Our Garden

Everyone helped plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, watermelon, and cantaloupe!

We're still patiently waiting for a constant harvest of tomatoes. We've eaten a few...mmmm.

Abigail and Anna planted sunflowers. They have been the most fun to watch. They are growing like my oldest kids:)

We have a small fenced are in our large back yard. We planted alternating tomato and cucumber plants instead of your traditional row type garden to preserve the grass and limit weeds.

This picture is beautiful! I told Abby we should make cards with prints!

Abigail's container flowers are beautiful!

Anna's sunflower right before the glorious bloom.

Still patiently waiting for the blueberries to ripen too. We can hardly wait for these. We have two large bushes in the bottom of our yard.

Our little Rose is growning and blooming too:)

Wendy and Lil's....my sweet little mud makers and eager gardeners.

A Great Deal...An Understatement!!

you can barely see Rose in the back ground, she was really excited about the cheese and the cheerios too!

This is certainly the best I've ever done bargain shopping. This is the kind of deal coupon shoppers and frugalites dream of. And to think, I wasn't even going to buy any cheese at Kroger this week. The original sale price was ok at $.99 cents per 8 ounce bag, but I can do better at Sam's Club normally. A friend of mine alerted me that a $4 catalina printed for 5 bags of Kraft cheese purchased in one transaction. But, it got even better because this promo overlapped with Sunday's Mega event that gives a $5 bonus for buying 10 participating items which included Kraft cheese! So follow the math with me....

Buy 4 Kraft cheeses, get the 5th one free for a total of $5.08. On my first transaction I had a $1 off coupon and paid $4.08 out of pocket and a $4 off catalina printed out. So, I continued the process using the $4 off coupon each transaction and for every 10 cheeses I bought an additional $5 was deducted from my order allowing me to buy all the cheerios, OJ, milk, eggs, ice cream, and baby wipes! I paid a total of $22 and change. And I have a $4 catalina off my next trip to Kroger. Thankfully cheese freezes well :) It really pays to keep your eyes open to great deals as you go through your local stores. And if you find a great deal don't be afraid to stock up while you can.
I also came across a grocery cart of Pampers at my Kroger this week. There was an employee cleaning off the shelves. They weren't priced yet, so I asked her to scan them for me and tell me what they were to be clearanced at. I ended up with 10 large packs of pampers for $35.00. Getting these kinds of deals leaves a lot more room in the grocery budget week to week!
~~Thank you Heather for the great tip on the cheese sale :)!!

A Birthday AND Free Food...

It doesn't get much better than that. We all enjoyed some delicious combo meals from Chick Fil A today. That's a big treat for a family our size. AND it's Jacob's 16th birthday. It is sooo hard to believe I have a kid that age. We've had a great family day and lots of fun dressing up like cows. You might think I made my older kids dress up. Nope, they were very willing for good free food! I asked Jacob last night if he would mind dressing up to go and he laughed and said he would even dance for food. Like most teenage boys he LIKES to eat and eat he does.

Samuel, as usual had a really unique style for his cow costume. That's a black trash bag and a spot on the rump, just like any good cow :)

Lily may have been the cutest cow we have. She could hardly wait to go to Chick-Uh-Lay as she called it. The afternoon could not come soon enough for her so we could go. The location we went to had an indoor play area which made it even better for the little ones. We will look forward to Cow Appreciation Day 2010.

~~Happy 16th Birthday Jacob~~

We love you very much!!

Is This Day Today?!

Lily runs up to me very excited and says, "Is this day today?! Is it Anna's bank account?!"

Translation: Is it today? Is it Anna's banquet? Tonight is Anna-Kate's softball team's end of season banquet. We're having an ice cream party at the park.

~~picture credit...Anna-Kate~~

Low Carbin' It Update

Wow, it's been three weeks now since I started cutting carbs. I did not think it would go so fast those first few days. They were kind of tough. It helped that I had a set plan and was prepared with the food I needed. This is key in weight loss I think. I needed the strict set of guidelines I laid for myself. I'm so glad I decided to blog and write about my goals and how I intend to get there. Writing was very motivational. I had also been praying and asking God for direction. After all, He is the great physician and knows my body and my struggles. I felt His leading and prayed at times that I wanted to give up or question my choices.

I'm finding that most people think of cutting carbs as an extreme way of eating and generally think of it negatively. I imagine they are thinking that I am eating bacon and eggs smothered in butter and cheese burgers for meals everyday. This is far from reality for me. The main keys for me have been cutting ALL sugar (this is a big one) and all bread and grains for now. I am eating more vegetables than ever and at least one serving of fruit every day. This alone is a huge improvement from before starting this journey.

I think I have far too much to share in one post, so I'll get to the "nitty-gritty" of what I want to share today. I have lost eight pounds and it feels great. I can't believe how good it feels to be rid of eight measly pounds. Think how great ten, then twenty, and thirty is going to feel! I can't wait!

I have not changed much from my original plan. The only things I have added is a half of a banana to my smoothie every couple of days and some extra dark chocolate squares for an occasional treat. They are delicious and such a treat when you have a sweet tooth like mine.

Here's a list of things that I have enjoyed and have worked for me:

• eggs for breakfast- two or three eggs with sauteed onions and peppers, (some days with cheese for a little change) I thought I would get really tired of this, but I look forward to my eggs every morning. I have been using fresh organic farm eggs. They are so good and nothing in the stores compare. If you can find a local source of real eggs, it is worth the time, effort and money. You'll never want a pale little tasteless store bought egg again:)


• salads with homemade dressing, usually without meat, but I do like cheese and sunflower seeds for some crunch. Yum!


• portable snacks have been almonds, peanuts, cheese sticks and green apples. I try not to run out of these so I'm not tempted by the usual ball game fare. If I'm running out the door for errands or a ball game I will get a spoonful of peanut butter to eat while I drive. I must look kind of ridiculous, but it sure is good and I have come to enjoy it like a treat too.
• lots of water and unsweetened tea with lemon. I have been really good about getting in plenty of fluids. If I start to feel munchy like I want to snack instead I drink some water. I am really finding that what they say is true, that my body is really craving fluids rather than food. On the flip side if I still want something to eat I get a healthy snack.

Lest you think it's been all smooth sailing, the past three weeks have come with many temptations. We have had family here for a visit and ate several meals out. I had to search the menu and make special requests at times,but at the end of our meals I was full like everyone else and probably felt better too. We had lots of ball games, a meal after church, and a birthday party. I ate chocolate cake at the party ;) Hey, what's life without a little chocolate cake!

Ranch Dressing

1/3 cup light mayo (the kind made with olive oil has no sugar)
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and generous pepper
Add all of the above to a jar with a lid. I am using a glass jar with a metal lid that from the natural peanut butter that we buy. It has a nice wide mouth and is perfect for shaking the dressing. Wendy is the best shaker!
*note- i don't really measure the spices, so adjust to your taste buds :) *add enough buttermilk to make the dressing the right consistency for you also *the flavors blend and it tastes even better the next day!

Menu Plan-Low Carbin' It!

I need to lose weight. It has a little to do with vanity, but mostly for my health and my family I want to get to a healthy weight. I have set a goal of losing 50 pounds in a year. My first mini goal is ten pounds. I had this in mind a couple of months ago when our family joined the local YMCA. I have not been as consistent about getting there as I would like, but have managed to walk or get in a workout there at least twice a week most weeks. I have lost 4 pounds in three months. Not very impressive, but the scale is moving in the right direction.


In order to make some changes and hopefully have some success losing, I want to try limiting carbs. For two weeks I will be doing what I consider to be extremely limiting carbs. It's no "big news" that we should all avoid white sugar and white flour. This eliminates all the things that we know should not be a regular part of our diets anyway. I have come up with a plan that includes a list of healthy low carbohydrate foods, but also healthy whole foods. After two weeks, I will begin to add small amounts of whole grains.

Here is the breakdown of what I will and won't eat for two weeks starting today:

Foods to avoid:

• Sugar, period. including artificial sweeteners and natural things like honey or maple syrup too
• all grains


• all fruit except for the ones I list below


• carrots and potatoes

Foods I will eat:

• Breakfast- eggs with vegetables and coffee (I most likely will not have meat for this meal)
• Lunches-Salads with lots of veggies, boiled eggs, ( a couple of days I may add tuna salad or some lean meat) I have been making our ranch dressing. I will share the recipe here in a couple of days. It is so much better than any store bought we've ever had.
• Snacks- one green apple per day, 1 ounce of almonds, cheese, celery with natural peanut butter or cream cheese, cottage cheese with vegetables. I can't wait now for our tomato plants to start producing! And if I feel the need for something sweet, I'll have a smoothie of strawberries and plain yogurt.
• Dinners-will include lean meats like chicken, lean ground turkey or beef, or grilled fish. I will probably eat a salad most days for dinner as well, just because it can be pre-made and ready to eat. It will also include lots of roasted or steamed vegetables including: brussell sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, and greens. One of my favorite meals will continue to be taco salad. Mine will be without the chips.
• Drinks-Lots and lots of water. I will start my day with water and end with water. In between I will enjoy coffee, and unsweetened tea, and probably a small amount of milk.

I should add that my family's eating will not change. They will continue to enjoy the meals I've posted in previous Menu Plans. I will share my progress and highlight the things that work and don't work. I feel that if I can follow this for 2 weeks, I can readjust my taste buds and develop new habits.

As I am finishing this writing today I feel pretty good about the choices I've made for day one. It was a little tough at dinner time when I was buttering baked potatoes for my kids. I know that late afternoon and late evening will be challenging times of day. I often reach for sweets during these times because I'm low on energy. I prayed through today and it felt good. I will write more about my motivation at some point too.