One more quick note! I recently had a great opportunity come my way, that I'm so excited to share with you all! It may or may not even come with a giveaway.....
So keep on the look out for it in the near future! 

Reading  Still haven't been reading much at all, besides some blogs. I started reading Wildwood by Colin Meloy a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't touched it since! I did go check out it's sequel, Under Wildwood, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, from the library this week though. I guess that mean's I had better get on it!
Writing  This post, mostly. I've had a couple of ideas for new posts bouncing around, but I haven't put those thoughts into text yet. I'm hoping to soon though! I also plan on re-writing my About page soon. I just think I could do it better, you know? So that is definitely on my list.
Listening  The same old stuff, it seems like. I have just about burned out my playlists on Spotify though, so I'll be on the hunt for some new tunes! Or maybe some old ones that I haven't heard in a while. Also, I guess I should also mention that I learned to rap word for word along to "Thriftshop!" I know, it's ridiculous, and it drives Dane crazy because it is so overplayed! Then you throw me in, rapping it to myself constantly throughout the day, and he's had just about enough, ha!
Thinking  About my upcoming trip to Idaho! I'm so happy to be going home for a little while. Five months is just so long to go without being there! I've seen my parents a couple times in those five months, and a couple of my sisters got to stay about a month with me, but there's lots of other people I haven't seen. Especially my bestie! I'm coming Kayla, you'd better be ready!
Smelling  Fresh air. It has been so nice out lately, I've been opening my house up. I love it when I finally get to air out the stale old winter air! It's so, so refreshing! I feel like this is one of the nicest end-of-winter seasons we've had since I've lived here!
Wishing  I was in a little better shape. The worst part about not working out, is how hard it is to get back into it! You would think that I would use that motivation to always stay active but, for some reason, that's not the case. A year ago, I ran a ten mile race. This week, my lungs are burning after running for ten minutes. It's not good, people! It's not good.
Hoping  I don't pig out too badly today. We're having our first barbecue of the year with my in-laws, and it's going to be delicious! Luckily, I can have lots of veggies, and I'm sure there won't be a shortage of those.
Loving  My first pedicure of the new year! I've been terrible about doing my nails (fingers and toes) for a while now, and I've been craving some pink! So, as you can see, I busted out my Spring colors, and jazzed them up a bit! I forgot how much more I love my feet when they are all cute and colorful.


Wanting  To be seeing some results already!. I've started eating better and working out, and week one yielded no losses. I'm bumming hard! Well, maybe not that hard, but it's a little discouraging to feel like you did everything right, and see nothing for your hard work. Oh well, I feel better physically, so that's a huge plus, and hopefully this week will be better. I've already planned some tweaks to my diet, so wish me luck!
Needing  To be drinking more water! I make sure I have some everyday, but I know I'm coming nowhere near what I should be. I need to start carrying my trusty water bottle with me everywhere again, and see if that helps.
Feeling  Pretty tired! Losing that precious hour of sleep in the Spring always does me in! Coupled with the fact that I already had a late night, means that I didn't get up early enough to run this morning before getting ready for church. I'm going to have to try to fit it in later today, which will be challenging. And as for being tired, well, I'm sure it will even out soon. I just plan on hitting the hay early tonight!
Clicking  On this. If you are not familiar with Buzzfeed, you should be! I found this on Pinterest, and I just died! I literally had tears! My stomach hurt so, so bad, but it was so worth it. In fact, after writing this, I think I will go look at it again! The Google one is the best, hands down! Or, you know, all the way down....


Also, I just had to share. This is what my camera kept doing to me while taking these photos! Stupid camera! (The grass looks neat though)

Reading  Not much. Mostly just blogs, and some fitness magazines! I've been getting subscriptions to Self, Fitness, and Shape for a few years now. I really like them, I just wish they would give me a little more motivation sometimes! I think I've gotten desensitized to their motivating powers! I do find good information though, so when I do decide to get healthier (like I am right now) I have the right tools available.
Writing  I wrote my first attempt at a funny post! I never realized how hard it would be. I usually hope that people like what I write, but if they don't that's fine too. With humor though, it was different. I was really concerned with putting it into the right words. Even the funniest story can fall flat if it's not told right! My best friend read it though, and even though she's a little biased (she was part of the story), she said she laughed so hard she cried! That's good enough for me!
Listening  My coffee just beeped at me! Which means I can finally have some. Other than that, nothing right now. Just the bathroom fan I forgot to turn off. For music though, I heard a really good song earlier this week, which features my friend Molly! She sang background to her uncle, who performs under the name City Bear. The song is called "Nell" and you can listen to it here.
Thinking  About some of the projects I want to do around here. I know I've mentioned before how long my list is, but I feel really optomistic that we're going to start making a dent in it this year. Dane is working on our shop right now, building shelving and organizing inside. Then it's time to paint the outside, so it matches the house! My next couple of projects will be planting my flower beds (hydreangeas are a must!) and doing the cutting in on the outside of the house. It's going on four years since we started painting, and it's still not finished!
Smelling  Nothing still. I've got those left over symptoms that hang on, even when you're really not sick anymore. Blowing my nose and coughing are still here, but I feel better this weekend. Being sick really put a dent into my training schedule for my 5k! I waited until the last minute, and gave myself just enough time to fit it in before the race. Well, now I'm a week off, and I don't want to start running until my lungs are totally clear. Bleh! I may not be running it this year after all.
Wearing  My pajamas, again. I think I'm going to start cutting this one out, unless I actually put on real clothes. I always write this first thing in the morning, before I shower and get ready for church. I guess I could tell you what I plan on wearing later? I just bought an adorable little summer dress, but I'm busting it out early. It's a really vibrant, burnt-ish orange (I suck at describing colors) and the top has all these little flowers of the same color and fabric sewn on. It's a subtle, but very pretty, feminine detail!
Loving  Mexican food. It's one of my absolute favorites, and I like to make it on a semi-regular basis. I made chicken fajitas last night, and they were awesome! I actually didn't eat mine with a tortilla though, because I'm tyring to cut back on my carbs again. I just eat them with a fork, and a side of avacado and sour cream! Yum!
Wanting  To shed a few pounds. I always want this, but I finally decided to jump on the wagon again, and start eating healthier. Eating low carb really works for me, and when I stick to it I see really good results! Plus, I always feel better, and the less sugar I eat, the less I crave it. Well, I decided to join my parents in No Dessert March, so we'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!
Needing  To wash my hair! It's been a few days, and it's a total grease bomb. I should have washed it last night, but my hair just will not cooperate unless it's freshly washed right before I style it. Sleeping on it does it no favors whatsoever!
Feeling  Sore! I did a lot of yard work yesterday. I prepped my front flower beds, and mowed the yard. Then I swept my sidewalks off. Everything was looking pretty shabby. We just topped our tree, and there were sticks everywhere! Our beds have always been a disaster, and except for the rosebush that was already there, one of them has never had anything planted in it. Besides weeds. Curb appeal is usually lacking a lot at our house! Not anymore though. There's still nothing planted, but there are no more weeds, and everything looks nice and clean. Definitely worth the sore shoulders and back I have today.
Clicking  On a lot of Jenna Marbles videos lately. I probably shouldn't admit that, because those of you that know who she is, know how raunchy and foul mouthed her videos are! She's is just so funny though! It's kind of a guilty pleasure of mine, I'll watch them once in a while. If you don't mind hearing some inappropriate stuff, you should watch this one. It's hilarious! But if that bothers you, definitely don't watch any of her stuff!

So, I've thought about posting a recipe for a while now, but I didn't know what I would post! I wanted to post something original, but I've just been feeling so uninspired in the kitchen lately. And by lately, I mean the last year or two! I seem to remember a time when I made a lot of good food, and I was really into trying new recipes! I don't know what happened, but now every time dinner rolls around, it just feels like a chore. I put it off because I don't know what to make, I ho and hum and mope around, and then I end up with either a boring chicken breast/side of veggie, or the always popular, but super unhealthy, meat and potatoes combo! Plus, it's eight o'clock, and Dane's been hungry for a couple hours. Housewife fail!

I did get a little more inventive a couple of months ago, when I was going through my low-carb kick. I had to be a little more creative to come up with filling, healthy veggie dishes, and I ended up coming up with a couple of low-carb soups! One in particular, the broccoli cheese, has been sounding crazy good lately (probably because I've been sick) and I decided I couldn't wait any longer, I had to make some!

Then I decided I should share it with you all!

I usually am not much of a recipe follower, so a lot of the times I make something up, I can't hardly recreate it. This soup was so easy though, I could remember pretty much all of it. I decided to actually write down everything I did this time, and then tweak it to make it turn out even better! It is so simple, and it doesn't take very long. Plus, did I mention, there's only six ingredients?

Here's what you're going to need:

2 tablespoons of butter or oil
1 medium onion
1 head of cauliflower
6-7 cups of chicken broth
5-6 cups of broccoli
5 cups of cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk (optional)
salt and pepper to taste




I used a six quart, enamel covered cast iron pot, but any large heavy duty pot should do the trick. Start off by chopping your onion and cauliflower. Melt your butter over medium heat, and add your onion. You want to saute it for about five to ten minutes, until it softens. They should go from something like this:



Meanwhile, rinse your cauliflower and add it to your pot. Then, add your broth.

Yesterday I got on my scale and week one....was a success! I lost 1.4 lbs. which was pretty much my goal, and pretty impressive since I felt like I had totally failed all weekend long. We had a series of get togethers going on Saturday that made it about impossible to "diet," although I could have opted for healthier choices almost every time and I didn't. Once I fall off the wagon so badly it takes me a few days to get back on track, so I was a bit surprised when the scale showed some progress.

Now, I know some people are very anti-scale, but I find mine to be a very useful tool. I can't just judge by how my body is feeling. I can feel slimmer and then step on to see that I've gained two pounds, or I can lose two pounds but feel totally bloated and fat! It's very easy for me to convince myself that if I just "try to eat healthier" and I'm having a good day, that I'm losing weight. When actually I'm gaining! So I like to see clear results and know for sure whether or not I am having any progress. I don't obsess over it or anything like that, I just weigh in once a week to make sure I'm headed in the right direction.

Two things I would like to work on this week are drinking more water, and logging a little more work out time. Last week I did alright as far as exercise I thought, but looking back I think I only walked a couple of times and went to yoga once. I was being a total slacker and I've skipped my last two yoga classes, so my goal is to make sure I go this week. I've also gotten into the bad habit of drinking most of my water at work. Which means that I'm not drinking very much at all! So I'm making myself drink a glass right now as I sit here writing.

I hope that the good results I had from last week will push me through this one too. I know that the more I lose the harder it will be to shed those pounds, so I'm hoping that I can keep the motivation to keep going. I guess I'll find out if I did next week! 

This week brought about an unpleasant turn of events which means, once again, I am on a diet! That dirty word that (most) all women dread and spend their lives obsessing over. At least mine seems to anyway. I have spent most of the last four years (all of my marriage to date) dealing with weight issues. As a teenager I dealt with most of the problems that a lot of girls do, low self-esteem, constantly picking my body apart, and what not. Then right after high school I got married, moved 500 miles away from most of my friends and family, and packed on 30 lbs. in nine months! I am 5'3" and I stayed pretty consistently between 115-120 lbs. as a teenager, and by the time my one year wedding anniversary rolled around I weighed at least 155 lbs! I say at least because I didn't have regular access to a scale, and I was big enough to know that I didn't want to know how bad it had gotten.

After not having school, and a job, and sports to help keep me trim, and depression keeping me completely unmotivated, I'm really not surprised I gained as much as I did. It was fall of 2009 that I decided to do something about it. I got a gym membership and started following the Weight Watchers program. I lost several pounds very quickly and within a couple of weeks I was down to 143. And that's where I stayed. For another year. I just wasn't very good with the whole dieting thing. Working out I could do. I have always liked to be fit, and sports were always fun. I ran my first 5k that year and it was a blast! But ask me to give up food and I just have to say no.

I am a self realized sugar addict, an emotional eater, a binge-er, and just a general food lover. I have almost no self control! And the problem isn't that I don't like the good stuff, because I do. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, all that healthy food that we're supposed to eat, I do. And I like it. But, I LOVE the bad stuff! Anything with sugar, (white) bread, butter, oil, salt, lots of calories, and lots of flavor, and I just have no self control. If I like it, I eat and eat it until I am completely stuffed.  And as terribly bad as I know it is, and I really do know, McDonald's is one of my favorite fast food places. But, it's not just fast food and over processed packaged stuff, it's homemade baked goods, biscuits, cakes, cookies, cobblers, and any comfort food you can think of. And it's a good thing I just ate breakfast or I would be in my kitchen right now binging! Ha!

In the fall of 2009 my best friend Kayla got engaged, so that meant I wanted to look as good for her wedding as possible. That winter I lost, very slowly, about 13 lbs. It took several months and a lot of struggle but I did it. I felt great and I felt more like my old self, even though I was still heavier and I didn't make my original goal to reach 120-125. But, I was happy with how I looked at the wedding in June of 2011, and I thought that I would be able to maintain it no problem. Then, later down the road, I could hop back on the diet wagon and lose that last five to ten pounds, because really? What's five or ten pounds?

Well, over the last year and a half I have put back on almost all of those 13 lbs. I weighed myself a few days ago and I am back up to 140! Now some people I know would say "Oh brother! 140?? That's nothing, you look fine!" But for me it's not fine. I know I'm not as petite as some, but 5'3" still falls under petite, and at this weight I am walking that line between healthy and overweight for my height. I am not comfortable in my skin at this weight, and I want to be. But mostly I want to reach a healthy weight and maintain it, because all of this yo-yoing these past few years is not good for my body at all. I thought I had it figured out last time, but I guess I didn't, and I now I am dreading the struggle that comes with that ugly four letter word.

Today is day three of my diet, but I'm hoping this time it becomes more of a lifestyle change. I already still use some of the tools and tricks I used to. I use small plates when I eat, I only use stevia in my daily coffee, I order espresso drinks nonfat and half sweet, and I drink water at work instead of soda. I guess now though I have to step it up, and I'm only going to do it for ten weeks. My goal is to lose 15 lbs in those ten weeks, and I'm planning on ending it there whether I am successful or not. I figure if I am really diligent, that should be very doable, and if I fall a little shy of that number, I'll be o.k. with it. The real challenge though will be keeping it off. Apparently it's not as easy as I thought it was, and I will be ending literally days before the holidays begin! But I think I will be able to find that balance, to still have to foods that I love so much, but in moderation so that I don't derail myself.

I know that I have a struggle ahead, but I'm confident I can do it though, because I want to be the healthiest I can be. And hopefully this time it sticks!