The 25 {21-25}

I challenged myself this past year by completing 25 personal goals...to read the full list go here and to read (and see) the details of 1-5 go here and 6-10 go here and 11-15 go here and phew 16-20 go here.

21. Take a 7 day fast from TV

As I mentioned in #8 I did these two together and basically avoided all media outlets for the week. It was funny how many times in conversation it would come up “oh did you see….” And I would have to remind them I didn’t see it nor do I want you to share it with me. After all if your husband is highlighting everything that happened then I might as well have seen it myself. There were some nights I choose to fold laundry in my bedroom instead of the living room so Davy would still enjoy TV and I wouldn’t be tempted to watch. I read more than normal and spent free time working on a TO DO list instead of vegging out. About once a month I’m tempted to get cable but then remind myself how easy it is to get sucked in with our 10 channels and I feel like with 100 I may never vacuum my house again!

 

22. Jump off the high dive at Wakulla Springs

Between our unexpected move over the summer, my week long road trip, and getting pregnant in August I regretfully didn’t do this.

23. Spend time with my Grandma outside of the holidays

This didn’t happen either. Right after Christmas we found out she had failing health and ended up getting her chest cracked open during open heart surgery. It was scary and made me realize even more why I wanted to spend more time with her; she won’t be here much longer and I don’t want any regrets. We visited her just this past weekend at home where she is recovering wonderfully from everything and it was so refreshing to see her. No excuses I must see her more this year!

24. Color some part of my hair a non-natural color (I’m thinking purple)

Purple hair, don’t care. It’s small because I have a professional job. Sadly it’s faded so much since I got it done a month ago but I love it; it’s my very small revolt against adulthood.

25. Get pregnant

Even with all of our conversations I wasn’t sure if this was going to happen when I wrote this list in 2012. We wanted more children but money and logistics and honestly just being ready kept delaying the process until spring of 2012 when we started to set timelines of removing prevention and actually making this happen. And then it did. And we floated around on cloud nine elated. And we found out I was forever outnumbered in the house. And now here we are entering the third trimester and daydreaming about newborn life. Oh, what a sweet way to end the list.

 

One thing I wasn’t expecting to do over the last year was read so much; 18 books to be exact. I surprised myself because although as an adult I finally enjoy reading but I never felt like I was a book worm. My problem is I start reading a book, it consumes every moment of my free time, and then it’s done a few days later. 

 

I don’t plan on making another 25 list this year because we are already expecting so much change I’m ready to ride the wave!

The 25 {16-20}

I challenged myself this past year by completing 25 personal goals...to read the full list go here and to read (and see) the details of 1-5 go here and 6-10 go here and 11-15 go here
16. Backup all our photos on an external hard drive
Didn’t happen. Why oh why do I do this to myself? The day I boot up one of our old laptops and it crashes and I’m unable to access sweet baby pictures of Moses is the day I will forever regret not taking care of this. I wanted to but after searching for our external hard drive with no luck I simply gave up. Terrible, I know. Just writing this makes me want to go on a cord hunt tonight and take care of this!

17. Vacation somewhere I’ve never been
Technically I was a lot of places I’ve never been before. In July I took a 6 day road trip with my Mom and sister for a family reunion which included driving through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and finally Pennsylvania (phew, I still can't believe we did that drive there and back within a week!). But most of that trip was driving through (not vacationing) and technically I’ve been to the Philadelphia area before so #17 was crossed off when we spent a weekend in Savannah, GA. Good friends of ours were getting married and it turned into a wonderful romantic weekend away surrounded by friends. We stayed in the heart of Savannah on one of the squares that overlooked blocks of shopping, ate incredible food all weekend, and even went on one of their famous ghost tours with the wedding party. This also happened to be the week we found out we were expecting and pregnancy exhaustion had just hit so we would put on happy smiling faces around friends but as soon as our hotel door closed I would jump into the bed and relax until we were called down for the next activity.

18. Volunteer long-term at church
Call it Baby Rabies but I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this one and that was to volunteer in the nursery; basically I wanted to smell babies once a week. Their chubby cheeks and thighs and sweet little faces just melted me and well we all know what happened after that…I was bit by the Rabies.

19. Eliminate meat from my diet for 1 month week Around October I started to review the list and think about things I needed to do before my deadline; this was one of them. I quickly decided there was no way I could pass up Thanksgiving or Christmas meals so my only option was January. January came and I put it off for a week or so until 1 month meat free was impossible. Then I told myself I would try 1 week meat free just to have a little taste of what it would be like…..and it sucked! I’m not a Meat & Potatoes type of girl but trying to come up with quick lunches and family dinners for an entire week with no chicken, fish, shrimp, or red meat was hard! We love eggs and black bean burgers but aside from that it seemed there was salad salad or more salad options. I made it 5 days meat free but when Davy walked in with medium rare steak off the grill for their Friday night dinner I caved! Blame the baby or my lack of preparation or my lack of dedication but I just couldn’t take another meal without meat! Long story short…I don’t plan on going vegetarian anytime soon!

20. Brush up on my French (a class, a workbook, a tutor, ect)
Womp womp. This is still close to my heart so I fully intend to not let 2013 pass without doing this! 

The 25 {11-15}

I challenged myself this past year by completing 25 personal goals...to read the full list go here and to read (and see) the details of 1-5 go here and 6-10 go here

11. Join a women’s bible study

This one was slightly tweaked but yielded the same results so I’m calling it a success. Earlier in the year we were approached to facilitate one of the Home Groups at our church. Basically a Home Group meets throughout the month to discuss the Sunday teaching and dive a little deeper as well as be there for each other and share what’s on our hearts. Being in our mid twenties and feeling very much out of my comfort zone we agreed to be facilitators and ended up with 12 people (5 married couples and 2 singles) we spend every Sunday night with. I was just telling Davy that it’s so cool how there are so many different walks of life and personalities all in one room that would never have befriended each other outside of church yet we keep coming back week after week and have found our groove.

12. Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house (12)

6 times, that’s it! We managed to have double dates outside of the home as well as dinner or fires at friend’s houses but I was really hoping we could step up our hosting game. A big factor for not completing this was our big OMG we’re moving midyear crisis and the fact that our house now isn’t even half the size of our old one! Overall I’m thankful for the friendships that have grown this year with couples we truly want to invest in.

 

13 Run a 5k (I’m too scared to say 10k)

Womp womp, didn’t happen. I’m kicking myself (ok not really there is a baby in there) for not doing this over the summer when I was running 3 miles in the treadmill on a random Tuesday night but I kept telling myself I’ll do it when it cools down. Not thinking I hope to be pregnant by then and the unknown factors like having zero energy to exercise for months then being too far along in the pregnancy to feel comfortable running 3 miles straight. I had a quick fleeting thought mid November I could hop back on a treadmill, get back my running pace, and complete a race before the belly got too big but again fleeting thought.

 

14 Wear a bikini in public

I was really looking forward to having some great picture of me on a crowded beach in a bikini feeling liberated but surprisingly once I felt comfortable enough to wear one I only had one beach opportunity. We were on a family beach trip and I wore it on the public beach for a short time but then my arms grew goose bumps and I changed. After that I don’t even think we went to the beach again so yes technically I did wear one but not the ah-ha moment I was hoping for. And no pictures, I’m so very sorry.

15 Compile a memory verse book for Moses

YES YES YES! I kept racking my brain trying to figure out how I was going to use illustrations and words and colors to make it kid friendly all while making it durable enough to last. One day BAM it hit me; Shutterfly books, I love you! I pulled about 30 verses that were short and/or pertaining to kids and collected personal and Google pictures to make the book interesting at every turn. I wanted the pictures to tie into the verses and help jog his memory; I wanted fun colors and backgrounds because he’s four! If I had too hard of time finding a picture then I’d scrap the verse wildling me down to the 25 that made the book. If you want to make a similar book (or Shutterfly book in general) but get freaked out at the $30 price tag then just wait around because they always go on sale! I’d sign up and get started on your project now then save it until a sale comes around. The week I purchased my book Shutterfly happen to send me a $20 off coupon and I checked this past week and Photo books were 40% off!

The 25 {6-10}

I challenged myself this past year by completing 25 personal goals...to read the full list go here and to read (and see) the details of 1-5 go here.

6. Write a friend a letter at least once a month (12 total)
It took me a few months to get into this one but once I started I didn’t want to stop! I loved being able to pull out a piece of stationary and send a little note to someone who was on my mind. Technically I didn’t write one friend a month but rather 12 total throughout the year; I even sent 2 packages! This will be something I’ll continue through this year and probably forever because it’s something about putting the red flag up on your mailbox that makes you feel really good!

7. Stick to a cash budget for an entire month
Nope, not in the slightest! We love our debit cards, we love out little treats, and I didn’t even attempt this one. In 2013 I’m already seeing us tighten up on our budget and putting extra money in savings all in prep for the baby’s arrival but I still want to try this at least one month this coming year.

8. Take a 7 day fast from all forms of social media
This was hard! And to make it even harder I combined this and #21 together for a week of living off the grid. I work a desk job which requires lots of distractions to get me through the day and during my breaks I always turn to Facebook or Twitter or Instragram for relief so day one was killer. I wrote some, I thought a lot, and I felt silly for feeling so weak. Social media is my connection to the world throughout the day; it’s my outlet and it keeps me from making too many personal spreadsheets. The next day it got a little easier and so did the third. By the fourth day however I will really missing it again. I patiently made it through all 7 days before peaking at anything and felt refreshed because of it. To help with the process I deleted all my social media apps during the week and made myself a nice long TO DO list of things I could be doing other than social media. Surprisingly the day of freedom (or the day of shackling back up depending how you look at it) I browsed for a bit but then shut it off and went about my day. I HIGHLY recommend cutting yourself off for a week or even longer to feel stimulation in other areas of your life other than finding out what the world is doing every hour of the day.

　
9. Bake something new and challenging each month (12 total)
Loved this challenge! I ended up cooking as well as baking because things as astonishing as tilapia had to make the list! Some I tried and will never make again like the complicated messy annoying cake pops or the disappointing cheesecake bars and others have become my favorite like the browned butter heath bar cookie dough or the ever easy and wonderful quiche.
Cake Pops
Triple chocolate cake w/ new base recipe,
Tilapia
Black garlic
Decadence white chocolate brownies
Apple oatmeal cinnamon cookies,
Roasted brussle spouts
Raspberry lemon cheesecake bars
Ice cream
Quiche (variety)
Mini cannoli cups
Browned butter w/ heath cookies

10. Fill most frames in the house with fresh pictures
I did this so early in the year I feel like it’s time for another refresh…maybe I should take the pictures from #5 and do a little makeover!

The 25 {1-5}

(The 25 list finished)

1. Print out wedding photos for an old fashion album
Isn’t it funny how we have hundreds of photos stored across five different computers and even the super important ones (like your wedding day!) you make up some excuse why you don’t print them. For me it was overwhelming…or so I thought. I spent one night in front of the computer selecting 100 of my favorites (thanks Shutterfly for the free prints) and then another night loading them into a picture frame just right! So easy! So simple!

2. See two movies in the theater in one day
Back when I was single I could easily see myself wasting away an afternoon watching two movies but now my free time is so limited this was rather tricky. It was hard to not feel guilty taking up roughly 5 hours of my Saturday and we are too busy on Sundays for this to be consider so it left a week night. I took off work at 4 and met my first movie date (Molly) at 4:30 for Life of Pi; we were surrounded by the Old Folks Home and snacked on cookies as we watched CGI blow our minds. Immediately following Davy came to meet me and we saw the wonderful Silver Linings Playbook while drinking a jumbo icee. I purposefully picked two very different movies to mix it up and surprisingly my butt didn't go numb the entire time (and if you're counting that was a total 11 hours of sitting down in one day).

3. Lose 20 pounds
This is one of the things I never thought I’d be able to cross off and I DID! I posted about the journey some already here and here but overall let me just tell you it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I stuck to a goal, I had my struggles, I met some incredibly wonderful people along the journey, and I felt good about myself. For the first time in a long time I liked the way I looked and felt confident with not only the inside but outside. Weight Watchers is such a rewarding program and I’m already thinking about signing up in June after the little guy is here.

4. Start and finish five different sewing projects.
The reason I have this on my list is because my mother is an incredibly talented seamstress and I’ve seen the results of what a sewing machine and some patience can produce. Why buy something when it can be custom made to exactly what you want or you can make it for a fraction of the price. I wanted this year to make me more comfortable in front of the machine and build confidence to make things on my own.

1. Moses’ Halloween costume. It took him about 34 difference conversations to finally decide what to be and at this point we were pretty set on not going trick or treating because it fell on a Wednesday night. He needed something to wear for his school party so I whipped this little guy up with an old shirt, lots of felt, and a little tin foil. Nothing to write home about but he loved it!

The only way to make a 3 year old stand still is to allow Goofy Face, amiright?

2. Super hero capes. My distaste for Superheroes at this age is a different post entirely however I will say I don’t like him being Batman or whoever man because it instantly turns into killing. Yes I know most superheroes are good and they save but in Moses’ eye they just fight and kill. I wanted him to be able to be a Superhero but any kind of Superhero he wanted which led to the Super Moses cape. Actually the Super Moses, Alex, and Evan cape because I made his cousins one for Christmas with the idea they could all play together. My friend Kristina sent me the pattern and with a little pattern to fabric help from my Mom we put these together in December. I made sure Moses’ was his favorite colors red and purple and they each felt special with their letter on the back. I knew it was a success when Cousin Evan put his on everyday he was visiting! (Pictures coming soon!)

5. Take family photos
Seeing as I had skipped taking professional photos at all in 2011 it had been entirely too long! I knew this had to be done after I completed #3 but it was just icing on the very delicious cake to be able to announce our pregnancy through this session. My good friend Sarah who has taken all of our family pictures agreed to take these but had no idea it was a family of four session! We actually planned to take them weeks prior and I remember feeling a wave of panic as my stomach was expanding and my jeans were no long buttoning nicely. Thankfully they invented maternity skinny jeans so I wouldn’t need to change my planned outfit, just my pants.

The 25 {finished}

The end is here. 365 days. 25 challenges.
Print out wedding photos for an old fashion album
See two movies in the theater in one day
Lose 20 pounds
Start and finish five different sewing projects (half done)
Take family photos
Write a friend a letter at least once a month (12)
Stick to a cash budget for an entire month
Take a 7 day fast from all forms of social media
Bake something new and challenging each month (12)
Fill most frames in the house with fresh pictures
Join a women’s bible study
Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house (12) (half done)
Run a 5k (I’m too scared to say 10k)
Wear a bikini in public—did shortly on pubic beach w/ family but never had a chance after that
Compile a memory verse book for Moses
Backup all our photos on an external hard drive
Vacation somewhere I’ve never been
Volunteer long-term at church
Eliminate meat from my diet for 1 month week
Brush up on my French ( a class, a workbook, a tutor, ect)
Take a 7 day fast from TV
Jump off the high dive at Wakulla Springs
Spend time with my Grandma outside of the holidays
January Color some part of my hair a non-natural color (I’m thinking purple)
Get pregnant Over this week I'm sharing the details, struggles, pictures, and failures that came along with the challenge.

Ahhhh WOW, I can't believe the end is here!

My favorite cookie dough, ever! {recipe}

This is one of the recipes I made while completing The 25 list. The recipe itself is my personal favorite cookie dough of all time but adding those savory buttery heath bar chunks made it all the better! I have loved baking for as long as I remember especially the science behind orchestrating all the precise ingredients into something tasty. 

This recipe is taken from America’s Test Kitchen which if you haven’t watched their show or Cooks Country you’re missing out—nothing like testing out a recipe until perfection! I would link the recipe but you have to sign up now to access it on their site so I went ahead and shared it so you could avoid that hurdle!

I follow the recipe pretty much verbatim but wanted to add some personal notes.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter (unsalted—always use unsalted when baking!)  
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I’ve used light and results are very similar)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups broken Heath Bars

 

*Heath Bar: for this recipe I used the individual bars which are thicker than normal bars but either will work. Roughly chop or smash as long as the pieces are not too thick you can’t mess this up!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.

Melt 1 1/4 sticks butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Keep swirling until butter has a dark golden brown color and a nutty aroma, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the remaining butter until melted. Note: do not let this part scare you! Best to try in a stainless steel pan to see the color change easier but never take your eye off of it and let your nose be your guide. I’ve never had it ready within 60 seconds so don’t be scared if it takes you closer to 3 or 4 minutes. If you see little flakes at the bottom that’s a good thing and try to pour those into the bowl as well because they are full of buttery flavor.

Add the sugars, salt, and vanilla to the butter and mix well. Add the egg and the extra yolk; whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for about 30 seconds, before letting it rest again. You’ll want to whisk this about 4 times, until you have a thick, glossy, and smooth mixture. Note: don’t be lazy and don’t skip this step! If you’re short on time switch the laundry into the dryer or go wipe off a counter while you wait those 3 minutes each time…trust me!

Gently stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined. Stir in the heath bar.

Form dough balls about 3 tablespoons in size, and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes, then put the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets. Note: I personally think these should be made into large cookies…something about the way the dough flattens out and gets crisp around the outside with a soft chewy inside is only achieved when they are big. I use my ice cream scooper for even measurements and honestly I’m not sure if it’s 2 or 3 tablespoons but I do know it’s bigger than a spoon (which would give you place N bake size cookies). Last time I made these I took them out around 9-10 minutes and after cooled there were so gooey and wonderful on the inside. It’s okay if the outside rim is browning; it has to do with the browned butter!

Variations:  Add chocolate chips or chunks and nuts as the original recipe suggest. Get crazy and thrown some Nutella into the mix.

I’m sorry I have no pictures to show you—I fully intended to take a picture but they were gone before I remembered again J

Twenty days to The 25

We are 20 days out from my 25 deadline and I’m having so much fun scrambling to get those last minute things taken care of. One more letter to write, a hair appointment to set up, picking out the 2 movies I want to see in one day; all fun things I’m looking forward to. Will I finish all 25 things? We already know #25 was crossed off which may have been the most farfetched reality when I wrote this list last year. Do you think I actually stayed away from TV for a week? What about jumped off the High Dive at Wakulla Springs? You’ll just have to wait and see. This list was a labor or love and this past year was more fulfilled because of it. As it gets closer to my deadline ( my birthday on the 27^{th) I’ll be doing more detailed post about crossing things off the list but more now I’m off to find my external hard drive cord because gosh darn it you can’t do anything with electronics without their connection cords!}

May {The 25}

I never wanted this to be a reason I avoided blogging or to ever feel overwhelming by the tasks; it’s supposed to be fun. It has been fun. Just because I miss a few things on the list that were intended to be monthly doesn’t mean I just need to push the entire list aside, right? Right? Right.

#3 Lose 20 pounds.

Check.

…..

...

WEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! Check Check Check Mark! This was the hardest most farfetched thing on my list because I was sitting at a weight I was extremely uncomfortable at yet I let it ride out for months and months without doing a thing about it. How was I going to lose 5? 8? 12 pounds? 20…gone!

#6 Write a friend a letter at least once a month (12)

Finally sent out a few letters! I knew who the first person on my letter list would be and she continued to sit at #1 for the past few months while I avoided pulling out stationary. Then one day, out of the blue, I get a letter from her in the mail! A sweet letter of encouragement and it made my day! Then I thought to myself, if this made my day why the heck am I not sending out a letter to someone every week! It feels great to get something personal in the mail and I have to remember these letters aren’t for me but to encourage the person who receives them.

#12 Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house (12)

It was last minute but we had my mother in law over one night for dinner before she watched Moses so we could date. This happens almost every time we do something alone with Davy’s mom; we think “Gee that was nice, let’s remember to hang out with her alone more often” and then we never do! She lives alone and keeps busy by shopping and working on her house and loving on her grandkids but it’s nice have her over. Next up we must invite my parents over because sadly we never have had them for dinner. Weird, right?

And welp, that’s it! I have a few things planned out which will help tackle the list that I’m pretty excited about considering only 3 things got done last month it’s time to get out of my bubble and live a little more!

Geraldine Hoff, daisy dukes, and weight loss.

This post is for anyone who has struggled losing weight, especially those who love food like a best friend. The thought of giving up my daily indulgences was really scary; but I need sweets, I can’t live without sweets I told myself. Weight Watchers will work because I’ll just eat vegetables and sugar all time because there is no way on earth to live life without masses amounts of sweets. My words may have a humorous tone but I’m completely serious. I am was addicted….I was addicted….I am no longer addicted…the addiction has been broken (Philippians 4:13). Not until my lovely mother kindly pointed out to me a couple weeks ago I’m an emotionally changed person. No longer do I get stabby and angry when I don’t have a sweet in my hand exactly 15 minutes after finishing a meal. No longer do I jump in my car at lunch and hit up the nearest sugar joint. I’m free from my sweets addiction…it no longer controls me! No more! Yes of course I still like sweets and still enjoy eating them but most days I get by with 1 or 2 bite size dark chocolate Dove miniatures. I’ve never been so strongly addicted to anything else in my life but I’m assuming this is what it feels like to overcome any addiction; freeing, strong, happy. Kind of like Geraldine Hoff flexing her bicep showing the world she CAN do it (Philippians 4:13).

I’ve lost 19.5 pounds since embarrassingly stepping on that scale at Weight Watchers 3 months ago. The #3 challenge on The 25 seemed so scary and now it seems obtainable. I’m half a pound away from reaching that goal and it’s only May! Do you know what that means? I have over half the year left to continue to get healthy and get my body in the kind of shape I desire. 

Remember how I said I want to be healthy and happy about the way I look? I’m getting there…and it feels wonderful. But with everything self-consuming comes a consequence; walking the fine line between getting healthy and happy and getting too consumed with outward appearance that my vanity balloon explodes. While it takes building self confidence to push through this journey it can quickly turn into an obsession about how I look. Yes I’m looking at my body for results of the weight loss but I don’t want it to ever turn into an obsession. I’m transparent on here (duh, it’s the internet, ya’ll) but ask me about my weight in person and watch my face turn red. It’s extremely awkward to talk about yourself and more specifically the thing you struggle with the most; it’s just the new hair highlights, it’s just instagram, it’s just this shirt, it’s just anything but kindly accepting the compliment. Basically thank you to everyone who has been kind during my changing look but you’ll never catch me in a crop top and daisy dukes!

I’m thinking a before and after picture once I hit this goal so if you have any particularly unflattering picture of me around the holidays last year or really anything in the last year I would love a copy!

Philippians 4:13- I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. 

March {The 25}

I definitely miss blogging. Life has been a mixed bagged of emotions lately so I’m happy to have accomplished a few more things on my list. I’m already two months behind on writing letters but plan to make up for it this coming month. I love being accountable to this list.

#3 Loose 20 pounds.

Welp, I’m down another 4 pounds this month putting the total at 14 pounds lost total! Just writing that made me smile because I’ve been struggling lately and I have to remember the overall goal takes time and daily determination. Somewhere in my mind I turned losing 10 pounds into a celebration and slowly started to slack on my point counting and accountability to the program. It’s hard to make good choices everyday but then I see the results, good or bad, during my weigh in Saturdays. My goals for April, track everything. Everything. Everything.

#9 Bake/Cook something new and challenging each month.

I am a fish eater! Thanks to some Twitter Mommy Friends I was encouraged to try Tilapia for the first time EVER and I actually really like it. I’ve made a fish taco recipe then mostly I’ve been slightly seasoning and lightly breading and baking it. It’s fast, it’s healthy, and it’s tasty! For $9 I can buy a bag that will last two meals; winning!

#11 Join a Women’s Bible study

This isn’t a Women’s bible study but it’s actually something I’m far more excited about so I’m counting it! We are now part of a Home Group at church! Home Group (HG) is a study focused on building Christian relationships while discussing that week’s sermon. To be honest Davy and I are in such a middle ground in life right now that this is exactly what we need; we need to be pushed out of our comfort zone and gain a few quality Christian couple friends along the way.

#12 Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house.

We had our dear friend Melissa and her little hubby lookalike daughter Emmy come and stay with us for the weekend. I love hosting them because a. she has a special place in my heart and her company is so warm and b. they are very easy, laid back house guests. We played in the pool, went to the Jr. Museum, made incredible good dairy free chocolate cake, ate some more, talked a lot, and laughed at our kids. Unfortunately I got sick the second night she was there but I get to make up for lost time when we go visit their family this month!

my weight loss and small babies.

My one month checkup happened last week but since my weigh-ins are not until Saturdays I had to wait to share the news.

I’ve lost 10 pounds.

That’s a baby. That’s 10 numbers going down on the scale. That’s half my goal.

Well actually my In Caroline’s Head “goal” is 25 pounds but when I first wrote The 25 I thought writing 20 was scary enough that there was just no way I could make it to 25. But here I am, already halfway to that 20 and well on my way to my goal. Honestly, my goal is to feel better on the inside and out, to be healthy, and active, and happy, and heck, put on clothes and feel good how I look in them!

Most importantly, I’m feeling great! The first 10 days I was down 5 pounds of mostly water weight (because who really loses 5 pounds in 5 days) and then after that it’s been determination and praying that’s got me to where I am. See I’m not just plumpy from “genetics” or “big boned”…I’m plumpy because I freaking love food. Staying on course has been a daily choice with the first 2 weeks literally being an hourly choice. The best part about the program is in all honestly I can eat whatever I want. I was really craving Starbucks last week so I worked my entire day’s points so that I could enjoy 6 points through a green straw. My saving grace has been dark chocolate; 1 little piece is 1 point so in the afternoons if I just HAVE TO HAVE IT I’ll have 1 and be done.

I keep the house stocked with foods I enjoy and that I can eat so I’m not tempted and I’m not spending 2 hours every night planning out my eating life. SkinnyTaste.com has never been more important to me than it is now because it has graciously already calculated all the points for me AND I already know how delicious her recipes are.

Making good food choices has been helpful but for my mental sanity I’ve formed this small support group that keeps me going every day. We are always asking each other how it’s going that day or give each other motivation or share recipes; it’s been wonderful!

This coming month the most important thing for me is to not lose focus. I understand the weight will not come off as easy anymore and some weeks I may only lose .5 pounds BUT I have to keep going every single day. I have goals and a few things on The 25 list requires me to be at a different state physically (a bikini in this current body, no way!) making this weight loss journey even more important to me.

This blog and particularly these post make me very transparent which is not always the most comfortable thing to put out there HOWEVER if my journey gives just one person the inspiration to start loving yourself more than doughnuts then it’s worth it! From a girl who loves food more than shoes I promise YOU CAN DO IT!

February, and so we begin.

You know the itch I was talking about the other day? The 25 is filling it on a very small scale. As I already start to cross off 1/12^th of a few of these numbers as well as entire numbers themselves I look forward to how I am going to cross off the rest. I am already thinking of making Davy swim out to the other lounging dock with the camera in 4 zip lock baggies so he can snap a picture of my big #22 jump. But then again he is known for not taking the best pictures so maybe he’ll be my moral support at the jumping point and I’ll get someone else to snap the picture. #22 is only happening once in my adulthood so I want that picture to turn out!

  

#9 Bake something new and challenging each month.

I successfully made cake pops. I am considering them new because I have tried once before and failed miserably. They were jumbo, they were pink, and they were Moses’ most favorite Valentine.

  

#12 Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house.

Earlier this month my parents were out of town so we took advantage and used their house for a get together one Sunday afternoon. We invited four friends over for a cook out and game of volleyball. There were some laughs, friendly competition, and bruised bodies when the day was over.

 

#18 Volunteer long term at church.

You are looking at the newest baby whisperer for the church nursery. This round the church was having a lack of volunteers for the Children’s Ministry as a whole and seeing as babies are good for the soul and my ever growing baby rabies I thought it would be a perfect place to serve. I’ll update in a couple months if this helped take some of my yearning away or made it worse (warning: I’m calling it now I’ll having raging baby rabies by mid summer).

#3 Loose 20 pounds.

The pounds are coming off. I’m keeping this under wraps until my Weight Watchers update next week!

me + sweets

One big thing on my {25} list was to lose 20 pounds. I picked 20 because I’m pretty sure that was post baby/married weight but regardless of the number I am sick of being heavy. It’s funny because in my mind I thought after Moses was born I could shrink back down but instead my body settled into a new form of itself and then slowly grew larger and larger. I blame those dang $2 incredibly delicious and buttery and savory and glorious greasy state office cafeteria breakfasts and basically sitting on my butt all day at work. I also shouldn’t belittle the fact that I am in love with food. I would eat because I was bored or it was an office treat that day or I was having a bad day or I was having a good day or I was emotional or I was ___ (fill in the blank). 

It also doesn’t help that I am head over heels addicted to sugar. People laugh and say oh me too….but I don’t think on the level I am. I crave, sneak, savor, and indulge in sweets every chance I get. I whine and cry until I get some and since I’m an adult and can do whatever I want that means I’m eating sugar every day. 

Welp, enough is enough.

Seriously, enough has to be enough.

I joined the gym mid 2011 and lost about 5 pounds only to see it creep back on then off again.

So enough is enough.

I…..needed more.

I…..

Joined Weight Watchers.

Why Weight Watchers? Because I can still eat whatever I want, in moderation. Because I can still cook a meal for my family. Because the choices are limitless. Because it works.

I really didn’t want to share on here until I was 10 pounds lighter and running miles daily and yadda yadda BUT I need the accountability. That’s another reason for Weight Watchers, those weekly motivational meetings and weigh ins. Since this has become such a big part of my daily life it only felt right to share my struggles and victories. Get ready for a bumpy but rewarding ride!

Hi, my name is Caroline; I’m addictive to food and ready to get help.

twentyfive {25}

Each item has its own special reasoning; each one knocking down a wall I’ve built up for numerous reasons. Like I mentioned yesterday I get so bogged down with staying busy so this year, I’m making it happen. I’ve carefully selected 25 things (in no particular order) that will be both challenging and rewarding and with a 1 year deadline I’m determined to make it happen. January 27^th 2013 is my deadline. This blog is my accountability. Here is the challenge.

1.      Print out wedding photos for an old fashion album
2.      See two movies in the theater in one day
3.      Lose 20 pounds
4.      Start and finish five different sewing projects
5.      Take family photos
6.      Write a friend a letter at least once a month (12)
7.      Stick to a cash budget for an entire month
8.      Take a 7 day fast from all forms of social media
9.      Bake something new and challenging each month (12)
10.  Fill most frames in the house with fresh pictures
11.  Join a women’s bible study
12.  Entertain friends/ family at least once a month at our house (12)
13.  Run a 5k (I’m too scared to say 10k)
14.  Wear a bikini in public
15.  Compile a memory verse book for Moses
16.  Backup all our photos on an external hard drive
17.  Vacation somewhere I’ve never been
18.  Volunteer long-term at church
19.  Eliminate meat from my diet for 1 month
20.  Brush up on my French ( a class, a workbook, a tutor, ect)
21.  Take a 7 day fast from TV
22.  Jump off the high dive at Wakulla Springs
23.  Spend time with my Grandma outside of the holidays
24.  Color some part of my hair a non-natural color (I’m thinking purple)
25.  Get pregnant