Girlfriends Meet Bible Study

What an amazing book.  Since becoming a Christian, almost a year ago, I have been looking for anything I can get my hand on to read God's word.  I already owned a bible, given to me by my parents back in 1993, but I nothing to help me understand it.

This book is, like I said, amazing.  I love how each author lends their own voice to this 12 week devotional/bible study.  Although I did not take 12 weeks to read it, I am looking forward to getting some copies for some friends to start a bible study of our own.

I really enjoyed the format of the book.  I liked how there are devotionals for 6 days of the week, leaving the 7th to spend with our Lord.  This book touch on so many of problems and worries as a woman, wife and mother.  I think that many of us don't realize our worth in our everyday life but this book helps to open your eyes that you are loved by God.

I look forward to sharing this book with my girlfriends and digging deeper into my understanding of God's word.

Juice Fast - Day 4

Pounds Lost: -1.2
Total: -2.8

Yesterday was hard.  Nothing like having the 4th of July right in the beginning of your juice fast.  I was put in charge of making the deviled eggs... an evil ploy by my mother to get me to eat... wink wink.  But my 4 year old helped me make it so it was more about his learning than my hunger.

I did have one of my finished product.  But that was only after all the guests had eaten and there was one left when we were leaving the party.  All in all it was a good day.  I was able to resist the hamburgers and deliciously burnt hot dogs and finished off day 3 with only one bite of food.

Today I am back in the game.  I did workout today and that made me feel great.  Hopefully I can be at my goal soon so I can enjoy food again.

Juice One
2 large handfuls spinach
2 celery ribs
1 apple
1/4 lemon
3 oranges
1 mango

Juice Two
1 beet
3 carrots
1 apple
3 oranges
** 1 tbsp chia seeds

Juice Three
4 red leaf lettuce leaves
3 oranges
4 carrots
1 apple
1 mango

Juice Fast - Day 3

Pounds Lost: -0.8
Total: -1.6

Yesterday was rough.  But I was proud of myself because I ran for 20 mins straight... something I thought I could only accomplish if being chased!  But I did it and it was juice powered!

I still only had two juices yesterday and I am going to make myself a third today just to see if it will help me once the 4th og July barbeque items start showing up.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Juice One
1 celery rib
1 colander full of spinach
1 apple
1/4 lemon
3 oranges

Juice Two
1 beet
4 carrots
1 apple
3 oranges
* 1 tbsp chia seeds

Juice Three
3 oranges
3 carrots
1 apple
1 slice of papaya
1 mango
1 handful spinach

Juice Fast - Day 2

Pounds Lost: -0.8

Yesterday was pretty easy.  I was amazed that I only 2 juices.  I was a little hungry upon going to bed but other than that I was fine.  My biggest suggestion is to drink lots and lots of water.  That is the one thing that helped curb my hunger.

Juice One
1 large slice of papaya
3 oranges
1/4 lime
1 bunch of parsley
2 handfuls of spinach
1 celery rib

Juice Two
3 oranges
1 golden beet
4 carrots
1 mango
1 tsp chia seeds (do not juice)

Juice Fast - Day 1

Ok here I go again... but not on my own.  My husband has joined me in this juice fast and I think that I will be more successful.  I don't know how long we plan on doing this fast but my goal is to do 10 days.

Today, July 2nd will be my starting day.  I am going to post my and my husbands day to day weight loss but I am not going to post our actual weights.  I will list my juices along with any tips that I can give.  This is my 6th juice fast in almost a year.  They are not easy but I am bound and determined to see this one until the end.

Lets go!

Juice One
1 colander full spinach
1 mango
Large slice of papaya
2 celery ribs
3 oranges

** Walk on the treadmill for 30 mins.

Juice Two
1 golden beet
1 apple
4 carrots
3 oranges
** add 1 tbsp chia seeds

Juice Three

Girl Power

As a new Christian I am always trying to find books that teach me more about the Bible... and this is exactly what I have been looking for.  I really want to learn more about the Bible and this book breaks down the book of Ruth so perfectly... now if I can just get a book like this for the entire Bible.

Liz Curtis Higgs works magic when teaching the book of Ruth.  I was amazed at how wonderfully exciting it could be to learn about God's word.  His impact on Ruth is amazing and inspirational.  Mrs. Higgs weaves the tale of Ruth into a totally understandable context, filling it with references for the modern age.  I especially love how she breaks down each verse and each phrase and gives you the back story along with historical context.

I would highly recommend this book for both the beginner and advanced believer.  I look forward to sharing my new knowledge with my girlfriends.

Juice Fasting

I have done about 5 juice fasts since watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead last August.  My first attempt was successful with a loss of 5 pounds that have never come back.  That fast lasted 7 days followed by a dinner to celebrate my baptism.  But since then my past attempts to rid myself of the remaining 10 pounds that I want to loose have failed.  I tend to give in to temptation, in some shape or form, and quit within the first 4 days.

I couldn't figure out why I was so unsuccessful and it was driving me crazy.  I knew that I could do it for 7 days and now am bound a determined to make this one stick.

I think I have found the key to my success and am going to do my best to loose the 10 pounds with a juice fast (the length will be determined on how long it takes me to loose the weight).  Then I am going to do a 7-day vegan meal plan (just to try it) and then will slowly incorporate just whole foods into my diet while continuing to drink at least one juice a day.

I will do my best to keep track of each juice I drink along with my weight loss and tips.

30 movies in 30 days

After watching the two most recent Bond films, back to back, then following it up with two nights of movies I had an idea... why not watch 30 movies in 30 days.

My husband and I have two small children, ages 4 and 2, and watching movies (grown-up movies) is something that we haven't been able to do.  So we are going to try to see if we can accomplish this task.

Join me on our movie adventure and see if we can keep up...

Best Parenting Book... EVER!

When I got this book I actually thought it was a Christian approach to cleaning your house.  Little did I know that I would be schooled on parenting.  I want to buy this book for all the moms I know, and just might do that.

A mom with 5 kids, ages 4-14, realizes that her children are being raised with absolutely no skills to help them when they are grown.  Granted they know how to do homework and play sports but what about making dinner, grocery shopping and cleaning the bathroom.

This book dives into a year long experiment that she performed on her family.  She wanted to rid her kids of entitlement and ended up changing herself in the process.  While my kids are 4 and 2 I am already thinking of ways that I can incorporate parts of this book into our lives right now.  This book teaches you and does not judge you.

I think every parent should read this book... and use it!

Eye Opener...

Are you looking for a book to help guide you in your path with Christ?

Then this is the book for you.  What an amazing read.  I am new to Christ and have been looking to find my path with him.  I loved the study guide at the end and plan to pass this book onto my friends and family.

War on Family

Now I know what you are thinking... who is at war with our family?

The Media!

My husband is taking this amazing bible study class called Fathers In Training at our church.  The messages are available online and I get to listen to them too.  Which is great because some of the messages are not just for fathers.

I have listened to the first ten minutes and the speaker showed this commercial for AT&T U-verse.  Please take a second to watch it and then come back.

It may seem like a harmless, even funny commercial but when you stop to think about it is this the message we want in our homes.  As a Christian family we are trying our best to keep our family together and focused on our faith.  The end of the commercial shows how this family is able to come together and be so peaceful at the dinner table... because they all can be separate and watch their own televisions.

In my house this will never be the case.  We have a television in the family room and one in the playroom.  The only reason why we have an extra is because the boys want to watch a movie and so do mom and dad... and my boys are 2 & 4 and not old enough to sit through a "parents" kind of movie.

Please just stop and take some time to think about the media and how they are slowly trying to fight against your family values.  Are there some commercials that you would rather your kids didn't see?  Is there a show you wished you could keep from them?

Take the time and look to the Lord.  Are you setting the right example for them?

Happy Valentine's Day!

So I can't say that this was my idea but I saw it on Pinterest.  I know, I know... who doesn't get their ideas there but hey I wanted to make them and I did.

My 3-D lollipop Valentine's card cost me about $5 for 25.  So I made custom cards for my son to hand out to his Pre-K class for about the same price as buying some tacky, cheesy ones that aren't very special.

I begged my son to stand with his arm out like this and snapped his photo in his nice dress t-shirt that I made him.  I did a little editing to add the graphics and then ordered them online through Shutterfly.  I think they are an adorable way to add something special and personal.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Push Up Challenge...

Ok... so I am getting married in a month and haven't done a lick of exercise like most brides.  My main reason is that my dress fits perfectly and I don't want to have to alter it at the "rush" price.  But I have decided that since it is strapless I will attempt to do push ups everyday until the wedding.  This is partially a challenge for myself and my hope that my arms will look awesome.  I can only do girlie push ups and have never been able to do more than 10 at a time... upper body strength is my weakness.

So here goes...

February 1 - 5 pushups

Food... Real Food

Over the past few years my goal for my family is to get us off of processed foods and onto a whole foods diet.  I have thought of the extreme of making my family of four going vegan and have found that I need to find a balance.  I hope to find that balance once I have a garden of my own.

My mother has 2 acres and I was hoping to utilize her land to grow food for my family but it turned out to be a difficult task to drive 20 miles out of my way a few times a week to tend and harvest my crops.  I have watched movie and movie and read book after book and am still convinced that this is what I need to do.

But I also think we need to make our vote at the grocery store with what we purchase.  I am going to try over the next few months to re-educate myself (and plan and have a wedding) on food.  I am currently watching a movie called Fresh.  It is opening my eyes once again to where I need to get to.

Grow your food and know your food... that will be my family's motto.

Fierce Beauty

If you have a daughter, you should read this.  If you have a granddaughter, you should read this.  If you are a woman, you should read this.

Far too many times in a womans' life she is tested.  I personally, at one point, thought that being pretty would be enough.  It wasn't until I came to know God that I realized that being pretty is nice but it isn't everything.  Beauty really is only skin deep.  When you look past yourself and share your love of Jesus with others that is where true beauty lies.

This book is one of the best books that I have read in a long time.  I do not have daughters but I have nieces and other girls in my life that this will help.  I recently heard how Jesus + Nothing = Everything.  And this is true.  If you hold to the fact that only a Disney Princess can live happily ever after that this, and God will change your life.

Fun with Felt... for Valentine's Day!

I have suddenly become obsessed with two things... felt and wreaths.  I made a sweet Christmas wreath (which is packed away and I forgot to take pictures of) and had so much fun I decided to make another.  I bought the vine wreath with my 40% off coupon at Michaels the other day and had some felt on hand from making the boys Halloween costumes.

I made some cute little felt flowers and hot glued them to my new wreath... cute huh?

A Great Gift

I got this book for me and my husband and found it to be full of cute ideas and great recipes for love.  I would have liked the book to have a little more structure but I found it a nice quick read.

If you are looking for a gift for a newlywed or a wedding gift this would be a great book.  It is full of interesting love facts, love recipes (for food) and cute ideas on how to spend time with your loved one.

It also offers great biblical quotes to help nurture the start of a marriage.

Day Two - Juice Fast

Yesterday was not so bad.  Since this is my 4th fast I think my body realized what I was doing.  So here we go on to Day Two and I am excited.

Day One Weight Loss: 1 lb

Morning Juice - Green Orange
1 apple
1 celery stalk
1 red bell pepper
3 oranges
5 red chard stalks

Day One - Juice Fast

Morning Juice - Vampire

1/2 mango, peeled
3 oranges, peeled
1 beet
2 carrots

Process in juicer in order.

Midday Juice - Mean Green

1/2 bunch red chard
1 cucumber
2 celery ribs
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2" ginger root
1 granny smith apple

Process in juicer in order.

Lunch Juice - Rainbow Juice

2 red apples
2 oranges, peeled
1/2 lemon, peeled
1/4" ginger root
2 carrots
4 oz blueberries
small slice of purple cabbage

Dinner Juice - Black & Blue Lemonade
(ok so this was more dessert than dinner but it was yummy)

2 apples
1/4 lemon, peeled
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries

juice and enjoy!

So I believe that was my last juice for the day.  I will have to say it is very hard to feed two hungry boys while drinking only juice but I did it.  I did have one spoonful of natural peanut butter.  But my boys love helping me make juice so much that they started requesting their own.  I made them an orange/apple juice to have with their lunch.

Here's to Day Two... may the Lord give me strength to make it through another day of juicing.

Juice Time Again...

So my husband and I are off on another juice fast.  We love how it makes us feel on the inside, not quite warm and fuzzy but all clean and energetic.  This will be our 4th juice fast since August 2011 and we are so excited about it.  Today is Day One and I will post all of my juices here along with my daily weight loss... since, yes, weight loss is one of those great bonuses that we get from doing them.

We re-watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead to get motivated and it helped.  I know that many of us watch movies over and over again and get different things out of them each time.  That is how it is for us.  We love to see the transformation as well as the facts behind it.

My goal for this fast is just one week... seeing that our wedding is less than 2 months away and my dress fits now I plan to fast again after the wedding and throw in some gym time too.  The gym is off limits for now since I have on a walking cast for 3 weeks.

So keep checking back for my updates on my juices as well as how I am feeling.

Bible Verse of the Week

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4: 9-10