Catching Up

We had a whirlwind of a weekend...

Chick Fil A run on Saturday morning... (Thanks Tammy!)

Before

During...isn't this photo with Emma Claire and her dolly just priceless?

After

Keller got his first tooth in...praise the Lord. :-)

{And simultaneously figured out if he screamed long enough he could get the nursery workers to get me out of the service to come see him.  We've appropriately dubbed him "King" around here.}

Yardsaling

Got both of those for $6!

Working on elements of the Laundry Room...

{Shiloh was SO proud to help me hand sew.}

Take-out chinese after church...

Installed our new pastor at the church plant in Owasso.

{My camera battery was dead so no pictures. :-(}

And we wrapped up the weekend with my friend coloring my hair...darker. 

I'm completely excited about it...thank you Emily! 

Race for the Cure

Those of you who know me know that I love runs.  The atmosphere is just awesome.  Everyone coming together, no matter their physical level, and running to support a cause and get active is just the type of people I love to be around.  I ran in my first race when Emma was 4 months old.  It was a family friendly, tiny 5K in Lyman, SC, supporting fallen soldier's families.  My friend Tammy talked me into it and I was nervous as all get-out, but Steven came with me and that was just the confidence booster I needed.  Emma Claire also came with us - in her jogging stroller - and I just got hooked on doing runs with my kids from that moment.

I just love doing it with them!

I want my kids to see me doing what I teach them.  Does anyone else know how tough that is?  

I hope my kids learn that life is service, at least it should be, and it's not about them.  I also want them to learn that being healthy and staying active is important.  Runs are one way I hope to show them this.  My heart just melts when Emma will point out a runner we see on the side of the road and say, "She's running!  She's making her heart stronger."  

I pray that they get it!

UPS {Steven's company} was a huge supporter of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure run this past weekend.  We woke the kids up bright and early and headed to downtown Tulsa for the big {over 12,000 people} event.

I'm not sure if Steven is laughing over the pink bandanna on the guy's head or me making off-color comments about some of the t-shirts we kept seeing.  

  

While Steven volunteered, me and the kids played on the stadium's playground...

Now, I wasn't planning on running this one, partly because I had heard about it only a couple days before the event, and partly because I've been having nursing issues, so I've cut out all exercising.

But you know, just being there, made me want to do it so so bad. 

Steven's boss offered me her race bib and said I could take her place if I wanted.  I. WAS. PUMPED. :-)

I didn't have my jogging stroller with me, but I had on my running shoes I've had since high school, and that's all I figured I needed.

Here we are just before jumping into one of the 5K heats...

Poor Shiloh's head looks so awkward with the car seat handle down.  I sure hope it wasn't like that the whole race. :-(

Emma stayed behind with Daddy and helped him with bag check.

Here I am all finished and just a little pale. ;-)  

I tried to edit some color into me, but you all might as well know I was on the verge of throwing up.  So if I look like it, your conclusions are correct.

I think Keller got bored, so he took a nap almost the whole time we were running, if that gives you any idea what a slow poke I am.

And Shiloh was such a sweet little racing buddy the whole time.  She was singing so sweet at points I just wanted to cry because we were having so much fun...and partly because I wished she acted like that all the time.

McDonalds was there handing out free Mango Pineapple Smoothie {my absolute favorite} samples.  

I was on cloud nine...

It also kept the girls quiet for 5 minutes, so Steven and I were both on cloud nine.

Another thing you probably know about me is that I don't eat red meat.  I'm not proud of it, I just don't.  But if you also know me, you know I always leave room for exceptions to my rules.   Maybe the meats better out here...we are in Oklahoma after all.  Or maybe it's because I haven't tasted steak in a really really looong time.  Or maybe it's because I had just ran a race I shouldn't have run, so it just felt right to eat it.  Whatever it was, it tasted good y'all!

 

We had such a fun morning and it made my whole weekend.

And if you've hung in with me all the way to the end of this long post, God bless you!  

Interior design/thrifting makeovers are on the radar screen for next week!

Health Update and Summer Pizza

It's been a while since I've updated on our lifestyle changes around here. I mentioned that our family is cutting back on sugar and white flour at the beginning of the summer. Well, summer is nearing its end and I'm happy to report it's going super well and we're planning on continuing it into the fall!

I've started making a bigger deal about eating veggies and fruit; started replacing most sugar with honey; replaced white pasta for whole grain or garden; started adding wheat flour into my bread making; and started buying hormone-free chicken...and no one is really complaining!

Every once in a while Steven makes playful jokes about my "healthy" recipes, but I am really careful about trying not to push anything weird on him and the kids.

We're not juicing carrots or anything!

I will not give you grand illusions about our eating habits. I believe strongly in moderation and will not pretend we don't eat out occasionally or eat white bread once in a great while. In fact, for Shiloh's party we had quite the sugar intake, while still offering granola bars, fresh strawberries, and carrot cupcakes.

We, by no means, are perfect, {the diet coke still has a home in my fridge} but I feel much happier about the direction we're headed.

And...I have lost several more pounds!!!

I have 6 more pounds to go before getting to my goal weight!

I don't even really feel like I've been sacrificing that much to get to this point. I'm doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels DVD and following the guidelines I wrote above and that's about it! I still drink my chocolate milk occasionally or munch on some chocolate chips, but I'm really not missing too much these days.

I have to say, this sermon by our new pastor on Sunday was a huge rebuke to me and encouraged me to stick with the changes I've tried to install in our family.

If you want something super convicting to listen to while you do the dishes or fold laundry, I highly recommend listening!

I can't leave without giving you all my favorite meal we've enjoyed over and over this summer. It's simply delicious, healthy, and doesn't require that much time to make. It is now my favorite pizza...I would rather eat this than eating out any day of the week. Just perfect for summer nights!

Corn, Pesto, and Tomato Pizza

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes or 3 small plum tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

pizza crust (I wrote out my favorite wheat one below or you can just buy a Boboli at the store)

1/3 cup pesto

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces fresh mozzarella (found in the specialty cheese area near the deli)

3 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves

Slice the tomatoes and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and let stand for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the corn, parmesan cheese, and sugar.

Roll out the pizza dough and spread the pesto all over the top.

Cover the pesto with the corn mixture, mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes.

Bake in a preheated 450° oven (the longer preheated the better) for about 15 minutes. The cheese will be melted and the crust golden brown. Sprinkle with torn basil leaves.

Sorry I don't have an after picture of this pizza...trust me, it is divine!

Recipe from www.bakedbree.com

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

(I've tried using all whole wheat flour and we're not quite there yet. A good compromise is using 1 1/2 cups wheat and 1/2 cup all-purpose)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 package quick rising yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup hot water (120-130° F)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine flours, yeast, salt, and sugar. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the mixer mixing, gradually pour in enough of the water/oil combo to form a sticky ball of dough. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 - 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 -2 tablespoons flour. Mix until the dough forms into a ball, and then mix for 1 more minute to knead.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10-20 minutes before rolling.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450° - 500°.

Roll and top the pizza as desired onto a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet. Place on lowest oven rack and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10-14 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe slightly adapted from www.eatingwell.com

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

Stop whatever you're doing and go get these ingredients. I'm telling you they are that good! And if you don't come to the same conclusion, call me and I'll be over in a jiff to take them off your hands.

As usual, this recipe is super easy to make. If you've ever made "No-Bake Cookies" before, you will notice the method for these bars is very similar. We've been making these non-stop for ourselves and friends ever since I quit the baking to find healthier options for our family. And this is the only healthier option I've found that keeps not only me, but my husband and kids coming back for more. {The sweet potatoe/spinach/black bean quesadillas just were not cutting it with the fam.} This recipe was found from flythroughourwindow.com.

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I melted the peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey...

Measured my nuts and coconut combo...

Mixed it together...

Chopped up some chocolate chips since I didn't have mini ones...Had a little help with spreading it into our pan...

Chilled in the refrigerator for 2 hours and then I cut them into bars...

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

1 cup peanut butter {or sunflower butter}

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 cup oats

2 total cups of a combination of coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, & pumpkin seeds
{or your own combination of nuts & dried fruit}

Mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top

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In medium size sauce pan melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.

Remove from heat and add oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and coconut. Stir well.

Press mixture into pan {I used a pan slightly smaller than a 9x13 and it was perfect.}, if you use a 9 x 13 you don’t have to fill it all the way, just spread to your desired thickness and sprinkle {while still warm} with chocolate chips. {I like to press the chips in a little and sometimes I sprinkle with coconut flakes too.} Chill for 2 hours in fridge and cut into bars.

Notes:

In case you - like me - have never used coconut oil this is what it looks like...

It can't be found at Wal Mart, but I found it easily at Reasor's (our equivalent to Publix out here) in the shortening/oil section on the baking aisle. It was pricey, but I was able to squeeze 4 batches of these bars out of one jar.

I threw in flax seed into my nut and coconut combo...

Sugar Update & Faithfulness

I'm going through sugar withdrawal....BAD! I mean moody...grouchy...just. the. works. You know? Each day gets better, but I have to admit I've snuck some semi-sweet chocolate chips now and then since the chocolate milk ran out. And there's been an occasional muffin or two that I've grabbed out of the freezer when I've been on the run and in a pinch. Okay. It was 2 today. You caught me. There. You feel better? :-)

But each day gets a little easier with less and less cravings. And...

I know you all aren't going to believe me...but I've already lost a pound of the stubborn 12 pounds of baby weight leftover!!! I could not be more stoked! I've been teeter tottering for a while so I knew when the scale dropped for 2 days in a row that it was true pound I had lost and it got me all motivated again.

I've made a few other changes too. Mixed in with the sugar addiction, is a diet coke issue {caffeine free}. But please don't tell anyone who knows my dad because they'll say I'm just like him. What's worse is they'll probably tell him and his head will get all big and then I'll get a phone call about the glories of being in the diet coke club and the "like father like daughter" talk and then he'll inevitably talk me into drinking it again. Man. I'm talking myself into going a grabbing one from the fridge just from the thought of it.

{I said no to myself; in case you're wondering.}

So, I've started drinking lots and lots of water instead with an occasional diet coke and I already feel better!

I've also started going to bed earlier (before 10:30pm) so that I can say yes to the alarm clock in the morning. Usually it's 6am but some mornings Keller wakes me up earlier and then it's just easier to get up anyway. This morning was the first morning I went outside pretty early to spend some time in the Word. We ladies were talking at Bible Study about how gorgeous it is outside in the morning and how the presence of God is so near feeling. So I decided to do it. I'm an outdoor person anyway, but it's hard to get any privacy where I live right now. Not only is it pretty cramped in this apartment and any little noise will wake someone up who will then wake someone else up...etc., but if you walk outside you are faced with a gazillion windows and balconies that are all facing you. It just doesn't feel very near-to-God-feeling. More like peeping-Tomish. So I walked for a ways to get some privacy and do you know how God rewarded me? With this...
It was such a huge encouragement to me to see that beautiful reminder of His faithfulness. Have you ever stopped to think about what a big deal God's faithfulness is? I think you probably realize it more and more the older you get and the more you screw up. Geesh and I'm only 23. Maybe that's just me. But I do.

~His faithfulness~

Wow! I thank God for His faithfulness to me. Not giving up on me when I could care less about His will for my life, wanting my own will instead. The times I say, "God I'll do this for you. But this. It's too hard. I can't do it Lord. I just can't."

How hurtful to Him must I be. How much He must long for me to allow Him to work. To make changes in me. To convict me of sin. To forgive me. To comfort me. To love me.

But my Lord is ever faithful.
Amen?!!!

Even through the sugar cravings. ;-)

Psalm 36:5
"Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds."