We had JBQ today. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is Junior Bible Quiz. The children in our church learn the answer to some 500 questions about the bible. The hide God's word in their heart and then they get to have fun with what they learn. On one Saturday a month they get to quiz against other churches in the area. Today was the first time our children went to a Quiz Meet. I am soooo proud of the kids from the church. They were on their best behavior, they "got" the true meaning of why we were learning- (not to win), the were good sports whether they win or lost. Desperation Church kids are AWESOME!! Working with kids is soooo rewarding. If you have any patience for children I would encourage you to get involved in with the children at your church- unless of course you have 10 kids of your own and then maybe you need a break. =)
Okay..so on to my new toy. I was having a conversation the other day with this guy at work named Aaron. We were talking about how I wished I could afford a Wii because I would really like to get a Wii fit. I am all about exercising without actually knowing I'm excercising. He told me that he and his wife have an eye toy and there was a new game that kind of helped you work out. I had forgotten all about the Eye Toy so I immediately googled it to see how much they were. It seemed they were reasonably priced on ebay but I didn't want to wait that long. I had to get moving soon!! I went to Vintage Stock today and they had a used Eye Toy for $14.99. They also had a game called Kinetic which is what I think Aaron was talking about. It was $14.99 too. It allows you to create workout routines. There are 2 personal trainers that help you along the way. You can get cardio, combat, toning, and mind.
I brought it home and hooked it up because I wanted to see what it did. The 4 of us spent the next 2 1/2 hours jumping around the living room. It was quite the workout. The boys had fun and all of us got some much needed exercise. Rhonda on one of my earlier posts recommended that we pay ourselves $5 for every pound we lose. I think the idea is to have clothes money when you are done losing but I thought..hmm..I've lost 6 lbs, that's $30. I should be able to by an Eye Toy. Leanna is saving up for a digital book. She saw one at Target the other day and now she is totally hooked. I told her that at $5 a lb, she only had 60 lbs to go. She looked like she wanted to smack me so I changed the subject..hahaha.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
It's Night Night Time
It is a sad day when I am heading to bed at 6:15 in the evening but that's the plan!! A new friend sent me some sleep dust..wooohooo!!!
The diet is going well and I made everyone sandwiches tonight on my new Foreman 360. I used to have a little foreman grill and I didn't use it very much. I had to train in Philadelphia and this very nice lady in the cafeteria where my training was held made me a turkey sandwich on 12 grain bread with pepper jack cheese and pressed it on a panini press. It was the BEST sandwich that I had ever eaten. I came back home and told my Mom that I wanted a Panini press for Christmas. She always gets frustrated with me because I never have Christmas ideas. I would have been happy with a little $20 Hamilton Beach panini press from Wal-mart but Mom went all out. She got me a Foreman 360 grill with removable plates. I can bake pizzas, make frittatas, grill chicken, make quesadillas, make paninis and so much more. It has a variable heat setting so I can make all kinds of different things. It was very much appreciated. It was nice to make the boys some grilled cheese sandwiches without having to smear butter all over it.
God is so amazingly awesome. If you don't know this already I'll be happy to tell you all of the reasons that I think so. We have JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) in the morning and I am super excited to see God move through these children. Have an awesome night.
The diet is going well and I made everyone sandwiches tonight on my new Foreman 360. I used to have a little foreman grill and I didn't use it very much. I had to train in Philadelphia and this very nice lady in the cafeteria where my training was held made me a turkey sandwich on 12 grain bread with pepper jack cheese and pressed it on a panini press. It was the BEST sandwich that I had ever eaten. I came back home and told my Mom that I wanted a Panini press for Christmas. She always gets frustrated with me because I never have Christmas ideas. I would have been happy with a little $20 Hamilton Beach panini press from Wal-mart but Mom went all out. She got me a Foreman 360 grill with removable plates. I can bake pizzas, make frittatas, grill chicken, make quesadillas, make paninis and so much more. It has a variable heat setting so I can make all kinds of different things. It was very much appreciated. It was nice to make the boys some grilled cheese sandwiches without having to smear butter all over it.
God is so amazingly awesome. If you don't know this already I'll be happy to tell you all of the reasons that I think so. We have JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz) in the morning and I am super excited to see God move through these children. Have an awesome night.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Fellowship is Important
I want to thank everyone for all of the great food ideas. I am looking forward to trying all of them. I also decided that some of the hunger/shaky feeling is fatigue. I haven't been sleeping very well this week and I am sure that isn't helping at all. I am feeling much much better!!
We had our Women's Free for All at church tonight. It is truly amazing how much I miss these ladies when I don't get to see them for a while. With the holidays and the weather issues in December things got postponed and our women's ministry hasn't met in a while. Desperation Church has the most amazing bunch of women. They are on fire for God and His light shines out through them. So anyway, I told everyone goodbye and walked outside at 9pm but I have only been home for 30 minutes. You will see by the time on this post that perhaps I stood outside for a while. For those of you who KNOW me, you will know how crazy that is because I have always been a blender in crowds. For me to be standing around outside chit-chatting for almost 2 hours is NOT NORMAL! For those of you who THINK you know me- you think that I am loud, obnoxious and opinionated and it's normal for me to stand around chit-chatting. That's because I have gotten to know you and you aren't in a crowd. =)I would like to take a moment to thank the brave soul who engaged me in a meaningful conversation in 30 degree weather. I value your friendship and I hope you have defrosted.
Our Women's ministry leader firmly believes in "What's your story of his glory". She feels like a good way to build relationships is to share testimonies. I wholeheartedly agree. I have heard several testimonies during Women's ministry time and there is always a message for me. God has been moving in me for the last few months that my story needs to be heard. Of course, I am just as opinionated with God as I am with everyone else so I pretty much told him that I would be just fine keeping my story to myself. In case you haven't learned this yet- GOD ALWAYS WINS. He is not above using those around you in strategic ways to CONVINCE you that his way is the right way. So I will be telling my story during the next Women's Free for All. I am sure God has a lot to talk to me about between now and then. God knows that I have a lot to process and a lot of decisions to make on what I feel like He is leading me to share. I feel like He is calling me not only to acknowledge that my scars are still wounds but to open those wounds wide open so that He can wash them clean. I am saying BRING IT ON!!!
We had our Women's Free for All at church tonight. It is truly amazing how much I miss these ladies when I don't get to see them for a while. With the holidays and the weather issues in December things got postponed and our women's ministry hasn't met in a while. Desperation Church has the most amazing bunch of women. They are on fire for God and His light shines out through them. So anyway, I told everyone goodbye and walked outside at 9pm but I have only been home for 30 minutes. You will see by the time on this post that perhaps I stood outside for a while. For those of you who KNOW me, you will know how crazy that is because I have always been a blender in crowds. For me to be standing around outside chit-chatting for almost 2 hours is NOT NORMAL! For those of you who THINK you know me- you think that I am loud, obnoxious and opinionated and it's normal for me to stand around chit-chatting. That's because I have gotten to know you and you aren't in a crowd. =)I would like to take a moment to thank the brave soul who engaged me in a meaningful conversation in 30 degree weather. I value your friendship and I hope you have defrosted.
Our Women's ministry leader firmly believes in "What's your story of his glory". She feels like a good way to build relationships is to share testimonies. I wholeheartedly agree. I have heard several testimonies during Women's ministry time and there is always a message for me. God has been moving in me for the last few months that my story needs to be heard. Of course, I am just as opinionated with God as I am with everyone else so I pretty much told him that I would be just fine keeping my story to myself. In case you haven't learned this yet- GOD ALWAYS WINS. He is not above using those around you in strategic ways to CONVINCE you that his way is the right way. So I will be telling my story during the next Women's Free for All. I am sure God has a lot to talk to me about between now and then. God knows that I have a lot to process and a lot of decisions to make on what I feel like He is leading me to share. I feel like He is calling me not only to acknowledge that my scars are still wounds but to open those wounds wide open so that He can wash them clean. I am saying BRING IT ON!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
I am Full
It's late and I'm tired but I wanted to take a minute to clarify yesterday's post. I appreciate all of the suggestions and feedback but I think my post was misunderstood.
A lot of times when people go on a diet, they complain that they aren't getting enough food and aren't satisfied. I think that this is what everyone is thinking I was saying so I got a lot of suggestions to raise the amount of calories that I allow myself to eat. I think that may be a good idea but it isn't the issue that I am having.
I am having the exact opposite problem. I feel like I am eating all day long. I eat a good breakfast before work and get full and 2 hours later I am famished. I then eat a snack and within an hour I'm famished again, so I eat another snack and within an hour or so it's lunch time. I eat lunch and I'm FULL but about 2 hours later I'm starving again so I eat another snack. I am averaging 3 good size meals and about 8 snacks a day and I am having a hard time getting to 1900 calories. Like I said yesterday, it is not something I expected to be complaining about but I am sick of eating!! I did a little more analyzing of my food charts over the last few days and I think that part of the problem is that my snacks need to be bigger. Maybe this will tide me over for a longer period of time. My body is burning the fuel faster than I can put it in. Don't get me wrong this is a good problem to have and I am blessed that my metabolism is firing on all cylinders (for the first time ever).
So...any ideas on some healthy snacks that will be a little more filling? Right now I am eating a piece of fruit, or some yogurt, or a nature valley granola bar.
Thank you again to everyone who e-mailed me or left a comment with helpful suggestions. There was good information to be had. I am glad that we can all tackle this together. God Bless you all!!!
A lot of times when people go on a diet, they complain that they aren't getting enough food and aren't satisfied. I think that this is what everyone is thinking I was saying so I got a lot of suggestions to raise the amount of calories that I allow myself to eat. I think that may be a good idea but it isn't the issue that I am having.
I am having the exact opposite problem. I feel like I am eating all day long. I eat a good breakfast before work and get full and 2 hours later I am famished. I then eat a snack and within an hour I'm famished again, so I eat another snack and within an hour or so it's lunch time. I eat lunch and I'm FULL but about 2 hours later I'm starving again so I eat another snack. I am averaging 3 good size meals and about 8 snacks a day and I am having a hard time getting to 1900 calories. Like I said yesterday, it is not something I expected to be complaining about but I am sick of eating!! I did a little more analyzing of my food charts over the last few days and I think that part of the problem is that my snacks need to be bigger. Maybe this will tide me over for a longer period of time. My body is burning the fuel faster than I can put it in. Don't get me wrong this is a good problem to have and I am blessed that my metabolism is firing on all cylinders (for the first time ever).
So...any ideas on some healthy snacks that will be a little more filling? Right now I am eating a piece of fruit, or some yogurt, or a nature valley granola bar.
Thank you again to everyone who e-mailed me or left a comment with helpful suggestions. There was good information to be had. I am glad that we can all tackle this together. God Bless you all!!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Just Can't Get Enough
Okay...so no deep thoughts today. God has done a lot of moving in my heart today but I'll have to mull it over before I can share it with you. I want to thank all of you that have responded to the blog in the past few days by posting comments or e-mailing me personally. It has been very encouraging!!!
So I am experiencing a problem with my diet that I never thought I would have. I am having a hard time eating enough food. I know I know..that is a silly thing to complain about but I am really struggling. Your body requires so many calories to just live. I set my calories at 1900 because that seemed like a lot. I am not sure that it is high enough but even at that I am having a hard time getting to 1900. I am eating 3 meals a day and having something like 8 snacks but I am still hungry. I think this is a good thing because I haven't really felt hungry in a very long time. I am learning to listen to my body and feed it when it's hungry but a girl can only eat so many times a day. GEESH!!. So I have decided that it is portions. I have been trying to follow the recommended serving size on the label which for "normal" people would be enough food but not for someone my size. Hey..it takes a lot of energy to heft this weight around. So I have decided that I need to increase my portion sizes so that the meal energy lasts longer and then I won't need as many snacks along the way. I'll let you know how that works out for me.
I have been blessed so far that I haven't had any wild cravings but I know when they hit, I just need to eat a small portion to satiate the craving and then get on with it. I had Greek Chicken Pasta for lunch today. You can find it on Allrecipes.com. Have I mentioned that I love that site. If anyone else knows of a good recipe site, please let us know. We need all the help we can get.
I pray that those of you who are on a weight loss journey stay encouraged tomorrow. WE CAN DO THIS!!! WE ARE WORTH IT!!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Getting Down to the Roots
Before I get to the "meat" of my thoughts for the day I would like to do my Monday weight loss update. We are all 4 doing an incredible job. I am proud of us!!
Holly - 1.98% weight loss - BIGGEST LOSER
Leanna - 1.44% weight loss
Molly- 1.91% weight loss
Chris- .94% weight loss
Keep in mind that we have only been going since January 1 so I am so thankful to God that we have been successful.
As I mentioned in a previous post- God is working on the inside of me. I pray that as God works in me that I might speak His truth into this blog so that others may benefit. I promise that not all of the posts will be heavy material but I feel like God is calling me to share my struggle. I believe it is His desire to turn all things for good- even my weight loss struggle.
I have been battling weight issues since 6th grade. I am fairly certain that the weight gain originally came about due to abuse I experienced as a child. I have worked through a lot of baggage that came with my childhood but I can't help but think that there are deep roots that I need to get to in order to fully heal. I was listening to a Beth Moore CD on my way to work the other morning and she said something that struck me to the core. You all know what I'm talking about..those things that you hear that you KNOW are from God and you can almost see Him nodding his head whispering "yep ..that was for you". She said that scars don't hurt. A lot of us walk around talking about the scars that we have on our hearts from all of the horribly hurtful things that have happened to us. We feel like we've worked through them and dealt with them and now they are just scars on our hearts. SCARS DON'T HURT. If thoughts of your childhood are hurtful or when a certain person's name is mentioned it brings an ache to your heart, then it is NOT a scar- it is a wound. Wounds can only heal if they are washed clean and God is the only one who can do it. It makes me think back to times in my childhood where I cut my finger or scraped my knee. My Mom would want to pour stuff into my wounds to wash it out. I hated it. I winced and pulled away and sometimes I dreaded it so much that I would make a choice not to tell my Mom about my cut. I would rather face infection and amputation (as this is what I was assured would happen if my wound wasn't washed out) then to have that stuff poured into my wounds. That's how I feel about my heart wounds sometimes. I know that only God can wash them clean but it HURTS. I still wince and pull away and then I make a choice not to surrender the wounds to the only one who can heal them. I am learning though that the infection (the bad self thoughts) and the amputation (my separation from God) aren't worth it. As much as it hurts- turning the wounds over to God is my only hope for total healing. I am so thankful that I have an understanding God who knows my fears. He knows I want my wounds cleaned but I'm scared. He doesn't get angry when I pull away. He just waits patiently (loving me all the while) for me to come back to Him. What an awesome loving God I serve!!!!
I pray that if you have any open wounds (even if you just thought they were scars) that you let God wash them clean. Thank you for letting me share my heart today and for those of you who care- I LOVE MY NEW COOKWARE!!! God Bless!!
Holly - 1.98% weight loss - BIGGEST LOSER
Leanna - 1.44% weight loss
Molly- 1.91% weight loss
Chris- .94% weight loss
Keep in mind that we have only been going since January 1 so I am so thankful to God that we have been successful.
As I mentioned in a previous post- God is working on the inside of me. I pray that as God works in me that I might speak His truth into this blog so that others may benefit. I promise that not all of the posts will be heavy material but I feel like God is calling me to share my struggle. I believe it is His desire to turn all things for good- even my weight loss struggle.
I have been battling weight issues since 6th grade. I am fairly certain that the weight gain originally came about due to abuse I experienced as a child. I have worked through a lot of baggage that came with my childhood but I can't help but think that there are deep roots that I need to get to in order to fully heal. I was listening to a Beth Moore CD on my way to work the other morning and she said something that struck me to the core. You all know what I'm talking about..those things that you hear that you KNOW are from God and you can almost see Him nodding his head whispering "yep ..that was for you". She said that scars don't hurt. A lot of us walk around talking about the scars that we have on our hearts from all of the horribly hurtful things that have happened to us. We feel like we've worked through them and dealt with them and now they are just scars on our hearts. SCARS DON'T HURT. If thoughts of your childhood are hurtful or when a certain person's name is mentioned it brings an ache to your heart, then it is NOT a scar- it is a wound. Wounds can only heal if they are washed clean and God is the only one who can do it. It makes me think back to times in my childhood where I cut my finger or scraped my knee. My Mom would want to pour stuff into my wounds to wash it out. I hated it. I winced and pulled away and sometimes I dreaded it so much that I would make a choice not to tell my Mom about my cut. I would rather face infection and amputation (as this is what I was assured would happen if my wound wasn't washed out) then to have that stuff poured into my wounds. That's how I feel about my heart wounds sometimes. I know that only God can wash them clean but it HURTS. I still wince and pull away and then I make a choice not to surrender the wounds to the only one who can heal them. I am learning though that the infection (the bad self thoughts) and the amputation (my separation from God) aren't worth it. As much as it hurts- turning the wounds over to God is my only hope for total healing. I am so thankful that I have an understanding God who knows my fears. He knows I want my wounds cleaned but I'm scared. He doesn't get angry when I pull away. He just waits patiently (loving me all the while) for me to come back to Him. What an awesome loving God I serve!!!!
I pray that if you have any open wounds (even if you just thought they were scars) that you let God wash them clean. Thank you for letting me share my heart today and for those of you who care- I LOVE MY NEW COOKWARE!!! God Bless!!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Excited about Cleaning the Kitchen
I have never been as excited about cleaning the kitchen as I was today. For those of you who know me, you know that I love to cook. I have been trying to bring in a little extra money so I cook lunches for 2 other girls at work. They don't like to cook so it works out nicely for me. It's just easy to cook for 5 as it is for 3. The great thing about cooking for them is that they get to be my new recipes Guinea Pigs. Now that I am back on track and eating healthy- I have had to break out my old "dieter's" cookbooks. I was shocked at how many healthy cookbooks I had. As I said yesterday, the Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's cookbook is the best but there are so many great ones out there. My favorite website to find new recipes is Allrecipes.com. I have added the link to the right. They have a Healthy Cooking section and the nutritional information is provided for almost every recipe. I also like it because I take the recipes that I find in cooking light or Kraftfoods and type them in. This puts all of my errant recipes in one place.
While it is super duper exciting to discover cookbooks that you forgot you had - this is not the reason I was excited to clean the kitchen. My brand new set of cookware should be here tomorrow. I have been looking for new cookware for the past 3 months. I started out really wanting the Racheal Ray cookset but I decided that it just didn't make sense to spend $199 on pots and pans. They have had Paula Deen's cookware on sale but I didn't like the color. =) I finally decided that I could live with my 6 year old T-Fal (that the boys have scratched the nonstick coating off of). Then when we were in Nebraska talking about getting healthy in 2009, Chris and Molly found Racheal Ray on sale at Kohls. It wasn't the hard anodized kind, it was the bright orange but I didn't care. I wanted some Racheal Ray cookware. I got really excited to go shopping (I don't like to shop) and wouldn't you know it-- NO RACHEAL RAY!! (capitalization is to emphasize my frustration). I started to get upset but decided it just wasn't meant to be. When I got back home, I decided to google Racheal Ray Cookware just to see what would come up. Wouldn't you know it Amazon.com had my Racheal Ray cookware (and not the bright orange kind) on sale for $139. I still thought it was too much for me to be spending then I remembered my dear Grandparents had sent me $100 for Christmas. I decided I was WORTH IT!!! I have been tossing out T-Fal all day!! wooohooo. It's really too bad that nobody reads this blog because I sure would like to use my new pots and pans to make dinner for some people.
Have an awesome week!!
While it is super duper exciting to discover cookbooks that you forgot you had - this is not the reason I was excited to clean the kitchen. My brand new set of cookware should be here tomorrow. I have been looking for new cookware for the past 3 months. I started out really wanting the Racheal Ray cookset but I decided that it just didn't make sense to spend $199 on pots and pans. They have had Paula Deen's cookware on sale but I didn't like the color. =) I finally decided that I could live with my 6 year old T-Fal (that the boys have scratched the nonstick coating off of). Then when we were in Nebraska talking about getting healthy in 2009, Chris and Molly found Racheal Ray on sale at Kohls. It wasn't the hard anodized kind, it was the bright orange but I didn't care. I wanted some Racheal Ray cookware. I got really excited to go shopping (I don't like to shop) and wouldn't you know it-- NO RACHEAL RAY!! (capitalization is to emphasize my frustration). I started to get upset but decided it just wasn't meant to be. When I got back home, I decided to google Racheal Ray Cookware just to see what would come up. Wouldn't you know it Amazon.com had my Racheal Ray cookware (and not the bright orange kind) on sale for $139. I still thought it was too much for me to be spending then I remembered my dear Grandparents had sent me $100 for Christmas. I decided I was WORTH IT!!! I have been tossing out T-Fal all day!! wooohooo. It's really too bad that nobody reads this blog because I sure would like to use my new pots and pans to make dinner for some people.
Have an awesome week!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)