* Clean Up *

I feel like i spend more time cleaning up than i do anything else. But i guess that just comes along with owning a house, living in it and having people to share it with. When you look at it that way, it doesn't make the cleaning seem so bad. I do not despise cleaning because i love things organized and in their spots. However, the way may house looks right now, things are definitely NOT organized and in their spots. I have about 15 John Deere tractors in my kitchen floor right now. Yes, those belong to Chayton. And if you move them, he will get highly upset. I learned that the hard way. I am hoping later that i can coerce him into taking 1/2 upstairs and putting the other 1/2 in the floor of his closet. Wish me luck with that one!! Tonight will be a cleaning night for me. The upstairs needs to be cleaned and re-arranged. I am hoping that i have cooperation from my 2 boys in letting me accomplish this. It will make one less room that needs to be cleaned for Saturday or Sunday.
The weather is going to be so nice on Saturday that i think the rest of the cleaning will have to be postponed for Sunday. I may just plan on sitting outside and watching football for the majority of the day tomorrow!! I will just have to see what things i get accomplished tonight!!

That is FUNNY stuff right there! If it were only that easy!

-> Weight Loss Game <-

I am not sure what is going on with my weight loss, but i feel like i am playing a game that i am not doing very well at. I guess i need to re-phrase that... I have been playing the game VERY well until this week. I have not done anything different and have not really changed anything. I have still been working out every day and eating healthy. I have not felt good since Monday but i am feeling better today but surely that is not why i am stuck. I am stuck at a 14 pound loss. All i need is to lose 0.1 lb to get to 15 and i CANNOT do it!! I do weigh myself every single day like you are NOT supposed to do but i have always done that. It is not something that i can do just once a week. Yesterday, i weighed and the difference is + 2.2. Yes, that would be me gaining!!! HOW?? WHY?? I have no clue but i am totally frustrated. I have re-traced everything that i have put in my mouth and cannot figure it out. And i know i will not figure it out. This morning i weighed myself and i was back down 2.4 pounds, which puts me 0.2 less than i was on Tuesday morning. I am going to continue on the rest of the week and weekend like i have been and see where i am come Sunday morning.  If i have not lost a few more pounds, my diet will change to low carb for a little while to get out of this rut. I hate to cut out fruit and some veggies that i love but i gotta do what i gotta do!! This too shall pass (i hope) and i will be back on the road where i need to be. Having said all of this, my clothes are still continuing to show a difference in the weight loss so i am not going to be too discouraged just yet. I will WIN this game. I will not let this weight loss game defeat me.

OOH La La

I would have never thought in a million years that i would tell someone that i love a pair of socks!! Socks, really?? YES! The picture is a pair of Zensah compression socks that i ordered from Zappos to run in. Here is the description of what the sock claims to do...

• Whether you're looking to break your P.R. or training to set your first, the performance enhancing technology of these Zensah® compression socks are sure to keep you on your feet.
• Ideal for runners, cyclists, triathletes and any person regularly on his or her feet.
• Made with a gradient compression that provides support for muscles in the shin and the calf.
• Designed to prevent blood from pooling in the foot and help increase circulation.
• Can be worn pre-workout to help activate muscles and reduce the risk of injury, during exercise to enhance performance, or post-workout to promote speedy recovery time.

I got the package yesterday and decided to put them on and see how they felt... OH MY GOODNESS, i actually left them on and slept in them. They make your legs feel so good. I actually have them on today at work also. I am going to try them out later when i workout and see if i can tell a difference. Who would have thought that a $50 pair of socks were worth the money?? If i wouldn't have had a scare with my legs swelling something awful last Friday, i can assure you that i would not have paid that much money for a pair of socks regardless of the hype. But, since i was not sure if the swelling was from pounding the pavement running or from a heater on my feet daily at work, i took the chance and ordered them. I also ordered a pink pair and that brand was Vitalsox. Here they are...

This brand was a little cheaper so we will see how i like these as well. I hope i love them as much as the Zensah. We shall see!

| PROGRESS |

I have now been on my path to a healthier life for 3 weeks and 1 day...but who is counting right?! I am HAPPY to say that i have lost 14 pounds so far. I am 0.2 pounds away from 15 pounds. It is going really good. When you are trying to lose weight, you never lose fast enough but i am trying not to focus on that at this point. I have already convinced myself that this will take at least 4-5 months to get to where i prefer to be. I hope i am not disappointed with that time frame but it is better than saying it could be done in a short 2 months (which would be pure perfection)! However, i am trying to be realistic. I am just making sure that i workout on a daily basis and i make smart choices with my eating. I am doing fairly well with running/walking 4 miles a day. I still need a little help on getting my weight training video done but that is a work in progress. I am hoping to at least do it 3 times this week. Time management is always a challenge...especially now with the time change. I am going to make it happen. By adding weight training, i am hoping to maximize my weight loss!

- NOT Feelin' It -

Today is one of those dreaded days where i am just not feelin' it! I did not sleep well at all. I think i watched the clock every hour and sometimes, more often than that. I woke up with a sore throat and headache and i just feel yucky. Not feeling well was not in my plan for the week but things do not always go as planned, now do they?? With the time change, i was hoping that i would just jump out of bed, be ready to go and be way ahead of schedule this morning. That, however, did not happen. Instead, things were very slow to start and still are. Jackson's school called me at work about 9:30 this morning and he wasn't feeling well either. I am really hoping that this was just a crazy Monday and tomorrow will be better for everyone!

This is PERFECT for today!!

< Cooking Up a Storm >

I pretty much spent most of today cooking! Yes, it  literally took me ALL day long but all of our food for the week is planned and and most of it is already cooked, with the exception of Thursday-Sunday. Here is what my meal planning looked like for the week...

Monday- Roast with Mushrooms and Wild Rice

Tuesday- Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup (crockpot)

Wednesday- Muffin Tin Meatloaf (made with Ground Turkey) with Green Beans

Thursday- Baked Potato Soup (crockpot)

Friday- Turkey Burger with Baked Beans 

Saturday & Sunday- Grill Out... i usually do not plan my meals for the weekends because so many things can change. 

I was just in one of those moods to get as much done for the week as possible, and that i did! With the time change, I am not sure how my running is going to go. I love going outside but by the time i get home from work, change and leave, it will be getting dark. The route that we go is not lined with street lights, so that may be a problem. It would be easy for me to get home and get it done on the treadmill, but that is just SO BORING! We shall see how it goes.

~ SEW Much to Do ~

It was not coincidence that i spelled Sew in my title rather than So. I went on a shopping frenzy for fabric about a week ago and bought Chayton like 9 new different fabrics for pants (and of course for shirt appliques as well). It has been an entire YEAR since i have sewn him a pair of pants and probably do not remember how. But, (somehow) this weekend, i am planning on getting started on making him some outfits. I have been telling myself that i did not purchase that sewing/monogramming machine to just sit there. I have SO many things that i need to make and monogram that i will probably never finish. It will make me happy if i am just able to get back in the swing. It requires quite a bit of time but i am going to try to dedicate a bit of time on the weekends to get my projects done now that Jackson's baseball is over. My fingers are crossed that this is a success. Here are a few fabrics that i purchased...

There was one other print that matches a HOG shirt that i have appliqued for him, 3 different ginghams and brown corduroy. I am excited about them and cant wait to get started (hopefully)! HAPPY FRIDAY Y'ALL!! 

Halloween 2012

Usually on Halloween, we invite family and friends over and have food, drinks, treats and a hay ride. Our Halloween was a little different this year. I have been so focused on getting back on track with exercising that my plans for Halloween were thrown to the waste side. It was not intentional at all, but we did not even discuss the "H" word until this past Sunday...yes, that was just a few days before the event. I really do not think that anyone in my household was feeling it this year. However, on Tuesday, we made up our minds that we would go hang out with the neighbors and walk to the haunted cove on Halloween. We have not WALKED around on Halloween since i can even remember. It was good though! Our afternoon/evening went a little like this...I got off of work at 3:30 (horray for early), went home and immediately changed clothes to go run. We got back home a little before 5:00 and i started getting our broccoli cheese soup heated for dinner while the boys played outside for a bit. We ate, got dressed and headed down the street to our friend's house a little after 6. We hung out and talked there for about 30 minutes, grabbed some of the kids and headed down the street, around the corner and to the haunted cove. Our neighborhood is so good for trick or treating and we always see a ton of people. We had a fun, relaxed night. And were home by 8:45. Maybe we will get on track next year!

 Yes...this is how it started with the pictures!

 He got a little better, thanks to Luke

 Now, he is ready. This was the only second he wore the hat

 Our neighbor's house...the only one he went to without one of us

 Luke, Grant, Jackson and Chloe

 Scary dude walking around in the haunted cove that jumped in the picture with Jackson and Savannah

Jackson and Carley

{ Promise to do Better }

This is SO very true! I have exercised some off and on since Chayton was born (2.5 years ago) and i am totally ashamed of that. I have had periods of time over the past 10 years where i was totally focused on taking care of my body and other times where it really did not matter to me. It only takes one de-railment of the train to get you off track. And, it happens! It has happened to me many times. I am in hopes that it has happened for the last time. I actually like to run/exercise...i really do. But i do have days where i am just dreading the fact that i have to do it. IT HAPPENS. Although, once i have actually started, that dread goes away. And once i am finished, i feel so much better and tell myself that there is nothing to dread. It is so much easier exercising when you are at your goal weight. There is not as much pressure on you because you are just maintaining. I want to be there! It is going to happen...some how, some way- i am going to accomplish my goal.