Weekly weigh-in

203.6

This will be short and sweet. I am a few days behind. Sorry!  Yes, I am down weight but no I have not been working out.  Maybe my body needed the rest??  Not sure.  I did see my Dr. today as a follow up for the anxiety I have been experiencing and she's insistent on exercise being part of my daily treatment plan. It's not just a suggestion, She is saying it's my prescription.  That's a little kick in the butt that I need to get back in the groove.  It will help pass the hours while Kevin is gone too.  I'm thinking about switching to evenings at the gym.  Not sure.  Evenings will be the hardest to be home once he's deployed. 
I miss exercising too. I can tell my body misses it too.  My body is aching just because it's not stretched out and warmed up much lately. 
Any ways! 

Starting weight:  222lbs
Current weight:  203.6lbs
Total weight loss: 18.4lbs
Weight loss to go:  33.6lbs

Have a great week! 

The post I've been dreading to write...

We received news last Tuesday that Kevin's dwell time is being "involuntarily waived" and he will be deploying to Afghanistan in a few weeks for 9 months. 
I went through all stages of change in the first 24 hours.  My eyes were nearly swollen shut last Wednesday.  My plans are to stay here in Washington during this deployment.  I know some don't understand and wonder why I wouldn't want to move home and my answer is: STABILITY. 
Stability is something that isn't always bountiful as a military family but we find stability where we can.  Stability for my my sake means staying put even if I may be more lonely than if I would have gone to Illinois or Minnesota. I'm tired of traveling.  I just want to stay put for a while.  I appreciate so much family coming to visit us.  We do get home when we can and it may not be as often as some would like but we do what we can when we can and what is best for us. 
In all honesty, I'm just tired right now but no means defeated.  I know we WILL get through this.  God has a plan for us.  It's hard to understand what it might be right now, but I find comfort in knowing that He is in control.  So I ask that you keep us in your prayers.  I ask that you keep Kevin in your thoughts and prayers as he is taking it extra hard this time. Pray for his safety and a safe return to us next fall.    I also ask that you pray for me and the girls. This will be an adjustment this time around.  They will notice more this time than last that he is not here.  They will most likely deal with some separation anxiety.  It's going to be a whole new experience for us even though we've been through it before.  Pray for my strength and for me to ask for help when I need it.  Pray for family and friends to be understanding and supportive even if it is from a distance.  Remember it doesn't matter where I am living.  I just want him to be here.  I'll be missing him no matter where I'm at. 
Also, please don't say to be "You signed up for this life"  =  I am very aware of that but it still doesn't make these times easier. 
I will keep you all posted as time goes on and I know that I can lean on you all for support! 
-Kristen 

Things my kids say...

Lauren:  Mom, I need to change my underpants.
Me:  Did you have an accident?
Lauren:  No, I just got some toot on it. 
_____________________________________________________

Driving down the road and we saw a car with University of North Dakota Plates and Kevin yelled
"GO SIOUX!!" 
Kaelin then yelled : Hi Sue, Sue come back! Hi Sue!!!

___________________________________________________________

Me:  Lauren, quit kicking the door!
Lauren:  I'm not! I'm just knocking with my feet!

____________________________________________________________

While watching the X Factor or the Voice

Kaelin:  That's terrible!  or Bravo! 
(She really loves music) 

_____________________________________________________________

While taking out my contacts: 

Lauren:  Mom why are you taking out your eyeballs? 

_____________________________________________________________

Tasty Tuesday

Carnitas
Source: Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, originally from The Homesick Texan Cookbook, to serve 2
1.5 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Water

1. Place the pork pieces into a dutch oven, and add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. Add enough water to just barely cover the meat.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours without disturbing.

3. Remove the lid, and increase the heat to medium. Cook for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated and only the fat that has been rendered from the pork remains.

4. Sear the meat in the fat, browning it as much as you’d like.

5. Shred the meat or leave it in chunks. Serve with cilantro, avocado slices, pico de gallo, lime wedges, or any of your favorite sides


These were amazingly delicious and easy!  Kevin and I have tried 3 different Carnitas recipes and this one is by far the best.  We even used the leftovers for enchiladas later in the week. Yum! 
P.S.  We doubled the recipe because we had a 3-4lb pork shoulder.  I would definitely recommend this if you are wanting leftovers! 

(Sorry I don't have a picture. Apparently I deleted it off of my phone already.)
http://ourlifeinfood.com/2012/06/10/carnitas/

Weekly weigh-in 206

I'm actually typing this on Sunday night, but I was unsure if I'd get a chance to do it tomorrow morning. I babysit on Monday/Wednesdays and figured my weight would be about the same today as it would be tomorrow morning.  If it happens to be lower, I'll definitely update.  If it's higher...well..you won't know :) Ha! 
206 this morning.  The scale was at a steady 205.8 for 3 out of the 4 days (4th day today) that I weighed myself this week.  I was actually very happy with this since I only went to the gym one time.  My mind and body are ready to get back to the gym, but it was great to have a week off just relaxing and not rushing around.  I should be back in the swing of things by Tuesday morning. 

Starting weight:  222lbs
Current weight:  206lbs
Total lost:  16lbs

Goal:  170lbs
Pounds to go:  36lbs

Finding the motivation

There has been a lack of motivation on my part as far as the gym goes lately.  Kevin's been off a few days this week and the girls have been sleeping in much later (8am today & 9am yesterday).  This has totally thrown off my "rhythm"  I'm a very scheduled/punctual person and this is just totally throwing me off my game!  I feel like I have to completely replan my days now.  I was so used to them being up between 7-7:30, getting time for getting ready, breakfast, doing hair and a little chill time before we had to be on our way by 8:45.  With them waking up later, I'm not quite ready and I miss the class that I want to take. 

Also, I think once in a while maybe God is just saying "Slow down, child.  It's okay to have a week of nothing"  I think it's good for the soul and mind. 

While my motivation has been slacking in the exercise department, it hasn't in budgeting.  I have spent 2 days (and nights)  budgeting and see what we can put extra towards our debt.  It makes me sick to my stomach what we were spending eating out in a month.  I'm not even going to say because it's embarrassing and the reality check was that we didn't think we did it "THAT" much..but after spending a week at home cooking all 3 meals a day, we realized we DID eat out THAT much! 
We're going to allow ourselves as a family $100/month for eating out/recreation.  When it's gone, it's gone.  This should help our wallet and waist! 
I'm so extremely nervous though.  We've never put such tight reigns on our budget.  I suppose that's the reason we are in debt in the first place.  Most of our debt is my student loans and a few student loans that the Army didn't pay of Kevin's and one small(ish) credit card balance and our Expedition.  If we'd continue to pay our current payments, not apply any extra and not snowball, it would take us until 2014 to pay it all off and spend around $11,000 in interest alone!  If we stick to our budget, apply a few hundred extra to our debt and snowball it, we should have it paid off in less than 4 years and save ourselves around $6300 in interest. 
I think now is as good of a time as any to do this.  We don't really know anyone so turning down plans won't be hard, or the opportunity won't come very often.  Our kids are young and rambunctious, so honestly we'd rather avoid going out to eat with them as much as possible. 

So that's what I've been up to.  I should get going, it's PAYDAY! Time to pay bills.  Sigh...

Fall Fun (so far!)

Most of you are friends of mine on Facebook, so you see our daily updates and pictures from our weekly activities..but for those of you who aren't friends on facebook.  Here is what we've been up to! 
This fall has been crazy warm and dry (so I'm told) for the Pacific Northwest.  The rain is supposed to start up tomorrow, and I miss the rain since it's been about 4 months since I've seen any, BUT  I'm not looking forward to it raining everyday for the next 7-8 months. 

We have been keeping busy but making sure to take time to just relax as well.   Kevin usually wants to just relax on weekends and that is understandable.  I usually want to run away on weekends so we compromise and do fun things on Saturday and just chill on Sunday after church. 
It's been a good compromise. 

We still haven't made it to Mt. Rainier but we feel it's just a bit too much for the girls right now.  They do have stroller friendly trails but they are in the whiny "Hold you!"  "I want out!" "I want in!"  phase and we just would rather not deal with that right now.

So...We've stayed close to home for the most part.  Here is our fall (so far) in pictures!

Berry picking in the ditch across the street from our house. 

Kaelin loves them!

Playing basketball! 

Pumpkin Patch

Giant pumpkins

 
I have some more pictures and video on my phone that I plan on sharing soon! 

Weekly weigh-in ( a day late)

208lbs
Yes that is .4 higher than last Monday.  :-/
I woke up around 4am yesterday morning and just felt so bloated.  So much so I had to remove my wedding ring.  I text my cousin Annette and told her that I didn't want to weigh myself in fear of being extremely disappointed.  She agreed and we decided to wait until Tuesday to weigh in.  
Cue- back pain and cramps.  PMS has set in.  Does anyone else have major PMS?  I swear the older I get the worse it gets.  It starts with the bloating that seems to last 2 weeks.  Then a few days later I get major stomach pain.  Not cramps but a pain that is off an on for about 2 days which I am guessing is when I am actually ovulating.  Followed by lower back pain for a few days then around day 10 my period comes for anywhere between 4-7 days. 
I try not to get too discouraged but it sucks feeling like a big puff ball. 
On a good note, I had a Dr's appt last Friday and at 1pm, fully clothed, with shoes, and having just had lunch, the Dr's scale said  207.  My scale had said 204.6 that morning.  So that means my scale is pretty spot on with the Dr's scale.  ALSO when I had been there on August 3, the scale at the Dr said 222.  So that's a 15lb weight loss in 8 weeks.  1.8lbs a week! Not bad at all! 
My doctor had mentioned that she only wants me to lose 1/2lb to 1.lb a week.  It's going to take patience for me because of course I'm like anyone else and want to lose it all right now!  

I'll admit that last week and weekend was hectic and I only made it to the gym 2 times. 
Everyday is different and the fact of the matter is that this is life.  I'm not perfect. I have goals and I will reach them but there are some days when I mentally just need chill. 

We're going on a "eating out" freeze for a few weeks so I'm hoping that will show a difference in the scale too. (And wallet) 

How was your week? 

Tasty Tuesday

I am a little late to posting today but I wanted to share a recipe with everyone that we thought was delicious!  Well, all of the dishes I post, we think are delicious so just bear with me. 
We've been trying to meal plan and shop 1-2 weeks at a time.  We buy the bulk of our meat/essentials/produce for the meals for one week and then plan week 2 off of the meat we have left from week 1 and buy any other produce at the farmers markets or grocery if needed for week 2.  We try to spend less than $150 every 2 weeks.  So far so good since this is the first month we're trying it. 
Let's just say we've been eating a lot of Mexican these last few weeks to use up the corn tortillas. 

BLACKENED TILAPIA BAJA TACOS

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced white onion (we substituted cabbage for the onions)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets 
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas 
• 1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced
• 4 lime wedges
  

  Preparation

• 1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine jalapeño sauce and onion in a small bowl.
• 2. Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through ground red pepper); sprinkle evenly over fish. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
• 3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges.
  
  
  
  *These were so so good.  Alone, the fish is too sweet and the slaw was bland but together with the avocado and the squeezed lime juice, it was a flavor explosion! 
  Notice above we subbed out the onions in the "slaw"  and used cabbage.  We thought it was perfect this way, we got the crunch without the extra zing of the onions.   Feel free to try it either way.  We both love onions but thought it might be a bit too much and we had cabbage we needed to use anyway!* Enjoy!
  
  We served with a side of homemade refried Pinto Beans.  You can find the recipe from Pioneer Woman here. 

Weekly Weigh-in

207.6lbs

Today is going to be short and sweet. I watch a 3 month old little girl on Monday/Wednesday mornings and so I have to keep the kids busy and happy while she sleeps (so they don't wake her)  and I have to keep her busy and happy when she's awake.  Keeping her happy is super easy, she's a great baby unless she's hungry and she hasn't quite mastered the bottle yet.  So anyway..short and sweet. 

Life was busy this week.  I made it to the gym 3 times, the other days were filled with MOPS, walks and trips to the farmers market and parks with the kids.  I am happy. 
I saw the scale go as low as 205.8 and that was exciting but short lived because I didn't eat great this weekend. 

Those jeans I fit into last weekend, I don't know what the deal is but I can't get them up over my butt anymore.  What the heck?! So..my goal is to git into those jeans comfortably by Christmas even if they are dried in the dryer! 

Hope you all have a great week! 

Starting weight:  222
Current weight:  207.6
Total weight loss:  14.4

GOAL: 170
weight loss to go:  37.6lb

Friday Funny

Here are a few things out of my girls' mouths this last week that might make you laugh because they made me laugh! 

Lauren after seeing a commercial:  "Hey Mommy, when I grow up I want to wear bras and get big boobies like you!" 

Kaelin:  "Ice Ice Baby do do do do do do doo doo" - In tune and all..

Lauren followed me in the bathroom while Aunt Flow happened to be in town:  "Oh No, mommy! Do you need a bandaid?!"  -- She was legitimately concerned. 

Kaelin to her dad:  "Pull my finger...toot"  - I swear he taught them that! 

During Bedtime prayers: 
Lauren:  "I am thankful for a door, a window and a forehead"
Kaelin with her finger in her nose:  "I got boogers"

My weakness...

Do you all have a weakness for a certain food?  Ya'll have heard me say before that I LOVE food but there is one food in particular that I absolutely LOVE.  For some people (ahem my husband..)  that food is ice cream or pizza but for me it is DOUGHNUTS.

  Yummy, delicious, homemade doughnuts.  Not just any doughnuts.  I mean really good doughnuts.  Oh and I have been known to down a bag of Hostess Donettes too in my pregnancy days. 
Don't get me Walmart or Kroger donuts.  Get me fresh, homemade, sweet, salty, crispy warm donuts.  I would take a warm Krispy Kreme or three too! 

I think my obsession started at this place!

photo credit

Pfaff's Bakery in Pontiac, IL
Looking at the picture, I can almost taste my chocolate long john. Oh but my favorite was the "ZIT"  If you've been there, you know the amazingness of the Zit.  Yes, it is called a zit and yes it was cream filled and no amazingness is not a word but it was full of amazingness.  Just sayin'   Pair that with a Prairie Farms Orange "juice" drink and I was in heaven. 

Fast forward to 2011.  Living in Kansas and the only place to get decent doughnuts was Casey's.  We tried every grocery store in town, nothing was fresh or yummy.  That was until Varsity Donuts opened in downtown Aggieville.  Then this puppy completely changed my life!  Yes that is bacon on that donut.  (Donut or doughnut?..I'm getting lazy so it's donut from now on)
ANYWAYS.  It looks strange and weird but OMG ahhhhhh the angels are singing.  It's so delicious, and  rich.  One is plenty or you will need to be wheeled out of there. 

 

photo credit

Now living in Washington, you can bet we've already found our favorite donut shop.  It is local and fresh homemade rolls daily and CHEAP!  WAAAYY cheaper than Varsity Donuts, which is always a plus.  The cake donuts at our new favorite shop are to die for.

  Can you tell I like am obsessed with donuts?  It's probably why my butt is so big.  The end.

Weekly Weigh in

209lbs


Down 1.2lbs from last week.  I made it to the gym 4 out of 7 days again this week. I had originally set a goal for 5 days this week but didn't make it this weekend.  I wish the gym opened earlier on the weekends.  I am usually up by 6:30 am but the gym doesn't open until 8.  By that time the kids are up and I'm making breakfast and what not. I try to let Kevin sleep in on weekends since he's up at 4:45am everyday during the week.  I could have easily gone to the gym the rest of the day Saturday but I sure enjoyed my time just relaxing with my family. Oh yeah, I also went grocery shopping.  I would consider fighting the crowds at the commissary somewhat of a workout :) 

Anyways..I still plan on trying to make it this week 5 times.  Keep me accountable! 
I am still struggling with weighing myself everyday.  In a way it keeps me on track but sometimes it makes me disappointed.  I saw my weight this week as high as 211 and as low as 207.6 and we settled this morning at 209.  I was happy to be down a pound since we made homemade pizza last night for supper and I did not hold back.  A pound is a pound is a pound.  That is my goal per week, so I am happy. 

Starting weight:  222
Today's weight:  209
Total weight loss:  13lbs
Goal:  170lbs
Pounds to lose:  39

Kaelin's 2nd Birthday

We started out the day with our tradition birthday doughnut!  She was so excited!  We found an awesome locally owned donut shop about 10 minutes from here and it is so much more delicious and WAY cheaper than our favorite place in Kansas!  We have yet to get there though when they have their Maple/Bacon bars out.  They are out every time! Bummer!

 
She wasn't much for vocalizing what she wanted for her birthday this year except for "chocolate cake"  That's all she would ever answer when asked what she wanted for her birthday or what she wanted on her cake.."just chocolate" .  That was until the day before her birthday.  She decided she wanted a Minnie Mouse cake.  We searched for a pre-made one at the Walmart bakery but no luck.  We settled on a two layered chocolate-chocolate fudge cake and I added the Minnie Mouse ears that I made out of cardstock and just taped to a popsicle stick.  It was perfect and she loved it.  We used what we had for decorations and it turned out really cute!  Just goes to show you don't need to spend ANY money on decorations. Besides the 97cents on the balloons and 97 cent (2pack) table cloth, I didn't spend anything else on decor. I used what we had to make banners and what not.  I think so many people get caught up in spending a ton of money on their decorations and popularity contest to show who had the best party.  All I care about on their big day is that they know it's special and they are loved.  I'd rather put that money towards presents!

They day was laid back and just perfect because they 4 of us were together.  She loved all over her toys.  Her favorites were her bubble machine (which they still play with daily) and her princess horse and carriage.  I can't believe that my little bug is already 2 and still growing.  She keeps us on our toes and is seriously a hilarious kid.  Her sound effects and voices that she uses are just too funny.  She is just full of personality and is a wild child but is the best snuggler ever!  We love you, Kaelin Deborah! 

Weekly Weigh-In 210.2

So today is my first Monday weigh-in.  I have to say already that I like it better than Friday weigh-ins even if my weekend habits weren't exactly the best.  This week I made it to the gym on 4/7 days.  I am happy with that. 

On Friday I made a huge accomplishment (for me)  and ran a mile without stopping.  This may not seem like a lot to some of you but when I started back in June, I could only run 30 seconds at a time before having to walk.  So, running for 13 min 30 seconds was HUGE for me.  It was more of a jog but still I did not walk.  I woke up yesterday morning, however, with the worst knee pain.  I could bend my knee but extending it back out was very painful.  It was weird because I was fine on Saturday and then Sunday morning is when it began hurting.  I am wondering if I just over stressed my knees because they weren't used to running that long. 

See, I have slowly worked my way up to that long but not at a gradual pace.  Before I ran the full 13:30 the most I had done was 7 minutes.  Maybe my knees were just shot, maybe I need new shoes, or maybe I need to work on my stride and how my feet push off.  Kevin's already corrected me on that and when I push off correctly it feels good but I can't keep it going for very long without getting shin splits and I feel like I'm running on my tippy toes. 

I went to the gym yesterday and tried to run again and after about 4 minutes my knee was done for.  I still did intervals of walking/running and finished the mile in 15 minutes which wasn't bad for stopping 3 times to walk.  After that I did a 5.5mile bike ride and called it a day.  I could barely get down the stairs to leave the gym and stepping up into the Expedition was not fun! 
I took some Ibuprofen last night and called it a day. 

This week my goals are to find other ways to get my heart rate going without straining my knee.  I am doing to do more elliptical and bike, and maybe take a stab at the row machine. 

I am also going to try to do THIS  arm challenge via Skinny Ms. Fitness.  Who is with me?? 

Starting weight:  222
Today's weight:  210.2
Total lost:           11.8
Goal               :   170
Need to lose    :   40.2

Just for fun!

2 years. Same shirt
  39 weeks pregnant with Kaelin (left) 
Kaelin's 2nd birthday (right) 
My thighs look deceivingly good.  It must be the mirror because anyone in my family knows we do not have nice thighs! LOL! 
Have a great weekend everyone! 

Happy 2nd Birthday Kaelin Deborah!

I can't believe my baby girl is 2 years old today. These last 2 years have seriously flown by. Especially the last year.  We can't wait to celebrate with her today.  My heart seriously swells with happiness knowing Kevin has FINALLY been home for birthdays with both of his little girls.  Kaelin's only request is chocolate cake, chocolate cake and more chocolate cake!  I'll post more pictures after the day is done.  Happy Birthday Kbug!! We can't imagine our lives without you! 

Furniture Redo

 2 weeks ago, Kevin and I got a wild hair up our butt to refinish our dining table and chairs. 
2 years ago we had purchased a new dining set from Slumberland furniture.  It was counter height and only comfortable sat 4 people. It was fine for the first year or so but then the girls because climbing EVERYTHING and it made us very nervous with them being so high up on the table.  There was just no way to keep them down off of it.  Also, it did not have a leaf and although we had 6 chairs to go with it, 6 people around the table was a joke!   I had decided on a whim to list it online one day and within the first 10 minutes someone wanted to buy it for full price.  And within 2 days we were left with an empty kitchen and only a folding table and chairs.  We searched in stores for a nice "forever" dining set but knew we just couldn't afford it right now.  I was so bummed because it just didn't feel like a "home"  with a card table and folding chairs.  Then one day I found this (below) table and 6 chairs online listed for only $50 more than what we had sold our set for. AND it had a leaf that could be put in and seat up to 10 around the table! 
Kevin wasn't completely sold on it but we got it anyway.  The top was worn, as were the chairs.  As time went on I started to regret my $300 purchase and wished I would have just saved that money to put towards a new set. 
It finally got to the point where we had to do something.  We were tired of looking at it.  The top was so dingy and never seemed to get clean either.   We did some research on the best ways to refinish it and decided to go the paint route this time.  Deciding on colors was the hardest part. We probably spent an hour online looking at different color combos and then another hour in Home Depot doing the same.  We finally decided on doing a two tone combo of dark top and lighter base and chairs.  The outcome was better than we expected. I absolutely LOVE  how it turned out.  I feel like my entire kitchen is brighter now.  The total cost of supplies was around $250 but that included EVERYTHING 3 cans of paint, 2 cans of primer, a paint sprayer, drop clothes, rollers and tray.  Not bad considering we did we refinished a dining table, 6 chairs, 2 dressers, a bed, and a night stand.  That's right around $50 per piece of furniture.  While it seems like a lot right up front, it is WAY cheaper than purchasing new furniture.  Also, we have plans to use the sprayer on 3 other tables/t.v. cabinet and other crafts in the future, so that itself has already paid for itself too.  

 Kaelin's bed and dresser.  Paint color:  Hint of Violet. 
This color was perfect for her bed set.   When Kevin first painted it outside, it looked white but when held next to something white, I could definitely see the "hint of violet"  It seemed to get even more purple in her room with all of the bedding and curtains up.  I love it and I know we'll keep this for many years to come.  This bed and dresser were purchased at a garage sale for $75 when Lauren was a baby.  A fresh coat of paint makes it look brand new even though it's at least 30 years old! The bedding and curtains were hand me downs from my little sisters room.  Well she's not so little anymore since she's 25.  It just goes to show you that "old" can still be cute and look really well if taken care of. 

 Lauren's dresser came from Kevin's parents house and we took it with us when we moved to Kansas.  It is a nice solid wood dresser, just had a lot of imperfections was pretty scratched up.  Nothing a fresh coat of paint couldn't fix.  We used the same paint on this dresser and night stand below that we used on the top of the dining table.  Last minute I decided to paint the drawer pulls with some pink acrylic paint that I had in my craft room. It was the perfect touch.  I do need to take them off and seal them since acrylic on metal tends to be easily scratched off. 
Lauren's night stand below came from my parents house. It is as old as me, I'm sure. I don't remember a time that we didn't have it.    It was in fantastic shape, we just wanted it to match Lauren's dresser since we use it as her night stand. 
The brown color matches perfectly to her bedding that was passed down from my mom.  Pink & brown are perfect for a little girls room and unlike a "princess" or "Dora"  themed room, both of my girls rooms should not be outgrown for years to come.  Which means, less money spent on decorating in the years to come. 

Sorry I just had to show you my dining table again because it's so beautiful.  My husband and his skills rock! 

Tasty Tuesday

BBQ Chicken Pizza 

I can't take credit for this because I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman, but man oh man is it delicious!! 

We are still searching for a perfect pizza crust.  We used the recipe from the Pioneer Woman and it was good but just not "perfect".  At least not for us.  We are going to try it again though for good measure. 
*We left off the cilantro because we didn't have any and we used block mozzerella because we didn't have fresh. We thought it was still delicious and I imagine if you follow her recipe exactly it would be Scrumptious!  Enjoy! 

Recipe: CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza

Prep Time: 2 Hours  |  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust (mine Makes Two Crusts)
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• Salt For Sprinkling
• 16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
• 1/2 whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
• Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Recipe: Basic Pizza Crust

Prep Time: 5 Minutes  |  Cook Time:  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
• 1-1/2 cup Warm Water
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
Note: it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
When you are ready to make the pizza, grab HALF the pizza dough (recipe makes 2 crusts) and squeeze the dough toward the bottom to form a nice, tight, pulled ball. You can roll out the pizza with a rolling pin if you’d like, but sometimes it’s just as easy to throw it around and pull and stretch till it feels right. And when the crust is nice and thin, lay it on an oiled baking sheet or pizza pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and spread it with your fingers. Very lightly sprinkle some salt on the crust.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Top your crust with your toppings of choice. Then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

*Note these are NOT my recipes, just wanted to share the greatness that is Ree Drummond!  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, go now! www.thepioneerwoman.com 

Selectively Lazy

I have been slacking off greatly with this blog lately and honestly I am just not into it as much as I used to be when Lauren was a baby.  My life has been much busier with two toddlers and quite frankly I enjoy my time just loafing on the couch when I do have some free time.  So to say that I have been "selectively lazy" with certain things in my life would be a true statement.  Also, I feel like 95% of my readers are already friends with me on Facebook.  Therefore, they've already seen the pictures, status updates, and funny quotes from the kids.  I feel redundant when I come on here and writing once again about what we've been up to. 

As far as my weight loss, it's has it's ups and downs.  It's different not having the "in person" accountability during my first weight loss journey last year.  Also, my cousin Annette who is also my accountability partner is my facebook friend and we message back and forth on there.  She has requested though that I keep up my blog as well and I am going to try my best to do so!!  Another change I am making is what day of the week I will have be my weigh in.  I have been blogging my weigh-ins on Fridays but that just isn't working for me.  I feel like I work really well Monday-Thursday and then weigh in on Friday and let loose on the weekend, then what happens is I gain 1-2+lbs back over the weekend and come Monday morning I am disappointed because I have to lose that weight PLUS the 1-2lbs a week that I am wanting to lose for my goal that week anyway.  So Fridays are no more and Mondays will be my new weigh-in day.  It's when I weighed in last year and it worked well for me.  I love starting out the week with a bang and a goal to work for and I feel like this will help me stay more on track on the weekends as well.

Food:  Oh Food.  I have come to realize that I have a very bad relationship with food.  I LOVE food.  I swear if I didn't love food so much, I'd have lost 3x the amount of weight.  My goals from now on are to eat to survive.  Right now, I eat out of boredom, eat to celebrate, eat when I'm stressed, etc.  You get the picture. This is especially true on the weekends when Kevin is home, because he loves food more than me!  The thing with him though is that he workouts out everyday at work and it doesn't affect him as much as it does me. 

SO today, I am starting fresh.  I am going to be 100% honest on here from now on and I plan to use this as my journal to vent my frustrations as well along this journey.

Today's weight:  212lbs
Starting weight:  222lbs
Last weeks weight:  210.2 (up 1.8)

Total weight loss to date:  10lbs

Goal:  52lbs (170lbs)

Just to put it into perspective. If I could lose 52lbs total this time around that would put my weight at 170lbs.  That would be 100lbs lost since the day I had Kaelin.  100lbs!!!!  How amazing would that be!  So 42 more lbs to go! Let's do this. 

These are my pictures from last years weight loss journey and I plan to take more this time around. 



  November 2010: 250lbs (Down 20lbs post partum) 

March:  2011  225lbs

May 2011:  210lbs  Approx where I am right now.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lauren!

Happiest of birthdays to my first born. 

I think this year is so much more fun because she has been excited for months.  She could barely contain herself last night when we were making her cake! 
We have a fun day planned with some friends coming over for pizza and cake. 
I know she will have a blast! 

We love you, Lauren Grace. We can't imagine our lives without you. 

Weekly weigh- in: 210.8

Happy Friday!

I have been a little absent the last 2 weeks and for a good reason!  We went on vacation!  We went down the coast of Oregon to Seaside and the surrounding towns.  It was a very nice getaway but I'll save that for another post. 

I missed last weeks check in so I'm playing catch up today. 
I will admit that on vacation, I did not eat the greatest and of course did not go to a gym.  We did do some short hikes and I did take an hour long walk on the beach one morning, but despite that when I weighed myself Monday morning (4days ago) I was back up to 216.  Queue tears.  I know it was due to the way I ate on vacation, and of course PMS.  Sounds like an excuse but seriously a few days before my period, I totally bloat up and even look pregnant and puffy.  It's crazy.

I jumped right back in Monday and have been hitting the gym and making healthier choices. 
This morning I weighed in at 210.8. Whoohoo!  My original goal was 205 by 8/31.  Seeing as though that is a week away, that is pushing it.  I cannot lose that much weight in a healthy manner in one week.  The most important thing is that I am not giving up and the more and more I do this, the more and more it becomes a lifestyle not a 'diet'.  It helps that Kevin is doing it with me now.

That's all for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend and keep reminding yourself that the weight didn't come on in a week or even a month, so it's not going to come off that quick.  Just keep up the hard work everyone! 

Starting weight:  222lb
Today's weight:  210.8
Total weight loss:  11.2 lb

Airshow

Girls and I in front of a Navy plane. 

 We recently had the privilege of attending a FREE airshow put on at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  The entire event was free to the public and it was a blast.  We also had the chance to go the night before for a "Hangar party" for military families only.  They fed us supper, had a band, several booths set up and some even met the pilots!  I would have to say this was one of the best times we have had as a family.  The girls absolutely loved it and Kevin and I enjoyed it too!
We are just so thankful for the opportunities that are presented to us, especially ones that are FREE!  You can't beat that. 

C-17  - these planes are so huge!  It's so exciting that we actually get to see these fly at least 2-3 times a week.  Living near the airbase is so awesome! 

The girls inside a Stryker vehicle.  This is the vehicle that Kevin's unit uses. 

Lauren piloting a Blackhawk helicopter. 

She loved it.  Can you tell? 

This moment was truly amazing.  This parachuter jumped, carrying the flag during the playing of the National Anthem.  Still brings tears to my eyes. Loved it. 

Army Golden Knights Parachute team

Golden Knights

Golden Knights

Stealth bomber

Super sleepy girls.  It was actually a warm day (for here) and we were out in the sun for about 6 hours.  The girls were pooped! 

Here are a few videos of the airshow.  Some of the acts just took our breath away.  They are at the beginning of the post.  Sorry!