Prideful Fearlessness?? EDIT

EDIT: I am back public again. I was nervous
over something that was silly....

Yes, it has been a long 4 days since I've posted.
The kids are out of school... does that say it all???
I'm going crazy.. yes, it's true!
Last night was delightful as our church fam
gathered at the park- what a beautiful evening.
Sorry that I didn't have time to really chat-
we all know that the park is a parent's nightmare
on "multiple child watch."
Last night at the park-there was this gang thing
going on near the pond. We could tell that something
was forming and about to happen between a black group
and a hispanic group.
Sidenote: something about me that you
may or may not know- I think I'm invincible and
have little fear of danger when it comes to "bad people."
So, I.. .thinking that I'm some sort of angelic presence...
march right to the danger zone to just STAND and STARE!
Yep.. that's all I did. I wanted to let those rotten kids (excuse
me.. I mean "children in need of a relationship with God!")
to know that I was NOT afraid of their nonsense and that
yes.. I was a dorky, overweight, white woman wearing a
floral printed shirt with bling bling on it.. that would
not be intimidated by them!!!! I wanted them to know that
I represented every other mom there and we are protectors
of our children!!!! Who did they think that they were acting
all gangsterish in front of my chilren?????? NO WAY, HOSEA!!!
I just stood and smiled at them and began to scheme what I would
say if one of them were to come near me or spout off anything to me!
I had a great plan which involved some very non-Christianlike
behavior..won't go there!
Then, I decided how I could be "cool" and go and witness to them
all act like I "belonged" in their close proximity. What was wrong with
me?? Was I nuts?? I'm sure they had many concealed weapons...
but the thought of saying right to one of their faces, "What?? What??
Do you think I'm afraid of you??? What's the worse thing that you
can do to me??? Send me home to Heaven??? OOOOOOHHHHHH..
scary!!!" About now, you are thinking "Kara, you little smart ellic!"
EDIT- As Renay pointed out, yes.. much worse could happen..
like being mamed or something.. but I wasn't thinking rationally!
So sorry!! It's just my crazy thought process!!!!

I noticed they kept whispering about me and looking at me. Of course,
I just responded with a friendly smile.
God definately had a little chat with me afterwards about
my arrogant attitude. I didn't really want to mercifully witness to
them. I wanted to be Mrs. Untouchable.. Mrs. "If you knew my
hubby was a cop and that he could hurt you if he wanted to!"
I was full of pride and totally not humble. yucko!!!
Thank the Lord that God didn't teach me a little
lesson right then and there and cause me to pull out my
"Kung-fu karate abilities." teeeheeeee!
Someone must have called the copperoos, cause sure enough;
one of John's buds walked right up behind me and passed by me
to go towards the "crowd." I said to the copper "Boy, I'm glad to see
you!" I felt empowered even moreso and wanted to stick my
tongue out at all of them behind the copperoo's back and say
"Na Na, Nee Na Nee.. you can't get me!!"
What is seriously wrong with me??? am I a mental case or what???
Just joking.. I think I'm just a bit out there and live by the grace
of God each day and somehow function half way normally in this
world!!!
Have a great evening my dear friends!!! Off to horse lessons
we go!
love you all,
k

monday- 5-26-08 Weigh-in

i'm at 244.6!!! So, i've lost 5.4 lbs. this week..
which basically covered the 3 I gained 2 weeks ago,
then I really am down 2.4 lbs.. make sense?
I'm down now a total of 28 lbs!!
bye!
k

Survey from Renay

Okay Miss Nay.. I'll take your challenge and do
this survey thingamabop. I'm bored and
waiting on my poor hubby to still
get home.. it's now 11:40 p.m.!!!!

Two Names I Go By Besides Mom:
1. Kara
2. Ro (yes.. it's odd... when we were little,
my cuz kristy couldn't say "Kara" so I was
"Ro- Ro". The fam still calls me this sometimes!

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. dangly silver flower earrings- latest bargain! yahoo!
2. hot pink capri pants- yes... I'm hot and know it!

Name of Your Favorite Things to Do:
1. this is a no brainer.. I'm with Nay on
this answer- EAT!
2. TALK

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. Do you really want to know????
I'm waiting up, aren't I???? teeeheeeeee
2. and of course, food.

Two pets You Had/Have:
1. Tinkerbell- a 5 lb. deer-faced chihuahuah
when I was 4 years old-This dog disowned our
family when we moved 2 doors over from my
grandparents, when I was 9. The dog literally
ran across 2 country style yards to see my
grandpa everyday!! Finally, we gave up and
just gave Tinkerbell to Granny and Gramps!
They loved that stinkin' dog so much that when
she got old and decrepped- they paid $500 (do
you have any clue what all I could have done with
that kind of moola???) to have Purdue do some
surgery after which, she had to have regular
in home therapy and special gross food!!!!
(Cottage cheese, rice and metamucil. I was a nerdy
kid that had to taste it- darn food addiction!GROSS!)
She laid on her side for weeks and couldn't move
after the surgery. Granny used a special HUMAN
adult therapeutic massage tool to stimulate her muscles.
Oh yah.. and granny had some sort of special
"hot tub" for Tinkerbell. The scary part was that
she was still paralyzed from the surgery, so she'd
hang out of her little hot tub and just pant and
she was probably pleading with God to not let
her drown when Granny wasn't looking!!!
We have it on film somewhere the moment
we were all cheering Tinkerbell on to take her
first steps post-surgery. I am about 13 years
old and begin squeeling with joy and she took
some steps. I then yelled out "It's a miracle!!!"
2. Later John and I tried the whole dog thing
and quickly found out it is NOT for us..
too much poop to pick up with many kids running
barefooted through our yard!

Two People Who Will Fill This Out:
1. Mari
2. April

Two Things You Did Last Night:
1.Do you really want to know??? Just joking, just joking!!!
I really went to Indy to pick up Heather from the airport.
2. Ate a baked potato from McAllister's

Two Things You Have Eaten Today:
1. HUMMUS- It's my new thing..the roasted garlic
kind is fab to dip pita chips or tortilla chips
or even pretzels!
You may wonder what Hummus is???
I'm not telling you, because then you won't try it...
okay, okay.. it's smashed up chick peas
(a kind of bean, i think) A healthy style dip. I'll
admitt that the word "Hummus" just doesn't
sound appealing.. kinda sound like eating a Locust.
2. chocolate covered strawberries that Jess made for
family group!

Two People You Last Talked To:
1. Evan
2.Johnathan (yes, I did talk to the other kids,
it's just the boys were last to be tucked in. )

Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
1. Hopefully the park with at least April and
kids.. anyone else??
2. spending time with john after he wakes up :)

What Were Your Longest Car Rides:
1. to Florida with tim and renay clear down
to the bottom of florida to leave for a Pampered
Chef cruise
2. Florida again.. I've been there many times,
only flew there twice.

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Obviously the ones that have yummy food-
Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!
2. Easter- I love the meaning behind Easter
the most!!! Christmas is fun.. but way too
commercialized

Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Diet Coke
2. Cheesecake Factory Mango Iced Tea with
sweet-n-low of course :)

What Did You Do Today:
1. worshipped
2. slept, thus why I am up at midnight :)

Where were you born? Home Hospital-
right here in good ole Lafayette.

How many PAID jobs have you had?
hmmm...babysitting, cleaning at my granny's house,
Pizza King-16 years old, waitressing, in-home
daycare in Beaufort, SC while we lived in the on
base housing, clerical work, Pampered Chef

What was your fav job and why?
pampered chef- it revolved around
food and yummy food at that!!!

What is your middle name? Penelope

What was your maiden name? Hurst

What is your greatest fear
(can't be death or disfigurement of a family member)?
Losing all of this fat and then thinking
that "I'm all that and a bag of chips!"

What is your fav feature of your body?
Eyes- I love to be expressive with em,
can you tell???

If you could have any super power, what would it
be and why?
This one is a breeze... it would be to allow people
to eat whatever they want and it ALL to be
100% healthy for you. Not sure what kind of power
that is considering it's a far fetched dream
that will never occur.
Well, when I get to heaven the food will be
pure- that's good news.
Joke: How do you know that you have put too high of an emphasis
on food around your children? Answer: When their biggest concern
about heaven is if there's going to be any food to eat.
Yes.. it's sad.. that's Emma's biggest concern :)


Name a weird thing about your grooming habits:
why did we have to go here... I have too many!!!
I could never list them all- #1- obsessively
searching for white hairs. Also, I look for black
hairs growing on my arms that "don't belong"-
and then I must pull them out!!!!! I also do the
same to poor John.

Did you go to prom and if so describe your dress...
if not, why didn't you go?
During my Junior year of high school- sad story-
this is when we found out just a few weeks before
John's senior prom that I was pregnant with Anna.
So, in our immaturity, we thought it wise
to wait until after prom to break the news to the fam
so that they wouldn't be sad while taking pictures
etc...but the plan fell through when my mom
caught me skipping school due to SEVERE morning
sickness. Anyhow... we still went to prom
with me about 6 weeks prego- I looked stunning
in my black and gold beaded floor length dress.
There was no crying during the pictures-thank goodness!
No senior prom for me due to the fact that I had
graduated earlier in Dec, gotten married and had
a 4 month old baby at the time when all of my
friends were living it up at our Senior prom.
I did go to "The Grand March" to see them all.

f you could have any job other than being a wife/mom
or what you currently do, what would it be and why?
A Traveling Women's speaker

If you had to change your name (1st and middle)
what would you pick for yourself?
I'd want something sassy.. something vibrant... something a bit wild-
Veronica Eden

What is your fav flower? blueish purple hydrengas

If you could have a talent that you don't have what
would it be and why?
To sing and know the words to songs so that I don't
have to keep my eyes open while reading the words
on the overhead at church- i hate that about
myself!!!

I hope you all play along...isn't this fun???;-)
sorry for the lengthy answers. Yes.. there was one
fib on here.. can you
figure it out?? I'm in a silly goose mood tonight!!!
Yay.. John just got home... it's 12:35 a.m.!!!
love you,
k

What a Day!

Today, I was struggling with a weird "eye-ball" headache
right after church.. ya know.. the kind when you feel like
you have a sharp, shooting pain directly behind one of
your eyes??? anyhoooooo- I begged the kids to be good
and quiet- (side note... YAH RIGHT!) so that I could rest
on the couch. I just needed to nap for a little while after
popping a few aleve.
Have you ever laid ALL afternoon on the couch and
have dozed off several times to be awakened to something
crazy and feel as though you got NO rest whatsoever???
That was my afternoon!
This story get's very embarrassing.

So, I knew it was family group night and that John and I
would meet at the church at 6 p.m. But somehow, during
my deleriousness of "couch rest" I missed answering
his call to tell me that he may not even make it to family
group due to a huge case that he was just assigned.
Also, I faintly remember hearing an answering machine
message that was Robert Kinnaird (he and his wife, Alicia
are in our family group) that said "Hey, Kara, give me a call
back."
My thoughts were.. ."Robert, you'll just have to wait till
this evening as I am too tired to call you back!!!"
Finally, by 4 p.m., I am BEGGING Anna to JUST let
me sleep for 30 UN-INTERUPTED minutes.. that's IT!
that's all I need!!!!! So, she so kindly took the kids outside
for a few minutes and no more did I fall asleep than did
I hear "Yah, my mom is asleep in the living room, she's here
though."
What??? Who is my child talking to? It sounded as though
someone was standing in my kitchen talking to Abby.
Then I heard Robert and Alicia's voices "Hey, Kara!"
AHHhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I was caught red handed being a
loser parent, snuggled on the couch at 4:30 p.m.
I jumped up and tried to pull myself together and NOT
look like I had been attempting to sleep all afternoon.
I came around the corner with my glasses completely
crooked and Robert quickly informed me that half
of my hair was standing straight up like a rooster tail!!!
It gets worse.. as I look around the kitchen I see complete
disarray- cabinet doors flung open, crumbs on the counter,
crumbs on the floor... raisins sprinkled on the floor, which
resembled rabbit turds!!! Emma was topless- apparently
wanted to act like the "boys". Avry was pantless and
her diaper was hiked up over one "bottom cheek".

What a mortifying sight!! Yes.. I do think that being transparent
is important.. but come on!!! No one deserved to see such
craziness. Thank goodness that our dear friends the Kinnairds
are not judgmental at all- I love that about them!!! They just
laughed it off and Alicia sweetly folded my array of sheets
and blankets on the couch as I went back to freshen up.

Now.. for the reason why they had stopped by. They are so
thoughtful- they realized that they drive almost right by our
home clear from Oxford to come into family group. So they
were offering me a ride.
Praise Jesus!!!! Gas is outrageous!!!

We missed lots of our regular attenders tonight at family group-
including my own hubby who did end up completely missing
it and IS STILL at work... We are going on 11 p.m. here and
he was supposed to get off at 5 p.m... .hmmmm.. that is 6 hours
of overtime!!! He has to be exhausted. I'm going to let him
sleep in tomorrow as long as he needs to!! I am planning to
surprise him and take the kids out first thing in the morning
so he can have solid rest-
any body bored tomorrow and want to meet at a park?
call me :)
But God knew exactly why our group was supposed to be
just 6 of us- It was amazingly REAL and deep and meaningful.
Thank you GOD!
love you all!
k

Weight

246.8 was my weight yesterday morn... sorry that
I forgot to post it and then I forgot to weigh today!
I'm definately not doing it right before bed time-
that could be scary!
k

Thank you

I want to extend my thanks to all of you who responded to my
demand :) PLEASE, PLEASE know and believe that everything
you commented has been a blessing. I love each and every one
of you for being honest. I realize this was a tough thing to ask
of you- but each of you have said exactly what you were supposed
to say. (Some of you have expressed a sense of feeling bad about
what you said after reading others thoughts..
NO! NO! NO!!! Please don't compare as I needed to see and
hear things from all different angles-thank you!
I love you all and have a blessed day of worship tomorrow
at your church (I love how many of us attend different churches,
but we are a part of the body of Christ with Jesus at the center
of our lives!)
K

Keep Those Comments coming!!!!

Keep the comments coming!! I love it!!! Whao.. I've
already read just 2 and feel like God is opening the
gates of Heaven and revealing some TRUE stuff!
I love you all... and please don't overthink this
request of mine... just start typing and let the Lord
lead.. none of that type and edit and perfect it...
I'm listening for your heart to reflect God.. I don't
care about any delicate wording! :)
Is this me talking? yep!
love you,
k

PLEASE, PLEASE comment on this!!!

My heart is broken for Steven Curtis Chapman's family.
For those of you who don't know.. he is a famous Christian
music artist and has won 5 grammies... Yesterday, May
21st, his 5 year old daughter was killed accidently by her
older teen age brother's vehicle. You can go to his site
at www.stevencurtischapman.com to read more.

I haven't had a good cry for quite sometime....do you ever
go through stages like that? You start to feel a tad bit
unsympathetic and wonder "What's wrong with me?"
My heart just sank for this family of 2 loving parents
and 6 children.
Many of you hate stories like this because it depresses you.
I understand. The only reason I'm writing about this
is because I needed a wake up call. I find that in my life,
unfortunately, tragedy tends to be a wake up! This is a
tragedy not even close to my family... yet, I think that
the Spirit grieves in all of us who are in the family of God
when something like this occurs.

I desperately want to glorify God with all that I am and
all that I do!!! That's my hearts cry.. yet I seem to get in
the way of that. Could I just live one day in complete
obedience to Him? I keep thinking of this family and how
we all say we trust God.. but what do you do in the moment
when He's taken one of your precious ones home to be with
Him? How has my precious friend Amy coped with losing
Lydia? That's a pain that I can't bare to phathom! Yet, I know
if God allows someone to walk through tragedy.. then He will
be there every step of the way.

Time is short precious friends! Emily and I were talking about
the End Times and how God doesn't want us to be afraid, but
be knowledgable and prepared. How does one prepare for
something they fully do not understand? I am NO Bible
scholar but I do know that what God says is going to happen
IS going to happen. He promised a Savior and he delivered
a Savior who saved us from our sins! Thus, He talks about
another period of time yet to come... we are living in those times!!!!
Can you imagine if we would have been alive over 2000 years ago
when everyone was waiting on this "Messiah" or "Savior" to come
and fulfill God's plan and then it ACTUALLY happened!
I think the saddest part is that his own people rejected him and
crucified Him. They didn't BELIEVE that it was really true
and that God had sent His only Son through the virgin Mary.
Many of them missed God..literally. He walked and talked with
the people. So, I ask myself and you this question.... do we
REALLY believe that we are living in the end times? Do we
REALLY believe that one day, one moment in time, when God
Almighty decides... we will no longer live in this "Age of Grace"
but the Rapture will occur... Jesus will return to the new Earth
with all of us Christians and reign for 1000 years? Seriously...
do I .... do you believe this? I have goosebumps right now!!!!
I have a lump in my throat!!! I want to vomit. I am shaking!!!
Heck, NO, I haven't really, really believed it!!! Who am I fooling?
If I believed this whole-heartedly I would be witnessing like a fool.
I'd be so on fire that NOTHING would stop me from sharing the
hope that's found in knowing Jesus as your Savior! Oh God!!!
Please forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteosness!!!
I am begging you, oh God, to please forgive me of my arrogance
and self-centeredness! My agenda always takes precedence over
yours! Let my every footstep be directed by you for your glory!
Let me not fear man, but I must put on my blinders and stay
focused on the cross and eternity. Let every conversation that
I have be meaningful and not small talk/jibber jabbber! I'm sick
and tired of mediocracy- I want to live that extraordinary life.
I want to be bold as a lion, yet gentle as a lamb. I want to be
full of discernment and not be afraid to call people out on bologna
talk! Dear God!!!! I can't type fast enough as you are so full
of grace and mercy!! Every breath I take is a gift from you.
Every breath that my children breathe is a gift. Fill me Oh
God with your HOly Spirit and let me by overflowing with
your fruits of the Spirit. In Jesus Name, I ask all of this!! Amen!

I'm embarrassed to say that the "Kara" that you've all come to
know is not the Kara that God is calling me to be. Sadly,
I obey man over my God. I try to balance so many different
demands of myself that I lose sight of HIM and what HE
wants of me. I don't want to hurt anyone.. I don't want to
dissappoint anyone.... I don't want to sadden anyone.
The problem with all of this is "anyone" is prioritized
over the only ONE! I am begging for your prayers.. they
must carry me through to the ultimate plan God has for me.
I must say thank you to so many of you.... You know how
I struggle and you're not afraid to give me a reality check
on what's really at the heart of the issue! Keep holding me
accountable. I may not like you for a half of a second.. but
I'll get over myself if you make me mad :)

What I'm about to do is unthinkable! I hope and pray that
if you have read this far, you will follow through with what
I'm asking of YOU (there's no turning back!)
I want you to post something you see in my life that is
not honoring to God and that I need to pray and receive
HIS plan. My heart just took another dive down.
This is hard.... really hard.. but I need to strengthen myself
with loving help and accountability.
And NO, NO sugar coating it.. I'll call you out on it!
So... my prayer is that I'll hear from at least:
Renay, Tina, Emily, Kirsten, Amy, Jessica, Mari, Kristy G.,
Kristy V., Rita, Angela, April, Jaime O., and anyone who I've
forgotten that is reading this!
This has been a question that's been stirring in my heart
for quite sometime.. The Spirit is prompting me to ask
and "receive" . I'm excited about this opportunity to grow!
Please trust me enough to KNOW your heart and BELIEVE
that I won't be hurt.. but only be sanctified to be more like
my Savior!!!
I love you.... I love you.... I love you...
thank you for loving me enough to do this...
kara

Weighing In as I promised

Just weighed in... good news.. I'm at 247.2!!! Yahoo!!!
I'll have that .2 of a lb. gone by end of day..Lord willing!!!!!
Then that gives me Friday, SAt. and Sun to have self control
at the Memorial Day weekend festivities so that I can be down
under 247 by next Mon!!! Please pray for me!!!
k

Adoption is FINAL!

I'm officially a mom of 6 beautiful children!!! Yesterday, was an awesome day.
We took ALL of the kiddos with us to the lawyers office and to the court house
for Johnathan's adoption. They were amazing! Avry started to fuss just once
in the judge's chamber room during the "proceeding?" I prayed hard!!
She quickly stopped and was satisfyed by Anna. Tina, Aunt Jenny, Ruth (Johnathan's
CASA) Kristin, his case worker, me, john and all 6 kids went in! Wow!!!!
It's done!!!! God is wonderful and gracious! I sooooo do not deserve the
opportunity to raise another child- but God is in control!!!!

Food... I did ok.. not spectacular! I truly didn't overeat at dinner
and by the end of the night I was laying on the couch in severe stomach
pain! It felt like labor- seriously! Eventually I was "relieved"....if you know
what I mean! (TMI?) Kristy and Matt saved the evening by helping
get kids to bed. My granny cleaned the kitchen and A. Robin was the grand
director of things :)

The... at 3 a.m. I was awakened to Abby's crying with stomach pain. She vomitted
on and off the remainder of the night. I ended up sleeping in her bed with her,
which is a day bed... we were cozy :)

I still need to go weigh and exercise.. so I'll post again later!
love you all and thank you for your prayers and support with the adoption!!!!
k

TRUTH vs. Darkness

I realize that you are only supposed to weigh yourself once
per week. But, considering I just had the horrible experience
of gaining 3 lbs. last week, I've decided that I will
weigh in DAILY through this next week and post the
weights as a source of accountability.

Don't worry.. I'm not going to let this discourage me AT ALL.
I realize there may be somedays that I'm up a tad and
some days that I'm down. It's all about the heart
and I need to stay on track!!!

So.. this morning I weighed in at 247.4- which is awesome
because that means now in the retrospect of the long
haul I've only gained .4 of a lb! Yahooooooo!!!! The skinny
Kara is back in business :) Yes.. I'm crazy!!!!
Yesterday, I began to tell myself all the truths that God
wanted me to hear about me...
I am a success. I am a runner/healthy heart gal. I am truthful
and real. I will NOT ever sugar coat the truth as I must
ALWAYS, always remember that falsehood is the beginning
of darkness. The Bible says in 1 John 1 that if we walk in
darkness but say we walk in the light, we are a liar.
Now, that was some harsh truth.. but nonetheless.. TRUTH!

I WILL reach my ideal weight.. I WILL!!!!! When I stumble
and fall- you all will know it as I will always reveal my darkness
and keep it in the light. It actually terrifies me to think
what I'm capable of doing if I live in the darkness.
I think I'm going to just confess some things right now:
-I am mouthy with my husband at times... very embarrassing!!!!
- I soooooo hate John being "in charge" that sometimes
I just do or say things on purpose to try and emphasize
my independence.- YUCKO!!!!!
- I scream at my kids sometimes.... yes... really yell!
- I am lazy at times- yesterday I took a LONG nap and
let the house go to pot.
- I'm totally temped to lie about something on this whole
insurance thing (with our house getting struck by lightening
recently) so that we can come out on top and ahead of the
game------ I can't believe I just typed that!!!!! TRUTH is
truth and I can't sugar coat it anylonger. I have been totally
rediculous in my thoughts on this whole situation and it's
mortifying as to what I'm capable of. My stomach is turning
right now! What is wrong with me??? Do I not think that
God of this Universe knows the truth even if there are loop holes
in the system!!!
- I am rebellious at heart- it's VERY, VERY difficult for me to
just obey God and do what is right.
- I don't pray like I should over important issues! For goodness
sake.. tomorrow- I am signing papers to adopt a child.. a precious
human being that is a gift from God and I've just been floating
along as though life is just hunky dory!
- I don't respect money as I should- I actually hate money.
God is working greatly in my heart on how HE views money...
not as I view money!
- I dread cleaning the toilets and doing the bedsheets-
hate it!!!!!! It takes a whopping 2 min. max.. to clean a toilet-
yet... I avoid it. Don't worry, if you are coming to my house..
there will be a clean toilet. BUT WHY? Why does it take
"someone" coming over for me to get my rear in gear. I am
the most influential person in my children's lives and yet ...
once again... because I sometimes live in darkness in the comfort
of my own home, I somehow think that it really doesn't matter????
That's absurd!!!!!!!
- I love to give my husband "to do lists" that are focused around
what I want done and MY priorities. I know that I should be more
gentle in asking and respect that he also has an agenda
of priorities.
For those of you who are saying "kara, you are being too hard
on yourself"...NOPE!
It's all truth and I know that God loves me and is not shaking
a fist at me. He is a gentle, loving God. But it is important for me
to get real with where I am and what needs to be more
pleasing to HIM.
Gotta run... literally...time for treadmill!
love you,
kara

Tomorrow Came

This is the day that I've dreaded would come... no loss.
And worse.. 3 lbs gained. It's not really a surprise since
weight is really a heart issue and you've probably been
able to tell from my last few posts that I've not been
where I need to be. I can't even type the number I saw
on the scales... it's horrific!!!!
But.. on a brighter note- I know what the problem is
and "it is what it is" as P. Randy would say! So, now
I've got to DECIDE what to do differently to get to
where I want to go.
Thus.. let's talk a minute about the Indy Mini.
I would like to up the challenge for you and I to
take on the 2009 Indy Mini, verses waiting until 2010.
1 year is a good amount of time to train for next May's race.
We are getting t-shirts soon... I'll keep you updated on that
info! I plan to go walk some more this evening after this mornings
32 min. workout. I was a slacker the latter part of last week
and see exactly where things went down hill... That old
mentality of "I'll do it tomorrow" set in and here I am 3 lbs.
up. AHHHHHH!
BUT God is good all the time and He loves me.. He wraps His
arms around me. PLEASE pray that I get back on track this
very minute~!!!!! Tomorrow did come and it cost me big.
His mercies are new daily- thank you Jesus.
And for all of you who are wondering "Wow, she really turned
that into a positive bit of bad news"... Let me assure
you that I've wrestled all day on how to handle this. I
contemplated taking a "Free Pass" that I wanted to create
to avoid having to post my gain for this past week. I contemplated
slightly telling a white lie of "I didn't lose any" but leave out
the part if gaining 3... it's been an ugly battle today. YUCK!
I hate my sinfulness and just desire to be pure before God!!!
Gotta run and finish dinner for the fam!
love ya,
k

There's Nuttin' Like a Good Ole' Cookie

Precious friends,

I'm sad but happy to say I spent all of my points at one occasion today-
our family group cookout!!!! Who shall I blame?? Tim Valiant, Renay's
phenomenal baker of a husband, who made to die for cookies! Just jokin'
Tim... it was MY choice to eat 'em!
Yes.. I'm going to make all of your mouths water by explaining each one in depth.

As he walked up the driveway, I noticed he was carrying 2 gigantic
plastic totes with a platter of cookies in each (the tote is a brilliant
idea for safe transporting). Also, he had a 13x9 stone dish too.
The first cookie I'd like to introduce (Renay, please post any corrections
to be made) was a dark brown chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips
with a section in the middle of the cookie that was pure heaven.. some sort
of peanutbutter goop! THEN he drizzled melted chocolate over the top of
each cookie......ahhhhhh.... they were beyond sinful.
Next.. what appeared to be just chocolate chip cookie bars in the 13x9
were a bit deceptive. There was a layer.. and I mean layer of peanutbutter
goup mixed with powdered sugar, in the middle of the cookie bars. Yes,
once again - to die for!!!!
Lastly was a scrumptious secret cookie. I call this the secret cookie because
not as many people snagged these up due to being unaware of the lusious
treat that was within the average chocolate cookie. There was a burst of
melted caramel from a ROLO hidden in each one!! AWESOME!!!!
Then, he of course, drizzled white chocolate on the top of each one for the
perfect presentation! I told him he really should just turn his notice in
as the manager of W. Laf. Walgreens and open his own bakery.. but he
didn't fall for it!
Now that your mouths are drueling- let me break the bad news. I did
maintain good portion control and had JUST one of each of these, but
spent half of my day's points in doing so. (And this is just a guestimate)
You all have to think I'm so crazy for eating such a splurge..
but I must tell you that it was worth every single point that it
cost me. I LOVE Tim's cookies! Go Tim, Go..
Now for the ultimate challenge... Renay, I'm challenging your hubby
to come up with a fabulous 3 pt. or less cookie (has to be an average
size.. none of those small cookie pebbles!) And then I will be the cookie
judge to see if they are worthy of sharing with others :) teeeheeeee!!!
There's just nuttin' like a good ole cookie!!! These are the best ever!!!!!

Our family group cookout turned out to be 62 people (includes kids).
God is amazing and blows me away!!! By the way, if you read this blog
and you are not in a "family group" or connected to a small group of
believers that meet regularly- PLEASE come join us!!! There
are several awesome family groups within our church... so please
check them out and get plugged in to one :)
We are getting back on schedule and will meet next Sun. 6-8 p.m
at the church. 2nd and 4th Sun. monthly :)
okay.. gotta run and do the dreaded exercise thing.... I mean... the
highly desirable and fun treadmill!!
love ya,
k

Prideful...Who me????

Good morning my dear friends!
Just a quick post to say I love you all and am thrilled that so many of you have jumped on the blogger bandwagon! There's only one problem with this.. I don't have enough time to read them all consistently- so please promise, promise me that your feelings won't get hurt if you see me post on someone's blog and not yours.. I love you all!!!!

So, last night I was going through one of those fowl, fowl moody stages! I glared at my precious
husband as though he had committed a crime. He would ask "What's wrong? Talk to me."
I would just glare. What was wrong with me??? I'm nutso sometimes!! Finally, I got this
idea in my mind that I wanted to dig in the dirt and plant some stuff. Here's one thing about me
that if you didn't know, now you'll know... I tend to get my mind set on something and am relentless until it happens. It's a small selfish quality that I struggle with. Thus, I became like a mad woman with a hand-tiller and a shovel. Now.. if you have no idea what a "hand tiller" is let me tell you- It's this metal tall, shovel like thing that has a claw where the shovel would normally be. Then, here's the fun part.. at the top, where a handle would be- there's a horizontally shaped large "S" shape. The purpose of this is to give you leveredge (sp?) to turn it back and forth and thus "till" the ground. IMPORTANT side note- I do not recommend using this tilling method for a large area. Did I mention that the claw is only about the size of a large hand sprawled open???? I "tilled" an area around our flag pole and the funniest part about the whole experience is that I performed this tilling in my front yard, in broad day light for all of the neighbors to see. I just KNOW that I gave someone a great laugh. I had to plant my feet about
3 feet apart and then jam the claw into the earth. At which time, the fun began- I defined a whole new meaning of the word "dance" as it looked like the tiller and I were having a great time on a lawn style dance floor!!! What a great work out!!!!
Here's another thing about me.. I tend to be a little bit obsessive once I start something new and fun. So.. after this area was tilled, I went on to another area around some rocks. I felt so empowered and like a "Little House on the Prairie Woman".
Abby and I ran to Walmart to use a gift card I'd received recently to buy some flowers. I just HAD to have them at 8 p.m at night, ya know! As I entered the Walmart lawn and garden dept., I felt my heart palpatating rather rapidly. Ahhhhh... flower and plant envy began to take over.
I was like a mad woman... putting all sorts of beautiful flowers into my cart... loading them on top of one another- I was out of control. I asked Abby to go get another cart- we'll load that one up too!!! What was I thinking??? Had I hit the lottery and didn't tell anyone? Nope!
Then, the dilema really hit.. color scheme!!!! I must have lapped that greenhouse 20 times, changing my mind on the shades of purple, pink, salmon, yellows, blues...
I just hate when people put things back out of their cart in the WRONG location...like out of nowhere there will be sitting a flat of petunias in the middle of marigolds! I BECAME the person that I despise. I just unloaded and reloaded wherever I pleased- changing color schemes as I desired!!! (Don't worry.. I didn't invite anyone to church admist this sinful behavior.. isn't that sad!!!)
Now, for the part that proves I was completely crazy... the checkout counter. Thank the Lord there was a nice young man (couldn't have been older than 21) who was very patient with me.
As I pulled up to the counter with 2, yes 2, cart loads full of flowers, I realized that my gift card was for only $30. Don't pee yourself laughing over this. If you've EVER, EVER shopped for flowers you know that $30 will buy you a bag of mulch and a flat of petunias! So, my "high"
quickly came to a rapid hault! YIKES... visions of my penny pinching husband scowling at me began to flash before my eyes! The lecture that awaited... yikes!!!! So, I had to float back down to reality and humbly ask him to tell me the prices of each item!!!! (It's like before that moment, price didn't matter!) Suddenly, my visions of priceless beauty were tamed down to just a nice small variety. I spent a little extra out of my own budget- but let's just say that I spared my life by making that decision!! John would not have been a happy camper had I fully indulged myself as I originally wanted.
All of this.. to get home after dark and put all the flowers in the garage ready for planting later today! Hopefully, that is!
Lesson learned- when you get caught up in the moment.. it's probably not really worth it in the long run. Did I sleep any better knowing I had bought flowers? NOPE!
I'm sure they will be lovely and bring me much joy and pride....hmmmm... pride??????
I just hate when all the neighbors flowers look so pretty and my yard is simple.....I think
I hear a prideful heart ringing loud here!!!
Ok...off to repent! Prideful....who me???? Yes, Me.
love you all,
k

Yes.. It's really me- I'm alive!!!!

First and foremost, thank you to my dear friend Renay for posting such a

fun post for me! I love the pictures! Bring on those fat pictures.. I love em!

Why? Because they are NO longer ME!!!! Yahooooooo!! It's fun to see

pictures with my Nay-Nay :) teehee!!! You all know that Avry Renay was

named after Renay and that we call her and Renay both Nay-Nay



By the grace of God, I'm huddled into an area in Johnathan's room with a cable

dangling just long enough to reach the import on my computer!!! Hallalujah!!!!

It's too long of a story to even blog about... but bottom line is that the comcast

dude just left and we have internet after finding out that the splitter outdoor

was fried and he fixed it all. Now, John just has to stop and by a "router" (I just

love all of these technical words.. not!) so that we can have wireless again!

As you can imagine, I need freedom with my laptop or at least need to get

on the main computer out in the front room. (Don't ask about all the details

as to why the cable connection is hidden above Johnathan's new bedroom closet :)



I'll post more later.. gotta run a kid to horse lessons!! ahhhhh!! Never ending fun!

Love you all!

k

Guest Blogger Alert!

God has a sense of humor...I am humbled and honored to be posting for my dear friend Kara!
Please bear with me as her guest blogger (in the spotlight;-) as I have a message from her...and as God would have it, a note from me;-)


Kara called me this am from her cellphone and shared that they have figured out why their phone and internet are down and to make a long story short...they were hit by lightening 2 nights ago...I mean really hit! Most of their TV's, playstation, internet modem box thingy, NEW heat pump that was just installed-you name it and if it was electrical-it was ZAPPED! (***Except for her TREADMILL and appliances! Praise GOD!!!!***) So, she is without home phone (you'll have to try her cell) and without Internet (I'd die;-)...she asked for your prayers that everything would move quickly with insurance and she was in a very high spirited mood (who Kara???). She was already seeing how this may be a huge blessing in disguise and I adore her for that! She also said to tell you all maybe this was God's way of telling her to lay off the internet for a few days...I say it's God's way of telling her to visit the library more (you can check email there;-). So, anyway, I'm taking this once in a lifetime chance to live it up on her blog-oh the things I could do and pranks I could pull...I'm thinking a blog make-over is in order;-) He, he. No I'm just kidding. I love my dear friend and will probably be reading her her emails and blog comments for days to come (if you know me, you know I don't mind another excuse to spend time online;-). Here's a photo of us "prehealthy" era when we went on a Pampered Chef achievers cruise together!
Ok, well-strangely, when I got home last night from heart to heart, I felt the Lord leading me to ask Kara if I could be a guest blogger...I sent her this email for her to post and as God would have it, sh never saw that email and here I am today as a guest blogger (and she of course gave me free reign to do this;-):

Friend, would you mind posting this on your blog from me?

Title/Subject: Guest Blogger Alert

Renay asked me to post this for her:

Friends, I have come to consider EFC/HTH a cherished gift. I am proud to call it my Bible study home and am honored to call each of you friend. I've enjoyed getting to know many of you more and wish to get to know each of you even better. Back when I was on bedrest for 12 weeks with my son Owen, I started a family blog call http://www.valiantupdates.blogspot.com/ to keep everyone up to date with my challenging pregnancy. Once we experienced the miraculous birth of Owen I continued the blog to update everyone on his progress. I keep that blog updated even today with "the little things in life" and would be happy if any of you wanted to check it out.

Additionally, when Kara started weight watchers and forced me to also (he, he) I shared with her my idea for us to start blogs about our journeys (hers being this one and mine being http://www.valiantjourney.blogspot.com/ trying to obey the Lord with our health...while Kara's is now an open access public blog, mine is still "by invitation only" because I have control issues and want to know who is reading about my journey (I've struggled with my weight my whole life and while I want the accountability and friendship, I don't want just anyone from anywhere reading it-but that's not you;-). I'd like to invite each of you to read this blog also if you would like to join me on my journey-I share things similar to Kara-ideas for cheaper meals, healthy point ideas, exercise stuff-ya know, "anything health" ...and I'm also planning on joining in on the marathon deal and would like for you to be in the loop on the shirts, hotels, training schedule and general stuff so it would be great if you were keeping up on my journey (at least in part, plus I covet your prayers because this is HARD!!!).

All I need to invite you is your blogger account email that you registered with;-) Lastly, I really (REALLY) enjoy blogging. It's a great way for me to journal about our lives and keep track of memories, etc and I would highly recommend you consider doing the same-it's been a fun creative outlet for me and has drawn me closer to many of the wonderful ladies at Elston (and I've made blogging friends all around the world!!!). I don't blog for money or fame, but find it very rewarding by the comments left and the relationships it's helped me form. It's no substitute for everyday interaction but is a great way to connect at 1am when I can't sleep;-)

Ok, thank you for reading my guest post;-)

Don't you just LOVE Kara???



That's it-that's all I was going to have her post. But things have worked out differently and I get to add a few things;-) So, please be praying for her family regarding this stinky dilemma with the lightening strike and especially the bad heat pump-no heat pump= no heat or air....so prayers for mild weather would really be good.

I think we should all bless her with tons of affirming comments on this post-she'll love it and who doesn't love comments??? She would be thrilled to finally get back on the internet and feel so much love from you all.

Also, I thank you for reading my guest post. I hope you'll let me know your blogger email and I can sign you up on my journey...please don't worry or think people will think you are being nosey. If I learned one thing from the HTH retreat it was to believe the best about others and care the most about what God thinks. I think you all rock and I think God does too! Being blogging pals is tons of fun and I'd love for you all to cheer me on with my health journey (and again my Valiant Update blog is open to the public;-) Just remember I LOVE comments and really enjoy it when I know who's stopped in...a simple Hey girl is fine when you are low on time or words;-) Most bloggers feel this way...we LOVE our comments and read each of them and often will respond to them or do future posts regarding the comments.

I'll leave you with one more picture of me and Kara-this one was from our Pampered Chef Disney incentive trip (before even Avery and Owen came along!!!).



Love and Hugs to each of you! ~Renay (& Kara;-)

240's at last

Yes..I've officially said farewell to the 250's and have lost another 3 lbs.
I'm at 247 now :) Yay!!! I am thanking God and all of your support.
Gotta run!
k

It's all out in the open NOW!

One quick post.. I have decided to go public- anyone can now read my blog.
Feel free to put it on your sites and or refer friends to read it if you feel
that it will bless them in any way. I'm free!! I'm free!!! I'm free!
Good night.. for real this time :)
k

Check it out.....

Hey everyone!
Our friend Mari Leffert has joined the blogging world..
check her out at ....

http://willyoureadmythoughts.blogspot.com/

Yes, I know there's a simple way to put a link to someone's
blog.. but I'm tired and can't think quite straight :) She's a hoot
and I think you'll all enjoy reading hers too :)
I plan to do the list of all the blogs I love to read and put them
over to the side like all of you cool computer literate people :)
Kirsten's, Renay's, Amy's, Lindsay's, Emily's, now.. Mari's blog...
if i'm forgetting anyone- please forgive me.. I'm a bit loopy.
We just have quite the little blogging support network.
love you and good night!
k

Run Hard

What an amazing Mother's Day. I received many loving handmade gifts from my kiddos and a lovely dinner out (last night after the retreat clean up) at my favorite, favorite restaurant- El Rodeo! Get this..... as I was heading home last night and starved (I had saved tons of points for dinner), John asked me if he and all the kids could take me out to dinner. I didn't argue!

When I arrived to El Rodeo's, I walked through the doors to see the most amazingly beautful family that I've ever laid eyes on. One handsome man sat with 7 gorgeous kids and awaited my celebrity-style arrival. I floated around the table and gave each a hug and an "I love you and missed you." (If you are wondering who the 7th child is.. it was Cayla, Anna's BF who's with us all the time) And yes, it did cost a pretty penny- but it was oh so worth it to sit as a proud mother of these children and revel in all that God has done for me and how HE has blessed me with LIFE! Now, here's the shocker- they ALL were perfect for the entire meal. Yes, you read it correctly- PERFECT. I ate in peace, joy, happiness, self-control even. My husband was so supportive and encouraging about the time he had spent with the children over the past few days. It's like he was "reporting" back to me all that they did :)

Back to the handmade gifts. So, Evan made a laminated placemat for me at school. The teacher had asked him a list of questions about his mother. Here's exactly what the placemat says: My comments will be in the ( ......)

By: Evan

My mom is the most wonderful mom in the world! Her name is Kara.
She is as pretty as a mom. (How funny)
She is 30 years old. (very good, evan!)
She has brown eyes and black hair.
She weighs 20 lbs (whoa!!!!! I'm melting away to nothing..literally!)
She is 7 feet tall. (I should be drafted to play basketball for the WNBA. Well, wait a minute. If I only weigh 20 lbs, then it doesn't matter how tall I am cause I have to have some unknown disease!)
Her favorite food is chicken. ( I love chicken!! Baked, grilled, char-boiled, terriyaked with pineapple!!!)
In the good old days when she was litle, she used to play tic-tac-toe. (I've never told Evan this.. how funny!)
I think my mom is funny when she laughs. (I'm glad I laugh and he see joy in our home)
She gets really angry when I do something wrong. (Yikes.. stop there, son. Tell no more :)just kidding of course!!!)
I wouldn't trade my mom for anything. I love my mom because she reads me stories. (Yes, yes, son! Tell the world how great I am for reading you a story twice per month. I really need to work on this!!!!!!)
My mom always says "I love you." (ahhhh... I sound so wonderful and perfect!)
My mom cooks the best pizza. (Aldi's box mix, baby! just add some shredded mozarella!)
This is how she makes it: she uses sauce, dough, pepperoni and cheese. (I have never used pepperoni. How funny that he "recalls" this.)
My mom really loves me. (I do!!!!)
My mom and I like to play outside. (Yes, go son, go!!! I sound like the completely outdoorsy, adventurous kind of mom that I've always wanted to be to him.. But I don't really measure up
to that)
My mom's favorite clothes to wear are flower shirts. (By this point, I'm almost peeing my pants with laughter because highly over weight women tend to love lots of flowers on their shirts. Don't ask why? I'm not sure why! Now, that I think about what all of you wear.. I can't recall ANY flower shirts! ZERO! NONE!!! NADA! Most people wear plain colors.. that's probably the "style", but I'm telling you.. the "PLUS size ladies dept" of most stores have tons of flower shirts- and they are usually on clearance.... Hmmmmmm???? I'm making a vowel right here and today that I will never again purchase a flower shirt. My dream is to NEVER, EVER have to shop in the plus size section again. Yes, some of you are saying "Kara, it's okay. I think you look lovely in those flower shirts." And others of you are saying "Hallalujah! She's finally seeing the light of fashion." )
Then last but not least...
My mom is beautiful because she wears makeup. (Now, I'm hysterically laughing because you all know that I wear very dramatic make up. I do that on purpose of course because I want to feel wide eyed and bushy tailed. This weekend at the women's retreat.. Heather lovingly laughed at me and told me that she thought I might glow in the dark. Ha!!! Ha... Hahhh!! Too fun!
Apparently, my precious son likes the bold look too. Isn't that funny?)

Each child gave me something precious. Anna's gift was to watch the kids this afternoon while i napped for almost 3 glorious hours while she made the most deluctable chicken breasts and fresh fruit salad with yogurt. When I woke up and came to the table at 5:30 p.m., I heard
the angels singing praises in the heavenly realms as the table was set and the food was placed in the middle. Lastly, I want to share with you a precious little note that Johnathan gave me with his handmade sand coated vase with silk flowers. He wrote thoughtful things and then signed it "Johnathan, your soon to be son" Yes.. grab the tissues! It was beautiful and moving. Like I said at the retreat.. I NEVER, EVER was going to adopt any child. Why would I need to? I have 5 amazing kids already. But, then GOD opened a door for us to adopt an orphan. For those of you who don't know this, his mother's parental rights were terminated 2 1/2 years ago and there is no legal father anywhere to be found.. thus he was an orphan. What a privledge I have of being a mom, a nurturer, a care-giver, a nurse, a therapist, a cook, a maid, a cheerleader, a hugger, a referee, a teacher and much more. I am blessed beyond words.

Today, may each of you be strengthened and blessed. Some of you are going through some VERY hard stuff and the only thing I must say is NEVER GIVE UP!!!! NO TURNING
BACK. Pray hard and long and persevere. We have a race to run ladies. Some of us may race until we are 100 years old; some of us may only race one more day, one more year.. only God knows. So run hard , run hard, run hard and never turn back.

As much as I really wanted to post about my feelings/thoughts of the retreat. God told me no.
The only thing I'm supposed to tell you is that I got EXACTLY what I had prayed for and that was a renewed love of my family.
Happy Mother's Day!
Kara

Sermon from the Treadmill

I only have a sec... so the funniest thing just happened
while I was on the treadmill. I began to pray and ask
God how and what exactly he wants me to share on Sat.
at the retreat. As I vigorously walked, God began to speak.
It was hysterical! I began "preaching" at the peach colored
wall that stood before me. I began passionately preaching the
truths of God's word. I even literally jumped up into the air
on the treadmill...while it was in motion...don't ask! Just
thank God I'm still all in one piece :)

Usually, I'm so focused on the time on the treadmill and I'm
watching for the 5 min. increment to do my 1 min. job that I
wouldn't dare miss the "mark" to up the speed! But.. God had
a different plan for today-

During the "Sermon from the Treadmill",
I kept a steady, comfortable pace.. then suddenly at the end
I began to run... i mean RUN! I've never hyped that baby up to
6.5 mph before... but today was the day!!! My legs had to stretch
in ways I didn't know were possible. The scary part was that I
began yelling, screaming out words of encouragement to myself.
Actually, I think it was God yelling through me at me.. anyhow...
So much symbolism took root in that brief 1 min. of running.
Let's just say that God is KING of Kings and LORD of Lords!
Not like you didn't already know that.. but sadly, I need to be
reminded of that and put in my place on a moment by moment
basis!!!!!!
My prayer for this weekend is that no one will miss exactly what
God has for her. This is definately a weekend of decisions :)
love you all!
k

Your opinion please....

Hey Ladies!
I'm swamped right now.. so probably won't be posting, unless
I'm losing my mind so badly that I have to write :) teehheee!
Just jokin'!

I have a question for you all.... how do you feel about eating
real butter over fake butter? Just curious about what the research
shows concerning "hydrogenated oil". Please post your thoughts.

Heather and I will not be at Heart 2 Heart tomorrow night as
we'll be finalizing some details! I'm soooooo pumped about this
retreat. It's been a lot of work, but I know the rewards of seeing
how much the ladies feel LOVED and WELCOMED will be well
worth the time put into details. I used to think details didn't really
matter.. but I've changed my mind. God keeps showing me
how he has numbered the hairs on my head and cares deeply about
all the things that are important to me!

Eating today has been kinda weird actually. I spent quite a few of
my points eating toast throughout the day. Yes, that's very odd.
I still need to go do my exercise as this morning was the first morning
in a long time that I saved it for later!

love you all!
K

Down 2

Hey gals!

I'm on the run this morning.... but good news!
I'm down another 2 lbs. Hooray!!!!!!!
I'm at 250.4 - Hallaluejah!
This is after some very naughty eating last week..
I won't go into much detail.. let's just say that
they had 3/$1 on Hershey bars at the Walmart
check out! Yes.... I was sick and had diahrea. What
is wrong with me? Sometimes I feel psychotic :)

Love you all! PLEASE pray for all final details for retreat.
This is going to blow us away. God is gonna show up in
an amazing way- Have faith and come EXPECTING great
things.
k

The Party

What a LONG day! It was nice to celebrate my mom's 50th bday. She was definately surprised and felt loved. I'm exhauseted, but satisfied!



I can't remember the last time that I only had ONE plate of food at a cookout that offered a buffet of fabulous food! I get 31 points per day: so I only ate 2 of them ealier in day so I could

save up and enjoy a scrumptious dinner. Usually, by the time dinner would be served, I already

would have eaten enough appetizers to be considered a meal alone! But tonight was different...

By God's grace and goodness, I only ate 3 tortilla chips slightly dipped in a nacho cheese and 2 shrimp cocktails. Then, for dinner.. I splurged on a hamburger but only used the bottom of the bun ( I passed on the cheese and mayo which I normally must have!) Then, I took just one serving of my favorite salad.. Chicken Thai Salad (fresh spinach, broccoli slaw, red pepper, cucumber, chicken breast cubed, chopped peanuts, poppyseed dressing with fresh garlic and gingerroot) Lastly, I scooped about 1/2 c. of Kristy's fat free fruit salad. She got the idea from Emily and it's genious... she took a bowl of chopped up fruit like strawberrries, bananas, grapes, pineapple and peaches, then lightly coated it all with Fat Free yogurt. OH MY! To die for!!!



Drum roll please............... I used a "sectioned plate" and actually left 2 sections clear!

Yes, yes.. it is true. Shocking but true!!!!! The only thing I did eat a bit more of was

chicken breast tenderloins (about 4 pts. worth).

At dessert time, I ate one square of my granny's attempt at the "angel food cake concoction"

that I blogged earlier. I loved the flavor, but she didn't do something quite right thus it was a bit rubber-like. She also brought this horribly bad for you pan of brownies with peanutbutter icing from Gordons Food Service. It had chocolate shavings, drizzle and peanuts on top. Yes... I know what you are thinking- YIKES- HIGH points and cholestrol too! So, after cutting them into 2 x2 squares, I then cut it into half again and enjoyed the taste.



That was it!! Can you really believe it? Yep!!!! That's all I ate for the entire cookout/birthday party. I think I'm going to jump on the treadmill real quick to jog for a few minutes.



By the way, please pray that my mom, aunt, and grandma will come to the retreat on Sat.

I told them I needed to know by tomorrow.

(Oops. This post was supposed to have been up Sat. night! I don't know what happened!)
k

Tips

I have one spare moment between vacuuming, laundry,
putting away clothes, etc.. etc... to say this:

Today's workout was nice. I've realized that I could definately
power walk for an hour every day (if I only had this kind of time!)
When I hit 30 min, I don't want to get off the treadmill, but the
"be a good mommy" sign flashes before my eyes and I jump off.
Even though things on my body flap in the breeze of my "gazelle-
type jogging", it feels wonderful. It's sad to say, but true, that I
can gauge my weightloss on the sound echo of the newly reduced
flab! I did 40 min. today.

I tried the off brand of the "Fiber One" bars, which I found at Kroger's.
They are called chocolate and oats "Healthy Lifestyle Bar" (How funny!)
I love em! They were 3 boxes for $5. How does this compare to you Sam's
club shoppers or Walmart's prices???

Can I tell you one more time how much I LOVE frozen greenbeans
stir-fryed? Oh my!!! I ate leftovers from last night's dinner- yummy!!!
Yes, they are better hot, fresh out of the skillet.

If you want to fool yourself into believeing that you are eating a bigger
sandwich: layer the lettuce and tomatoes 2 times intstead of just one and
use less meat for lower points. For example, bread, mustard, lettuce,
tomatoe,2 thin slices of deli meat, lettuce, tomatoe, lite mayo and bread.
It looks like some sort of massive triple decker sandwich. Yummmmm!

Also, I must rant and rave about the delicious "Baked Lay Ruffles" potato
chips. It's only 2 points for 9 chips!!! You can have a serving of chips and
a triple decker sandwhich for less than 6 points! Tack on some free raw
veggies and there you go! What a fun summer lunch. Oh.. and of course
those fiber one bars are only 2 points.. so there's a "cheap" dessert!

I'll keep you update on how it turns out.. but my granny is making a
Weight Watchers Pineapple Angelfood Cake for my mom's bday party
on Sat. My mom is turning 50!!!! Anyhow, I guess you take an angelfood
cake mix and add one can of crushed pineapple plus juice. Bake as directed.
Slice fresh strawberries and sprinkle splenda over them OR buy the frozen
sliced strawberries sweetened with splenda. Serve with ff coolwhip.
I hear it's to die for! I'll let you know :)

Gotta run and plan out this menu for my mom's party!! ahhhhh!
k