By Nicole

We weighed out today... out of the weight loss challenge that we signed up for in January .  So - in three months, Jason and I lost more than the weight of Leilee!  A total of just over 39 pounds.  Jason took up the slack, losing 25.  I lost 14.  We were so stoked.  Neither of us thought that we would be able to lose that much weight in 3 months... but we did!  And then we splurged like maniacs today.  Eggs, cheese, chocolate pastries, coffee with cream and honey, ice cream, steak, mashed potatoes with feta.... we feel so gross and delicious today.  And already so excited and relieved to run and eat healthier tomorrow! My current joke is that I am one stomach flu away from my goal weight .  I even wrote that on my "story" that they asked us to write for the challenge.  And then I wrote, in parentheses, 'just kidding, please do not print!'  It is such a good feeling to be able to button pants that I haven't been able to get into in 5 years (and such a good feelin

I love reading old blog posts that I forgot I wrote!  My life is just a funny rerun.  The same things... the same things...  January 15, 2006... March 30, 2012... the same.  Haha! "I hate to clean. If you know me or my family, you know that we don't like to clean and that there is a HORRIBLE gene that runs in our DNA. I am fighting it with every fiber of my being, but sometimes it remains firmly embedded in my mind not to throw the shoebox away, because you never know when I might need it.... Anyway, the second part of my horrible genetic curse is that I loathe cleaning. I like things clean, I just don't like to do it; pair that with never having a moment that is really my own, and you can understand how hard it is for me to keep my house looking respectable. Oh, and our house, by the way, is the size of one of those shoeboxes I can't seem to part with, so one thing out of place and the whole place is cluttered. So, those are all my excuses for my family's

Thank you Lord and Subaru for the hill-holder clutch.  You ease my mind and lower my stress level.  I was overjoyed to remember, while sitting at a red light on one of the steepest hills in the world, that my wonderful little yuppie car has a hill-holder clutch.... whew!  No really. I shouted "Thank you Lord!".  I was so relieved.  Every time I sit on a hill in Seattle I picture my manual transmission just letting my car roll backwards into other cars and the chaos that would ensue.  If I knew blood pressure language, I would even tell you how many points mine went down when I realized that, but I don't.  Tonight I am writing from a fancy hotel room in Seattle.  I really love Seattle... to visit anyway.  Even though my day was frantic, and I left a whole four hours later than I wanted to today... I had a great drive.  Lots of time to think and sing.  No traffic, no ferry wait.  My delay in leaving work on time today screwed up my chance to get a hold of friends that live

New "dressers" for the boys.  Hoping this makes laundry easier for them.  Right now they share a dresser that Jason bought off the side of the road in Texas for me.  It is well worn and not kid friendly!  It is also tired from moving around so much.

This is our last week on the Daniel Fast.  I am running out of vegetarian options... even though I know we haven't come even close to exhausting what is available!  I guess a better way to say it is, this is another busy week, and I don't have enough time for experimenting!  So, you all might see a few repeats in here.  Monday - Baked sweet potatoes (I'm cooking them right now in the crock pot), roasted asparagus and brussels sprouts and a yummy wild rice/quinoa mix. Tuesday - Quinoa cakes, corn and salad.  This is the last of the batch I made a few weeks ago .  Wednesday - Dinner at Great Grandma's. We have been doing this for a little over a month.  The kids love to see her, and she loves cooking for us.  I've tried to take turns, and she won't let me.  So she'll cook something great for them.  I think Jason and I will have hummus/veggie wraps and steamed broccoli. Thursday - Veggie tostadas and stick salad (whole leaves of romaine lettuce with sun

I am sitting here amidst a messy living room gearing up to share some love. Here's who I am going to visit. Whispering Writer Anti-Supermom Buttoning My Jeans By Grace Alone Corner Blog Expandng Flying Squirrel Love of the Run Monster Papa is a Preacher Periphery Masked Mom Now I am off to bed... way too late.

My mind is entirely blank.  I have been sitting here for almost an hour in front of a blank post, and my mind can not come up with anything to write.  We have been running all day long.  Leilee stuck a bead in her ear this morning, so we had an unexpected trip to the doctor because we couldn't get it out.  We had shopping to do, and we brought the kids' bikes into town and took a good long ride with them after we had run all our errands.  I had time to run when we got home and then had to clean out the fridge to make room for new food.  We are so blessed and so busy. And my mind is just straight empty.

I'm super grumpy.  Going to bed before it gets worse!

Three weeks ago, I read a newspaper article about a family I know.  About a boy that I have visited with and given hugs and yelled at to slow down in the hallways of the church.  About his frustrating condition that I've known about and prayed about for a long time.  I've known about it all, but the article gave me chills.  I immediately felt like I needed to write about Phoenix and try to help "spread the word".  Teresa gave me permission to dedicate a blog post to Phoenix and to link up to their website .  I wanted to link up to the article too, but it isn't online any more.  Their letter explains it all. Right now my Missionette's class is working on the Healing badge.  We are learning how, no matter what our sickness is, God wants us to pray for healing and to have faith and hope that we will be healed (James 5:13-14).  We covered some sensitive issues around why people get sick.  Many people argue that God can't be good because He allows innocent

My greatest NaBloPoMo moment has been realized.  While making my kids' lunches this morning, I realized that I didn't post yesterday.  Nada.  Nothing.  Not even a photo for Wordless Wednesday!  And I never once thought about it.  Not as I was driving home or falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night to check on my sick Leilee girl.  Not once.  Wow. Yet, I also know that I probably shouldn't be surprised.  I am normally a forgetful person.  Maybe it should worry me, but it doesn't.  Even though, when I Google "forgetfulness", there are more links about knowing when to be worried and signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's or dementia than anything else. So, Strike 1.  My first.  Hopefully my only.  Here's to second chances.

Two things are keeping me from, yet again, typing a meaningful blog post.  My adorable, cranky, whiny, two-year old who wants snuggled to sleep and the treadmill. Tomorrow is another day. 

Tonight we had veggie hash and Brussels sprouts. Tuesday I am finally making the coconut curry and rice that I have been talking about.  Since we eat at the church tomorrow night, I chopped everything tonight and have the rest of the fixings in a bag to bring to work tomorrow.  Lunch break chef is my name. Wednesday will be leftovers. Thursday is "favorite food" potluck at the church.  I might bring vegetarian chili. Friday is a 4-H meeting (yes, we have started one more thing) and it is taco night. Saturday is veggie wraps with hummus.  And either fruit smoothies or fruit salad on the side. Sunday is veggie fajita/tostadas, beans and corn. This is the toughest year I have had fasting.  All I want is coffee.  I failed on giving up caffeine entirely, but have only been drinking black tea.  I am thankful we are on the downhill side, with only 11 days to go.  Praying that God will do great things at the men's conference. I am also trying not to be vain and preoccup

What a crazy, busy weekend!  Today was the derby.  This is the first year that Connor hasn't placed.  He was such a good sport about it.  Very proud of them both for their sportsmanship. And also very tired.  Very, very tired.  And sore.  So, so sore.

Accidentally signed up for the 10k.  And I survived!

Soon we will own a few....  Let's add to the chaos.  Why not?

My most recent book from Waterbrook Multnomah is Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity  by Mark Batterson.  It has taken me a long time to get through this book.  Mainly because it wasn't what I expected, and the introduction put me off a little bit.  While I can't explain why, I have a negative connotation of the word "primal", and I struggled with that through the introduction.  Yet, because I agreed to review this book, I have forged on through.  And I am very thankful that I did.  This is a book that really caused me to stand back and think.  Really examine myself and my spiritual walk with God.  Batterson's book has caused me to want to give more, to feel more, to spend more time in silent wonder with God. He has a knack for explaining the basic precepts of Christianity clearly and then peeling back the layers of religiousity and ritual that we have somehow added to make ourselves "better".  When it's all flayed open, Batterson h

Growing up, my favorite sandwich in the world (when it came to peanut butter at least), was a peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich.  Crunchy peanut butter made it better.  My best friend's favorite sandwich was peanut butter, banana, and honey. "Gross!" I said. "Gross!" she said.  We both agreed that we wouldn't know until we tried it.  So, one day in her kitchen, we made our favorite sandwiches.  She sliced her bananas as I wrinkled up my nose.  I sprinkled brown sugar as she looked nervously at me from the corner of her eye.  We presented one another with our beloved sandwiches.  We had to try.  To understand one another a little better.  Just one bite... That's all it took.  And we switched right back.  She finished hers, and I finished mine.  Right now, I am sitting on the couch eating a frozen banana with peanut butter drizzled on top.  It is amazing.  Who would have thought that over twenty years later, I would be loving peanut bu

Today we had Subway because we went in and did our taxes. Tuesday is coconut curry and rice. Wednesday is leftovers. Thursday is BBQ/Picnic Potluck at church. Friday and Saturday are up in the air. We are running a St Patty's Race and eating out. Sunday will be something fabulous like quinoa cakes and fresh hummus and salad.

I spent a good part of this weekend cleaning backwards.  Every few months or so I clean backwards.  And here is why.  Saturday or Sunday usually have at least a section of the day devoted to cleaning up the aftermath of the week's tornado.  The usual culprits: dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and picking up, picking up, picking up.... overwhelm and exhaust me.  They are insurmountable chores that dirty themselves faster than I clean.  I've read blogs about laundry piles that have the reproductive proficiency of rabbits.  Seen it.  It happens at my house too! So, overwhelmed and frazzled , I go on strike.  And I turn my back on the dishes.  I waltz from the kitchen.  I sashay away from the living room.  I act as if I don't care about the crumbs in the couch or the pillows strewn across the floor.  I may step lightly away from my usual foes, but they don't see the grimace on my face or the beads of sweat growing on my brow as I walk slower and more carefully down our dark, d

I'm excited to support the Rock the Red Pump project this year.  Not only because I am a little bit of a shoe freak, but also because I support any project dedicated to educate more people about topics that we oftentimes keep "hush-hush".  Like HIV/AIDS, for instance.  When I was growing up, we didn't spend a lot of time talking about sex, STDs, or HIV/AIDS.  The only time I heard about HIV or AIDS was from hyped up news programming or what my friends told me after my mom opted me out of the those kinds of educational sessions at school.  I grew up not really understanding what it was all about and being kind of scared about it.  Yet, even with all of that, I also made some pretty stupid decisions as a teen and young adult that put me at risk of a lot of bad things.  My life operated around the "it won't happen to me" principle.  Only now do I realize how truly lucky I was that nothing tragic did happen.  However, many do not escape unscathed.  The sa

I am so excited for the new Netflix design!  The Netflix for Kids option is making this paranoid, overbearing mama super happy.  Tonight we are snuggling and watching a documentary on underwater volcanoes.  Tomorrow is the day I hope to give you all and good blog about The Red Pump Project!  Are you participating?

http://theredpumpproject.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f274245301e6ba695ad63e443&id=8f68dc5ccd&e=e1889fb220 . Excited for Rock the Red Pump! 

Proud

Thank you For the Love of the Run!  I told an embarrassing story and won this!

It's Monday, and my brain is set on auto-meal plan.  But then I realized that I lied about sharing a picture of my nephew's cake.  And I had such a success cooking tonight, I wanted to share all of my messy cooking pictures.  So this is a cluster post.  I can't help it. To begin, two days late...  Duhn, duhn, duhn, duuuuuuuuhhhh. The Monster Truck Cake!! I have pictures for a how-I-made-that-craziness post, but I am not even going to promise or give a timeline on that.  Just be pleasantly surprised. Next, our meal plan for the week is a bit thrown off, because we have started the Daniel Fast.   Every year, before the Men's Conference at our church, leaders and their wives fast.  I was really ticked off about that the first year, and I didn't go into it as positive and supportive as I should have been.  My coffee withdrawals were almost as bad as withdrawals anyone with a drug or alcohol addiction would have.  I. Was. Siiiiick.  But it got better,

Once again, I find myself overwhelming busy, yet committed to blogging everyday and struggling to participate in the positive and uplifting part of the blogging community that is reading other writing and leaving them comments! So, even though I have two or three new ideas for posts, I am spending today reading the work of others and leaving them a nice thought or two.  Here is who I have visited today (so far): Emily Melaina Masked Mom Cathe Larissa Naomi If I get to more, I will add them.  For now, we are late for church.  Yes, I am THAT mom that walks into church late.  With no good excuse.

Playing Scrabble with my sister-in-law instead of blogging tonight.  Priorities.  Addiction.  Call it what you will.

Tires for a special boy's cake.  Monster truck running over spiders.  Pictures tomorrow.

Have you ever been around someone who talked too much?  Too fast?  Too detailed? Too private?  Too ___________ (fill in your own experience)? I have.  And I don't really like it.  Sometimes it's funny for a bit or interesting at first.  But usually, at some point during their one-sided conversation, I start thinking about how it's humanly possible for one person to talk so much or so fast, or about how I wish they would just stop because this is something that I so do not need to know.  Where is their stop button, or a slow-down option, or their filter, for heaven's sake?!  Why don't they have one?! It's funny because I have spent most of my life wishing that I was more outgoing.  Too shy to speak up in class or to say hi to someone who could have been my friend.  And I am now amazing myself by how I've grown and been able to function better in a group or speak up when I felt I needed too.  I am shocked that I am able to stand up in front of an adult a