not want to pay for our expenses (and in the end, still didn’t pay them all), so we had to hire an attorney.  GRRR.  Well, the money from that accident finally came in this week. .. And, the next day the battery died on my van…..  And, the day after that the coffee pot died…..  Are you seeing what I’m talking about?  These things may not seem like big deals to you, but when you’re already down to literally no money, something like a $100 battery or a $50 coffee pot IS a big deal.  There have been a few other emergencies as well, and in the end we’ve not been able to do what we wanted with this money.

We could have looked at it one of two ways: 

1. Why????  Why is that we finally have some money and can get this or that that something freakin breaks?????????  AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!    or…..
2. Wow!  God made sure we had that money to cover these expenses when they happened

We choose option 2.  And, it serves as a reminder that, while God works in our lives ALL the time, we don’t ALWAYS see or feel it.  If we went with number 1 we wouldn’t see God.

I hope this reminds you to always look for God in every situation.  Because He’s there, it’s just a matter of whether you’re seeing Him or not

Menu Monday- 9/12

Last week when I weighed in I reached 25 pounds lost!~   WOOHOO!!

Thought I should share a couple of pictures….

Here is my before picture that I posted in January. I was over 200 pounds in this picture:

Here’s a picture from the wedding this weekend- 25 pounds lighter:

Still a ways to go, but definitely making progress   With that- here’s my menu for the week:

Monday:  BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans

Tuesday:  Frito Pie

Wednesday:  Snack Dinner

Thursday: Fish Tacos 

Friday:  Cannelloni for Mikey and I, Pizza for the kids

Saturday:  Breakfast for Dinner

Sunday:  Taco Soup 

Singing Saturday- Safe in My Arms

It’s so hard to watch our children grow up knowing there will be trials in their lives.  As the mother of a teenager, I know the older he grows up the faster it seems to go.  As I look at my daughter and know the trials she’s already been through and that she’ll face trials, I just want to hold her tight.  We can’t keep our kids safe from trials, we have to give them to God, but I still like this song.

Safe In My Arms-Plumb

Your baby blues, so full of wonder
Your curly cues, your contagious smile And as I watch, you start to grow up All I can do is hold you tight
Knowing clouds will rage

And storms will race in but you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down, waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books full of fairy tales Of kings and queens and the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing You'll someday see the truth from lies
When the clouds will rage
And storms will race in but you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down, waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Because I will always, always love you

When the clouds will rage
And storms will race in but you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down, waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms, in my arms

Thoughtful Thursday- The Gift of Reconciliation

Reconciliation.  Forgiveness.  God’s been working on me for a while in this area.  One thing He’s been teaching me, is that I can’t control everything.  I am a control freak when it comes to my relationships.  I have no idea why.  I don’t know if it’s because I had some things happen to me growing up that made me fear loss, or if it’s just because I’ve got a type A personality, or maybe it’s that I’m not a strong person, but try to make it appear as I am through my façade of strength in my relationships?  I don’t know, really. 

I do have a great fear of loss, and that has done some weird things to me over my life.  When I was younger I would attach to friends or boyfriends *gasp* too quickly.  I would be completely heartbroken if they didn’t seem as attached to me as I was to them.  Especially then, I think I was looking for acceptance.  But, I was looking in the wrong place.

As I’ve gotten older, some things have happened to me that have tested my theories on relationships.  I’ve had some friendships that I thought were forever friendships turn into “for a time” friendships.  I’ve had some major conflict with my mother.  I’ve had conflicts with close friends.  I’ve even had someone whom I loved as a daughter leave without reason.   And, in the process of adopting my two youngest children I’ve had to deal with emotions towards their birth parents, and forgiving them, so that I can be a better parent and help my children heal from their own hurts.

Most especially through my trials with my mother, but also with the others I have really been taught about forgiveness.  When you are growing up you learn that you forgive someone when they say they are sorry.  But as life happens to you, you learn that often forgiveness needs to come before someone tells you they’re sorry.  This has been an interesting lesson to learn, but I believe it is part of God’s refining fire.  Is it easy to forgive someone before they’re sorry?  NO!  But the peace that you get in your heart is so worth it.

I think that often we miss the gift of reconciliation because we’re waiting for the person who hurt us to be sorry before we forgive them.  Where I finally came around with my mother to forgiveness, and I mean true forgiveness  not just lip service to that fact, was I realized that, even though she had hurt me deeply, I loved her still.

 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins”- 1 Peter 4:8  As we studied this verse last year in bible study I really pondered what it meant.  And, to me, it meant that we can overlook some things because of love.  It meant that we are all created imperfect.  To me it meant it was OK for me to be imperfect.  This, coupled with “Love each other deeply, from the heart”- 1 Peter 1:22 made me ponder what love means.

Where I went from here with God, is that if I hold unforgiveness in  my heart towards someone, I am asking God to pour out His wrath on that person because He has promised to make everything right and fight my battles for me.  And, if I truly love someone, deeply, from the heart, do I really want God’s wrath poured out upon that person?  No, no matter what, I do want that person to have peace.  This brought me to a place of desperation for my mother.  I couldn’t help but beg God for forgiveness myself, for my thoughts toward her.  And I found a place where I could forgive her, truly forgive her.

I do not believe that the timing of her letter was an accident.  I needed to come to a place of true forgiveness on my end before any reconciliation could take place.  I am learning through other people with whom I’ve had conflict that this is often the case.  And, when the gift of reconciliation comes, it is that much more sweet, because the forgiveness part is already done

 

Wordless Wednesday- What’s That?