It's the end of the day, and I'm feeling really accomplished after the day I had. Still need to do a few things tonight, including running on the treadmill, but thought I'd write for a couple minutes.
When we moved into this house last year, I made the hard choice to put my piano in the garage. There really was no good place to put it, but I was sad because I really enjoy playing it. I have my keyboard in my room but it's not the same to play, and it's also harder for me to find time to go in there and play. The last few days I'm really been wanting my piano (among other reasons, I've been inspired by Rob Pattinson from Twilight--he's quite the pianist!), so I thought I'd try to rearrange furniture and make it happen.
So, this morning, I started moving it around. The Living room is arranged in a completely different way now. I'll be getting rid of the old recliner and maybe getting a video chair or something. Once I had that done I realized the piano was virtually inaccessible, due to piles of junk in the garage. I thought I'd work on it over the next couple days and then try to find some people to come help me move the piano inside.
The girls and I had some "school time" and then I took them to story time and we went to Wal-Mart. Home for lunch and a few things around here, and then we went to a produce store that also sells plant starters. I got some tomatoe and pepper plants, as well as some cilantro and spinach seeds to grow this summer. We got home and the girls were wanting to plant the sunflower seeds they got me for Mother's Day. There is a dirt area under the front window, but it was full of weeds so we tried to pull those. Some of them have big honkin' roots, so I poured some vinegar on them and am hoping they'll somehow be pull-able tomorrow. Then I decided to mow the lawn (which sadly has turned mostly to weeds). Since I had the garage open to get the lawn mower out, I decided I might as well clean out the garage. It still needs quite a bit of work but there is more than enough room to get the piano out. YAY!!!!
We surprisingly had sunny weather today (they were calling for rain) and the girls played outside a bunch, and we went to the park after cleaning out the garage. Played there for a bit, then headed home to fix dinner. We had steak and potatoes and veggies. I had my steak with grilled onions. Yum.
I bought a small bookshelf at Wal-Mart for the books in the living room and put that together tonight. Now it's time to do a bit of homework, run, and take a bubble bath! Here's hoping for another accomplished day tomorrow!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
It's been a while
I obviously have not kept up with my goal of posting once per week. In early February, when stress in my life reached its all-time high, I found it hard to keep posting. Let's see if I can get back into that habit. I have a lot on my mind, but not much that I can or want to write about, or that anyone would care to read about. haha
Over the last couple weeks, I read the full "Twilight" series. A few months ago, my friend Janell and I were going to go see a movie and she wanted to see this one. I hadn't really had a desire to see it, I didn't really get all the "hype" about it. But I figured, sure, why not?
I found that I really enjoyed the movie, and wanted to read the books. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I got ahold of the first one. I read a few pages on a Thursday night (2 weeks ago last night) but had homework to do so I didn't really start it till Saturday. I had it finished by Sunday afternoon. Amazingly, the library had "New Moon" checked in, and I picked it up Monday morning. I finished it on Wednesday, I think. The next day I decided I couldn't wait until the library had "Eclipse" in stock, so I picked it up at Target. I got through that one by Saturday, I think, and was determined I would wait to read "Breaking Dawn" until I could get it at the library or borrow it. But Tuesday was a really stressful day and I decided I'd like a break from reality, so I bought it at Walmart Tuesday night. I finished it Wednesday afternoon...it was 754 pages. And believe it or not, I did other things too. I slept for close to 6 hours, did all the "normal" stuff like fix meals, school, etc., took the girls to indoor park, and had a tea party with them.
The "Twilight" books aren't great literary works, and are easy reads. But they are GOOD. If you haven't read them, I highly suggest looking into it...it might surprise you how much you like them!
Over the last couple weeks, I read the full "Twilight" series. A few months ago, my friend Janell and I were going to go see a movie and she wanted to see this one. I hadn't really had a desire to see it, I didn't really get all the "hype" about it. But I figured, sure, why not?
I found that I really enjoyed the movie, and wanted to read the books. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I got ahold of the first one. I read a few pages on a Thursday night (2 weeks ago last night) but had homework to do so I didn't really start it till Saturday. I had it finished by Sunday afternoon. Amazingly, the library had "New Moon" checked in, and I picked it up Monday morning. I finished it on Wednesday, I think. The next day I decided I couldn't wait until the library had "Eclipse" in stock, so I picked it up at Target. I got through that one by Saturday, I think, and was determined I would wait to read "Breaking Dawn" until I could get it at the library or borrow it. But Tuesday was a really stressful day and I decided I'd like a break from reality, so I bought it at Walmart Tuesday night. I finished it Wednesday afternoon...it was 754 pages. And believe it or not, I did other things too. I slept for close to 6 hours, did all the "normal" stuff like fix meals, school, etc., took the girls to indoor park, and had a tea party with them.
The "Twilight" books aren't great literary works, and are easy reads. But they are GOOD. If you haven't read them, I highly suggest looking into it...it might surprise you how much you like them!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sunshine
When it got really gray and rainy for a week or so in August I thought I was going to go crazy. I LOVE the sunshine and that week made me really dread winter. Lack of sunshine is a problem in Oregon--new studies have even come out showing that Oregonians lack Vitamin D. Seriously lack it. I've known people who have struggled with depression who, once they began a hefty dose of Vitamin D, things were much better.
Anyway, all that to say I didn't know if I would make it through the winter. I have had a lot going on over the last couple years, and it's been a struggle just to get through that. Add the gray of winter and a small house where we'd be cooped up all the time, and I was sure I would go nuts.
Thankfully, we've had a relatively dry winter, with an unusual amount of sunshine. The last few days have been beautifully sunny and I've enjoyed it so much. I'm convinced that the sunshine has been just for me. Not really, but it has definitely helped me. :)
Here are a few pics from yesterday of the girls enjoying the sunshine.
Anyway, all that to say I didn't know if I would make it through the winter. I have had a lot going on over the last couple years, and it's been a struggle just to get through that. Add the gray of winter and a small house where we'd be cooped up all the time, and I was sure I would go nuts.
Thankfully, we've had a relatively dry winter, with an unusual amount of sunshine. The last few days have been beautifully sunny and I've enjoyed it so much. I'm convinced that the sunshine has been just for me. Not really, but it has definitely helped me. :)
Here are a few pics from yesterday of the girls enjoying the sunshine.
Friday, February 20, 2009
One step at a time
I try to feed my girls healthy food. Lately, it seems like they've been getting way more sugar than I prefer them to have, but it's been an off week. Sometimes I think about the sort of "journey" I've had in learning about what is truly healthy food.
Growing up, Mom ate wheat bread. Dad ate white, and us kids usually did too. As I got older, I started having wheat bread as well. When I got married and did my own shopping, I bought wheat bread.
A year or so later, I realized I'd been buying brown bread, not really wheat bread. If it says "enriched flour" it's not really wheat (well, it's made from wheat, but so is white bread). I learned that I needed to buy 100% Whole wheat bread. It was a bit more spendy, but that was ok.
Later still, I found out about nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS) and discovered that it is in most 100% Whole Wheat bread. Ridiculous. So I looked around and found HCFS-free bread. It can be hard. At Safeway, it's generally $2.50 when it's on a good sale. Normally closer to $4 though. Thankfully, I don't have to buy it there very often! I try to hit bread outlets, where I can get it for $.99-$1.29 a loaf. Super deal! Or, I get it at Winco when I do my general grocery shopping for $1.68.
Many other areas of our diet have been the same way. When you know better you do better. I have learned many things over the years, and I know I'll keep learning more. I like looking back at the things I've learned and how I've applied them. It's an interesting journey, at least to me. It may be boring to you, though!
If you see me at the grocery store, you'll see me checking labels on just about everything I pick up. The things I watch for the MOST are HFCS and other artificial sweeteners (sucralose, splenda, aspartame--except in my occasional diet pepsi) and partially hydrogenated oils. I've started learning about some other things to avoid, but those are the biggest ones at the moment. And even when I've found something that is free of those things, I still check the box most of the time, because I've discovered that some products change what they have. I had found some crackers that didn't have hydrogenated oils, but the next time I checked the box they did.
Grocery shopping is enjoyable to me. Finding healthy ways to feed my girls--and spending as little as possible to do it--is so enjoyable to me!
Growing up, Mom ate wheat bread. Dad ate white, and us kids usually did too. As I got older, I started having wheat bread as well. When I got married and did my own shopping, I bought wheat bread.
A year or so later, I realized I'd been buying brown bread, not really wheat bread. If it says "enriched flour" it's not really wheat (well, it's made from wheat, but so is white bread). I learned that I needed to buy 100% Whole wheat bread. It was a bit more spendy, but that was ok.
Later still, I found out about nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS) and discovered that it is in most 100% Whole Wheat bread. Ridiculous. So I looked around and found HCFS-free bread. It can be hard. At Safeway, it's generally $2.50 when it's on a good sale. Normally closer to $4 though. Thankfully, I don't have to buy it there very often! I try to hit bread outlets, where I can get it for $.99-$1.29 a loaf. Super deal! Or, I get it at Winco when I do my general grocery shopping for $1.68.
Many other areas of our diet have been the same way. When you know better you do better. I have learned many things over the years, and I know I'll keep learning more. I like looking back at the things I've learned and how I've applied them. It's an interesting journey, at least to me. It may be boring to you, though!
If you see me at the grocery store, you'll see me checking labels on just about everything I pick up. The things I watch for the MOST are HFCS and other artificial sweeteners (sucralose, splenda, aspartame--except in my occasional diet pepsi) and partially hydrogenated oils. I've started learning about some other things to avoid, but those are the biggest ones at the moment. And even when I've found something that is free of those things, I still check the box most of the time, because I've discovered that some products change what they have. I had found some crackers that didn't have hydrogenated oils, but the next time I checked the box they did.
Grocery shopping is enjoyable to me. Finding healthy ways to feed my girls--and spending as little as possible to do it--is so enjoyable to me!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Hell week
This week has been a horrible week. As awful as the last year and a half have been, this week has been....a million times worse.
It has had it's up-points and those are the ones I have to focus on. Someone sent me money and I was able to buy a dryer--I haven't had one for about 2 months. I got a text from my good friend Nikki last night and we're going to have a V-Day "date." My computer crashed a couple weeks ago and upon finding that it wasn't going to be a quick fix, my dad bought me a new one.
I'm tired and ready for some sleep. Here's to a better week next week.
It has had it's up-points and those are the ones I have to focus on. Someone sent me money and I was able to buy a dryer--I haven't had one for about 2 months. I got a text from my good friend Nikki last night and we're going to have a V-Day "date." My computer crashed a couple weeks ago and upon finding that it wasn't going to be a quick fix, my dad bought me a new one.
I'm tired and ready for some sleep. Here's to a better week next week.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Baby Weight--detailed weight info!
My baby is almost three. In less than three months, she will be three years old. Crazy.
What's crazier is that I am still trying to lose the "baby weight." Having three kids in a very short amount of time makes this an even harder task than normal, I think. First of all, less time between kids makes it hard to get to that "pre-pregnancy weight." When I got pregnant with Kiandra, I weighed between 130 and 135 pounds. By the time I had her, I weighed close to 180. I got pregnant with Kalli only 6 months later, and still weighed about 150 pounds. I again got up to about 180. This time, though, the weight came off a little easier and I was back down to 150 within a week or so of her birth. I worked at it and got back down to about 140 or so before I got pregnant with Kiersten. Once more, I got up to about 180 pounds before having her.
And here I am three years later, still not back to the weight I was before I got pregnant with her, let alone with Kiandra. I did get down to somewhere between 145 and 150 this summer. But then I quit nursing in August. Yikes. I think the issue was two-fold. First, I was pregnant or nursing for 6 years straight. So, I got used to eating like a pregnant or nursing woman and didn't immediately make any changes. Second, even that one nursing a day Kiersten was at for the last bit was apparently using a decent amount of calories, because I wasn't gaining weight. But within just a few weeks of weaning, I had gained about 10 pounds.
And here I am several months later, only a couple pounds down from there. That's where the running comes in. And cutting out sugar. And trying to cut back on the snack food (haven't been so successful here, yet). I started running just over 2 weeks ago and have lost about 2 pounds so far. Not great, but I figure I probably gained a little bit of muscle once I really started working out. I also haven't done much to change my diet yet. I did cut out sugar, but that is mostly so that I can get past this addiction I have to it. I didn't cut out bread or other starches, just sugar--mostly in the form of sweets. But sweets had been making up a fair share of my diet!
So, there you have it. More detail than you ever wanted to know about my weight! But, it's partly for accountability for me. My goal is to be down to 140 by June. My ultimate goal is to weigh 130 again. We'll see how it goes!
What's crazier is that I am still trying to lose the "baby weight." Having three kids in a very short amount of time makes this an even harder task than normal, I think. First of all, less time between kids makes it hard to get to that "pre-pregnancy weight." When I got pregnant with Kiandra, I weighed between 130 and 135 pounds. By the time I had her, I weighed close to 180. I got pregnant with Kalli only 6 months later, and still weighed about 150 pounds. I again got up to about 180. This time, though, the weight came off a little easier and I was back down to 150 within a week or so of her birth. I worked at it and got back down to about 140 or so before I got pregnant with Kiersten. Once more, I got up to about 180 pounds before having her.
And here I am three years later, still not back to the weight I was before I got pregnant with her, let alone with Kiandra. I did get down to somewhere between 145 and 150 this summer. But then I quit nursing in August. Yikes. I think the issue was two-fold. First, I was pregnant or nursing for 6 years straight. So, I got used to eating like a pregnant or nursing woman and didn't immediately make any changes. Second, even that one nursing a day Kiersten was at for the last bit was apparently using a decent amount of calories, because I wasn't gaining weight. But within just a few weeks of weaning, I had gained about 10 pounds.
And here I am several months later, only a couple pounds down from there. That's where the running comes in. And cutting out sugar. And trying to cut back on the snack food (haven't been so successful here, yet). I started running just over 2 weeks ago and have lost about 2 pounds so far. Not great, but I figure I probably gained a little bit of muscle once I really started working out. I also haven't done much to change my diet yet. I did cut out sugar, but that is mostly so that I can get past this addiction I have to it. I didn't cut out bread or other starches, just sugar--mostly in the form of sweets. But sweets had been making up a fair share of my diet!
So, there you have it. More detail than you ever wanted to know about my weight! But, it's partly for accountability for me. My goal is to be down to 140 by June. My ultimate goal is to weigh 130 again. We'll see how it goes!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tomorrow
Tomorrow would have been my 6th wedding anniversary. Instead, I've been separated for almost a year and a half, divorced for 7 months. Last year, when it was to be our 5th annivesary, it was hard. I thought several weeks ahead of time how we should have been planning a night or weekend away. So, my parents offered to fly me (and Kiersten) to Idaho for the weekend to see my sister and brother and their spouses. It was a nice weekend.
Even though we were separated last year, and it was harder than this year, this year is still hard. Last year at this time I was still holding out hope that we would work things out. David was still considering working things out. This year, it's final...we're divorced.
I was scheduled for the nursery tomorrow, and anticipated that I might do better if I was able to be in the church service to worship and pray and be able to soak up God's love. I found a sub, which fell through, but I've found a few other people willing to fill in for me.
This life is often lonely. I am surrounded by people, surrounded by people who love me and care for me SO much. But it can still be lonely. BUT I'm getting it through it...one week, one day, sometimes one hour at a time. And I will keep on keepin' on because that's what I do, and that's all I can do.
Even though we were separated last year, and it was harder than this year, this year is still hard. Last year at this time I was still holding out hope that we would work things out. David was still considering working things out. This year, it's final...we're divorced.
I was scheduled for the nursery tomorrow, and anticipated that I might do better if I was able to be in the church service to worship and pray and be able to soak up God's love. I found a sub, which fell through, but I've found a few other people willing to fill in for me.
This life is often lonely. I am surrounded by people, surrounded by people who love me and care for me SO much. But it can still be lonely. BUT I'm getting it through it...one week, one day, sometimes one hour at a time. And I will keep on keepin' on because that's what I do, and that's all I can do.
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