healthy living...

Remember last week when I told you that we were changing our lifestyle by eating more organic foods, etc. Well, it’s only been almost 2 weeks and I feel better than I have in a long time! I have so much more energy and I find myself daily wanting to make small changes to improve other eating/exercising habits. Take for instance last night, we had dinner and I’m a sweets girl. I love to have something sweet after I eat. In the last few months, I’ve gone from buying 2 boxes of 100 calorie packs every week to maybe buying 1 boxes a month! Literally, the last few months I’ve been slowing changing my eating habits but more so over the last few weeks. So after dinner, I asked Kaz if he wanted a chocolate chip cookie. With our food order, we got 4 containers of organic chocolate chip cookie dough and it is delicious! He said no he didn’t really want one, so instead of baking 1 for me, I ate a grapefruit! 

I’ve also been drinking a glass of carrot juice everyday for almost 10 days now and it really makes such a difference. Annie Rice has had a full sippy cup everyday now for 10 days and it makes me so happy! She LOVES it, although I don’t always love her diaper:)!

Kaz’s favorite dinner that I make is chicken casserole. It’s always been his favorite meal! I normally put in chicken, cream of chicken, chicken broth, and cover the top with ritz crackers soaked in butter. We eat that over pasta. The other night I decided to make it and made a few small changes that is healthier for us and tasted JUST AS GOOD! Instead of chicken broth, I added zucchini and added plain ritz crackers instead of soaking them in butter, over organic whole wheat pasta instead of plain pasta! I’m really seeing day by day how little changes make big differences. We also made a really big decision over the weekend...REMEMBER HOW I SAID I HAD NO DESIRE TO GIVE UP SODA! I’m going to be pretty honest here and tell you how bad my soda addiction has been. We would literally go through 4-6 2 litters a week! I would drink coke zero all day, every day from breakfast until I went to bed. The more I thought about my statement last week about not giving it up, the more I was convicted that Annie Rice sees me drink soda all day and I make her drink water. That’s not really the best example for me to be setting so Kaz and I made a deal. We decided to NOT BUY soda in our house ANYMORE! We have given ourselves 1 out a week BUT ONLY over the weekend IF we go out to dinner. We can’t bring it home, so it has to be if we go out to lunch or dinner on the WEEKEND! I actually was dreading doing this because I just knew my headaches would be awful but I have to say the Lord has honored our decision because I’ve had 1 headache that was yesterday and it maybe lasted 15 minutes. I’m on day 5 of no soda, just water and a little apple juice in my smoothie:) 

I’ve made a couple really good recipes lately that are very yummy! Here are 2 from this week that our family loved:)

Mexican Rice Bake

2 boneless skinless chicken cooked

3-4 cups of cooked brown rice[I use the rice in the bag so mine came out to be a little over 3 cups]

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1 cup of salsa

1 cup of plain greek yogurt[I used vanilla because we didn’t have plain and I couldn’t taste a difference]

1/2 cup of cheese

1 can of drained black beans

Mix it all together[make sure the chicken and rice are cooked, the corn is frozen]. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes! We ate it with tortilla chips! Very yummy!

Chicken Casserole

2 boneless skinless chicken breast cooked. Cut in cubs

2 regular cans of 99% fat free cream of chicken

1 zucchini cut in tiny cubs

Bake for 20 minutes at 350

Take it out and cover the top with crumbled ritz crackers[I used reduced fat]

Bake for 10 more minutes

Serve over pasta!

num yum num...

That's what Annie Rice says. Num num yum num! I told you lately she has started eating everything! We are loving this stage because since we got her she's been a picky picky little eater:) Last night, we cooked our first meal from Healthy Home Foods. Kaz had been asking for spaghetti so that's what we made! We loved it and I think from these pictures it's safe to say Annie Rice did too:)

catching up...

whew...It has been a busy busy week, with another busy one coming up! It seems like I have been on the road non-stop! I’ll try and catch you up to speed:)

Thursday, I had to go to Charlotte for a whirlwind day of pictures, which meant Annie Rice had to stay with a babysitter[aka Aunt Brittainy]. I prayed and hoped that she would do ok and I’m told she did. I got a few pictures throughout the day, but this one was my favorite! Annie Rice has recently started cuddling to her blanket. She LOVES it and it makes my heart so happy!

She also learned how to say Bye Bye or sometimes BaBa. In the last 2 weeks she has almost completely stopped saying Mum, and says DaDa all the time in all different voices! Her favorite is whispering it! She found a new favorite toy: the toothbrush:)

 this picture just about made me cry! so sweet...

On Friday night, she went to her first football game! She had a great time especially with cousin Ethan! 

On Saturday, we went back to Charlotte for a busy weekend of baby celebrations! It was such a fun weekend but when we got home last night, I was absolutely exhausted! We got to spend a lot of time with family, which is always so nice! 

Last week, I started trying to plan outfits for this past weekend because I knew I would need two really nice dresses. I have a favorite dress that I haven’t worn in about 3 years. It’s a blue and white seersucker dress from Banana Republic! I decided to try it on last week and couldn’t believe my eyes! Needless to say, I wore it this past weekend:)

These are pictures from the last time I wore this dress...

[engagement]

 [easter]

this past weekend...

I have a lot of unpacking to do, then more re-packing to do, BUT we have a very fun weekend ahead!

a little encouragement...

Friday night, Kaz and I went on a little date while granddaddy and mama watched Annie Rice:) I have been wanting to wear this one dress all summer but it needed a lot of ironing and I have just put it off and off, SO I FINALLY decided to wear it on Friday night. I specifically remember the last time I wore that same dress and the outcome wasn't very pleasant! It was at our friends wedding in Jamaica, which I had pictures from! What a difference a year makes, lots of running, and eating healthy for the most part! It was definitely encouraging to see the difference and has motivated me each morning on my run!

pounding the road...

Well, let's face it. This last month, I haven't had a ton of time to exercise NOR have I really wanted too! I have enjoyed every second with Annie Rice and wouldn't change it for anything! BUT it's time to start back running and eating healthy! I have come a long way in my weight loss journey...AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY that I have reached my first goal of 155! That's what I weighed when Kaz and I got married! When I started loosing weight in January 2010, I weighed 193. Total weight loss so far is 38 pounds...I have come down 4-6 pants sizes and 2 shirt sizes! When I look back at pictures, I'm floored. When I started, I had a 2nd goal in mind, AND NOW I can officially move forward towards that goal, which is 145! 10 more pounds. 

August 2009

 December 2009

March 2011

April 2011

a few weeks before getting married....THEN compared to NOW...

 NOW...

Back in May, I took the summer off from running because South Carolina is just way too hot...AND I'm not an early riser and if I put running off until late at night, I won't do it! So instead, I started walking 3-4 miles a day, which I enjoyed thoroughly! BUT, my goal for running again was August 1st. We are back in training for another half marathon AND I MUST SAY, it's a lot harder training, pushing a stroller. Don't get me wrong, I'm SO THANKFUL to be pushing that stroller but it's a lot harder to run. I know it will get easier, but for now I'm struggling! We recently bought a BOB stroller and I love it! It makes a world of a difference from our old jogging stroller. 

SO I'm back to running, eating "better", and fighting for those 10 extra pounds! AND I'm fighting to wear my old favorite pair of jeans again[I haven't worn them since 2008]! I can put them on, button and zip, but they are just a tad too tight for me, BUT NOT FOR LONG!

loosing weight...

As many of you know, I have lost a good amount of weight. A lot of people ask me how I’ve done it, so I thought I would show you a few pictures and tell you a few things that have worked for me.

In 2009, I gained a good amount of weight. I was on infertility drugs, had knee surgery, and just honestly didn’t care what I ate. I was going through a very rough time with not being able to get pregnant and food was my outlet. When Kaz and I got married, I weighed 155. I’ve always weighed a good bit more than I look, I guess because of muscle. I’ve had friends who were the exact same size clothes wise and they weighed 20 pounds less than me. I’ve just come to realize that’s the way my body works. 

January 2010, I weighed 193! SO a total weight gain of 38 pounds! Looking back, I honestly can’t believe HOW much weight I gained. It’s easy to see something completely different in the mirror, AND I just wasn’t seeing how I really looked. 

My eating/exercise habits have changed over time. All of 2010, the only form of exercise I did was run. Eating wise, I usually ate smart ones and 100 calorie packs. I WASN’T super strict.

2011 has been completely different. I’ve been determined to get back to 155. In January, I ran a half marathon and soon after became VERY burned out on running. So as of lately, I run 2-3 days a week and do cardio/toning class 2 days a week at the gym. My eating habits have changed quiet a bit as well...

A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: Yogurt + blueberries + granola

Snack: Pineapple or 100 calorie pack

Lunch: Smart One

Dinner: Salad + Grilled Chicken[sometimes I will do a mexican salad and add black beans/sweet corn...Other nights it’s just spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, and Italian fat free dressing]

I’ve really been working a lot harder lately...Even though my weight hasn’t gone below 159 I have continued to loose inches. I went from a pants size of 12 to 8 and a shirt size XL or L to M. My jeans can now all be dried and they are a size 8! I’m wearing jeans that I used to wear when we first got married!  My clothes fit a lot looser and I honestly feel the best in shape I’ve been in a while. 

Kaz says I’m the smallest I’ve ever been, BUT he just doesn’t remember how I looked when we got married:) I still have a ways to go BUT have been very happy with my results! 

Total weight loss: 36 pounds

Below is my story in pictures....

MARCH 2009

AUGUST 2009

 

SEPTEMBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

MARCH 2010

MAY 2010 

JUNE 2010 

DECEMBER 2010

APRIL 2011 

MAY 2011

a little bit of everything...

whew....the last few days have been BUSY BUSY BUSY! I'm so thankful for a little break and a free weekend AT HOME! So much has been going on lately...

We have started a couple new "nightly" routines...Every day when Kaz gets home from work we take Miley for a 2-3 mile walk in the neighborhood. She LOVES it and so do we:) It has become a great time for us to talk, catch up from the day, and just enjoy the beautiful weather for a little bit! It also helps that by the end, she's completely GIVE OUT and just mopes around all night! It's quite nice! We also started back in April really dedicating time each night to read the bible and pray together. We've always done devotionals together[not every night] and prayed together but it's been a lot different lately because we've started doing it every night AND we look forward to that time together. If this isn't something you do in your family, you should really try it out! I promise you won't be disappointed!

[how she looks when we are done walking!]

My dad's best buddy CPete is in critical condition in the hospital. He had a stroke and brain aneurysm. Please keep him in your prayers. My dad and CPete go to town mostly every Friday and Saturday morning together. He has always called himself my dad's son. Even though it's not by blood, he is apart of our family...Please keep him in your prayers...

I've started working out really hard again this week...March and April were really crazy with work and all the traveling I've been doing! I'm really determined to loose those few extra pounds and be able to run longer than 5 miles again! We recently joined the YMCA because I just can't run outside during the summer..the heat really gets to me, so I've been going to some classes! They are GREAT BUT I have been quite sore! 

Updates on the adoption...really none:( It's been kind of disappointing lately because we are coming up on our "year mark of waiting", which means we have to complete parts of the home study over. We have almost got all of those parts done, but it's been really hard to think about...BUT we are hanging in there and TRUSTING IN HIS PLAN...