Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful for Christ's forgiveness. There is nothing better.

2. I'm thankful that my husband is joining me on my quest for better health.

3. I'm thankful that my sis is moving back to Texas on Monday.

4. I'm thankful for my dear friend Laura who moved to Victoria yesterday and will be only 5 minutes away.

5. I'm thankful that God is a God of provision!

If you would like to join in on Thankful Thursday, just go here and leave your link.

Coffee! I Need my Coffee!!!

Three days into this eating healthy venture and the one thing I miss more than anything is my coffee. I know you are sitting their saying, "Why can't you have coffee? Add a little splenda and you should be fine." Well, the reason I can't have coffee is because what I really drink is hazlenut creamer with a little coffee. Call me a whimp coffee drinker. I really don't care. I go absolutely crazy for frappicino's and vanilla lattes. The sweeter, the better! Even though I've been super restrictive for three days, I knew I had to have a little something tonight to fill my strong sweet tooth. While searching through an old "Self" magazine, I found this recipe. It is not only low in calories (139 per serving), but it is also has healthy ingredients. I think they're healthy anyway. I certainly didn't have these things currently on hand. Well, I had honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg, but that's about it.

Canola oil cooking spray
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh peaches(pitted and sliced)
4 tsp. fresh orange juice
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp rolled oats
2 Tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp canola oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat four 4 oz. ramekins with cooking spray. Combine berries, peaches, juice, and vanilla in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients with hands until moist and crumbly. Spoon fruit mixture into ramekins; scatter crumb mixture evenly over the top of each. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit bubbles and top is golden brown.


Have a look at how it turned out. I only used blackberries because I forgot to see if our store had frozen peaches. I'm definitely trying it with peaches next time.

It was pretty good. The only thing that would have made it a lot better was a huge scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Icecream, however, that IS what got me in trouble in the first place.

*In case you were wondering, Skip did make this for me. I could have, but he needed to get his chef skills working again. Salads aren't doing it for him.

A Little Too Up Close and Personal I'm Afraid

Okay, Skip and I have decided that we both are going to lose some weight. I know I've said it before here , here, and once again here, but this time we really are doing it. Ha Ha, right! No, seriously, we must. It is a matter of life and death. I want to be around when my kids grow up and have their own kids. I want to live a full life, not feeling tired and unmotivated all the time. Okay, who am I kidding? Bottom line- I want to look Hot again for my hubby! There, I said it. It's out there. Lately, I have been feeling so insecure about myself. I have reached a point where I can no longer blame home schooling, stress, or age. I am the only one to blame. I have been so motivated lately reading Kelly's blog, and I want to do the same. Scroll through her recent archives and you WILL BE AMAZED. She lost 50lbs, and that is not all. God gets all the glory! I love that about her. She is doing Fit Friday, and all kinds of other helpful posts for those interested in getting in shape and losing weight.

In case you're wondering, my sweet husband has never said anything negative. Praise God he loves curves! He just knows that I am not feeling so great, and wants to help me by joining in on this endeavor. As much as he loves to cook rich foods for me, he promises to make low calorie dishes for the both of us. Please check in on me from time to time. I would love some encouragement. Also, my friend Laura is moving to town today!!! She wants to start working out with me. Yipee! Hopefully I will check in each Tuesday with results. Pray for me. It would mean so much.

My Sweet Annie

Annie came up to me tonight and said, "Do you like Spam?" She wasn't referring to junk email I soon found out. She meant the kind that comes in a can. "Well, no actually I don't." She does and she ate it while at her MeeMee and PawPaw's house this past week. I didn't even know the stuff was still available. Annie also informed me she likes it straight out of the can or fried. Excuse me while I call my mother-in-law.

Earlier today Annie and Ashley were looking up baby names because Annie needed some new ones for her twin dolls. She is tired of Rachel and Ryan. They started to look up their own names and all of a sudden Annie ran out of the room and shut her door for about 30 minutes. When she came out, she grabbed my hand and led me to a beautifully cleaned bedroom. She said that she looked up her name and it meant "gracious and merciful". Wow, if I would have known that, I would have plastered that on her wall in huge letters a long time ago. Ashley stayed hanging out at the computer playing. It might have something to do with her name just means a tree.

Birthdays and Wishes Come True!

Here's Annie with her older cousins Matt and Steph at Christmas. Matt gave Annie the best gift ever for her b-day this year! You see my baby girl who just turned eight has a huge puppy love crush on Zac Efron from HSM and since Matt is a buddy of his, he got her a signed copy of the HSM 2 cd. She was estatic! He wrote, "To Annie All My Love, Zac Efron". Zac also signed a copy of the HSM 2 DVD for Ashley and a basketball for Seth. However, Annie is the one who was most thrilled due to her HUGE puppy love crush on him. We haven't given Annie her gift from us yet because she is waiting for our trip here in a week or so. All she wants is this, and she wants it so bad. She really plays with all her American girls and her Bitty babies. Ashley still joins in too. I'm so glad they opened up an American Girl in Dallas because it will be a lot less expensive than a plane ride.

My little man Seth has just turned 11. OUCH! For some reason that is so hard to stomach. I baby him so much more than a mother should, but it is because he had such a rough start in life. He is doing so great, and his favorite things at the moment are riding go-carts here and playing this birthday gift.

Day 3 of Panama

If you want to see my favorite Day in Panama Scroll down to find Day 3... For some reason it posted after my Day 2. I am seriously having issues with Blogger. It's actually me, not the system that is the problem.

Day 2 of Panama Trip

The second day in Panama was very educational. We went on a guided bus tour of Panama City and then visited the Panama Canal and watched a ship go through the famous locking system our family has been watching on the Discovery Channel. It was great to learn so much, but Skip and I wished we would have had the children along for a quick history lesson. Seeing things in real life is so much more fun!

Before I get to the Day 2 video, here is my emaculate bathroom. I loved it, but I missed taking a hot bath each day. Showers aren't nearly as relaxing to me.
Here is a pic of me with Skip overlooking a lookout point over the Panama Canal. We enjoyed watching the process of a big heavy loaded ship going through the lock system. We also watched a video of the history of the Panama Canal. I think you can watch the same video on Youtube somewhere, but it was very amazing.

Enjoy a quick highlight video of our Day 2. I must say the best part of Day 2 was laughing my head off at the Casino in Panama City that night. I have never been to Vegas or a Casino before and this was so much fun. I played and quickly lost 4 dollars on a nickel slot machine. That was enough for me. My group decided to throw away a lot of their money at the 5 dollar blackjack table. I must say there was so much fun going on that it seemed like everyone agreed it was worth losing a little money. More to come tomorrow.

Panama Day 3

This day was my most favorite day in Panama. My sister, my brother-in-law and myself went on a tour to the Embera Indian Village. We drove about an hour and a half from our resort to the place were we were met by the Indians. We started by taking a motor powered dugout wooden canoe ride through the rain forest. The ride was so much fun, and I actually started crying just looking at the beauty of the lake and the natural untouched forest. Luckily there was water splashing on my face so no one could tell. We came to a waterfall but had to rock climb a short distance to get into the water near the falls. It was really beautiful, but COLD. My brother in-law and I jumped in and my sister took pictures. Sorry, but I am not showing myself in a bathing suit in the falls. Maybe in a few months if I get back in shape. No, I still won't do that. Anyway, after 30 minutes at the waterfall, our Indian friends took us on another 10 minute ride to their village. This was so cool. We were greeted to the sounds of their music and colorful culture from the moment our feet hit the dirt. The women were beautiful and the children ran around us laughing and playing. Some of the women wore beaded tops, but some did not wear anything but a bright colored skirt. They treated us to fish and chips(fried tilapia and fried plantains). It was delicious, but we had lots of bones to watch for. We ate out of handmade plates made of leafs from their trees. It was like a cone shaped bowl. We could watch the women cooking the food as they held their babies on their hips. Reminded me of how I cooked when my kids were little. Even the young girls were helping with the cooking and painting tribal tattoos on us if we wanted to pay a dollar. They said the tattoo would last for 8 days, so I opted out, but my brother in law went for it. A translator shared all kinds of info with us about their history and culture, and then we watched them dance and play music. We were invited to join in and dance, which all of us did. Lastly, we were able to purchase some of their wares, which ranged from beautiful beaded work, to hand carved pieces, and basket weaved treasures. I got a bracelet for Annie(we missed her b-day while we were gone), and a pretty woven plate for display in my entertainment center. My brother -in-law passed out dollars to every village child and their were a lot of them. They were so happy and carefree, but this was also a tourist village. There are other Embera villages that do not open themselves up to the rest of civilization futher away in the rain forest. It was an experience I will never forget. I wish Skip could have been there with me, but he stayed at the resort that day. It would have been very difficult for him to do the climbing and movement required for this trip. He loved hearing all about it and seeing the pics and videos I took.

Me at the waterfall

The typical hut a family lives in at this village



Now for a recap of my day. This video only shows a small part of my day, but you can see some of the beauty I encountered.

She Speaks Conference

Okay, so I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to adding video on Blogger. I tried my best to download the first day of Panama and post a few pics, but I just can't seem to get it right.

Anyway, I do know of an amazing conference coming up in the near future for women who love women's ministry, love to speak, love to write and so much more. I am praying that this opportunity will work out for me. I am also excited because of some of the speakers and friends who will be attending. Proverbs 31 Ministries is giving away a scholarship so go and get the link here and post it on your blog. Who knows, maybe you will win! Maybe I'll win!

Day One Fun in Video

We are back!!! We had SO MUCH FUN! I want to share every single fun moment with you, but I have to take it easy on the computer and spend time with my sweet children who I missed terribly (well, I did once I got on the plane to come home, but not so much while I was vacationing in paradise). Here is Skip and I making a stroll around the resort when we got there and changed out of our winter clothes. Please ignore the whiteness, it does change to beet red (not tan) over the next three days of my trip. My sis is not in the first day video because her flight from LA did not come in until later that evening. She did get to have dinner with us and visit for a while before we turned in for the night.

Here is some edited footage Skip did for me. He did this each day for the kids and then sent it to my in-laws email so that the kids could get a feel of what we did each day. I will try to share day 2 with you tomorrow, and if I can the rest of the trip. Please ignore our "goofyness". That's just how we roll around here.

More to come...

Day One-So Beautiful!

A Quick Catch Up Chat

Hi there! I went to Kohl's this morning to pick up a couple of things for my trip to Panama. I tried on a few of my last years shorts last night and let's just say, I'm still not fitting into the summer attire AT ALL. I mean I can zip and button it all up, but it just isn't pretty. I have no idea why I'm telling you all this. Maybe it will make you feel better about yourself in some strange way. Anyway- Kohl's has The Best Sales EVER!!! I bought a sundress, a light khaki pair of shorts, a dark khaki skirt, a darling white zip up hoodie(in case in gets cool at night), a salmon colored tank and a hot pink cami. The grand total with tax was $34.00. Have I become a bargain shopper or what? A couple of the items were even 80% off. And just look at this beautiful bracelet my friend Tiff gave me last weekend. She got one for herself too, and it is our "Believing God" bracelets. At the moment, it sure beats the yarn one I made for myself. Thanks Tiff, I love it!

Oh, and this trench coat I bought for my celebration of renting my house was not on sale, but it is too cute! Way better looking on than in this picture. And now it is on sale at Kohls! I should have waited a week. It is so funny how much I appreciate things I once took for granted like a little shopping trip. I feel so blessed to have my home rented, and I am going to be very careful to keep living like it's not (financially that is).

I have to go finish home schooling now. Hopefully the next post will include some Panama pictures. Please pray for my children while I'm away, and for their grandparents who will be caring for them. Annie has a cold and a sore throat right now, and Ashley started feeling bad this morning too. I would love your prayers for a safe trip and a romantic time for me and Skip. Ooh La La, I can't wait!!!

5 Things I'm Smiling About

1. I just started reading The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. What an insightful and motivating book. I'm almost halfway in after beginning it earlier today. Great book about following your dreams.

2. My Believing God bible study. I have the sweetest ladies joining me for this exciting and challenging journey.

3. Our former church is celebrating their 10th Anniversary this weekend. Bay Area Fellowship has grown to over 5000 people in the last 10 years. It is reaching the next generation for Christ in the most amazing and creative ways. Skip and I were a part of this church from their early days, and we can't wait to go and celebrate with them.

4. Our family has finally started making connections in the homeschool community of Victoria. The kids had a blast going to a Co-op the last two Thursdays, and they all started art classes with the Art League. Because the art lessons are an hour and a half long each, and Ashley and goes at a different time than the younger kids, we get to have some special girl time together every week.

5. My trip to Panama is only a week away!!! My sis and her hubby blessed us with the trip. I can't wait!!! Our great friends Bart and Michelle will be joining us too, which we haven't been able to hang out with for months.

So, tell me what's causing that smile of your's right now.............

Do Not!!!

*Do NOT go try on a bathing suit in January. Ever!!! Even if it is the cutest little brown tankini with a flirty skirt. Even if you are leaving for a trip somewhere tropical in less than two weeks. Don't do it!!! You will see every Christmas cookie, and extra helping of dressing you carelessly consumed on parts of your body that have not seen sunlight in about 5 months.

DO go find a precious blouse like this or a cute little top like this and wait another 4 months till the New Year's Diet begins to take effect. In case you get side tracked at Target while looking at this harmless little number that just came in, heed my warning. It won't be pretty.

Randomness for the Day

I am suppossed to be getting reading for my first "Believing God" bible study, but instead I just had to post some random stuff floating around in my head. I still have a few minutes before I have to leave, so I'll make it quick.

*Is there a greater female bible study teacher out there than Beth? I mean there are some good ones, but last night reviewing the first session, I was so pumped I was ready to go help save the world after two minutes into the dvd. I LOVE BELIEVING GOD!!! To say it is good is an understatement. It's been several years, so I can't wait to dive in again.

*Having my house rented finally lifted such a heavy burden from us, and I am ready for some Dave Ramsey changes to take root. I've been reading the Total Money Makeover and lovin' it too!

*I'm reading Redemption by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley. I don't want to put it down, but I have to home school, do bible study, clean, cater to my hubby's every whim(hee hee), and still find time to check out all my favorite blogs. There's just not enough time in a day.

*I have got to get a haircut, and I'm scared to death to try someone new here in Victoria. I love my girl in Corpus, but I need to find someone closer. It is going on almost 5 months, and there is only so much a straightner, hot rollers and a pony tail can do.

That's it for now. Oh by the way, can you tell I'm a little joyful and hyper today? I am! I see God moving, and I can't wait to be a part of it!