Eating 2 Live Videos

I am still working hard and spending very little time on the computer. My Peter Rabbit quilt is 1 block away from being finished...I should be putting binding on tomorrow. Both quilt tops are coming along nicely and my garden is almost in. It is small....very small, but will give us some wonderful veggies for our summer table.

I hope to be back posting mid week, but wanted to let you know I put up a couple of videos on

Eating 2 Live.

They are to motivate, inform, educate, and inspire. I have a few more scheduled to post so check back to see them. They are short, but worth the watch for those of you who need to change some food/exercise habits.

Charlotte was tickled by your wonderful comments to her. You are all so sweet!!!

Be Blessed!!!

Bren

Diet Challenge and Zach's Room

(click on the pic for the link)

It is that time again. I had a 3 pound weight loss this week, though I can take no joy nor pride in it. The stomach flu gets all the credit! It also gets credit for completely destroying my plan. All the dry toast and crackers had me craving carbs in no time. My stomach is still not able to tolerate lots of salad and meat, so I am looking at a different plan. Still low carb, but tweaked. I would have no problem sticking with the Atkins style of low carb I have been doing except 1) it is not working like in the past...only 3 pounds a month...not worth it. And 2) it is expensive. So I am starting this week (today) on a new plan. It is a cross between, low carb, Body For Life, and Biggest Loser....I will be eating 5-6 small meals a day...no super sized anything!!Healthy choices, of course. No preservatives or artificial junk. ABSOLUTELY NO high fructose corn syrup and NO white stuff (flour, sugar, potatoes, rice...)I will be careful to choose carbs with a low glycemic index (GI). For example, this morning I had oatmeal and a light yogurt. Yogurt has a GI of 14, and Oatmeal 55. Anything below 55 is low. 56-70 is medium (I will stay out of this range) and over 70 is high. You can see a sample chart here. Just a note...not all low GI foods are ok. A Snickers bar falls into the low GI range, but is full of empty calories. Also, mixing foods can have an effect on GI counts. Eating the yogurt with the oatmeal actually lowered the GI count in the oatmeal, though I am not sure how much. I will always eat a protein with a carb and a carb with a protein. Small portions. 2 meals a day will have a low GI carb and those will be early in the day. The other meals will have veggies and a protein. Dinner will be very light and no real carbs to speak of except the salad or veggies. Something new for me to study...I thought I had read it all, but I guess not! I devoured this book... ...and now plan to re-read the Body For Life book and The Biggest Loser book.This new plan also means I will have to UP my exercise!! I think I will need to join an actual gym. It is only 19.95 a month and has great facilities. A review ranked it 5 stars and I have one just down the street.It seems busy early morning and late afternoon/evening, but mid-day there is no one there...that is when I will go.If Sweetheart is busy I can take the kids with me!OK, enough of that! Here are some pics I have promised of Zach's room. It is still not quite finished, but you get the idea.On either side of the window, Sweetheart put a large Z and H (Zach's initials). Zachary helped with the painting. They also painted (and repaired) the stripes of wood on the paneling. Red, blue, yellow and green.

They hung posters and baseball caps....The frames will contain Zach's own artwork...just haven't gotten them in there yet.

Another poster is going over the bed, but the one Zach wanted was out of stock. He is willing to wait for it.Well that is all for now. Kids are schooling, Kyle went back to work today, and Sweetheart is in the basement sanding. I planned to dust and vacuum, but think I will wait til he is done for the day. Right now I am going to listen to my kids read out loud and stitch on the Underground Railroad sampler at the same time!

Seeing Stars

My day has started out rough. I think being cooped up in the house has made everyone crabby. Zach is shouting and growling at everyone....though he is in time out so is quiet at the moment. Charlotte's cycle of behavior is still going, though Daddy caught on and seemed to gain control where I can not. (Yippee!!!) and I am melancholy for some reason. Well, let's not dwell there. Before I forget, again, I wanted to share the room make over Sweetheart did a while back. He did Charlotte's room before he did my sewing room, but I keep forgetting to post pics. Here is the before....And here is the after....He hung new drapes (clearance priced to almost "here, just take them for nothing") and new bedding for just about the same 90% off! He put up a strip of white wood trim around the middle of the room and painted a lighter lavender below it.He painted all the dark green trim on the furniture the same lavender. When he bought those, almost free, drapes, he came home and noticed they were different prints. Quite funny, but it worked out. He went back and bought (or took) the matching ones and used the other pair to reupholster the desk chair. Much cheaper than buying fabric and it matches!!The carpet is still ruined, but is on the other side of the bed so I don't have to look at it. Daddy is checking her bedding and room regularly for destruction. It is a huge relief to not worry about that, and she seems to be doing good listening to him.

Zach's room is 90% redone. I will share pics soon.

I got the border on the Star Sampler. Borders are difficult for me. If you cut them, sew them on and trim, you have a big ripple effect. Sooooo, you must measure. My quilt measured 48.5 inches exactly in width. That means all my seams were a perfect 1/4 inch...yeah, me!!! So I cut my border 48.5 and attached it. Still it seemed the border was about an inch short, even though it was not. Why?? Cause you measure the middle of the quilt. So I worked at fudging it on all 4 sides and now, with borders attached it measures a perfect 60x72 with no ripples.

Since it no longer takes up my design wall, I put up my next project. An, almost 1/2 finished Hidden Star. 40 blocks total, laid out 5x7.Forgive the lighting. I have been working on this quilt, on and mostly off, for 11 years. I pulled it out last year and was going to finish it. I had it laid out on the floor, and a friend walked in and sucked air in utter horror. She said, "YOU ARE NOT MAKING THAT TO GIVE TO SOMEONE ARE YOU?? THAT IS UGLY!!!" So I put it up. She is not a quilter, and I realized....She has never liked one quilt I have ever made, so I pulled it back out. Everyone has their opinion and I happen to like these fabrics and the block is ok....not a favorite, but I still like it. It is a quilt for someone else and I think it will be loved. (My friend really does love me...she feels close enough to share her opinion and many of her's are different than my own...it is ok)

Some of you have wondered why I dislike quilting classes. Well, I am self taught and I have never taken a quilting class. I did go to a lecture class once, and learned from some "classes" taught at my old guild, but I am so set in my quilting ways that I would feel very insecure, plus I can get a block together with out paying some one to show me how...it seems a waste. However, with Sweetheart's encouragement I did sign up for a BOM class at my little fabric store up here. It will be one Monday a month and we will be making...what else??...a star quilt! I told Winona, 2009 is my year for star quilts!! I also decided to try the lecture class for the kit I bought...not committing to sticking with that one though.

Changing the subject....I joined Sharon's Diet Challenge.
We update on Monday's and I need to take a before picture....yikes!!! I have lost 29.5 pounds so far...I still have a ways to go. I am doing low carb, as it makes me feel great and corrects many of my health issues.

It is basically Atkins, though I do not eat fast food burgers, nor do I eat pork or shell fish. I had a big stall in my weight loss for a few weeks. I could not figure it out and then looked carefully at everything I ate. I found I was getting 40 teaspoons of coffee creamer a day!!!!! MAN! That is an extra 40 carbs. I lowered that WAY down and the pounds started to come off again.

That is about it. I pray the day turns around here. I guess as long as I am on the computer it will stay the same, so off I go!

Let The Holiday's Begin

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away and the preparations are well underway. The shopping is done and the menu is planned. More fresh fruits and veggies along with a nice garden salad are being added. Cute little poster but so UNTRUE. I am getting rid of as many preservatives as I can. A new ranch dressing recipe has become a big favorite here.1 c mayo

1/2 c sour cream

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chopped chives

2 teaspoons dried or fresh parsley

buttermilk til desired consistency

Makes 1 pint

The kids and I enjoyed a nice workout this morning. We walked a mile with Leslie Sansone. Zach had taken his jammie shirt off and tied it around himself "Rambo" style. Too cute.That only took 20 minutes, even though it made me sweat and got my heart rate up there. The kids worked on their math while I continued with a Pilate's circle workout and my daily 100 crunches.

With only a 3 pound weight loss in the last 2 weeks, I need to step things up a bit.

I spent some time in my sewing room over the weekend.This mess will need to be cleaned up today. The entire upstairs is getting cleaned. I did get some good progress. The apron is finished and wrapped, ready to be given for a birthday gift on Thanksgiving day.This bag was created...I really like this one. It is a Galena fabric...one I bought on my trip last spring.These squares got cut and are ready to be stitched into a special gift for Christmas.
The Amish table runner is basted and in the hoop, ready to be hand quilted. A set of Christmas coasters are made up and another set ready to stitch. Things are moving right along in the sewing department. Until Thanksgiving is over, only hand quilting will take place.

Well, this upstairs area is not going to clean itself. I love my home, but it can get messy very easily. How does that happen? It must be the kids, cause it can't be ME!!!

Praying your Thanksgiving is blessed!!!!

Here I Go Again

"So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands."

2 Corinthians 8:10-11

The Message

Those are the verses I read in my Bible yesterday. Actually I read the KJV, but I will look at other versions of a verse that "speaks" to me. THOSE verses certainly spoke to me. It was God giving me a thumbs up...an encouraging word, if you will. I have been focused over the last week or so (again) to get my daily exercise, eat right, and even take those supplements I am always forgetting to take! I have even limited my coffee intake and replaced diet soda with water! It is a miracle!!! Ok, so I may have a small glass of diet soda once in a while, but nothing like before.While in the drug store, I picked up treats for the kids and I grabbed a treat for myself. Not a Snickers bar, or a Hershey with Almonds (both my favs), but a Fiji water! Not all water is created equal. Fiji is my absolute favorite. It has the best taste to it...clean. Only problem is the cost. A 1 liter bottle is $2.49!!! THAT is a treat! But I made a good choice.

Ugly Betty (my treadmill) and I have been spending time every day together and I plan to spend even more time with her as I work my way up to a higher level of endurance. Daily crunches and Tuesday/Thursday weight training add muscle tone. Now the stress....how do I get rid of that??? It is a health stealer. I can't get rid of the kids...just kidding,...kinda. Well I need to deal with it. I added back the Christian Yoga on Mon, Wed, Fri....
After doing it this morning I really felt the release of stress in my body. Does all that sound overwhelming? It is NOT. It is vital for my health and I plan to be disciplined and continue, no matter the difficulty. Here is what the Lord spoke to me today:

"For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness--in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].
So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees,
And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured."

Hebrews 12:11-13

Amplified Bible

Boy, if that doesn't say it all!!! And you thought those verses only spoke of "getting in trouble"!

Here is something helpful. The Eating 2 Live blog is now open to the public. This blog is not just for those who need to lose weight. It is for any woman (yes, it is geared toward women) who has a desire to get healthier. Also, we have added a 5th contributor. Andrea Cherie is a young, fit, health conscience woman, who has wonderful knowledge of healthy food choices.

I borrowed a book from Winona (no blog, YET), and have really enjoyed it. I am half way through and the information is wonderful. In case you forgot, or are new here, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read books on health and fitness. You would think I would be at 12% body fat, and running marathons....those are only dreams. Anyway, the book is really full of great information I had not read before. Andrea and her husband follow this diet (not every facet) and she will be sharing on the Eating 2 Live blog in the near future.

I hope you visit the blog and share your goals, tips, and victories. It is a place of positive encouragement, and a community of wonderful women.

Chatting Over Pie

I am feeling much better after my "ordeal" on Thursday. I am not good with the dentist. Thursday I go back for some work on a crown, but as long as I am leaving with all my parts, that is fine. My sinus issues are calming down too, so I feel better than I have in weeks. A stiff jaw, is nothing compared to intense pain!!I have spent a bit of time quilting this past week. I got all the hand quilting done on the fall table topper. I am pleased with it. I have the binding made and ready to put on. Tomorrow, I should be able to mark it "finished" on my list of New Years Eve Challenges.My neighbor went to the apple orchard and brought me a bag of apples, perfect for a pie. I came home from church (which was awesome!) and got my pie crust recipe out, and all my tools ready.No Kitchen Aide mixer here, so all my tools are very basic...I am the same in the kitchen as in the sewing room. Old fashioned basics.This is what I found when I went to the pantry for something.....That Zachary and his rubber bugs and snakes!!!!!

I got over my shock and rolled out my pie crust.

I use the "roll it to the middle" trick to move it to the pie plate.... It works well. Do you have a trick to get the dough from the rolled out stage to the pie plate?I simply mix 3/4 c sugar, 2 TBS flour, 1/2 t. cinnamon (I use a little more) and 1/8 t of nutmeg in with my sliced apples.

The top crust of my pie always looks ugly....I cut some shapes out of the left over dough and decorate over my mistakes.The kids LOVE pie crust cut outs. I just sprinkle a little sugar on them before I bake them up. That way there is no waste!I am terrible at cleaning as I go, but I really try. Today the mess is cleaned up and the pie is in the oven for dessert tonight.It feels SOOOOO good to want to bake and do my routine chores. I look forward to serving a nice dinner to my family tonight and the pie will be a bonus! A couple of Blog-worthy announcements.....Calling all QUILTERS!!!!!

There is still time to join the Quilter's Giveaway scheduled for Oct. 1st and drawn on Oct. 15th. Debi is doing a very GENEROUS drawing for all those involved. You do not have to make something. It can be a book, a charm square pack, notions....anything quilt related. Let's have a successful 1st giveaway. It is all about giving....click on the scarecrow to join!!!

Also...all members of the Eating 2 Live community....
Where are you??? You must be eating pie!!!! Really, lets leave some comments. There is no tracker there and I know most of you are reading, but lets encourage each other. This is a closed community, so if you are not a member and want to be, let me know and I will send you an invitation. No particular fitness/weight loss program is used. We all do "our thing" and encourage each other along the way.

Finally, I want to mention my journey with 1000 Gifts.
I have had such a wonderful experience in this blog based journal. It has been such a joy. I encourage any of you who have trouble keeping a hand written journal to consider doing a daily gratitude blog. My 1000 Gifts blog "The Offering Of Thanksgiving" has been a wonderful source of communication with God. It starts each day for me and I am better for it! Let Ann know if you join. You can do that by clicking on the above banner.

Now, I know you are all going through Emerson withdrawls!!! I will end this post with a pic of Emerson and her Great Grandmother....TJ calls her "Old Grandma"!!! I love it...when she is here, he calls me "New Grandma"!