Midweek…

I have done nothing with either of the challenges I am in. I haven’t done anything fearful or scary for my exercise and I haven’t tried a new recipe. I am so sorry ladies I just haven’t had a moment to do anything yet. I do have a few more days and am hoping to do something for both. I just wanted to be honest and tell you where I am.

But I have been busy, here’s part of my week in pictures:

 

Took the 3 littlest one to the park.                     Make peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookies

                                                                                   (from the awful peanut spread)

  

     

                 Made birdfeeders from Kool-Aid containers.

Help Jim rebuild an old trailer we had into this beautiful, very useable licensed trailer.

Had a picnic and games at our neighbors cabin.

Worked at Jim’s store a couple of evenings.

  

Still working at my parents. Now trying to get things stored in containers that are easy to stack, take less space and manageable. The bathroom is taking shape again and soon we’ll get the freezer room cleaned out and some shelving put up. We need to find some shelving or something for my mama sewing/craft room but not right now. The sewer guy came today to take care of things, $180.00 later it works. YEAH and thank God but my goodness is that expensive.

 

Went to the creek to throw rocks and play in the water.

 

Work in the garden. And can you see what the wind did to my corn. UGH!!! It was getting over 6’ tall.

 

One of my tomato plants up at the house. And we got more rain, a bit over an inch. The garden needed it and it has helped with the smell and goo from all the flooding so we welcomed it.

So it’s not boring here and I am trying to lose weight, get stronger and tone up and just be healthy but there are days I just do not have enough energy at the end of the day to do anything but have a glass of milk, eat a banana and go to bed. No complaints thought, I’d sure rather be busy and able to do then bored out of my mind or not able. Nope, no complaining here. Heading out the door shortly to head to mama to finish the bathroom, pack up the stuff they are donating to the boy scouts and get home to spend some time with Jim. Take care my friends and God Bless!!!

Life….

First my challenges…

So it’s

Week 8 - (begin July 22) - EMBRACE A FITNESS FEAR

I really don’t know what to tackle this week. I’m not a member at a gym, I haven’t had a minute to spare for anything extra other then my walking/jogging. I’m just not sure BUT…yep but…I will figure out something.

This week for Deanna's Try Something New challenge is just that this week, be adventuresome and try something new. I asked if it has to be healthy but really that’s a stupid question, of course it has to be healthy but I found a recipe in the Taste of Home magazine for chocolate dipped pretzels I want to try and I want to try roasted peppers. I remember Biz making them last summer (I think that was when), and they looked so awesome I’m going to look up how to grill peppers. She has tons of recipes she’s shared with the world and I’m just going to see what she has.

And for my Take your Pants for a Walk challenge, well I took my daddy’s pants (and him in them) and me for a 5 mile walk. A bit over the 5K but since I didn’t run we added the extra 2 miles to make it a good walk to add to the challenge. I took some pictures to share and we walked the 5 miles in a 87 minutes. So it wasn’t a slow walk and both of us were tired by time we were done but it was so great just spending time with daddy.

I want to take the pictures with the three birch trees and turn it into wallpaper or a mural. I love this one and would love to have it on my wall in the someday going to be my sewing room room.

So a bit of uncertainty this week but I’ll get my ducks in a row. Life here hasn’t been easy (I’ll explain in a bit) but it’s been great spending lots of time with mama and daddy. My calories are in check though I haven’t been faithful on myfitnesspal but the days I did make it I was around 1200 calories (some days a tad over, most days less). I can feel a change in my body this week. Back to the way it’s suppose to feel when a person is losing weight and gaining health. So all is moving along in the right direction.

This coming weekend I am going to meeting Michele and E.Jane for lunch and then Michele and I are going to take a bike ride to Minnehaha Falls. I hear it’s the most beautiful spot to go and I’ve never been there so on the 28th I will be meeting up with two blogging friends and seeing things I haven’t seen before. I’m excited. I am really in the need of getting away and since we haven’t been able to go camping or spend time just relaxing I am going to go and enjoy. Oh I can’t say I haven’t gone anywhere’s, it’s only been a month since I was in Wyoming visiting Mike but it’s time to go and do something again.

Now about my ducks….as you all know I have been working at mama and daddy’s just about every day off or evening possible and their basement is really coming along. Mama’s room is purple. She is in love with her room and I love watching her eye’s light up when she goes in there.   I wanted her to have a room to go when she needs to sew, craft, get away or just be and I think this is going to be the perfect room for her.  

Work in process.

My helper..

The bathroom was done, daddy’s room is done, next was going to be the furnace room but yesterday the world decided things were just going to good, getting done to fast and decided to set us back at least a week if not more. Mama and daddy’s sewer blew up. I really mean that in the real sense. It all started out with the drains running really slow, water backing up in the laundry room. So it’s time to borrow a snake and see if we can find the clog….nope couldn’t get the snake to go where we needed it too. Okay lets try water, well the water took the path of least resistance which was back into the laundry room and now the sewing rooms closet. Okay lets try pushing air down the drains to see if we can move the clog. Wow, do you know what happens when you put 100lbs of air behind a clog that decides to move just past a elbow in the pipe that leads to the newly cleaned, plastered, painted bathroom ….. BOOM!!! Toilet paper, poop, water, greasy, dirt, anything that a sewer line holds blows out of the toilet at a speed so fast it blew the lid off and so hard it blew the drain cover in the shower off. And all that goo is in the now not newly finished bathroom. Lots more Mr. Clean, lots more water, paper towels, face mask, different clothes and so much more and the bathroom is cleaned but the wall near the pot needs help. The sheet rock in the laundry room, I cut off the wall to clean between the studs. We rolled up the hoses, put the tools away, cleaned up everything and called the plumber and went out for supper. We could cry, we could scream, we could do lots of things but the only way to deal with it all is to…..well just deal with it. I told mama to bring her laundry over tomorrow and we’ll get that done. Her and daddy can come and take a shower then too. I will fix them supper tomorrow night and bring it over when I get back to work putting their home back together, again. The plumber is coming out on Wednesday and I hope do whatever they need to do to make everything work right. I know all of this problem is from all the flooding and the fact the house is almost 50 years old so we’ll work on it and get it livable and move forward.

So while doing this, I’m also doing that and working 50 hours a week day caring. I am trying to keep my garden alive so worked in that tonight in the 95* heat picking peas and radishes and watering for over an hour. Then we decided to go visit our best friends until dark. It’s always so nice to just take the golf cart 2 miles and visit for a while. The lawn needs mowing again, it’s been needing it every 5 days or so and it’s a 4 hour job. This week is also our Boy Scouts garage sale. I’m going to volunteer on Thursday to help set up and then the rest can sell it all and donate the rest. I’m going out for dinner with a dear friend too on Tuesday. Hummmm, see why I need Saturday, a day to run away. Not from my life, just to get a rest from it a little bit.

I hope you all have a blessed week. Really life could be horrible worse here so really there’s no complaining, just work that needs to be done and will get done. One day at a time.

Take care my friend.

 

 

 

 

 

People joining me for my….

So far there’s:

Deb, blogwobble, Jo, Kody, Pam, Rochelle, Deanna, upinthecosmos, Betty, Ronalee, Michele, Nanette, …..

Sign up is until next Monday so I’ll keep adding names until then (but you can do this anytime from now until the 27th). Then we can see some cool and fun things as the details come in on how everyone did. Remember it’s not a race it’s just a get out there and move your butt event.

Hey, want to know something really cool? Betty already finished her 5k and she did more then that. Here’s what she said,“I just wanted to tell you I did my 5K yesterday! :) It was actually 5.5K and I did it in 55 minutes. My knee is bothering me lately, so I didn't go too fast, but I was happy with the result. I'll post about it on Sunday”.

YEAH!!!! Betty!!!

I had planned on getting mine done early too but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe this weekend. Daycare got over early today so I am heading to my parents to start plastering and taping the sewing/craft room. I’m wearing pants today and will try and use a knee pad to help with the sore knees. But this too shall pass and all will be back together in a couple more weeks and then my knees can heal and work like they are suppose too.

Take care and have an awesome day. Blessings!!

Finally found one…

Really I’ve been thinking all week about the recipe for Deanna's recipe challenge. This week is a high fiber recipe. Now I am suppose to try it also but because my acorn squash isn’t ready for the eating yet I’m going to keep this recipe and try it this fall, however it sounds awesome and knew it was what I wanted to share with you all.

Acorn squash with apples

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 small acorn squash, about 6 inches in diameter
2 teaspoons trans-free margarine

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the apple and brown sugar. Set aside.

Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife to let the steam escape during cooking. Microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn the squash after 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Place the squash on a cutting board and cut in half. Scrape the seeds out of the center of each half and discard the seeds. Fill the hollowed squash with the apple mixture.

Return the squash to the microwave and cook until the apples are softened, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the squash to a serving dish. Top each half with 1 teaspoon margarine and serve immediately.

 

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calories 270, Fat 6g, Carbs 52g, Fiber 5g, Protein 2g, Cholesterol 0mg

Dietitian's tip: Acorn squash is a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber. Here it's paired with apples and brown sugar to make a hearty main dish. Serve along with whole-grain crackers and a small wedge of your favorite cheese to round out all food groups.

This really sounds good and I really love acorn squash. I do have some in the freezer that’s already out of the skin, I wonder how it would be just in a bowl with the apple mixture? Hummmm, just might have to give that a shot.

Take care. Blessings my friends!

I heard it through the grapevine….

Minneapolis Heart Institute-Brainerd Lakes

HEART HEALTHY CHALLENGE

BETWEEN NOW AND ENDING SEPTEMBER 30^TH, 2012

WALK, BIKE OR RUN

100 MILES IN 100 DAYS

YOU COULD WIN …

$350.00 GIFT CARD TOWARDS A BIKE AT TARGET

TIMEX AHA PEDOMETER

$50.00 GIFT CARD AT TARGET

ADULT BIKE HELMET!

EVERY MILES COUNTS SO START TODAY!

ENTER AND WIN!

GOOD LUCK!

See what I am starting to log. This won’t be hard to do, just remembering to write down what I do each day. I sent this to a few people I know that are in the area. Maybe if you have a Heart Institute near you, you could check it out too.

Take care and have a blessed evening!

My poor knees….

3 nights plastering, priming and painting have killed my legs and my knees. I hurt from head to toe and am so tired but the good news mama and daddy’s downstairs bathroom is done. Well, some day, I will put on some new baseboard up but for now I want it left open to just keep the air flowing. So that means daddy’s gun room is done and now the bathroom so what’s left is the craft/sewing room…the biggest and was was the wettest room. Really the laundry/tool room is done but all that had to be done there was get rid of the water and the same for the furnace room. The craft room is drying nicely and I am hoping to start filling the bad spots in the wall board this weekend. Because we removed the baseboard when it was wet the wall board has some dents and places that need repairing and also where we need to replace a couple bad spots. Then will come the Kliz sealer and the pretty part, mama wants lavender walls. What perfect time to change the color when the walls and room are empty.

So all in all we/they are very lucky and happy. For others they will be battling this for so long, we have another month or so and life will be getting back to normal.

Just wanted to share.

Take care and have a blessed evening and a restful night sleep.

Tuesday and it’s raining…

If you drive out on the flats they do not need any more rain, it’s still flooded out there but it’s slowly receding. It smells terrible out there though, between the musty, musky, dead worm/fish smells and all the humids this more rain is adding I feel terrible for them. It’s just up across the highway from me so I see it every time I go the back way to town. I stopped and saw a couple families this past Sunday. One is just getting back into their home and I know about the devastation of losing so much to water and mold and one family can’t get back in yet, not even sure they will ever get back in. Told them both if they need me I’ll be there to help. However, our gardens are in great need of rain and as long as it’s just a soft, couple hour rain I think everyone will be happy (it’ll help wash some of the muck away where the waters are leaving). My garden is doing awesome. We’ve been eating radishes and snap peas and I’ve been thinking about picking some fresh green tomatoes and making some bread. I think I’ll wait until next week because this week it’s in the 90’s and hotter and really don’t want the a/c to work harder then it already is.

I got great new yesterday, the daycare family that was leaving me next week is now staying until school starts. It will be part time starting next month but part time is better then no time and I don’t have to feel so sad I’m losing my littlest one. Another great news, my littlest one will also be here off and on during the school year because her mama is going to go back to school and she’s sure she’ll need a couple days a week to study and do without worrying about Joss. So I will still get to be doing some daycare and hopefully bus driving. I have a full day in-service the 20th of August so will know what life brings for the school year then….I hope.

So that’s that. Nothing much but blogging is better then eating and since one of my families are late today we are holding breakfast until they get here but my stomach is telling me to eat. Well I’m ignoring it for now, writing you all and then it’ll be time for some oatmeal and fruit. Tracking yesterday reminded me why my ring was a bit tighter and why I’m sure that scale isn’t moving to fast to where I am hoping to see it the first week of school. So tracking will continue, the exercise must continue and the scale may head downwards, at least a little bit more.

Take care my friends and have an awesome day. Don’t forget if you’d like to join us for “take your pants for a walk day” to sign up. So far we have 11 wonderful, terrific, getting healthy people to join us, wouldn’t you like to too?

Blessings!!!!

P.S. I hear there just might be a prize or two, a name just picked by a wee one, for anyone that completes this day.

July 27th, Take your pants for a walk day…

So I’m working on a virtual 5k. And decided to look up special days in July and I found July 27th, Take your pants for a walk day. What better way to commit to a 5K for Rochelle’s week 7 challenge.

So here’s the deal….

Between now and July 27th you will be committing to walking, running, jogging, hiking, biking a full 5k, that’s just a tad over 3 miles. It’s not a race, I don’t do the racing part…you can do that with a real race if you want. I just want this as a move your butt…..take your pants for a walk.

So grab this pictures (I haven’t a clue how to make a button) and join me and a few other to “Take your pants for a walk”.

I’ll ask that you tell me you’re joining me, I will put up a post next Monday saying who’s joining and on Sunday the 29th I will do a final post on how it all went and if you send me a picture I will add that to the post. If you want to tell me what you did, how you did I’ll share that too. Remember it’s not a race, I really don’t care if you did your 5K in 20, 30, 40, 50, or more minutes I just want to hear your joined me in trying your darnest to get healthy.

Take your pants for a walk day, July 27th. Enjoy your exercise, enjoy your day, enjoy the fact that we have each other to rejoice in the fact we are trying.

Take care my friends. Blessings to you all!!

SSSDC Week 6 and next week…

So did I die without meat this week? Not one little bit. We didn’t have any but since I wasn’t going to be having it, it wasn’t a big deal at all. So this week was a success going without. Now I do know I could of eaten much better with more salads and fresh veggies but I didn’t and I can really tell today. No I didn’t stand on the scale, my ring is not loose like it was and neither are my pants. So I’ve got to get back to eating right and tracking. I’ve been horrible at doing both of those so on my to do list this week is track and eat right. There’s no way I’ll be less at the beginning of the school year if I don’t.

So this week I will be having lots of these…

And not so much this….even in the light/less sugar stuff….

And get ready myfitnesspal, I’m back to being a pest and tracking. First thing tomorrow morning that is….because today, well Jim took me out for breakfast, my mama made me a malt and while cleaning out the freezer….I found a tube of girl scout cookies that I shared with daddy while he was here. So tomorrow is my day and it’s also going to be a fasting day, gotta clean out all this junk first.

Now for the challenge this week it’s to plan and enter and be part of a 5K race. The only one coming up in our area is a 1/4 marathon that is called Run to the Dump. It’s a run, not a walk and it’s 6 1/4 miles starting time is 8 am and awards are 9:40 so that doesn’t leave time for any walking really. So I can’t sign up for this one because as much as I want to run, well I have come to the conclussion it isn’t going to happen. Not a full run anyways, I can keep doing what I’m doing, run/walking/jogging/trotting, but I’m not going to be able to just plain run. My leg swells up (Jim says it really looks weird from the back, like I have a muskmelon by my knee and the pain, well it’s not worth it. So this race isn’t for me. And right now we don’t have our October one planned yet. I’ll have to do some more research and see what I can find. Maybe I’ll have to offer to host another virtual run. Is anyone interested in something like that? We’d have sign up, bibs, pictures and goals to make and a prize at the end. What do you think? I’ll work on this one Rochelle, if it’s okay with you.

So this week is for me just to get my butt back on track. Busy as I am I know that I can and will find time to do some exercising and walking. I miss the gym but that’s not possible so that means just getting on the floor and doing what I know I can do and knowing that I can get back to where I’m suppose to be.

So good luck my friends, here’s to a successful week 7, our 1/2 point. Our time to do this right. I have 33 days until I go and pick up Mike at the airport in the cities, I want to be feeling good, looking better then when I saw him and ready to keep up with some of the things we are planning while he’s home.

Take care my friends, have a blessed evening!

Grilled fruit and greek yogurt…

Well since we haven’t done the grilled fruit yet I’m going to tell you about yucky greek yogurt. Well that’s what I thought about it when we first tried it. Now it’s not the kind that’s flavored or anything, it’s just this white gross stuff in a container. I have made more things with that greek stuff then ever before. I have added it to jello and made a really good whipped jello dessert. I have added it to dried ranch dressing instead of sour cream and it’s not bad either. I even added it today to a hot dish I made with peppers, onions, carrots, potatoes, hamburger (don’t worry Rochelle, I’m not eating it) and cream of mushroom/roasted garlic soup. The kids are loving this stuff and haven’t a clue it’s good for them. I’m sorta more picky, I don’t eat jello however I did try it. I’m not a dipper for veggies, I really just like veggies alone, but I did try it with the carrots and it tastes just about as good as the stuff in the squeeze bottle and I did try the hot dish before I added the burger and baked it and that was awesome too. So getting a case of those little greek yogurts was an excellent addition to our menu. There are two of those little containers left. Wonder what I’ll be adding them too?

Recipe Challenge!!!!

Now for the grilled fruit. We had apples, melon and banana’s left from all that fruit I picked up on Sunday so figured I had better make the grilled stuff this afternoon. So here’s what we did, what the kids did and how it all turned out.

 

 

 

 

And the vote is……..MOST AWESOME!!! The banana,cantaloupe and apples all were excellent. Each fruit got two votes as to their favorite. Next week, pinapple and strawberries and …. well I’m not sure but Deanna, you just created 6 new grilled fruit nuts.

The recipe was super simple, I didn’t do anything except for cut up the fruit, we stabbed it with those wooden sticks, grilled it with the lid shut for about 3 minutes on each side and then we rolled them in brown sugar and cinnamon, let them sit and cool for about 4 minutes (we couldn’t wait any longer) and eat.  

Okay Deanna, what’s next? Something else awesome? Something else I would of never tried but because you and your best friend thought this was good we all got to find out this is grand? Okay, I’m ready!!

Blessings!!