God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, so good to me! I love that this song pops into my head every time I pray for something that works out. I feel like sometimes He truly spoils me! I would go into exact detail, but my hubby is a very personal person and he doesn't feel certain things are to be shared so, in order to be submissive to him I will be very vague. But since God deserves some serious praise you will get some information =)
There is an issue in our lives that God has been working with me on, that I have grown because of, and will continue to grow! I have prayed, struggled, and argued with God...then I will see how God always takes care of me and how I should cast all my cares on Him. He loves me and will make sure that His timing is the BEST!
So, after much praying...God gets the glory on this one! And there will more to come.
On a different note completely, the hubby and I are going to take a mini-vacation in March to Branson, MO. This is where we went for our honeymoon 5 years ago. Except this time we are actually staying in a Honeymoon Suite! LOL! It was the only room left in this hotel and they have a jacuzzi tub in the room too :) It is funny that this time we will be staying in a better place but I guess it helps not being 18 and 20 and having real jobs :) I can't wait. It will be so much fun to go to Silver Dollar City again and hit a few Outlet Malls.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I did it!!
Well, so far at least....
Monday...ate pretty much what I had planned except for a few Thin Mints...but I planned some wiggle room on my menu so that is ok. I got on the dreadmill...I mean treadmill for 25 minutes. I even ran!
Tuesday...did fine on the menu. I did pilates and can feel it today.
Today, I put a pot roast in the crock pot so I could have more time to focus on a few projects and much needed housework.
One thing I haven't done was to take my measurements. I need to do that tonight.
A quote from Joseph Pilates.....“You’ll feel better after 10 sessions, look better after 20, and have a completely new body after 30 sessions.”
I was completely motivated by that! I am ready to see how I feel and look :)
Monday...ate pretty much what I had planned except for a few Thin Mints...but I planned some wiggle room on my menu so that is ok. I got on the dreadmill...I mean treadmill for 25 minutes. I even ran!
Tuesday...did fine on the menu. I did pilates and can feel it today.
Today, I put a pot roast in the crock pot so I could have more time to focus on a few projects and much needed housework.
One thing I haven't done was to take my measurements. I need to do that tonight.
A quote from Joseph Pilates.....“You’ll feel better after 10 sessions, look better after 20, and have a completely new body after 30 sessions.”
I was completely motivated by that! I am ready to see how I feel and look :)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Honest Scrap
Thank you Sarah for the blog award....
"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. First, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Second, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Third, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."
SOoooooo.......
I decided instead of just picking out people I would rather give this to everyone ;) Can you feel the love? So, even if you have already received this award or if this is the first you have seen, comment and let me know so that we can all read 10 interesting things about each other! Enjoy and share the love.
"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. First, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Second, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Third, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."
SOoooooo.......
- I could eat cereal every day... oh wait, I do...but I could eat it every meal too :)
- I am the oldest of 4 siblings....I was a mommy long before my time....but that happens when your mom is a single mom
- I was born in California but my heart will always love Oklahoma!
- I am a procrastinator!
- I cannot drive a standard.
- I don't go a day without thinking of my dad that passed away 1 1/2 ago.
- I love to be sarcastic with my kids at school...even when they don't get it!
- My favorite movies are Stardust and The Princess and the Frog! (I just ordered the latter)
- I have found that I love pilates!
- I could spend hours in a fabric store....but you probably could figure that out :D
I decided instead of just picking out people I would rather give this to everyone ;) Can you feel the love? So, even if you have already received this award or if this is the first you have seen, comment and let me know so that we can all read 10 interesting things about each other! Enjoy and share the love.
The Plan....
I have a dream....no wait... I have a PLAN!!
Here is my plan....
Here is my plan....
- 1200 calories a day
- I am tracking the calories on SparkPeople.com
- I planned my weekly menu so that I know BEFORE I eat how many calories
- I will get on the treadmill Monday @ Wednesday
- I will do Pilates on Tuesday and Thursday
- I will do Taebo on Saturday
- I will be taking my measurements tonight....including my weight so that I know the progress I have made
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wow Wednesday Already
This last weekend was crazy! First of all, my sister and I took our younger sister for her first pedicure for her 16th birthday! Some much needed girl time. Mind you the whole time my other sister was having contractions on and off. So by 2:53pm Saturday, my brand new niece entered the world!! Talk about one proud aunt!! So, I was able to help her out by watching her son who is 1 1/2 years old. We also cleaned her house. Then we visited with them Tuesday night and cooked them dinner. So, it is Wednesday and I spent the entire day learning about new math curriculum up for adoption. I had to ride in a Suburban for two hours there and two hours back! Yay me!
But the accomplishment of today was that I did 1/2 of the Pilates/Cardio video that Sarah does all the time! Wow! She impresses me and 1/2 that video kicked my tail! But I am not giving up...I will complete it with some more practice :)
But the accomplishment of today was that I did 1/2 of the Pilates/Cardio video that Sarah does all the time! Wow! She impresses me and 1/2 that video kicked my tail! But I am not giving up...I will complete it with some more practice :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sewing Projects Completed
My husband and I decided to really do the Dave Ramsey Envelope System back in October. Wow, not easy at first but it has gotten a lot easier to do and has really helped us keep our money in check. So, after using those plain white envelopes for a couple months I decided I needed to make something nicer to carry the money or envelopes in. So, thanks to Google! Blogs search I found a few sites for inspiration. This is what I came up with:
I decided to make two zipper pouches. One for the envelopes that I carry with me all the time (Groceries, Gifts, etc) The other envelope stays in our safe at the house and we get in it when we need to. This site was inspiration. This site has a wonderful tutorial for zippers! If you are scared of sewing zippers, check this out, make a little bag and be afraid no longer....YOU CAN MAKE IT!!
Ok, on to my next accomplishment: A Coupon Organizer! I was sick of having an organizer with 6 dividers. So, I was just about to buy one when I said....oh duh!! You can make one!!
This is what it looks like so that you can hang it on the shopping cart handle, or on the back of the child seat rest.
I have the measurements and template for the dividers if you are interested just let me know. I already have one commissioned for a friend that is going to use the coupon organizer design for her envelope system. It will be done in a blue and brown damask fabric...too cute!!
I decided to make two zipper pouches. One for the envelopes that I carry with me all the time (Groceries, Gifts, etc) The other envelope stays in our safe at the house and we get in it when we need to. This site was inspiration. This site has a wonderful tutorial for zippers! If you are scared of sewing zippers, check this out, make a little bag and be afraid no longer....YOU CAN MAKE IT!!
Ok, on to my next accomplishment: A Coupon Organizer! I was sick of having an organizer with 6 dividers. So, I was just about to buy one when I said....oh duh!! You can make one!!
I have the measurements and template for the dividers if you are interested just let me know. I already have one commissioned for a friend that is going to use the coupon organizer design for her envelope system. It will be done in a blue and brown damask fabric...too cute!!
It is Thursday already!
This week has not been one that i want to record anything about... I have slacked seriously...
But I can choose to either get onto myself and make myself feel bad about it or I can change it. So, I am going to change it rather than whine.
Here is what I have done since last Friday:
But I can choose to either get onto myself and make myself feel bad about it or I can change it. So, I am going to change it rather than whine.
Here is what I have done since last Friday:
- Kept up with my morning bible study!
- Spent Monday with my niece Cadence
- Fixed a shirt that needed mending
- Made cookies for my students
- Make the Chocolate covered Cheesecake Balls and the tutorial
- Did Pilates (once) That I am sore from
- Cleaned house
- Cooked a recipe from Eat Clean that was Roasted Garlic Sweet Potato Soup...yeah spent two hours on that to not like it at all....
- Sewed my coupon organizer
- Sewed pouches for envelope system
Monday, February 8, 2010
As promised....Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Balls Tutorial
Well, these "balls" ended up being hearts but we will get to that...
Here is the tutorial I promised! I used this peanut butter cheesecake recipe from allrecipes.com and I used a recipe from Crummb for the chocolate coating. Thanks to them for their contributions...I also have to thank my husband for his assistance in a few steps and for giving me a few tips or suggestions to pass on to you :) I will say that any cheesecake will work. If you don't want to make a homemade cheesecake you could use a store bought cheesecake.
Let me also warn you that I took a bazillion pictures so it will be a rather lengthy tutorial but I am a visual person and I hope the pictures will help.
Cheesecake Ingredients:
Once the ingredients are room temperature, you can start mixing. Well, actually we need to get the oven ready. Since my pan won't fit inside any other pan that I have I opted to just fill a pan and put it on the rack below the rack the cheesecake will cook on. I fill the pan with water then preheat the oven to 375F, that way the water is already hot. {Water 'bath' is not required, but is suggested. If you can't do it, don't stress about it!}
Ok, back to the mixing of ingredients. I start by mixing the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and flour, and vanilla.
The recipe says to mix until smooth. I mixed until mine looked like this.
Then add your eggs all at one time. Beating on low speed until combined.
Once it is combined, slowly mix in the heavy cream. Supposedly you should be able to stir it in but I just went slow with my mixer after giving up trying to hand stir.
Pour into your pan and place in the oven.
Patiently wait around 40 minutes or until the cheesecake is a light brown. The center of the cheesecake should not be set. How can I tell you ask? Gently shake the oven rack and if the center moves a little you are good. Then I turn off the oven and crack the door and let the cheesecake cool.
Once it is cooled off, you can move it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. So, what did I do while I was waiting? Well, I talk the hubby into turning some popsicle sticks into the right sized sticks. I took on shot of this and then he moved the scissors into the picture by reading my mind and knowing they needed to be there. Gotta love him!
So, when you cheesecake is finally cool.... we had to figure out how to get rid of the rubbery coating on the top. My husband seems to think that in order to not have to deal with this that you should place parchment paper on top of the cheesecake before you bake it. If you try this, let me know how it works.
We ended up scraping the cheesecake with a fork until we scraped as much of the top off as possible.
Next, I started to think out load of how to do the next step of forming the balls. Well, my husband had the idea of using my small heart cookie cutter I have (I collect cookie cutters by the way). So, I cut out the hearts that came out with the cookie cutter and placed them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Wax paper would be fine as well.
Eric put the popsicle sticks in the hearts as I was cutting them out.
We placed them in the freezer overnight because it was late by then. I would want them to be pretty frozen before I went on to the coating part.
Coating:
I started by melting 1/2 a bag of white chocolate chips in a coffee mug and 1/2 a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in another mug. I microwaved for 30 seconds then stirred and repeated the process until it was completely melted.
Next, I added a tablespoon of shortening to each mug. I had to microwave one of them a little after adding the shortening until it was smooth.
These are the finished hearts and balls. They were yummy but I don't care for the peanut butter cheesecake so in the future, I will stick with the plain cheesecake.
Here is the tutorial I promised! I used this peanut butter cheesecake recipe from allrecipes.com and I used a recipe from Crummb for the chocolate coating. Thanks to them for their contributions...I also have to thank my husband for his assistance in a few steps and for giving me a few tips or suggestions to pass on to you :) I will say that any cheesecake will work. If you don't want to make a homemade cheesecake you could use a store bought cheesecake.
Let me also warn you that I took a bazillion pictures so it will be a rather lengthy tutorial but I am a visual person and I hope the pictures will help.
Cheesecake Ingredients:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup peanut butter - preferably creamy
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
Coating Ingredients:
50 lollipop sticks
1 pound eating chocolate (dark, milk or white)
2 tablespoons shortening
Steps:
I always start with room temperature ingredients for your cheesecake. This is supposed to help with cracking and I believe it does. Also remember to not over-beat your ingredients.
While I am waiting on these ingredients to come to room temperature I prepare the pan. Now because I am not making the normal cheesecake, I am doing this a little differently than the standard cheesecake.
First, you need a pan (I used this because I don't use these pans near enough, they were the pans from my wedding cake). I would suggest you don't use a spring-form pan because the filling may spill out the bottom since there is no crust. I also use parchment paper.
Then you draw around the pan with a pen and cut about a quarter inch inside that line.
Next spray the pan and then lay the parchment paper in the pan and spray the top of the parchment paper. I also spray my measuring cup that I plan on measuring the peanut butter in so that I can actually get it out of the cup.
Once the ingredients are room temperature, you can start mixing. Well, actually we need to get the oven ready. Since my pan won't fit inside any other pan that I have I opted to just fill a pan and put it on the rack below the rack the cheesecake will cook on. I fill the pan with water then preheat the oven to 375F, that way the water is already hot. {Water 'bath' is not required, but is suggested. If you can't do it, don't stress about it!}
The recipe says to mix until smooth. I mixed until mine looked like this.
Then add your eggs all at one time. Beating on low speed until combined.
Once it is combined, slowly mix in the heavy cream. Supposedly you should be able to stir it in but I just went slow with my mixer after giving up trying to hand stir.
The lumps are peanuts because I only had crunchy peanut butter.
Pour into your pan and place in the oven.
Patiently wait around 40 minutes or until the cheesecake is a light brown. The center of the cheesecake should not be set. How can I tell you ask? Gently shake the oven rack and if the center moves a little you are good. Then I turn off the oven and crack the door and let the cheesecake cool.
Once it is cooled off, you can move it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. So, what did I do while I was waiting? Well, I talk the hubby into turning some popsicle sticks into the right sized sticks. I took on shot of this and then he moved the scissors into the picture by reading my mind and knowing they needed to be there. Gotta love him!
So, when you cheesecake is finally cool.... we had to figure out how to get rid of the rubbery coating on the top. My husband seems to think that in order to not have to deal with this that you should place parchment paper on top of the cheesecake before you bake it. If you try this, let me know how it works.
We ended up scraping the cheesecake with a fork until we scraped as much of the top off as possible.
Next, I started to think out load of how to do the next step of forming the balls. Well, my husband had the idea of using my small heart cookie cutter I have (I collect cookie cutters by the way). So, I cut out the hearts that came out with the cookie cutter and placed them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Wax paper would be fine as well.
Eric put the popsicle sticks in the hearts as I was cutting them out.
We also took the remaining cheesecake minus the edges and rolled it up to make actual cheesecake balls.
Coating:
I started by melting 1/2 a bag of white chocolate chips in a coffee mug and 1/2 a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in another mug. I microwaved for 30 seconds then stirred and repeated the process until it was completely melted.
Next, I added a tablespoon of shortening to each mug. I had to microwave one of them a little after adding the shortening until it was smooth.
Next, coat the hearts/balls with favored chocolate and set on wax paper or parchment paper. The way I kept the hearts/balls cold was by putting a bowl in the freezer, putting some balls in the bowl and working until they start to get warm.
Use your imagination and add sprinkles or leave plain. Then refrigerate.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
A few sites I love about Marriage...
Happy Saturday!! I wanted to share a few blogs/sites that I love reading.
The first is Pixel Perfect. Monica is doing a series called Pillow Talk. It is a series about intimacy in marriage. She does a great job and I love when she posts parts of this series. If you want to check it out, click on the button below.
The next website that I found a few years ago I think is A Virtuous Woman! Melissa- no not me- does a great job as well. This is a great site that has a lot of stuff on here but lately I have been going through her Heart of a Husband series that started the beginning of this month and is lasting until Valentines Day.
This site also has a lot of information on Household Notebooks. These are such great tools to have to stay organized. Especially if you have little ones. Check out the Household Notebooks at A Virtuous Woman! By Sunlight and Candlelight has a better description of how to use a HN if you aren't familiar with them. There are a ton of resources on these notebooks. If you are interested I have a lot of printable I can share. Just let me know!
The first is Pixel Perfect. Monica is doing a series called Pillow Talk. It is a series about intimacy in marriage. She does a great job and I love when she posts parts of this series. If you want to check it out, click on the button below.
The next website that I found a few years ago I think is A Virtuous Woman! Melissa- no not me- does a great job as well. This is a great site that has a lot of stuff on here but lately I have been going through her Heart of a Husband series that started the beginning of this month and is lasting until Valentines Day.
This site also has a lot of information on Household Notebooks. These are such great tools to have to stay organized. Especially if you have little ones. Check out the Household Notebooks at A Virtuous Woman! By Sunlight and Candlelight has a better description of how to use a HN if you aren't familiar with them. There are a ton of resources on these notebooks. If you are interested I have a lot of printable I can share. Just let me know!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Welcome to the Snowed in Blog Hop
I decided I would join in with the Snowed in Blog Hop!
My name is Melissa and I LOVE anything DIY/crafty. I love to sew and show other people how to do what I love. I am novice blogger but that is ok.
I am married to my wonderful husband, Eric. We are going on our 5th year! I love that man :)
This blog is all about anything crafty and my latest projects. My other blog: My Journey is all about my personal walk with God and my weight loss adventure. It helps me stay accountable :) So, thanks for coming by and I hope to see you soon.
I am working this weekend on making some Chocolate covered peanut butter cheesecake balls for our Small Group's SuperBowl Party. Come back for that tutorial!
My name is Melissa and I LOVE anything DIY/crafty. I love to sew and show other people how to do what I love. I am novice blogger but that is ok.
I am married to my wonderful husband, Eric. We are going on our 5th year! I love that man :)
This blog is all about anything crafty and my latest projects. My other blog: My Journey is all about my personal walk with God and my weight loss adventure. It helps me stay accountable :) So, thanks for coming by and I hope to see you soon.
I am working this weekend on making some Chocolate covered peanut butter cheesecake balls for our Small Group's SuperBowl Party. Come back for that tutorial!
TGIF
Well, after my Thursday you have no idea how glad I am that it is Friday!! Yay!! So, I didn't work out yesterday...alarm clock issues. I fixed that today though. Hubby is leaving his alarm on for me to use :) So, I decided that after reading Proverbs 6:6-11 I had no excuse to not exercise but I needed a change of pace this morning so courtesy of Netflix I did some pilates. I did an entire workout video.....That is so not typical and I am so proud!!
Proverbs 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
Now time to get ready to face the day. Saying a prayer for my sis-in-law and niece who have been up all night with stomach bug. Niece was taken to ER this morning. Sad thing is she was supposed to get student of the month this morning at rise and shine :( But God is good and He in in control and works everything for good for those who love Him.
Proverbs 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
Now time to get ready to face the day. Saying a prayer for my sis-in-law and niece who have been up all night with stomach bug. Niece was taken to ER this morning. Sad thing is she was supposed to get student of the month this morning at rise and shine :( But God is good and He in in control and works everything for good for those who love Him.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wednesday
Well, first of all I have to say that today would have been my dad's birthday. :( I miss him today especially but I know that God is right beside me today!
I got on the treadmill this morning! Sarah, I know how excited that makes you ;)
You see, I decided that I couldn't get on the computer unless I had got on the treadmill and done my bible study in the morning! So, I got on this morning after stretching...courtesy of some instruction from my hubby. He had to tell me how to stretch...did I mention before that I am clueless in the fitness department? Well, I am!
I did also get on the treadmill Monday night. I did 6% incline again that night...ouch! This morning I didn't do incline but I did attempt to jog...a couple times...not the whole time and let me say....wow...that sucks but I will get better.
So, my bible study from this morning was from 1 Corinthians 13. It hurt a little bit.
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
The thing that hit me really hard was that when you love someone truly... you don't get jealous, you don't boast, you aren't self seeking...sometimes that isn't how I am. Therefore, I got a little correction from God this morning.
Before that I had read Proverbs 3 and what verse was there that hit me this morning, you ask...
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding....
Thank you God for reminding me who I need to be trusting in. There is an issue I have been obsessing over lately and this verse put it in perspective. You see, if I am trusting in God then I shouldn't be obsessing about anything. He is in charge, He knows my heart, and He knows what is best for me. So, I gave this issue to God! I am trusting in him and not my own understanding of the issue.
I am so grateful to have the Bible to teach me, to correct me and yes, even to discipline me.
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