Weekly Weigh In

It's late, but I'm posting my progress before the day is over. (I totally forgot to post last week!)

GUESS WHAT???




Well, actually, that makes 10 pounds I lost. But I lost the first 5 before I officially joined the challenge. (Started working on it when the challenge started, but wasn't sure if I was going to blog about it or not!)

I am VERY happy! And what is so cool is clothes that are already fitting me better.

This morning I put on a pair of warm-up type pants to go for my walk (not the noisy kind!)(it was actually too cold for shorts this morning!) and they fit me better than they did this time last year. Made me a very happy girl!

And tonight I put on a pair of pajamas hubby bought me a couple years ago. They actually fit me better than they EVER have! They were too short before, because too much of the material had to, um, cover my hips, backside and stomach. ahem. But the length is correct now because there's not as much to have to cover anymore!! Woo Hoo!!

And last but not least (don't laugh TOO hard on this one) but I put on my jeans the other day - fresh out of the dryer. Now we all know how jeans are tighter when they are fresh out of the dryer and will loosen a bit with wear. Well, I don't like them when they are fresh out of the dryer tight. So, I spritz them with water in all the right places and do a few lunges and squats to speed up the loosening process. However, the other day when I put on said fresh out of the the dryer jeans....I did NOT have to spritz them! They were no longer too tight!

I wonder how many more times I can squeeze the fresh out of the dryer phrase in this post? Ok, that was the last one.

I'm quite proud of myself on the eating front. Some days are a little more challenging than others, but I remind myself of my progress and that I don't want to mess that up! But really it's not too bad since I'm not totally depriving myself of anything - so it's not as big of a temptation.

I'm up to 2 miles on my walk. And we are walking it in about 45 minutes. (I walk with my neighbor.) It helps that I'm not having to lean over a stroller anymore. I now have a cart that attaches to the back of a bike with a much higher handle that I push Ruthi in and it is much easier. We could probably walk a little faster, but Ruthi always wants to stop for a minute to see the horses and cows, or wants me to stop and pick her a flower. We could probably shave off 4 minutes easily if it weren't for that. But she enjoys going along, so what's an extra 4 minutes to keep her happy?

That's it for this week's progress. And I'll try not to forget to update anymore!

Good Morning!

I must be losing it. Yes - it is 6:45 AM and I am posting. How can that be?

I don't usually even see this time of day! Though I've crawled INTO bed at this time of day on more than one occasion.

I really am a night owl.

But lately I've gotten more into a routine and haven't been staying up quite as late as usual.

And I've even been getting up at a decent hour in the mornings.

If you call 8:00 decent.

Anyway, I woke up this morning at 5:30 to make sure the hubby was up for work. And for some reason, I just haven't gone back to sleep.

So I did the most logical thing I could think of - check my email and read blogs!

But I have a full day ahead, so my time here is coming to an end. In about 11 minutes.

I promised myself I would walk away from this computer at 7:00.

I need to go get myself moving. I still need to clean up the dinner dishes from last night. I know - GASP! But I had a bad tension headache last night and just didn't feel like doing it. So that's first on my list.

Then I have to make sure I have a list ready for things I need to pick up at the store. CJ has Science class today, and when I drop him off, I will make the best use of my time by doing my shopping while I'm out. I always have the intention of doing this because it makes perfect sense, but for some reason haven't actually followed through. And then I end up going back out later. Not the best use of my time...or gas!

So, I will shop and then retrieve him from his class. We will come home for lunch, and once Ruthi is down for her nap, I really have my work cut out for me.

I'm having a yard sale tomorrow. (I was supposed to put my stuff in a friend's sale in September, but I was sick.) I have done quite a bit of cleaning out and have a pretty good amount of stuff to get rid of, so hopefully it will bring in some money!

So, I need to make signs, finish pricing everything and get it all ready to put out. I'm planning to set up everything I can tonight so I don't have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn in the morning to put it out there.

I don't know if I can handle being up before the sun is two mornings in a row! Oh the horror!

On that note, I'm signing off, with 4 minutes to spare.

Of course by the time I spell check and get this posted, it will be 7:00! So I'm not going to grammar check, or check for missing or wrongly placed words. Forgive me if there are any!

Later!

A Camping We Will Go.....Sort Of

We've been enjoying much cooler temperatures lately. Still not quite as cool as October usually is, but a nice change from the 100+ degree weather we were having!

Chip had to work on Saturday and he didn't get to sleep much at all. So when he got home Sunday morning, he was wiped out. He was planning to go to church, be we knew that if he did, he'd be no good to us the rest of the day.

So he stayed home to get some much needed sleep, while the kids and I went to church.

After we got home and had lunch, it was time for Ruthi's nap.

This was the perfect time for a nap for me as well. (Why is it I always feel like I need a nap on Sunday afternoon?)

Once we were all rested, Chip had the idea of setting up the tent and having dinner outside.

So I ran to the store to pick up some brats and marshmallows for our impromptu camp out.

Soon we were all set up and cooking our dinner over the fire. Of the grill.

We made brats, hot dogs, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. Perfect camping food.

Then we sat around the fire, roasting marshmallows and just enjoying some family time on this very pleasant evening. Warm enough that we didn't need a coat, yet cool enough to enjoy the campfire and not feel like it was roasting us. Perfect.

Ruthi had her first taste of roasted marshmallow.

She wasn't thrilled. She much preferred them "in the raw".

We took quite a few pictures, (much more than I'm posting) so I made a slide show for the sake of time and space.

In one picture you may notice an extra child. He's our other son. And he always shows up when we are roasting marshmallows. LOL. Actually, he's usually here if CJ's not next door with him - they really are like brothers.

Except they don't fight.

Most of the time.

Also notice that after the picture of Ruthi eating a marshmallow, she's got one in her hand during the next three pictures.

She really likes marshmallows.

She only ate about 3 or 15.

I really don't let her eat marshmallows all the time. Only when we are camping, or if she's potty training. (Which of course, she no longer needs an incentive or reward for.)

However, she would eat marshmallows every day if I'd let her.

But I don't.

So no need to call CPS.

Besides, she had such a healthy dinner! Baked beans, macaroni and cheese, 2 hot dogs and half of a brat!

But she didn't eat the buns, so it was low carb!

OK, REALLY, she eats better than this most days! After all, she LOVES her greens.

Anyway.

It was beginning to get quite cool outside, so Ruthi and I headed in, and left the guys to "rough it" outside for the night.

Don't get me wrong, I love to camp. And Ruthi is now at the age to be inducted into tent sleeping.

However, when the house is just right there...well, it's much easier to sleep in the house!

But this really put me in the mood to go camping for real, and I'm hoping there is a trip in our very near future. It just needs to be a little cooler during the day for me to really enjoy it.

So, that was our evening, and we had a great time. Enjoy the pictures. (I even added ones I don't find very flattering of myself...ugh...but I know I'm working on changing that, so I'm ok with it!)

And I'm off to bed. Yes, I know it's before midnight. I may be beginning to lose my night owl ways. I guess I'm getting old. Ugh.

Goodnight!

Fun in Candy Land

We love to play games. And here lately, we've been playing games as a family a few nights a week.

Problem is, the games we are playing aren't really suitable for an almost 3 year old.

And she loves to play too.

But Clue, Phase 10 and Uno aren't really games she can join in on. (These are the ones we've been playing most.) So we let her put down the cards for us and let her be involved as much as she can.

I decided she would definitely be getting some games for Christmas that would be on her level. But I couldn't wait. She really wants to play and I just couldn't see making her wait that long.

So I went ahead and bought a game for her. Bet you can't guess which one?!

Yes of course, it was Candy Land. Only, it is Dora Candy Land!

We went to the store the other day and I told her I was going to get her a surprise. (And then prayed they weren't going to be out of them!) I found the game and handed it to her, explaining that she couldn't open it until we got home.

This child was SO EXCITED over this box with Dora, Diego, Boots and Backpack on the front! (It helps that she LOVES Dora.)

I am not joking AT. ALL when I tell you that all throughout the store, she sat in the cart hugging her game and saying, "Thank you for my present" and "I love my game." She just couldn't have been much happier.

Until she got home. And she was able to open it.

But I needed to cook dinner. So Big Brother came to the rescue. He set it up and they played the entire time I got dinner ready. And then after dinner, while I cleaned up, Dad played too.

That was a few days ago (I can't remember which day I bought it.) and she wants to play her "Dora Game" All. The. Time.

I'm already a little sick of Candy Land!

But I know I have many Candy Land-Filled days ahead of me!

This morning she wanted me to play with her so we set it up and I took some pictures. She's pretty good at it. She picks up the card and says "I got 2 purples" or "I got 2 green"... And then she moves her piece. (She's always Dora!) The only thing she has trouble with is always following the path. She will sometimes move backward instead of forward, or skip over to another part of the path. But she is learning how to follow it. She loves playing it. And for some reason, she usually wins.

When you win, you are at the Fiesta. Today when she won, she clapped and said, "I went to the Shiesta! Dun Duun!" The dun-duun was in a sing-songy tone that is played by the little bugs when they accomplish the next step. It was really cute.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of her playing (and winning) today.





She wins!!!!!

I'm Warm and Fuzzy!

Apparently!

I just got a Friday Fuzzy from Stacey at The Truest Thing.

On Friday's, she picks a few blogs to mention on her blog and gives them a warm fuzzy. And today I got one! How sweet is that? I feel very honored to have been "noticed"!

And since before today, I didn't "know" Stacey, I look forward to reading her blog and getting to know her.

So Thanks Stacey!

Look What's Coming!

It's another huge bloggy giveaway! You can read all the details here. Now I need to come up with something to give away!

Tasty Thursday #16

I haven't participated in Tasty Thursday for a while (first because I wasn't blogging for 4 weeks, and the rest because I kept forgetting!) and I've missed it. So I'm back this week!

I'm posting a really quick and easy recipe I tried the other night, and it was a hit. I needed something I could whip up fast. This was on a can of some Hunt's tomatoes, and it was very good!!

Beefy Skillet Ravioli

1 pound lean ground beef (I actually used ground turkey)
1 can (26 oz.) Garlic & Herb Spaghetti Sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) Diced Tomatoes (I used the one that had basil in it)
1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli (I used a larger package of frozen ravioli, and it worked great)
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; blend well. Bring to a boil.

Add ravioli to skillet; spoon meat sauce over ravioli until well coated. Reduce heat; cover and simmer on medium heat 15 minutes or until ravioli is tender.

Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

We actually like a little more seasoning, so I added some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. And even using the frozen ravioli, it didn't take any longer.
So easy, so quick, and so good!

To see more Tasty Thursday recipes or to add your own, be sure to visit Trista at The Pumkin Patch!

My Sweet Husband and Some Pictures

OK, Blogger is finally letting me add the pictures, so here is the post I attempted yesterday!

I'm not sure why, but I just haven't felt like I've had much to blog about lately. Just not a lot of exciting things going on around here.

And it seems I just haven't been able to fall completely back into my regular routine yet. Hopefully that will happen soon, because I keep feeling like I have so much to do, but am not really getting it done! I'm glad to say the sick slump is over, but I'd hoped to be back into my normal routine sooner than now. I'm doing ok - but just not back up to where I want to be in that area! I have good intentions, but we all know how that goes!

I was having a really bad day the other day. Not really sure what the deal was, but I just felt like crud. Not physically - I wasn't sick, but more emotionally I guess. I had NO motivation whatsoever to do ANYTHING. I was irritable, on edge, and downright grumpy! And there really wasn't a logical explanation. (Read - it was not PMS!)

I told my sweet husband how I felt.

I told him I was just kind of in a bad mood, and I really didn't know why.

I told I didn't feel like doing anything that day.

Even cooking dinner.

I have a wonderful husband.

He gave me a big hug and told me he'd take care of it.

And he did. We had a wonderful dinner that he slaved over. For the whole 8 minutes it took him to drive to Ruby Tuesday's to pick it up and bring it home.

He is awesome! And I really do mean that.

Don't get me wrong - this man can cook - and has cooked me some fabulous meals. But I surely didn't expect him to do so on this day - when it was already afternoon, and he still had some work to do. So I'm QUITE thankful for take out!

And a wonderful man who understands the needs of his grumpy-for-no-reason wife and will, without the blink of an eye, take care of dinner!

He could have told me basically to suck-it-up, do my job, and make dinner anyway. After all, it's not like I was sick or something.

But he's much to wonderful for that. And I'm so very thankful, and blessed!

And I'm happy to say, by the next morning, I was feeling totally different. My happiness was back and I didn't need him to rescue me again! Guess I was just having a bad day.



I thought I'd post a few pictures of the kids. I haven't taken a lot lately - there just hasn't been much going on. But here are a few taken in the past week.

The first couple are of CJ from his game on Saturday. They aren't the best, because it's very difficult to get good action shots in a dark gym with my camera! But here he is:






And here's Ruthi dancing the shuffle during half-time:


Ruthi LOVES tomatoes. I made myself a salad and had put some tomato in it. She spotted the rest of it on the counter, and when I didn't come cut her some quick enough, she just grabbed it and proceeded to eat it like an apple!


And this last picture - I walked into the living room and found Ruthi like this, watching TV.


Such a cutie!

That's all for now. And hopefully, I'll get back to posting regularly again!

So Precious

I've been trying to complete a post that had some pictures of the kids. But for some reason, Blogger is not letting me upload the pics, so I've given up for now.

However, I had to jump on here and post this before I forget.

We've been doing family devotions in the evenings for a while now. This is something we used to do all the time, but have been very inconsistent in recent years. We are trying to get back "on track" and making this a priority. Although we may miss some nights, we are becoming much more consistent. Well, when Chip is home anyway. On the nights he's at the station, I am ashamed to admit, I don't often remember to do it.

Tonight, when Chip called to tell us goodnight, he reminded me. For the past few nights, we've been using the daily family devotion from josh.org.

Tonight's was about character. Here is the scripture:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:1-5, NIV)

We talked about how making good choices regularly will help build our character and will help us to continue to make good choices.

OK, so the precious part.

When we finish our devotion, we take turns praying. Ruthi goes first, then CJ, me, and finally Chip.

Anyway, it was Ruthi's turn to pray. We have guided her in prayer, and she will repeat. But it is varied to include things from our devotion, or something that is going on at the time. She has picked up on some parts and wants to do them herself. So she always starts it out and then will look to me to know what to say next.

Tonight she started like this:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this day. Thank you for you bessings (your blessings.)"
She looked at me, and I guided her to say, "Help me to make the right choices."
Then she wanted to continue on her own.
"Help me to be a good geel (girl), and to obey, and to be seet (sweet) and to not be gumpy (grumpy). Thank you Jesus. Amen"

My eyes welled up with tears and I hugged her tight. How precious is that? That was the longest prayer she's done on her own. And I imagine it won't be long until she's praying much longer prayers without any assistance.

I realize she may not really grasp exactly why she's doing this, but she knows it's what we do, and she's learning already how to speak to her heavenly Father. What could be better than that?



Now, if I can get the pictures uploaded, I'll be back with the post I was trying to get up. If not, I will try again tomorrow!

Weekly Weigh In

I can't believe it's Wednesday again! This week seems to be going by quite quickly.

I stepped on the scale this morning, and as for today, there was not additional weight loss. I've been fluctuating that past few days though, so it didn't surprise me too much.

BUT, I decided to measure myself, and THAT's when I got quite excited! I discovered that I have lost 1 inch in my hips and 2 inches in my waist!!! I am a very happy camper!

Since I've been doing the hand weights and walking, I figure I'm building some muscle, so am not at all concerned about the scale not moving.

I did pretty good this week. I didn't exercise all 7 days, but I've I haven't stopped either. So I'm still happy with myself in that area.

And I've still done well with my eating. Eating less and healthier in general. Salad has really become my friend! I did have a couple of moments of weakness and indulged in a VERY bad choice of buying some mini doughnuts. But, I didn't go nuts like I would have before. And most importantly, I did not fall back in to my old way of thinking. (I already messed up, so just keep eating...then it will be gone and not tempting me anymore! Yes - a VERY bad way of thinking.) I didn't beat myself up over it, moved on and didn't keep eating!

So, I am quite happy with the results I've had so far with making myself a healthier person! And I'm NOT giving up this time!!!

For more results or to join the challenge, visit Tales From the Scales.

Weekly Weigh In

OK, so it's been one week since I "officially" recommitted myself to getting healthy. Today is weigh in day. I'm a little late in posting this, but it's been a busy day!

I have to say, I'm quite proud of myself. I'm down 2 pounds since last week.

But that's not what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of what I've done this week. I have done some form of exercise every day for 8 days in a row now. That is a huge accomplishment for me. I'm blogging my activity so I can go back and look for myself. I will list that at the end of this post so you don't have to read it if you don't care!

Also, I have done very well with my eating. My portions have been considerably smaller, and I've been satisfied - I don't feel hungry all the time!

I've "made" myself eat breakfast almost every morning. That's probably been my hardest thing to do. I'm just not usually hungry in the mornings, and am happy having my coffee. But I've been doing much better. I've cut out all my junk food snacking, and would you believe, I really haven't missed it at all?

I've backed off carbs some too. I'm not cutting them out, because I know when I make something off limits, I fail miserably. But I've been eating less. And when I can, the ones I eat have been better. I've started using wheat pasta, wheat or low carb tortillas, and just being very careful with the portions of all others. (And even watching the portions on the wheat ones too.) Plus I've been eating salad as often as I can. (With very little dressing.)

Last night, for some odd reason, my hubby wanted McDonald's for dinner. I can't tell you the last time I ate McDonald's. When I did eat there fairly frequently, my choice was always a Big Mac. I didn't really even consider it this time - the thought of it actually made me a little nauseous. So I thought I'd just get a cheeseburger. But I did better - I had a salad, and it was quite good. And I didn't feel any guilt (or nausea!) I did splurge and have a handful of fries, because I love their fries. But just after a few, I didn't want anymore - they didn't even appeal to me like they once did. And I'm not joking - I only had a handful - but I had this horrible film on the roof of my mouth that I didn't like at all! I honestly think I could go the rest of my life without a McD's french fry!!!

I've done very well with drinking lots of water, remembered to take my vitamin most days, and amazingly enough, have even been getting more sleep!

I am very proud of myself. I am more committed now to get healthy than I've ever been, and it feels good! And the exercising and eating better/less feels good. And I plan to keep it up!

OK, so here's what I've done as far as exercising this past week:

Wed. - Walked 1 mile
Thur. - Walked 1 mile
Fri. - Walked 1.5 miles (realize I wasn't quite ready - pushed myself a little too hard.)
Sat. - Crunches and weights
Sun. - Crunches and weights
Mon. - weights (muscles WAY too sore for crunches, or even, um, breathing!)
Tues. - Walked 1 mile; Pilates, weights
Wed. - Walked 1 mile, crunches