Tuesday, September 17, 2013
My Trim Healthy Mama Journey
So far, so good!! I love the food and I have lost 17 lbs. and several inches!! I'm not sufferin' here people!! The food is SSOOO good. Here are just a few pics I have taken of some of my delicious food! 
Delicious Basic Cheescake with homemade triple berry sauce
Trim Healthy Pancakes (made into a waffle) with blueberries
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Trim Healthy Mama
I am so LOVING the Trim Healthy Mama!! The food is so delicious!! My whole family likes almost everything I have made. I can definitely do this for a lifetime! I am anxious to see progress and weight loss. So far, 1 pound has disappeared!!! I can do this!!
God is SO Amazing!!
I love how God brings us through our trials and tragedies! I don't know if I could make it through these things without Him. I love how He hears my prayers for guidance and directions, and then He ever so gently shows me the way. This past year has been full of it's challenges...I had my 3rd miscarriage of my 4th child, we sold our house and moved, and the stresses of work for my husband have also brought us challenges. But we are nearing a new beginning!! And God has brought us through, like He always does!! I am thankful and extremely grateful to Him for His patience with this rotten, wicked sinner.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
What a journey it has been
Well, I haven't posted in several months. Sorry. I've just had a LOT going on. I think they call it "Life".
My journey to a cleaner house, well, that kind of took a detour. I am loving some of my homemade cleaning products though. I love the spray I use in the kitchen. It smells good and it isn't harmful. The bathroom has a few things that I like and a few I am still trying to tweak. I will post the "recipes" of the ones I like soon.
The last few months have been filled with great surprise and joy followed by disappointment and pain. I am so very thankful that I serve a God Who knows exactly where I am and how to help me through this. I know I couldn't make it through without Him! The pain right now is still very hurtful and raw at times. But He reminds me of His goodness all the time.
My mom is coming to help me start packing the house up. We are going to start with all the non-essential things. Get the house ready to show by making it look emptier! LOL I pray the house sells soon, Scott and I are anxious to build. Although, we know God's timing is best. After all this stuff is packed up and thinned out, I should be able to start making better habits at keeping it clean! With God ALL things are possible!!
My journey to a cleaner house, well, that kind of took a detour. I am loving some of my homemade cleaning products though. I love the spray I use in the kitchen. It smells good and it isn't harmful. The bathroom has a few things that I like and a few I am still trying to tweak. I will post the "recipes" of the ones I like soon.
The last few months have been filled with great surprise and joy followed by disappointment and pain. I am so very thankful that I serve a God Who knows exactly where I am and how to help me through this. I know I couldn't make it through without Him! The pain right now is still very hurtful and raw at times. But He reminds me of His goodness all the time.
My mom is coming to help me start packing the house up. We are going to start with all the non-essential things. Get the house ready to show by making it look emptier! LOL I pray the house sells soon, Scott and I are anxious to build. Although, we know God's timing is best. After all this stuff is packed up and thinned out, I should be able to start making better habits at keeping it clean! With God ALL things are possible!!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
What I have learned so far on my journey!
Well, I have been trying to build these new habits for about 3 1/2 weeks. Some are coming along slower that I had hoped, but you know what they say, "Slow and steady wins the race!"
First, I have decided that I am going to start cleaning with natural, homemade cleaners. That way Breanna can help, and I don't have to worry! So, I have already made a spray for the kitchen countertops, table, walls, or basically anything! Yesterday I made my own soft scrub, and a vinegar spray for cleaning the bathroom. Then I taught Breanna how I clean the bathroom. It was fun! I think I will like the homemade cleaning products, and I will REALLY like the money I save!!
Second, I have lost a few pounds, but not as much as I had hoped. I am just praising God for the little successes!! Those few pounds keep me motivated to lose more. When I don't see results, I get discouraged and want to give up. So, Thank you Lord for those few!!!
Third, I am loving the blogs that I am reading!! They are so encouraging!! I am working on some challenges from "31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way". I am enjoying the simplicity of them. I hope to have the house out of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) by the end of the week. Yay!! Then I will move on to decluttering and packing. My niece is coming over next weekend to spend a couple of days to help get some packing done. I am excited to spend the time with her!!
Fourth, I have been making this delicious bread!! It taste almost exactly like the dark brown bread at the Cheesecake Factory. It is so good!! My family LOVES it!! I love making it for them! I will try to post the recipe soon. Also, I have found some ideas about cooking once a month. Although I am not quite ready for the extensiveness of that, I did brown some hamburger, about 6 lbs. I let it cool and then froze it. I can then just get what I need for tacos, spagetti, burritos, casseroles, or whatever I use ground beef for, and have dinner ready in a few minutes! Then yesterday I cooked 6 lbs. of chicken breasts in the crock pot. I shredded it, and it is cooling in the fridge. I will freeze it today and do the same thing with that!! Now when I am tired, I can still make dinner...FAST!!! And easy! I am super excited to see how I like this!!
Well, I think that is about all for now! Have a great week!! God bless!!
First, I have decided that I am going to start cleaning with natural, homemade cleaners. That way Breanna can help, and I don't have to worry! So, I have already made a spray for the kitchen countertops, table, walls, or basically anything! Yesterday I made my own soft scrub, and a vinegar spray for cleaning the bathroom. Then I taught Breanna how I clean the bathroom. It was fun! I think I will like the homemade cleaning products, and I will REALLY like the money I save!!
Second, I have lost a few pounds, but not as much as I had hoped. I am just praising God for the little successes!! Those few pounds keep me motivated to lose more. When I don't see results, I get discouraged and want to give up. So, Thank you Lord for those few!!!
Third, I am loving the blogs that I am reading!! They are so encouraging!! I am working on some challenges from "31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way". I am enjoying the simplicity of them. I hope to have the house out of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) by the end of the week. Yay!! Then I will move on to decluttering and packing. My niece is coming over next weekend to spend a couple of days to help get some packing done. I am excited to spend the time with her!!
Fourth, I have been making this delicious bread!! It taste almost exactly like the dark brown bread at the Cheesecake Factory. It is so good!! My family LOVES it!! I love making it for them! I will try to post the recipe soon. Also, I have found some ideas about cooking once a month. Although I am not quite ready for the extensiveness of that, I did brown some hamburger, about 6 lbs. I let it cool and then froze it. I can then just get what I need for tacos, spagetti, burritos, casseroles, or whatever I use ground beef for, and have dinner ready in a few minutes! Then yesterday I cooked 6 lbs. of chicken breasts in the crock pot. I shredded it, and it is cooling in the fridge. I will freeze it today and do the same thing with that!! Now when I am tired, I can still make dinner...FAST!!! And easy! I am super excited to see how I like this!!
Well, I think that is about all for now! Have a great week!! God bless!!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Another GREAT giveway!
This giveaway is by far my favorite so far! Go check it out!! www.raisinghomemakers.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Raising Homemakers Anniversary Giveaways
The new blog I posted about a few days ago is celebrating their 1 year anniversary!! In the celebration they are having lots of cool giveaways. Like today, they are giving away lots of cool books from Doorposts! Go check it out!! http://raisinghomemakers.com/2011/anniversary-day-2-meet-the-new-contributors-plus-doorposts-giveaway
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Summer Vacation and a Journey
Well, our summer vacation officially started at the beginning of May!! Yay for a break from school!!! This mommy sure needs it!
I have decided that this summer I am going to go on a little journey...internally that is! I have a few bad habits that I wish to break. I would like to spend more time in my Bible, learning more about my sweet Saviour, and becoming more like Him. I want to teach Breanna things that I feel I don't have the energy for teaching during the school year, like some cooking, baking, homemaking, etc. I want to scrapbook...badly!!! I want to become a better wife by doing better at keeping my house clean. Oh, then there is the packing up and purging that I am going to be doing in the hopes that we can soon sell our house and build. So, I will try to share the things that I discover when I can...
First, I have found a great blog, Raising Homemakers, I am so excited to dive into the things that she has shared about homeschooling, teaching our daughters about homemaking, and lots of other stuff. This is going to be fun!!!
Second, I started my new diet and exercise program. I had to wait for the right time to start. I tried several times during school, but school just got in the way! Then I didn't want to ruin any work I had done when we went to NC for a week. So I decided that this week would be the perfect week to start. I started Monday and Tuesday with a real food cleanse. The first day was not too bad, although the green smoothie was...well, let's just say...YUCK!!! I did crave grains and protein, but since the cleanse was suppose to be short, I had my grains yesterday! YUM! Today I will be reintroducing protein, and I started with eggs! :) The diet I am going to be doing is from a book I got at the Christian bookstore called "Dr. Colbert's 'I Can Do This' Diet". So we shall see! I also have exercised twice this week, not exactly what I was going for, but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.
So, I hope you enjoy reading as I try to better my health and life with God's help! Have a blessed week!
I have decided that this summer I am going to go on a little journey...internally that is! I have a few bad habits that I wish to break. I would like to spend more time in my Bible, learning more about my sweet Saviour, and becoming more like Him. I want to teach Breanna things that I feel I don't have the energy for teaching during the school year, like some cooking, baking, homemaking, etc. I want to scrapbook...badly!!! I want to become a better wife by doing better at keeping my house clean. Oh, then there is the packing up and purging that I am going to be doing in the hopes that we can soon sell our house and build. So, I will try to share the things that I discover when I can...
First, I have found a great blog, Raising Homemakers, I am so excited to dive into the things that she has shared about homeschooling, teaching our daughters about homemaking, and lots of other stuff. This is going to be fun!!!
Second, I started my new diet and exercise program. I had to wait for the right time to start. I tried several times during school, but school just got in the way! Then I didn't want to ruin any work I had done when we went to NC for a week. So I decided that this week would be the perfect week to start. I started Monday and Tuesday with a real food cleanse. The first day was not too bad, although the green smoothie was...well, let's just say...YUCK!!! I did crave grains and protein, but since the cleanse was suppose to be short, I had my grains yesterday! YUM! Today I will be reintroducing protein, and I started with eggs! :) The diet I am going to be doing is from a book I got at the Christian bookstore called "Dr. Colbert's 'I Can Do This' Diet". So we shall see! I also have exercised twice this week, not exactly what I was going for, but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow.
So, I hope you enjoy reading as I try to better my health and life with God's help! Have a blessed week!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
If my people...
We had revival at our church last week with Evangelist Hal Hightower. All the messages were amazing, and God spoke to my heart every night. There is one message in particular that I wish EVERY Christian could hear. It was titled "God Bless America". You might be able to hear it on our churches website www.biblebaptistxenia.com. We as Christians need to realize that we can have revival in our nation, but it starts with you and with me!!
II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Summer in a nutshell!
Well, I haven't posted in quite some time. I told you I would be bad at this. Oh well! Here goes. I will give you an idea of our summer in a nutshell!
First, we redid our bathroom, huge project! But it looks great now and there is NO MORE WINDOW in the shower!!! :) Yay! There are still a few minor touch-ups, but it seems like when you do a big project that once you get over the big hump you lose steam to finish. That is sort of what happened and then we sort of got REAL busy, as you will see.
Second, we took our youth group to a new camp this summer, Mount Moriah Christian Camp in Knoxville, TN. The camp was started by Temple Baptist Church and is affiliated with Crown College. We had NO idea what to expect! I hate going into things not know what is going to go on, or having an idea of what to expect. But it was AWESOME!!! We had 14 teens go, which is the largest group we have taken in our 3 years of working with them. They have two types of camps, regular and high adventure. We decided to do the high adventure this year. It was a blast!!! We got to mountain bike on Tues. (well, the teens and Scott did, I stayed at camp :D), tube on Wed., and white water raft on Thurs. It was a LOT of fun! The teens really enjoyed themselves. The speakers were great too!! They really got our teens attention, and we had all make at least one decision. I can't wait to do it again next year, but maybe not the high adventure...that was exhausting!! :)
Third, as soon as we returned from camp, we started working on our first annual youth rally!! It was a lot of hard work being our first year. There was lots of building to do, an obstacle course, a racing simulator, and few other minor things. We had lots of great help, and the day turned out great!!! Now we are already planning for next year!
And then summer was over, and it was time for school to start...that will be another post for another day perhaps!
First, we redid our bathroom, huge project! But it looks great now and there is NO MORE WINDOW in the shower!!! :) Yay! There are still a few minor touch-ups, but it seems like when you do a big project that once you get over the big hump you lose steam to finish. That is sort of what happened and then we sort of got REAL busy, as you will see.
Second, we took our youth group to a new camp this summer, Mount Moriah Christian Camp in Knoxville, TN. The camp was started by Temple Baptist Church and is affiliated with Crown College. We had NO idea what to expect! I hate going into things not know what is going to go on, or having an idea of what to expect. But it was AWESOME!!! We had 14 teens go, which is the largest group we have taken in our 3 years of working with them. They have two types of camps, regular and high adventure. We decided to do the high adventure this year. It was a blast!!! We got to mountain bike on Tues. (well, the teens and Scott did, I stayed at camp :D), tube on Wed., and white water raft on Thurs. It was a LOT of fun! The teens really enjoyed themselves. The speakers were great too!! They really got our teens attention, and we had all make at least one decision. I can't wait to do it again next year, but maybe not the high adventure...that was exhausting!! :)
Third, as soon as we returned from camp, we started working on our first annual youth rally!! It was a lot of hard work being our first year. There was lots of building to do, an obstacle course, a racing simulator, and few other minor things. We had lots of great help, and the day turned out great!!! Now we are already planning for next year!
And then summer was over, and it was time for school to start...that will be another post for another day perhaps!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Being a Stay at home Mom!!!
I copied this from a friend, but I loved it so much and found it so inspiring that I just had to share. She is talking about our role as mothers.
"My job is to recognize the amazing and unique way they've (my children) been created and train them to passionately honor and serve their Creator and Savior. It doesn't come by osmosis, nor by passive, powerless Christianity....parents we have to BE the people we desire our children to become!"
I love being a stay at home Mom!! Another friend has a thread going on her facebook page about being upset that someone said staying at home with your kids isn't a hard job. It is a hard job!!!! But oh my, it is so rewarding!! I love that I have the privilege to spend my entire day at home with my wonderful, God-given blessing!! I love that I get to be so involved in her education, because I am the one teaching her. Yes, it is exhausting and frustrating at times, but all jobs are.
So to all my SAHM friends, Keep up the good work!!! And take a break every now and then...you DESERVE it!!!!
"My job is to recognize the amazing and unique way they've (my children) been created and train them to passionately honor and serve their Creator and Savior. It doesn't come by osmosis, nor by passive, powerless Christianity....parents we have to BE the people we desire our children to become!"
I love being a stay at home Mom!! Another friend has a thread going on her facebook page about being upset that someone said staying at home with your kids isn't a hard job. It is a hard job!!!! But oh my, it is so rewarding!! I love that I have the privilege to spend my entire day at home with my wonderful, God-given blessing!! I love that I get to be so involved in her education, because I am the one teaching her. Yes, it is exhausting and frustrating at times, but all jobs are.
So to all my SAHM friends, Keep up the good work!!! And take a break every now and then...you DESERVE it!!!!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Yay!!! Spring is coming!!!
Wow!!! Winter has seemed especially long this year!!! I am so ready for some warmer weather and lots more sunshine!!! We have had 5 sunny days in a row!!! Seems crazy to make such a big deal about a little sunshine, but I just love the sunshine!!! And now the temperatures are starting to rise!!! Woo-hoo!! I just want them to keep on rising!!! I would LOVE to have a nice, long spring!!
School will be done soon, and I am so looking forward to having time to scrapbook. I have LOTS of scrapbooking that needs to be done. So, come on spring, bring the warm weather, lots of sunshine, and no more school!!!
School will be done soon, and I am so looking forward to having time to scrapbook. I have LOTS of scrapbooking that needs to be done. So, come on spring, bring the warm weather, lots of sunshine, and no more school!!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I am thankful for...
With Thanksgiving around the corner, everyone has been posting about what they are thankful for. I have so MANY things to be thankful for that I just thought one little post wouldn't cover them all!!! So, I am going to list them here. Here we go!!
I am thankful most of all for my Wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. Why on earth He died for me, a wicked, rotten, filthy sinner, I can't understand. I don't know where I would be without His love, mercy, grace, strength, peace, guidance and leadership.
I am extremely thankful for my wonderful, sweet husband. He is ABSOLUTELY the best and my most favorite anything!!!
I am thankful for all 3 of my beautiful girls!! I am thankful that God has allowed me to be their mother, and that He has allowed me to raise Breanna here on earth to someday serve Him. I am thankful that someday (soon maybe) I will get to meet my precious Faith and Hope who are in heaven with my Precious Saviour, and our family and friends that are already there with them.
I am thankful for my church, my Pastor, and my church family!!!
I am thankful for all my extended family!! Dad, Mom, Gary, Candy, Mama, Papa, Grandma Ada, Grandma High, Mimi, Grandpa, Nich, Brandy, Jordan, Jaden, Jenna, Tiffany, Andy, Chad, Shanda, Danielle, Kaitlin, Grant, Alexis, my aunts and uncles, my cousins...everyone!!
I am thankful for a roof over my head with electricity and heat to keep me warm, for good food to eat, for friends both far and near, for clothes that also keep me warm, for my health, for vehicles that work, for the ability and time to stay at home and teach my daughter, and for all the other things that God has placed into my life just because He loves me!!!!
God is SO VERY GOOD!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I am thankful most of all for my Wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. Why on earth He died for me, a wicked, rotten, filthy sinner, I can't understand. I don't know where I would be without His love, mercy, grace, strength, peace, guidance and leadership.
I am extremely thankful for my wonderful, sweet husband. He is ABSOLUTELY the best and my most favorite anything!!!
I am thankful for all 3 of my beautiful girls!! I am thankful that God has allowed me to be their mother, and that He has allowed me to raise Breanna here on earth to someday serve Him. I am thankful that someday (soon maybe) I will get to meet my precious Faith and Hope who are in heaven with my Precious Saviour, and our family and friends that are already there with them.
I am thankful for my church, my Pastor, and my church family!!!
I am thankful for all my extended family!! Dad, Mom, Gary, Candy, Mama, Papa, Grandma Ada, Grandma High, Mimi, Grandpa, Nich, Brandy, Jordan, Jaden, Jenna, Tiffany, Andy, Chad, Shanda, Danielle, Kaitlin, Grant, Alexis, my aunts and uncles, my cousins...everyone!!
I am thankful for a roof over my head with electricity and heat to keep me warm, for good food to eat, for friends both far and near, for clothes that also keep me warm, for my health, for vehicles that work, for the ability and time to stay at home and teach my daughter, and for all the other things that God has placed into my life just because He loves me!!!!
God is SO VERY GOOD!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
My life today...several random thoughts!
School is now in full swing, which means I am busy beyond words!! I homeschool my daughter, and we started first grade this year. It takes up a lot more of my time than kindergarten did. I am still trying to adjust to this new schedule as you can tell by looking at my house.
God has been convicting me lately through messages at church and things that I have seen. I SO want to please Him! It is so hard to not let your life get so busy that you don't have time for that personal relationship with Him.
Fall is here...sort of!! The leaves are slowly changing, but it has been rather cold...feels more like winter! lol I so love fall and the beauty of it!! But I am so not ready for winter!!
I am hoping that life in general will slow down a little so that I may get a grip on it and get a better schedule in tact for me and my family. It seems like just when you think it is going to slow down, there it goes again!! And then you are just holding on for dear life.
God has been convicting me lately through messages at church and things that I have seen. I SO want to please Him! It is so hard to not let your life get so busy that you don't have time for that personal relationship with Him.
Fall is here...sort of!! The leaves are slowly changing, but it has been rather cold...feels more like winter! lol I so love fall and the beauty of it!! But I am so not ready for winter!!
I am hoping that life in general will slow down a little so that I may get a grip on it and get a better schedule in tact for me and my family. It seems like just when you think it is going to slow down, there it goes again!! And then you are just holding on for dear life.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Yeebird!!
A friend of a friend is celebrating 100 posts on her blog. She is having a giveaway. Super cute site! Click on the title to visit her blog!
Breanna's Baptism
Kids are such a joy!!! But, oh my, the joy you get from knowing they are saved and following God's commands in baptism...nothing like it in the world!!!
Breanna asked Jesus to be her Saviour when she was 4 years old. We had talked about this often with her to make sure she knew what she did. Then we started talking about her getting baptized. She DID NOT want to do this. We would ask her if she was afraid of getting in front of the church or afraid of the water, and she would always tell us that she didn't want to get up in front of the church. So, we didn't force her, we just reminded her every so often.
While on vacation in May, we were playing in the pool, and we started talking about baptism. Scott showed her what Pastor would do and say. Then he dunked her under the water. She came up and said, "I can do that!" We were thrilled!!! So, after VBS and teen camp, we went forward with her to say she was ready to be baptized.
She was so excited!!! She could hardly wait! So, on August 2, 2009 in the Sunday evening service, my baby girl got baptized!!! Dad and Candy were there, and my parents and grandparents were able to watch over our live broadcast at church! What a blessing for all to share! God is SO good!!! ALL THE TIME!!!
Breanna asked Jesus to be her Saviour when she was 4 years old. We had talked about this often with her to make sure she knew what she did. Then we started talking about her getting baptized. She DID NOT want to do this. We would ask her if she was afraid of getting in front of the church or afraid of the water, and she would always tell us that she didn't want to get up in front of the church. So, we didn't force her, we just reminded her every so often.
While on vacation in May, we were playing in the pool, and we started talking about baptism. Scott showed her what Pastor would do and say. Then he dunked her under the water. She came up and said, "I can do that!" We were thrilled!!! So, after VBS and teen camp, we went forward with her to say she was ready to be baptized.
She was so excited!!! She could hardly wait! So, on August 2, 2009 in the Sunday evening service, my baby girl got baptized!!! Dad and Candy were there, and my parents and grandparents were able to watch over our live broadcast at church! What a blessing for all to share! God is SO good!!! ALL THE TIME!!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bill Rice Ranch July 2009
Our group
Making new friends
Our choir performance
We had a blast at the Bill Rice Ranch with the youth group a few weeks ago. The Lord blessed us with very nice weather. The teens had lots of fun on the Cookout, playing the sports, making new friends, the Rodeo, and singing in the camp choir. I rode a horse for the first time...definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I couldn't sit down for the rest of the day!!! The messages we heard from Pastor Jeff Redlin, Evangelist Troy Carlson, and Dr. Bill Rice III were amazing!
The only bad thing that happened is that when we got home a lot of us were sick. But we are all doing much better now!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! This will just be a conglomerate of different thoughts, family activities, my favorite recipes, and stuff like that. I hope you enjoy!
Tara :)
Tara :)
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