tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57175415896284770202024-02-19T23:40:18.630-05:00Life as a WifeFollow me along this journey of becoming a new wife and a new blogger!Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-90392611208807116782013-01-20T14:13:00.001-05:002013-01-21T10:25:10.861-05:00Coconut oilSo I have been seeing coconut oil ALL over Pinterest and thought maybe I would jump on the band wagon with this one. I have seen lots of different uses for it. But I think I am going to use it for the facial scrub, facial wash, and body wash. I have used it for two days in a row and I have noticed my skin is much softer than when I just use moisturizer. I may even try it in my hair as well since my scalp seems to by very dry this winter.<br />
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Have any of you tried coconut oil for anything? I know it is used a lot for cooking as well. I found this chart off Pinterest showing some uses for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrcF_VP0D5W_2UBEjJVnUfoes_giSQld5GQRcwHufM6CBZfbEQ6vyFukS_kVX9_t-iffzWuk1enAc0aIp9kWOHmbZXndxLurwdJyYM7tQ-f5GGYJhkhPnRpeTfX0mqTss9aSj3SCmCLXx/s1600/coconutoiluses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrcF_VP0D5W_2UBEjJVnUfoes_giSQld5GQRcwHufM6CBZfbEQ6vyFukS_kVX9_t-iffzWuk1enAc0aIp9kWOHmbZXndxLurwdJyYM7tQ-f5GGYJhkhPnRpeTfX0mqTss9aSj3SCmCLXx/s320/coconutoiluses.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/293719206917446209/" target="_blank">pinterest</a></div>
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This is the original posting I saw for the face scrub that I am trying out-</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN73eLy_tWxAWaaNoD8kWMlLPMSNlqcWLedhTVbM0fGYyNwux56q6K4yhgCwGAO1bwnRD1OGUC2dpc6Ui8Pxb0xNuAH2GfgX9MIFnS8pE8_oNCcDVhfNdIORA8ZyPH5kEtfpi3ke64QJsU/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN73eLy_tWxAWaaNoD8kWMlLPMSNlqcWLedhTVbM0fGYyNwux56q6K4yhgCwGAO1bwnRD1OGUC2dpc6Ui8Pxb0xNuAH2GfgX9MIFnS8pE8_oNCcDVhfNdIORA8ZyPH5kEtfpi3ke64QJsU/s1600/coconutoil.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/77053843596668279/" target="_blank">recipe here</a></div>
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A lot of people say that they just end up using this instead of other face washes or scrubs. The good thing is, a little goes a longg way. So it should last a LONG time! I just used a spoon and scooped some out into a little bowl and heated it up for about 30-45 seconds. Then put a little in my hand and added a pinch of the baking soda and mixed it in my hand then put it on my face that I had previously dampened with water. Rubbed it in using circular motions, then washed it off. It does feel oily for the first few minutes then it soaks in. Usually after I wash my face with normal face wash it feels super dry and I immediately have to add moisturizer. With this I woke up and still feel soft! In between using this scrub I will just be washing with the coconut oil.</div>
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With the rest of the oil I melted, I just took it into the shower with me and put it on my loofah and used it that way minus the baking soda. It would be a good scrub every few days or once a week as well. I use if after I shave so that way it doesn't get all clogged up with the oil! My skin seems to be pretty soft without even using lotion as well!</div>
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I am curious to see how this works, and if it works well I may never go back to other washes! I also may expend my uses for it! The oil can be found in your baking aisle at a grocery store and ranges from $6-$12. </div>
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If you have used it for anything let me know! I would love to hear other people's experiences with it!</div>
<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-64151522569780580492013-01-20T13:48:00.005-05:002013-01-20T13:48:56.592-05:00Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Who doesn't love funfetti? I mean really, come on! One of my favorites is funfetti </span><i style="text-align: left;">anything</i><span style="text-align: left;">! I found a recipe that's weight watchers friendly! 2 points plus per cupcake-UHM YES PLEASE! Instead of using oil and eggs, you use sprite zero. No calories, no fat! And for the frosting you use fat free cool whip and sugar free instant vanilla pudding. I found that my topping was not as much as it was in the picture I saw, they only got a little amount and I added sprinkles, but oh well, it's still 2 points for a freaking cupcake! They are super moist from the Sprite, although you will not get as much as you would a heavy dense cupcake. These are super light and fluffy and fun! And did I mention yummy?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2idPDJrmj8mjmD8XWkY5vv-1wH_6XVaB2ZdjbqMTTAnk2Am8ErVWEK31Mz-fGD3UKRI5g1_lZi6yPq5rLte-Sc-GMH3f7KD2rjyoaojUT8Qz5eSEF8DdSxPVPk8JBvIul1iEUzhUPZ2J8/s1600/40696c6862a411e29a6422000a9e06c4_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2idPDJrmj8mjmD8XWkY5vv-1wH_6XVaB2ZdjbqMTTAnk2Am8ErVWEK31Mz-fGD3UKRI5g1_lZi6yPq5rLte-Sc-GMH3f7KD2rjyoaojUT8Qz5eSEF8DdSxPVPk8JBvIul1iEUzhUPZ2J8/s320/40696c6862a411e29a6422000a9e06c4_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2 points plus baby!</div>
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original recipe found here-http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/08/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes-recipe.html</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(makes 24 cupcakes, 110 calories per frosted cupcake, 2 Weight Watchers Points)</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cupcake Ingredients:</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 pkg. Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix (just the powder, not the recipe on the box)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 (12 ounce) can Sprite Zero </span></li>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Frosting Ingredients:</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 (8 ounce) container Fat Free Cool Whip</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 (1.5 ounce) pkg. Fat Free Vanilla Jello Instant Pudding (just the powder, not the recipe on the box)</span></li>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cupcake Directions:</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and Sprite together. Continue to mix until the batter is smooth without any lumps. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into every cupcake wrapper. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool before frosting. </span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Frosting Directions:</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a mixing bowl, add Cool Whip and pudding. Mix with a whisk by hand or an electric hand mixer until smooth. I put mine into a ziplock bag and closed it, then squished it all down to one corner, cut a tiny piece of the corner, and then made a swirl design over the cooled cupcakes. Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes.</span></span></div>
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Enjoy!!</div>
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Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-65460358633220021652013-01-15T16:19:00.002-05:002013-01-15T16:19:54.450-05:00Mushroom StroganoffI was really trying to push myself into liking mushrooms with this recipe, but I just can't do it! If it had less mushrooms I would probably be ok with it. I had to chop them up small to make it bareable but I was still picking them out! If you like mushrooms then you will love this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG8KlVGIsbybgGxBwvCpNmde-PKcRnXASysAN036hPEAniWl6IMX_xyomU0neJI7_cjwLd-hyBFvaXUPgJ1bKgtV22vmt8lohjzmYpkb5K7jMKr9MVHACntlbRGrL-oxaP0y-FQQl1LiM/s1600/mushroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifG8KlVGIsbybgGxBwvCpNmde-PKcRnXASysAN036hPEAniWl6IMX_xyomU0neJI7_cjwLd-hyBFvaXUPgJ1bKgtV22vmt8lohjzmYpkb5K7jMKr9MVHACntlbRGrL-oxaP0y-FQQl1LiM/s320/mushroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Original recipe found here-http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/mushroom-stroganoff.html</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Servings:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 4 </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Serving Size: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">1 1/2 cups </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Old Points:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 5 pts </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Points+:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 7 pts</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Calories:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 268</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> • Fat: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">3.5 g</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> • Carbs: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">52.5 g </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Fiber:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 7 g </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Protein: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">12.5 g </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">• Sugar: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">4.5 g</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Sodium:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> 312 (without salt) </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Ingredients:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /></span></div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tablespoon butter</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup chopped onion</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth (or beef if you're a carnivore)</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp tomato paste</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5 oz sliced Cremini mushrooms</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3.5 oz Shiitake mushrooms</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 tsp thyme</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp white wine or sherry</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz uncooked noodles (Ronzoni Smart Taste, Healthy Harvest or No-Yolk)</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Directions:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Cook</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> noodles in a pot of salted water according to package directions, I like to under-cook them a bit so I can mix it with the sauce and let it finish cooking.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Meanwhile, while the water starts to boil for the noodles, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">heat</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Melt</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> butter over medium heat and </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">add</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> onions to the pan. Cook 2 - 3 minutes over medium-low heat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Add</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> flour; stir with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Gradually </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">add</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste, stirring constantly. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Add </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper; stir and cook 4-5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. </span></span><br />
<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-34790413057946610322013-01-15T16:11:00.001-05:002013-01-15T16:11:50.573-05:00Spaghetti squashThis was my first time trying out spaghetti squash! It really tastes almost like normal noodles except it is just a harder texture. It is very tasty! I made this vegetarian from the original recipe by omitting the chicken from it. This version has sundried tomatoes, peas, and broccoli. This is not a weight watchers recipe though!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU1uSzTZeSNZGYlQTfJ2bvsySEzJdZDuc653dQAhLoFwvYcCN_WpSaO7dIFQizzhgWP3kXVL3ap5O9VlzVhOqAcCNnT-9PREQwR28H_Emb5HlOKIEdVVrQ21UgG7wUu26atKY7drpgxWY/s1600/spaghettisquash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZU1uSzTZeSNZGYlQTfJ2bvsySEzJdZDuc653dQAhLoFwvYcCN_WpSaO7dIFQizzhgWP3kXVL3ap5O9VlzVhOqAcCNnT-9PREQwR28H_Emb5HlOKIEdVVrQ21UgG7wUu26atKY7drpgxWY/s320/spaghettisquash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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original recipe here-http://rufflesandtruffles.com/2010/09/spaghetti-squash-with-grilled-chicken-sundried-tomatoes-broccoli-and-peas/</div>
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<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 medium size spaghetti squash (about 2lb)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup frozen peas</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 broccoli crown, chopped</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup chicken broth</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">grated parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">salt/pepper, to taste</span></span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scrape/remove seeds with a spoon. Place squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet; bake for 45 minutes. Let squash cool.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash to remove strands.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Saute one minute, then add spaghetti squash and saute an additional 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli. Saute 5 minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Add peas, and remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Serve with fresh shaved parmesan cheese.</span></span></div>
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-18581061899924265432013-01-15T16:02:00.003-05:002013-01-15T16:02:37.266-05:00Crock Pot Vegetarian LasagnaWe recently have been trying to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into our dinners. Here is a crock pot vegetarian lasagna. I have never had eggplant, so it was interesting for me! I am also not a big mushroom fan but I am trying sooo hard! If I could change the recipe I would prob add some spice to it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tda39ZhSdFJlWcuDEzJNkx5ZI2w4fmFAUXcqFIFFB9xng8hKtBLu-Tzqn3azUG85w9ZSbC0iTqGwrARbIAbXHWyQN_t3wlbeXJqCOm_08xZ2UyLiuiic_sK5GRGvS2F_ksLMOIABnLjm/s1600/veglasagna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tda39ZhSdFJlWcuDEzJNkx5ZI2w4fmFAUXcqFIFFB9xng8hKtBLu-Tzqn3azUG85w9ZSbC0iTqGwrARbIAbXHWyQN_t3wlbeXJqCOm_08xZ2UyLiuiic_sK5GRGvS2F_ksLMOIABnLjm/s320/veglasagna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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original recipe found here-http://www.laaloosh.com/2011/11/02/slow-cooker-vegetarian-lasagna-recipe/</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Crock Pot Vegetarian Lasagna</span></div>
<div class="ingredients" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.78333282470703px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<h4 class="ingredients" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients</span></h4>
<ul class="ingredients" style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;">
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">15 (12oz) whole-wheat lasagna noodles uncooked</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 15 oz container fat free ricotta</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 cups shredded reduced fat mozzarella</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 5-ounce package baby spinach, coarsely chopped</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 large portobello mushroom caps thinly sliced</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 small eggplant, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup liquid egg substitute</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp dried oregano</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp pepper</span></li>
</ul>
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<div class="instructions" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.78333282470703px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4 class="instructions" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Instructions</span></h4>
<ol class="instructions" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;">
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a large bowl, combine egg substitute, ricotta, salt, pepper, oregano, spinach, mushrooms and eggplant.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix both kinds of tomatoes and their juice, basil and garlic, in a medium bowl.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with non-fat cooking spray.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spread 1 1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Arrange 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces to cover as much of the sauce as possible.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Spread half of the ricotta-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Repeat the layering one more time, starting with noodles. Top with a third layer of noodles. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce over the noodles.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Set aside the remaining 1 cup mozzarella.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours.</span></li>
<li style="list-style: decimal outside none; margin: 3px 0px 4px 5px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Preparation time: <span class="preptime" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">20 minute(s)<span class="hritem value-title" style="font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="PT0H20M"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.78333282470703px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cooking time: <span class="cooktime" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2-4 hour(s)</span></span></div>
<div class="yield" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.78333282470703px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="hrlabel" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Number of servings (yield): </span><span class="hritem" style="font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">8</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entire recipe makes 8 servings<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Serving size is 1/8th of lasagna<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Each serving = 8 Points +</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.78333282470703px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">PER SERVING:</strong> <span class="nutrition" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="calories" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">290</span> calories; <span class="fat" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">7 g</span> fat; 38 g carbohydrates; <span class="protein" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">29 g</span></span> protein; 8 g fiber</span></div>
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-73834371950166362012013-01-15T15:23:00.001-05:002013-01-15T15:23:14.037-05:00Holy WaterAs many of you know, I have talked about past and how I was a victim of rape. It has been quite the journey going through this and I have been working extremely hard since about March of last year to face this finally and move forward and heal. It has been a lengthy and at times torturous process. And I haven't talked about it in awhile and I just kind of wanted to put an update out there about it.<br />
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I know this is never an easy subject to approach, let alone have an in depth conversation about it. It is a rigorous daily effort to face the pain and the healing process that goes with it. But it is also such a freeing process as well, especially when you do begin to heal. I know this will always be a part of me, there will always be some sort of pain associated with it, but I can now tell you and fellow victims that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is healing and joy. It seems impossible, I know I felt like it did, but with time, and God, all things are possible.<br />
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I couldn't have done this on my own. With the help of my therapist, my husband, my friends, family, and most of all God, I think I have finally begun the true healing process. I was so frustrated because I couldn't understand what was holding me back. Why was this taking so long to move forward and deal with? It just seemed like every time I thought about it, it was such heart wrenching pain. I realized that it was forgiving my assailant that was holding me back.<br />
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But HOW on earth do you forgive someone like that? How can you forgive the situation? I was under the impression that forgiveness looked like this- you had to wish the person well, and if you saw them in person you would be able to talk to them and just act like nothing ever happened. That you think nothing but good things towards them. And come on, that is just not possible in this situation. And then it brought me down because I felt like I was a horrible person, a horrible Christian because I couldn't forgive him. I felt like such a failure. And I knew this was what was holding me back from healing. But I just kept holding it in and didn't want to talk about it because I just didn't think it was possible.<br />
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It finally came up in therapy and she explained to me that my idea of forgiveness in this situation was not ideal. He doesn't deserve that type of forgiveness, but there is a way to forgive him. I did not need to wish him well, I did not need to have a friendship with him, I did not need to smile at him or talk to him, I did not need to feel obligated to think he was a nice person, because he isn't. That kind of forgiveness in this situation is not appropriate. Forgiveness in this situation looks like not wishing him ill will, or punishment upon him. Knowing that one day God will give him just that. Not letting him have the control over me. For example if I saw him, I would immediately panic and almost have a panic attack and just have to get out of the room. There will be a reaction to him, but if I have the control, this time I won't need to do that. Instead I can give him the look of we both know what you did, I dare you to come over here because I will kick your butt. Showing him he does not have that control over you anymore. It does not mean I need to wave and smile at him at all. It is releasing that control where every day is not consumed with thoughts of this and that you now control your thoughts and feelings towards this.<br />
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And let me tell you, getting back this control is AMAZING. It feels like part of my soul has been restored and that part of me that has been missing for so long has surfaced again. He never took my innocence, even though it felt like it, he did however hurt my innocence enough for it to lock itself up deep inside and never want to come out. She was always there, I just held to help release her. Once you have forgiven this person, then you actually get to start the grieving process for what happened. I had never grieved for what happened to my 19 year old self. And now that I had the control, I could allow myself too. This has been a few month process to allow myself to grieve. Some things I experienced during this time to help me grieve were working out to a song I could be angry at him and do some kickboxing and beat him up in my mind. Every time I feel vulnerable, I just listen to Kelly Clarkson-Never Again and it reminds me how he does not deserve his control on me, I am taking it back!<br />
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Another thing I did which was very hard, but I wrote a letter to myself at 19 right after it happened. I was myself now and told her what's been happening over all this time. But to not be scared and that we are ok now. And that I know it shut me down completely but it's ok to release that innocent me inside and come out. I am with someone I can trust to not hurt me. And it's ok to be happy and move on with life. And we now have control and won't let anything like that happen again. I also told her how sorry I was we had to go through this, but we know understand God has a plan for us. And from the bad, he finds joy and finds a way to use us. And that our misery is our ministry. And now I am working towards being part of the care team at church to help counsel other young woman about this and life in general. As horrible as that experience was, God is making it into something beautiful.<br />
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I also wrote him a letter and just let everything out, screamed at him and just said everything I have always wished I could. I honestly couldn't even read what I was writing by the end because I was just letting it flow out of me and screaming at the paper. It felt so good. So many things I wished I could scream at him and tell him how I thought of him. It was a release I needed in order to move through with the grieving process. After I finished writing it, I tore it up into a million pieces and threw him and his control away. Never again will I let this person control my thoughts or feelings, I am taking it back!<br />
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I finally feel that the healing process has begun. I am starting to feel alive again and feel comfortable in my own skin. Finding out who God created me to be all along not who I thought he wanted me to be. Finding out who I am as a wife, friend, and daughter of God. The real me that was behind a wall put up so long ago.<br />
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Today, a friend showed me this video. It is about one of the band members sisters being raped. It is not like songs are written about this all the time. It is such an amazing and powerful video. My hope is for all those who have been through this, that this video may help in some one. Know that someone out there understands. They care. You aren't alone. And you can cry out and let those feelings out.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4dXLC1butGc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Big and Rich-Holy Water</div>
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What I experienced watching this video was relief, tears of relief. I completely understand this pain so so very much and for so long this is how I felt. I just wanted it to be taken away, I just wanted to be taken away and not feel this anymore, it feels like endless pain. But today, I finally don't feel that way. Watching this made me realize I finally don't feel that vulnerable and out of control. I feel God's love and see I am in control now. I have taken back my life and it makes me so happy to see how far I have come and to not feel that excruciating pain anymore. I am healing. And this is a huge step for me. It does make me sad though to know I went through that pain, and to know so many women are stuck in that pain right now. I wish I could just hold them all and tell them how beautiful they are and they will be released from this one day.<br />
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This will always be a journey for me, and a part of me. I feel as though my wound is healing and I have a scab right now that is turning into a scar. There is still some pain but it's lessening every day as it heals. Once it turns into a scar, I will always look at it and remember the pain and what happened, but it will no longer hurt so bad. I accept what happen, and know it is a part of me, but God has shown me how beautiful this scar will be. It will not be an ugly scar to hide, but a scar to be proud of and be able to share with others.<br />
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My wish to all those experiencing this is that they one day too will be proud of this scar and see that God has a plan for them, a beautiful one. If you are trying to deal with this on your own I encourage you to see help from friends, family, counseling, and most importantly God. He is the one true healer and with him anything is possible. There is an end to all this pain, I promise you. One day you will be proud of who you are, scars and all.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Proverbs 31:25</b><i><b>-</b><span style="background-color: #fffefd; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><b>She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.</b></span></i></span><br />
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-23696096694864877232013-01-15T14:34:00.000-05:002013-01-15T14:34:33.872-05:00Tomato Basil Soup<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ok, a lot of people have been asking me to post this recipe on my blog! So I figured 3 months later is a good enough time to do so! Oops! So here it is! It is by far one of the best tomato soups I have ever tasted! And it makes it sooo much better since it is weight watchers!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94CdRbTehNtzNlvrQwVREzeSVewmb0paztPXGWRVMidYMRiN4SOWboZu7gf3t9FY4NXq3ok0xe7j4E6byxs1Y4wcKg1koat2Ir1UY0_rQcC1dBPOXELssbLr6_fnp5HouH5AGXqnWqFYG/s1600/tbsoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94CdRbTehNtzNlvrQwVREzeSVewmb0paztPXGWRVMidYMRiN4SOWboZu7gf3t9FY4NXq3ok0xe7j4E6byxs1Y4wcKg1koat2Ir1UY0_rQcC1dBPOXELssbLr6_fnp5HouH5AGXqnWqFYG/s320/tbsoup.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yum-O</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Original source for the recipe-http://foodfeminismlife.blogspot.com/2012/05/creamy-tomato-soup.html</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomato Basil Soup</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Servings: 4 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Points Plus: 3</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Servings Size: 1 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">1/2</span> cups</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Calories: 150 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Fat: 4g </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Carbs: 25g </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Protein: 5g </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Sugar: 14g </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">• Fiber: 5g</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Ingredients:</span></span></div>
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<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 15oz cans of tomato sauce (only ingredients should be tomatoes & spices)</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 can of water</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups grape tomatoes, slightly pureed </span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 vidalia onion, chopped small</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2-3 garlic cloves, minced</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 TB olive oil</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup of fat free half-and-half</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp kosher salt</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 TB sugar</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp garlic powder</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp onion powder</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 tsp red pepper flakes</span></span></li>
<li style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp dried basil</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">OPTIONAL-tbsp of Franks Red Hot (if you want a little zing to your soup!)</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Directions:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">1) Puree the grape tomatoes with either a food chopper or the small bowl of your food processor. Don't have either? Toss them into the regular food processor & it will do just fine. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium soup pan & saute the garlic & onion until the onions are soft. Once soft, add the tomatoes & their juices.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">2) Add all of the spices to the tomato mixture & toss. Add the two cans of tomato sauce & a half can of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat, & add the half-and-half. Simmer for about 15 minutes, taste for seasoning, and serve.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Enjoy everyone! Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, etc, you know all those holidays I have missed! Bad blogger! Hoping to get back into blogging more this year! </span></span></div>
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-57196126576984692542012-11-24T14:06:00.001-05:002012-11-24T14:31:05.582-05:00Funfetti Cake DipThis stuff is so good if you love funfetti things! It's like crack! This was one of the few things I made for thanksgiving this week! Tell me if you ever make it.. and how much you loved it!<br />
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It is super duper stinkin easy too. Anyone can make it! Kids would love to make it and eat it! I got the recipe and pics from www.eatyourselfskinny.com Look how easy this is, 3 ingredients people!<br />
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Servings:24</div>
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Serving size: 1/4 cup</div>
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Calories: 105</div>
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Fat: 2 g</div>
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Carbs: 20.2 g</div>
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Fiber: 0.3 g</div>
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Protein: 1.4 g</div>
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Points+: 3</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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1 18.9 oz box of funfetti cake mix</div>
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2 cups plain fat free yogurt</div>
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1 cup lite cool whip (I used fat free)</div>
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Fat free animal crackers</div>
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Directions:</div>
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In a large bowl combine cake mix, cool whip, and yogurt. Mix until combined and there are no more lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and cool for about 4 hours until serving. Add additional sprinkles if desired. Serve with animal crackers! Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-90291882059928555492012-11-09T21:54:00.001-05:002012-11-09T22:01:47.793-05:00Dealing with hyperhidrosis.Hey guys, so today I want to talk about a personal issue I have. A super embarrassing, mortifying health condition that I have tried to cover up for years. It is called hyperhidrosis, and it is basically the condition of excessive sweating, your body is trying to cool your body temperature down by releasing sweat. You can have it anywhere on your body, but mine is only under my arms.<br />
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It started a few years ago, and just has increased over the years. It never was a huge issue until this year. Over the summer it just got insanely worse out of nowhere. To the point where even sitting in an air conditioned room, I would be dripping sweat down my arms, praying no one notices. It was completely mortifying. And because of this, it has affected how I dress.<br />
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I used to be able to wear anything, but now I would only wear tank tops, or sweatshirts, which I even sweat through those. If I wore a shirt, it would be either white, dark blue or purple, or black, so if I did sweat, it was hard to notice. But even then, I would be mortified to hug anyone in fear they felt my sweaty under arms. I can not wear grey at all. Because when grey gets wet, it just turns darker and way more noticeable! It made shopping suck and I never wanted to go. It's one thing to sweat at the gym, but when you only sweat under your arms, it is still embarrassing. Sit ups don't make you sweat profusely under your arms. It felt like no place was safe!<br />
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Then I started thinking about winter, and how I was not going to be able to wear anything after how bad it was over summer! I have cried many days over this. I have tried every woman's, man's, homeopathic, organic, prescription deodorant out there and nothing helped. I thought I was out of options and just never going to be able to wear anything cute again!<br />
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I had heard about botox in your armpits, but there was no way I could pay $1000! So I dismissed the idea a few years ago, then I looked into it this summer to see if anything new has come out. Then I discovered now it is considered a medical condition and most insurances cover it. So I went into my Dr. and asked her about it and she said to go to the Dermatologist and see if it could be covered. So I did, and they gave me all the diagnosis and procedure codes. I called my insurance and GLORY HALLELUJAH, it was covered!! I cried, I was so happy about this. I know how this has just chipped away at my self esteem and just given me anxiety and paranoia every hr every day. It truly was an answer to my prayer.<br />
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So today, I went in to have it done. Now there's only one way you put botox in, shot! I did make it out to be bigger than it was when it came to pain. They put an ice bag on one arm at a time, then had two different shots that they used. They started at the top of my armpit and went around in a circle and did small amount injections all the way around. Most of them I barely felt, or didn't hurt. It seemed the further away from the center of my armpit, towards the outside of their circle, it was the most painful. If I did feel it, it was like a pinch burn. It would just give me a sour face for .2 seconds. So the pain is completely tolerable. Then they went to the other arm, and by the time they got there, I think the ice numbness wore off a bit. So I felt every shot that time, and it was more painful. But still, it was not that bad. I honestly would rather get that then go to the dentist and get their shot! It is not even as bad as a pinch or finger poke. Each needle ended up doing about 10-15 pokes. So about 20-30 tiny pokes per arm, so 40-60 total. Sounds like a lot, but it goes super fast! Once I sat in the chair, the whole thing lasted maybe 15 minutes start to walking out of the room. So simple, easy, and fast! My Dr. even cracked quite a few jokes and told me not to sweat it! Hardy har har!<br />
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You will bleed a little bit, but not much and before you leave the room it stops. I can't work out for 48 hours and when I shower, I have to shave and pat dry very very gently. I also have to apply deodorant very gently as well for the next 48 hrs. He said it will take about two days to set in completely, so I could push it around if I push too hard. And that I may feel a little irritated and sore today. Depending on how bad the condition is, this will last 9-12 months! YES!<br />
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So I am a little sore and irritated, but man this was BEYOND worth it. I am so excited to see how it works, I don't think it will completely stop all the sweat, like working out, but it will be insurmountably smaller! I already feel so much more confident and am excited to get some cute clothes this winter!<br />
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So for anyone out there dealing with this, don't think you are the only one! I feel your pain and I understand how mortifying this is, I didn't even tell anyone besides my mom or my husband until I found out I could get the botox. I hid it for over 4 years! Just know, it is worth investigating to see if you can get the botox! Start with your regular Dr. to get a referral to a Dermatologist that works with your insurance and go from there!<br />
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I know many of you may question using botox, and it's ok I understand. It's not for wrinkles or to get a face lift. It's a medical treatment. They also use botox for chronic migraines too. I am not doing it for cosmetic reasons, it's for medical reasons. You have to do what's best for yourself, and for me this was a last resort. It literally affected every hour of my life and it's hard to understand how embarrassing it is unless you have it. It is nothing like normal sweat, think how much you sweat in a day and multiply it by about 100 and that's what we deal with. I wish I didn't have to resort to something invasive, but if it works, I am game!<br />
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I hope this post is helpful for some, and it is a relief to be able to finally talk about it! I know people don't love me because of how much I sweat, but it's still not something you just bring up in conversation!<br />
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Anyone else dealt with this? Or have you dealt with something else super embarrassing and want to talk about it? Don't be afraid!Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-84043517974269065062012-11-02T18:20:00.002-04:002012-11-02T18:20:21.954-04:00A little real life wife chatSo I have talked about this a little bit before, but the longer I am married the more I am realizing there is such a need for this. Before you get married everyone you ask about marriage will tell you oh it's great, it's wonderful, you will love it! The only reputable piece of advice I received was don't light a candle in the bathroom after you poop, then it just smells like poop and candle, so we have branded that term the poop candle term! But that was honest, appreciative advice. And for some reason, people would rather pretend marriage is great than to admit things are hard, or they have difficulties. Because we are all so perfect! And honestly, this DOES NOT help one bit. It sets you up for complete failure actually.<br />
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You go into marriage with all these expectations and think you will dance around and laugh every time you see each other. He will be perfect and never leave the toilet seat down and will help with all the chores and never complain! I also get a bit peeved at looking at some of these perfect blogs. I get a little sick of hearing about how they had a perfect day at their perfect job and took perfect pictures after their perfect work out and came home to a perfect husband. Please gag me. It's so cute for the first 4 posts, or when you want to look up a perfect DIY project, but to read every day or to learn something, they just don't do anything.<br />
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I understand not airing your dirty laundry and saying yesterday he called me this and now we are having this fight and he is sleeping on the couch! That is not what I am saying. But as a married woman, it is nice to hear other people have some of the same struggles, and what they have done about them to improve the situation, because let's face it, things will not always get fixed or poof be gone!<br />
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They cater into this same thing of life and marriage are perfect. Then you watch movies or tv shows and they show you either marriage is perfect or if it's hard you just get a divorce. There is no in between, there is no hey this is hard, you have to work on it! It's when things get tough run. Or this is going to be so amazing! And we wonder why we have so many divorced people! Marriage is hard and people neglect to mention that before you get married. They neglect to mention that it really is the hardest thing you will ever do. And that it is a daily task. Not say I do and that's it. You have a 24/7 job once you get married and it is HARD.<br />
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This leads me into saying that for me, I need help, I need advice, and I need places to go to find it. These perfect blogs don't help, and most main stream tv or movies do not help. Why are we so afraid to admit hardships in marriage? I promise to you that I will not be that way. I am not afraid to talk about the hidden things in marriage and I hope you have an open mind when discussing it. You should want your marriage to be the best it can be, and admitting you have no faults, your marriage has no problems, and you don't need advice is complete crap! Most of us haven't been married 60 years and have it all figured out, I don't think they do either honestly.<br />
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I also don't have it all figured out! I wish I did. I think it's time I shed some of my honesty and admit some of my failures. I know I can be doing better as a wife. I know I have yet to learn how to be selfless. I have also really learned that when my heart and focus is not set on being with God on a daily basis and with everything I do, I tend to slip back into the world's ways and it affects my marriage GREATLY. You can't rely on the other person to make you happy, and willing them and wishing them to change something they do will only get intro trouble. What you really should be doing is pray to God that he can help the situation some how, whether it be changing your heart or his.<br />
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I used to be OCD with cleaning, and he was the exact opposite, it drove me insane! But after praying on it continuously God changed my heart, not my husbands. He helped me to be more accepting of mess, and realize hey if it doesn't get done today, it's OK. It has taken me some time to be ok with this, but now mess barely bothers me. I am worlds away from where I was when we first got married.<br />
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In realizing this, it has helped my mind set so much to see that if I don't focus on God to help me be a good wife, then I won't be. I may not be the best wife, but when I am treating him the way God commands me to, then that is being the best wife!<br />
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There are so many topics though that no one decides to tell you about before you get married, and one of them is sex and intimacy. GASP. Oh no I said the s word! That's a dirty word, and no one does that, especially if you are married! Come on, another load of crap people. There are so many people who struggle with this issue in marriage. They think you get married, bam, sex life will be perfect! And that is just not the case. You will still flirt, and be all cutesy like you were when you dated. Eh WRONGO. It's like you get married and everything just stops. All that work to get them, now you have them, so the work is over. When in reality, the work has just begun. And I think most of us are not sex addicts, so having a sex life when we are super busy is hard work. You really have to think about it and make it a priority to focus on.<br />
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I found an awesome blog where she is writing this into a book and I highly suggest if you are a wife, you read this, no matter how wonderful your marriage is. She talks about a lot of subjects that are hidden and that we all would love to talk about! It is sad though to read some of the comments people leave and that some don't see sex in marriage as a gift from God, but as something dirty and awful. And talking about it in public is a sin! Why would God create something so wonderful in marriage that he allows if it was so awful? Talking about it doesn't mean you are out whoring yourself out. You are simply trying to figure out how to have a better sex life, there is no shame in that. You aren't sharing pictures or anything like that. Asking questions isn't wrong! It saddens me they have these view points, and for their husbands!<br />
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A marriage will not work without connection, intimacy, and yes without sex. It causes stress in all regions and that just leads to more and more problems. It is a very important issue and I would like to help all the wives out there who have questions! Please go read her 29 day challenge! You don't have to do it with your husband, you can learn some ideas to bank for later if you want. But if you can do it with your husband all the better! I also would highly recommend watching the movie Fireproof! I think it shows how most marriages work and what happens when you focus on God and your spouse and not yourself! They also have a book called The Love Dare. I would highly recommend that as well!<br />
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Here is her website:<br />
<a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2012/02/29-days-to-great-sex-day-1-the-act-of-marriage/">http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2012/02/29-days-to-great-sex-day-1-the-act-of-marriage/</a><br />
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What do you ladies think about all this? Are there things you wished people would have told you before marriage? Did you think it would be this hard or has it been easy? Is it hard to admit that things aren't always amazing? Why?<br />
<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-24256919850158688272012-11-02T17:46:00.001-04:002012-11-02T17:46:25.725-04:000 point strawberry banana slushy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is amazing! I found this at a blog called www.stilettostolegos.com It is zero points! I made it today and I am in heaven! It is scrumdidlyumptious! I didn't follow her recipe exactly because it doesn't matter how you do it, it will still be 0 points. I used frozen strawberries, one banana, ice, and a little more than half a can of diet 7 up. I could drink this alllll day long! She has some other recipes on there that I am sure I will be posting at some point! Here is her recipe:<div>
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Ingredients:<br />-1 cup of ice cubes<br />
-1 cup of chopped strawberries<br />
-2 bananas<br />
-1/2 can of diet 7 up or whatever diet soda you would like<br />
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Instructions:<br />
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix till it's a consistency you like!<br />
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I didn't use a blender, I used our cuisine art bullet type machine. That way it was just a single serving for me and less mess!<br />
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Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-89599406274461277642012-10-31T21:32:00.001-04:002012-10-31T21:32:07.497-04:00Weight Watchers Success!Over the past year, my husband and I have tried various diets and weight loss schemes. After working my butt off and finding out I had a low thyroid that was causing me to gain weight, I became very discouraged. I finally had my thyroid stuff evened out and I tried calorie counting to lose weight. After two weeks I had only lost 1.6 lbs. Which was pretty disappointing after the amount of work I had put in. So I was starting to become discouraged and then my husband mentioned weight watchers.<br />
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I thought there is no way I am going in to weigh in every week and spill my soul to random strangers. Hi, my name is Lyndsey and I had a cookie this week. Ya know you make crap up in your head. So when he mentioned the online way, I became interested. It was nothing I had ever done before and thought well let's try it for 3 months and see where it takes us. It really went against my every way of thinking to lose weight. Especially the exact opposite of calorie counting. And they don't want you to work out to eat, which was all I knew. So it took me the first few weeks to wrap my head around what they do. But I am not going to contest it seeing as of monday I was down 7.7 lbs! Today we started our 5th week. My husband has lost 11. So far it is working and it is molding our minds to think of a healthy lifestyle versus a diet.<br />
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There are still days and times I struggle because old habits are hard to break, and sometimes I want more than just my portion! Especially Doritos, they are my nemesus! 14 chips are just not enough! So it's going to take time to change these habits, especially when you are hungry and you want to eat everything! It's very easy to mess up when you are hungry! Which is why I try to always have some sort of snack in my purse in case I do get hungry! So I figured of course I would use my blog to try and give out some recipes I have found for weight watchers!<br />
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This comes from www.hungrygirl.com<br />
Too-EZ Mac'n Cheese<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">PER SERVING (1 heaping cup): 222 calories, 5.5g fat, 772mg sodium, 35g carbs, 6g fiber, 6g sugars, 8.5g protein -- </span><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><em style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">PointsPlus</em></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">® value 6*</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Prep: 5 minutes</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Cook: 30 minutes</span><br />
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Ingredients:</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">-4 1/2 oz. (about 2 cups) uncooked whole-wheat-blend or high-fiber rotini pasta (like the kind by Ronzoni)</span><br style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">-24 oz. (about 6 cups) frozen Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese Sauce </span><br style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">-3 wedges </span><a href="http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1337" style="background-color: #ffdeff; border: 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese</a><span style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #ffdeff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">-Optional: salt and black pepper</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Directions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">In a large pot, prepare pasta according to the instructions on the package; drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the broccoli & sauce package in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until sauce has melted and broccoli is hot, 10 - 12 minutes.</span><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Once the bowl is cool enough to handle, remove it from the microwave and add cooked pasta. Unwrap cheese wedges and add those as well.</span><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the cheese wedges are evenly distributed and the pasta and broccoli are coated in cheese sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if you like, and then enjoy! </span><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: #cdf4ff; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">MAKES 4 SERVINGS</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">This recipe is SUPER DUPER easy... seriously for a cooking recipe, it can't get much easier! And it is super delicious! This would be great for kids so they eat their veggies! This will be on the repeat list for sure! I could eat pasta everyyy day! I ended up tripling the recipe so we had lots!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Any one else done weight watchers? What do you think of it? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;">Hope you had a great Halloween!!</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-80490959427935016572012-10-29T14:48:00.000-04:002012-10-29T15:02:47.308-04:00Oh Sandy..Even though we are far from this hurricane, we will still get some effects from it. Nothing like those on the coast though. Today I wanted to dedicate this to those who will be affected by this. I pray for your safety during this time. That you may use wisdom in making choices during this time. I pray you look to God for strength, peace, and hope. I pray that those in harms way be brought to safety. I pray you have continued patience and use this time to strengthen your family's bond. I pray this passes as quickly as possible and with as least damage as possible and that all will be safe. I pray after it's over that people will do what's necessary to help get all these areas cleaned up and back in order. Just know that there are many praying for all those being affected by this hurricane. So please stay safe!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN3W0li_NBD0pMKU8vRC361WxALf0hucASpn4C5Z-0hMAR8xYtuUvf0Lg7iHg4IpLU82ghhQv19NAamqPmbtzcqvmyftBptaHKLjpq75T1nnjXyiPJS7xk0GcMZu6slxg6QTzKuBrtWay/s1600/tumblr_lutjzyuZP11r6embzo1_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN3W0li_NBD0pMKU8vRC361WxALf0hucASpn4C5Z-0hMAR8xYtuUvf0Lg7iHg4IpLU82ghhQv19NAamqPmbtzcqvmyftBptaHKLjpq75T1nnjXyiPJS7xk0GcMZu6slxg6QTzKuBrtWay/s320/tumblr_lutjzyuZP11r6embzo1_500.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-77190609802628980112012-10-28T17:24:00.001-04:002012-10-28T17:24:25.807-04:0050 shades of grey costumeSo I thought I would share my costume in case anyone wanted to use it or create their own version of it! I thought it was pretty clever if I do say so myself, and that it wouldn't be popular yet since the book series is pretty new. I decided to do a play off words to 50 Shades of Grey, versus being an actual character. I looked up some ideas for the characters and they were a tad bit riskay! I mean you can go that way if you want, but as a married woman I prefer a bit more modesty these days! So that's why I decided I would get literal with it! So I made an outfit that was a bunch of different shades of grey, I probably didn't have 50 shades, but you get the point. I also made it, so if you want to just throw a quick thing together, it may be a bit tougher to do unless you find a way to wear a ton of grey!<br />
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The way I got most of my grey was to make a skirt and then take paint samples of shades of grey and then attach them to it. I don't sew, so I had to find a way to make a non sew skirt and decided to go with the tulle route. You could probably make many versions of a skirt to put paint samples on, but if you are like me and don't want to sew, this is your best route, unless you had a grey skirt that you didn't mind gluing paint samples to.<br />
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I wore a grey shirt, grey headband, painted my nails grey, grey leggings, grey flip flips, and grey makeup. I also decided to add in some things from the book series. I found a grey tie and used silver stickers to write laters baby on it. I also got some handcuffs from Walmart and used those as well. Here is the finished product:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1G_Q4T4wqXdV8VvWi5xpKqDgS_59Uw5Q05Kd3uRcitYuWZUhbg_KCYijC-SsMhtOiYf_BQHQGAmOG7sc1Q4N67VRpyEC57Zyd0CkaVke0J7pywMuFp7FmwiXw0UQq4z6wt6Iv0Ns70vh/s1600/52859_10100612074375398_886754425_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1G_Q4T4wqXdV8VvWi5xpKqDgS_59Uw5Q05Kd3uRcitYuWZUhbg_KCYijC-SsMhtOiYf_BQHQGAmOG7sc1Q4N67VRpyEC57Zyd0CkaVke0J7pywMuFp7FmwiXw0UQq4z6wt6Iv0Ns70vh/s320/52859_10100612074375398_886754425_o.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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Now to make this!</div>
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Supplies</div>
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for the skirt-size medium</div>
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-elastic band (I think I used 1 1/2 yards of the 1/2 inch thick. It was already pre-packaged)</div>
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-3 yards of grey tulle. It was pretty poofy with 3 yards, but if you wanted even poofier than 4 or 5.</div>
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-paint samples. I went to Lowe's and asked if I could take them and they said sure. Depending on what you get, you may need a lot of samples. I got the samples that had 3 colors on them and then just cut them up to the individual color and then cuz that in half so they would be little squares instead of a triangle.</div>
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-fabric glue</div>
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for the rest of the outfit</div>
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-grey tie</div>
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-silver stickers</div>
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-handcuffs</div>
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-grey makeup</div>
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-grey nail polish</div>
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-grey headband</div>
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-grey leggings or shorts</div>
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-grey shoes</div>
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To make the skirt:</div>
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-Take the elastic around the part of your waist or stomach you want the skirt to be at. You will then have to cut it to the length you want and I just tied a knot which I covered with some of the tulle.</div>
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-I would cut a strip lengthwise, then cut it in half. Take the strip and tie a knot around the elastic, and just repeat this about 939482202x! Well that's what it felt like! It is a lengthy process, I think it took about 4 & 1/2 hours to cut it all and tie it! Continue around the circle until you run out of tulle or you are satisfied with how much you have. I used all of mine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxXip3g45fiY7l6kS6iQ9YwEcTNXKYCwbd34pZwI26zNAQyIvEIH3pUP7ZL2SMKOObv9O7MSq4KwAAnvBVjqRra6Cy_oXEYrmenn2c5eMJ4n7wQvBLOxu8dcpBKswiW5u8hpSsWddM0sz/s1600/20121027_133301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxXip3g45fiY7l6kS6iQ9YwEcTNXKYCwbd34pZwI26zNAQyIvEIH3pUP7ZL2SMKOObv9O7MSq4KwAAnvBVjqRra6Cy_oXEYrmenn2c5eMJ4n7wQvBLOxu8dcpBKswiW5u8hpSsWddM0sz/s320/20121027_133301.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Ready for paint samples!</div>
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-If you have to cut up the paint samples, I would do that first so it's easier to just keep grabbing them instead of stopping every few minutes to cut more. Once you have them cut up, add a small amount of fabric glue and attach it randomly to the a piece of tulle. The glue is very sticky so place something under you skirt so it doesn't stick to the table or floor. After I attached the piece I would flip the piece over so it didn't stick to another piece or the table. It was a puzzle moving those all around so they didn't stick together! I put a piece on every strip in the front since you would see that most, then towards the back I put less and skipped a lot more pieces. This process took probably an hr to an hr and a half. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5zF93hC74cVgyhzVWy5uyIe1rBcVRI_sitcNnsg8T8FKtgB9A5dKYYyAe6OwUbLNEthkWyltJYj1keVgrkSQoczgAoFQ79l1vfgsu2tWI4Ha9wDfcHbHDYdeML6wZdFlTbWZcj5m9lfg/s1600/20121027_145140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5zF93hC74cVgyhzVWy5uyIe1rBcVRI_sitcNnsg8T8FKtgB9A5dKYYyAe6OwUbLNEthkWyltJYj1keVgrkSQoczgAoFQ79l1vfgsu2tWI4Ha9wDfcHbHDYdeML6wZdFlTbWZcj5m9lfg/s320/20121027_145140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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now to dry</div>
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-I let it dry for a few hours before I went back to flip all the pieces back over. And voila, it was pretty easy, just time consuming!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeUE8WSKyj1FU3eHfAs7Cz6S1HPNQk1Cxxq5CzIsE3zL3pr5UIDH8__Bkc2AOukve7mwQ5hES117xn8LCkv60WRhEFx55QtBa6CKakZg36l9GnF4nVjB6ZslUSVa10oeTre7YHcuTCgAG/s1600/20121027_180223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPeUE8WSKyj1FU3eHfAs7Cz6S1HPNQk1Cxxq5CzIsE3zL3pr5UIDH8__Bkc2AOukve7mwQ5hES117xn8LCkv60WRhEFx55QtBa6CKakZg36l9GnF4nVjB6ZslUSVa10oeTre7YHcuTCgAG/s320/20121027_180223.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finished!</div>
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For the tie:</div>
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I added the stickers vertically to say laters baby. Pretty easy! I also just bought a grey headband.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX2AWN3H5ouChWLcMWZv2dfBGD80d16RaNMhJNRBJ-MQAyTjNmrAh9uV5VwtVRH1CY-QIci2en2RtjArQYDg0yRA4AYwfmtUUn4y20L4tEr1FEAOlcWo6S0BWZdVcshoEyr87rZO1-Ua3/s1600/20121027_122105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX2AWN3H5ouChWLcMWZv2dfBGD80d16RaNMhJNRBJ-MQAyTjNmrAh9uV5VwtVRH1CY-QIci2en2RtjArQYDg0yRA4AYwfmtUUn4y20L4tEr1FEAOlcWo6S0BWZdVcshoEyr87rZO1-Ua3/s320/20121027_122105.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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You could do so much to this costume, but this is a general idea to make a cute tulle skirt! You can be super creative with it! Hope you liked it and even us non sewing people can make a costume!!</div>
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I also wanted to show you my bloody intestines I made! Mwuahhahaha!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LjsGRTtFMfAcG8T5Cc-vyDGA22Exx2rigoeW6HkV4s5ansxo-uCDYmGXEsDDyp3JztJwfSKt1wAm00K_fUZHThH0idR3ccVIEWoKLGOR1iT4mtL3XKdogHEvekexLIc_LVXTmgfV4ozS/s1600/20121027_162939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LjsGRTtFMfAcG8T5Cc-vyDGA22Exx2rigoeW6HkV4s5ansxo-uCDYmGXEsDDyp3JztJwfSKt1wAm00K_fUZHThH0idR3ccVIEWoKLGOR1iT4mtL3XKdogHEvekexLIc_LVXTmgfV4ozS/s320/20121027_162939.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Would you dare to try some?</div>
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Happy Halloween All!!</div>
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<br />Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-62394052024221035172012-09-19T16:38:00.001-04:002012-09-19T16:43:07.973-04:00A year ago..A year ago yesterday, I married my best friend! I can't believe how time flies! I won't lie and say it's been easy, it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. Music, movies, and media do a real good job of showing you what marriage is NOT. Yet we tend to believe it's lies and then have high expectations for our spouse, ourselves, and our marriage. It is not a fairytale and it even says in the Bible that you will face trouble in your marriage. I think that has helped me the most knowing it isn't supposed to be perfect! So don't feel bad when things aren't going great all the time. It's how you handle those things that makes the difference. Here are a few things I've learned this past year that may be helpful.<br />
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1.It is very important to have God in your marriage. To pray to Him when you are facing difficulties in your marriage. When you don't know how to handle something or need an attitude adjustment. Ask for help, it's ok to I promise!<br />
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2.Surround yourself with good people and those who will support your marriage and encourage you during hard times, not spouse bash or tell you to do the opposite of what God has told you to do. Try to find other Christian married couples to hang out with.<br />
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3.Make time for each other. This doesn't mean sit on the couch and watch a show together. I'm talking about face time where u can talk and connect. When you lose that connection, things seem to spiral downhill pretty quickly because defenses tend to get thrown up instead of trying to communicate and understand each other. Plan a monthly or every other week date night that you know is set and you can do something together to connect. It doesn't have to be fancy. It could be as simple as going for a walk and talking. Going to a comedy show and laughing. Trying something new together.
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4.Reading marriage books, going to seminars, counseling, and marriage mentors are ok, not frowned upon. It makes no sense to me why people would want you to fail and tell you just do it on your own when sometimes, we just don't have the tools in our toolboxes to make a marriage work. Sometimes we need to go elsewhere to find these tools to add to our collection. So why is that a bad thing? What does that have to say about you? Oh that you are human and don't know everything there is to know in this world! Imagine that! So why is it a bad thing if you want to better yourself, your marriage, and be the best wife you can be? It's NOT! So don't be afraid to explore options in finding those tools you need for your toolbox! Have you seen a marriage work that hasn't found new tools for their toolbox?<br />
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5.Speaking of books, some I've recommended before were Love and Respect, the 5 Love Languages, and another great one I've come across is the Truth About Marriage. All amazing helpful reads! There is loads of information, knowledge, wisdom, and tools to help! It's worth the time, $, and effort into reading them! And then applying what you've learned.
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6.Learning to become selfless. Ok guys this one by far is the hardest one. The sad but awful truth is we are wired as human beings to be selfish. Did you hear that? You are selfish. Write it down. And stop trying to be all innocent and say you aren't! Because you are, sorry to burst that bubble for you. Ok let's move on. Now that we have admitted we are selfish, you need to find triggers for your selfishness, and recognize when and why you are being that way. When communicating or arguing seek to hear the other person's point of view first and repeat it back to them so you can see if what you heard is what they are really trying to tell you. Don't try to be right, or get your point across first, this causes you to not listen to your spouse and makes you defensive.<br />
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7.When arguing or fighting we tend to say things we don't mean. Learn to edit yourself. If you are too fired up, say you need time to calm down and walk away until you can calmly continue the conversation. Don't swear at each other, don't call each other names, and try to not use the word "you" because it will automatically put them on the defense. Instead say I feel this way when or because ... that way they will listen and seek to know why an action they do causes a certain reaction for you. And never ever use the D word. Divorce. That is a very hurtful word. It is not even allowed on our vocabulary list! This will be something you regret when you say and may lead to trust issues. It is fire ladies, don't play with it, you will be burned.<br />
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8.We have these things called memory pathways in our brains and they tend to get triggered very very easily. Learning when something has triggered you is super important. We tend to be triggered then that memory arises and the feeling from that memory is now present and you are reacting to the memory, not the moment. When you can realize that you are reacting to a memory and not the moment, you can stop yourself and say I am having a reaction, let me figure out why before we move forward. Figure out the feeling and why, feel the moment, and let it pass. Then continue on with the conversation. Then you and your spouse will see that whatever was said, triggers a memory. And if you haven't done this yet, own your feelings and your reactions. You can't control the other person's reactions, but you can control what you say to them and how you react.<br />
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9.When merging into your new family, realize that you grew up in different ways. For us we grew up in exact opposite households. Sit down together and write out your family's ten commandments growing up. Example: Chores were expected daily and you did the same chores. Your spouse may say chores were used as punishment, which could be why they hate cleaning. Go through general areas, like punishment, communication (were you allowed to state your point or did it not matter, and what mom or dad said was the end all,) celebrations, grades, chores, family time, rules, how you were to get along with siblings, etc. Compare and talk about these things with each other. Then sit down and write out YOUR NEW family's ten commandments! Yes people we don't have to live by our family growing up's rules! We can make our own. This was a big revelation for me! Do you want to split chores, have a chore chart, the woman does everything? Will you be going to church every Sunday, will you expect your kids and spouse to do so. Prayer at dinner? Eating dinner at the table? Is respect a big issue? Etc. This will be very helpful and beneficial for you! It doesn't have to be ten it can be more obviously! But it's the general idea to help you get started! Some people like to be very detail oriented! Start new traditions for your family!<br />
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10.State your expectations of each other. Sometimes we assume the other person is as clean as we are, or likes to go to bed at the same time, or likes to cook. Then when they don't do what we assumed they would, we get mad at them, when really it isn't their fault. It is your own expectations you have placed on them. Discuss these so the other person can say, well I understand you expect me to make the bed every day, but I can only promise 3x a week. It's better than nothing right? It will get you two on the same page and make things a lot easier. They may have expectations set on you that you didn't even know about!<br />
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11.Try to do small things for them, be creative. Use pinterest or look up marriage blogs! There's tons of cheap ideas to do out there or cheap date nights that will spice things up a bit! Bring some spice into the bedroom, surprise him with something at work, surprise him when he gets home from work! Don't be afraid to try things! If you do read the 5 love languages and find out his love language, then you can do more things for him in his love language. Small gestures here and there mean a lot more than grand things.<br />
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12.Thank your husband for working, or if he is a stay at home dad, for doing that. Try to thank him for as many things as possible, even if it's putting food away. The more they feel appreciated, the more likely they are willing to help out. The more you show your disappointment and nag him for not doing something, the more he hears negative from you and doesn't want to please you. Men's number one thing is to be respected. So if you find ways throughout the day or week to respect him, simple things like saying thank you, or I am glad you are my husband, you are a good man, it will feed their soul and build their confidence. If you don't believe great things about your husband, why should he?<br />
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13.As women we tend to get into that motherly mode, and come home from work or you have been with the kids all day. Your husband walks in and you are just still in that mode and you treat him like everyone else. Well news breaker ladies, YOU ARE NOT HIS MOTHER. I repeat, you are not his mother. Men like to have a motherly figure around, but when it comes to in your marriage, he does not. They enjoy being taken care of and loved, but not bossed around. Some things I did, I didn't realize he saw them as motherly. So have him tell you when you are acting motherly, so you can understand what it is you are doing. All he has to say is I feel like you are mothering me. Then you can stop and process why he thinks that and either change your tone, approach, or just never do it again. It will help you learn to be more respectful, less motherly to him, and how to communicate in a different way. You have to make the conscience effort when you are around him to put away motherly mode and put on wife mode. We are great multitaskers ladies, so I know we can do this!
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14.Just count on the fact that you will fall in the toilet seat at least once in your marriage, and it probably won't be just once. No matter how hard you voice your opinion on this, sometimes they are just lazy and forget. I don't think that's ever going to change!<br />
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15.Men and women were wired differently, and this is NOT wrong, it's just different. Just because he doesn't like to come home and talk about Susan at work and her never ending stories about how perfect she is, doesn't mean something is wrong with him. You are just wired differently. Just because you don't enjoy watching guys beat the crap out of each other on MMA fights and get adrenaline from it, doesn't make it wrong, just different. Try looking at things from his point of view, why does he get a kick out of some of the things he likes? What does it do for him. This is covered a lot in the love and respect book. If you look at most things men like, they generate back to some sort of respect, honor, or teamwork. If you ask most any man, he would die for his wife or family in a blink of an eye. Us women, maybe try to talk our way out of it? But we don't see that as a respect and honor thing for us, it doesn't hit our respect and honor buttons. For guys, it does. Finding out what makes the depths of men's soul tick is important ladies. It will help you understand why they do some of the things they do, why they like some of the things they like, and who they are inside. It is helpful for them to learn this about you too. And to understand that when you want to talk about Susan, it's not because you want a solution, it's just because you have to get it all out and talk about it! Then you feel better!<br />
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16.Following that up, sex is important. Very. Oh no I said the S word!! Christian women don't talk about this! GASP! Ok well I will. I think a lot of us are not wired with sex drives like men. And we think seriously again? He just got it yesterday can't he take a break! Because we can, but he can't. It was a huge shock to find this out and realize just how important sex is to a man. What if you had to go ALL day without talking, crazy right? Then you come home and you still can't talk. Nada, zip. Then you go to bed and still no talking. I don't know about you but I think I would blow right up! Are you kidding me? No talking for a day! Now think about when you haven't talked to your spouse all day and as soon as they come in the door you literally word vomit all over him for a good 15-20 minutes. And how good do you feel after? Such a release! Ok ladies, this is where it gets real. This is what it's like for men. It literally is this pressure built up inside alllll day. They come home and just want to get it out like you would want to talk, and then we deny them. So imagine denying them for 3 days, maybe more. Imagine not talking for 3 days or more! How miserable would you be? They just need that release like we do. I know we aren't always in the mood for full on sex, but there are other things you can do ladies, and you know what I am talking about. Just ask him, if you aren't going to have sex is it ok if we... and I doubt he will say no. If he gets release any which way or how versus nothing, I think he will take it. But this can't be your way out all the time. He craves intimacy and connection with you and sex is how most men get that.<br />
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17.Be forgiving and merciful. He will mess up. And guess what so will you. You would only want the same things back from him right?<br />
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18.Be wise about your finances. Set up goals, calendars, and allowances you both agree on and can see. Be aware when things are taken out of your bank account and how much is there for groceries, spending habits, etc. Sometimes things pop up and you want to make sure you are prepared.<br />
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19.Go on vacations. It's important to take time for your marriage and to re connect. You need to get away from everyone and every day life and focus on each other! Plus who doesn't like vacations?!<br />
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20.Lastly, it is important that in order for your marriage to grow, you need to be growing spiritually and emotionally. Take time to spend with God and growing your own faith. Don't try to compete with your spouse in what you are doing, how many things you are involved with at church, or force him to do things with you at church. Do what you need to do. I realized I needed to grow apart from him, so I joined a woman's group I go to separately. It's ok to do things apart from each other, you don't have to be together all the time! Encourage him to seek avenues where he can grow on his own too. A men's bible study, a one on one bible study, a video, a book, etc. It's important for your spiritual life to be healthy or your marriage won't. You can NOT rely on your spouse to fill ALL your needs and happiness. Only God can make your cup overflow. When you look to God to fill your needs and make you happy, then your cup will overflow and that overflow will wash onto your marriage. It will seep into every crack and hole and make things easier, not better. Marriage will never always be a happy joyous time. And remember, God took Eve from Adam's rib, his side, and placed her next to him. Not in front of, or behind him. We are on this journey with our spouse as a team, you are not leading him, or following him, you are next to him. You have to work together to make things work, takes two to tango.<br />
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I know this is uber long, but this is what I have learned from 1 year of marriage! I can only imagine what is to come! I just wanted to help share as much knowledge as possible, especially to those who may be struggling! Who doesn't like learning something helpful in your marriage? I will have to have another post about what we actually did since I have yet to give him his gift! Marriage can be wonderful, but it is hard, don't let anyone kid you. No one can prepare you for it, but it's how you handle the hard times and the good that counts.
I am so thankful to have God in our marriage, it makes such a difference and without His help, we would not be able to do this on our own.<br />
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Be patient and know things take time to get better. We all go through seasons of our marriage, but know in the grand scheme of things, it's a short amount of time, it will pass. You may be in winter, but know spring is around the corner and it will come! Trust God to help you and give you the tools to deal with whatever is going on and to be a respectful loving wife even when you don't want to or think he doesn't deserve it. God sees and knows your heart and everything is happening according to his plan, trust he has a reason for whatever is going on in your marriage. Be thankful for the good and bad, because they both teach us things!
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<i>My partner in crime, my soul mate, my lover, my husband, and the man I am proud to walk life through next to. </i></div>
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Any helpful tips or advice you would like to share?Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-61341409601116937982012-08-02T11:50:00.000-04:002012-08-02T11:50:16.423-04:00Yes.. I am alive!!!I received a very sweet email from another blogger Suzanne (<a href="http://cowsandlasersandeverythinginbetween.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her blog link</a>) today, and it has come to my attention that someone actually misses my blog! I am shocked at this, didn't think anyone noticed I hadn't blogged for awhile! I know it has been quite awhile and I would apologize, but I don't feel that I need to. I don't want to have excuses for while I haven't blogged, but simply put my heart hasn't been in it to blog. I have been going through quite a lot these past few months and as much as I would have loved to share them with you all, I really needed to deal with things on my own. It may have very well been one of the most difficult times I have been through as an adult. I may talk about them in the future, but for ow I shall keep them to myself.<div><br />
</div><div>I also have been SUPER busy. Man this summer has been crazy thus far! At the end of May we went on our honeymoon cruise! That will be a whole blog in itself! Then the crazyness began. We got back on Sunday and I left 4 days later to go to Indiana to be in one of my best friend Jessica's wedding. The weekend after was a bachelorette party for another best friend Beth. The weekend after was Beth's wedding. The weekend after was another best friend Rachel's wedding shower, a housewarming party, and bonfire. The next week I actually was off and home! But ended up catching up with lots of friends! The weekend after I went up to Mackinaw City for 5 days with Rachel. The weekend after I was in Traverse City with my family. Then last weekend I was in Chicago for Rachel's bachelorette party. And this weekend I will be in Cincinatti for Women of Faith! So excited for that! And next weekend is Rachel's wedding! So as you can see my summer has been insanely crazy! And next friday (10th) is my dun dun dun 25th birthday! I may need a whole post just dedicated to that! Phew I am tired just typing that all out! So I have lots of pictures and posts on my list! </div><div><br />
</div><div>On another note, I was concerned because I was working out so much and I wasn't losing weight. I knew I wasn't pregnant and I was starting to freak out and get really pissed and unmotivated to work out because of this. So I went to the Dr. and found out I had a low thyroid. And this was why I was gaining so much weight! So part of me was glad to know the problem, but part of me was also upset that it was going to take a few more months to straighten out before I could even lose weight! It was a very frustrating thing for me, but I knew it could be a lot worse. So my thyroid is all straightened out now, and then I got bronchitis for 5 weeks. So needless to say I have not seen the gym in ages and my weight has been highly affected by this. But this week I have been back to normal and we started working on our diets again and working out. So hopefully some weight will start peeling off finally! </div><div><br />
</div><div>So this is my quick update of things that have been going on! I have some exciting news but I can't talk about it yet!! So stay tuned and I will try to blog more regularly now that I am around more! I miss all of you and hope to hear from you as well! Let me know how you are doing!! Anything happen since I have been gone?? </div><div><br />
</div><div>Also the olympics are taking up my other free time, so if anything just blame that! ;) GO USA!!! </div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-74290220599209199102012-04-17T16:53:00.001-04:002012-04-17T17:01:36.382-04:00Are you a negative nancy?I heard this quote on Bethanny Ever After last night (one of my fav shows) and it really struck a chord with me.<br />
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"The true test of character isn't how you are on your best days, it's how you are on your worst days or when things don't go right."<br />
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this really hit home with me with everything that has been going on over the past few months. You know the saying "things will get worse before they get better?" Well I believe that is quite true and I have been living and breathing that phrase recently. And with my therapy, I am learning just how to deal with things when they do go wrong, or on my bad days. And when I heard this quote I just started thinking about how I was at the beginning of therapy, and where I am now when it comes to my thinking and how I have responded to these difficult times. And I can say I have improved a lot, nowhere near what I would like to be, but I can see a difference in my thinking now and I think how we act in hard times and when things don't go our way is quite a huge test.<br />
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We can either let it get to us and wallow in our pity and sadness, or find the positive things in a negative moment. Which is what I am learning to do with myself, not just a bad moment. Like for example, trying on clothes which can be torture. Instead of getting so upset and finding everything negative I can about myself or the outfit, I am now learning to find the positive, like well the fit isn't right, but I love this color on me. This outfit does not fit my unique body shape and I just have to find something that compliments it. My body is not a bad thing or against me. But instead of letting it get to me, I am learning to think positive toward any situation.<br />
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Another example would be your plans getting canceled. I am an avid fan of hating when this happens and letting it ruin my day and sulking along with the nobody wants to hang out with me thought process. I am so notorious for that. Now I am working on the thought, well it got canceled so now I have this free time and there is a reason I am not going so I will enjoy something else and not be upset over this and find the positive in it.<br />
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Trust me this thought process is SO very difficult and I literally have to think about every step and second of my day now, but being aware of things is so helpful and being aware of my actions and my reactions. I am so much better at analyzing situations vs over reacting or assuming things. And I am getting so much better at bringing situations to God and expressing my worry, concern, or asking help in discerning things and having brought to light what I should see and take away from things.<br />
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My therapist has told me at the end of the day to reflect on my entire day and every emotion I experienced and why I felt that way without judging myself. Just bring awareness to myself of how I am thinking through out the day. She said I would be surprised at how negative my thinking was, and boy was I. I really can not believe how much I let myself be consumed by negative thoughts. And when you have such negative thoughts, you acquire a negative attitude which affects everyyyyything.<br />
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Proverbs 23:7 says "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." I didn't realize how much of a negative world I had created for myself until this process. And it is a daily struggle to fight with those negative thoughts. Some days, I lose. But the important thing is, now I am catching myself doing this and recognizing it so I can work to make it better. I am starting to notice my negative thoughts, and when I say negative things. And it is so freeing to be able to recognize this and be able to work on changing it which will help change my every day life and attitude.<br />
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It also helps me see more beauty in God's creations. Instead of being mad it's raining, look at how beautiful the rain is and sounds. How that rain is bringing water to animals and plants to help them grow. The rainbow that may follow that rain. It's as easy as that to switch your mind set and when you do, you begin to see beauty in things a lot more easily.<br />
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I have decided to enlist some help with working on changing this negativity. So I am asking all my friends, family, fellow bloggers to help me. If you see/hear me being negative, I ask you to bring it to my attention. Sometimes I don't realize I am doing it, and I want to become more aware of when I am doing it so I can correct it. And other people notice it a lot more quickly then I would! So please be kind when bringing it up, but please help me as well!<br />
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I also heard about a book where this lady writes down something daily that she is thankful for. Not your I am thankful for today amen type deal. But really looking hard into her day and looking for the beauty in things and being specific for what she is thankful for. For example-the way the sun sparkles on the water moving in the pond. Opening your eyes up to what's around you and it will make you start looking for that beauty! So I have decided I am going to do this every day as well in my own world. It is nice to read about them, but that doesn't really challenge me to find things on my own. So I will write them down, and put some in my blog when I do blog as well!<br />
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Your turn- Now I ask you this difficult question-how negative are you? Do you even realize when you are being negative? I challenge you to push yourself in this area. Survey your day at the end of it and write down all your emotions you experienced that day and why. See where your mind leads. Does it tend to go negative or does it tend to go positive? Maybe half and half? I challenge you to be real with yourself and push yourself to change your thoughts to a more positive light. Maybe you don't think it will affect anything in your life if you do that. Then how about this, every day for the next 2-3 weeks work on this and see if things change by being more positive in EVERY aspect of your life. You don't have to report back to me, this is your deal! But if you do decide to try it and want to share your thoughts or how you are doing, I am always happy to hear from you! And if you don't share and this helps you, then I am so glad you challenged yourself! It takes a lot to look at yourself and recognize things that you may need to work on, but when you do it makes a world of difference! And this is something other people will notice and can greatly change your every day life!<br />
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I challenge you to grow and want to make yourself better and make your life more positive! Good luck!Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-10131784142674674412012-03-29T10:33:00.000-04:002012-03-29T10:33:27.656-04:00Where is your heart in your blog?Hey all. I know it's been about a week since my last blog, and I would like to apologize but in thinking about it, I really don't know why I should. The purpose of this blog was for myself. I am not getting paid to write this, or have thousands of followers who rely on reading my blog every day as a source of entertainment. Which is all fine and dandy for those who enjoy to use their blogs however they please. But my blog is not to serve anyone else's purposes. It is for mine only and if along the way people enjoy, are moved, get inspired, and learn something new from my blog than that is a bonus. I am not writing for anyone else and I think a lot of times I feel guilty when I don't blog daily or at least a few times a week. And really, I think that's just silly, why should I feel guilty for something I want to do for myself? It's like feeling guilty for not writing in your diary/journal.<br />
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The blog world is quite a different world than every day life, but like all things, there are pressures that come with it. And it is hard to not fall into those traps. To not want to make your blog bigger and better every day. To not want 1000+ followers or get 30+ comments daily. To not want to have the best page and all the accessories to go with it. It is strange how we can have blog envy and how we can start comparing our blogs to others like our blogs are us. If my blog doesn't look like this it's not pretty enough so therefore I am not good enough, etc. If I don't have enough followers, no one must like me or want to read my blog more than once. If I am not an ambassador or guest poster or something along those lines than my blog isn't good enough. If I don't have give aways or link ups to weekly blog themes other bloggers must not want to be associated with my blog. It is so easy to think these things and let them suck you in.<br />
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I find it funny how we can take our worldly perceptions and habits and throw them into a different world and conform them to that world to make them work just the same. And if you are not a blogger, these woes would not apply to you nor would you understand what I mean. But in taking this break for a week and thinking about things, and going to therapy to deal with my past rape (<a href="http://lifeasawifemrsperez.blogspot.com/2012/03/change-is-comin.html" target="_blank"><b><i>read about it here</i></b></a>), my mind has been opening a lot. I am able to view things differently and recognize patterns in certain behaviors and I am learning how to look past them and view with a new light. To view myself as an I, not an it or a comparison towards others constantly. I am learning I am an individual and when I do things, regardless of what they are, they should be for myself. Not as in I am going to be completely selfish and forget everyone. But I am not going to hold my standards for others to make them for me. And I think that takes courage and gumption and confidence to do. And it's a process we all go through and come to at some point.<br />
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I am not better than anyone else and have struggled with this for so long. So if I don't blog every day or read other's people's blogs and comment, I am no longer going to feel guilty about it. This is not my job although it has a tendency to feel like a part time job, and I don't owe it my time. And therefore I will not apologize if I don't write daily or comment daily. And I challenge other blog writers to really look deep into why they started blogging. Did you do it just to get a fan base? Do you really want to share your love of fashion or cooking? Was your goal to share your life with your family so they could see how life was treating you? Or were you like me and did this for yourself? No matter how you started this blog, the question now is, are you still following that?<br />
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Or do you find yourself writing just for others to read and to keep them coming back? I challenge you to be true to yourself, and your blogging self and re evaluate your blog and see if you are writing for your initial reasoning you began the blog. Maybe you have strayed so far you have forgotten why you started this in the first place. Don't conform the real world into blog world like so many tend to do. Be unique, be different, be you. Don't let your blog be a popularity contest, it's not. Let us see the real you, the beautiful you, the smart you, the funny you, the happy and sad you, the hard working and sometimes lazy you, the creative you, and the you that gave you the courage to start blogging. You deserve to love yourself and this blog without all the pressures that come with it. To know that even if 1 or 0 people read your blog, you are still happy with it.<br />
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So bloggers, I ask you honestly, is your blog true to you? Or has it become something lost in the blog world conformed with real world standards? Where is your heart in your blog?Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-79849057568442454312012-03-22T13:05:00.000-04:002012-03-22T13:05:51.837-04:00Fashion & FoodSo I was going to blog yesterday but life had other plans. I worked 12.5 hrs beginning at 6:30 am, and sometimes your brain just isn't awake that early to blog. I was also dealing with my allergicness to the world and my allergies were beating me to a pulp. And to top it off, Layla decided the only nap she needed was the 15 min nap in the stroller. SO needless to say I had a long day and when I got home, I ate some dinner, took a nice bath, and popped 2 benedryl and peaced out! Sometimes that's just how life goes!<br />
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Anyways, so I found some great steals at TJ Maxx Tuesday night! I have always wanted a pair of wedges but since I am almost 5''7' 1/2, I would become a super giant in wedges. So I gave up looking at them years ago. BUT I found short wedges! Anddd they were hot pink with a bow.. it was like they were made for me! I will be wearing these out!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also found a cute blue sundress as well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNen_R6xhlm9qItPMw8xrrIGg3-y-qU-rXYkJdllc5oROp4e5Blit35GWXERzi27xezdxRTmiVaGKamyJGOjPG3KXQhNKCHgTQo2FUoVWkKldq_ZTIY8c2vRbYeR4C0FyC4uanrLa_3Ni/s1600/IMAG0931+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNen_R6xhlm9qItPMw8xrrIGg3-y-qU-rXYkJdllc5oROp4e5Blit35GWXERzi27xezdxRTmiVaGKamyJGOjPG3KXQhNKCHgTQo2FUoVWkKldq_ZTIY8c2vRbYeR4C0FyC4uanrLa_3Ni/s320/IMAG0931+(1).jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">TJ Maxx- $17</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next I give you a quick easy crockpot recipe I found on Pinterest! There are only 3 ingredients and super easy to make!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Crockpot Buffalo Chicken</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x04PWgZsqkXwktKndWCMCQLrnEAMezYn32_PbXolHiyFd7Oq5VYJvUSZsxPqAnDXoFdo08LSu_DluRTVkAGkcMITPZzVhO_94-JuV0JamhQwo_fs9tdaaukihnwO2rB9YEw9gpSWAaOa/s1600/IMAG0928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x04PWgZsqkXwktKndWCMCQLrnEAMezYn32_PbXolHiyFd7Oq5VYJvUSZsxPqAnDXoFdo08LSu_DluRTVkAGkcMITPZzVhO_94-JuV0JamhQwo_fs9tdaaukihnwO2rB9YEw9gpSWAaOa/s320/IMAG0928.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ingredients:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 lb chicken-either frozen or fresh</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 packet ranch</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 bottle Franks Red Hot Buffalo Style</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Prepare:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To make- put your chicken into crockpot. Add 3/4 or entire ranch packet (I love ranch so I add it all!) If you like heat add entire bottle of Franks, if you don't add 3/4 and then you can always add more later to add extra heat. It was just perfect for me! Antonio added more on his after! But he could eat fire, so not surprised. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cook low 6-7 or high 3-4</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After it's cooked, take a fork and shred the chicken. If it doesn't shred easily, then it is not cooked enough.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEniBriuV7Gz4HirANpBY00DRGwaMc-6XwTEo7D-dT7vreFJ7jpSVxPy03ciOGvFjor-NVqhM3s7i5KuEZ28sQUDajF8t__Un3_9kZS9zUUTbQVG9wffcwradJJ9cdm6UAS_FuhOOM0EB8/s1600/IMAG0935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEniBriuV7Gz4HirANpBY00DRGwaMc-6XwTEo7D-dT7vreFJ7jpSVxPy03ciOGvFjor-NVqhM3s7i5KuEZ28sQUDajF8t__Un3_9kZS9zUUTbQVG9wffcwradJJ9cdm6UAS_FuhOOM0EB8/s320/IMAG0935.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">You can eat this multiple ways. We put them on a whole wheat hamburger bun, and added cheddar cheese on top! If I had ranch I probably would have put more on! I also made it into a dip yesterday and re-heated it and added some shredded cheddar cheese on top, then used tortilla chips to dip it in. You could also turn it into buffalo style nachos. So really you could be creative and do lots of things with this! It heats up well as leftovers too! The recipe I found used butter after it was cooked but I decided not to. So if you want to add butter it's 2 TBSP. We had au gratin potatoes and cantaloupe with it! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I showed this a LONG time ago but this tool is so awesome for cutting cantaloupe and watermelon. We got it at Macy's for our wedding registry. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This thing is awesome!! It cuts through the thick rind so easily and the edge scoops the seeds out! Tomorrow I have a Tortilla soup recipe adjusted to my liking for you! Just remember if you cook, you don't always have to follow the recipe exactly, don't be afraid to add things, omit things, or be creative! That's the fun in cooking!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any stores you like that has good deals like TJ Maxx?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ever seen the canteloupe slicer before?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any good buffalo style anything recipes to share?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Thursday all, it's almost Friday!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">p.s. proof of my tan lines.. well red lines!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmma9xCDenTthB_pzlPfer1xjLaq04KuSIrOPV-XtzjeOSh2l9sL8Y2x-IuQkosw6Q2Sb6THEVASyBZdHhBVey3PbxiCG8kgJb87fRrev45fFYeuxLprqc1o_LD63v7cbRg_gamkc62VjZ/s1600/IMAG0939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmma9xCDenTthB_pzlPfer1xjLaq04KuSIrOPV-XtzjeOSh2l9sL8Y2x-IuQkosw6Q2Sb6THEVASyBZdHhBVey3PbxiCG8kgJb87fRrev45fFYeuxLprqc1o_LD63v7cbRg_gamkc62VjZ/s320/IMAG0939.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Who knew you would need suntan lotion in March?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-59716877367796321072012-03-20T11:27:00.000-04:002012-03-20T11:27:16.078-04:00Tan lines in March? Get outta here!Yes, it's true. Yesterday while taking Layla to the park, I got tan lines! This is crazyness for march!! But I love it! Sadly, I think our warm streak is going to actually go back to spring weather. The weather this weekend is going back into the 60s. Boo. I knew we were going to get spoiled and then it would go back to normal spring weather. Which is still better than snow and 30s. It's better to be thankful for this jolt of summer, getting us out of winter mind funk than nothing! It just gets me more excited for our honeymoon cruise in a few months. Speaking of that, I found some suits online for sale through victoria's secret and jumped on that!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnHHLhj45TLBliCk6QZ1ZXRXMbUEZDQ1pkecZ_W6QZCEuynoFvFZZPkbDJ2DcI0En-DdFbWiFZdki9q4FQWa2vSxDE_M-81uwg4aKuylK_OFTYEoR1sndy39wgQCj0BbBbHOfuGdYgcbr/s1600/V336793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnHHLhj45TLBliCk6QZ1ZXRXMbUEZDQ1pkecZ_W6QZCEuynoFvFZZPkbDJ2DcI0En-DdFbWiFZdki9q4FQWa2vSxDE_M-81uwg4aKuylK_OFTYEoR1sndy39wgQCj0BbBbHOfuGdYgcbr/s320/V336793.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Victoria's Secret: Top- $24 Bottoms- $18</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is much cuter in person and has a lot of rhinestones! If you go to the site- <a href="http://www.victoriassecret.com/ss/Satellite?ProductID=1265748424050&c=Page&cid=1329190988704&pagename=vsdWrapper" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Swimsuit #1</a>, you can zoom in to see it better. I liked it besides the sale, because when you are tan those colors accent awesome! And it's tropically with all the little palm trees on it, and of course rhinestones=happy Lyndsey! Maybe I should take a picture like her when I get to the beach? Ya I don't think so!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Second suit from same place</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH_sGfdcNMS8p0YqBhDMjOLiNBZJh12NE4YhLn8YABBAxbz2GmgZxJDuJhQx8oZcU6hrSlocyA_V6ag6hDK-nRgTNiuw2MMUanWDxH140U7EFxtdTcqwCnbUBQ8krNwYL6pnfzRAiX0ya/s1600/V316950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH_sGfdcNMS8p0YqBhDMjOLiNBZJh12NE4YhLn8YABBAxbz2GmgZxJDuJhQx8oZcU6hrSlocyA_V6ag6hDK-nRgTNiuw2MMUanWDxH140U7EFxtdTcqwCnbUBQ8krNwYL6pnfzRAiX0ya/s320/V316950.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Victoria's Secret: Top- $20 Bottom- $19</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well I love this suit because 1. white and pink are 2 of my fav colors 2. It's sparkly! 3. It comes in 2 other colors, blue & teal as well. Get it here-<a href="http://www.victoriassecret.com/ss/Satellite?ProductID=1265748055555&c=Page&cid=1329190988704&pagename=vsdWrapper" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Swimsuit #2</a>. It is really cute in person as well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The website has a LOT of good stuff on sale! I wanted to buy a ton of suits, but only 2 was alotted by the hubs on sale. I also have a blue one I purchased from Target a few weeks ago. It's this incase you forgot-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjstRYwLFK8eiRPNzcWNStoJ_ImAzYrt1SICt9Kirpjhi9FKVIHaGabC2AFGQWyIl7WEFDa7L76EiBHQCbAcrrNUZAmGGFzEUpCwAC8Z1WBZw7_QdOsWMohBnakJtcEb1LZk7FGTos0VL/s1600/13828778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjstRYwLFK8eiRPNzcWNStoJ_ImAzYrt1SICt9Kirpjhi9FKVIHaGabC2AFGQWyIl7WEFDa7L76EiBHQCbAcrrNUZAmGGFzEUpCwAC8Z1WBZw7_QdOsWMohBnakJtcEb1LZk7FGTos0VL/s320/13828778.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBmLYr2mUEyqOqFexLFplC2hy3TTcTe3JMZ6HtcHL7y5G3OqCCaToaKJqVotmHgw6VpoG1cXdL5i6R8lET4e8aUim0NQrsHrhw6DSxgFG1xTdHZZJfFC2h9EzDX2qAef7gFZkn-OM2gBV/s1600/13828779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBmLYr2mUEyqOqFexLFplC2hy3TTcTe3JMZ6HtcHL7y5G3OqCCaToaKJqVotmHgw6VpoG1cXdL5i6R8lET4e8aUim0NQrsHrhw6DSxgFG1xTdHZZJfFC2h9EzDX2qAef7gFZkn-OM2gBV/s320/13828779.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It has little beads in the flowers. You can purchase here-<a href="http://www.target.com/p/Xhilaration-Juniors-Triangle-Swim-Top-with-Rosettes-Ruffles-Blue/-/A-13828778#?lnk=sc_qi_detailimage" target="_blank">Swimsuit #3</a>. I still have to try on my suits from VS, but they are the same style I go for, so I think they will fit fine. I find for my body style, aka no boobs, triangle tops work best to help make it look like I have something. They have to be ties, none of the bra top styles. Bandeau tops are a joke on me, they don't stay up! And for bottoms I always have to have a large because mediums do not cover everything! And the string tie sides work best because it doesn't squish and shove all the fat everywhere! I can tie it as tight or loose as I want so it doesn't squish anything. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are a lot of suits I would love and wish to wear, but I am learning with my body type to accept what I can and can not wear. And that even if it's minimal padding, to accept this is my size and it's natural. Contrary to belief, men are drawn to a natural woman over implants. No dis to any who have them, if I could afford them, I probably would have them too. But alas I can not and I need to be happy with what I have. My husband is happy with them and he should be the only one who matters. Body image is always a tough struggle, but God made us to be a certain way and if he can love me like this, then I need to learn to love me too. No matter how big or small I am! At least I don't have problems not fitting in to tops because they are too large! I am thankful for that!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-anyone else getting tan lines in march this year?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-any cute swimsuit steals you have found for others to find?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-do you have a certain suit that fits your shape best?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-how do you feel about your boobs? honest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-57842094209518039772012-03-19T16:25:00.000-04:002012-03-19T16:25:36.221-04:00Tornadoes, Cupcakes, & 6 Monthaversary, Oh My!So Thursday at the end of work, we had some storms roll in. I was peacefully reading my book while Layla was napping when my mom called to tell me there had been a tornado about 25 min north of where I was. It wasn't even raining here yet. I turned on the news and they had the tornado watch on. I called Antonio to tell him what was going on since he was off and at home. Then all of a sudden the loudest crack of lightning/thunder I have ever heard in my life hit right above the house. Antonio could see it out our window (I live about 7-9 minutes from work) and said it looked like an explosion above us. He heard it through the phone, then heard it about 6 seconds later. It sounded like someone shot a gun off in my ear, I have never heard something so loud from nature. It freaked me out and of course woke Layla up and freaked her out. About 5 min later, her mom got home and told me to leave now before the storm hits.<br />
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So I made it home and about 15 minutes later there were reports of funnel clouds about 10 minutes away from us with possibility to touch down. Then this came on the screen-<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkti6OAoKovzh-M2d9iwlcvtSksztnYnWdoUJgCmqP5qXC0jqVP8MLf2IAIPoWJii5M5K0BytqBj7eT6PrufRT2S-GRQefmx-WMgHdA0Ysh4NVTHSYRixAxYPv71p7IKNknljMMxpk2Hzl/s1600/IMAG0916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkti6OAoKovzh-M2d9iwlcvtSksztnYnWdoUJgCmqP5qXC0jqVP8MLf2IAIPoWJii5M5K0BytqBj7eT6PrufRT2S-GRQefmx-WMgHdA0Ysh4NVTHSYRixAxYPv71p7IKNknljMMxpk2Hzl/s320/IMAG0916.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Always what you want to see!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So the rain started really picking up with the window and we were just about to go to stand in the tub, this is the only safe place in our apartment with no windows. When I looked out the window and it started hailing. Which freaked me out quite a bit. Hail is a huge sign for a tornado coming. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF3R_XVBY1ImqgaJd5-Lb3ifX25nxMck7e_CCQnE-YHWS8Uw83ldaxrfyec2aoo9723-aunqfpSAQDXKEja_EW7tUg7wNeVPC8APUe6GL40lecUjqDVIrx0EPoZo9GXO70ab10yFngUi8/s1600/IMAG0918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF3R_XVBY1ImqgaJd5-Lb3ifX25nxMck7e_CCQnE-YHWS8Uw83ldaxrfyec2aoo9723-aunqfpSAQDXKEja_EW7tUg7wNeVPC8APUe6GL40lecUjqDVIrx0EPoZo9GXO70ab10yFngUi8/s320/IMAG0918.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snow? No! Hail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPPZvddvFIlBaK4qp9XTHfUZ82-X5E4BCHxsreZiGPfAa9C_vH-aRwX6Ju8kRL0Ruva9WPxJ1bnfRsKJzoBVSCUeXiMCwSkDxYwP-d8gyHK2GD5u0SrD4rd-n_NTmjTw_yZVCMUyxOb8K/s1600/IMAG0919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPPZvddvFIlBaK4qp9XTHfUZ82-X5E4BCHxsreZiGPfAa9C_vH-aRwX6Ju8kRL0Ruva9WPxJ1bnfRsKJzoBVSCUeXiMCwSkDxYwP-d8gyHK2GD5u0SrD4rd-n_NTmjTw_yZVCMUyxOb8K/s320/IMAG0919.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They came up to the door, I didn't go stand outside collecting them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So after it started hailing we proceeded to stand in the tub as the sirens went off outside, praying no tornado's touch down!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmHAtSKbpfn2vWhAaDa3cvfvT6nJMdceYU5oPd-HdUj1qn4Fy0r4nU5WXN9cLjTvyKSvSJkX1rI92m2LaS8FKtoOvgXaQ4rz0PlIw__Z0aZo2wk56IaWLkeSOlnqFQnCqvK7QZU8fKQIC/s1600/431030_10150629706307982_720587981_9372341_1821912636_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmHAtSKbpfn2vWhAaDa3cvfvT6nJMdceYU5oPd-HdUj1qn4Fy0r4nU5WXN9cLjTvyKSvSJkX1rI92m2LaS8FKtoOvgXaQ4rz0PlIw__Z0aZo2wk56IaWLkeSOlnqFQnCqvK7QZU8fKQIC/s320/431030_10150629706307982_720587981_9372341_1821912636_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xyW6ejvT2wcX3wYmELbu80xBcZKu66xSWmgauQ_ZSff5OPzR1XKqx-DCspoS-jdReM_EjtBWlxlKixktfUf3KxdCL00Myx_MNd9TWFLkSrNfE7SXkN5qB86DyDMnjnA8tDzghN8QCNoh/s1600/IMAG0917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xyW6ejvT2wcX3wYmELbu80xBcZKu66xSWmgauQ_ZSff5OPzR1XKqx-DCspoS-jdReM_EjtBWlxlKixktfUf3KxdCL00Myx_MNd9TWFLkSrNfE7SXkN5qB86DyDMnjnA8tDzghN8QCNoh/s320/IMAG0917.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this was his "terrified" face. He looks scared doesn't he? not.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So luckily the storm got to us then turned south. No tornado's here, but still shocked to have a tornado in MI during March. It hit Dexter. There was quite a bit of damage done and they will be cleaning up for awhile. Thankful no one was killed though!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday night we had date night and of course the topic was sex. Talk about awkward having to talk about that with your parents in the room. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but it wasn't too bad, thankfully. We went out to dinner with Buddy Shuh and his wife after at Sidetracks. Pretty tasty!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday I did my normal crazy schedule at the gym and arrived at 8 am for 8:15 bodyflow. Then Spinning after, took a break got a protein shake and sat outside till RPM spinning. I was worn out later on needless to say. Then I had an afternoon date with my <span style="color: blue; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.watchmegorun.com/" target="_blank">Meggers</a>. </span>We went and saw Wanderlust. It was alright. I thought it was going to be a lot funnier, but it had a unique sense of humor to it. I would recommend just waiting for dvd. We then had to go get cupcakes of course!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0G0ytzd4v3aNkJMcXjh3-lMSNJ6YpI4_Rt2H-rm-vUpbo5dYlZqrdulQhRYcoAvV0Xx0m9806I3AdXdk3cY3SA0f_g7d9rGw7j2Zp2RAiYzphhHz25dZXlVUBWph4Gejp-BglV5Ryyb45/s1600/425944_10100358488987294_30300237_43239551_1601942690_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0G0ytzd4v3aNkJMcXjh3-lMSNJ6YpI4_Rt2H-rm-vUpbo5dYlZqrdulQhRYcoAvV0Xx0m9806I3AdXdk3cY3SA0f_g7d9rGw7j2Zp2RAiYzphhHz25dZXlVUBWph4Gejp-BglV5Ryyb45/s320/425944_10100358488987294_30300237_43239551_1601942690_n.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Doing what we do best, take pics and eat cupcakes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumU8lOEg2yCQX74cLMcCSiOBQYPhCrFVxZUyMy9h9QVqW2m2SWHSOqymlwWUfYKCLbTcFd0-bhem1qQf7X6IiEhCFRU4LUSwHd2gBjQamDvEtk4IDMIJrzopYUhVZdcX411jx-UIojSQ-/s1600/431117_10100358491991274_30300237_43239571_938504930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumU8lOEg2yCQX74cLMcCSiOBQYPhCrFVxZUyMy9h9QVqW2m2SWHSOqymlwWUfYKCLbTcFd0-bhem1qQf7X6IiEhCFRU4LUSwHd2gBjQamDvEtk4IDMIJrzopYUhVZdcX411jx-UIojSQ-/s320/431117_10100358491991274_30300237_43239571_938504930_n.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nom nom nom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After I had to run home to change and get ready to go celebrate our 6 monthaversary of marriage! Antonio's mom had gotten us a gift card for a restaurant called Andiamo's and 2 movie passes. So we opted to see 21 Jump Street after. That was much better than Wanderlust! It was pretty hilarious, a bit of language though to warn you. So here are some pics from our Andiamos adventure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHzEtqy1GGKOwP0CyyWBObTOwawW3PaKysKrgYO8Uys9T6UISK4KVFlrxHLlVrys8fPvAPpnduhSi-8JUhx1_5XQssY0dUPOOoo4Txfoehqy5gpiVH1lwpzM6bHVgbPauYaZUat_tvFzW/s1600/IMAG0920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHzEtqy1GGKOwP0CyyWBObTOwawW3PaKysKrgYO8Uys9T6UISK4KVFlrxHLlVrys8fPvAPpnduhSi-8JUhx1_5XQssY0dUPOOoo4Txfoehqy5gpiVH1lwpzM6bHVgbPauYaZUat_tvFzW/s320/IMAG0920.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our free appetizer for it being our first time there</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszrPmYJxzoUPazNXoiQ4Od9An7tfA5fT5jL8dUdZeKeOdRA37mCFP4IYk0PbaD5he0ujFLNcblqFrj1pXNx9bqnYHPF12Bk92lGHdsFTEtGHxCzLdJAvEFmD22FFqkEMsS2yg8IoKs7G-/s1600/IMAG0921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszrPmYJxzoUPazNXoiQ4Od9An7tfA5fT5jL8dUdZeKeOdRA37mCFP4IYk0PbaD5he0ujFLNcblqFrj1pXNx9bqnYHPF12Bk92lGHdsFTEtGHxCzLdJAvEFmD22FFqkEMsS2yg8IoKs7G-/s320/IMAG0921.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKN1lXh0ZdM8qRu6Ud_2es8nLk3iKj5wVMJOJ005S9yhLjIyKZDlt1v8qUjHkSWnU3vRFrangsuj5J8AfAetocpQYfWekvlacxTnJgRsefvo4z8vj3vyh98O5dp-3-psD2SHVqpzA2YrH/s1600/IMAG0922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKN1lXh0ZdM8qRu6Ud_2es8nLk3iKj5wVMJOJ005S9yhLjIyKZDlt1v8qUjHkSWnU3vRFrangsuj5J8AfAetocpQYfWekvlacxTnJgRsefvo4z8vj3vyh98O5dp-3-psD2SHVqpzA2YrH/s320/IMAG0922.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the fireplace that would be turned on normally this time of year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo_vPK2hDacwuhMUMZMkfoezif7aASIh8FyYm3oyLOeW2p1UNhbt_UduJKwqgEWeFO27uXyqxhvK0S24QpUvcIqvV56NlcQfwPP1DeuAZ8pE3HpYua4w2tKxjUUZ-7pr-aB1yLumWNxZf/s1600/IMAG0923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo_vPK2hDacwuhMUMZMkfoezif7aASIh8FyYm3oyLOeW2p1UNhbt_UduJKwqgEWeFO27uXyqxhvK0S24QpUvcIqvV56NlcQfwPP1DeuAZ8pE3HpYua4w2tKxjUUZ-7pr-aB1yLumWNxZf/s320/IMAG0923.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Basically a kit kat covered in chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache, then lit on fire.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcHN_EHHpRYu-OnDtyJK7sAIwlzjlzDsvhxLwFoByutPyhA0OF-CrZil1nsjWTbGasR4Z3z8yIfd-S3SydjFaurb51K0oY6KZP6MSSf21WLxVbyW2nx7F_cqmVKYali6iihFycKmk49K2/s1600/IMAG0924B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcHN_EHHpRYu-OnDtyJK7sAIwlzjlzDsvhxLwFoByutPyhA0OF-CrZil1nsjWTbGasR4Z3z8yIfd-S3SydjFaurb51K0oY6KZP6MSSf21WLxVbyW2nx7F_cqmVKYali6iihFycKmk49K2/s320/IMAG0924B.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">hubs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTTgvmbyHZ0Mlw5lkERsC-4ATwPT6qY85dZ_AowUEwt9Vog0drp2BwaQlSVbdSBzHhSSBmhFd7d4wU4d2qejhWlwZtpFkfYZYO44AzpVBItS05Xx9qB13QBoyJ1YK6ZxNnawprKKf2k23/s1600/IMAG0927B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTTgvmbyHZ0Mlw5lkERsC-4ATwPT6qY85dZ_AowUEwt9Vog0drp2BwaQlSVbdSBzHhSSBmhFd7d4wU4d2qejhWlwZtpFkfYZYO44AzpVBItS05Xx9qB13QBoyJ1YK6ZxNnawprKKf2k23/s320/IMAG0927B.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And on Sunday my throat was hurting and I was super tired. So I pretty much sat in bed, napped, and watched TV. Throats still hurting today but I am trying to fight through and not let it keep me down. Hope you had a good weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Have you seen either movie? Comments.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Have you ever been near a Tornado/seen one?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-How was your weekend?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-12593357509641300082012-03-15T10:17:00.002-04:002012-03-15T10:37:09.864-04:00Swings & Personal Bests!Happy Thursday all! Thanks for all the supportive comments yesterday. They really help push me to be stronger! :) And I had a wonderful day yesterday so that really helped!<br />
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My mom had the day off of work so she called me up tuesday night and asked if I wanted to have a picnic in the park with her, Dyson, and Layla. I of course have no objection to this. So we grabbed some panera before heading off to the park. It got up to 75 yesterday! So beautiful. So here are a few pics of our park afternoon. And this first one was my trying to be creative before we left. Key word trying!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOebaflBE3EZpgPm7lRa9Ci0GJOXd3N_xx3hzqUyLrooKJ9pgVp-568Iof1nEHhC75w0260XC8M2I_zne1IIsikL9d-zgpL-uTUH4RJz3y_DTrUazl05uq1JjEdfbcm5sqTt4Nr-4JlzmA/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOebaflBE3EZpgPm7lRa9Ci0GJOXd3N_xx3hzqUyLrooKJ9pgVp-568Iof1nEHhC75w0260XC8M2I_zne1IIsikL9d-zgpL-uTUH4RJz3y_DTrUazl05uq1JjEdfbcm5sqTt4Nr-4JlzmA/s320/3.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">yay or nay?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVsSwxnWEudzciqY9e_ZTdUEuLuHDYF5pbY_KbFbhV15lNkm_VBgF7QBQATOUfQWV-1k9liCDQydza3BMcwUNuAnvtzlZHLEqA2g8bZf55ezV9PekCD8SCdI6L272y90Tl5fkDZC0XeLV/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVsSwxnWEudzciqY9e_ZTdUEuLuHDYF5pbY_KbFbhV15lNkm_VBgF7QBQATOUfQWV-1k9liCDQydza3BMcwUNuAnvtzlZHLEqA2g8bZf55ezV9PekCD8SCdI6L272y90Tl5fkDZC0XeLV/s320/1.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Layla and Dyson together were too cute</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlV4mRA-dh8-pE0UojXu-zNsTv46wlkBzxpykNcGKIOfLvNfm124nG1HbvAP12N_rZEDqQEALO5-rMMZIAebV_xXnN_0E7bg0avFqvDpfG3D9YM1U4XKiqAtWywNqTBGvg7aDgIrtgqR1b/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlV4mRA-dh8-pE0UojXu-zNsTv46wlkBzxpykNcGKIOfLvNfm124nG1HbvAP12N_rZEDqQEALO5-rMMZIAebV_xXnN_0E7bg0avFqvDpfG3D9YM1U4XKiqAtWywNqTBGvg7aDgIrtgqR1b/s320/2.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can you find the swan?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcNWV3D0DqOp0_eTKAXXfi8c2CflUT58lPOejQZxaXKuPatT9Ek4pWm-nJRpS_IOPTKGcGfQ_4i4zcXhTahq3fZ8y3lQUhUPObT4WabGrmEDsgKRB-3oDNwZzRVFYC-mEKoci0kwcU_jL/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcNWV3D0DqOp0_eTKAXXfi8c2CflUT58lPOejQZxaXKuPatT9Ek4pWm-nJRpS_IOPTKGcGfQ_4i4zcXhTahq3fZ8y3lQUhUPObT4WabGrmEDsgKRB-3oDNwZzRVFYC-mEKoci0kwcU_jL/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">swings are always a given, or as Layla calls them-wee wee!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxTz0msFOs9LG5ixwewV5ajF8UbOCsl2LbmrY7iweRdi4ktrvIg76l3mtrtmjRXbSjTx_27M4MRIqjXSFMtnFHauT-cFSWEGzyqhetBP4e7aH4YVNefQyPt5YlZMTC4f7800pSb0hreH2/s1600/IMAG0898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxTz0msFOs9LG5ixwewV5ajF8UbOCsl2LbmrY7iweRdi4ktrvIg76l3mtrtmjRXbSjTx_27M4MRIqjXSFMtnFHauT-cFSWEGzyqhetBP4e7aH4YVNefQyPt5YlZMTC4f7800pSb0hreH2/s320/IMAG0898.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">who doesn't love swings?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCw0qlrlTKEc0y451yQGrB4xoSXVkcP3hrz91RsTYWbeg0DTNzmVpjF2pufA17SEqZ3IDpX8kEf7KVAHwRfHU7ZckZx-Jq3LsASBHFJuvplNaWLoAWe3BKxnWK1NpjlX2xIrIAZ1X-9_B/s1600/IMAG0902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCw0qlrlTKEc0y451yQGrB4xoSXVkcP3hrz91RsTYWbeg0DTNzmVpjF2pufA17SEqZ3IDpX8kEf7KVAHwRfHU7ZckZx-Jq3LsASBHFJuvplNaWLoAWe3BKxnWK1NpjlX2xIrIAZ1X-9_B/s320/IMAG0902.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">time to drive!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KTT9CS6hFQC0QJ8t86JudL2QhjGrI93rMW2H9bSG11vBy_aKO3W8gtag0NalJKxmcg0fr16Dl8oVfyaO-zN0EV6-vPxNNzWTKh9Ca4_bUQ5I4nRBJ3ZcDWKuLNgpSgxQuZdEwSpMsWaE/s1600/IMAG0907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KTT9CS6hFQC0QJ8t86JudL2QhjGrI93rMW2H9bSG11vBy_aKO3W8gtag0NalJKxmcg0fr16Dl8oVfyaO-zN0EV6-vPxNNzWTKh9Ca4_bUQ5I4nRBJ3ZcDWKuLNgpSgxQuZdEwSpMsWaE/s320/IMAG0907.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">she was trying to give Dyson kisses</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCB84q1gRYZ9-s5pLwjFM8cWVUP-HCD03kXA0XSbrLcRuN3vuwPVG00OoWJH9Ff-Xk6ENJV4YPbv1VXYJn37iHkgBb_oIqdrflqs1WIvZJkwLNGK5P1j3_709WFYgG37NZpThuRJVWEUn/s1600/IMAG0909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCB84q1gRYZ9-s5pLwjFM8cWVUP-HCD03kXA0XSbrLcRuN3vuwPVG00OoWJH9Ff-Xk6ENJV4YPbv1VXYJn37iHkgBb_oIqdrflqs1WIvZJkwLNGK5P1j3_709WFYgG37NZpThuRJVWEUn/s320/IMAG0909.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">she wanted to give the pole a hug</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBgsIH9UCNY5jAtcNhftLHlTH2zDZwlosthyphenhyphen7u0IYRIGX5JotxMRDyXq-ji3nhQudqF4bEHo6lX7T8dPpaDtCZGJPysyN1nRkn0a4RNeLsvPPidoZF0paqTA8yBvonm8Uw87ROebW4DQv/s1600/IMAG0910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihBgsIH9UCNY5jAtcNhftLHlTH2zDZwlosthyphenhyphen7u0IYRIGX5JotxMRDyXq-ji3nhQudqF4bEHo6lX7T8dPpaDtCZGJPysyN1nRkn0a4RNeLsvPPidoZF0paqTA8yBvonm8Uw87ROebW4DQv/s320/IMAG0910.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and one last one before we left!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to go back to the park after work and try to run over 4 miles. I wanted to see if I could do it and if I would be able to, then I would run the 10k next month. If I couldn't then I was just going to x-nay the 10k. I was super exhausted from being up half the night and I was fighting to talk myself out of it. So I naturally did what anyone would do. Started doing yoga. I know, what is happening to me right? I actually am remembering this stuff! I did about 15 minutes and it actually felt good and my legs felt a little less sore from spin the previous 2 days. And it gave me some energy, so I set off to the park after work. It helped it was so beautiful out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got the park and it was crazy crowded which I expected. But I think having a place to go that has trails and it's 4 miles around, helps make me want to run outside. I actually liked it. Which I NEVER thought I would say I like running outside more than the mill! But now I hate the mill! Plus I am not constantly looking behind me for cars. There are no sidewalks in our neighborhood so I have to run in the street which freaks me out. But I almost got ran over a few times from bikes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I set off and I was doing good, had to slow my roll to get a good pace. I got to 1.64 miles and whabam my watch dies. I was so infuriated and was about to just call it quits, but I had to turn around to get back to my car and knew it was 1.64 miles to get back. Then a light bulb went off. I tried to calculate it to run back 1.36 do get the whole 3 miles. Then I would do the route a second time and try to turn around at 1.5 miles so then coming back would equal 3. Then I would have 6 miles. I have never run more then 4, so I knew if I made it back to 3 and turned around and had to force myself to be far away, I would have to finish the 6 miles even if I walked back. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I looked at my watch time and then used the stopwatch on my ipod and added the time from my watch the end. I had no idea what pace I was going, but just tried to run what felt good to me. I was using the run walk run method and would run 3, walk 1, run 3, etc. Those little one min breaks helped get my breathing back down and give me a break to recoup and push myself forward. Funny enough the time it took for me to add up the mileage and figure that all out distracted me quite a bit. I forgot to stop running for my 1 min break. So thinking about math while running is a good distraction apparently! I got to 4.5 miles and knew this was it. Can I finish this without quitting and being forced to walk? I could feel a blister forming and was trying hard to ignore it. My legs were also starting to hurt. I got to mile 5 and about puked since I had never gone so far or ran that long. I got to 5.5 and knew I was almost there and after a walk break, I decided to push for the home stretch. When I saw my car I almost teared up because I was so proud of myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So my distance may not be exactly accurate but in the end I DID IT! I finished those 6 miles with a smile on my face. I needed that victory so badly! I was on top of the world until I stopped running and the pain set in and I wanted to die. My body hurt so bad. I timed in at 1:09:50. I will take it! Even though I know it probably isn't accurate either for 6 miles. Oh well. I was just ecstatic I got a personal best for distance!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can not believe how much spinning has helped my breathing, my cardio, and my endurance. A month ago I would have never been able to run that before I started spin class. My pace was better for 6 miles than it was when I ran 4 miles a month ago! I couldn't believe it! So this just shows everyone, if you really put your mind to it, you really can excel and improve in things you aren't good at. I am not a runner, still not one. But I know if I really push myself and try, I can succeed! But I am good with 6 miles for now!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the casualty of running 6 miles though-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkMEP_5wBJFsHGtlAwUVHzJ0NyDejjk2fj7un27bu1ps6bDH6Odjcpik-SeicaTU4dQ47pJfRB5aVWJd_bs6X6geWyfIDKtWzliPR2kzu1hYjOMJEVE242vUfJl5Mi4FbY_RhK_l9bmjP/s1600/IMAG0915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkMEP_5wBJFsHGtlAwUVHzJ0NyDejjk2fj7un27bu1ps6bDH6Odjcpik-SeicaTU4dQ47pJfRB5aVWJd_bs6X6geWyfIDKtWzliPR2kzu1hYjOMJEVE242vUfJl5Mi4FbY_RhK_l9bmjP/s320/IMAG0915.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">poor foot! :(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good thing it's a rest day and I can wear flip flops! Have a good day all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-what was your favorite thing at the park growing up?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-ever beat a goal in the fitness world you never thought you would? how did you feel?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-88982460775989606432012-03-14T02:44:00.000-04:002012-03-14T02:44:51.413-04:00Real TalkIt's 2 am as I sit here staring at the computer. My heart is heavy, my mind is full. I really could not anticipate how hard this process was going to be. I could not anticipate how hard the Devil was going to attack. One thing I have learned that I think we do not realize is how patient the Devil is. We think he just attacks on a whim when he feels like it. But he does not. He has a plan of attack and he sits back and watches you, he studies you and figures out what your weakness is and just when he can catch you off guard. He waits till you think he has left you alone and then he strikes.<br />
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It angers me how patient he can be. How deceptive and torturous he can be. How he waits till you are doing so well to strike. How he knows every inner depth of me and he can get there. How he knows my dislikes and likes. How he knows my weaknesses and my strengths. How he knows the perfect buttons to push to cause the most pain. How he is so quiet, but so loud at the same time.<br />
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It angers me how weak I am and that I can still let him get to me so easily. I honestly had no idea how weak I was with this process till tonight. I thought I was going in strong and when he attacked, I would fight him head on. I was wrong guys. I was sadly mistaken. And it angers me that I let him creep up on me and should have seen it coming but I ignored it.<br />
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I had a panic attack tonight and for the first time in my life, I could recognize him attacking me. And it wasn't just in my head, it was physically. I could not breathe. I freaked. I got so scared to even sleep and panic ensued. I didn't know what to do, how to handle this and I just gave in and became weak. He saw this and just hammered on me. I was 5 minutes short of going to the ER from how panicked I was and that I couldn't breathe.<br />
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I wanted to call my parents. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something. I wanted to fight back. But I just didn't know how. This ensued more panic of not knowing what to do. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't control myself and it freaked me out. My anxiety has gotten so bad, to the point where I can't control my breathing, and it's keeping from sleeping well. It frustrated me that it's gotten this bad. And when I don't have control, anxiety ensues. And control comes as an effect from the abuse. It's issue upon issue upon issue. And its SO freaking frustrating you have no idea.<br />
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I am so angry I don't have control of myself, I am so angry as to why this is now an issue. I am so angry that I have such anxiety so quickly into this process and we really haven't dug into anything. As I get closer to Friday knowing this is going to really begin, my anxiety is flaring so badly. I honestly don't know if my anxiety is something I am going to be able to handle on my own. It freaks me out wondering if I am going to need something for it. (No worries, I am going to be e-mailing my therapist tomorrow to see what she thinks of all this, I can not wait till Friday.)<br />
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She said a core issue of this is dealing with the shame I have. I completely dismissed that sentence from my mind after she said it. Psht, I am not ashamed. Whatever lady. The next chapter of one of the books I am reading talks about dealing with shame. I have gotten through the part of what shame is. It scares me that I realized I really do have it. And I can't bring myself to open the book to continue reading. It scares me seeing how much thinking about this issue has caused me such anxiety and I don't think I am going to like this part at all. It scares me that this is going to be much harder than I anticipated and that this is just the beginning of what the Devil has up his sleeve. It scares me to be so scared.<br />
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At the same time in totally freaking out, I knew God was there. I am still so weak in crying out to him. I couldn't bring myself together to talk to him. I felt shameful. Then once I realized it was the Devil telling me I didn't deserve to talk to him, I let go. I walked around in circles just praying and talking to God until I finally calmed down. I have been listening to Christian music and just singing to Him. Realizing how much he loves me. And I need him to love me so desperately. And I need to stop pretending that I can somehow deserve what I already have. He already loves me, he has already forgiven me, and he is always there regardless of what I did so long ago. I know this, but I keep forgetting it. It's been easy to trust him till this shame thing came up. And I did not realize how deep this shame went and how huge of an issue it is. It seems bigger than God, but I know it isn't. Just feels like it.<br />
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It's so hard to let go of the thinking how can someone truly love me, want me, forgive me for what happened if I can't seem to. How can God still love me after all I had done to him? How can he not be ashamed of me? This shame issue is something I do not understand, nor know how to deal with. And clearly a core issue. But despite this one sided thinking of me, part of me know he does love me, just not all of me yet. Letting down the most precious person to you in the world in one of the most horrible ways, is so damaging.<br />
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I am writing this more so to chronicle this moment of how I feel. To be able to look back in 5 months and see where I was less than a week into this process. To capture the raw truth and honesty of this process. To not only let myself, but to let others know how heart wrenching and scary this process is. To get a glimpse into the mind of someone dealing with this, so that maybe you might understand one day if it happens to someone you know.<br />
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This song speaks volumes of how I feel right now.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JqrO07PuZCk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-42015690150972433262012-03-13T17:04:00.000-04:002012-03-13T17:04:44.160-04:00I have a confessionOk guys, please don't laugh at me. This is <i><b>highly</b></i> embarrassing for me to admit! But if you know me, I am not very well endowed in the upper female region. I was hoping as I got into my 20s that maybe one day poof I would get boobs. Well poof, it didn't happen much to my dismay. It's like that growing gene went everywhere but there. Maybe after my height, butt, hair, and nails it just ran out of juice. Either way, they are not getting any bigger unless there is a baby in there, and we all know that is not happening any time soon!<br />
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So I have always been super self conscience about this area and got made fun of immensely in middle school for not getting a bra till 7th grade in gym glass. Man middle schoolers are brutal. So as I got older, I never needed a sports bra because I would be flat as a pancake with one of those on, and the padded ones weren't really around back then. I tried one once and I looked like a 12 year old. So I don't know if I got traumatized or established a phobia over sports bra's, but this led me to never buy one.<br />
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Now as I am working out a lot more and my bra's are drenched after the gym, I figured maybe it's time I step into the big girl world and buy a sports bra. So here it is ladies. I am 24, and I just bought my first sports bra ever yesterday. Mind you it's padded of course! I don't know why I was so terrified to do it. Probably because I assumed I would put it on and look like a 12 year old and everyone in the gym would laugh at me. (All in my silly head, I know.) But alas that didn't happen. And Jen was there to support me and re-establish I did not look like a 12 year old.<br />
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It still looked funny to me, but it was nice not pulling straps up and not being so sweaty. I decided to wear it all day today to get used to it, still feels weird. It feels like its squeezing my ribs, but hopefully if I stretch it out more, that will subside. I also got a memory foam seat for the spin bike since I am trying to do the class 4-5x a week. It was nice, we will have to see at the end of the week how I like it. And I found a shirt on sale for $10 that is made out of that breathable work out material. So I was dripping sweat everywhere, but my shirt showed no signs of being sweaty! LOVE IT!<br />
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I also convinced my dad to come to spin with Jen and I. I was surprised he said yes. At the end while we were stretching I asked how he liked it and his answer "I can't move." Sounds about right! haha! Before class started I had introduced my Dad to the teacher. It was cute at the end of class, since he was the only new person there the crazy teacher (her name is Lizzie by the way) goes good job to our first timer! You made it through! Way to go Dad! And everyone goes way to go Dad! So I think that may convince him to come back! We will see!<br />
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I also picked up a new nail polish. Gotta look pretty for flip flops, and toes need to look cute for yoga! I kid! Kind of. It is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength collection. Called Pink Promise.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwRI7Hj9gHB72oGpghWT7E2hcZbh3B3oQfCdBK3P8FBCNvaBBIljPKp8iHYybdUeZhyphenhyphenQVhTC-YfBkog_sqHM4IYxATT6RsK6maUcjiez5Gvm9i6l6tt94M5THYpp6n3ybrES8fLuNH4cH/s1600/IMAG0888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwRI7Hj9gHB72oGpghWT7E2hcZbh3B3oQfCdBK3P8FBCNvaBBIljPKp8iHYybdUeZhyphenhyphenQVhTC-YfBkog_sqHM4IYxATT6RsK6maUcjiez5Gvm9i6l6tt94M5THYpp6n3ybrES8fLuNH4cH/s320/IMAG0888.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmaaICPWKPTWowyXqM0Y6CWd0ABmK5kxc98dfjpRc7hYLDM21-7DS-cFJpQkvs7qu5U2K6REIQhJZiNUcg6m4OyROCFlPdXcHyrG_9Dzc1SJG4uECX8ffZLDfrfi2cFdq7nhmMsdEUWnz/s1600/IMAG0891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmaaICPWKPTWowyXqM0Y6CWd0ABmK5kxc98dfjpRc7hYLDM21-7DS-cFJpQkvs7qu5U2K6REIQhJZiNUcg6m4OyROCFlPdXcHyrG_9Dzc1SJG4uECX8ffZLDfrfi2cFdq7nhmMsdEUWnz/s320/IMAG0891.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sally Hansen.Diamond Strength.Pink Promise #250.$4 at Kroger.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I only have to work about 2.5 hours today! Darn, I know. Rough day! Then off to the gym of course. Bodyflow with my momma, then RPM Spin with Jen after!! That new fashion show with Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie starts tonight. It looks interesting, think I might give it a try! We will review it tmr! Have a great Tuesday all!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-any embarrassing confessions to make?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-what are your thoughts on sports bras?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-any spring/summer nail polishes you love?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-have you ever taken a work out class with your parents?</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5717541589628477020.post-39966264274698116172012-03-12T13:35:00.000-04:002012-03-12T13:35:41.646-04:00Weekend RecapHappy Monday all! Sadly it is raining here. :( Boo. It was so nice all weekend! But it's supposed to be 60-70 and sunny the rest of the week so I guess I will take 1 day of rain for a week of sun! Hope you all had nice weather this weekend too!<br />
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So the hubs and I are trying to find things to do together where we can have interactive fun and still spend time together and not have it involve tv/computer/video games/movies. At least now it's getting warmer out and we can start doing things outside, but during winter it's a lot harder. So we have been playing board games lately. First Monopoly, which I totally dominated in, and we bought another game Thursday. It's called Pandemic.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvYjNfs77HBfv8pK504baE-myIbJ3-aAstNjCYSAkUif5QwBU9yWfbkeCYBVpJda3mHLIWuOmB9myB6FU1LrN4jl3-AGyBFm3g5hiAdttoPyufgNzuQHpjaSxycvxcvLsS-0ta8oH1r3n/s1600/PandemicBoard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvYjNfs77HBfv8pK504baE-myIbJ3-aAstNjCYSAkUif5QwBU9yWfbkeCYBVpJda3mHLIWuOmB9myB6FU1LrN4jl3-AGyBFm3g5hiAdttoPyufgNzuQHpjaSxycvxcvLsS-0ta8oH1r3n/s320/PandemicBoard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Basically the game is about killer viruses throughout the world and you all work together as a team to try and cure then eradicate the viruses before there are too many outbreaks that end up killing everyone. I was a little weary at first, I mean my favorite board game is the game of life, so this is a tad different for me. But I liked that we all worked together, and not against each other like Monopoly where everyone just hates each other after 5 hrs. We played it once before we went to my parents house to figure out everything. Then we went over to have dinner with my parents and play the game. Which my mom totally zoned out and it all went over her head, as to be expected. We pretty much played for her. haha. But she did manage to paparazzi us!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABxO6NWC_WUaPDVZKJ4G8wT9sINOHDcyRLoZezeCyvkv2t44yEa_SH-Aesq_yF8WLS66ya3-g7zfx98VPYhyT95US-x0Tfcrr_p8DOtK900Otyn4mhEZxyvisnvBUuaDHBM7HgVLzQmpD/s1600/428118_10150715392171075_523031074_11680461_119711543_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABxO6NWC_WUaPDVZKJ4G8wT9sINOHDcyRLoZezeCyvkv2t44yEa_SH-Aesq_yF8WLS66ya3-g7zfx98VPYhyT95US-x0Tfcrr_p8DOtK900Otyn4mhEZxyvisnvBUuaDHBM7HgVLzQmpD/s320/428118_10150715392171075_523031074_11680461_119711543_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we were deep in thought for our next move!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ended up dying both times we played! It is not as easy as it looks people!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday I had my first therapy session. It was pretty much getting to know each other and going through my history and telling her about things I had gone through. She suggested two books for me to read. I could only find the first one at the store, so the second one I will have to order. But they are not fun lift you up books. They are to deal with my trauma and really dig deep and learn more about it and face it. And she told me this is going to be really hard and that I have a lot of work ahead of me so be prepared. Which I had already assumed, but I felt good when I left. We didn't get into anything deep, so that will be next week! I really like the lady, her name is Jen. And she said she isn't afraid to dig deep! She doesn't just sit back and say mhm yes. Which is exactly what I wanted! So I am excited for next week to get started! Part of me is a little nervous about what she may uncover that I have chosen to forget. Guess we shall see! Here are the books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wOD1b9GWTKNqQWV437T1NttvhYL2qe8iYKRoJ1s0oQIStueWZxgwIQKOdSOFFbyHzOfvqn9zM2enNBT3gEhzjCs80GZVigYOucc02fsUHT1XrHdPnmw0PJd6Vy7q_FnUb3_O5gmlCNo4/s1600/51S9WK1RYxL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wOD1b9GWTKNqQWV437T1NttvhYL2qe8iYKRoJ1s0oQIStueWZxgwIQKOdSOFFbyHzOfvqn9zM2enNBT3gEhzjCs80GZVigYOucc02fsUHT1XrHdPnmw0PJd6Vy7q_FnUb3_O5gmlCNo4/s1600/51S9WK1RYxL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">via google</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrLXAFOQ_BoJ_ANUYOjkuuuwijsALdTk28jO95vYJlYl-1bllf4rz1Gjyr5bVOIDEESIgXsQAEWq6pEVg9vGG8wkFxJX3eXSq5w2s3xYUb5aoohbpXW9lCuKqRkJuKCHikdXZXj8iNxei/s1600/688601-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrLXAFOQ_BoJ_ANUYOjkuuuwijsALdTk28jO95vYJlYl-1bllf4rz1Gjyr5bVOIDEESIgXsQAEWq6pEVg9vGG8wkFxJX3eXSq5w2s3xYUb5aoohbpXW9lCuKqRkJuKCHikdXZXj8iNxei/s320/688601-L.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">via google</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I realize a lot of you may be saying oh my gosh she is talking about actually going to therapy!? GASP! I would never! Well that's quite alright if you would never. But I am choosing to talk about what I feel like. This blog is not yours, or about you. And I feel like a lot of women don't speak up about sexual abuse and this may be an outlet for them to push them to do so. If I can say 1 thing to inspire someone to realize something, or decide to face their issue, than that's all I ask. I feel like if this wasn't the right thing for me to do, God would not be letting me do so. I feel as though my misery is my ministry and I want to help others. And on top of that it is therapeutic for me as well. Learning about what happened, why it did, and why I have come to be this way. So key things I am learning may be what I share. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am not going to break down the whole hour of our talk. It may just be those light bulb moments you have that I can share with other victims who would understand it. So please do not ridicule me or think I am crazy because I am sharing this journey. It takes a lot of guts to share inner depths of my souls and admit my faults and that I was abused. There is nothing easy, or simple about this. So unless you are in the same position you have no idea what it's like to choose to share this. Keeping it inside has turned me into something horrible and sharing is going to release a lot of that. I challenge you to to be more open and share the bad parts of your lives with others, it is quite freeing and people are not as judgmental as you think. If anything, a lot more people can relate and like you more because you admit you aren't perfect. We all know everyone has hard times, so stop denying and hiding it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok moving on from my rants. So then Friday night we had some friends over and played Pandemic and ended up watching food network at 11:30, bad idea. So we ended up at Denny's! This always seems to happen, I never learn my lesson! We got home at about 2, because the lady was pretty much a snail. worst service I have ever had. Took an hour and a half to finish eating and get our bill. Took probably 45 minutes till we got any food at all. Don't think we will be back there anytime soon! In my defense, I said steak and shake! They shoulda listened to me, since I am right always ya know! hah kidding.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday the hubs works, so I crazily decided to get up at be at the gym at 8:30. Yes I know, on a saturday? I don't know what I was thinking either. I met up with my workout buddy Jen and we took the crazy lady spin class at 9:15. This time I had my inhaler and I could actually breathe the whole time, it was SO much better! So I felt good after and decided to stay and do RPM spinning at 11:30. But that meant I had time to kill in between. So I walked for an hour on an interval incline and didn't do anything too strenuous so my legs would hurt. Then I took the second class and my legs were on fire! Woo. Felt good when I walked out knowing I did 2 hrs of spin and another hour workout. 3 hrs total, again I don't know what is wrong with me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So then I decided it was time to go grocery shopping. Oops. Bad idea. I was starving, so everything looked sooo good! Needless to say we have lots of snacks now! But I also opted to try these bad boys-</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWeEoBtfcVBxUNX5wX7bUB-o4m3xCePwggFM3FkIJmBpJVFHupXiixuAZkugDAnO-2viSjTIaBcqsFkRCW_M1xrMhp2J8YuUO-EYyiLZsTUiaevuLlDKKzL5X1Wysvbqagu04Cfwajv9Z/s1600/20120214-birthday-cake-oreos-package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWeEoBtfcVBxUNX5wX7bUB-o4m3xCePwggFM3FkIJmBpJVFHupXiixuAZkugDAnO-2viSjTIaBcqsFkRCW_M1xrMhp2J8YuUO-EYyiLZsTUiaevuLlDKKzL5X1Wysvbqagu04Cfwajv9Z/s320/20120214-birthday-cake-oreos-package.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">via google</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OH MY GOSH PEOPLE. These are amazing. I was just licking the filling out, no need for the cookie! I need to have Antonio hide them because I want to eat them all! You must try!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since the hubs was working I just went over and hung out with my parents where I proceeded to pass out from exhaustion. So I ended up staying over because I passed out. Felt weird to be in my old room, in my old bed. My mom LOVED it! Of course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday I went back home and did some laundry and reading while the hubs did some of his own stuff. Then since it was so nice out we went for a walk at Gallop park which was PACKED. We learned we should go to the bathroom before since the only one there was at least a half mile walk from our car! Oops! We walked about a mile and a half total then headed home. I made some dinner-turkey sausage, annie's mac n cheese, and string green beans. For dessert oreos and my mom's grape salad. We are 8 yrs old at heart. Who doesn't love good ole mac n cheese and hot dogs? At least they were turkey! Then we just relaxed and watched cupcake wars for me, and the walking dead for him! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So all in all had a good weekend! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your turn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">do you and your significant other do things together outside of the norm? If so what?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">have you ever done any crazy long workouts?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">tried these oreos yet?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What's your fav old time meal from being little?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy your monday! Spinning class #1 of the week with crazy lady tonight! I am becoming addicted, I know. Oh well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lyndseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01110448091420646449noreply@blogger.com5