170 pounds MARK! ~ Week 18

I did it!

I am at 170!

What does this mean?

It means that I am back at the weight when I realized I had an overweight issue on my hands! I am at the point that lead to 195 pounds of me! I remember one day about 1 1/2 years ago when I weighed in at 198 pounds. I remember telling my friend then that I couldn't get to 200. Soon after that I was in my new house and I had been here for about a year. I was then the 194-195 pounds. I was swimming and mowing the yard. I know that this was the only reason I never went over 200. That would have been hard for me. It would have worried me. And I would have been almost 2 people! I can't get there.

The changes in my life since July have been huge. Letting go of weight was so much more than weight. I never saw that coming. W-O-W!

I am so excited about that Christmas photo this year. I will be happy to send it off in the post to all my loved ones. I will not have to hide my old double chin with forcing my husband to photo shop it out or hitting the "make me skinny" button, because it isn't there! HA HA!

I have another 1 1/2 inches off of my measurements as well. I had a half inch off the bust, hips, and lower body fat. :) That is 20.3 inches of loss now.

I have noticed a slow down of loss since the pool water became to cold. I need to bump up the yoga, ballet, and weights again.

I don't post my progress weekly now. But this is a good thing. I did this when I started out so I had to tell everyone how I was doing. And I didn't want to report in that I wasn't staying on track. Now I am 4 and a half months in I think. And things are second nature now. It really is just the way I eat and live my life. Getting to that point is so neat. I rarely have eaten enough calories by the end of the day. And then I get a light snack to finish up the eating of the day. When you have to make sure you eat enough you get a surreal feeling. It is so fun to know you can eat more!

On Thanksgiving I served a healthy and yummy meal. I ate what I wanted. It wasn't much though. And I laughed at how gross the dessert made me feel. It made me feel bad guys. I had to go lie down! I could feel the sugar from the 3 bites of watergate salad and 2 bites of pumpkin bundt cake coursing through me. It was horrible!

Changes in my body are neat. I have just the lower pouch. The top part of my tummy just needs to be tone but it is almost flat! The space between my thighs when I walk is getting bigger and bigger. I can feel the outside of my thighs slimming down. I have to try really hard to make a double chin and it doesn't stay once I lift my head back up. LOL! I breathe easy now with all that pressure off of me.

So the break down is this!

I have 20 more pounds to go until I am 150 pounds. :)

BMI: started out at 33.3 and is now 29.2.

I have lost 24 pounds! ME! 24 pounds!

LOVE IT!

Howdy

I had to share this photo of Matthew's (my husband) little sister and her family!

They are too freaking sweet!

PRAISE GOD!

I talked to my mother before lunch after her visit with her mother this morning. Ninny Austin was asking my mother about Jesus and she told my mother and an old friend that she wanted to know him. She was worried about dying. She was worried she wasn't ready. My mother and this old friend witnessed to my mother and she asked very simply for Jesus to come into her heart. She can barely breathe so this is probably the extent of what she said outloud. But I can only imagine the inner prayers and talks she is having with him.

She also told my mother to send a message to me. My Ninny Austin is seeking my forgiveness. She says she is SO SORRY for everything she has done and said to me in the past. That she loves me. She wants to see me. And I can only hope to afford her that in time. Money is tight and my car needs to have new breaks before I can make the 6 hour drive. So pray that all works out.

But atleast my ache and sorrow has been relieved some now. I am having my old pastor from back home to pay her a visit. I am stunned with how quickly the Lord has worked...we are all so blessed. :)

Thankyou for your prayers! Keep them up. I so pray she has a little longer to see those she loves. She was speaking today...in a whisper...from being weak.

Again, thankyou all for the prayers!

Urgent Prayers for my UNSAVED Grandmother!

My Mother's mother has been ill in old age for some time. She has lived a hard life. It has been an adult life full of sadness that has turned to bitterness. She has pushed everyone but her daughters away. And not because she didn't try...her daughters love her and tend to her even when she is hard to love.

I stopped contact after many episodes of her saying really horrible things about me, my husband, and that my child was sick because of us. It was so bad. I have already grieved the grandmother I loved in my childhood many years ago. I grieved hard too. I stayed up nights and cried to my husband as he soothed me.

I am okay.

I need your prayers for her. She does not know the Lord. In every Christmas card I give her, I still send them every year, I write to her about the Lord. I don't know if this has touched her. I have no idea.

I am so upset that she could pass away tonight and not know Jesus. :( She pretty much thinks a good person goes to heaven. And she thinks she was good and everyone else was rotten around her. PLEASE, PLEASE, pray for my Ninny Austin. Pray that she finds the presence of the Lord soon.

They don't think she will make it through the night. She went into the hospital soon after my other grandmother got out. So we have had both grandmothers ill lately. My mother is very stressed. She is very worried. And she is just a little girl right now, grieving for the mother she always longed for and will pretty much never have now. I know what she is feeling without words. She cried tonight because her mother is in and out of it and tied down to the bed so she will leave the lines on her alone. I can't even imagine. I just can't. :(

She went in for what we thought a normal emergency in her aging. She had shortness of breath and hadn't urinated in days. She doesn't say anything until it is so bad. She doesn't want to be in the hospital...so she waits.

It has went way downhill since then.

Pray firstly for salvation, that the Lord is waiting for her when her time comes. And then pray for her to make it through so she can mend some relationships. She thought she saw me and my children when she was out of it during the last hospital stay she had. So she longs for me and my children...she just can't bring herself to loving us in person. Lastly pray for my mother...it is never easy to watch a parent creeping towards the end. It is never easy to care for a bitter mother you long to approve of you. It is never easy to have both your mother and husband's mother both ill at the same time.

My mother is newly going to church and new at depending on the Lord. Just pray for her. :(

And pray for me...I am so worried that my grandmother will just wait too long. It crushes my heart. :(

A Pink Lizard for Taylor and Place Settings

Elijah has now crafted a pink lizard for Taylor. He was beat after that green one. I found him the next morning eagerly at work on the pink one. I was surprised to see it. I thought maybe he had given up on making another for his friend. I knew he wanted to make something different. When I asked him what made him still go forward with the pink one he said that he had promised one to her the next time he saw her and that he would just work as if working for the Lord!

I love seeing the words we read during our studies from the Bible coming back out of his mouth. It is neat that he is applying the word to his life. He has grown so much lately. What a sweet little man he is. :)

Around the midpoint of every "grade" school year we go over table manners and place settings. It is always nice to brush up on those and to see what we have retained and what we have let go through the past year. I can remember the first year we did this. Elijah was so upset that he just couldn't remember how to do it. Well, this year, he remembered still and set a nice place quickly.

Matthew's mother would be happy to know we do this. *laugh* And it is nice to know I am sending some men into the world who will know some of the things that will make him look attractive. :)

Wise Words, From Abraham Lincoln

I have made it no secret of how dissapointed I am in the outcome of our presidential election.

But, I didn't feel McCain was the one either. He was just the one I liked and agreed with the best. And I loved that VP pick he made. :)

Anyway, today in our homeschool, Elijah and I looked at Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. I was floored. And thankful that not only did the Lord give my son a great lesson in a past great man, but that Lincoln's bold words could touch my heart and make me not so weary of the future.

Read what had me so impressed:

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds."

This is the stuff history is made of! This is the type of words our children so need to hear! I am humbled today. I am so blessed to have the chance to pass on to my children real learning, learning that changes the heart. This has happened so much in the past few weeks. I am just so thankful for homeschooling. It is a blessing in so many ways. I really love it.

Creative and Crafty Days...

We have been snuggly and warm with family and friends these past few day. :) Nothing is better than that. With three days off in a row from "normal" school studies we are enjoying each other and our free time. Fun times!

I made cookies without help from my overly helpful little men. They usually are involved in all the meal preparations here at home. Remy can make his own egg now and Elijah is wanting more freedom from my watchful eyes. I just wanted to try out a cookie recipe for gift giving during Christmas. These are so good!

Pistachio - Cherry Sandwich Cookies

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 Tbs. lemon juice

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups cherry perserves

1. Process the pistachios in food processor 1 minute, or until finely ground. Transfer to bowl, and set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar in food processor 30 seconds, or until fluffy. Add egg and lemon juice; pulse 15 seconds, or until combined. Scrape down. Add pistachios, flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Pulse 15 seconds more, or until combined and dough starts to clump together. Divide dough in half, flatten into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out 1 dough disk on sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, to about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer parchment and cookie dough onto cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place in freezer 5 to 8 minutes to firm up.

4. Cut out cookies with 2-inch cutter, and place 1-inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and repeat. Bake 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough disk.

5. Spread 1tsp. preserves on each of 24 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Per cookie:

248 calories

4 gram protien

11.5 grams total fat

34 grams carb

29 mg cholesterol

41 mg sodium

1 gram fiber

19 grams sugars

Let me know if you try them! Remy said they "ROCKED", and Eli said he almost passed out with the first bite. Hee hee...

Remy has driven me crazy waiting on that check for his new books. So I have a new printer/copier and I made that baby some school work. It was so nice to not have him trailing after me and begging for a worksheet. He is so strange. I love that he loves it.

I made him some worksheets, a little reader we made together, and a phonics game. He had it all done in a few minutes, but it hit the spot. He was on to reading whatever he fancied the rest of the day.

Elijah found this book at the library:

Remy and I stayed home and daddy took him to get felt and thread today before he left to shoot a wedding. Eli made this lizard.

He now understands why I hate to cut out patterns and that sewing takes time. Whew! That was a good one for him to learn. It took him hours to put this little guy together.

Remy and I made this monkey. He says he will do the next one all by himself. This little monkey is named King Kong and he is Abu's (Remy's best friend Monkey's) little brother. :)

I made Mikey a leaf matching game and this box to put them in.

I even made up new chore charts. The others were dated. :)

I make them up at:

www.dltk-cards.com/chart

Matthew had a wedding Friday and today, but he is off tomorrow! YAY! :)

Remy was sick one time this morning and he didn't have another instance the rest of the day. I doped him up on vitamins and herbs. :)

Now I am looking forward to my Tofu-Turkey I make on Thanksgiving! YUM-YUM!

Our Tucker...Happy First Birthday

Most of my long time readers here will know that Sabrina is my GIRL! She and I became fast friends during her first pregnancy. I have helped her bring both of her children into the world. I am blessed to have those moments.

She has always done her births her way. She has went against family and friends to have the births she believes her babies deserve. But she has not had easy births. Her first with Mikey ended with a section after days of labor. The little stinker decided to be posterior. His mama was so strong. Some of those moments in her labor still haunt me. I always will remember the sting of one of my favorite clients not getting the birth she so desired. :(

Life moved on and Mikey grew and grew. And soon Tucker was on his way. By this time Sabrina and I was as close as I had ever been to anyone. She was my sister, friend, and mother when needed. :)

She informed me of her desires for her second birth. It took me a moment but I fully accepted them and set forth on the path to help her reach them. Tucker's labor was WONDERFUL! I saw her work so hard and not give up. I was very proud of her. And then she pushed...pushing was hard. Tucker was born and due to an infection he was not perking up.

He was the first baby to scare me this way.

He was treated for the infection and a Sabrina dealt with so much in those first weeks. My heart has always broken for her...thinking of the lost time she had missed with him. That chic was a machine...the things she did and endured...I will never understand. It was a mother's fierce love that drew her on when things were so hard.

I was very emotional today. He turned one around lunch time. The events of those early days and weeks do haunt me.

I love you Tucker! Aunt Eta will always remember what you taught me. You were a test for me. And the answers have taken me a year to sort through. I am grateful for your presence and I love you dearly! I marvel over each smile and each new thing you do. You are a delight to me. And even though blood seperates us...I am your Auntie never the less. You and your brother mean so much to me. I miss you so much when you are away from me. And I can't get enough time with you when you are here. :)

Now that your a mobile crazy boy I want you to give them all heck! :) If your unsure on how to go about such a task...just ask Mikey. He is the pro! Hee hee!

Grow strong and well little boy. I couldn't love you more if you were my own child. I will be here to help mama raise you!

And I will always be watchful for the next baby who decides to scare me so. Thankyou for the training little guy.

My Husband and Cake

Matthew made this mermaid cake for Eli's bestest pal Taylor. She loved it. He got the idea from one of our friends who is a master mind when it comes to cake. :) We love you, Sharon!

Elijah had his Sonic party yesterday and he made this cake. :)

What to do on a cold and drizzly day?

And here is Remy's stack of read books...

Remy Befriends a Praying Mantis

Okay, be ready for some severely adorable photos!

I tried to warn you...he is so darn sweet!

Had to pass this along...

Read this today...and thought some here would get something from it too!

http://molivo.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/my-thoughts-on-the-election/

Makes you want to say, Mmmmmmm.....

Week 15 weight loss update!

I have been on my weightloss journey now for almost 4 months! Wow!

I have gone from 194 to 172.6!

That is a loss of 21.4 pounds! Once I have lost 22 pounds I will be halfway to my original goal. :) April and I could be at 150! But I haved decided that I will need to lose 5 more pounds to be at a healthy BMI. So, 145 is the ultimate goal now. :) At 150 I will still be moderately overweight. Gotta get that BMI to 25 or under. :)

My size 14 jeans, remember I started in 20's, are getting a little baggy now. :)

My measurements are the same. I am working on muscle to bring the inches down more. But this may mean a climb in my weight for a while. That will be okay as long as inch loss is good. ;)

I love trying on clothes now! And I tell you the best thing is seeing yourself in the mirror and you recognize that person! I have missed myself! :) I am excited about Christmas Photos! I could be under 170 for those this year. :)

I know I owe you all the how's of my weight loss now that I have lost over 20 pounds. BUT, I will have to get to it this week maybe. I have to plan Eli's Sonic party. But I will try to do it before or right after. :) Promise! I am excited to share!

I also wanted to share this chart! Isn't it beautiful???

I am ready for a new week of poundage loss!

My Mother...

My mother turned 48 yesterday. My first child was born the day before her birthday. All through my labor she begged me to wait just a little longer before I allowed that baby to be born! HA HA!

Here she is with her newest grandchild Amy.

My mother was a teenage mother. I came to her when she was 17 years old. She was in her sixth month of pregnancy and I was partially born in the back seat of the car weighing in at only 1 pound and 1 ounce. I would drop down to below a pound very soon after birth.

I lived in the hospital for 4 months and was in and out again and again for various reasons until around my 4th birthday. I seemed to just magically catch up with my peers around that time and didn't have as much illness that caused hospital stays from that point on.

So here we are almost 31 years later...I am grown with my own babies. I was a child that should have never survived my first day or week. But I did!

Have a wonderful year mother!

OH MY GOSH!

I found this on another homeschooling mama's site.





I hope you can still breathe afterwards!

My sister and nieces

Aren't they so cute???? Look at my fat baby neice Amy!

Trick or Treat!

I finally have the photos up and ready to share! :)

I only had to sew up one costume this year. Remy's we purchased and Eli's I worked my booty off for. It was like sewing 3 or 4 costumes in one! Whew! I cried one time because I was so DONE with sewing it. *laugh*

Remy made a terrific Indiana Jones and Elijah wore that homemade pirate costume and took my breath away! He was so darn handsome! They both were! What mother would love a cutie pirate and a daring Indiana Jones?

And now for the HAM, *cough*, Indiana Jones! He is the real thing you guys! Hee hee!

Miss Taylor came to trick or treat with us! :) Eli the dashing pirate had his bonny lass!

Yay for candy!

And we can't wait for next year!