Thursday Pinterests

Spring is finally here!

Nebraska has been lucky enough to have some extremely unusual weather too.

Normally, it is still rather chilly and we have been known to get snow late into April.

It is so unusual, that we have been able to let our kids run through the sprinkler in the front yard.

My husband has already mowed the lawn twice.

Flips flops are my every day footwear.

Everything is in bloom and green!



This is simple enough!

I think this is so adorable!

Pretty simple to make too!

I would love to have this on our mantle...

Oh wait, we don't have a mantle.

Guess I'll have to wait on that!

I Made a "U" Turn...



After last week, I think this is going to have to be my new personal slogan!

My journey took a turn for the worst and I did EVERYTHING wrong...

regular soda

chex Muddie Buddies

bread

sugary cereal

AMP energy (grape)

ice cream with chocolate sauce

etc, etc...

I need a serious recharge!

Today I was supposed to restart the whole low carb thing, but I couldn't resist the Muddie Buddies!

I did get a diet soda though.

It is really tough to find things to make when your fridge is nearly empty and the freezer is stocked with wild game meat instead of easy stuff like chicken breast and ground beef.

I ate the last of the eggs this morning for breakfast too.

Thank heaven my kids enjoy eating mac 'n cheese!

Guess I am going to have to buck up and go to the grocery store!

At least when I do shopping for myself, it doesn't get to be too expensive.

However, since we are nearly devoid of food in our house, I guess the grocery shopping will need to be done for all of us later this week (we still have enough to get a couple more lunch and dinners).

Shopping for me is simple...

eggs (lots and lots)

chicken

low fat string cheese

tuna

celery

apples

See, not much I need to stock up on!

I tried on my bathing suit and was completely mortified when I looked in the mirror.

I was so mortified, that I thought about cutting the thing to shreds!

However, I have changed my mind slightly on that. Instead, I am going to take a picture of myself in it and have two of them printed. Then I will take one of them and with a black permanent marker, I will "design" how I want to whittle my body. Hopefully in doing that and taping the picture to my mirror, I will be reminded of what I am working to acheive on a daily basis.

I seriously HATE this uphill battle!

BUT,

I need to

EARN THE DOWNHILL!

Monday Musings

'Nuf said...

Thursday Pinterests

Today, I wanted to share with you some of the things that I've pinned to my

Low Carb/Low Calorie pin board.

I felt it was appropriate since I am following a low carb plan and didn't want my foods to

get too boring. There is only so much baked or grilled chicken that one can stand day after day after day...

I am a seriously sugar-aholic, so I wanted to be able to go to my iPad and get on Pinterest to pull up a recipe for something yummy, yet low in carbohydrates.

Here are some of the yummy recipes I plan to try.

**click on the photos to see where I found it**



The next three photos are recipes that I have tried and LOVE!

You can find the recipes and a few others here.

Lemonaide Protein Bars - Low Carb

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes - Low Carb

I eat these with a little bit of butter spread on top then sprinkle with Splenda.

Carrot Cake Protein Bars - Low Carb

WOW, it is a good thing I just ate!

I would be salivating if I hadn't.

All of these look so tastey!

Spring in Nebraska

Lately it has been kind of dreary in our neck of the woods, but yesterday I decided to capture some of the prettiness in our front yard.

I am sincerely hoping that we don't get hit with a frost now that everything is coming out of it's winter dormancy and greening up.

Flowering Pear Tree

Sadly, I can't remember what these flowers are.

Anyone?

We planted them 5 years ago and for the life of me, I can't think of the name.

That's okay, they are still pretty even without knowing that wee bit of information.



A Whirl-Wind Weekend

This weekend was my weekend "off" from my journey.

I didn't really want to do it, but I knew there would be no way I could keep up my protein intake.

We attended a wedding that was out of town and we stayed the weekend with my in-laws.

I knew there would be good friends that we hadn't seen in ages and with that, a LOT of alcohol consumption at the wedding.

When you are around good friends, it is almost impossible NOT to have a good time and "let your hair down."

My father-in-law did all of the cooking at their house and I wasn't about to request anything out of the ordinary, so I just ate what everyone else was eating.

I'm glad I did too!

He made us seafood alfredo for lunch on Sunday!

We had a great time and it was well worth the weekend off from the "diet."

Now it is time to climb back up on that wagon and start dropping the pounds again!

I found a great application for my iPhone that will hopefully get me running again too.

I have tried the Couch to 5K before, but it was kind of tough to watch the timer on the tredmill while I was running. This app. is great, because it gives me the cues to speed up, slow down, run, or walk. I can even listen to my own play list on my iPhone.

Now, I just need to get to the gym or out the door and run.

Monday Musings



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Toast from Ireland:
May you be poor in misfortune
Rich in blessings
Slow to make enemies
Quick to make friends
But rich or poor,
Quick or slow,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward

There's a dear little plant
that grows in our isle,
'Twas St. Patrick himself
sure that set it;
And the sun on his labour
with pleasure did smile,
And with dew from his eye
often wet it.
It thrives through the bog,
through the brake,
through the mireland;
And he called it the dear
little shamrock of Ireland—
The sweet little shamrock,
the dear little shamrock,
The sweet little, green little,
shamrock of Ireland!

Andrew Cherry,
Irish Playwright (1762-1812)

Sure, it's a good day t' be Irish
Being as it is, St. Patty's Day
Be proud of yer' Irish blood
And drink gallons of Guiness today

Today is St. Patrick's Day,
Do you have the luck of the Irish?
Well you need to get a lucky charm,
And make a great big wish.

It's the time to eat corned beef and cabbage,
And also drink green beer,
And raise our glasses in a toast,
And bring in alot of cheer.

So don't forget when you go out,
To wear green by the way,
Then you can join all of the rest,
And have a great St. Patrick's Day!

Thursday Pinterests

An ode to old Saint Patrick's Day...

Yes, I know it is on Saturday, I just thought my pins today would be for St. Patty's Day.

Anyway...

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your fields...
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

If you really like this, you can buy it here.

See how to make this here.

If you don't have the creativeness to make this, you can purchase one here.

Yes, I had to add some fashion into the mix!



A little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty, and a bit 'o crunch!

YUMMY!!!

I seriously wish I had an apron for every holiday!

Unfortunately, I don't wear the only apron I own as it is, so they would go unused.

Oh well, at least I can sew my own if I really feel the need!

Living Lean Journey



With the first week of my living lean journey under my belt, I have learned a few things.

Check it out...

1) I really like chicken!

The best part about chicken is that I can "bake" it in the microwave!

2) String cheese is the most fun to eat while at work.

Hey, I don't have to share it with my kiddos!

3) It is possible to make low carb protein bars that taste great...

...oh, and pumpkin spice pancakes too.

Seriously, the recipes I have found are totally outstanding!

4) Exercise is definitely essential to weightloss.

I only walked one day last week, which means I didn't lose as much weight as I had hoped.

Here's to a new week and a fresh start with exercise!

5) No one, and I mean NO ONE makes a low carb protein bar.

Seriously?!?!?

The amount of carbs in one protein bar is nearly half of my daily carb allowance.

Ok, I don't need to buy a protein bar since I can make my own, but once in a while it is kind of nice to eat a protein bar that is a little bit more like a candy bar.

I'm just saying!

6) We should seriously think about investing in our own egg-laying chickens!

Holy smokes, we went through way too many eggs last week. Each of my protein bar recipes calls for at least 4 egg whites. Besides that, I will fix an egg for breakfast or hard-boil a dozen eggs for the week too.

7) I am down 4.5 lbs.

Yes, I am very proud of myself!

It is quite the feeling to wake up each morning and just get a feeling that you are thinner.

That happened to be how I felt after one, count it - ONE, day!

Amazingly, I had lost 2 lbs that day!

The best part is that some of my clothes actually fit better.

Mainly my shirts, but I don't care, it is just the beginning.

I am taking it slow and easy.

Reading the pages in the book that correspond to the day of the diet I am on.

I thought this might be a tad strange to me, but I have found that it is extremely helpful!

Keeping a written journal of my journey has been very helpful too.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a teeny tiny update on my Lean for Life Journey.

If I get the courage, maybe I'll post photos soradically throughout my journey, but no guarantees!

Hope you are having a spectacular week!

Monday Musings



Thursday Pinterests

I am one of the least organized people I know...

...AT HOME!

At work, I am a completely different person...

...when speaking ORGANIZATION!

I pinned a bunch of great ideas to hopefully, maybe someday get organized at home.

Great ideas by-the-way!

I *swoon* over this linen closet!

Such organization...NOTHING like mine!

(put sheet sets inside a matching pillow case)

Every time I fold the sheets, I think about doing this, but it never happens.

I would no longer be searching through my sewing basket, on the sewing table, or *gasp* on the floor for my sewing thread!

Oh so organized. With a dish drying rack! And I couldn't think of something this simple?!? Sheesh!

I will have to post a photo of my lid cabinet to show you just how rediculously unorganized they are!

Grocery SALE cycles.

Know when to stock up on what!

Click on the image to check it out.

Lean for Life...My Journey



Today was a beautiful 70 degree day in Nebraska...IN MARCH! I wanted to dress comfortable and pull out some "warm weather" clothing.

Today, I tried on two pairs of capri pants that were hanging in my closet. They were both really tight, uncomfortably tight! Sadly, they fit me just right less than ONE year ago. At the same time I was trying them on, I came to realize that only one pair of my jeans currently fit me comfortably.

It was in that instant that I decided I need to do something. At that moment I told myself that I need to change, be much more healthy. I need to be a good role model for my children, but most of all I need to do it for me.

Today marks the beginning of my journey. No photo documentation, just me, my closet, and my journal. When my clothes start fitting again, I'll know I'm doing well. When the numbers on the scale start dropping, I will know I'm doing something right.

I will attempt to post weekly updates from my written journal (as long as they aren't too personal). Maybe, just maybe, something I write during this journey will be inspirational to you.

Monday Musings



Thursday Pinterests

I have a severe addiction to Pinterest.

If there were a Pinterest Anonymous, I would probably be the first one to join.

Granted, I don't "pin" something on a daily basis, but when I am on a roll...

I especially like to look at fashion.

What can I say, I wear scrubs to work and jammies pretty much all the rest of the time.

Pinning fashion makes me feel like I am at least putting forth an effort.

I am, really!

Eventually, I will make some of those "pins" come true. *wink* *wink*

Today's pins are my inspiration outfits for summer!

Seriously! What's not to love?!?

All this needs is a cropped denim jacket.

Not so much the blazer/jacket though.

This will be my outfit for Independence Day this year!

With "threads" like these, I would get up and get dressed in real clothes every day.

Not stay in my jammies!

I would totally wear this to church!

Fun yet sophisticated...

Back to my country girl roots.

Maybe for our trip to Texas later this year!