Wow, it's been a while since I was on here. I posted back in December about training for the Navy 10 Nautical Miler. I'm happy to say that in spite of poor training habits, I finished the race in just over 3 hours. I am going to run it again next year with, hopefully, better results.

We have been having some changes in our household. We have moved out of the apartment into a house with some acreage.  It's so nice not hearing the neighbor use the restroom or take a shower. Not having to search for a parking spot is great too.   Our house is a bit of a fixer upper, but it will be ours, God willing, and it will be wonderful. Right now we're trying to keep the huge yard mowed, get a fall garden going, taking care of chickens, and just figuring out were to begin. It will help when school starts back next month and I start getting paychecks again. Life of a teacher, I have June and July "off" however I have no paycheck in July. So it's been tight, but not horribly so. I'm so grateful to God for the hubby's job.  Off is in quotations, because I've been trying to get lesson plan ideas going along with doing my own homework on my college classes. 3 more trimesters and I will complete my Master's degree. Then I'm trying to decide what to do next.

I did something horrible this  morning.... I weighed myself.

I've been slacking since my last  race and for the past month it's been junk food, eating out, soda pop, and little to no exercise. Needless to say I've put on more weight than I care to acknowledge.  I am a nutrition major, yet I let poor eating habits run my life. Goes to show that even those who know better are not immune to bad choices.  However, I can fix this. I know how to turn this around, it's just doing it that's the hard part.

This week, since it's the last week before back-to-school in-services and other things kick off, I'm making myself like a lifestyle bootcamp.   I'm not allowing myself to sit for more than 30 minutes, then it's 7 and a half minutes of interval exercises. I'm going to run/walk a mile a day, minimum. Water and tea only. Tea cannot be sweetened with sugar, I have stevia to sweeten it with and need to use it. I'm aiming for about 1 gallon of water a day, but if I can get half of that plus no soda then I'm good. No junk food, no eating out, eat several small meals a day to combat cravings. Eat mostly veggies and whole grains, meat only at dinner time, no more than two servings of fruit per day. I am going to make some healthy/healthier treats to fight this sweet tooth I have been having lately. I will share recipes along the way. I have no weightloss goals really, I just want to be fitter.

So to summarize I will

• Do 7 1/2 minute interval workouts every 30 minutes when at home
• the interval is 5 rounds of 1 minute of cardio with 30 seconds strength/stretch
• Drink only water, tea, and coffee
• Tea and coffee either unsweetened or sweetened with stevia
• Aiming for 1 gallon of water/day
• Eat several(~5) small meals spread out through the day
• Aim for mostly veggies and whole grains
• Meat only at dinner time
• Limit fruit to two servings/day due to sugar content
• it's okay to have a healthy treat not going 100% sugar free, but I am reducing sugar intake.
• Fitness goal of being able to run 1 mile without walking (even with all my running I haven't reached this).

• 
  

Day two is done. I feel great and am the point where I wonder why I don't keep running all the time. It was a chilly 48 degrees tonight. Enough wind to make me have a couple second thoughts, but I persevered.

One more day of running scheduled this week. I'm going to do it tomorrow. There a big bad artic front coming through late tomorrow night and I'm sure I won't want to be out in the very cold temperatures forecasted for Thursday and Friday.

Day 1 a couple days later than intended

So my plan was to start training on Saturday. However that ended up being a cold, miserable, wet day that I couldn't find the motivation to go out in.  Sunday was less wet but just as cold. Today wasn't perfect. It was damp and gray, but I knew I needed to lace up and put feet to pavement if I was going to meet my goals.

I ran 30 minutes using the couch to 10k app. I went around a 1\2 mile path 3 times plus going from the apartment to and from there. I'm estimating the  total distance to be around 2.5 miles. Pretty slow I know. That doesn't matter at this point. What does is that I got out and did it.

My middle son ran with me. I love it when I can get one of my kiddos or hubby to exercise with me. It makes for a wonderful experience.

So I post at the beginning of the year and then let the blog sit, lonely and neglected. I'm such a bad blog owner. Good thing it's not a living, breathing thing.

However, I am bringing this old thing back to life. I've been slacking when it comes to eating right and exercising this year. I've put on weight and I just can't accept this. My body does not fit. It's lumpy and squishy. I haven't had the energy I am used to having. I've been having joint pain in my ankles as well. This is not my home. So it's time to do some repairs.

I'm reopening this blog and am going to use it for accountability. I've decided to create the goal of running the Navy 10 nautical miler in June. This gives me 6months from Sunday to train. Training starts tomorrow morning.

I Just Couldn't Stay Away

I've decided to give my little blog another chance. I've changed the title and address to wording to something that suits the direction God has pointed my life. I'm growing, and with growth comes change. This is good, and right.

So, dear readers, stay tuned for more. My life isn't any less crazy busy, but it seems to be getting more meaning. I may just be maturing. Funny how long that takes.

Is This Good Bye?

After 10 years, I'm thinking that I'm finally through with this blog. I've been blogging over at Tumblr for a couple weeks and really enjoy the micro blogging aspect.  I think I'll leave this blog "alive" for the rest of this month in order and then put it to sleep for good. So if you still follow me and would like to see what I'm up to just look for me at Tumblr, or even Google+. I'll still be somewhere on the internets.

Also, one last note, I've decided to go with a new income earning opportunity. No startup fees or autoship required (but in all honesty, autoship is recommended). No pushy sales, you are promoting  a healthy lifestyle. You can earn free products, a free ipad mini, $800 monthly car bonus. I know it may sound too good to be true, but as with any business you get out of what you put into it. The possibilities are there, you just have to try. Just click on the pic below to watch a short video to learn more about the company then sign  up as a customer or promoter if you desire.

Shrimp Alfredo with Zoodles

I'm playing around more and more for ideas for cooking for one or two. I need meals that I can throw together  for a healthy lunch for me and sometimes when I'm cooking at work I only have one or two people to cook for. Also, my kids are all teenagers and will start leaving the nest in the next few years. I don't want to be one of those people who forget how to cook once they have less people to cook for. 

This is a dish I threw together one day a couple weeks ago. I went to the store to pick something up and decided to pick up something for my lunch as well. I wanted fish or seafood so I grabbed shrimp. I wanted creamy, so an alfredo or white sauce sounded great. I wanted healthy and the Hubby had gotten me a Vegetti (a handheld vegetable spiralizing tool) for Christmas and so I thought zucchini noodles. Finally I grabbed  a cheese stick, because I wanted to keep this dish cheap and still healthy. It came in at less than three dollars a serving. I think this could easily feed two people, especially if you added a small side salad. 

Ingredients: 

1 small zucchini

 4 oz shrimp

 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 1/2 cup 2% milk

 2 tsp olive oil

 1/4 tsp chicken base (like Better Than Bullion) 

 1/4 cup water

 1/4 tsp garlic salt

 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 cheese stick or about 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese.

Directions:

1. Using a spiralizer or julienne plate on mandolin, slice zucchini into noodles. 

2. Heat olive oil in small non stick pan and cook shrimp till done. Remove from pan.

3. Make Alfredo sauce. Mix a bit (just a couple tablespoons) with cornstarch and let set aside. Heat the rest of the milk, chicken base, and water in same pan until it begins to simmer, add cornstarch mix and stir well. Add cheese (pull apart the cheese stick if using) and stir until it's all melted and thickens. 

4. Add zoodles, seasons, and shrimp and toss till warm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 307, Total Fat 14.0g, Saturated Fat 3.5g, Cholesterol 249mg, Sodium 708mg, Potassium 580mg, Total Carbohydrates 14.6g, Dietary Fiber 1.4g, Sugars 7.7g, Protein 31.4g, Vitamin A 12% • Vitamin C 34% Calcium 27% • Iron 4%

Spicy Kale, Red Cabbage and Andouille Stir Fry

Hello Dear Readers, I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are sticking with their 2015 goals so far. Sorry I've been MIA for a while, just been busy with life I guess.

So today I'm sharing with ya'll this yummy stir fry I made at work last night. It was kind of a thrown together deal that turned out lovely. It has a bit of a Cajun feel to it and a nice bit of heat that warmed your mouth without making your eyes and nose run. I only work Monday through Thursday, and since I do not like letting veggies sit in the fridge over the weekend I try to use up everything I purchased by Thursday. So I had some unused kale and red cabbage. I figured I could cook the two together and then thought hey a stir fry sounds good. Well I had watched a cooking show on t.v. last week where the cook prepared run up turnips and used a smoked sausage. So I decided a stir fry with andouille would be great. So this recipe was born.

Like I am known to do, I didn't measure my spices and so the measurements are near guesses. You can always add more or less of each spice to satisfy your taste buds.

Spicy Kale, Red Cabbage and Andouille Stir Fry
serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Kale, stems removed and leaves sliced thin
1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced thin
12oz of andouille sausage ( I used Aidell's), sliced
3 ribs of celery, peeled and julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 jalepeno, diced with seeds and ribs removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 tsp dry mustard
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup beef broth or 3/4 cup water with a generous teaspoon of beef base
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directons:

1.  After you've gathered, chopped, grated, all of your ingredients...heat oil in large skillet. Add carrot, celery and jalapeno. Cook over medium-high heat until veggies are tender, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add sausage and cook until it just begins to brown.
3. Add kale, cabbage, ginger, spices and salt & pepper. Stir until well mixed and kale just begins to wilt.
4. Add vinegar and beef broth. Stir well (in this step it's more of a steamed dish instead of stir fry, but I wanted to make sure the veggies were tender) cover and reduce to medium heat. Cook 5-10 minutes until cabbage is soft but kale still has some structure. We want soft not mush.
5. Serve as is or over rice, noodles or whatever you like. You could also add 2 tablespoons of corn starch to a bit of cold water, stir till smooth, and add to the liquid from the stir fry. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute until thick. This would give you a yummy sauce to go with your stir fry.

Nutrition Data (from caloriecount.about.com)

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 197, Total Fat 21.9g, Saturated Fat 8.9g, Trans Fat 0.0g, Cholesterol 39mg, Sodium 1013mg, Potassium 827mg, Total Carbohydrates 18.0g, Dietary Fiber 4.1g, Sugars 4.4g, Protein 17.4g, Vitamin A 224% • Vitamin C 161%, Calcium 14% •Iron 16%

New Month, New Challenges

Hello Dear Readers, sorry I've slipped on posting. I started of okay and kinda got away on stuff.

It's December 1st, a new month. Time to begin new goals, new challenges, start over or continue. One of my sisters has recently began taking back her health and has inspired me to up the ante on my own workouts and eating habits. So I'm going to share the December challenges I'm attempting on this post. I may  will truncate them into one calendar, I think, to make it easier to see what's happening all at once.

I hope all my readers had a great Thanksgiving holiday (and my non-USA readers had a great weekend). I hope ya'll made great food choices and made sure to get some activity in (even if it was walking the mall/stores on Black Friday). I was happy to step on the scale this  morning and see no change. I'm down 4lbs from the beginning of last month and was kind of worried that I overdid the junk food over the weekend.

We have just over 3 weeks to prepare for the next big food holiday, and it will be 3 weeks of temptations. Work Christmas parties, Church parties, friend and family gatherings, and your own baking will be all around. These will be hard to avoid without turning into a Scrooge. So make smart choices, eat intuitively (I promise an article/post coming up on that soon, just need to find time to do it right), get active and most of all...don't let it stress you out. Food is great, being with people you care about is better. Do not let the fear of a few extra calories scare you away from being social. Just work it into your plan.

Without further ado, here are the challenges I'm attempting this month:

Well-Girl posted this lunge challenge that I think I'll try:

Sweat Like a Girl has an ongoing challenge event on Facebook. Here is Decembers. 

Blogilates, Cacey Ho has her December calendar up. Just subscribe to her newsletter for the password.

And finally, I came across this one from My Fit Station that I will attempt:

That looks like a lot, I know. So here is all the workouts on one handy dandy calendar to hopefully simplify everything a bit.

I didn't add every day to run, but the goal is to run on the nice days.

Bible Study in Psalm 103

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm following along with a bible study being provided by Doorposts in Psalm 103. Well, I'm trying anyway.

This morning I played catch up with the study posts and today's assignment was one of my favorites so far.

Today we were to look at forgiveness of sin. Here is the definition according to Easton's Bible Dictionary: 
Forgiveness of Sin:

one of the constituent parts of justification. In pardoning sin, God absolves the sinner from the condemnation of the law, and that on account of the work of Christ, i.e., he removes the guilt of sin, or the sinner's actual liability to eternal wrath on account of it. All sins are forgiven freely (Act 5:31; 13:38;1Jo 1:6-9). The sinner is by this act of grace for ever freed from the guilt and penalty of his sins. This is the peculiar prerogative of God (Psa 130:4; Mar 2:5). It is offered to all in the gospel. (SeeJUSTIFICATION.)

 *I linked the entire quote so you may go to the site and read as well.

We then were to write down some answers to a few questions that she had provided.

Here are my thoughts/answers (her questions are in bold): 

What, according to this definition, is God doing when He forgives our sin?

He is removing our guilt of the sin and pardoning us of the penalties of our sin.

What is He removing?

Our guilt

What is He granting?

His grace and freedom

How much does it cost us?

Nothing

What did it cost Him?

Christ

How long does this last?

Forever

Can anyone besides God do this for us?

No

There are no right or wrong answers. The questions are to get you thinking and the Psalm is all about blessing (thanking) the Lord in all that he has done. Forgiving us of our sins even when we feel we are not worthy is a big thing.

Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

Monday Accountability Check

I had big plans to start off strong, and I did great the first two days. After that, I got in the "I'll get to that later" mentality and nothing got done.

This was my workout list for days 1-8.  Days 1-3 got done, but 4-8 was a wash.

It wasn't just working out, or eating well, or doing my bible study. I procrastinated across the board. I'm an equal opportunity procrastinator, not just one thing will not get done.

However, it's Monday. A new week, a new day and I can always start again. As long as I never give up I'll have never failed. 

 

So how to begin this week well...

First off, do you see that cluttered messiness that was my workout calendar/plan? I think that messed with my head, it looks like too much. So I made a to do list for today. 

Already got one thing checked off :)

It still looks like a lot to get done, but it seems more easily accomplished in my head. Plus some things can be done concurrently.  I also need to add a couple things, nothing major though just a couple phone calls that need to be made.

Anyway, I hope everyone is off to a great start and getting ready to be bundled up later this week when this Arctic stuff hits. 

So I read this article today from The Active Times. It's titled Give Up These 5 Things to Get Rid of Your Gut for Good.  My only grief is that the writer is a personal trainer not a dietitian or nutritionist. However, the advice in the article is solid and a registered dietitian was interviewed for the piece.

So, if you don't want to click over and read the article for yourself; I'll give you the points and my thoughts.

• First was to give up soda and juice. 
• We all know soda is bad for you (even diet sodas). It's nothing but sugar and empty calories. Drinking soda is also a hard habit for most to break (me included...but I'm happy to say I'm one week soda free, woot woot.) If you have a soda drinking problem, by problem I'm meaning you drink it daily and probably multiple times a day; to the point that your intake of other fluids is greatly diminished (i.e, you don't drink water), the first step to a healthy life will be forcing yourself to stop drinking.
• Okay juice. Juice isn't bad, right? We give it to our children as an healthy alternative, because it's not soda or sweet tea. Since it's not soda it's healthy, or so we assume. Sorry, juice isn't healthy. It really is not any better than opening a can of Coke and chugging that. One cup of 100%  apple juice has 117 calories, 27g of sugar, 2% Calcium, 172% vitamin C. Compare that to a cup of Coke: 1 cup has 88 calories, 25g of sugar, no value of vitamins/minerals. So yes you do get a nice jolt of vitamin C from the juice, along with a large amount of sugar (more than a cup of Coca-Cola) and has more calories than Coke. For what it's worth, a serving of juice is 4 ounces or just half a cup. So if you are watching your serving sizes like you should be and are eating healthy the rest of the time, one serving of juice isn't too bad. The thing is, who drinks just 1/2 a cup of juice?  I like to occasionally put about a tablespoon of 100% fruit juice in a glass of carbonated water for a bubbly treat. Sort of like a homemade soda. I think if you want to consume juice this is the way to do it. Your calories would be around 13, 3g of sugar and you still get 20% daily value of vitamin C. 
• Second was to give up late nights. This was simple, we need sleep to be healthy. There have been many studies done that show the ill effects of getting too few zzz's. 
• Third is alcohol. This should be a given, like soda. Alcohol is made from carbohydrates, carbohydrates are turned into glucose for our body to use for energy. If we don't need the energy, then it gets stored as adipose...fat.  Also, our body doesn't metabolize alcohol like it would other kinds of carbohydrates. It's metabolizing method is closer that of fat. I'm not going to dig out my textbook right now to explain it, but you can do a google search and find articles.
• I drink alcohol only a few times a year and  I'm a one beer and I'm done kind of person. I also try to make sure that I'm eating a healthy meal to offset the unwanted calories of the alcohol. My thought is that being drunk isn't fun or cool, but the occasional alcoholic beverage is okay.
• Fourth is stress. Well, I really would like to know how to truly give up stress. Again, like sleep, there have been studies done on the ill effects. However, I believe it's nearly impossible to give up stress. I suppose that you could try to stay away from situations that are stressful for you.
• Fifth thing to give up is artificial sweeteners. Another thing that has been studied and ill effects are found, though artificial sweeteners are labeled as reasonably safe. My thought is to try to get used to consuming products that are unsweetened, or at least light sweetened. If you must sweeten then use a product that is as little processed as possible. Some examples are molasses, maple syrup, honey, stevia, sucanat.  I will choose regular white sugar over artificial sweeteners, and just use a lot less.

First Day of November

Good morning dear readers. I hope everyone has had a great week and are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. My week was okay and today middle son is on his way to a band competition in Chattanooga. I'm hoping they do well, have fun and be safe (there's a chance of snow there and suppose to be cold). He's suppose to be home around 4am, yuck.

I've not had a soda since Monday, though my sweet intake has been more then I would like. I've also been slacking real bad on working out. Though I have been real busy the last couple days deep cleaning the house. That counts right? I also need to work more on reading my bible and doing bible studies. However, it is a new month and so time for a new start.

So here's what I have beginning today in order to meet my goals for this month.

• I'm going to still record what I'm consuming. If it crosses my lips, I try to write it down. I want to get a good idea on when I'm eating, why I'm eating and what I'm eating. I'm a big fan of clean eating, intuitive eating and follow the idea of 80/20 (eat healthy and be active 80% of the time, don't fret over the rest). 
• Accountability for this: I'm going to research and report on here ideas, thoughts and tips on intuitive eating and clean eating. Including recipes I've came up with or found.
• I'm following a couple monthly challenges for this month. One is from Cassey Ho at Blogilates. She posts a new calendar challenge each month, just sign up for her newsletter to receive the password. It's free and she has a great, motivating, personality and is lots of fun. Another is from He and She Eats Clean. I follow them on Facebook where they share tips and their monthly calender. You can also go to their website by the same name and see workouts and find recipes. I'm also making a 1 mile a day goal. I want to run a mile a day, no more no less. No more because I've been having problems with shin splints lately and it's getting cold which make me have breathing problems. No less, because a mile really isn't that much and only takes about 16 minutes at most for me (with walking). I actually plan on doing this throughout the winter to keep me warm for Spring races.
• Accountability for this: I've wrote workouts from both challenges on a calendar I have at home. My plan is to cross out each workout as I do them and maybe every weekend make  post on how it went and a picture of what I've done and what I didn't do. I'll include a screenshot of my miles done from my Nike app.
• I'm doing a couple online bible studies to encourage myself to spend more time in the word. One is through Doorposts. It's 30 days in Psalm 103 and seems okay so far (so it's just day 1). You can follow along via their website and/or for more you can join their Facebook group. I'm also a member of another Facebook group that this month is continuing a study in the prayers of Moses. It starts in Numbers, which isn't my favorite book in the Bible so hopefully I'll stay on track with it and not get bored.
• Accountability for this: I will do posts on verses/questions we are reviewing and my thoughts on them.

This seems like a lot for this month, but really it's much less then I usually try to accomplish. I'm trying to limit my challenges to just a handful at a time. I have a tendency to get overly ambitious and then get a bit depressed when I don't achieve my goals. I'm also working on some handmade Christmas gifts for the family. I'll post more on those later. 

Have a blessed weekend dear readers.

Good Monday Morning

I hope all of my dear readers had a blessed weekend. Ours was great. Middle son is in the high school band and this past Saturday was a big competition for them. I'm happy to say that they came away Grand Champions and cleared the board with wins in other categories. All their hard work is paying off in abundance. They have one more competition next Saturday, if they when this one it will be a clean sweep for them this year. Something they haven't done since 2005.  If you like, you can watch of the great performances from last Saturday HERE. I loved Tupelo's performance and thought they should of gotten a better score. What do I know, though, I'm a band mom not a judge (though I do nit pick on straight lines and in-time marching...which is a throwback to my marching band days).

We spent Sunday getting over Saturday's late night (we didn't get home till after 2am). I'm really wanting to get back in the habit of going to church, these late Saturday nights are not helping.  So I make sure to spend part of Sunday, and various times during the week, reading my bible and reading blogs written by Christian women. I try to immerse myself in the word as much as possible, because I notice if I don't then worldly thoughts enter my mine. I become more judgmental, gossipy, less thankful, and more likely to let things get to me. That's  not the way I like to be and I don't like myself when I'm that way.

3 weeks from today is my 36th birthday. I'm feeling much better about 36 then I did 35 and no I don't feel old. I'm not sure why people seem to think when you get past 30 you're suppose to start "feeling" old. Is this a throwback to times when the average lifespan was until mid 40's? It's not the 1500's anymore, we have antibiotics and doctors and nurses wash their hands. If you eat right and exercise you'll live a good long time (as long as no accidents occur and you avoid cancer). Anyway, I think 36 is going to be a great year. I also become the mom of an adult next month. Oldest son will turn 18 in just under 4 weeks. I'm not sure he's ready for the adult world. The hubby and I are not in a hurry to kick this one out of the nest just yet, we want to make sure our kids can soar before they take that first flight.

In honor of my birthday coming up, and wanting to start my 36th year off right, I am giving up soda for the next 3 weeks. I'm hoping that after 21 days (starting today), I'll be able to kick the habit for good. I'm also going to limit sweets for the next 3 weeks and try to up my workouts (I currently manage to get in 3 or 4  a week, I want that upped to daily).

So here's to a great day/week and hopefully a successful next 3 weeks.

It's Alive!!

I'm seriously thinking of resurrecting this old blog. The title and what the blog is about is still relevant to my life. It's a place to toss everything and dig it back out as it's needed. I was looking and I still have followers on here (hello all you beautiful people...all 11 of you). I also still get page views on here (4 yesterday, woot woot...that's two more then another blog). So I'll blog for a bit to see if I can keep up with it and how it feels.

So, since it's been way over a year since my last post I'll do a quick catch up.

Still in school. I was going to graduate last Spring. Had everything lined up, walked down the aisle and everything. Only to find out a couple weeks later I didn't pass Bioorganic Chemistry. Yuck. So I'm retaking that course next semester and my official graduation date will be May 2015, though I don't get to walk then. That's okay, though. My oldest son graduates high school that month and I think it should be all about him. I had my day now it's his turn.

We have lately settled into the wonderful craziness that is our life right now. It's back to the six of us in this branch of the ol' family tree in this area. Sometimes I think that having another family member around would be nice, then I either talk to other family members or hear of the troubles someone is having with theirs and I think "So not worth it." We are so used to doing for ourselves for the most part that having others around for too long gets way too intrusive. I like my space.

Life has away of being hectic and boring at the same time. There is a lot going on, just not sure how much of the going on's are good enough for blog fodder. I have been running again, I'm working as a rectory cook for some great friar, I have some yummy recipes to share. I'll get to everything eventually.

I hope all of my dear readers have a great day and I'll be back with more.

My Goodness it's Been a While

I'm sorry dear readers, I had not realized it had been 3 almost 4 months since I last posted on here. So first I'll give you a quick update on what all has been going on in our household since January.
    We did have housemates for two of those months. We had to push to get them out again, as they seemed quite content to live with us and not in a hurry to save up and find their own place. I don't know why as 8 people in a 1500 square foot house is quite crowded. We're use to slightly crowded as it is Hubby and I and our four kiddies. However with the roomies, we were squashed into a smaller space to allow room for their stuff. It just wasn't working out well. I knew it wouldn't and didn't want the situation in the first place. However it's over and now they live about a mile away and I have my home back.
    I'm still plugging through hoping to make grades good enough this semester and avoid burn out. I'm tired though. I work four days a week, go to school three days a week, and on top of that I'm a full time mom with all that requires when one has teenagers and a wife (gotta tag that one there as well, being a wife is sometimes work ;-) .  My gpa is not the greatest as I struggle to find that 25th hour in a day to study. I dislike hearing from people who don't have kids, don't work and take one online class every 4-6 weeks brag about making straight A's. I don't say anything, just nod and say good job, but inside I'm thinking so what. Anyway not here or there. I think talking about one's grades, good or bad, is like talking about one's salary. It's not really anyone's business but yours (and the places you're hoping to get an internship at). So I give an answer when asked about my grades similar to one when asked about how much money we make. I get by fine.
   I have yet to play with my birthday present. I keep hoping to find the time to do so, though that 25th hour is still escaping me.  In a couple weeks finals for this semester will be over and I'll have 6 weeks to breathe a minute and hopefully have time to be creative then.
  Well, homework is calling my name and so I must answer. I hope my dear readers are having a lovely Spring. It's been a chilly, wet one here. I'm ready for June.

What's Up?

      Nothing much and yet a whole lot going on here.  Still not sure if we are going to have housemates or not. Hubby thinks they will be moving in by the end of this month. I'm still not ready for them, but will get there (I hope).  Right now I'm concentrating on organizing my house and getting ready for my next semester of college. It'll be my second to last (if you don't count summer semester) of my undergraduate degree if all goes well. Then just an internship to go before I become a Registered Dietician.  Easy Peasy, huh? Not really, it will be a stressful finger-nail-biting year for me.  Not really looking forward to added stresses. It is what it is, hopefully it will work out okay.

    Over on my other blog I posted a banana oat muffin recipe.  It was the result of a mess up, but it turned out okay.  The kiddies are eating them, so it can't be that bad.

   I think today I will work on carving project I have planned out. I'll post when I get it finished.  I'll be able to use my new tools that Hubby and the kiddies got me for my birthday almost two months ago. I've not been feeling real creative lately, so I think I'll try to force some creative juices to flow.

I hope all my dear readers are having a great day and staying warm (it's a chilly 26 degrees here).

A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.

Proverbs 29:11

 

  Some possibilities are on the wind, things I don't want to happen really. However I will do whatever is neccessary for all parties involved.  I want to vent my grievences. I want to grumble about how unfair life is. I want to tell everyone I can trust to keep a secret what may or may not happen.

 

I won't though, because in the end it's a small thing. A temporary inconvenience to help those who are needing help. Someone helped us once when we were in a desperate situation. I'm sure they didn't really want to, but in the end you do what is right.

 

A quick search brought me the scripture I posted above. God always has an answer doesn't he?  I will be grateful that we are in a position to lend a hand up to those who need one. I will not judge anyone's bad decisions as we all make them.  I will instead use the possiblity to show the Christian I am trying to grow into being. I will show love, empathy and kindness as these are what is needed by the couple I'm referring to more then anything. They have had enough of shaking heads, shame, and judgements.

 

I hate that my first reaction to the news was how it would affect us. My second reaction was okay how do we do this, how do we allow for the possibilty of adding more to our already crowded household. Now my thought is kind of a mixture of needing to remember to not worry about events that have yet to occur and wanting to begin rearranging things in case we need to make room.

 





Thanksgiving Thoughts

I don't celebrate in the idealic way of pilgrims sharing food with the Indians and happy dancing turkeys and all that.  We all know that is a false version of what really happened.

My Thanksgiving is a day given to thankfulness. I'm thankful to have four healthy beautiful children. I'm thankful for a loving, caring, generous husband. I'm thankful for a mostly okay extended family. I'm thankful for a roof over our heads, property to call our own, food to fill our bellies.  I cook a large meal every fourth Thursday in November in celebration for all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for. Also to show my love for family through good food.

Americans have gotten away from Thanksgiving. We are letting the corporate world encroach and destroy a great holiday. Instead of relaxing with family, enjoying company and food, we are tramping around stores trying to score a big deal on an object we will probably replace or not use in a few months.  It's all about the money, family does not exist as it should. This year we have pre-black Friday sales. So now you can leave your family at home and get your lonely, greedy self to your local big box store to save a few bucks (that you probably spent in filling the gas tank for this event) and buy that item that the store only carries a few of and so will probably not even be there anyway.  Of course you also get to enjoy the madness of standing room only, people pushing and shoving and just being discourteous, stores.  Sounds like a grand time all on Thanksgiving night before the turkey is even cold.

I also hear now you can celebrate Thanksgiving on whatever day you feel like it.  Saturday work better for you? Have it then, who cares.  How about celebrating it on the first of November. It doesn't matter that the actual holiday is three weeks away as long as it's convienent for everyone. I didn't realize life was suppose to be convienent. How did I miss that memo?

I love Christmas. I love watching the Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music(which I've been doing for more than a week already). I have already begun Christmas shopping. However, I love Thanksgiving as well. The excitement of planning out a big meal and hoping the timing works so everything is done at the same time. Making my house smell of pumpkin pie, fresh bread and roasting turkey.  Seeing the drool dripping from the chins of my loved ones as I pull one yummy dish after another out of the oven. Listening and trying to watch the Macy's Day parade on t.v. as my kids and hubby wrestle and I try to get those eggs to whip to a meringue.

Then, we all set down to a table loaded down with delicious sights and smells. We say what we are most thankful for this year. Next we bow heads and give a moment of praise to God for without Him nothing is possible.

After everyone has an overfull tummy and buttons are loosened, we gather around the xbox to play games as a family. We laugh, tease, and love each other. Let the world outside our front door scurry from store to store, aimously hoping to obtain that next material good. We KNOW what the true meaning of Thanksgiving should be and it doesn't end in -mart.

Happy Birthday Once Again

I made it through another year. Is it just me or do the years seem to go by faster and faster as we get a bit older. It seems as I was just writing a post on my 33rd birthday and here it is my 34th already. I've officially left my early thirties and now entering my mid-thirties. 

So what has the past year brought me? Well there have been two 5k races, a 16th wedding anniversary for Hubby and I, I gained another teenager (thankfully I have two years before youngest son becomes one), I lost a step-grandma, grandmother-in-law, and a great grandmother. I've nearly finished two more semesters of college (only about 2 more to go before I finish my undergrad). I've not really lost any weight but I believe I've gained in my fitness goals.

This time next year I'll, hopefully, be planning my graduation and getting ready to experience the joys of having a 16 year old daughter.