Week of 7/8/12 through 7/11/12

So it's delayed. But.. but...but... welp, here it is.

I was gone for two weeks. I went to my mothers for a week so that they could see Sister Bear. They take Brother Bear for a week every month. It's his time with MawMaw and PawPaw {See, we all have bear names around here!}. It was a nice visit that turned into a really nice visit when Papa Bear came and joined us for the second week.  So yes, I'm behind. But I'm back. So here's what's going on in my world.

Our car broke. Boo. Prayers please that today it gets fixed easily without any damage to our head gasket. Our radiator house blew on our way back from Maw-Paw's house. But thankfully my cousin and her boyfriend came to our rescue that night. Tonight it will be fixed, hopefully. I've let go, and let God take this one. He knows we need to have it fixed. It's our livelihood.

So here's the lists.

To-Do List

1.Canning. I was given some yummy fresh blackberries and they need to become a few jars of jam.

2. Bake a Blackberry Pie from my cousin Chelle's birthday. I won't share how old she is, she might hit me! ;)

3.Fix Car. {See Above.}

4.Finish tagging car. Apparently we thought our Personal Property Tax was more than it was, they send the check back. So it'll be paid by the end of the week and the car will be fully legal!!

5. Purge the children's play room. With a birthday came more toys. I need to get some of their old ones out of there!

6.Blogging, of course! I'm working on a blog about why we choose to not vaccinate. {Just for you Sabrina!!}

Bible Study

Ruth

I'm also suppose to be doing one with KP, but she hasn't got back to me on what it is....

Pantry Clean Out Meal Plan

Breakfast 

Granola Bars

Breakfast Bites

Oatmeal & Berries

Bacon & Eggs

Eggs & Oranges

Pancakes & bacon

Lunch

Tamales

Chinese Noodles with Garlic and Soy Sauce & Veggies

Tuna Salad & Carrots

Leftovers

Sandwich & Chips & Fruit

Noodles & Vegetables

Dinner

Chicken Breast with Carrots & Stuffing

Salmon & Asparagus & Pasta

Pork Chops & Corn & Mashed Potatoes

Brisket & Fried Taters & Green Beans

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Chicken & Rice/Gravy & Peas

Snacks

Veggies

Fruit

Chips

Leftovers

The reason this is called Pantry Clean Out Meal Plan is because I am trying to get rid of all the random cans and stuff that we've been avoiding eating because we don't eat it normally. I can't fathom giving it to a food pantry when we can easily eat it. So I'm making one bad week where we clean it all out and eat. Then the following week I will be doing a juice fast. That's going to be hard. Yikes! I'm still nursing so some people will claim that I shouldn't do it, but the verdict is out. I know that she's old enough she won't starve if there is something she doesn't like the taste of. Plus, toxin rich breastmilk is still better than formula any day of the week. So I'm kind of on the fence. We'll see how it goes. Plus there is stored milk in the freezer, I think. It's buried by all the other junk in there! 

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 We are also in search of a family motto. This was inspired by another friend. I'd love to use her family's but, our family's are not the same. So though it would work, it's not my family's motto. I'm in search of it. For some reason  I've had Proverbs 22:6 stuck in my head as well though. It could because our downstairs neighbor quotes it all the time. But it's really been influencing me lately. 

Proverbs 22:6

Train up your child in the way he should grow,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

I want to focus on training or raising our children correctly. Which is so hard in our world today. It's hard fighting the fast, mainstream world. Even harder when you've been a part of it for so long and you are trying to remove yourself from most of it. I'm going to continue praying on it. I'm sure I'll find a motto that fits our family. We've been loosely using this one from Carl Bard.

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new beginning, 

Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

I'm working on my brand new ending. How's yours coming?

{Hollea}

 

 

 

Fresh Start Challenge 6/6/12-My attitude check-in!

So last week I threw my "diet" out the window. And I don't regret it all, one single bit. I have had the best week ever since I quite my diet. It is the most amazing feeling in the world not being strapped by the boundaries that I put in place for myself.

I'm not sure where I have set on my weight loss goals, but I do know that my confidence has been greater this week. It was relieving to not worry about eating a piece of cake with Brother  Bear or drinking that (gasp!) foo-foo coffee! And honestly, I don't care.

You know why?!

I have gone down a pant size!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Yes, all those exclamation points are needed.*

So when I stopped focusing on the negative and more on the positive, I lost one pant size. And they aren't super tight either. It's not any of this 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound bag.

So, I'm very confident that my new, "Fresh Start" attitude is the reason why I'm seeing such a positive change in my life.

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Today someone mentioned that my attitude is always uplifting. I had to admit that it's easier to be in a good mood than it is to be in a bad one. Even if I am in a bad mood, I fake a good mood. Not because I don't want everyone to think I'm not perfect. Quite the opposite. I choose to be in a good mood. Fake it until you make it, I say. (If you know who really said it, let me know. I'd like to give them credit.) 

Honestly, I didn't have this mindset a year ago. I was dark and dismal like the Murky Dismal (Rainbow Bright). 

If I was in a bad mood, I put you in a bad mood. If I was sad, you were sad. I no longer am that person. I want to give the credit to myself. That I changed my attitude and mindset, but I can't give myself that credit. Honestly, before I met the Lord for the 400th 4th time I was in a dark, dark place. I was lost and headed nowhere good. I have to give Him all the credit. By Him and I finding each other again, I have changed everything. 

My thoughts, my words, my feelings, my reactions... or at least they are a work in progress. I am slowly working towards being who I know the Lord wants me to be in all of these areas. That is why I linked up with MommyhoodByTheHandful to do this "Fresh Start Challenge", it's not about just fitness and health. It's about a fresh start in life, each week. We go to church on Sunday to fill our cups, we check in on Wednesday when we can. I like reflecting on Wednesdays on here of my progress each week. Inside and out progress.

What have you progressed (or regressed) on this week? Check in with your "Fresh Start". I won't hold it against you. Start fresh....again!

Fresh Start Wednesdays (Starts this week)

Today is Wednesday. Today is the day. The day I attempt start my semi quasi original foods diet. I got the idea from Mandy over at Biblical Homemaking. I love the concept. I pretty much follow it anyway. But I am officially going to be cutting back on dairy and meat. I'll never give up eggs, I love them too much!

So the plan is 80% vegan and 20% non-vegan or "junk" food. Not that that's an issue. We don't really eat junk. Occasionally I crave a box of cheap pasta salad, only to regret it later. So this is more about the focus on eating a lot of really good quality fruits and vegetables. Plus, if I have to cook a hamburger for Papa Bear, I don't want to feel bad if I decide to eat one. Or if I eat an ice cream cone on Friday with Brother Bear. (It's our Friday treat for having a good week!)

So what can I eat? A lot!

Mandy laid her's out like this.

the original food diet “rules”

I'm creating my own scheme of foods based on what I've studied. I'm calling it the "original food" diet. For 40 days, I’ll be following these guidelines for what I eat! :)

My allowed foods are any naturally occurring plant-based foods:
vegetables
fruit
legumes
whole grains
nuts
seasonings from seed plants

Foods I'll be avoiding: anything artificially or factory-created or any animal meat or animal product.
meats
bread
cookies
cereals
pasta
refined sugars
dairy
eggs
artificial sweeteners {this is huge for me!}

I've tweaked mine just a little bit. I will be avoiding grains. I will eventually eliminate all of them that contain gluten. I'm pretty sure I have a gluten intolerance and rather than spend the money to find out if I'm correct, I''ll just eliminate it. So add gluten to the list of avoiding and put meat and dairy as a "sometimes food" and you've got my list.

So why am I doing all of this?

I'm pretty sure I have a gluten intolerance and a thyroid issue. I'm curious to see if cutting out someone "trigger" foods will help me loose the weight that I'm struggling to shed. I'm currently 5'4 1/2 and weigh in at 215 lbs. I don't look like I weigh that much, but to me, I feel it. All my other stats are normal. Normal heart rate, blood pressure, o2. Everything. So I know that my weight is just a cosmetic issue for me. Not a health issue. I'm not borderline for diabetes, my blood work is perfect. This is simply about the strain my body feels physically and emotionally because of the excess weight I carry around.

I'm not complaining, I'm not moaning. I can do this. This diet is just another step in my journey to make my outside reflect my inside. FOR ME.

Another reason for this overhaul is I'm trying to get closer to God. I want my body to be the Temple he designed it to be. I'm going to feed it things he's put here for me to put in it. Things that I know are designed for me. Designed for my Temple. I know I can do this!

What are you going to do for your "Fresh Start"....I challenge you. :)





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