Hello There!

I must be the world's worse blogger. Oh well, whatcha gonna do? HA HA!!

One of my goals this year is to write more. I can' guarantee you that I'm gonna update this blog weekly, but I'll make an attempt to do it more often than every six months!!At any rate, it is what it is and I've been busy.

I've got several personal goals this year. Those that top the list are:
*Focus on a closer walk with God.
*Make memories
*Make changes to live a healthier, happier life
*Find balance, cut back, learn to say no without feeling guilty
*Get organized. Seriously. Purge, purge and organize, organize
*Create more.

I'm tacking #1 by trying to get more daily time with God. I'm also endeavoring to memorize scripture.

We jumped all over #2 this past week and made some memories to last a life time! We took a trip to Tampa to see my friend, Hattie, and had the BEST time!! We went to see Wicked (the musical), went to the Ringling Brothers Art Museum, visited Florida Aquarium and just enjoyed the time we had there with our friends. It was a trip to treasure!

I felt like things had been on hiatus until after the trip and revival (which we have this week). So, while everyone else was getting a fresh start on 1/1/13, I kept saying, end of January!! After the trip!! January 28th!! We just got home yesterday and although we are exhausted and I completely over did it, I am rearing to go and get back on a routine and start accomplishing my goals :)

Today I started Hungry for a Change's 3 day detox. You can go to their website to check that out here.
Last year I started the quest of eating better. We tried to incorporate as much healthy, whole and organic food as possible, but I am ashamed to say I totally fell off the wagon. But that's OK, cause I'm ready to tackle it again and I have a lot of knowledge behind me to where it doesn't make things seem so overwhelming this time. I'm a firm believe that diets don't work because you won't stick with them long term and also that you have to just change things little by little. The detox boasts that it will:

• Reduce your cravings
• Reset your taste buds
• Start the process of cleaning up
• Get you on the path to healthy living

We shall see! I'm on day #1. This morning I really enjoyed the ginger/lemon detox drink and the super green detox smoothie. I have to tell you, I've juiced a lot in the past, but mainly fruits, so I didn't have any experience with juicing veggies and I was nervous about the celery and cucumbers. It was very refreshing though! I truly enjoyed it! The "sushi" salad for lunch was AMAZING and so incredibly filling that I couldn't finish about 1 cup of it. It makes A LOT! It doesn't have fish in it, but I think they call it "sushi" salad because it tastes just like a California roll. I'll be looking forward to having it the next few days and I can even see myself making it in the future.

I need to get up and go make the soup. I'm really tired though and I don't know if that has to do with seriously overdoing it on vacation or detoxing. I read though that I need to "listen to my body," so I have just been resting a lot today. We have revival tonight, so I'm about to get up and get ready. I'll try to throw the soup together really quick before I leave so that I can let it simmer on the stove.

I never made the activated almonds because I couldn't find raw organic almonds. I ordered some from a website called nuts.com and I also ordered a raw sampler box from there and I am expecting it between now and Saturday. I'll add in the almonds as soon as I can. I did buy cashews, but I don't think they will be as good for me so I really don't know if I should be eating them.

I made the chia seed pudding a little while ago and put it in the fridge. I'm excited to try that and really glad that I get a "dessert." I have to admit, I LOVE sweets! I've been craving something sweet or sugar and that, I think, will be the hardest thing to let go of for me. I already have a lot of dessert recipes that are made with honey or maple syrup, so I know once I get off of the detox I can enjoy those things in moderation. If I want to loose weight though, and I do, then I need to seriously scale back on that.

Right now I'm at 119. I weighed myself last night and today and both times it was 119 on the dot, so I am curious to see how the detox will affect my weight. Wondering if and how much I will loose?

I've gotta throw the soup together and get ready for church. I'll update you tomorrow!

It's been a while!

Well hello there, stranger! It's been a while. Seriously. Where have you been?

Oh, it's me that's been missing you say? I guess you're right on that one!

Where have I been? Oh, well, I've been hopping through some valleys and taking occasional trips to the mountains. But guess what? I'm baaaaccckkk!

Seriously, it's been a while since I've blogged here or on a regular basis. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) to change that cause I have a whole lot of new and exciting stuff going on and I just want to write about it!

I started a new blog devoted to sharing my journey through all the valley's, but honestly, I haven't taken the time to write over there either. I hoping to change that too. Baby steps here.

I truly need to sit down and re-design this blog. It's looking pretty lame, huh? I'll get to that too. Baby steps, remember?

How about I bring you up to speed real quick on what's been going on in our household? We started that amazing, God ordained journey of homeschooling this week! It's Friday and we've gotten through it! It's been wonderful, fun, crazy, exhausting, tough, and exhilarating all week long, but I'm loving every minute of it and so, so, so glad the Lord led me here. Seriously. It rocks! I am so looking forward to building a closer bond with Jarred and growing and learning together in the process.

I have A LOT to learn, but hey, don't we all? I'm sensing this may be the best parental decision I've made thus far. Can you tell I'm excited? Yeah, just a little ;)

I've also been craftin' & redecorating up a storm. I really have decorator's ADD. Seriously. Don't. Get. Me. Started. I'll be sharing more about all *that* later ;) Pinterest, anyone?

I'm also reading about ten GREAT books and only ONE of them are fiction - hey, a girl's gotta entertain herself! Really though, I've never been one much for reading non-fiction or self-help/parenting, etc. books. I think I was going about it all wrong. I've found that if I just read a chapter in one and then another and then another, etc. it not only keeps my attention, but I am able to persevere through the book without getting board and setting them aside. I can't tell you how many books I've bought and read four to five chapters in only to put down and never pick back up because I was trying to read it like I read fiction books (straight through, in two days without eating, sleeping or talking to anyone. Ha ha just kidding, no one really does that) Well that just doesn't work for me. But I am learning and growing so much with this new method. I'll share my book list with you another day.

I'm still cooking and working at Pampered Chef. I'm doing just a couple of parties a month now due to my health. I am very grateful though that I am able to maintain my business even with all else that is going on in my life. It's a real blessing. I love the company and the products. I love to eat and I love to cook. I mean really, who doesn't love food!

I'm working diligently in listing my 1000 gifts. More about that later too.

I'm at home. A lot. A lot, a lot. Really, I rarely leave the house anymore in case you're wondering where I've been. This is mainly due to my counts being so low. I just have to stay home and rest and away from germs and such. I like being home though and it works great with our new life :)

Most importantly, I am still working on daily committing myself to the Lord. I'm not where I want to be, but are we ever? I am; however, discovering love and grace and mercy like I never knew before. The Lord is opening my eyes to so much and I'm so grateful. I can't say that all of this eye-opening has been a happy, blissful experience. It's been the hard eucharisto. It has been a long, hard, arduous task of working out my salvation and it will continue to be. But I am oh-so-glad I am saved and that He loves me enough to put me through the sanctification process.

I'm hoping to blog weekly about the above mentioned subjects. Bare with me, as I am settling into a new lifestyle (and loving it). My other blog focuses on spiritual matters, yet I am sure that you'll get some of that here too, so I hope for the future of this blog to focus on our daily life; homeschooling, cooking, crafting, laughing and living!

See ya next week!

P.S. I <3 a="a" addiction="addiction" be="be" br="br" d="d" i="i" just="just" know.="know." let="let" may="may" pinterest.="pinterest." slight="slight" there="there" thought="thought" you="you">

Refocusing on My Health

72 days... 10 pounds to lose and two crutches to set down. May 4th, that's my deadline.

I will be walking in Relay for Life this year. Note: I said WALKING! My goal is to lose this last 10 pounds by then and to be walking unassisted.

I have a plan though, and if you know me at all, you know how I LOVE plans!

I did really well last summer with my weight loss and knocked off almost 25 pounds in about 4 months, so I KNOW I can do 10 in less than three. I lost focus on living a healthy life in about October last year for various reasons, but I am ready to get back on the saddle again.

So, here's my game plan:

1) Rely on God to help me make lifestyle changes and start by working on my spirit. After all, if I am not healthy spiritually, it doesn't matter what kind of shape I am in physcially. I can't do anything apart from Him, so I am putting Him first in this quest.

2) I don't believe in dieting. AT ALL. I truly believe that if you are going to make lasting changes in your life regarding food that it needs to start with recognizing bad patterns and poor choices and learning to overcome those. In addition, I believe that if you can't stick with eating a certain way the REST of your life, then the weight will come back. I also believe what you put in your body matters. Every. Single. Thing. As a cancer survivor I am even more conscientious of toxins, pesticides, junk food, etc. I am striving to eat organically and for 80% of my diet to come from vegetables, fruits and grains. I am also extremely interested in nutrition. I love to eat. I love to cook. I love to eat healthful foods. Therefore, I desire to continue educating myself in this area to ensure I am making wise decisions for not only myself, but for my family as well. So you ask, how will I implement my beliefs to help me succeed?

     a) My bad patterns and poor choices include:

• Skipping meals, especially breakfast. I really don't like mornings and especially don't like to eat in the morning, but I know that this needs to change to help me eat right throughout the rest of the day.
• Eating late at night. I have a horrible habit of eating after church services and at other times. Whether it's snacking, making late dinners or desserts - which brings me to my next point
• Sugar. For all of my efforts to eat right, incorporate natural sweeteners, etc. I still eat WAY too much sugar. It's just gotta stop. I don't need it. It's not good for me. Yes, I will indulge occasionally in moderation, but it does NOT need to be a daily occurrence.

     b)  I started ordering an organic produce box from a local company called Off The Vine. I receive    these bi-weekly and they have an assortment of seasonal, local produce in them. I love these boxes and really look forward to getting them! I am learning to plan my menu around these boxes. I just made a menu for the next two weeks and oddly found that I didn't include meat but three times in 12 days! I knew that I wasn't a huge meat eater, but I had no clue that I ate it so infrequently. Don't be alarmed - we get PLENTY of healthy proteins in other ways. I am also finding that having a planned menu makes a HUGE difference in life! It not only saves money, but time and effort! (I'll post my menu last to share with you ). In addition to my produce box, I am learning what other things are extremely important to eat organically. I love this new way of eating and feel so much better inside and out.

     c) In regards to educating myself further in the subject of nutrition, I am so blessed to have a friend I can call on for all of my health questions and she has taught me so much. Christa, I want to publicly thank you for having that influence in my life. I know I was slow to listen and take your advice (what can I say, I'm stubborn as the day is long), but I am so grateful for your patience with me and that you are always willing to help and answer my questions and help me research!
In addition to Christa's amazing help, I am also learning a lot from the internet and books and local farmers and a local co-op/buying club and our local health food store. There is so much information out there (as with any subject) and it can be overwhelming, so I am trying to focus on little areas. For instance, right now I am focusing on finding a sweetener that is acceptable to use. So far in my research I am leaning towards Coconut Palm Sugar and Tupelo honey for most purposes, dates in some recipes and when I have to resort to sugar, I will probably use either succant or the organic raw or cane sugar for when I am baking things that really do require granulated sugar. I am ever learning, but aren't we all :-)

3) Exercise is truly vital. Getting myself to actually do it, well, to start and get on a schedule/routine is something I have struggled with since I fell off of that routine I had in October. But, I am committed and ready to go with it. Here's my new exercise routine:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Are PT days. On those days I will also do a short work out later in the day to focus on my core muscle groups.
• Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday: Gym days. Cardio & weights. I will also do my short core muscle routine later in the day.
• Sundays: Off day :-)

4) Water..... it's vital. It's all I drink, beside massive amounts of hot teas, and I love it! I am going to start up on my Liv Skinny again tomorrow. I love that the chlorophyllins in it are great for flusing all the chemo toxins out of my body as well as any others that are lingering around. It also gives me energy, helps me to feel full and is something I like!

Ok, so that's my plan. I like it. I think it's a good plan for life! I'm excited!!! This, I can do! I'll keep y'all updated on my progress, but truly, I am just putting all of this on here for myself so that I can be accountable and have a journal of it all. As you probably know by now, this is my way :-)

Ok, well I'm going to head to bed. I can't wait until tomorrow. It's going to be a GREAT day! Before I go, I want to share my menu with you.

February 23-March 6

Thursday ~ Turkey Tacos with Black Beans in the crock pot
Friday ~ Leftovers, I have a PC show
Saturday ~ Cabbage Casserole and roasted veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
Sunday ~ Leftovers
Monday ~ Celery Soup & Grilled Cheese
Tuesday ~ Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
Wednesday ~ Beet Bourginoun
Thursday ~ PC Party
Friday ~ Homemade Pizza & Salad
Saturday ~ Frittata
Sunday ~ Leftovers or eating out a Cafe Bienville
Monday ~ Pasta Primevera (Creamy One-Pot Pasta) & Salad
Tuesday ~ Turkey Saltimboca w/ Roasted Veggies

Chicken, Poblano and Tomatillo Stew

I truly think this is the best stew, or even soup for that matter, that I have ever tasted! I almost ate the entire pot myself!! I found this recipe in a Pampered Chef cookbook called More Latin Flavor. So far I've cooked three recipes out of this book, this stew and two desserts, and they have all been amazing! I decided to cook my way through the entire book over the next two or three months, so I will keep you posted on my progress. I've always wanted to cook my way through a cookbook. Being a Pampered Chef consultant, I love that I can consider this as work!

Enjoy!

Chicken, Poblano and Tomatillo Stew

6 tomatillos, husks removed
2 cups water
3 roasted poblano peppers, divided (see Cook's Tip)
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 large onion
1 medium chayote, cored
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups fresh corn
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
Chopped radishes, chopped fresh cilantro and sour cream (optional)

1. Place tomatillos and water into large micro-cooker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 5-6 minutes or until soft; drain. Place tomatillos, one of the poblanos and cilantro into blender; blend until smooth. Coarsely chop remaining poblanos, onion and chayote; set chayote aside.

2. Heat oil in stockpot over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Season chicken with 1/4 tsp of the salt and pepper. Add chicken to stockpot; cook 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove chicken; set aside. Add corn stockpot; cook 2-3 minutes or until brown. Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add pressed garlic and cumin; cook 20-30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomatillo mixture and broth; cook 5-6 minutes.

3. Dice chicken. Add chicken, poblanos, chayote and remaining salt to stockpot. Simmer 5-7 minutes or until chayote is tender. Serve with radishes, cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (8 cups)

Cook's Tips:
To roast poblano peppers, place directly over an open-flame stove top and roast until completely charred and soft, turning to get an even roast. Place poblanos in classic batter bowl; cover and refrigerate. When cool, peel and remove seeds.

My Notes: I roasted the poblanos under my broiler, keeping an eye on them and turning them every few minutes to get them completely charred.

I think next time I will roast the tomatillos as well.

I think this can be made early in the day and allowed to simmer for a few hours.

If You Want Me To - Ginny Owens | With Lyrics

Celebration Cookies

Celebration Cookie Mix

Ingredients:

1/2	cup granulated sugar
3/4	cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2	cup white or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	cup quick or old-fashioned oats
1/2	cup pecan or walnut halves, coarsely chopped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

1. In Small Batter Bowl, layer ingredients as follows, gently patting each layer before adding the next ingredient: granulated sugar, cranberries, chocolate morsels, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats and pecans. Cover with lid. Attach the preparation directions below and give it as a gift.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Nutrients per serving: (1 cookie): Calories 120, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 16 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 85 mg, Fiber less than 1 g
Cook's Tips: Give this recipe to the gift recipient:

Celebration Cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 recipe Celebration Cookie Mix

Preheat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine butter, eggs and vanilla; mix until well blended. Add cookie mix to butter mixture; mix until well blended. Using Medium Scoop, drop 12 level scoops of dough, 2 inches apart, onto Rectangle Stone. Flatten dough slightly using back of scoop. Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack.

Beginning to Get Excited

Jarred woke up feeling terrible this morning. He has been battling a stuffy nose, sore throat and sneezing for days. I had hoped it was just allergies. I guess it bested him today. So we stayed home and I made him rest which in turn gave me a chance to rest. That was much needed! I made him beans and eggs for breakfast. Then I started some homemade chicken soup. I cooked a chicken in the slow-cooker last week and put up all the meat and also made about a gallon of chicken stock! I couldn't wait to make soup and today was the perfect day for that. My boy sure needed some good hearty food! So, I got that started after breakfast and let it simmer for about four hours. It was really good!

We spent the day watching Alias. I finally finished the series and I'm sad it's over, but I sure loved it! Best. Show. Ever. Seriously! I already bought season 1 and am planning on buying 2-5 eventually so I can watch it again and again. Every time I watch an episode I notice something I missed.

Y'all know I love Fall. Well, my Fall decorations are still up! Crazy, right! I'm so sick of looking at them and ready to look at Christmas decor! I've been crazy busy with my Pampered Chef business, which by the way is going amazingly! So, I haven't had the time to decorate. I think we will put up the Fall decor tonight and then I will do some Winter cleaning tomorrow so that we can decorate for Christmas this week. We won't get to enjoy it for long seeing as how we are leaving for Disney,for the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER, on the 20th :) We will be there the 20-26. It will be magical. I always have the BEST TIME taking vacations with just Jarred. I love it :) On the 26th we are heading to Tampa for a few days to visit my friend, Hattie and her clan. We are so looking forward to that as well :) I purposefully didn't schedule any more Pampered Chef parties this month so that I can enjoy the season and do all those Christmasy things that I haven't gotten to do for the last two years. I didn't even put up my tree or decorate the past two years. It went up with the help of my sisters and Amanda and Jarred, I just wasn't able to do much. So, I am really looking forward to getting into the Christmas spirit. I can't wait to decorate and listen to Christmas music and drink some Wassail and smell yummy Christmas candles/melts in the house. I can't wait to put up all my pretty Partylite Christmas stuff that Dani hooked me up with and go see Christmas lights and finish up my little bit of shopping. Oh, I'm so excited! I have dubbed this "Crafty Christmas," so I plan on making Christmas presents for all my family! Pinterest has given me some great ideas!! I would love to post them as I make them, but then it would spoil the surprise for my family. Maybe I can do that in January. OH! I'm making my Christmas cards too. My friend Angel and I have been working on that. I need to finish them up and get them in the mail. Hopefully I will have that accomplished by next week :)

OK.... So, I think I'll make a Christmas 2011 Bucket List... Here Goes!!!

-Decorate like mad this week!
-Drink lots of Peppermint Mochas & Caramel Bruelee Lattes
-Bake lots of cookies for people and try to give away more than I eat ;)
-Try, try, try to not skip on the gym
-Finish Making my Christmas Cards... Then actually mail them. (This will be hard. They are so pretty. I want to decorate the house with them.)
-Make some Wassil
-Make presents for the whole fam by hand. This will be a joint effort between me and J :)
-Take a drive to see pretty lights while drinking said beverages :)
-Listen to Christmas music EVERY DAY!
-Make J some Christmas pajamas
-Wrap every present beautifully. Theme for wrapping is: black, white, red and brown paper packages tied up with string
-Watch all our favorite Christmas movies before I leave
-Go to three Christmas parties
-Do a {RACK} for someone everyday
-Make that cool Christmas card holder that I saw on Pinterest!!
-Go see the lights at the Niceville library-J's request
-Make that awesome Christmas tree skirt I saw on Pinterest
-Make gingerbread men-J's request

Ok... Today we rest, but tomorrow we start at it!! That's a lot to do in 15 days!!