Weekly Weigh-In

Woops. Did I mention that I am back on Weight Watchers? Well, I am, as of about 8 weeks ago.

It's going slowly, but it's going well.

I've lost a total of 7 lbs. Wheew. It feels really good.


I am doing things MUCH differently than before. As a family, we are eating more in the "Traditional" way. I am doing the following:

• Avoiding low or non-fat foods.


• Avoiding artificial sweeteners


• Avoiding pre-packaged meals or convenience foods.

I am eating full-fat food, in moderation, of course. I am also eating lots more vegetables, fruit, soaked/slow-roasted nuts, and dairy. We are eating pasture-raised beef, our own chicken eggs, and oranic chicken (but we are in the market for affordable pastured poultry). I am eating whole grains, but try to limit it to one meal a day. I am also following the practice of soaking grains before prep.

I try to track my food, but it's so hard sometimes! But, because I am eating more whole foods, I am craving less and I am not as hungry throughout the day! On the days that I remember to take my coconut oil and cod liver oil, I feel GREAT!! I have lots of energy! YAHOOOO!!

now... if only I could channel that energy to laundry work....

Frivolous Friday: Excitement in a paper cup

Thank you Peet's Coffee.

The mere sight of that purple stamped design makes me giddy.

Knitted: Headband/earmuff

For our trip to the snow, I quickly knitted up a headband/ earmuff for our daughter. I also knitted up a mini one for the baby girl.

It was a simple garter stitch using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn.

Winter Wonderland

Every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, we drive up to the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree. Don't worry. This is perfectly legal, if you have a permit. ;) It costs $10 for a permit and you can cut the biggest tree you can find, if you want!!

We always look forward to this trip. The drive is long, but SO WORTH IT! It's freezing, but SO WORTH IT!

The past couple of years, there wasn't any snow on the ground for the kids to play in. It was cold, but still fun. This year, however, there was a TON of snow! YIPPPPEEEEEE!!! It snowed on the way up, so it took considerably longer to get to our destination, but the babies did amazingly well. We got to the place we were staying at, ordered a pizza and tried to have a restful night. Having the 2 older kids share a bed with Daddy was a challenge. I had to sleep with the baby on a noisy but fancy looking twin pull-out. Despite sleep-deprivation, the next morning, we were off for a short drive to the forest reserve.

It was so exciting to see all that snow on the ground and all over the pretty trees. We got out of the truck and the kids' teeth were chattering but they soon warmed up in the hand-me-down snow clothes (what a blessing!!). I had the baby in the Ergo on my back, in a fleece bunting. Can I just say that kids in snow gear is quite possibly one of the cutest sights EVER?!?!?! Ahhhhh...

We found our perfect tree right away, and my lumber-jack husband cut it down with a little hand-saw. No chain-saws here. He wants to do it old-school. After he cut down the tree, the kids played, made snow angels, went sledding down a big hill, and ate...

they ate a lot of snow.

TOO CUTE!

We were able to get our Christmas picture take there.

The night before, after we struggled to get one of our kids down for the night, my hubby and I were talking. We were contemplating whether we'd do this again next year. We were saying, "oh, it's too hard on the kids...", and "is it really worth it?"

On the way home, even when one of the kids was whining about being stuck in the care, we decided that

YES! It is worth it!!!

It's worth the driving. It's worth the complaining. It's worth the COOOOLD!

We are giving these babies so many great memories that we hope they will cherish and be thankful for. We pray that they will want to continue this tradition, even well after they leave this humble little nest.

Car-ride busy-ness

I didn't have a hat to wear in the snow for our annual Christmas tree cutting trip. So, I brought some yarn, my trusty bamboo needles and knitted up a headband/ earmuff thing.

Kept my ears toasty!!

In a pickle...

In the last month, my stove started acting up on me, our refridgerator began leaking water, and our dishwasher started making a VERY strange noise. We always thought about updating our kitchen, but that was something in the far, distant future. Well, now... with our kitchen falling apart, the task is staring us in the face.

Let's face it. I am cheap. I don't like to spend money unless I have to. If there is a need and we have the funds, I'll spend the money. When it comes to the kids, I'll easily plunk down the moolah. But, when it comes to big things... I drag my feet. I've turned out too much like my mother (have I mentioned that before?). I like to research and know exactly what I want. *sigh*

Our appliances are at least 7 years old (we've been in our home for about that long and the appliances were old when we got here). A friend of mine told me that appliances usually start going out by that age. YUCK!

And so, the research begins... and my head hurts.

Any opinions on the latest kitchen appliances?

Frivolous Friday: Riders Jeans by Lee

I used to hate going to Wal-Mart. The store near me has horrible customer service, and it always seemed like it was a mess. The shelves were barely stocked, or better yet, the aisles were PACKED with pallets needing to be unloaded. This was always annoying to me. The lower prices weren't worth the trouble of going there.

HOWEVER... in the last few months our local store has made some nice changes. The store is always stocked, the store looks clean, but the customer service is still pretty bad. Oh well.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in the clothing department and I found a pair of jeans. I laughed at the tag, thinking "mom jeans". Lee... Lee Riders. But, I vaguely remember seeing a commercial with Stacy London promoting the jeans. I thought... I should try these out!

The consensus:

I LOVE THEM!

They fit really well. There is stretch to them, without the "cling". I bought the pair where the rise is just below the belly button. It's painfully obvious why they created "Mom Jeans". I need that huge panel to hide the excess skin from being pregnant.

Unfortunately, I don't remember the price. But, I do know that they were UNDER $20. I think that's a great price for comfort and style!!

Apple Crisp Remixed

With the abundance of apples we bought on our "apple trip", I have made muffins, hand-pies, and THAT's IT! I am losing my baking & cooking steam. Last night, I decided to make an apple crisp. I found a recipe in a used copy of a Paula Deen cookbook (I picked it up at my local library's book sale for $1!). I changed it up and made it my own:


Apple Crisp Remix!

6 organic granny smith apples cored, peeled & sliced
1/4 c. filtered water
juice of 1 lemon

2 c. rolled oats
2 c. organic whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. Rapadura or Sucanat
2 tbs. cinnamon
1 1/4 c. melted butter (that's 2 1/2 sticks!!)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Combine the apples, water, and lemon juice in an 8x8 baking dish. In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, Rapadura (or Sucanat), and cinnamon. Pour in the butter and stir to make a crumbly mixture. Spread the topping in an even layer over the apples and bake for 40-55 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and browned.

this was healthy enough for us to enjoy for BREAKFAST! hehehe

Traditions

Family traditions are very important in our home. Our children really do look forward to certain times of the year because they know what is coming! During the winter, we head up to the mountains to play in the snow and cut down our Christmas tree. During the spring, we head outdoors to plant in the garden (well, hubby & kids do). During the summer, we go camping, go to the beach, swim, and play in the sprinklers. My favorite season is fall. We have a tradition of heading up to a "hill" about 2 hours away to pick apples, buy apple donuts, and have the kids go crazy. This year, it was a bit harder since our baby hates being in the car, but it means so much more that the kids be exposed to something other than every day life. Okay, sure.... I thought my head was going to blow up from the baby crying, but overall, we had such a great time. The 2 older kids loved it. And next year, it will be better.

Next tradition: our personal Thanksgiving dinner, just us. No extended family. This happens on the weekend before Thanksgiving day. I cook a mini Thanksgiving dinner and gather around and talk about what we are most thankful for. We also try to instill in our children that no matter what, good or bad, God blesses us with our situations in life and that we need to look at it that way: a Blessing.

That's really what traditions are all about, isn't it? Blessings shared among family and friends.

10 years...

10.23.99

I became the wife of the most wonderful man.

God is so kind.