A 'New' Chair

We have a very bad dog! His name is Tarzan. He makes me so mad sometimes! Hummm, maybe I need anger management! 

But this time his 'badness' actually was a good thing.

He was in the house (while we ran to town) since it was very cold outside. I felt sorry for him, caged up for the length of time we were going to be gone. So we let him free and left.

When we got home he had destroyed one of the kitchen chairs. He had scratched the seat up and torn out the stuffing. I was not happy at all.

Sometime later I found another chair just like it at the Thrift Store.

Then I got an idea. Why not buy this one and recover the torn one for our bedroom?

We have a 'roses' bedroom so I wanted it to match our room. I had an old shower curtain in all my boxes under the bed that had roses on it so I got it out and used it.

What the chair looked like before damage. I don't have a damage picture, tho.

I used eggshell foam to help cover the torn foam. And covered the seat.

I added a ruffle to the seat... I'm not sure whether I like it or not...

    All done... 

It took me about 1/2 hour and a little bit of sewing with the machine for the back. 

So if you need a chair covered, I'd say go for it! :) 

Raspberry Lemonade

I love Lemons and all the good they do for you! :) I don't know how it would work for others but I do know I have noticed a big difference since I have been drinking lemonade or lemon water. The cravings are better, the bloating is gone, the water retention is much better and the circles around my eyes have left! :)

So today I am posting a Raspberry Lemonade recipe...

1 Lemon (or 3 tbsp juice)

1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) Red Raspberries

2 Pkgs Stevia

1 1/2 cup water 

Blend well and strain the seeds out. 

Enjoy!

If the lemonade is too strong for you, begin with 2 tbsp lemon and taste test to get it to your liking.

Bread Making

Wow! It been busy around here! :) So much to learn and do! Not only for the children but also for me! We don't eat a lot of bread around here but the other day I took dinner to some friends and we baked bread to send along! 

 I used an old favorite recipe using some whole wheat and some white flour. 

It really does taste wonderful! :) 

 I'll include the recipe and if you feel like it, give it a go! :)

Honey Wheat Bread

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

1 egg

3 cups Whole Wheat flour

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup honey

4 cups warm water

10 to 11 cups unbleached white flour

Put the 1 cup water, sugar and yeast in a lg bowl and let set til bubbly. (10min)

Add all but the white flour and mix well. 

Add the white flour and knead well.

 Oil the bowl, put the bread in and turn dough to coat.

Let rise til double in size. Divide into loaves or buns.

Let rise til just above the pans. 

Bake in a preheated 350* oven til nicely browned.

We made Hamsters out of our rolls since the family receiving them was a young couple with three small children! :) We figured they would like that. 

Chad making what he called a 'dust bunny'.

Cheyenne forming a loaf.

She loved to 'spank' it! lol

Learning how to tuck in the ends.

Chad making mini loaves.

Bread making lessons.

The finished Breads and the dinosaur farm! :)

Our Wellness Journey #5

It used to be that I struggled terribly with extreme exhaustion. It seemed like I could go to bed tired and get up tired. Every day!! It was awful!! :)
Many times I would fall asleep during school and wake up to find my children playing. And I wasn't even rested! It was so discouraging!!
I struggled so much with the inability to be a good wife and mother. Often I was stretched out on the couch crying because I hurt so much and I needed to get up but just had no motivation to face the agony.
I had others tell me that they get tired too; they just pushed through it and they were sure I could too! So I would try that.
BUT.... It never worked for long. And then I thought I was lazy and horrid and stupid. (I know, terrible self talk!)

I don't know if you have ever heard of Fly Lady or not but she is just amazing. With her help I learned to manage my work in little bits rather then in overwhelming chunks! Please, check her out!

Lowering my stress obviously helped me sleep better which in turn lowered my stress! Bingo!! Win,win!! :)

I love Fly Lady!!! 

And I have since learned the importance of  getting my sleep (!!!) so I use a sleep mask or bandanna. I sleep deeper and wake up much more refreshed! Also Steve bought me a 'noise maker' that I can set to play (I like the ocean sound) for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour and then shuts itself off.
We turn everything else off so when we enter the deep sleep, there are no distractions to mess with our subconscious mind.
(Sleep is so important to keeping one's body in good shape and the stress levels lowered!!)
Steve only needs about 6 hrs of sleep at night while I on the other hand need 9-10.
If we are staying up late sometimes I miss out on the party but I usually just try to make up the time the next night or so by going to bed a little earlier. I have learned that most times it really doesn't pay to miss my sleep tho! It pretty much has to be a once in a life time thing before I compromise to much.
My children are so much like Steve and I, with Chad needing much less sleep then Shiny!
Below is a talk given by the nutritionist who's advice I follow. I am sure you will find it interesting!

 Chad and Shiny snuggling with the cats while I lay down for a nap. 

One of the reasons a nap is a big deal for me is because I need to be available for Steve while he is home in the evenings. I am done with pushing myself over the edge during the day and then being to tired to give him the attention he needs. We love to serve him, now that Mommy is well again!! The poor man used to come home to a tearful wife who was crashed on the couch. :(

I have a new goal!! To get the Trim Healthy Mama  book.... It was recommended to me by a friend. Have any of ya'll read this book? How do you like it?

From Sweatshirt to Dress

 Today I decided to take in hand a sweatshirt of mine! Not only does it not fit anymore but it makes me look enormous!! Cheyenne and I both like it SO well tho because we love the fellow on the front of the shirt! Eeyore! :)  As a result, I have been hanging onto it even after my husband expressed a dislike for it. :p 

 Well, today I handed the shirt down to Cheyenne. 

This is the transformation...

I pinned it with safety pins while it was on her to give me a general idea of what I needed for a pattern.

I found a dress from her closet that is just a little big for her and used it as a pattern.

I cut around the whole dress including the sleeves, then turned it inside out.

I pinned up the edges of the sleeves and hemmed them with the zigzag stitch.

Then I pinned the sides and sewed them.

We sewed on some pretty buttons. That is Cheyenne's hands giving the needle a try.

And here it is on her! :) Sorry it is so small! My phone was acting up and I don't have a camera...

She is VERY happy!! 

I decided there really was no sense in hanging onto that thing since I never plan to regain the weight I have lost! :)

Now I am inspired to make over some more of my 'to big' clothes for Cheyenne! And she agrees that it is a really good idea to do more! :) 

Blessings to all! 

There are many things we can not control in life; the one thing we can control is how we choose to take care of ourselves.

Spinach Breakfast Smoothie

I have found a new Spinach Smoothie via my friend, Marie Landis! It is SSOO good. And so quick and easy!! I cut the recipe down to one pint jar and used Greek yogurt. 

I use...

 One handful Spinach

1 frozen (or fresh) banana

1/2 cup Pineapple

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup water or ice cubes

Blend well and enjoy.

I make my own Yogurt. I didn't have fresh pineapple so I found a can my mom had given to me. The banana is frozen and the Spinach is store bought.

I stuff it all in a pint mason jar.

And I use my regular blender as a bullet. 

Shiny is very seriously drinking her smoothie! :) She LOVES it!!!

She is always asking for one! LOL

This is a fast and easy breakfast for Shiny and I but my men can't seem to get past the color!! 

 Blessings to you all!

Blog link here! :)

These are some great recipes!! Please, go check it out!! 

Our Wellness Journey #4

 Saturday, my little girl was drinking water when she choked. Like really, really choked. She must have swallowed most of the mouth full of water down the wrong side! As I tried to help her I was flashed back to several yrs ago when this happened to me almost every day! The look of panic in her eyes, her inability to cry, the out pouring of water as she coughed; it was all so familiar! I found my self reflecting on the change between now and then and thanking God I more longer have that problem. Shiny was OK but had a rattling cough for a while after. Wow, it was scary!!!
 I remember thinking when I choked so often, that there surely was a reason this was happening to me. So we started searching for answers and discovered that at least one of the reasons was High Fructose Corn Syrup found in most sodas, juices, and sweets; including Oreo cookies. :(  HFCS became my biggest enemy! I just quit using it. Period. But then something else happened! I began feeling that I was being punished for being sick. It caused a lot of emotional issues which would cause me to binge on... homemade chocolate cake, for instance.
 Since, tho I have learned quite a lot. I figured out if I have an Oreo Cookie or two (never more) along with protein (like jerky,which I also love) and a lot of water, it doesn't affect me. Portion packs work great for me too! And I no longer feel like I can't have it!
 That goes for donuts, and a lot of other yummy stuff. SMALL amounts of soda, and sweet tea are also doable for me. And I no longer feel as if I don't have a choice. Which, suddenly, makes the right choice a lot easier to make and I don't feel deprived. :p
 In thinking back, I believe the main part in this whole lose weight and regain my health thing, was the mental change. If done in baby steps it is easy and much quicker then one thinks! :) After my mind got on board a lot of things are falling into place.
 I like setting teeny tiny goals (instead of huge, long distant goals) and then rewarding myself for those. (Not with food!!! More on rewarding later.) I only weigh myself once in a blue moon; never, ever every day. As soon as I weigh myself every day I get stressed out and lose my focus. I am not doing this lifestyle change just to lose weight but to regain my health. A healthy body that is eating the right foods in the right amounts and exercising daily will not be overweight. (I don't know if there are exceptions to the rule or not) As I go along I will be adding more and more healthy choices. This will help the weight loss. But I have to be on board or I won't do it. So, for me, slowly and consistently is the key.
 I have been asked how much I have lost. 40 lbs.  I've got about 40 lbs to go, yet! :) Only halfway...

 As I have said, easy is what works for me... So on Monday I precook most of our breakfast and lunch meats...

Sausage links about to go in the oven. I love this method because I can put it in the oven and do something else for 30 minutes. Then get it out and bingo!! Cooked links! 

I put these in an old  Folgers Coffee container and put them in the freezer. 

I pile the bacon in little patties so they can be handled quickly and easily without breaking. Fast, fast!! :)

After they are baked 30 minutes they are ready to drain and freeze right along with the sausage.

 Sausage patties. Since these are all I did, I cooked them via stove top.

 I flash freeze my smoothie bananas before putting them into a bag. That way they don't stick together. When I am ready for them I get them out, let them rest a little and then peel and use like normal. The flesh stays nice and white but the skin turns black!! I found a new smoothie recipe via a friend of mine that I will be sharing soon.

It is so cold here right now! Crazy Missouri weather. So I am all bundled up for my walk!! This coat was a gift from my mother in law. When she gave it to me I could not zip it up. It's zipped now and I even got some 'wiggle' in there! :)

Blessings! 

Link up here! :)

 

Our Wellness Journey #3

 I wanted to start out with thanking everyone who has given me ideas and recommended books, etc!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you and please keep them coming! :)
 That being said; a huge thing for our family on this wellness journey is the need to be able to 'live healthy' in a 'normal' world! I have heard of and even tried lots of lifestyles but knew that we could never stay consistent. We believe that staying consistent is the key to a lifestyle change. With sugar being our first and greatest challenge, at this point, we have decided to start there and move on as we feel lead. So, my friends, thank you again. I will read and listen and learn and we will adapt changes into our lifestyle as we move along!
 We are eating a lot less bread but are definitely NOT on a gluten free diet, (yet)! :) That may come but right now it is enough for us to just cut back.
 I do bake goodies but my self control trick while baking is; for every 'lick', I drink 4 oz of water. And before I start with the baking/licking I eat a protein. That is the protein that will help keep my blood sugar from soaring. The water keeps me from 'licking' very often since licking involves a lot more now then it used to! After the cookies, bars, cakes, breads (yes, breads! They are carbs, you know), etc, are cooled, I portion them into baggies or containers and freeze them! RIGHT AWAY! It's a lot more of a pain to eat frozen stuff!! Putting frozen portions out for lunches etc, is ultra easy tho and can be done while fixing breakfast. Planning ahead is important and sure doesn't hurt me! :)

This pan of bars has about 6,180 calories! 

I cut them into 60 bars. This makes them about the size of a 'fun size' candy bar and about 100 to 105 calories per bar.

That way I can eat a cheese stick, a bar, and some almonds and it's about 250 calories.

Usually I put them in snack baggies to freeze them but this time I was out. So I used an ice cream bucket with waxed paper between the layers. No excuses!! These buddies are going in the freezer!!

Yay! No 'picking' at the bars for me now!! :)

(Steve was very sad to discover they were already in the freezer! LOL)

With frozen things in the freezer, I have something on hand when I need it most (think unannounced visitors).

 I have also learned to precook bacon, sausage, hamburgers in the right portions and freeze them, as well. Its pretty easy to throw them in the skillet or microwave to thaw and reheat as you prepare the remaining meal and the food is all portioned. It's awesome!! :)
 We do keep bacon at a minimum since it is relatively high in calories and is loaded with fat! The same with sausage! Plus, both are pork and isn't really all that good for you in the first place....
 Measure, measure, measure is my goal! And I make it easy by having measuring cups on hand just for that! One is often surprised at how much we really are overeating!
 We use the slow cooker a lot!! Almost everyday, certainly several times a week! It's SO easy to throw everything into the pot and forget about it till Dinner!
 Mondays is our 'cook for the week' day because that is what fits into our schedule. It doesn't usually take long and since we are doing bulk in everything there are less dishes, etc, to contend with. I just start dinner an hour or so earlier by doing the precooking and baking for the week right along with the evening meal!
 Monday is also our clean the children's bedroom day. Cleaning, washing and vacuuming are all done, bed sheets changed, bookshelves straightened and toys put away. Fly lady taught me that! :) I divide the rooms  of my house into the days of the week (Mon - Fri) and clean whatever I need to, so Friday isn't overwhelming for me. When one has low energy, one has to get rather creative! Lol
 Oh, and BTW, Steve has lost 15 lbs since we began this lifestyle change in Jan!! I am so happy for him since he is very excited about it!