Well to celebrate Bible Quizzing Nationals I thought we'd have some fun flashbacks photos. These are from the last time we were in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010.
Michael was on Quest
Elizabeth was on Stride
We were just along for the ride. No coaching. Just watching. My how things have changed.
And then some fun ones because I just couldn't resist.
I've gained 10 pounds since August. There I just laid it out there for you all to read. Kinda gives me a pain to say it. I'm struggling because I don't have a bunch of clothes that fit right now. There is a reason. Pain meds, healing, inactivity, healing, winter, healing.
See the theme?
From April 2013 to July 2014, I lost about 20-25 pounds following the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. In the past I'd tried every diet under the sun, exercised as much as I could and limited my calories.
NOTHING worked. I felt like I was banging my head against a wall.
I lost & gained the same 5 pounds for years. I wanted to feel healthier which meant not hauling around the extra weight. The weight loss when I was on the THM plan was slow but I was ok with that as long as I saw some progress.
The past 2-3 years have been incredibly stressful for for us as a family. My mom & dad's health problems created a situation where I was on edge and stressed ALL the time. I found if I could follow the THM plan then I could cope. However, if I indulged in sugar, wheat, or other off plan items I became unable to help my parents or my own family.
Plus I felt LOUSY!!!! After starting THM, my joints didn't hurt as much and I felt much less bloated. The THM lifestyle was part of what saved my sanity during that season. My friend, family & faith were the other factors that I leaned heavily on.
I slowly was building a smaller wardrobe & had gotten rid of my "fat" clothes. I was even able to start a consistent workout plan. Seemed like my new size was here to stay. Yeah!!!!
Then at the end of July 2014 I got a fungal infection my right eye. That's when I needed the pain meds. I've learned a lot of things from the infection & cornea transplant that I had in December.
While I was hurt, I didn't change the way I ate. But while my body worked on healing the "broken" part of me, it had to put loosing weight on pause. Getting healthy meant something totally different.
What really changed was that my body REQUIRED rest.
I often think that my eye problems were God's way of saying "Ok you have worked REALLY hard for 2 years and now it is time to take a break and rest."
That is NOT how I thought that stage of my life would look like but God was right. I needed time to process it all and rest. That plus some serious inactivity from the fatigue I experienced is what helped me put back on 10 pounds.
It is incredibly frustrating to be eating in a healthy way that had worked so well and still gain.
I'm still following the THM lifestyle. However, I've had to change a few things again.
Here's my menu for a week of scheduled free cycling. It's VERY similar each week & this makes meal planning super simple for me! I just recopy the week before on to my menu planner (free download).
This help my brain not to explode. I'm kidding--kind of.
Well the scale is moving again. Again REALLY slowly. I've done scheduled free cycling for 3 weeks and I'm holding steady at 2 pounds lost. Honestly, I'm a little tired of the being so strict so next week is a week off for me. We are traveling so that works out perfectly. I'll still be on plan. I'm planning to maintain the pounds that I have lost and come back ready to jump back in.
Let me know if you decide to give this a try!
Follow the Day to Day Adventures Facebook page or sign up for email updates(sidebar) on my slow progress, scheduled free cycling menus & for the Traveling with THM post that is coming soon!
Monday
Over the weekend we discovered that Megan's glasses were falling apart. Well the coating was peeling off her lenses making it difficult to see. Lucky for us we got her in quick on Monday afternoon.
So she scored some new glasses and they are super cute on her! Well when she's not being totally silly with a pepper in her mouth!
Tuesday
My heart wasn't on running errands. So I just headed home and spent a couple of hours outside on the mower taming the jungle of grass in my yard. I LOVE sunshine and this was a wonderful treat for me.
Wednesday
Steve had a friend/client out early to see where to deliver some hay. We are ready to start on our 2015 Garden Plans when we get back from Bible Quizzing Nationals. Free hay will help us get going on that job. Then a plumber came out to give us an estimate on fixing the plumbing in our house. AWESOME news is that it looks like it won't be as big of a job as we thought. Still messy and a pain but no ripping up the floor.
I had an appointment to check my eye and got a GREAT report. Everything looks healthy, it is slowly healing and is progressing as the doctor expects. I go back in 2 months.
Megan got to see the hand specialist for some wrist pain that she's been dealing with for a while. He found nothing wrong on the x-rays. So she will take an anti-inflammatory for 6 weeks and then go back to recheck. Good nothing is wrong but still a mystery.
Blurry pic but totally Megan
Thursday
A friend of Megan's is now driving so I didn't have to take her to her English class. I got the mowing finished after Joshua & I battled it out over math. All the trees blooming were blooming so I spent a bunch of time out in the flower garden digging up dandelions. That evening at Central Christian College of the Bible there was a women's banquet. My sweet daughter invited me to join her to listen to Susan Lawrence speak & have dinner. Fun event! Elizabeth drove home after that since her aches/pains & fatigue seemed to be getting worse. I think she wanted to be babied(ha!)
The kids have been SUPER busy this week studying for National's. If you think of them next week, please say a prayer for their energy levels & that they can do their best as they compete in Pittsburgh, PA. A prayer for the parents wouldn't hurt either!
Friday
Michael & Rebekah closed on their house in St. Louis finally! They have the keys and are ready to start moving!
I picked up 40# of hamburger from Zaycon. I LOVE this company and the meat they provide. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you click on the link above, then I make a little from the referral. But I'd recommend it even if I didn't--we like it that much. The prices are excellent too. Check it out!
Earlier this spring I did the same thing with 40# of Chicken. Check out the recipes tab above for some of the recipes that I used!
Saturday
Megan had the ACT at the high school in Hallsville. Joshua got to go play games with his brother daddy & grandpa. Unfortunately Elizabeth was feeling worse so Steve's game time got interrupted so he could take her to Urgent Care.
She had to miss Baby Brush's shower but she was able to get a different anti-inflammatory that seems to be doing a better job to control her pain. Keep praying for her. The appointment with the rheumatologist is about a week away.
Baby Brush's shower was a lot of fun! Rebekah was excited to get some sweet little outfits and useful items to prepare for their little one due early in June. One very special gift she received was the beginning of a quilt from her mom that was made from her dad's shirts.
Sunday
A day of rest. More than half of us here feeling sick or exhausted. We spent some time listening to it rain, reading and just hanging out together. Pray that we can bounce back and be ready for a BIG week coming up!
What's been going on . . . . if you missed it.
All the trees are blooming. God's showing off his creativity. I love it!
Apple blossoms
We had crazy amounts of apples blooms last year. This year? Not so much. Guess its a good thing I made LOTS of apple sauce & apple butter last year.
Surely with all these peach blooms there will be peaches this year. None for the last two years. Much sadness. Many of the trees on our little home place have been neglected for several years. Much pruning needs to be done. The peach tree is about half dead. This year it may come down.
We planted a few new trees and they survived!
I can't wait until we get back from Bible Quizzing Nationals to start working in the garden & flower beds.
Of course God is keeping our yard beautiful . . . . .
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We eat A LOT of peanut butter. Seriously. I love it. Joshua loves it. Megan too.
What I don't like is the added sugar that is in peanut butter. Even the natural kind. Boo!
So I make my own. Now honestly these peanuts have been waiting a LONG time to be processed. I bought them on Amazon probably 6 months ago & I just haven't felt like making the effort. However I decided to go for it this week!
The bag of peanuts cost me $2.50 a pound($.16 per oz). You probably can find them cheaper but I love Amazon Prime Subscribe and Save. Right there I've cut my cost!! LOVE that. *This is based on the cost of Smucker's Natural peanut butter on Amazon.com--$0.37 per oz
My peanuts were raw but you can buy roasted ones and skip the oven step. Then all it takes is a food processor and some ear plugs(kidding--kinda).
Place your raw peanuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a oven that is set at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir them occasionally. After they have cooled, rub the peanuts between your hands to remove the skins. Discard the skins. Eat some warm peanuts! YUM!
Fill a food processor about 1/2-3/4 full. Turn on the processor and let it run for 5-15 minutes. This is not an exact science. You will need to scrape the sides down a couple of times. Keep going until the peanuts are all chopped and become butter.
*I like to add 1-1.5 teaspoons of salt to the food processor. It seems to bring out just the right flavor in the peanuts.
Fill your containers with peanut butter & store them in the refrigerator. Mason jars or empty peanut butter jars from the store work well.
Next project? Sprouted whole wheat flour! Stay tuned . . . .
Help for THM lifestyle
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