Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Want a FREE Gift Card??


Who loves Coffee??? Who loves FREE Coffee even more???? Well you have a fabulous chance to WIN a $25 Starbucks Coffee Card! MMMMMMM!!!! Caramel Macchiato is my personal favorite!!!! This is how you can win! In one week from today I will be looking at who has been commenting on my Blogs and put them into a Raffle. Winner gets $25 Gift Card. The more you read, the more you can comment and the more chances you will have. Make sure to Subscribe to this blog by Email, Google+ or Bloglovin so you don’t miss out on chances to comment. PS one day in this next week I will be asking a Question and if you answer it you will be entered double! So lets get to it!!!! J

Monday, September 19, 2016

BAD MOMS (no spoiler)

I have been wanting to see this movie forever. A bunch of us planned on seeing it at our own screening but that feel through because well....we are moms and everyone is busy. I did end up seeing it thought two days in a row. Yes...I saw it twice. I laughed just as much the second time as I did the first!!

The first day I went with my friend Christy, MIL and she invited some fun friends as well. We went to Mexican and then the movie. It was GREAT! Laughed so hard I thought I might pee myself.

The second day I finally talked my friend Megan into going. Cassie and I went and picked her up and away we went. It was interesting because the first time I saw it I was not going to take Cassie but then I realized I have to let go a little because in a month she is 18. She probably hears worse at school. Actually I know she does.

I laughed just as much the second time as I did the first!

Now lets get to the nitty gritty of this blog!!

I loved this movie because it really showed that no mom is perfect. NO MOM!! That everyone has dirt on them in some way or another. It also shows how much us moms care about our kids and try to do our best. Not the "best" of someone else's standards but to OUR best! It shows you no matter what your kid is doing, even when they drive you crazy... that we still love them very much! It even showed that realisticly  we should be not judging others. We don't know what's going on in their lives.

Now this may not be a God movie and maybe a lot of Christians wouldn't go to this movie (or maybe they would....I am not judging) but it really showed me some similarities.

Who knows I will probably be judged for writing this but just know that we all have different views on things. I took some of what I saw and laughed at it because I could relate to it in the movie and thought about it in the Christian sense too.

Treat others as you would want to be treated. Lets try and stop judging. I know I do it too and I am always working on it. Does it matter if you bring donut holes to a bake sale or you spent hours making cupcakes yourself? As long as the money is going to your kids right? I am not saying that those beautiful cupcakes didn't take you a long time and that you aren't awesome for it but the person who is working a lot and maybe who doesn't have time to make cupcakes instead  grabs the donut holes is just as amazing.

Lets stop judging. I mean seriously none of us like to be judged. We all know how it feels to be judged in life. None of us has escaped judgment I assure you.

Being Vulnerable and Real and Raw is okay! Personally I love my friends who can tell me their real stuff. It makes me feel more normal. I feel more connected to them. I even feel like I have a deeper friendship because they are willing to share with me their REALNESS and RAWNESS. If you aren't that way though....I get that too. Not gonna judge!

We all love our children. We all do it in different ways too. If you think about it though and look at all your friends whom you love dearly and who love you dearly......they ALL came from different backgrounds and were raised differently. That's what makes us unique. We love our children we just love them in different ways. Even if its the ones who loves them enough to give them up so they can be loved by someone else even more so.

I really loved the message in this movie. To be honest I loved that I could laugh at situations too. I saw myself in so many of them. In the end though....we are all bad moms. In the sense of NON of us are perfect. Its just not going to ever happen. I know I will keep trying my best but that's all I can ever do is MY best.

Hope I don't get judged just by this blog:)

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Friday, September 16, 2016

Morning Brain Fog

Have you ever woken up and still felt like you were asleep? Yep...that's how I feel. I have gotten dressed, put on make up (ok so I only wear eyeliner and mascara but its still something) and made a cup of tea and I still feel like I am sleeping. My hair is a mess still as you can see because doing it seems like too much work right now.

Lets be honest...how many days would you just like to have nothing to do in the morning? I woke up at 615 with the kids and by 7 I was thinking what would another hour of sleep hurt. So I slept another hour. Now I am up and feel like walking around not really accomplishing much.

This blog really isn't about anything in particular just my thoughts of this morning. You know after I just folded the kids laundry this morning I was thinking...Why is it they give it to me right before bed? Do your kids do that too? Usually they do their own laundry but lately I just have been doing it for them so I don't have to wait on the washer for my own clothes. Seriously....Do your kids give you laundry right before their  bedtime and tell you that they need a clean this or that the next morning? I seriously was thinking of going to bed when they did but NOOOO I had to stay up till it was done so I could put it into the dryer ha!

I guess I am trying to figure out if this or that is normal to other people. Like for me every morning whatever has been bothering me maybe that week is the first thought on my mind. WHAT THE HECK! Like I want to wake up to something that has been on my mind enough. I automatically say NO. And yes I say it out loud. Then lets be real I go to use the restroom and check my facebook. Oh don't think of me as a weirdo I bet you do too. Well unless you have a huge computer then maybe only half of you do:) After washing my hands....yes I wash my hands at my house too...I start reading a devotion or two or three. I think reading my Bible App really helps to ground me in the morning. If I don't read it somehow I feel like my day isn't just right.

So here I am sitting here now thinking of all the stuff I have to do today. Thankfully it may be chores but its fun stuff because its about getting our new land and house put together. Yep! I feel like an adult! Maybe I should get to it since for the last couple minutes in between sips of tea (didn't feel like coffee this morning) I am looking at an empty kitchen since I have been packing, a huge bag of carrots my husband ALWAYS buys and forgets to give to the horses, and two basketfuls of laundry that my kids can take up themselves when they get home.

So what was this blog about today. Well kind of nothing. I guess I just wanted to be real and talk with you guys over a cup of tea or coffee. I often wonder who actually reads these? If you do and dare to show yourself leave a comment. It would be great to say hi! Oh and I am sorry I write like how I talk. Okay actually maybe I am not sorry since I don't have to worry about punctuation which is nice.

I am starting to slowly come out of my morning fog. Maybe I should actually do my hair for the day and get a going. Just wanted to say hi to anyone to reads this and hopefully I will get a hi back!

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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Paper Plate kind of Day

Today has been a paper plate kind of day. That is literally one step higher than a Pizza night for me:) MIL and I have been busy today with packing, permits for construction, etc etc.

It was a good day. Actually I got to spend it mainly with my MIL (Mother in Law). Love spending time with her because well...its easy. We talk, laugh and sometimes just drive without talking. That last part usually doesn't happen that often just because well...I am a talker! She probably sits there and listens more than talk ha!

We had a lot of errands to run today. Some of the stuff was 50 minutes away just because of where we are. We ran into one of our friends though which was neat and had a moment to chat with her. HELEN WE LOVE YOU! Its nice when everyone has a busy life but you make time to see each other when you bump into each other. Not just a friendly hi but more of a hey sit down lets talk kind of hi! Love that about where we live.

We are moving furniture and packing to get ready for our move to our new house. First land and house we have ever bought that we actually own. Makes me feel like an adult. I mean I thought I was so cool when I bought an expensive fridge but this really made me an adult. Come to think of it lots of things make me feel like an adult. I know...I am weird but seriously! When we got the fridge I felt like an adult. When we bought a half of cow to put in the freezer I felt like an adult. When Jackson graduated High School this last year I felt like an adult. I guess at 40 I have to just figure that I am adult. Not that I want to be all the time.

Anyways its a paper plate kind of day. MIL and I stopped at Landis which is this little nursery that also sells fruits and veggies. I said looky here this would be our dinner. And it is. Man I love grilling. Its easy, less of a mess, less dishes (especially when its a paper plate day!!!!) and well it just tastes so good!

I am stopping this blog at this very moment because my daughter just walked in and said what are we having for dinner? Seriously she just walk right past the plates of food that are sitting there. Please....someone tell me that my Senior in High School that is actually a straight A student is smarter than that! HA!

Man I love my kids! Well I guess I should go eat but I have been waiting for MIL and the boys to come in. Maybe its not just a paper plate night but it might be a movie night. I am thinking Jungle Book sounds good. Homework is already done so YEAH! Maybe we can relax for one night.

I hope that you all are having a paper plate kind of night. Sometimes its awesome. Heck all the time its awesome! Have a great night! Remember to subscribe to get daily blogs in your email.


Wednesday, September 14, 2016

My True Weight

Okay, I am about to talk about that ONE subject that is so hard to talk about. My struggles with losing weight.....and my successes too!

I feel like I am a pretty normal person. I mean I have good days and bad days. I like to eat yummy foods but I don't particularly overeat. Actually my husband says I don't eat enough. I think that is because he is the cookie monster and I never eat cookies ha! Damn him though because he is skinny ha!!!

Most of you who read my blog know that I had Cushings. Its a disease that makes you gain weight even if you are eating 500 calories a day and all fruits. I even tried dieting but I would get oh maybe 5 pounds loss and it would never budge from there. I was SO frustrated as I watched my body change and my weight go up on the scale. The scale was my arch enemy! Some days still is!

I gained 120 pounds. Yes you heard me. In 5 years I gained a 9th grader! I was literally carrying around a 9th grader....ok not literally but seemed like it.

I am going to do what no one probably ever does on a blog or even in secrecy with their best friend. Yep! I am going to tell you my weight. I am even going to tell you my highest weight and my goal weight.

First I will tell you that I no longer have Cushings or a tumor. After three surgery in two years (two of them being brain surgeries) I am Cushings free! So that also means that my body no longer gains the weight. Actually the excess weight that I had gained starts to come off on its own. I have never been a huge eater. Maybe when we were on the Cruise ship I ate more but that's because it was vacation. Even then I didn't get the extra ice cream or such like my family did.

I am 5'11 my husband would like to think I was 5'10'' but realistically sometimes I slouch. I am suppose to weight 190 pounds for my height and my age. Yep I am old! I am forty this year. After Cushings and before my last surgery I had gotten to 334 pounds. That is crazy!! Thankfully I have always had a supportive family who understood as I would sometimes gain 5 pounds in a day...that is no joke. My husband never said a word and loved me all the same. He was my rock. He is amazing. Most men wouldn't be that way.

Today I weight myself and yes I am still very much over weight but I am 269. I was just excited that I had gone down another tier. THAT IS 65 POUNDS IN 6 MONTHS!!!! And until 3 weeks ago that was me not changing a thing. Once I started losing pant sizes and seeing my face go down I wanted to boost it along. So now I have lost a 1st grader and still have 8 more grades to go :)

I am starting to feel so much better about myself. My goal is to be the same weight I was when I met my husband by the time we go to Cabo for Christmas. That would be so amazing to me! I know I will continue to lose weight even if I didn't diet only because I gained it in the first place because of a horrible disease.

It really does make me think that in a blink of an eye you can gain or lose weight. Its a hard thing for woman. I shouldn't be proud that I weight 269 but gosh darnit I AM!!!! I am one tall lady and the fact that I am losing weight and able to move around easier and feel sexier is amazing to me!

I guess realistically I feel strong and happy. I mean I don't know many woman who tell their true weight....especially where anyone and everyone can read it. This is a very promising thing for me. I am happy! Cant wait to see what my body has in store for me in the next couple months. Doctor said by one year my weight will be off. I am overjoyed by that.

I have one last secret though.....the other day I renewed my license and I did lie on that. I mean....I still am a woman ha!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Do more of what makes you happy!

Do more of what makes you happy! I have been looking at that sign in my kitchen kind of a lot lately. I am someone who goes through phases of things. Its funny because Ryan does the same thing. Maybe that's why we are such a good match. I have gone through painting, scrapbooking, blogging, vlogging, etc etc. I have been in a rut lately. So I am going to do more of what makes me happy! I am going to start back to blogging again. I love it. I don't know why I stopped. Life just seems to get at you sometimes and you are so busy you kind of forget to do YOU.

I am doing me! I am still taking care of my family of course but I am putting a little more attention into myself. The happier I am....the happier my family will be.

My life is good don't get me wrong. I just would like to do some extra stuff while I have time. While the kids are in school. So this is my little get back to daily blogging notice.

So please subscribe! You will get an email every time I blog and can read it....or even choose not too. I mean seriously sometimes the only thing I have a chance to read is my bible app or yah...Facebook. I am a junkie in both of those apps. I cant see if you subscribed but I surely would feel great if you did!

Up and coming....tons of pictures of my family, what we do, and just real talk with all of you. So if you are going to read this remember I write like I talk. :)



Saturday, April 30, 2016

Hello Fresh (pictures included)

We love Hello Fresh. Its very new to us but when you live in a rural area I swear this is the easiest and best way to make healthy dinners. We saw it on TV and I had to have a try at it. Decided that I would show you the meals we got this week also.


So the basis of Hello Fresh is you can get delivered to your house 1-3 meals of FRESH foods to cook with the easy to follow recipes. You can choose out of 6 meals which ones you want. Since we have a big family and also since we live 70 miles from a good Grocery store this is VERY convenient.


I was afraid however how it would work on getting to us. Would the meat go bad? The veggies not do well? Nope, it was all pretty awesome! I wanted to be able to show you the layers that protect your food as it comes in. We have a big family so we order a lot more hence the two boxes. This is the layers as you open it.


Its surrounded by Styrofoam and then in a bag that keeps things cold and fresh


Then you have the containers of food which hold the ingredients you make except the meat or fish. Mind you that they provide EVERYTHING you need for the recipe in the right amounts. Only thing you ever have to have on hand is milk, butter and oil. It gives you all the seasonings also.



Underneath that layer are hard ice packs that hadn't even melted at all. Mind you I got this after the kids school and my son had it in the car for baseball.


Then you have the meats, sausages or fish that you need for your meals.


Like I said we had three meals so this is what it came in as and what the recipe says it should turn out like. Pretty yummy I personally think!! This was the shrimp meal...






and the Sausage meal...




and the Chicken Breast meal.


Its easy enough to cook that even our teens are getting involved in cooking it as you can see Josh here making the shrimp meal.


This is how his meal turned out. I feel he did a great job.


Now if you are interested in Hello Fresh you can check it out online under HelloFresh.com and if you decide to order put in this coupon "AQGNBK" and you will get FORTY DOLLARS off your first meals! Check it out. We cant wait for next weeks box!


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