Me....Flaws and All

Hello, everyone :)

I mentioned in one my posts a while back that I am a HUGE music lover.  One of my favorite singers is Rachel Taylor from the band He is We.  She is a huge inspiration to me.  She has overcome a lot in her life and she is a prime example of perseverance to the fullest.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago she blogged about learning to love your skin.  She posted a picture of herself with no make-up, no hair products.....nothing.  Just herself in raw form.

She is encouraging women and girls to post pictures of themselves that way, too.  Now, for me....that is beyond scary.  We live in a world that makes it easy for us to cover up the things we don't like.  Make-up, photo editing, plastic surgery, etc...it's all a "normal" part of life now.  Society screams and obsesses over perfection.  Though we all would love to be perfect, it's just not real.  Perfect doesn't exist.  Some may come close, but true perfection is unattainable.  So why don't we learn to love ourselves, flaws and all?  I am the world's worst about putting myself down.  I'm very hard on myself and it's hard for me to accept compliments without saying something that counteracts it.  I don't why I do that!  I think a lot of women are the same though.

Beauty that comes from within is so much more attractive than outer beauty.  I know that sounds very cliche`, but I really do believe that.  Some of the most beautiful ladies I know are ones that have the most loving and caring hearts. 

So, I am going to accept her challenge and post my own "raw" picture.  This is a picture of me with no make-up, no cover up....nothing.  I dried my hair, but that's all.  No products, straight ironing, or anything.  So, here it goes....

Eeeeek....that was terrifying!!  No going back now!  Well, I guess I could but mama didn't raise no sissy, so there it is.....flaws and all.  A big part of me wants to verbally pick this picture apart, but I am going to refrain and just let it go.

I work at home and don't go out as much as a lot of women, so this is what my husband and son see almost everyday that I don't have to go out.  They love me this way, so why is it so hard for me?  Maybe this can be MY first step at learning to love my skin....just the way it is. 

Although this was super scary, it was also very freeing.  My hope is that all women (myself included) will learn to love their skin and themselves, just the way they are.    

Until next time...

Christmas Memories on a Budget

Hello, all you beautiful people ;)

Well, it's December.  And man, did it get here fast?!

I love Christmas time.  I love everything about it.  Well, there might be one thing I'm not that fond of.  I'm not crazy about all the money that we spend at Christmas time.  Buying gifts alone is a struggle here at our house.  Let's face it....holiday fun can be expensive, especially when you have kids. 

Last year, we went on a "Polar Express" train ride.  While it was fun, it cost $30 per adult and $20 per child....not to mention the extra cost if you wanted the "hot chocolate" package and the gift shop (filled with toys and such) that was conveniently located where the hot chocolate and snacks were.  That's really expensive for a few hours of fun. 

If we let it, commercialism can take over the holidays.  I thought I'd share a couple of ideas and traditions for holiday fun that won't break the bank.

1.  Drive around your town and look for Christmas lights.  Or better yet, walk around your community if possible.  We do this all the time!  We make a game out of it......who can spot the lights first.  We also bought some holiday specks a couple of years ago that we love using when doing this.  They look like 3-D glasses and it makes all the lights look like snowflakes, Santa heads, reindeer heads, and snowmen.  They are very cool :)

2.  Turn on the Christmas tunes and color with your kids.  My son and I do this a lot.  You can buy Christmas coloring books very cheap at the dollar store and you can't beat the quality time that you are spending together.  I have some very fond memories of doing this with my mom as a child.  Funny how, as a child, I begged for toys at Christmas and now....I don't hardly remember a single toy I got for Christmas.  I remember the memories.  Material things will come and go, memories last a life time. 

3.  Bake cookies or build a Gingerbread House.  Kids LOVE helping bake and decorate cookies!  We bought a Gingerbread train kit this year and I can't wait for us to do it.  My son is going to love it!

4.  Have a pajama movie night.  This doesn't have to cost a thing.  So many Christmas movies come on TV this time of year.  All you have to do is record them to your DVR and there you have it.....a free movie!   Christmas movies + popcorn + pajamas = my kind of night!

5.  Elf on the Shelf.  If you have kids and do not have an Elf on the Shelf, you don't know what you're missing.  This is so dang fun!  I believe they cost around $30, but it will last a LONG time.  Use it again, year after year.  I wish we had gotten one sooner.  It's so fun to see the excitement in my son's eyes when he wakes up everyday and tries to find his elf. 

6.  Make Christmas ornaments and decorations.  You can make them out of paper, old cookie cutters, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  Popcorn garland is another fun and thrifty Christmas decoration.  You could do this with the leftover popcorn on Movie Night- if there is any left :)  Go crazy!  Your kids will LOVE making them and seeing them displayed around your house.

7.  Make a Christmas gift for someone, instead of buying one.  There are TONS of great homemade gift ideas out there, just google it.  It's usually much less expensive and, to me, it's fun. 

8.  Do something nice for a friend or neighbor.  There's always a lot of sickness going around this time of year, so make a big pot of soup for a sick neighbor or friend and take it to them.  Rake an elderly neighbor's yard or pick up pine cones for them.  It doesn't matter what you choose.  Showing your children to think of others is really important.  These are lessons that they will remember when they grow up and have a family of their own. 

9.  Go to a Christmas concert or play.  There are usually lots of community events this time of year.  Go out and hear a choir concert, watch a Christmas parade or a play. 

10. Have a craft day.  Kids love doing crafts!  Search pinterest.com for ideas.....there's a ton of them!

The last thing I want to say is, it's okay to say NO sometimes.  Our December calendar tends to fill up pretty fast.  Many events have costs involved.....like Christmas parties with gift exchange, etc.  It's okay to say NO.  I'm not saying you should be anti-social, but don't schedule so many things that you will be too busy to remember the season and too broke to enjoy it.  Making memories is what counts!

So, go out (or stay in) and make some memories! 

Until next time... 

Random Post

Happy Saturday!  Hope you all are having a fantastic day :)  Mine has been a lazy one.  I cleaned up and washed all the clothes yesterday so I wouldn't have to lift a finger today.  I do enjoy my lazy Saturdays.  I usually have the house all to myself on Saturdays and it's great.  I really enjoy my "me" time.  I started my day off with a big, tall glass of carrot, apple, kale, and spinach juice.....homemade from my juicer.  Although it looked pretty disgusting in color, it was quite tasty.  It was pretty until I added the kale and spinach....then it turned a greenish brown color.  Still, it tasted good and it was super healthy. 

Anywho...hope you had a safe and happy Halloween.  We had a lot of fun painting pumpkins this year.  Here is a picture of our pumpkins :)

We had a blast making these!  We used a pencil eraser, dipped in paint, to make the dots.  I got the idea from Pinterest and it worked great....made the perfect little dots :)  It was fun, but I'm so glad it's over and so glad the candy is finally gone!


Can you believe it's almost Christmas?!?!  It seems to come around faster and faster as the years go by.  Do you ever wish time would just STOP....or at least slow down?  I do.  All the time, actually.  My son is getting so big and time just seems to be going by faster and faster.  It's funny, but I finally understand why my parents did the things they did.....and their reasoning behind it.  I sometimes (well, often- if I'm being honest) felt that their decisions about what I could and couldn't do were so unfair.  I finally get it.  I get that they were only trying to do what was best for me, that they wanted to protect me and shield me from making the same mistakes they did.  I finally get it.

Sorry, my mind tends to wonder a lot.  Must be my ADD...

Anyway, it's almost Christmas- my favorite time of year!  The tree is up.  The mantle is decorated.  I've bought a substantial amount of Christmas gifts already AND I've already wrapped them.  I am hoping I'll be finished with ALL my Christmas shopping before December even gets here.  Man, I am on top of things this year!  Once I get all the shopping done, we can focus on our Christmas traditions and enjoy spending time with each other. 

Rudy, my son's Elf on the Shelf, should be arriving soon.  Oh, we have so much with Rudy!  Rudy does the craziest things and I always get it on film, so be on the lookout for lots of pictures of Rudy.  Here are a couple of crazy things Rudy did last year....

We always enjoy Rudy's time with us and can't wait to see what crazy things he will do this year :)

Okay, I realize this was a very random post, but this is what's on my mind.  If I don't get a chance to post before Thanksgiving....Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends. 

Love and peace to all of you :)

Getting My Life Back!!

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since I checked in....

I have been going through some things lately and it's time to get my life back.  I have been feeling really terrible lately.  No energy, headaches, depressed...

I had some tests done a couple of weeks ago and I got my results back yesterday.  2 of the 3 tests came back normal.  However, my insulin test did not.  My levels were elevated.  The nurse that I talked to on the phone said that it looks like I have insulin resistance.  My body isn't responding properly to the hormone, insulin.  *Sigh*

The good news is that this can be reversed through diet and exercise BEFORE it turns into diabetes.  I have researched it a little and from what I gather, I will either need to eat a low carb or a low glycemic index diet.  I am going to talk to my doctor about it tomorrow. 

Diabetes runs in my family.  My dad has diabetes, my grandfather had diabetes and died from a stroke.  I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and from what I have read, insulin resistance is common in women with PCOS. This is definitely a wake up call!  I want to live a long, healthy life and I don't want to get diabetes.  I want to set a good example for my son. 

Right now, I have to work on getting this reversed and getting my Vitamin D levels up.  Both of these are working hard against me right now and I've got to conquer them! 

So, my challenge for this month (or the remainder of it) is:

-Drink more water.
-Get more sleep.
-Eat more fruits and vegetables (the lower glycemic ones).
-Eat more lean meats.
-Exercise more!
-Juice!  I am going to put my juicer to work again :)
-Cut out refined sugar and "white" stuff - I'll eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.  I'm not a big fan of brown rice, whole grain bread or pasta....so I'll probably just cut those out for now.

Lots of changes this month!  This will probably have to be a life-long plan for me.  I am taking a deep breath and running with it.  Gradual changes aren't going to work in this case. 

I would love some advice from anyone who has gone through this or now going through it.  I need all the information I can get!  So let me know if you have any tips or suggestions for me. 

Until next time...


**I will edit the challenge list if my doctor adds or changes anything.

Music Feeds the Soul

I don't feel like I've shared much about myself, on a personal level, with you all.  I don't post much about my family.  Not because family isn't important to me.  My family and my faith are the MOST important things to me.  Out of respect for their privacy, I don't post pictures of them and I don't share many personal stories about them.  That may change later down the road, but I'm still pretty new to the whole "blogging" world and having privacy for my family, on some level, is important to me right now.  I did share about an awesome gift that my husband gave me not too long ago.  It was way too awesome not to share :)

Anyway, one thing you may not know about me is that I am a HUGE music lover.  I love most all genres of music.  Over the years, I have learned that music comforts me.  It comforts me in a way that food never could.  Although I still struggle with emotional eating, it's not as big of an issue as it used to be.  Music feeds my soul. 

Today, my cousin posted on Facebook a very fond memory of my Poo-Pa (yep, that's what we called our grandfather.  And there's not another one out there like him.).  He was one-of-a-kind.  Him and Ma-Ma (that's what we called our grandmother) were loved by all that met them.  So, I was feeling kind of down.  And then it got me thinking about my Gran-Gran (my other grandmother.).   I was thinking about how I wish I could talk to them just one more time and tell them that I love them.  Tell them I am sorry for not spending the time with them that I should have once I got married and started my own family.  There is so much that I wish I could say to them.

So, instead of putting it out of my mind, I embrace it.  I think it's good for the soul.  This song is exactly how I'm feeling.  Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World

Until next time :'(

October Challenge

A new month, a new challenge. 

Quick update on the September challenge of no late night snacking.  It's been going pretty well.  Not perfect, but what in life is???  I only snacked late a few times, which is a major improvement from snacking late just about every night.  Small steps, right?

So, I was trying to think of a good challenge for October and I was getting nowhere.  I mean let's face it, October is the month of Halloween candy. Yes, yes, yes....I know Halloween isn't until the very end of the month, but all these darn stores starting putting the candy out a full month ahead of time!  The term "milk it for all it's worth" comes to mind.   I could vow not to eat any Halloween candy....HA!  Yeah, that's not going to happen. 

So I'm thinking that maybe if I do an exercise challenge, it will help cancel out the Halloween candy and the Pumpkin Spice Lattes that I'm going to consume.  Yes, this could work!

Official October Challenge- Cardio workout AT LEAST of 4 times per week.  More is fine, less is not.  This is a challenge that I am confident I can conquer. 

How will you challenge yourself this month???

Enjoy your October :)

Until next time...

Happy Fall Y'all :)

Well, hello there peeps :)

October is here and I just LOVE this time of year.  You want to know why?

Yep, it's the pumpkins.  These babies are my Autumn crack.  I can't get enough of them.  Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin.  It's the season of ghosts and goblins, trick or treating, candied apples, candy corn, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, and my personal favorite.....Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  And you know what?  I'm going to enjoy every minute of it :)

Besides Christmas, this is my favorite time of year.  Ahh, the smell of Fall air is intoxicating.  (Well, I don't quite smell it yet, but I am waiting in excitement.)  Bonfires, hay rides, Fall festivals, Pumpkin Spice Lattes (yeah, I know I said that already but I don't care.), hot cocoa, roasting marshmallows, watching cheesy Halloween cartoons with my son.....it's awesome. 

So, in honor of "Pumpkin Season", I thought I'd share my Pumpkin Chili recipe.  It sounds kind of strange, but it's soooooo good.


PUMPKIN CHILI

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 clove garlic
1 pound ground turkey
2 (14.5 ounce) cans canned peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® Pumpkin Pie**
1 (15 ounce) can canned tomato sauce
1 (15.25 ounce) can canned kidney beans, drained
1 (4 ounce) can ORTEGA® Diced Green Chiles
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

HEAT olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned. Drain.

ADD tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

**If you don't want to use pumpkin pie mix, you can just use 100% pure pumpkin puree and add a little brown sugar and cinnamon.  I've done it both ways and they are both good.

MY SUGGESTION, EAT THE NEXT DAY......... YUMMY !!!!

So, Happy Fall Ya'll.  Now, go get a Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoy this "Pumpkin Season"!  What are you waiting for.....GO!!!  =) 


Psss....I haven't fogotten about my monthly challenge.  New post coming soon on my October Challenge.