A Little Reminder...

I'm sure you've noticed I've been quiet lately about my
weight loss. Reason is, I haven't lost anything...
I've actually gained some of my weight back. Ugh. :(

I could blame many different things on my lack of
motivation, but the truth is, I can only blame myself.

Losing weight is such a frustrating {slow!} thing to do.
Maybe I felt overwhelmed how far I have to go.
Maybe I was busy and didn't make time for it.
Maybe I was just lazy.

But whatever the reason, today is a new day.



So, today I put all of this behind me and start again.
It's time to get busy and lose this weight!

Here's to a new day!

p.s. A new menu is up for the week!!
And, the button is now working! Yay!
I've also made some changes, so please read
the note I wrote underneath the button. Thanks!

Oh, and one more thing. If you would
like to see a few sneak peaks of Abby's
wedding this past weekend, click here.
They are gorgeous! Can't wait to see the rest!!

image found here

Page Gadget & Help

Who else thinks this weekend went by way too fast?

Tonight, I want to show you a little something. I've been playing around with Blogger the past couple of nights, and guess what I discovered!? A new {well, it's new to me because I had no idea it was even there} page gadget! Do you know what this means?! You can now add different pages to your blog! I am loving it! You may have noticed, I've gotten a little page crazy; I've added several pages to my blog.

Have you checked them out yet? They will slowly but surely be updated over time, so keep checking back. My email button and this week's recipe button now have their own separate pages, so you won't find them on the right side of the blog anymore. I will also be adding my favorite DIY ideas for all you crafty people out there, as well as blog tutorials so we can all keep our blogs looking fabulous! And eventually, {which means any time within the next 5 years} I will be writing on the photography page about what camera and editing program I use. I hope you enjoy these pages as much as I've enjoyed creating them!

And before I go, guess what!? I won another {yes, that makes three!} giveaway!!! I totally forgot I had entered, but bright and early this morning I got an email from Gina at hiyaluv telling me I won $25 in store credit to the Etsy shop EclecticWhatnot! That means I am the new owner of a fabulous ruffly camera strap! But, I am having trouble deciding between two of them because they are both so cute. I've narrowed it down to this one:

and this one:

Dang. How am I going to decide? I think I may be leaning towards the Chocolate Truffle. Which is your favorite?

If you want your own ruffly cuteness, click here to check out the shop.

Have a wonderful day!

p.s. Of course, we can't forget about Uncle Quentin today-- it's his birthday! Hope you have a great day Queen! We love you.

One Month to Go...

Sweet Noah, you are 23 months today, and as Mommy always says, I can't believe it! Next month we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday!

Let's see, what are you up to this month, Mr. Noah?

You love to run all.over.the.place! It doesn't matter where we are, once you get those little legs a running, there is no stopping you.

You love when Mommy and Daddy take you to Pump It Up; it is one of your favorite spots to go play. You really come out of your shell when you are playing there; it is so much fun to watch you. Your favorite thing to do while we are there is slide. You are so funny because you get so mad at us if we try to go down the slide with you. Mr. Independent wants to go all by himself!

You love to sit back and listen to Mommy or Daddy read to you. One of your favorite books right now is, "For the Love of a Pug." The other night as soon as we got to the end of the book you kept signing "more," and we ended up reading it five times that night.

New signs you have learned are: "work," "amen," "pray," "swim," "down." I'm sure there are more I am not thinking of right now.

You cry and whine about everything now. You cry if we change your diaper. You whine when we put your bathing suit on. You cry when we put you in the bath {yes, the bath!}. You've gotten to be pretty good at throwing fits.

You can climb up on our bed all by yourself now, and of course you still love to jump and play on it once you're up there.

You have been waving "bye-bye" for probably a couple months now.

Every night when I put you in your crib to go night-night, you are always such a sweet guy and blow Mommy a kiss.

You are a picky, picky eater! The only thing you will keep in your mouth these days is macaroni and cheese or spaghetti. Oh, and of course anything with chocolate or sugar on it.



You have been so good about riding in the car lately. I think you have gotten used to the fact that it's pretty much always gonna take 20-30 minutes to get wherever we're going. You are always so patient and sweet!

When you wake up in the mornings or at nap time, you love to throw every single thing that is in your crib on the floor. When Mommy comes in to get you, the only thing in your crib is YOU.

Your favorite phrase right now {and for the past couple of months} is, "uh oh." And it's so very cute when you say it.

The other day when we were all at the church cleaning, you mimicked Mommy when she moved her tongue side by side. It was adorable!



You hate flip flops with a passion; you are constantly trying to take them off. They sure look so cute on you though.

You are such a good little shopper with Mommy. I am always so proud of you when we go to the store because you are always so patient and happy while we shop.

I love you so much Noah! No matter how big you get, you will always be my baby.

The Pleated Poppy Giveaway

Giveaway now closed! Thanks to all who entered. And, good luck!

I'm thinking we should start this week off with a giveaway!
Agree? Thought so.

I am so excited to share with you The Pleated Poppy!!
I love Lindsey's shop and I just know you will too.
Just wait until you lay your eyes on her fabulous creations.

When I came across her shop, I fell in love with everything.
So, of course I was planning on buying a few things
and then guess what?!

I entered a giveaway and won a $50 store credit!!!
I.could.not.believe.it!
I never win anything.

My absolute favorite items in Lindsey's store
are the petal pushers and the zippered pouches.



I ended up getting the sterling petal pusher in the top left
corner of the collage and two adorable zippered pouches.

I absolutely love, love, love
the products Lindsey sent me!

And guess what?
Lindsey is so kindly giving away
a $25 store credit to one of you!!

Want your own goodies? Enter to win!!

--------------------------

To enter the giveaway all you have to do is:

- Visit Lindsey's shop by clicking here and then come back
and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.

For extra entries:

- Follow Lindsey's blog
and/or
- Follow my blog

If you already follow our blogs, please let me know and also
please leave a separate comment for each entry. Thank you!

You have three chances to enter into this fabulous giveaway!

Giveaway will close 8 pm Saturday, July 17th,
and the winner will be announced on Monday, July 19th.

Good luck!

p.s. A new menu is up for "this week's recipes"
in case you missed my last post.

LIFE Deaf Youth Camp

We had a great week at camp!

We studied God's word.
We made new friends.
We played some wild & crazy games.
We held onto each other for dear life as we road the banana boat.
My friend, Angie, dyed my hair {I felt like a new woman!}.
We stayed wet pretty much all week from the non-stop rain.
Josh had the privilege of baptizing our new sister in Christ, Brittany.
I only had to give out a few band aids & Tylenol.

Overall, probably the best camp we've had in years.
I didn't want to come home. Okay, you know that's not true.
But I did thoroughly enjoy myself.

And for those of you who skipped out on camp this year
{ahem, Melanie & Clara}
your pretty faces better be there next year.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of our week at camp.



I am looking forward to camp next year!

p.s. New menu is up for "This Week's Recipes"
{Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for Saturday's menu--
you will see what I'm talking about}

Busy & a New Recipe

You are probably wondering if I am ever going to upload a new menu for "This Week's Recipes." I feel really bad for not keeping up with it, but it also takes time to do, and time is not something I have a lot of right now. I feel like I've been running in a million different directions. As soon as I got home from Jamaica I had to read a thick ol' book and prepare for a neonatal resuscitation re-certification class. It definitely was not what I wanted to spend my whole week doing. I was so relieved when it was over because I could finally relax a bit and get back into the routine of everything.

Well, kind of.

I took everything out of my suitcase just to wash it so I could pack again. I'm headed out of town tomorrow for LIFE Deaf Youth Camp. I am the camp nurse every year, so it was kind of something I couldn't get out of. I know it will be a great week, but I just hate having to leave my little guy again. But on a positive note, at least Noah is getting to spend some good quality time with his grandparents. So if you have been wondering why the heck I haven't posted a single thing about Jamaica or uploaded any new recipes, now you know.

I do have a little something-something I wanted to share with you tonight. Tonight I cooked a deeeelicious new recipe. And as always, the best part is that it is very easy to make

Chipotle Bean Nachos

What you Need:

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 tsp canola oil {I just used olive oil because I had it already}
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp chili powder, chipotle variety, or more to taste
20 item(s) baked low-fat tortilla chips
7 Tbsp low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp variety
1/3 cup salsa
3 tbsp cilantro, fresh, minced {I bought, but ended up not using}

How to Cook:

-Preheat oven to 400ºF.

-Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat oil over medium heat; then add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, salt and chile powder; mash with back of spoon or potato masher to make a pulpy mixture. Remove from heat; set aside.

-Place tortilla chips on a rimmed baking sheet. Spoon bean mixture over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon salsa over top; immediately sprinkle with cilantro. Yields five topped chips per serving.

Weight Watchers Points: 3 points per serving
Servings: 4



Apparently someone couldn't keep his little fingers off of them. Funny guy. Hope you enjoy the new recipe!

Have a wonderful evening!

p.s. I will be out of town this week, but please come back and visit because I have written several posts that will automatically upload for you to read.

My Random Thoughts

Ready? Here goes:

I leave for Jamaica in 3 days! Is it just me or has this week flown by?!

I caught Noah trying to climb out of his crib this afternoon after his nap. Does that mean he's ready for his toddler bed? I'm not so sure I'm ready for that. Any advice on that is much appreciated!

I got in a car wreck this past Monday. Talk about perfect timing {insert sarcasm}. I am just thankful it was not my fault. But still, it was quite the pain having to deal with all of this the week before I leave for Jamaica. However, I am so very thankful that I was not hurt in the wreck. The Lord was watching over me for sure. And, thank you, thank you, thank you to my sweet friend, Laura, and her cutie patootie son, Ian, for rescuing me and taking me home since my car was not drivable. Yeah, Josh's car needs some shop love, so the Camry was our only car at the time. We have a rental car now, and hopefully our car gets fixed soon!

I have sooooooo much laundry to get done. Oh, and my bedroom is a total wreck. I have some major cleaning up to do around here before Grammy {and Papa, for a few days} comes to stay with Josh and Noah while I'm gone.

Guess what? A fabulous giveaway is coming up very, very soon. It is set up to automatically post on Monday {June 14th}, and it will last for the whole week while I'm away. I found out I will not have internet access in Jamaica, so no blogging for me. But don't worry. I'll share everything with you when I get home!

I am on week 5 of my running program C25K {Couch to 5K}, and it looks really hard. I have to run 5 minutes at a time {I know, I'm weak}, and it's pretty much going to kill me. I have to run tonight since I put it off the whole day.

One of my new favorite drinks lately is Chick-fil-A's diet lemonade. It is amazing, and it's zero points!

You may have been wondering where "This Week's Recipes" are for this week. Well, they aren't up because I did not do them. We have still been eating healthy this week, but between having to work a 12 hour shift Sunday night, getting in the wreck Monday, and getting ready for Jamaica, I just didn't have the time to put it together. Obviously I won't put one up for next week either since I'll be gone all week. But you can count on it the week after I get back from Jamaica.

My birthday is coming up! I'll actually turn the big 27 {wait.. hm.. I think 27??} while I'm in Jamaica on the 17th.

I have my Weight Watcher's meeting tomorrow, and I'm anxious to step on the scales and see how much I lost this past week. Crossing my fingers it's a good loss! I usually go every Monday, but I wasn't able to go this past Monday because I was stranded and car-less in a empty parking lot. It was not fun. In fact, one of the worst parts of the wreck was missing my meeting.

Josh and I are so addicted to LOST. Oh my, it's goooood. We are planning on watching at least 2 or 3 episodes tonight. Laundry, cleaning, packing... yeah those things can wait.

Ok, I think that is all. Oh, wait. One more thing:

I am hoping to give you all a blog tutorial before I leave {but I'm not making any promises}. Are you sick of using Blogger to upload your pictures? I hate the Blogger picture uploader; in the tutorial, I'll tell you why, and show you a way around it.
Ok. I really think that's it.

Have a wonderful evening.

What is Working for Me?

This week I am starting my 4th week of doing Weight Watchers. Crazy! I cannot believe how fast the days & weeks go by. Let me just start by saying, I feel amazing. I still have a looong way to go to meet my goal weight {I try not to think of that often}, but the journey of living a more healthy life and seeing the changes my body is making is worth every minute of it. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Weight Watchers is. I know these are lofty words for being in the program for such a short time, but I honestly believe Weight Watchers has changed my life. The program has helped me get motivated and stay motivated, which was my biggest weight loss challenge. The living healthy part has been easy. It's the "getting started" part that always held me back. But that is all behind me now; I am not looking back. I just wish I had signed up a loooong time ago, but you live and learn.

Tonight, I thought I'd share with you what has been working for me in my weight loss journey. But first, I'd like to share with you my stats:

I have lost a total of 11.8 lbs, which is 5% of my total body weight, in 3 weeks. Three weeks!! When I first started, I honestly thought it would take me forever to lose weight. But I have been pleasantly surprised at the progress I've made so far.

So, what is working for me?

1. Regular attendance at Weight Watchers Meetings: going to the meetings every week has been a huge, huge help! Every Monday morning I go to a meeting, which usually lasts about 3o minutes. It is exactly what I need to relax, refresh myself, and get motivated for the upcoming week. It is "me" time. Being a part of a group has been great because it has provided me support and I have learned a lot from the discussions. Every week we talk about different weight loss topics. Like for instance, one week the topic might be strategies for curbing stress eating, and the next week it might center around sharing favorite foods or recipes. But, I have to be honest and say the "weigh in" is my favorite part of the meeting. The weigh in helps me track my progress and also helps me stay accountable to myself. I value the meetings and think they are an important part of the program.

2. Support: I know I wouldn't be as successful as I am today without the support of my family. I have an amazing family who wants the best for me and has been nothing but encouraging. Josh has been a wonderful support. He has eaten every single meal I've cooked without a complaint. He helps me cook on the nights I don't have enough time to squeeze my work out in before he has to go to work. And my parents have been an encouragement to me as well. Every week I call them after my meeting to update them on my current weight loss. And I know they have been praying that God would give me strength and determination to succeed. And He has and does every day! I am so blessed to have so much support in my life.

3. Plan Ahead: Having a menu planned out for the week and knowing what we will eat every day has playing a huge part in my weight loss success. I usually plan my menu for the upcoming week over a couple of days rather than planning all in one night. From experience, planning a whole week of meals can get a little overwhelming when you try to do it in one night.

4. Celebrating the Small Steps: As much as I would love to lose 5 lbs or greater every week, the reality is, it's not gonna happen. I have to remind myself daily that it is going to take me a long time to achieve my goal weight. But that's okay. Every day I get closer and closer to where I want to be. So, I set small goals for myself. I have made it through two 5 lb losses the past couple of weeks and today I was able to celebrate losing 5 % of my total body weight. The small goals add up. I plan to reward myself with a pedicure when I reach 10%! I am looking forward to that day!

5. Weight Watcher etools: Sooo beneficial! I won't go into great detail because I don't want to bore you, but the amount of information on that site is unbelievable. Some of the resources include: thousands of recipes, recipe builder, weight loss tracker, success stories, fitness information, suggestions when eating out, and the list goes on and on. I just can't even begin to tell you how resourceful this site is! It is amazing!

6. Exercise: I know, exercise, ugh. I've never been big on exercise either. It's just uh not fun. But, as much as I hated doing it when I started Weight Watchers, I made myself go at least 5 or 6 days a week. And now, I have found that I really enjoy going. I am even starting to get to the point where I feel guilty if I don't go. That is a miracle right there! But I feel so good after I work out. This past week I have even bumped it up a knotch and worked out for an hour each day I exercised. Hello? Where did that come from. But, it sure does feel good! We've all heard the saying, "To lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume." It sounds so simple, huh. But really, we should all be exercising whether we need to lose weight or not just for the simple fact that it is good for our overall health. There are a lot of fitness options out there. I'd like to eventually try yoga and kickboxing!

7. Pulling out the Skinny Clothes: Really, what better motivation than to pull out one of my favorite size 6 dresses? I have it hanging up in my bedroom, so I can look at it everyday for motivation. I am determined I will fit in that pretty little thing again. The only time I wore it was on our honeymoon, so it is in perfect condition to wear again!

8. Skinny Libby: Imagining myself skinny again motivates me like you wouldn't believe it. If I am having a hard day, I think about myself when I was in a size 6, and suddenly I get a surge of motivation. It's amazing how helpful that can be!

9. Vacation: I am going to Mexico with Josh in November. Yep, just the two of us. Ahhh! I'm so excited. And of course it goes without saying, I want to be his hot momma. Haha.

10. Josh & Noah: I want to lose weight for myself obviously, but I also want to lose it for Josh and Noah. I want to be a healthy wife & mother. I want to make my husband proud; he deserves a wife that cares for and loves herself. And I want to be that woman and wife my husband needs. I also want to be a good example for Noah and our future children. If I am living a unhealthy life then my children will too. I want my children to live long and healthy lives. I have been limited in so much already because of my weight and insecurities, and I don't want to live that kind of life. These two boys are my greatest motivation.

Okay, now that I've written a novel. Ha.

Goodnight.

Something Sweet

I love Smoothies! How about you?

Tonight I have three yummy new flavors for you to try:
Triple Berry, Strawberry Kiwi, & Very Blueberry.

And guess what?!
Everyone of them are less than a 100 calories a cup!

Triple Berry recipe: click here.
Strawberry Kiwi recipe: click here.
Very Blueberry recipe: click here.

Enjoy!

Also, new recipes for this upcoming week are now available!
Don't know what I'm talking about? Click here.

p.s. Happy Birthday Darrell! Hope you have a wonderful day!
We will be thinking about you and we love you very much.

This Week's Recipes

Update: The recipes are better organized and now formatted for easier reading. Enjoy!

So, let's not waste any time and get to the new addition to the blog, shall we? I know you're just dying to know what all the fuss is about.



This is the new button the hubs made for me, and it will go underneath the email button on the right side of the blog. You do know I have an email button, right? I'm so excited I can hardly wait to tell you what this new button is all about.

This past Monday I started Weight Watchers, and I am totally loving it. I love it because it doesn't feel like a "diet." It is all about portion control and learning to choose the right foods that fill you up. And part of being successful with Weight Watchers {or just eating healthy in general} is having a dedicated meal plan each week.

So, last Sunday night while I was planning my menu for the week, I thought to myself, "What if I created a button on the blog that links to my menu plan for each week to share with all of my wonderful friends & family?" And then I thought, "Heck yes that is a good idea!" So, I begged Josh on my hands and knees {ok, not really} to make me a This Week's Recipes button, and he sweetly obliged.

Each week, on Saturday evening, I will post my menu for the week. All you have to do is click the This Week's Recipes button {again, located on the right side of the blog underneath the email button}, and it will take you directly to the recipes. If you look over it, and it looks like a good menu for you and your family then you can just print the sucker off, and voila, you have your menu for the week. All you have to do is the shopping. Sounds like a good deal, huh? Or if you see some meals that make you want to gag, then you can just pick and choose. Be forewarned, most of these recipes will be new to our family, so it will be a trial and error for all of us. But it's fun trying out new recipes, right? Seems like I always get in a rut and cook the same things {ahem, chicken} over and over again, so this will help all of us branch out. So far all the recipes we've tried this week have been wonderful!

And also, obviously there will be times when I go out town or when something else comes up, so there may be a few weeks here and there when I don't post a new set of recipes. But for the most part, there will be new recipes every week for you to enjoy.

So what do you think? Please, leave me a comment and let me know. Or if you have a suggestion, just email me. I would love to hear it.

I hope you enjoy this new addition to the blog!



p.s. I just want to thank you again and again for all of your votes for the Overall Awesomest Blog contest. It was a close race, but we ended up in second place. It sure was an honor being nominated though. We truly appreciate your support!! Thanks so much!

All About the Cheese

Guess what I have for you tonight?
A new recipe for you to try!

When I find a new recipe that my family loves,
I totally get excited. Maybe a little too excited.
Is that weird?

Well, anyway.

My lovely friends, this cheesy recipe is:
fabulous,
very filling,
and
most importantly,
good for you.
So, I just had to share it with you.

Anybody out there love cheese as much as I do?
Oh gracious, I probably love it a little too much.
Anyway, when I was looking through new recipes
to try out, I saw the word "cheese"
and that was it, I was sold.

Let me just show you what we had for dinner tonight:



Yummy! It was oh so good. And healthy!
Oh yeah, I already said that.

You know what else is great about this recipe?
It takes 25 minutes to prepare and cook.
Are you sold?

I can assure you, if you are a cheese-lover
like me, you will love this recipe.

------------------

Broccoli & cheese Soup
(servings: 4; Weight Watchers Points: 4 per serving)

You will need:

-2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup(s) onion(s)
-16 oz frozen chopped broccoli
- 29 oz canned chicken broth
- 4 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Cheese
- 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup(s) water
- 1/4 cup(s) cornstarch

How to:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Add broccoli
and broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium
and simmer 3 minutes, until broccoli is tender.

2. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and stir until
cheese melts; stir in milk and garlic powder.

3. Whisk together water and cornstarch. Add mixture
to pan and simmer 2 minutes, until thick. Serve hot.
Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Easy, easy! Now it's your turn.

------------------

Josh wanted to add jalapenos to part of the recipe,
because he wanted to add a little zing to the soup.
So, I split the recipe in half, and added a
chopped jalapeno {without the seeds!} in with the onion.

And, I have to admit
{since I kept telling Josh how gross that would be},
it was a good addition to the recipe.
Very, very yummy!
But it was a little too spicy for me, so I stuck
to the regular boring ol' broccoli & cheese soup.

And, Noah, he was diggin' the soup.
He finished a whole bowl of it!

Hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did!