End of Goal Week 4 of 2010

Goal:  Chose one item of food or drink and delete from our lives for ONE week.  I, personally, am taking it a step further and doing a pretty intense diet for 30 days.

 

Let's just run through a quick synopsis of the week, shall we?

Day 1:  I want bread...and chocolate...and white rice...and jam...and pizza.  The list continues, but starts to become a little redundant so I won't put you through the misery.

Day 2: Let's just say that Day 1 and 2 sort of ran together with my desire for non-diety sorts of food.

Day 3:  Made Raw Food Brownies.  Recipe given to me by my chiropractor.  (Yes the very same who put me on this diet.)  I realized that I may possibly live through this month and indulge on healthy sweetness.  Even my hubby likes them.  That's HUGE!

Day 4:  Went to my local Health Food store.  I immediately thought of my mother and how she has always been into the healthier lifestyle and meals.  Note to self: Bring mom to this store and take a picture of her face when she sees how much bigger it is than the little itty-bitty one in my hometown.  I really don't know what it is about this place, but it made me happy inside.  That's important for dieters.  We need to find a happy place.

Bought a Raw Food Desserts Recipe Book from aforementioned Health Food Store.  As well as Ezekiel cereal of the Cinnamon Raisin flavor and Sprouted Grain bread.

Day 5:  Tried the Cereal and Bread for the first time this day.  They weren't Outta-the-Ball-Park-Awesome, but I could eat it and be okay with that....for a month.

Day 6:  This day I realized that I'm going to have an easier time with this go around of the diet than last time.  The first time I went on the diet, I cried after almost two weeks straight of just SALAD.  Why it took me that long to figure out that I could actually look for recipes that coincided with the diet, I'll never know.  I'm really surprised that I went THAT long on just salads.  I have a strong dislike for leafy greens.  Just not my personal choice of a meal.  Now, I'm fully equipped with recipes and healthy snacks that I will manage without ever really needing to eat a salad if I choose not to.  I still might, but I make no guarantees.

Day 7:  Wow!  That week went by so fast.  One week down and three more to go.  At the end of every day, I put a little slash mark on my menu calendar.  Bringing me just a little bit closer to the end.

This isn't something new that I've realized or had an epiphany about, but I am a slave to food.  I love it and all (okay well, most of them at least) it's many forms.  I don't want to be a slave to anything.  Making sure I keep some of these habits and recipes when all is said and done will be very important.  It's not bad to want yummy tasting food, but it's not good to surrender our entire food making decisions to them.

Though, I can't lie.  I'm looking forward to being able to have a quick easy meal again.  It may be the weather or just the time of year, but I (and I know I'm not the only one) have been in a funk.  A lazy, tired, don't-wanna-clean-my-house-or-do-my-laundry funk.  A nice already made (homemade of course) pizza crust would make me really happy. 

But I digress.  This week has been very good and I've already lost some weight.  Hooray me!

A Walk in the Park

Well, I suppose in this case it's a "Walk on the Trail", but that just doesn't sound as good. : )

Sunday afternoon, I convinced Ty to go for a walk on part of the Spirit of America Trail here in Kennewick.

Here's little bit of what we saw.

This place should be divine in the Spring!

I think Ty and I will make this a habit/tradition to go on walks on Sunday afternoon.
In Germany (at least) they go on Sunday afternoon walks even in the Winter. I think it's a great way to (1) get out of the house and (2) enjoy the beauty in the world.

Week 4 Goal: Moderation

Goal for Week 4 of 2010: Moderation

(As written in the book)
"Goal: Choose one item of food or drink that you feel like you are a slave to and give it up for the week. This will be harder for some and easier for others. But just remember that it is only for a week."

Needless to say, I knew this day was coming. I won' t lie to you....I'm not too excited.
However, I know it's a need-to-do in my life. I knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't really sure what Ty would choose. He doesn't find the same satisfaction in yummy delectables as I do. Despite that, we came up with Potato Chips for him. It was quite funny because I came up with this one on the way home from church and he said, "Oh man. That's what I was going to have when we got home." Perfect no?
Like the goal says, "easier for others".

Me. Well, I'm going a slightly more drastic route. I was instructed by my Chiropractor (Who is Uh-MAZ-Ziiing!)when I saw him last to go back on the 30 day diet again. However, when he wanted me to do this was during the holiday season.....yeah, I don't think so.
I told him, innocently, that I knew that I just wouldn't keep up with it and would start at the beginning of the year, after the temptation dissolved in my tummy. The month is almost over and I still hadn't even really tried. I was on it a few months before and lost 10 pounds without doing any exercise. Then life happened and I ate up all my feelings, consequently gaining me back those unmissed 10 pounds.
This will be hard. This will be tough. But is must be done.
I made up this little calendar to show what meals I know I can make with the restrictions guidelines of the diet.

As you can tell, I don't have many options. The lasagna and Chicken Quesedillas are there because I'm looking forward to having those when I'm done with the diet.
Here is the outline of the diet. You should be able to click on it to make it bigger.

If you didn't want to go through all the small-written jibber-jabber, let me explain. "No, there is too much. Let me sum up." (Name that movie.)
I can't have pork, which is fine because I'm not really much of a fan.
I need to be snacking throughout the day, basically like a cow. Graze. Mooooo! Almonds (or any harder nuts), string cheese and fruits are awesome for this.
I can have natural sugars through fruit, but nothing artifical. Other sweet substances I can have are Tupelo, honey, stevia, and Grade B or C organic maple syrup, but can't go crazy.
LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!!!!!!!!!!!
Heavy it up on the veggies.
No bread except either Sprouted Grain bread or Ezekiel bread. No white flour or rice.
Cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Butter (not margarine). It's actually pretty easy to replace any canola or vegetable oil in a recipe with olive.

I'll mostly be cooking with chicken, as it is cheaper and healthier. When I do the roast I will have to omit any use of flour. Also, no potatoes or corn since they are high in starch.

So really people, any recipes you can share that follow the rules would be super helpful. Ty and I are both picky, however, I'm willing to overlook it since I don't want to starve. : )

In clarification, Ty will be exempt from eating Potato Chips for 7 days. While I will be exempt from eating anything yummy for 30. Just so we're clear on that.
Help! What have I gotten myself into?

End of Goal Week 3 of 2010

Goal: Be Neighborly and Introduce Ourselves
I should mention that I haven't done my Visiting Teaching yet. However, in my defense, I still have the rest of this week to do it for this month.

Well, we waited until just about the last minute, but Friday night we took a little bag of cookies to each of our three neighbors and introduced ourselves.
I think we might have freaked a couple of them out. : )
Things I learned:
First guy gets up REALLY early to go to work. I actually never saw him before, just his wife and daughter.
The people on the bottom floor, but on the other side of us are Hispanic and didn't seem to speak much English. We knocked on the door and they said to, "Come in", but when we poked open the door, they seemed surprised. Why do people do that? I could have been a serial killer for Pete sakes! They didn't say much to us and it was extremely awkward so we left them with the cookies and went on.
There are two girls who each have very young daughters in the apartment underneath ours. One is actually dating our landlord's son. Only one of the girl's and her daughter were at home when we stopped by (the one not dating the landlord's son). She was very nice and was really excited that we brought over cookies. : ) It was sorta funny because when we gave her the cookies she said laughingly, "You guys are good neighbors. I would have never done that." I thought, "It took a weekly goal for me to do it."

As soon as we were done, we scampered quickly off to our apartment. I was proud of us for going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outside of our comfort zone and making ourselves known to our neighbors. One of them (pre-cookies and introduction) actually took our garbage out for us this week. How nice!

"Won't you be my Neighbor?"

Goal for Week 3 of 2010: Neighbors

(As written in the book)
"Goal: Choose several of your neighbors and serve them. Make them feel special and let them know you care. If you have neighbors that are hard to love, make sure they are recipients of even greater service."

Source

So, I won't lie to you. This one is probably harder than remembering to say my prayers.
Haha. Isn't that sad!

Ty and I are big homebodies and like to keep to ourselves. We're not the type of people to start the conversation, especially if we don't know you. We're more "You-Come-To-Us" sorta people. This goal is definitely a step outside the comfort zone.

However, I'm looking at as not an every single day of the week thing. More like, if we can get it done in a week, we'll be good. I think we might freak our neighbors out if we were making a particularly special effort to see them EVERY DAY.

My plan of attack action is to make some delectable Robbins Cookies (No one can resist. They must succumb.) and take them to each of our neighbors in the four-plex we live in. We've lived here for just over two months and we still don't know anyone. I'm not sure what the protocol is for new neighbors, but shouldn't we be the ones receiving a pie or something? ; ) For this week we'll let it slide.I've decided that this is also a good opportunity to do better with my Visiting Teaching. For those who don't know or understand what Visiting Teaching is, it is a program within the LDS church where two women are paired together to visit two or more other sisters. (We call each other Brother or Sister because in the eternal scheme of things we really are.) The church provides a message that we are encouraged to share to the sisters we see. Most importantly, this calling serves as a way for each sister to be looked after. Visiting Teaching is asked to occur once a month with each sister, but is certainly not limited to just that. The Visiting Teachers have a sacred responsibility to make sure each sister is being taken care of. Let's say a sister has just had a baby or had major surgery, then, if they have been making continual contact, her Visiting Teachers will be able to let the Ward Relief Society (ladies 18 and older) know and assistance can be provided. Something the Relief Society is famous for is making dinners for those who are sick or otherwise in need of that help. Basically, what it comes down to, is Visiting Teaching was put in place to make sure that each sister knows and feels that she is truly loved and cared for.

Being a good neighbor, as well as being a better Visiting Teacher are my goals this week. Let's get to it!

End of Goal Week 2 of 2010

Goal: Pray every day, including personal and family prayer.

I'm very pleased to let you know that I completed my goal completely!

It's so wonderful to have my husband with me along this journey to Self-Improvement. We are there for each other to remind one another of the blessings that will come to us when we do the things that will better our lives.

This last week has been one of the best weeks I've had in a long time.

I've learned, even more than I knew before, to trust in my Heavenly Father. To confide in Him. To let Him completely in on my life. I've felt the spirit stronger. I've felt His love so much more. Do you ever feel as though you're lost and alone? Through prayer, those feelings are gone from my heart.

I've received confirmation of things that I've struggled with. Most of all, I know that He is always there for me. He is watching out for me and knows that I am not perfect, but I have righteous desires. Through Him, those righteous desires will come to pass.

I'll make a confession that morning prayers were harder to remember than any other time of day. The hustle and bustle of the morning can drown out the voice of the spirit, but our Heavenly Father is always waiting patiently for us. I'm so grateful for that.

This week, the YouTube website for the church came out with a new message.
Quite ironically, it's called "Prayer".

Isn't our Father in Heaven amazing?

No matter where we are in the world or in life, He knows us individually and He wants us to get to know Him better. To have a special bond and friendship with Him.

I love my Heavenly Father and I'm thankful for the guidance He offers me.

(Since, I'm a day late in posting about last week, I'll be posting for this week tomorrow.)

Date Night Camp Out.

I know what you're thinking.

"A Campout in the WINTER! She must be crazy!"

I am, but that's neither here nor there.
Last week, I decided that we needed a fun date night since we hadn't really done anything in quite awhile. Ty hadn't been feeling very well during the week so I thought we should be able to do something relaxing.

So, after dinner, we pulled the mattress off the bed and put in the living room.
Honestly, we could do this permanently and I would be A-OK with it. : )

Since we don't have our regular couch here, this was a nice substitute.
We put all of our pillows out and got comfy.
Snuggled... : )

This is just a really perfect representation of our relationship.

Once we were all comfy-cozy, we busted out with the best desert on the planet.
Scoop Cookies and Cream Ice Cream onto an Oreo and you'll be in HEAVEN.

I had been craving some Apple Pie, so I snagged a Sara Lee miniature one from Safeway.
REALLY YUMMY!!!!

Yes, I know. I'm brilliant for coming up with such an awesome date.

We actually ended up leaving the mattress there until Sunday since it was so comfy....and convenient.

What's the most creative date you've been on with your hubby?

My First Bloggy Award.

I'm so proud!

A new-found friend, Tammy, from Tammy's Two Cents honored me with the Lemonade Award.
I won't lie to you, I'm kind of excited! : )

Now, I'd like to extend the award to 10 of my favorite bloggers.

De Wild, De Crazy, Despains!
You, the Robbins, and We
Randy, Capri, and Wyatt
Are You Really Reading This?
BIG GIRLS NEED LOVE TOO!
I have a family here on earth
It all started when two people fell in love
Katiedid
Mr. & Mrs. Potatohead
The Robbins Family

I love these ladies! And I love when they post.

To accept your award, post it on your blog, link back to me, then pass it on to at least 10 other bloggers that show great gratitude/attitude.

Week 2 Goal: Prayer

The goal for this week is:

PRAYER
Source
Goal (as written in the book): "Have sincere, daily personal prayer. The Book of Mormon prophet Alma suggested praying morning, mid-day and evening (Alma 34:21). "

I'm really glad that this is in the beginning of the year. On my part, this has cause for a lot of repentance. I know that I need to pray. I know that it will help me stay in better contact with my Heavenly Father and more in tune with the spirit. However, that doesn't always get remembered when I'm sleepily pulling covers over or away.

This week will begin a change and I'm happy for it. Within the LDS religion as well as many others we are encouraged to participate in our own personal prayers. It's suggested to us that we offer them in the morning and in the evening. Saying a prayer as a family is another way to draw closer to our Heavenly Father, as well to each other. Offering a thanks and asking for a blessing over meals is another small reminder of how infinite He truly is, and a token of appreciation for even the little things.Source
Remembering can be 95% of the battle, don't you think? Ty and I decided that we would start off by trying to give our family prayer around a specific time, to get us in a better habit. Typically, this is done just before bed for many families. We will also plan on our personal prayer time to be in the morning when rising from bed and before going to bed. In the morning, I'll be asking for good things to happen throughout my day. At night, I'll give gratitude for my blessings I received while going about my business.

One thing I want to make sure of, is that I'm giving my Heavenly Father my full and undivided attention. A prayer is considered a two-way conversation. In order to be sure this happens, I will need to fulfill two things. I can't be partially dozing off and mumbling through my prayer. Would you do that to a friend or family member you were talking to? Second Nephi 32:9 says, "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint...". ; ) Being alert will help me be more attentive to the spirit. For the second part, Janene Ustach suggests spending "a few minutes in quiet contemplation listening for an answer." Sometimes we need to be patient and consider our feelings and thoughts before rushing into the warmth of the comfy bed or off to our daily routine.Source
I, also, plan on creating a list of things I specifically need to pray for. The most important thing to remember in life is that our Father in Heaven is in ALL things. Nothing we do can be done without his aid. There are a few things I have in mind that I will need help with and can't be done unless I chose to rely on him.

If you would like to have a go at this with me, leave your e-mail in a comment or simply e-mail me at jenny21785@yahoo.com.
jenny21785{at}yahoo{dot}com

Or head over to habitforge.com and get started.

Have a great week!

End of Goal Week 1 of 2010

Whew!

What a week.

Just to remind you, the Goal for this week was SMILING.
This is not always easy.

Mostly, I would just forget.
Even with little reminders hanging around you still can get focused on something else that will take away from the previous task.
What I'm saying is, I'm easily distracted. : )

That doesn't mean that I wasn't successful though.
Quite the contrary.
I believe that I achieved my goal.
I smiled a lot when I was alone.
I smiled when I was with my hubby. (Like that was hard.)
I smiled when I was driving.
I smiled when I was in the store.
I smiled when I watched Seven Pounds......or at least I tried.
I even smiled when someone parked way too close to my car in the parking lot making it nigh-near impossible for me to even get in.
But I smiled! : )

Even though I wasn't smiling 24/7, I still accomplished a lot.
I think this goal was really like the warm up for other things.

I still learned quite a bit from this goal.
I learned to smile even when I don't feel like it and I will become happier for it.
I learned that as a society, we don't really smile very much.

When I went to the grocery store, I decided that even though people would look at me strange or think I was crazy, I would smile the whole way through.
Doing this made me so much more aware of how other people would look.
EVERYONE I saw had a frown. That doesn't necessarily mean they are unhappy. But really? Not one other person. That's when I really started to feel awkward. But I kept on. Do you know what happened? After smiling at a few people they would smile back and one lady kept her smile. That made me feel so wonderful.

It's amazing how something so seemingly insignificant can really make a huge difference.

I really want to keep going with this and make it a true habit of smiling every day. My amazing hubby, found this sweet site called Habitforge. It says that it takes 21 days to form a habit so I'll be starting again from scratch tomorrow, according to this site. I'll also be doing this with each of my goals after this. By the end of the year I'll have at least 52 goals under my belt. This whole process is really exciting and I can't wait to see what blessings come from it.

I hope you enjoyed your first FULL week of 2010!

Christmas Day in Othello

After we finished our celebration in Moses Lake we headed back to Othello to spend the night.
Christmas morning was wonderful. We didn't have to wake up too early. In fact we lounged about for a bit before actually opening presents.

Ty's brother Chad and his wife Danielle were opening presents with her family at 4 A M!!!!!!! Which translates into crazy!
When they were done they came back to the house, woke up their kids and we opened gifts.
And there were plenty!

Their daughter, Ellie, was all to willing to help EVERYONE open their gifts. Haha.

Hayden just chillin' out.

Ty gave me a beautiful diamond necklace.

I gave him a Carrying Case. But what will it hold?

He was supposed to get this first, but I don't think he minds. : )

My mother-in-law, Cheryl, opening up a series of gifts from their son and daughter-in-law, Josh and Lori, who live in Albuquerque.

I love being in the Kitchen and a lot of the gifts I received told me others like me in there too.

Santa brought me a KITCHENAID!!!
I love Santa. ; )

Ty's parents gave him a FC Twin game console.
I love my gamer hubby.

The mess that Hayden made.
Okay, so I just tried to blame the mess of 7 adults and 2 small toddlers on this poor innocent little child. You almost believed me though didn't ya?

After opening gifts we relaxed for awhile, then made a unbelievable breakfast with Gingerbread Pancakes (me), Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Danielle), Eggs, Sausages, and Hashbrowns (Cheryl). It was by far the best Christmas Breakfast EVER!!!

Later, when Grandma Robbins came over, Danielle, Cheryl, and I read our favorite Christmas stories.

I kept thinking how weird it would be to not have Christmas with my family this year. But I think having Christmas Eve with them and eating our German Christmas dinner helped.
Ty and I really enjoyed Christmas this year with spending time with so much family and giving each other gifts.

All-in-all a great success!