Good friends+good laughs+good food=good times

I enjoy having company over to my home occasionally because of the good times it creates! This weekend I invited a few good friends over for a girl's night. Basically it was a night to catch up and have a few good laughs. Let's just say there are some things you cannot erase from your mind. LOL. You cannot have a girl's night without some good food...so I made one of my favorite soups "Taco Soup". Cannot wait until the next one!

My Plateau is looking a Little Brighter!

Yesterday I celebrated Valentine’s Day along with millions of other Americans. I am thankful my sweetie sent me flowers instead of chocolates for me to overindulge in…although I was not that nice to him because I sent him his favorite combination peanut butter and chocolate…sorry sweetie! I will admit that I could not resist a slice of homemade fresh apple cake with caramel icing after dinner with my sweet family yesterday. My justification was that it was Valentine’s Day and it was just one slice. Who was I kidding…sometimes I need more willpower! 

Flowers from my sweetie...I love the orange ones best...he said "yuck & that explains why they were so cheap"...Gotta love lines from a true UK fan to his TN born and raised girlfriend. LOL!

Reality hit today when I was reminded that is was “weigh-in day” via the automatic reminder set up by the weight loss app I use on my tablet. So, I stepped onto the scales this morning to check in on my weight loss success…actually the success has been nonexistent for the last little bit. I have been at a “plateau” for the last three months. My scales told me that yet again, I stayed the same for another week, but I thought I needed more motivation…so I got out the measuring tape to check on the “inch” progress since I had not done this “check-in” since October. So today, I am celebrating 3.5 inches lost in my waist, 2 inches in my hips, ½ inch in my arms, 1 dress size, 2 pants sizes, and 1 inch in my thighs. My fitness routine is still paying off! YAY! My plateau is looking a little brighter now!

In order to continue the weight loss success maybe I need to avoid those overindulging moments of eating sweets that I have a weakness for sometimes! I am still hoping to reach my goal in order to get these remaining 26 pounds off. I want to note that I have been able to drop my BMI 7.1 points since I started this journey January 2011. I have 3.5 points until I am at a healthy normal BMI putting me out of the overweight & obese range that currently make me at a higher risk for the chronic conditions of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It is not all about the weight loss for me as it is for the “health” aspect of being healthier. I want to live an active productive life. I have many health risks that run in my family like health disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. In order to help prevent them for occurring at a young age within my life I decided last January to be healthier so that’s why I started on this journey. I hope that these last few pounds, inches, and BMI points will keep melting off.

Check out these publications from my employer the “University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service” if you want to understand weight loss, BMI, how to build a healthy plate, or how we should be eating to live instead of living to eat.  

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/HEEL-LR-908.pdf

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/FCS3/FCS3562/FCS3562.pdf

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/FN-SSB-154.pdf

Until my next reminiscing blog post comes to me please help me celebrate a little of my sweet plateau success. Thanks!



Most recent photo of me and my new self made this week :)

truths about me

brunette hair & blue eyes.

 

i  am a Christian…follower of Christ…daughter…sister…friend…county agent…student.

 

my favorite color is chocolate brown followed closely by hot pink, turquoise, and Kelly green.

 

i could eat pizza or ice cream for every meal. seriously! but trying to eat healthy for a better body.

 

diet coke is my drink of choice.

 

i love life so much.

i am a zeta tau alpha.

 

i want to find a man who loves me for “me”.

if given the choice, i will always choose the “milk chocolate and peanut butter” combination.

 

i fear being alone.

 

big sucker for a good cheesy pick-up line.

 

i straighten my hair without a mirror.

 

i am the biggest fan of Chapstick.

 

i wear what i want to wear even if it’s odd.

 

my friends are fun to be around…we know when to be serious and they are not afraid to tell me the truth.

i’m very particular and like things to be analyzed, thought-out, and not taken lightly.

i cry sometimes. happy or sad.

i believe style and fashion are not important, but comfort is.

 

i truly do believe i will be one awesomely good housewife one day.

 

i want to be a mother one day.

 

i like to have a workout routine, but sometimes I get in an unmotivated funk.

 

i believe you should fall in love with your best friend.

 

i love building meaningful relationships with people.

 

i’m a question asker. full of curiosity. i am not afraid to ask anything!

 

i love the gospel.

 

i like to use social media…Facebook…my RSS feed...and Blogger to keep up with happenings around the world.

What is genuine beauty?

Today while preparing for an upcoming ladies bible study the question was posed "What is genuine beauty?". I was also challenged and made to think about being strangers with family and friends. Sometimes “what we think” others are going through is actually way different than what they are actually going through. As humans a lot of times we assume things. We have an outward view of others and our viewpoints are skewed a lot of times because we do not know the "whole story" or we just assume instead of seeking out the truth. These questions got me to thinking about true inner beauty and outer beauty. 

We are all special and uniquely made. God created each individual beautiful and special. We know He loves us by the promises that he gives us. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told that we should cast all of our anxiety on Him because He cares for us. “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” 1 John 3:16. We were made in God’s image and we should be at peace with ourselves so whenever others might put us down or talk bad about us we should remember that the Lord will never forsake us. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said ‘I will NEVER desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” Hebrews 13:5.   

Beauty comes from the inside. It does not take into consideration what one has on or how one appears. True beauty radiates from within someone and beams out for others to see. God is the provider of "beauty" and it is His spirit that shines through us that others see the outward form of beauty on the outside.

Inner beauty can be attributed to the “fruits of the spirit” that are mentioned in Galatians 5:22-25. These “fruits of the spirit” are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. We are all human and seek out the advice of others and the help of beauty products sometimes. Yes, we put emphasis on outward beauty at times whenever we focus on our hair, makeup, nails, skincare, fashion, body shape and size. Some people do this more than others, but in the whole scheme of everything we should ask ourselves “what really matters”. We should seek out a balance of inner and outer beauty. I believe it is genuine beauty and “inner beauty” that should be our main focus. However, tonight many around the world watch the biggest sporting event of the year…the “Super Bowl”. Viewers will be inundated with what the world says is “beautiful” and great for us as consumers to do, to be, to wear, etc. Tons of people hold “outward beauty” as important…hence the commercials and millions of dollars spent on making them. I believe that true “inner beauty” and personal satisfaction come when one loves their own self and their body. We should put God first and everything else will fall into place because with Christ all things are possible…“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. We can achieve genuine beauty if we trust in Him. 

These were just a few ramblings that were running through my head this afternoon as I prepared for my bible study class. My challenge and hope for you is that you seek out true inner beauty within yourself.  

Delicious Dishes and Homeownership Reminders

I now can say that I cooked “officially” for "someone special" today. This was a very sweet ending to a great couple of days with Scott;) The menu consisted of Baked Potato Soup and Semi Homemade White Bread via the breadmaker. Click here for the recipes if you want to try them at home yourself. Now, I know it was not a five course meal. Our lunch wasn't anything really impressive or outstanding, but it was something that hit the spot on a cold snowy day in February.

After our yummy lunch ended my special friend had to hit the road heading home in order to prepare for his big workday tomorrow, then the reality of “homeownership” hits me! I go to put something up in my home office/ craft room which has been closed off…and it’s freezing cold! I am reminded that I have a broken heating and air unit. The beauty of home ownership….yay me! The compressor on my unit went out a few days ago and I’ve decided to replace the unit with a newer “in-warranty” model. Now the wait continues for a few more days until my new unit arrives. I am very thankful God made someone to invent space heaters...my house is warm and toasty thanks to a few space heaters. Also thankful that my parents live nearby! This girl isn’t very fond of cold winter weather.

Since “Murphy” likes to visit occasionally I’m thankful for my little emergency fund for times like this. If you don’t have an emergency fund I would recommend you get one to help prepare for unexpected events just like mine! It is best to prepare for the unexpected so life doesn’t overcome you. If you have not read Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover” it is a must read if you want to help kick “Murphy” out the door. In January I re-read the book to remind myself to stay on track :) 

So if life sends you lemons...make lemonaid out of the situation...and try to remember how you got to where you are.