tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15798992088490028152024-03-13T01:25:52.230-06:00Not All Those Who Wander Are LostBrendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.comBlogger453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-24819443822507605662012-08-30T19:14:00.001-06:002012-08-30T19:14:31.879-06:00Chickens!*Warning: this post is chicken-talk heavy. If you're not interested in chickens, skip it.<br />
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Back in March, we decided we wanted to have some chickens. So we got four cute itty bitty baby chicks, and now we have four beautiful hens. I'll be honest, I'm still not sure if we'll be keeping them. Troy doesn't really like them. But the rest of us love them, and now that they're finally laying eggs, maybe that'll be enough to sway him over to the chicken side.<br />
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Now for some pictures. This first one is Mary and Ruth. They are definitely best friends, and are nearly always together. Ruth (the white one) is so funny, and definitely doesn't like to be by herself. If she does find herself alone, she'll run to the other chickens; usually Mary, and usually Mary's face.<br />
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Side note: look how dirty their run looks (and under the coop). I had it completely clean just this morning. These girls are messy!<br />
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I can't say the chickens love to be held, and Kaitlyn and I have noticed that Ruth is especially hard to hold. She's a little flighty, and just runs away when you try to pick her up. Except for Kevin. He holds her all the time. Like she's a baby even, and she doesn't seem to mind.<br />
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Phoebe is Kaitlyn's favorite. She seems to be the most gentle one, and the nicest. She is also one of the two that is laying (I think). She is also loud. Kind of a weird combination: gentle and loud. </div>
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Here's Kaitlyn holding Lydia, who is my favorite. Lydia is the other hen who is laying right now. I love this picture, by the way!<br />
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Here's Mary. Ruth is not in the picture because Kevin was holding her at the time, but as soon as Kevin put her down, she ran right over to Mary. I think Mary's molting right there by her tail feathers. <br />
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Here's a close-up of Ruth. I think her colors are so pretty!<br />
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And Lydia. I love her white fluffiness. I didn't think that I'd like the looks of a nearly plain white chicken, but I really do. I think she's just as pretty as the rest of them.<br />
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I wanted to get a picture of Phoebe alone, but she was sitting under the coop. She's not as social with the other chickens. This morning when they were out, she was sitting in a corner of the yard by herself, not moving, for at least five minutes. I thought for sure she was going to lay an egg right there (she seemed to be assuming the position), but she didn't. <br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-7268093080016356972012-07-25T16:53:00.000-06:002012-07-25T16:53:34.448-06:00Kevin's in 4th Grade!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeSpBjyiUS39wd_t4YGnvJIVDTZl7GucjlMrBNKwlX9mMid1nJZEpJbmDyU-4Q2NtRpdQ7hbl5wuIIa30DuWYuE9q-SosZRgsUJL407qUalZ2g9G9xRKoX03miyq46u5o4CLchTonjb2s/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjeSpBjyiUS39wd_t4YGnvJIVDTZl7GucjlMrBNKwlX9mMid1nJZEpJbmDyU-4Q2NtRpdQ7hbl5wuIIa30DuWYuE9q-SosZRgsUJL407qUalZ2g9G9xRKoX03miyq46u5o4CLchTonjb2s/s400/054.JPG" width="300" /></a>Here's Kevin leaving for his first day of 4th grade. How did he get to be so old already? He's still my little boy! Sometimes I hate year round school, because it feels like we should be busy having some summer fun still. This summer ran away from me, and I didn't even do a fraction of the fun things with the kids that I wanted to.<br />
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I know this picture isn't great, but he was already on his way when I thought about it, and it was bright and sunshiney outside.<br />
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Here's Kevin's after school treat. It's pretty yummy, and was easy to make at the last minute when I realized I wanted to have a treat for him after his first day.<br />
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Recipe:<br />
1/2 cup honey <br />
1 cup nut butter (whatever you've got on hand)<br />
4 TBS cocoa powder<br />
2 cups oats<br />
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Heat up the honey, add nut butter and cocoa powder, stir, add oats. Stir some more. Make balls. Eat 'em. <br />
<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-91407649665668668832012-07-25T16:27:00.000-06:002012-07-25T16:27:23.141-06:00At the Zoo with Annabelle and KidsNot too long ago the kids and I went with Annabelle and her kids to the zoo. We had a great time, and the new Rocky Shores area was really neat. We love spending time with these guys. Here are a few cute pictures:<br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-20715564554008332862012-04-23T09:58:00.000-06:002012-04-23T09:58:20.238-06:00Weekend Adventures: Snow HikingSince the weather was so nice yesterday (low 80's), we decided to head
up into the mountains for a hike. It was a blast! This whole "level up
your life" thing has given me a new perspective. I've started to see
life as an adventure, and this hike was definitely adventurous. The
first part of our hike was a paved road and nothing special. But once
we got to the trailhead of our real hike, that's where the fun started.
There was snow, and lots of it. It was mostly packed, but every once
in awhile, your foot would sink in. It was up to the knee for us taller
people, and just about the whole leg for my boys.<br />
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Troy wanted to turn back cause a snow hike didn't sound very fun to him, but I wanted to go on, and I'm the boss. <img alt="" border="0" class="inlineimg" src="http://nerdfitness.com/community/images/smilies/friendly_wink.png" title="Friendly Wink" />
So we continued up, and it was fantastic. Between the slips and
faceplants my boys were doing and the sliding down a snow-packed
mountain on our butts (not on purpose), a good time was had by all. Kaitlyn and I hiked all the way to the top for a closer view of the
waterfall, and it was beautiful. I'd love to go back in the summer to
see what it's like without the snow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtXNKOdu_QK3EejkciVV_3rZy3L9r8AQdwt5BnFOHXcC9KNgLTzKM4EQOnrERL2Eu6GCh_UKsbEUnBAi4PNDyRtK_7aRWkIyqFhPIcSt6vZnx7vzKzeuGJBZOnn5BU7v5a8iC15hyX7Ws/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtXNKOdu_QK3EejkciVV_3rZy3L9r8AQdwt5BnFOHXcC9KNgLTzKM4EQOnrERL2Eu6GCh_UKsbEUnBAi4PNDyRtK_7aRWkIyqFhPIcSt6vZnx7vzKzeuGJBZOnn5BU7v5a8iC15hyX7Ws/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-42349590311437036972012-04-20T21:53:00.000-06:002012-04-20T21:53:01.106-06:00Nerd Fitness!So, you guys have heard me talk about BodyRock, and how much I love it and how great it is. Well, it's come to a point where I can't support it anymore. I have always had to ignore the sexualized nature of the site, and just focus on the workouts. And the workouts were mostly good. But I definitely had reservations about their workout schedule. Working out the same muscle groups day after day, without allowing for rest or rebuilding, isn't a good idea for anyone.<br />
<br />
I hated that I couldn't recommend the site to just anyone. Lots of people would be offended by the pictures, and with good reason. But it has gotten worse. I'm not going to post pictures or go into any detail. If you're really curious, feel free to go to the <a href="http://www.bodyrock.tv/">BodyRock website</a> and see for yourself. <br />
<br />
So what to do, then? I wanted to find a fitness website or program that I could embrace without reservation. Where I don't have to ignore half of the website to get to the good parts. One I'm not afraid to tell my loved ones about. And guess what? I found it! And I love it! <br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgr0jQMdmSFVTP1xWn6q-RY07yqe5O9rR_NUwI4dkYAyoM3NEcOJ162BgNATsVs8LNt1UvnDlPIVP7vvGIVO9PS43R1dBbl-dtUDCdPwvpvuh_H55agkitm4ilJVHQthbPZjHUtYGOQos/s320/24052_407365333487_167696488487_5161537_2216044_n.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<a href="http://nerdfitness.com/blog/">Nerd Fitness</a></div>
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I have just begun to explore it, but there are so many great posts I've read. Here are just a few:<br />
<a href="http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/03/game-of-life/">How to Level Up in the Game of Life</a><br />
<a href="http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/">Beginner's Guide to the Paleo Diet</a><br />
<a href="http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/04/10/why-people-suck-at-getting-healthy/">Why People Suck at Getting Healthy</a><br />
<a href="http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/01/17/how-to-survive-a-zombie-apocalypse/">How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse</a><br />
<br />
I have seriously spent hours reading around that website, and I have loved everything I've read. There has been no aspect that I've hated, but was willing to look past for the good stuff. It's all good stuff. And there's a great community too with message boards and super supportive people. So anyway, this is my find for the year so far, and my only regret is not finding it sooner. Check it out! Especially if you're a nerd/geek like me!Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-2811092444596994552012-04-17T12:28:00.002-06:002012-04-17T12:29:15.981-06:00Halfway Through my Whole30Just thought I'd check in at the mid-way point of my <a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/">Whole30</a>. I've definitely had my ups and downs. I've had headaches and dizziness while my body is adjusting and while I try to figure out what exactly my body needs to perform optimally. Despite that, I feel healthier than I've ever been. There have been times when I wanted to quit so bad. But more times that I'm so very thankful that I didn't. <br />
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I have not weighed or measured myself. That's off limits during the whole30, and besides that, I don't really care about numbers. What I do care about is how my clothes fit. And they don't fit anymore. Here's a picture of me in my size 6 pants that used to fit me perfectly:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QhUgmDF6YyFIqeNK-efVNR8Gnlw5ssI2z139jElLYZzQ3D4qMfo2TwF2ciP_z_K9nHLDKrOrAMEp-PGO46GQU_K_HrybKVSj2_OaSb_8sWiCz8m93kzwrEJpHq_MaQcaJJ89u1hgfvPC/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QhUgmDF6YyFIqeNK-efVNR8Gnlw5ssI2z139jElLYZzQ3D4qMfo2TwF2ciP_z_K9nHLDKrOrAMEp-PGO46GQU_K_HrybKVSj2_OaSb_8sWiCz8m93kzwrEJpHq_MaQcaJJ89u1hgfvPC/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I have not been exercising a lot while my body adjusts to this way of eating, so any inches lost has been completely diet-related (granted, the muscle that I've built up burns more calories). Exercise is definitely important, but what you're eating is so much more. When I exercised 5 times a week for an hour a day (and didn't eat as well), I wasn't anywhere near this.<br />
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I can't say I have it all figured out. I'm still trying to work out a balance that works for me, but I'm looking forward to the next 2 weeks, and then beyond that not straying too far from what I eat now. I haven't gotten my family completely on board, and there has been complaining for sure. I got a fantastic cookbook called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Like-Dinosaur-Guidebook-Gluten-free/dp/1936608871/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334687282&sr=8-1">Eat Like a Dinosaur</a>, and every single thing we've cooked from it so far has been absolutely delicious. I'll probably be doing a more in depth review soon.<br />
<br />
So that's it for now. I'll report again at the end of the 30 days, and try to maybe post some recipes or things that we're eating and loving in the meantime.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-22952985417880758352012-04-04T21:49:00.001-06:002012-04-04T21:51:24.334-06:00Doing the Whole 30I've always been skeptical about low-carb/Atkins style diets. I thought they were anything but healthy, and then I came across the Paleo diet (links to follow). At first I had the same thoughts, but for some reason I kept coming back to it. There's something about it that resonates with me. Something about it just makes sense.<br />
<br />
Although our society is much more sedentary than our hunter-gatherer ancestors, we don't have to be. My main concern with the Paleo diet was that we shouldn't eat like they did because we aren't as active as they were. But that's a silly concern because I can move as much as I want to. I can do a lot of housework, I can go for walks, I can exercise. I can easily be as active as they were.<br />
<br />
So that brings me to the <a href="http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/">Whole 30</a>. In a nutshell, it's this:<br />
<i>We eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, healthy oils,
nuts and seeds. We choose foods that were raised, fed and grown
naturally, and foods that are nutrient-dense, with lots of naturally
occurring vitamins and minerals.</i><br />
<i>This is not a “diet” – we eat as much as we need to maintain
strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight. We aim for
well-balanced nutrition, so we eat animals and a significant amount of
plants.</i><br />
My personal reasons for doing it are not to lose weight. I feel like I'm generally in pretty good health, but I do have nagging things that are always there. I get migraines at least a few days every month. Sometimes I have no energy at all. I get really bad PMS. I'm not "regular". The list could go on. Just little things that I wonder if I could fix if I changed what I ate. So I figured I would just go for it. I've just finished day two, and even though I thought this would feel really restrictive, I'm hot having a hard time with it at all. (We'll see how the weekend goes when movie and snack time comes up).<br />
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Here's what I ate for day two:<br />
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Breakfast:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAUm0dZ7axp4mzzY50t7pto_kE0f9be4v1NOcQov5tc4DOkt3iYG7ih_pZ6d9WUnJwyNZJ_YT_ijz-eXtPoX-TFrgLETkJvVqEKBD7aWT2Z_VRbQWubtsDxiC-0hH9t4Yz9PL-uSQGKok/s1600/aba3ac807e6811e192e91231381b3d7a_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAUm0dZ7axp4mzzY50t7pto_kE0f9be4v1NOcQov5tc4DOkt3iYG7ih_pZ6d9WUnJwyNZJ_YT_ijz-eXtPoX-TFrgLETkJvVqEKBD7aWT2Z_VRbQWubtsDxiC-0hH9t4Yz9PL-uSQGKok/s400/aba3ac807e6811e192e91231381b3d7a_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrambled eggs with spinach and grape tomatoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lunch:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3yW-gJs8Q7QuGw7swG2iw3dem0fNi0OPs_uPYP_UBQA94Q56v1R4V3r6fgFqwzjiKIu9JizvHq3zM4a86e89I3AXXZ_UA1HdubvR3IUQnxKPgh56AABjvuSo1FXMKzanyPmtqOn1pGYE/s1600/02ff787e7e8711e1af7612313813f8e8_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3yW-gJs8Q7QuGw7swG2iw3dem0fNi0OPs_uPYP_UBQA94Q56v1R4V3r6fgFqwzjiKIu9JizvHq3zM4a86e89I3AXXZ_UA1HdubvR3IUQnxKPgh56AABjvuSo1FXMKzanyPmtqOn1pGYE/s400/02ff787e7e8711e1af7612313813f8e8_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover garlic burger, lettuce and tomatoes drizzled with sesame seed oil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dinner:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8E9-ZU_beOph2DZ6RQBXggAX7KWSouGA8AVtHXI5i7XrYm1vdK0RVObdsIYCSqXA-t8KAzFZo-flRMsfg5m2eFtuGu4axM8BahLwNEcIKXJ_e-f6sYJH8kkfDq_iPqyeiQRCWvL1o1S3/s1600/292522_10151475020595173_736160172_23761967_460582122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8E9-ZU_beOph2DZ6RQBXggAX7KWSouGA8AVtHXI5i7XrYm1vdK0RVObdsIYCSqXA-t8KAzFZo-flRMsfg5m2eFtuGu4axM8BahLwNEcIKXJ_e-f6sYJH8kkfDq_iPqyeiQRCWvL1o1S3/s400/292522_10151475020595173_736160172_23761967_460582122_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy pepper chicken, ginger garlic chicken, and asparagus</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And I had a banana for an afternoon snack. <br />
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What I've found whenever I eat paleo is how much I really love to cook. It gives me a chance to experiment with spices and different veggies. And I love garlic--I put it in just about everything. I'll try to keep anyone who's interested updated on how my whole 30 is going and what I'm eating.<br />
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If you want to dig into what Paleo is a little more, here are some helpful links:<br />
<a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz1r8LtqvDr">Mark's Daily Apple</a><br />
<a href="http://robbwolf.com/">Robb Wolf</a><br />
<a href="http://thepaleodiet.com/">The Paleo Diet</a><br />
<a href="http://everydaypaleo.com/">Everyday Paleo</a><br />
<a href="http://paleoparents.com/">Paleo Parents</a><br />
<br />
And I have to add a little bit of a disclaimer. If you buy all your meat from a grocery store, and don't have any intention of changing that, I wouldn't recommend the Whole 30 or the Paleo Diet. Even if you're not interested in Paleo, check into local meat sources. It may be slightly more expensive, but it tastes better, it's healthier for you and the environment, it's more humane for the animal: the animals are fed what they are supposed to eat and do what animals are supposed to do. On top of that, you can support local farmers, and who doesn't want to do that? There are so many very good reasons to get your meat locally that I don't know why you wouldn't. :)<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-64578487838510389842012-01-31T16:15:00.000-07:002012-01-31T16:15:53.758-07:00Getting HealthyI wanted to share a little bit about what I've been doing lately to be more healthy. The biggest thing that anyone needs to do, whether you want to lose weight or just feel better is to eat right. You can't fuel your body with junk and expect it to function well. <br />
<br />
So I've changed what I eat. I'm eating real food, and trying to cut out all the processed stuff. This means (for me) grass-fed, pasture raised meat, fish, lots of vegetables, some fruits, nuts, good fats (like olive oil, coconut oil, olives, nut butter) a little bit of dairy and sometimes beans. I've tried to limit my grains, and if I do eat them, just whole grains. And it has made a difference. Eating like this, and adding in BodyRock workouts (which I'll talk about in a minute), changed my body this much in just 25 days:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGoY0orCiUhvF4JlBmtnVueTLfhUJ_nMS53K1Na4rn_Alk4fJ8f_kysv8wkPxPIZhE_q3fv1nEU3C8FDZf7CwehYWvWrC1fbgxkEFtkhMpHvVMaCFJ7u1KpnVWe8icexNMoXiJqoxbHO4/s1600/front+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGoY0orCiUhvF4JlBmtnVueTLfhUJ_nMS53K1Na4rn_Alk4fJ8f_kysv8wkPxPIZhE_q3fv1nEU3C8FDZf7CwehYWvWrC1fbgxkEFtkhMpHvVMaCFJ7u1KpnVWe8icexNMoXiJqoxbHO4/s400/front+side.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Normally I wouldn't share a picture of myself like this, and yeah, in the before picture I was carrying a little holiday weight (Friends reference), but I'm really excited about the changes I made, and I want to share with people who are wanting to get healthier.<br />
<br />
I'm experimenting with a lot of new recipes, and I'll try to share them on my blog as we find ones we love. I checked out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Paleo-Sarah-Fragoso/dp/098256581X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328050743&sr=8-1">Everyday Paleo</a> from the library, and I love it so much that I'll probably buy it. Here's one of my favorite recipes that I've tried so far:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivU7mU08rpsaJzhirR-0ns0uzWoFq-IaLbPe0fOO6o9eLsCSKSYu4xRI5jdxHZH6ZI40SPZ31JHXI8KrLdedk-RXhMTHsh3ryYgoa1IIk9P7IsL80GAyQvr8YGrEOkkFgD1Tlwxxzmwlz/s1600/shrimp+flying+saucers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivU7mU08rpsaJzhirR-0ns0uzWoFq-IaLbPe0fOO6o9eLsCSKSYu4xRI5jdxHZH6ZI40SPZ31JHXI8KrLdedk-RXhMTHsh3ryYgoa1IIk9P7IsL80GAyQvr8YGrEOkkFgD1Tlwxxzmwlz/s400/shrimp+flying+saucers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />I was about to type up the whole recipe, when I realized it's probably on the Everyday Paleo website, and sure enough it is: <a href="http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/08/28/shrimp-flying-saucers/">Shrimp Flying Saucers</a><br />
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The whole family loved this one, although Ethan picked out the shrimp and eggs, mostly. It was delicious, easy to make, and not very expensive. I'll share more recipes later since I don't want this post to get too long.<br />
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The second part of what I've been doing is <a href="http://www.bodyrock.tv/">BodyRock</a>. The workouts are pretty short, but super intense. The workouts are usually under 20 minutes, and people wonder if you can get results working out that short of a time. If you combine the workouts with good eating, you for sure can (see above picture). I love these workouts, I never get bored, the time flies by, and I actually look forward to working out every day. <br />
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If you find that going to the gym is a chore, you're sick of the same old routine, you don't want to spend hours working out, you want a great community to support what you're doing, please look into BodyRock. I absolutely love it. Here's the website again: <a href="http://www.bodyrock.tv/">http://www.bodyrock.tv/</a> <br />
Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-9509761100276089832011-10-26T14:30:00.000-06:002011-10-26T14:30:19.145-06:00Pinteresting Wednesdays - Books!<center><a border="0" href="http://thevintageapple.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://sites.google.com/site/michellevintageapple/files/pinterestingwed.png"border="0" alt="google" /></a></center>
This is my first time participating in this meme, but I always love looking at all the great stuff on all the other blogs, so I thought I might as well join in. Since one of my biggest passions is reading, that's the theme for this week.
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/220421965/' target='_blank'><img src='http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/282812051569548154_4TIfsmDc_c.jpg' border='0' width='350' height ='524'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href=''>None</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/endoux/' target='_blank'>Brenda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div>
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/364924080/' target='_blank'><img src='http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/282812051569585548_YFY8NxhS_c.jpg' border='0' width='350' height ='437'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://notetoself.typepad.com/note_to_self/'>notetoself.typepad.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/endoux/' target='_blank'>Brenda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div>
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/359684257/' target='_blank'><img src='http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/282812051569584317_gzcEZpkL_c.jpg' border='0' width='350' height ='420'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-24T09%3A00%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=5'>fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/endoux/' target='_blank'>Brenda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div>
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/359679272/' target='_blank'><img src='http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/282812051569584316_CZSzLyb1_c.jpg' border='0' width='350' height ='467'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://olderandwisor.blogspot.com/'>olderandwisor.blogspot.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/endoux/' target='_blank'>Brenda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div>
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<div style='padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px'><a href='http://pinterest.com/pin/121517484/' target='_blank'><img src='http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/282812051569525996_wwsqWhMB_c.jpg' border='0' width='350' height ='262'/></a></div><div style='float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;'><p style='font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;'>Source: <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://www.etsy.com/listing/76529655/wonder-woman-magnets?ref=sr_gallery_24&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=superhero&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_noautofacet=1&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fhousewares'>etsy.com</a> via <a style='text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com/endoux/' target='_blank'>Brenda</a> on <a style='text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;' href='http://pinterest.com' target='_blank'>Pinterest</a></p></div>
</center>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-17230901995382655612011-10-26T09:27:00.001-06:002011-10-26T09:27:58.563-06:00Alpine Loop Last weekend we decided to take a drive around the Alpine Loop. We were probably a couple weeks too late to see all the colors, but there was still some really pretty trees. We drove up a really long, bumpy dirt road to get to this lake, and it wasn't as pretty as I was hoping. Oh well. <br />
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I liked this spot. I thought it was kind of neat.</div>
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I didn't tell Ethan to pose here or anything, he's just this cute.</div>
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This reservoir was so pretty and blue, but I couldn't really capture it on camera.</div>
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This was my favorite spot. It was so gorgeous!</div>
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And here's two pretty things. Nature, and my beautiful daughter.</div>
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I have dirt on my face! I love being with my man, though.</div>
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Just one more. I love looking at it, and I love my family. I'm so blessed! Thank you God for this beautiful life!</div>
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-18770186872222471392011-10-20T18:17:00.005-06:002011-10-21T15:03:26.429-06:00Fall WreathI saw an idea for a yarn-wrapped wreath on another blog, and decided I would give it a try. The other one was plain white, and could easily be used for any season. But while we were looking for yarn, we (Kaitlyn and I) decided it would look cuter with fall colored yarn, and it so does! I love this so much more than a plain white wreath.<br />
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It took longer to wrap than I thought it would, and I ran out of yarn and had to go buy more, but I really like the finished product. The Squirrel and leaf are just pinned on, so they can easily be taken off and we can change the look. I'll probably do more wreaths for different holidays and seasons.<br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-83270276287712624312011-10-19T16:27:00.001-06:002011-10-19T16:28:26.249-06:00House Stuff I've been doing a few little projects here and then to update my house. I'm sick of wishing things were a little cuter. I finally printed off some of the pictures <a href="http://melindasmithphotography.blogspot.com/">my sister</a> took of us last year. It's hard to take a picture of pictures, especially when it's in the hallway, but you get the idea. Eventually I'll add more black and white pictures.<br />
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I wanted to change the flowers in my holder thingies, and maybe go with the seasons. I'm not sure if this one is quite full enough, but it always takes way more than I think it will. I thought the stuff in this one would fill both of my containers. <br />
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And I finally updated our family picture. Ethan is no longer a baby in our picture! :) <br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-30497237654943998382011-09-19T17:50:00.001-06:002011-09-19T17:51:49.937-06:00SundayYesterday was a fantastic day. I love weekends, and Sunday is a huge part of that. But yesterday just seemed like an extra great Sunday. Church was wonderful, as usual, and we are really enjoying going to the Daybreak campus. It's smaller than Draper, so it's easier to get to know people, and they're great people! :)<br />
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Just after church we attended small group. It was our second week with this particular group, and if our boys would learn what is and isn't appropriate when at someone else's house, it'd be great. There's a good mix of people there. It's nice that we get to take all of our kids--Kaitlyn and three other girls her age (which is awesome that there's that many) watch the younger kids while the adults do small group.<br />
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Kaitlyn had fun at a tea party with the high school girls from church, while they talked about activities they'll do in the coming year. She also wants to be a debutante, she says.<br />
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Then we went to the vision dessert for church, which they do once a year. This year prior to the service, they did a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Draper church, which is exciting. We didn't go to that, just went straight to the vision dessert. It seriously did my heart good. My favorite part was the music, because there's really nothing like it. Singing in a church building is just not the same as being outside with a few hundred other believers worshiping God. And when I picked up my little Ethan at the end, and he did his best to sing along, my heart just about burst. This is joy.<br />
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Imagine hundreds of voices singing this song:<br />
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XkljgA5SQc8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-85690715878457986412011-07-20T00:39:00.000-06:002011-09-19T17:12:46.399-06:00DisneylandSomeone requested that I put Disneyland pictures on our blog, so since I'm very nice, I decided I'd do it. We all loved our Disney trip so much, and really had the time of our lives. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, but I'd go back in a heartbeat.<br /><br />The boys got to do the Jedi Training Academy and were in heaven. I read some tips beforehand on how to have your kids get chosen, and I'm glad I did. When they both got picked we were so happy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Ethan looks a little nervous here, but I don't think he was very scared. As he was going up to fight Darth Vader, the Jedi Master said, "Thirty-six pounds of unbridled fury!" That's our Ethan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7xtsiJkxtOufsxPRsExwgiS5Xb8YSASErBuE7o0G-eYX0G6wlBUU52zJKZcNgOPxA1nghyCr-Vwipd6YpYiz2QOZh1cJ07JgINXeECbPFAbzqvb-B8y0MZ217TN39-AT62voL6kbToU/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7xtsiJkxtOufsxPRsExwgiS5Xb8YSASErBuE7o0G-eYX0G6wlBUU52zJKZcNgOPxA1nghyCr-Vwipd6YpYiz2QOZh1cJ07JgINXeECbPFAbzqvb-B8y0MZ217TN39-AT62voL6kbToU/s640/052.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">As Kevin was going up to take his turn Darth Vader said, "The force is strong with this one." And if you know Kevin at all, you know he is almost always smiling and laughing. Which he did all throughout his fight with Darth Vader. So it was great when, as Kevin was walking away the Jedi Master said, "Keep smiling, he hates that."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2dWlyCqOyugMvIcOju7B8YvQACn1HbDyLrqOMnQvuiEgv-bszVcwWrsJclKhEnHn6LEGPIdGqWImtsEoaAa8tdomqVGqQzzuBemQlb0tey-lco5L7jQudFSv1Ham7IP7aiVHpfRXFgs/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2dWlyCqOyugMvIcOju7B8YvQACn1HbDyLrqOMnQvuiEgv-bszVcwWrsJclKhEnHn6LEGPIdGqWImtsEoaAa8tdomqVGqQzzuBemQlb0tey-lco5L7jQudFSv1Ham7IP7aiVHpfRXFgs/s640/047.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I think this picture was on Dumbo, which was definitely one of the less interesting Fantasyland rides, but it's a classic. We didn't get very many pictures in Fantasyland.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDyAp6bhJc0LT2Ki6xg9zJkBMIU8mLS5FnaLZnqAO9cRKcCJNnCujG5I0dA_il72fmV2WGRQpJ9_Lc6Em0CvcBptALCmCdmbxlrSZMzm-ESTzkf6yJc4Rn_q3DMRqCxcvzK12B4_-oUk/s1600/097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDyAp6bhJc0LT2Ki6xg9zJkBMIU8mLS5FnaLZnqAO9cRKcCJNnCujG5I0dA_il72fmV2WGRQpJ9_Lc6Em0CvcBptALCmCdmbxlrSZMzm-ESTzkf6yJc4Rn_q3DMRqCxcvzK12B4_-oUk/s640/097.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I didn't ride on the teacups. All that spinning would definitely make me sick. But it was perfect because then I could take a picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgS1I8D3N2_y6ZGu44_ecSfU6CM0RruGV4sdHqJBMKMQa2r8o_vMu5qb9y7V5SJLWzQNimrTVxsEe8qdycMWGk4fwlH0dMKPXimVdMs6FEibuYP9JRNo-Y1brjj9uBC5VM8rZXdD9_YI/s1600/099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgS1I8D3N2_y6ZGu44_ecSfU6CM0RruGV4sdHqJBMKMQa2r8o_vMu5qb9y7V5SJLWzQNimrTVxsEe8qdycMWGk4fwlH0dMKPXimVdMs6FEibuYP9JRNo-Y1brjj9uBC5VM8rZXdD9_YI/s640/099.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can't go to Disneyland without meeting Mickey Mouse!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyE5sGneOx6BvXKYU8ZnHs6fEmfUcQHIAMudMze9r9FYj5Q5SLadUAA0A9EJRY5YWHFW3Ynxr94uNbiAl_X4dxxfR0IWWduX4jPUebg-BZOh8Qbr-nu8P8laWFy6wGyqdODPHBfYuUlA/s1600/116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyE5sGneOx6BvXKYU8ZnHs6fEmfUcQHIAMudMze9r9FYj5Q5SLadUAA0A9EJRY5YWHFW3Ynxr94uNbiAl_X4dxxfR0IWWduX4jPUebg-BZOh8Qbr-nu8P8laWFy6wGyqdODPHBfYuUlA/s640/116.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And Minnie!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZu5fQw49FD69ZbjsrW5s3YmgH420XpJ4XJffG6vu0Apx6s1ZsFKygtvSJh7zzKJtbWtSbrcnbjpE0x2aqRRJT-bWroHLDQEOniSDxp9NRxtNhByrIpipop19-NEkSckNopHyDcQXHPw/s1600/117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZu5fQw49FD69ZbjsrW5s3YmgH420XpJ4XJffG6vu0Apx6s1ZsFKygtvSJh7zzKJtbWtSbrcnbjpE0x2aqRRJT-bWroHLDQEOniSDxp9NRxtNhByrIpipop19-NEkSckNopHyDcQXHPw/s640/117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was on one of the rides in A Bug's Land, and was probably the ride at Disneyland that made me the sickest. Riding backwards will do that for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLmfELwDZiUK49XScG10ES1V24J1-DM4tjFCWaMHGoUe6hjiHwU67hsTIvaK385r1WQPK7F96ByYdrfkzMWt3_1HCIlO176Vu0jWvPokp1aNZWB5PnxuNqwHrKrfoYn-uWT-adQtG-es/s1600/126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLmfELwDZiUK49XScG10ES1V24J1-DM4tjFCWaMHGoUe6hjiHwU67hsTIvaK385r1WQPK7F96ByYdrfkzMWt3_1HCIlO176Vu0jWvPokp1aNZWB5PnxuNqwHrKrfoYn-uWT-adQtG-es/s640/126.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love my boys! I think this was on Small World. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJwXW_28U39NvVxzvMNa9QI_xOtVjHSWrpRJPwDToOExFyvyp3AKSEqVdVioMrWoGF1k4zlX8iwpE3qss0l3V5kEPmxsQDrWnhuc0X9Bd-TPkLhraHxeI8LnbJoSplp_zdrXuoIy6Gr0/s1600/143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJwXW_28U39NvVxzvMNa9QI_xOtVjHSWrpRJPwDToOExFyvyp3AKSEqVdVioMrWoGF1k4zlX8iwpE3qss0l3V5kEPmxsQDrWnhuc0X9Bd-TPkLhraHxeI8LnbJoSplp_zdrXuoIy6Gr0/s640/143.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The first time we went on Tower of Terror the boys were scared out of their minds. But then they wanted to do it again, and the next time they were all cool about it, like it wasn't scary at all. If you've never been on this ride before, the first time is definitely a rush. This is just a picture of a picture, so it's not great.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcSzZTLqH5WmZW-riGgQj89Ij_jZVve0_NsgwXI8Gs0UQN7JHunYL5btMDnic9ZjWhv0o5sziJrFN0VxztXKiRBZTzr3hgfY5OG-crf4e7ED82W64J077P3_D6dAYjWBuy1icyQytbsc/s1600/144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcSzZTLqH5WmZW-riGgQj89Ij_jZVve0_NsgwXI8Gs0UQN7JHunYL5btMDnic9ZjWhv0o5sziJrFN0VxztXKiRBZTzr3hgfY5OG-crf4e7ED82W64J077P3_D6dAYjWBuy1icyQytbsc/s640/144.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just a fun picture in Toontown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkYPEL-10EtNfCrAy9fIkzaCjoR4obtF5DDYEKZxbDyYtDVlSQxYasYYMPQZLqyaCgX-RLCzEydiHa0WmBAUa3opsK6avjEGunek-Hc5-bN8HFL8k8j1pSitksIsouvw69oy9WkIGAEk/s1600/164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkYPEL-10EtNfCrAy9fIkzaCjoR4obtF5DDYEKZxbDyYtDVlSQxYasYYMPQZLqyaCgX-RLCzEydiHa0WmBAUa3opsK6avjEGunek-Hc5-bN8HFL8k8j1pSitksIsouvw69oy9WkIGAEk/s640/164.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's another picture of a picture. We had a lot of fun on Splash Mountain. This was our second time in a row riding, and we knew when the picture would be taken, so we were all supposed to have our best scared faces. Troy's scared face is not very good. The funny thing is, Ethan's face looked exactly the same the first time we rode on it, so this really is his scared face.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7k73Osk2vBYpX07L_A1t3P7gOWWaXQu9iArI3wzQFlspZYe1g6QTL85XsPIyRVqdjQml6AgIYpooVWaPZ1EyAQ_4sB9YRo76Y6sfEB3b_mvWOoE8R3y07pun8RCrrQvoYZvZCJFvoZs/s1600/177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7k73Osk2vBYpX07L_A1t3P7gOWWaXQu9iArI3wzQFlspZYe1g6QTL85XsPIyRVqdjQml6AgIYpooVWaPZ1EyAQ_4sB9YRo76Y6sfEB3b_mvWOoE8R3y07pun8RCrrQvoYZvZCJFvoZs/s640/177.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>I have a lot more pictures (although not as many as I liked, I learned lessons for next time we go), but I feel like I've already done more pictures than anyone who reads my blog would care to see. Like I said, we all had the best time, and were sad that our vacation was done. My favorite ride was definitely Star Tours, and all I can say is the fast pass system is the best, especially since Star Tours had just been redone and had ridiculously long lines. We got to go on it three times.<br /><br />I have some pictures from our day at the beach that I'll try to post another time.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-71146613157292703492011-02-20T12:41:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.421-06:00Stew RecipeThis is my favorite stew--I just toss it all in the crock pot and it's really good.<br /><br />1 lb (about 2 large) peeled sweet potatoes (you can use regular, too)<br />1 lb carrots<br />1 medium yellow onion<br />2 lb top sirloin<br />3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce<br />3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal<br />1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth<br />1 1/2 cups water<br /><br />And that's it. I cook it all day in the crock pot, and add a bit of flour near the end if it seems like it needs thickened up.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-35838259961752330152011-02-12T20:23:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.434-06:00Sweethearts 5kI finished my first 5k today. I think my time was about 28:05, but I'm not positive. That's way faster than I expected, because I'm a fairly slow runner. I ran with my dad just about the whole way, and I think we pushed each other a little bit, so that was nice. I only wanted to stop and throw up for the last half mile or so, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. :)<br /><br />Here's a picture of me, Mindy, and Aubrey. I don't take very good pictures when I'm trying to hold the camera.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGKTDGKU4anV8yNjqifvajKx9fLG5UC8h-ru5dYST4UuZvC76pp51diQaBi65YJfpa7K7ZPmMNhLm-3VNAWRnT1e4gE859Z9bBGFPKu-tGajyBaM5UBPdfreMEBBQnfwe3wZG_b37vSM/s1600/009.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573006616502457602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGKTDGKU4anV8yNjqifvajKx9fLG5UC8h-ru5dYST4UuZvC76pp51diQaBi65YJfpa7K7ZPmMNhLm-3VNAWRnT1e4gE859Z9bBGFPKu-tGajyBaM5UBPdfreMEBBQnfwe3wZG_b37vSM/s400/009.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />Here are all the girls who ran it--Geoff and Dad also ran, but Geoff was off somewhere and Dad was taking the picture.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxkxrzFrwEF4QVZ0-UFU6aFrUXPmh5crZKxHsQs7hgE4PZWGx9wfVXB1te8tjKgvZFgGFOOZ3wttbSLz48yguLpVoLDQ-j_ntpnRUq5VFZMW3QDFizPWRq4pw9snXGyeEeJRaGN6LP4c/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxkxrzFrwEF4QVZ0-UFU6aFrUXPmh5crZKxHsQs7hgE4PZWGx9wfVXB1te8tjKgvZFgGFOOZ3wttbSLz48yguLpVoLDQ-j_ntpnRUq5VFZMW3QDFizPWRq4pw9snXGyeEeJRaGN6LP4c/s640/011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> I can't really say it was a fun time, because I still have not fallen in love with running, but it was fun to spend time with family. It was also nice to run with my dad the whole time, even though neither of us talk when we run (I know for me it's because I can't, I'm just concentrating on breathing).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-68663123013974223442011-02-08T21:54:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.464-06:00Cauliflower SoupTonight for dinner I made cheesy cauliflower soup. I was a little worried beforehand, because I thought it might not be good, and nobody would eat it. I needn't have worried. It was so delicious. Kevin licked his bowl clean and asked if I could make it again tomorrow. I had a big huge bowl. Ethan didn't really eat it, but he doesn't eat anything these days. Troy and Kaitlyn both liked it as well.<br /><br />So, here's how I made it:<br /><br />Combine:<br />1 16 oz. bag frozen cauliflower<br />2 cups milk (whatever you normally drink)<br />2 cups water<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />heat until boiling, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 8 minutes<br /><br />Slowly stir in 3 Tbs flour (you can do more or less depending on how thick you like your soup), then cook for a couple more minutes.<br /><br />Remove from heat and add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a little bit of lemon juice.<br /><br />That's the basic recipe, and it can be altered to suit your tastes. I added a bit of herbs (I can't even remember what at the moment). You could add onions if you like them. The only thing I would do differently was that maybe I would chop the cauliflower before adding it, because some of them were pretty big, but once it's cooked the cauliflower is easy enough to cut up with your soup spoon.<br /><br />Besides the soup I also made cheesy pita bread. I used whole wheat pitas, sprinkled a very small amount of cheese on the top (the cheese is just supposed to add flavor, it's not meant to be a gooey sandwich), then broiled it in the oven for a few minutes. It was a delicious side to the soup, and my whole meal was only 6 weight watchers points. To give non weight watcher people a reference, I'm supposed to have 29 points per day, so 6 for dinner is a low number, but the meal was very filling and yummy.<br /><br />I got this recipe off the weekly meal plan at <a href="http://www.e-mealz.com/">e-mealz</a>, but I did alter the soup recipe a bit.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-57677861229369261302011-02-04T17:31:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.476-06:00Slash toastI was trying to figure out what to cook for dinner tonight when Ethan came in and asked for toast. So I said, "Okay, tonight can be a leftover slash soup slash toast night". And Ethan said, "I want slash toast."<br /><br />In other news, I ran 4 miles today, and felt like I could have gone longer but the treadmill was stupid and automatically started with a cooldown at 45 minutes. I'm feeling a lot more ready to run a 5k next Saturday. If you would have asked me if I would be running like this even a few months ago, I would have called you a crazy person. I have always really, really hated running. But I've ran three times this week, and I'm not hating it. I still don't love it. The whole time I'm running I kind of want to stop, but it's getting better. We'll see how much I continue to run after the 5k. <br /><br />Troy is working today on his day off and it's making me ornery pants, but there's nothing I, or he, can do about it, so I'm trying not to be. At least he's getting the weekend off while others at his job will still have to work. I hate employers who seem to have so little respect for their employees, but that's a rant I won't get into.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-76607510975266631932011-02-03T16:34:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.495-06:00February!I haven't blogged since Thanksgiving. Could be because we haven't done anything since Thanksgiving. Except for a wonderful Christmas, that's mostly true. We all just keep plugging along, and here it is February already, and I'm so ready for summer. Cold weather is not good. I'm pretty sure it makes puppies cry.<br /><br />So I think I'm going to try to blog more. Or at least, I'm going to blog more today than I have so far this year. That's a good goal, and one I think I can accomplish. In the past I've made about 20 bazillion different blogs about different things, but (besides my book review blog) I think I'm going to just move it all here. It's not that I'm spending time blogging anywhere else (besides my book review blog), but I might as well fail at blogging in just one place. <br /><br />So, health and fitness-wise, I'm doing okay. I've been exercising, and while I don't always love it, I do like that I'm getting stronger. My biggest problem was that my body changed in some ways, but my midsection is not changing at all. And I'm starting to realize that no, I can't eat whatever I want and hope that the exercise will take care of it. Because it won't. After half a year or so, it hasn't worked. So I decided I've really got to make some eating changes and stick to it. Since my sister-in-law had quite a bit of success with Weight Watchers, I decided to give it a try. I started on Monday, so I can't really say whether or not it's working yet, so we'll see. In a way, keeping track of everything I eat has been good for me. In another way, it's a pain in the behind. <br /><br />What else have I blogged about on other blogs? I don't think I've bored anyone quite to death yet, and since that's my goal, I've got to keep going until at least one person dies. Movies! We haven't actually watched a whole lot of movies lately. Mostly we've been making our way through Stargate Atlantis (which ties Friends as my all time favorite TV show) on DVD. We finished the series not long ago, and I was sad. I wish it was still going. I watched Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which might be one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. It was definitely interesting, but not one I'd watch more than once. I'm sure I've seen a few others here and there, but I can't think of any. Right now we're mostly watching season two of Dollhouse, another show that got canceled too early.<br /><br />So . . . there's got to be something else I can say---wait, I think I just saw someone drop dead. Either that, or they're just faking it so I'll stop. Either way, I'm done.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-39565592047739714782010-11-27T13:18:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.509-06:00ThanksgivingWe had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For dinner we went to my parents house, where the food was delicious, and where I had more confirmation that I'm not the only funny looking one in my family. I sure love these guys! (Thanks Felicia for letting me steal this picture, even though I didn't ask)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOEUVav7kh-JGqyGwJ7vw7ZIgIeeQnbEuZzVUPbC1Cj_vD76PIzbu-le1W16aQmpd8AeBSmWM5CV2euLsDXRmNqDfCcIoWbVdqhpyX841Gtd2-qhsd_JeL8j8D7eA-B5bSTaV4VSkLOA/s1600/8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOEUVav7kh-JGqyGwJ7vw7ZIgIeeQnbEuZzVUPbC1Cj_vD76PIzbu-le1W16aQmpd8AeBSmWM5CV2euLsDXRmNqDfCcIoWbVdqhpyX841Gtd2-qhsd_JeL8j8D7eA-B5bSTaV4VSkLOA/s400/8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544327356780633154" border="0" /></a>We played the paper bag game again (you have to learn over and pick up a paper bag with your mouth, then tear off the piece you bit, and you can't touch the ground with your hands or knees or anything), and later that day my back was really sore. I'm too old for that stuff! It was fun spending time with my family, and it was great seeing my grandma and grandpa, who I haven't seen for years.<br /><br />Then we went to Troys parents for pie, and we mostly just sat around and talked and looked at the ads for Black Friday. It was a wonderful day, and I'm so glad I have so many people to love!Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-67238387079544895462010-11-17T18:28:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.523-06:00Fun Things to Do<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've had this list on my sidebar, but I decided to compile all my links into one post, and then just link to the post. While browsing the web, I often come across things I'd like to try later, and that I think other people might be interested in. So that's what you'll find in this post. So, if you ever find yourself this bored:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY9lUaoB9ONtoazZyvF0gP_8-b219iC9Nqfl0XsIn3SVG7m58JE6-dMPz7oWnx8H84yIT9-vxelrvMMTltXWLMhxd8s1OZJy1AAKPbYqbNpa8k9QJHpwSmQnWJ8woBwLCjGeSbYxNghk/s1600/mar1708+007.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540700156709748674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY9lUaoB9ONtoazZyvF0gP_8-b219iC9Nqfl0XsIn3SVG7m58JE6-dMPz7oWnx8H84yIT9-vxelrvMMTltXWLMhxd8s1OZJy1AAKPbYqbNpa8k9QJHpwSmQnWJ8woBwLCjGeSbYxNghk/s400/mar1708+007.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>See if there's something here that interests you:<br /><br /></span> <a href="http://littlenannygoat.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-heck-it-30-meal-plan.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">30 Meal Plan</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> (I do something similar to this, except I'd call it the 14 meal plan)</span><br /><a href="http://soulemama.typepad.com/soulemama/2007/11/acorns-are-fun.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Acorns are Fun</a><br /><a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2010/04/have-bag-will-travel-or-go-to-the-beach-or-the-park-or-on-a-picnic.html">Adventure bags</a><br /><a href="http://thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2009/08/covered-notebook.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Covered Notebook</a><br /><a href="http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2010/11/fygs-new-diy-bedroom-wall-border.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">DIY Wallies</a><br /><a href="http://shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com/2009/11/felt-advent-calendar.html">Felt Advent Calendars</a><br /><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/08/19/furoshiki/" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Furoshiki</a><br /><a href="http://simplemom.net/homemade-play-doh/" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Homemade Play-doh</a><br /><a href="http://cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com/2011/07/july-magnetic-calendar.html">Magnetic Calendar</a><br /><a href="http://www.bentolunch.net/2010/11/make-your-own-fruit-picks.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Make your own fruit picks</a><br /><a href="http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2007/11/making-books.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Making books</a><br /><a href="http://www.justagirlblog.com/2009/08/organization-station.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Organization station</a><br /><a href="http://www.justagirlblog.com/2009/08/what-is-it-about-art-supplies.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Organize your art supplies</a><br /><a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2010/05/storage-star-packed-activity-bags.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></a><a href="http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2007/11/book-binding-lo.html" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Paper Love</a><br /><a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=11367" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Sew your own cloth diapers</a><br /><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/silk-dyed-easter-eggs" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Silk-dyed Easter eggs</a>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-67744260546907038712010-11-13T11:26:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.542-06:00Bountiful BasketsI kept hearing about <a href="http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/">Bountiful Baskets</a>, and this week I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did--look at what we get to eat this week!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJBVLgKjZU3JqJAA97DCV84qBnKyOi9kkkNImDDI5vFrB6noG2n-VEViWfopdUFEllujOIOXKH0uuDlXFOI4KOMtXISE6DBskcR5IH7TS4rO6mivFUeKSVvbgNNea-KVKQP9pHP7QiRY/s1600/531.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJBVLgKjZU3JqJAA97DCV84qBnKyOi9kkkNImDDI5vFrB6noG2n-VEViWfopdUFEllujOIOXKH0uuDlXFOI4KOMtXISE6DBskcR5IH7TS4rO6mivFUeKSVvbgNNea-KVKQP9pHP7QiRY/s400/531.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539103153636760994" border="0" /></a>In case you can't tell what's in the photo, here's what we got (for $15):<br />Bananas<br />Apples<br />Grapes<br />Pears<br />Oranges<br />Persimmons<br />Corn<br />Celery<br />Lettuce<br />Brussel Sprouts<br />Acorn Squash<br />Potatoes<br /><br />When you order, you don't get to pick what you get. Everybody gets the same things. I'm not sure about the brussel sprouts, but we'll see. Maybe I can find a good recipe for cooking them. I'd never had persimmons before, and actually didn't even know what they were. But I looked it up online, found out it was a fruit that can be peeled and sliced and eaten like an apple (I thought it was something more like a tomato). I had one for lunch, and it was different, but good.<br /><br />If you live in one of the areas that does Bountiful Baskets, I'd highly recommend it. You definitely are getting a deal!Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-91842208438024536492010-11-10T16:07:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.575-06:00We found this wonderful photographer . . .<a href="http://melindasmithphotography.blogspot.com/">Mindy</a> (my sister) took some family pictures of us a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share some. They were all awesome, and I had a really hard time narrowing down which pictures to post. I'd like to post them all, but I can't. So, here are some of my favorites, in no particular order (just the order they loaded on blogger).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHxiklsnvkEy11Oi3wh0rrPDt-T1S4DeuSfsLMH4FUB8iJ6qmZFfT3tuVzOcBWdvmY4yy-FZotnjIXqo2MwoJIhKOExasgAqf0RPwUS0oSto6zzN315mfgvvK_z94vx88xGWgb65AU6o/s1600/030.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHxiklsnvkEy11Oi3wh0rrPDt-T1S4DeuSfsLMH4FUB8iJ6qmZFfT3tuVzOcBWdvmY4yy-FZotnjIXqo2MwoJIhKOExasgAqf0RPwUS0oSto6zzN315mfgvvK_z94vx88xGWgb65AU6o/s400/030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538080452682459762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduYVxcXl6e2PRTH3x0OnPABiVpz9YDPB3GvROOb8fVQ0Bve4WevozskbhgL4FQY3cadPMQ9hyphenhyphendrrAeVIgKvfgnsxtA6Vah3Wz8nSVCHZ-Z7Bi49myzbjWRH1Eq9shuSCbzW4RtIj8cwc/s1600/028.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduYVxcXl6e2PRTH3x0OnPABiVpz9YDPB3GvROOb8fVQ0Bve4WevozskbhgL4FQY3cadPMQ9hyphenhyphendrrAeVIgKvfgnsxtA6Vah3Wz8nSVCHZ-Z7Bi49myzbjWRH1Eq9shuSCbzW4RtIj8cwc/s400/028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538077825489591634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6kcshejj65pseUj9NHiOL88RKR-UengvNxNo_BzE1AAp2THGn9W4bo66uWCB1mf2U_Rhc1S6XYv0RyDilRKXLzNIMJ3ETxJr1VnWnewSvKUYhyphenhyphenwN2KLjBMmWbGJYNAxuJMD_X7TsHec/s1600/036.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6kcshejj65pseUj9NHiOL88RKR-UengvNxNo_BzE1AAp2THGn9W4bo66uWCB1mf2U_Rhc1S6XYv0RyDilRKXLzNIMJ3ETxJr1VnWnewSvKUYhyphenhyphenwN2KLjBMmWbGJYNAxuJMD_X7TsHec/s400/036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538077816505899426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUo8kVNVvmHYYa3AXCioAcfOlyRfCMCBxKWlo_GTurIzc9qoU5m8zHG-NaPZ2tB7zGSnpl-vuCf9hBdM9p3-ZJTO6Iy031KIatK6UkVt-8GPz2ov84dxKqfi8LMrF6W7W4J3bnXEx0QJI/s1600/032.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUo8kVNVvmHYYa3AXCioAcfOlyRfCMCBxKWlo_GTurIzc9qoU5m8zHG-NaPZ2tB7zGSnpl-vuCf9hBdM9p3-ZJTO6Iy031KIatK6UkVt-8GPz2ov84dxKqfi8LMrF6W7W4J3bnXEx0QJI/s400/032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538077802116412882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJEA8dwk1kOkxgXLK-rXt9hkCKc3W5YaIgxlwSzPmG_fsdDQmJKJfdxcwLvUzsTNH46WXH-PGJAGXdRzVZ5uL9nxkSmCfCitFjERvVSlsZuehfNVmThTtpRg7-uO7p6xNxoTumWcaVH0/s1600/023.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJEA8dwk1kOkxgXLK-rXt9hkCKc3W5YaIgxlwSzPmG_fsdDQmJKJfdxcwLvUzsTNH46WXH-PGJAGXdRzVZ5uL9nxkSmCfCitFjERvVSlsZuehfNVmThTtpRg7-uO7p6xNxoTumWcaVH0/s400/023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538070770974616738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4cwOoOsiKBXgEpXhiScaNaakMDS3hiV4fp67iZ2ZLzr99dWd9CB3w9l1fuShwRsEtaU2Q4G4woaj-4_dd4DUkXSqcuQRnORt63bLtCPoZMlBbWU_Tvf3J5bVj9DjUVeLCJRdUAXTcJs/s1600/018.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4cwOoOsiKBXgEpXhiScaNaakMDS3hiV4fp67iZ2ZLzr99dWd9CB3w9l1fuShwRsEtaU2Q4G4woaj-4_dd4DUkXSqcuQRnORt63bLtCPoZMlBbWU_Tvf3J5bVj9DjUVeLCJRdUAXTcJs/s400/018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538070764371855442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pN4a1aK-h2nS1JiqA-wySHrdvQNgVe3bXRkTuWH-PJtNuJGrk4mTDmYh6p3NrDaNFLk0t7omCNuC6E1yU5aBSbKIFunUGhEO6p1cRfbgXIFXTquu1KCsogvSq-InKIERiS6hpkNhtYA/s1600/005.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pN4a1aK-h2nS1JiqA-wySHrdvQNgVe3bXRkTuWH-PJtNuJGrk4mTDmYh6p3NrDaNFLk0t7omCNuC6E1yU5aBSbKIFunUGhEO6p1cRfbgXIFXTquu1KCsogvSq-InKIERiS6hpkNhtYA/s400/005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538070753627895298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvCJzNAwhsw4HYByJ8hmEbpVRFLTMWneKEgymUydJvczB32-LOjHfoSiL2g_ptdqJqvPvURGydfuTXlccb95DB6ZcqV4w9hR-tEoAtEeQ3FKC9mgQJreGLxFlSXxGQlR1z2VL5zhy-v8/s1600/015.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvCJzNAwhsw4HYByJ8hmEbpVRFLTMWneKEgymUydJvczB32-LOjHfoSiL2g_ptdqJqvPvURGydfuTXlccb95DB6ZcqV4w9hR-tEoAtEeQ3FKC9mgQJreGLxFlSXxGQlR1z2VL5zhy-v8/s400/015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538070750429992594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOW6LtaoMK5g30i0B4L6IInjNaeFI4SMVGALD1WD35G-pbKC32Eo4aX6zV4KfqD6sx8mYxLjUwMu6uptKgnSSOT11wll3vDuscUU8PONOw0q-HevnmS3RrYD6iFpXixjR6CMzhq2xBPw/s1600/010.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOW6LtaoMK5g30i0B4L6IInjNaeFI4SMVGALD1WD35G-pbKC32Eo4aX6zV4KfqD6sx8mYxLjUwMu6uptKgnSSOT11wll3vDuscUU8PONOw0q-HevnmS3RrYD6iFpXixjR6CMzhq2xBPw/s400/010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538070744120324722" border="0" /></a>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-33965689439706548562010-11-09T14:16:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.592-06:00It's a Start!Today was my first day on my new adventure that I talked about yesterday. I started with a bowl of steel cut oats that I had cooked overnight in the slow cooker. After I skimmed a layer of what I can only describe as goo off the top, they were delicious. I added a little brown sugar and some chopped pecans. Most of us ate and liked the oatmeal, except Ethan wouldn't even try it. He had some All Bran instead. Tomorrow I'm planning to do pancakes.<br /><br />Also, on the budgeting/saving money front, I decided to try to take shorter showers. I remember reading somewhere about an actress (can't remember who, at the moment) who said she took five minute showers. At the time, I thought that was ridiculous. No one with long hair can wash and condition their hair, wash their body, and also shave their legs in five minutes. But guess what? I did it in 5 1/2 minutes this morning. Legs shaved and everything.<br /><br />----------------<br />Okay, it is now day two, but my keyboard stopped working in the middle of typing my blog post yesterday, so I couldn't finish it. I made pancakes for the rest of the family this morning, but I should have made a double batch because I forgot how much they eat. So they got eaten, but I had leftover oatmeal, and it was still good. And I had so much energy today at the gym--way more than I usually have. I don't know if it was the oatmeal, or the fact that Ethan has been sick and I've not gone to the gym for the last two days (I had to work out at home). Whatever it was, I'll take it, and I hope it continues!Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1579899208849002815.post-84583447880420788502010-11-08T11:56:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:12:46.610-06:00Trying to eat better<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g-5RG3A35Qq9FYAq05tcw8Y8VZ0iMFg4h7rIKqg99D-M8sp8CmBJMJcv1_EreH3GCx27NcYB6VMzfmuKixr7daweiejg7e1bkef0Tu_3dVFo_mElow6su6bSt5grZtdCoO0MnFywpOLL/s1600/511eHmnaBCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_g-5RG3A35Qq9FYAq05tcw8Y8VZ0iMFg4h7rIKqg99D-M8sp8CmBJMJcv1_EreH3GCx27NcYB6VMzfmuKixr7daweiejg7e1bkef0Tu_3dVFo_mElow6su6bSt5grZtdCoO0MnFywpOLL/s200/511eHmnaBCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537249099612922306" border="0" /></a>The other day I watched the movie Food, Inc. If you haven't seen it, and you want to be able to keep eating whatever you want, for heaven sakes don't watch it! It will change the way you think. It has actually made me a bit miserable, because I'd love to be able to eat healthy, locally made or grown foods, and it's just such a huge undertaking from where I am right now.<br /><br />But I decided it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I can start with baby steps and change one thing at a time until eventually we are where I would like to be with what we're eating.<br /><br />So, I decided to start with meat, since that one is a biggie for me. Both in that we really like to eat meat around here and that where meat comes from is quite possibly one of the most horrifying things in the food industry. We've just made our first order for a quarter of a cow at <a href="http://www.utahnaturalmeat.com/">Utah Natural Meat</a>. This is my first baby step. This is just about all I can talk my husband into at the moment. Eventually I'd like to get all of our meat from local sources, but my chicken and fish will still have to be bought at the grocery store. For now. I have to keep telling myself I'm going in little steps. Otherwise my family (and probably me, too) would rebel.<br /><br />I'm thinking even though I can't change everything completely at once, I still need to make healthier choices for our food. Even if my food can't be completely locally purchased, it can still be as healthy, organic, and unprocessed as possible. This means a big change in our breakfasts. My boys eat the sugary breakfast cereal nearly every morning. It's quick, cheap and easy, especially since my boys wake up between 6:00 and 6:30 wanting to eat right away, and I am so not a morning person. But I need to quit with the laziness and think about what's best for my kids.<br /><br />So I need help. I need some good breakfast ideas that are not processed, yucky foods. I already have a recipe for pancakes made from scratch that I will do sometimes. I plan to make the pancake batter the night before so it's all ready to go in the morning. But I need more ideas, and I know they're out there. And another big thing for me is that I don't want to spend a ton of money. Eating healthier is more expensive. For some reason, our country has it backwards and the more unhealthy a food is for you, the cheaper it is, it seems.<br /><br />Here begins my new adventure of eating better while trying to stay on a budget. Anyone want to join me? Start by watching this:<br /><br /><object data="http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/modules/takepart/takepart_video/swf/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360"> <param name="flashvars" value="bc=26576134001&autoplay=false"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#202020"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> </object><br /><br />Also, I'm reading and really enjoying <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Vegetable-Miracle-Year-Food/dp/0060852569/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289242291&sr=8-1">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</a> by Barbara Kingsolver, and I know there are a ton of other resources out there. It's always more fun and easier to do things when you have other people trying to do the same things you are, so I'm looking for a support system. I'd love to hear from other people who are already eating healthy and local, or from those who, like me, want to start.<br /><br />(Sorry to any of you who read my blog and also read <a href="http://aprongirls.blogspot.com/">Apron Girls</a>. I'm cross-posting today)Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884767316389408660noreply@blogger.com3