Saturday, March 26, 2011
Pure Joy
It's rainy and drizzly outside ... turkey chili is in the crockpot ... laundry is going ... having a cup of coffee ... watching Must Love Dogs, starring my favorite actress Diane Lane ... Rick's playing golf (which he loves) ... Kyndal is at Drake's then going to work ... Eli and Brynne are upstairs playing Wii ... Dawson is still asleep (teenagers) ... the puppies are in their room taking a nap.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
What I'm Lovin'
Do you have an Aldi in your area? We have a really nice one in our town. I always, without exception, stop there and get as many groceries on my list before I head to the dreaded Walmart Supercenter. There are, of course, some name brand items that we use that I can't get at Aldi. But I get the majority of our staples and snacks there. And I buy all my produce there. And it saves me a lot of money.
They carry a couple of brands that I really like. One is Fit&Active and the other is Millville.
A "find" from Fit&Active are the Light and Crispy Vitality Cereal Bars. I have tried the Blueberry and Chocolate Drizzle. They don't have as much fiber as the FiberOne bars, that are all the rage right now, but all total they are only 1 WW point with 3 grams of fiber. And they are delicious! And they are a great afternoon snack item with a cup of green tea.
And there are tons of other Fit&Active products I like, including their turkey bacon and yogurt. My mom gets their ice cream bars that are the equivalent of Weight Watchers bars, but lots cheaper.
Millville carries two products I enjoy (both for the taste, and especially for the price!)
Millville's Bran Cereal is about half the cost of the generic brand at Walmart, and tastes just as great!
But the other product I just stumbled upon makes me so happy!
I have always eaten their instant oatmeal in maple and brown sugar. But now they have it with 10 grams of fiber for the same size packet!!! Technically it's still 3 WW points per packet. But, since it's right on the borderline of 2 points and since it has more than 3 times the fiber of the regular instant oatmeal in the same flavor, I'm going to call it 2 WW points.
These are just a few things I am keeping in my regular diet. They are not fad diet foods, but just good long-term choices.
And I thought I would share.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Nicole's Daybook
Outside my window... It is cloudy, a tad cooler, and looks like it could start raining any minute.
I am thinking... that I'll just sit here in the quiet for a few more minutes, even though I should be getting Dawson up for school.
I am thankful ... that we had the opportunity to have a relaxing, fun and cheap beach vacation last week.
I am wearing... a Blue Angels t-shirt, blue capri workout pants and tennis shoes.
I am planning... Brynne's April curriculum, family Easter activities and a preliminary summer plan.
I am creating... nothing at the moment, but yesterday I made Kyndal's boyfriend a picture frame by gluing sand and shells to it that we collected at the beach in Pensacola. We used a toothpick to write "~2011~" in the "sand" on the frame and she added a picture of her on the beach sitting next to writing in the sand that said "Kyndal loves Drake".
I am going... to try to stay home as much as possible in the next couple of weeks to preserve gas. I more than blew our budget on our trip, and I'd like to make this last tank of gas last through the end of the month.
I am reading... A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin, Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss and the Book of Psalms (daily devotional). Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Dawson's read-aloud).
I am hoping... that my brother is doing okay.
From the learning rooms... What a big week for the kids, even though we are just back into it after our Spring Break! Kyndal got her acceptance letter from Vo Tech this past weekend admitting her into cosmetology school in the fall. It is something she has always wanted to do. It will give her such a head start on her future (and it is FREE)!!! Eli completed 100, 0 and 1 addition problems in under two minutes! He was so excited!! He now moves on to trying to complete 100 addition problems using 0, 1 and 2 in under two minutes. Brynne is easing back into school this week by doing some Spring lessons. And Dawson is finishing up his unit on The Middle Ages. I think he and I are both a little bored with our AWOA curriculum right now and are ready to do something else.
Noticing that ... a mama bird has taken up residence in the much-used nest in the corner of our back porch. Lots of babies are born there!
From the kitchen... are healthy, lower carb meals.
Around the house... are suitcases that still need unpacked from our trip. All of the laundry is clean in them (thanks to a washer and dryer at the beach house), but it all still needs to be put away. Today hopefully!
One of my favorite things... is sunshine.
I am hoping... that my brother is doing okay.
From the learning rooms... What a big week for the kids, even though we are just back into it after our Spring Break! Kyndal got her acceptance letter from Vo Tech this past weekend admitting her into cosmetology school in the fall. It is something she has always wanted to do. It will give her such a head start on her future (and it is FREE)!!! Eli completed 100, 0 and 1 addition problems in under two minutes! He was so excited!! He now moves on to trying to complete 100 addition problems using 0, 1 and 2 in under two minutes. Brynne is easing back into school this week by doing some Spring lessons. And Dawson is finishing up his unit on The Middle Ages. I think he and I are both a little bored with our AWOA curriculum right now and are ready to do something else.
Noticing that ... a mama bird has taken up residence in the much-used nest in the corner of our back porch. Lots of babies are born there!
From the kitchen... are healthy, lower carb meals.
Around the house... are suitcases that still need unpacked from our trip. All of the laundry is clean in them (thanks to a washer and dryer at the beach house), but it all still needs to be put away. Today hopefully!
One of my favorite things... is sunshine.
A few plans for the rest of the week... Kyndal has use of my car most of this week to go back and forth to work, so I'm not going too many places. Brynne does have a birthday party to attend this weekend. Although I planned to start some gardening this weekend, the weather is supposed to turn cooler so I think I'll wait one more week. Other than that, we will just be laying low.
From my picture journal.
Brynne's school picture (that I took) for her Coop Yearbook. She looks so grown up.
From my picture journal.
Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The House in Pensacola
This will be the first post in a series of posts about our trip to Pensacola, Florida, this past week. We got back, on Friday, from a relaxing and fun vacation to my parents' new house in Pensacola. They bought a three bedroom home in the Navy Point area, one block from the bay, near Fort Barracas.
It's a small house, but perfect for a vacation! Here is the view from the little back patio ...
When you walk around that fence, you go down a small alley to a street that runs parallel to the bay. There is a walking trail that goes all down it, about 2+ miles long. Down just a couple of blocks to the right is a great playground and small beach. Brynne rode her scooter down to that playground (with an adult) several times.
When you walk out the front door and turn on the street to the right, the water is two blocks away.
At the end of that street, these are the views to the right and the left ...
It is so inviting and laid back and peaceful. I wish I lived there.
And here are some pics of the inside of the house. Adorable and so beachy!
I feel incredibly blessed that my parents purchased this home and just handed us a key so we can use it anytime we want. With stopping for potty breaks and one longer stop for lunch, we can drive it in a little over 13 hours. Not bad. We plan to go back for a week in October.
Tomorrow I'll start telling you about all the fun things there are to do in Pensacola.
It's a small house, but perfect for a vacation! Here is the view from the little back patio ...
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| See the water back there? It's one block away. |
When you walk around that fence, you go down a small alley to a street that runs parallel to the bay. There is a walking trail that goes all down it, about 2+ miles long. Down just a couple of blocks to the right is a great playground and small beach. Brynne rode her scooter down to that playground (with an adult) several times.
When you walk out the front door and turn on the street to the right, the water is two blocks away.
At the end of that street, these are the views to the right and the left ...
It is so inviting and laid back and peaceful. I wish I lived there.
And here are some pics of the inside of the house. Adorable and so beachy!
I feel incredibly blessed that my parents purchased this home and just handed us a key so we can use it anytime we want. With stopping for potty breaks and one longer stop for lunch, we can drive it in a little over 13 hours. Not bad. We plan to go back for a week in October.
Tomorrow I'll start telling you about all the fun things there are to do in Pensacola.
Menu Plan Monday ~ Getting those carbs under control
Eight. That's how many pounds I need to lose before bikini weather. This winter I gained more weight than I have in many, many years. In fact I came dangerously close to reaching the weight I was when I went on Weight Watchers about four years ago for the first time. And Rick's weight has gotten higher than he wants this winter, too.
My weakness is Carbs!!! I am a Carboholic and could have a diet that consists of nothing but carbs! And carbs is what makes me gain weight. Rick's weakness is Sugar!! He loves sugary things.
So my plan is to cook meals for us that have limited carbs, stick to mostly leans meats (including fish), fruits and vegetables. I am going to replace my carbs with fiber (which will include some carbs, but they will be high-fiber ones). I have a plan for during the day. And Rick's going to cut the sweets out of his diet. And exercise will play an important part in the plan. Rick wants to lose weight quick and then maintain it (which he will .. he always does when he decides to), but I want to take it off slowly and maintain a healthy eating style. The benefit for him is that since I'm the one who cooks, he gets the healthy meals in the evenings, too.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you might be wondering why I just don't get back to a strict Weight Watchers diet again because it works so well for me. Although it does accomplish the overall purpose of limiting my carbs, because they are typically higher points, I don't want to diet and count points all day. I would rather be mindful of my points (especially with snacks and in choosing certain products over others) and just have a better general diet. So, I am going to try this approach. If it doesn't work in about a month, I'll get on Weight Watchers again. Because I am not getting in a bathing suit looking like this! It's amazing how 10 pounds changes my body!
So, here is this week's menu for dinner...
Monday ~ Chicken tacos loaded with veggies and small avocado slices
Tuesday ~ Salmon with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and spinach (about 3 WW points each) and whole grain rice with lentils (4 WW points per serving)
Wednesday ~ FFY (I'll probably have a bowl of bran cereal with blueberries)
Thursday ~ Turkey burgers (on whole wheat bagel thins .. 1 WW point) and apple salad, and beef burgers for the kids with chips.
Friday ~ Turkey chili
Saturday ~ Soup (Fit and Active chicken noodle) and sandwiches (turkey on whole wheat bagel thin)
Sunday ~ Hot dogs for the kids, turkey dogs topped with leftover chili, pickles and Kraft Free shredded cheddar cheese for Rick and I.
Oh this will be so much easier and fun when fresh veggies are growing in my garden!!!
My weakness is Carbs!!! I am a Carboholic and could have a diet that consists of nothing but carbs! And carbs is what makes me gain weight. Rick's weakness is Sugar!! He loves sugary things.
So my plan is to cook meals for us that have limited carbs, stick to mostly leans meats (including fish), fruits and vegetables. I am going to replace my carbs with fiber (which will include some carbs, but they will be high-fiber ones). I have a plan for during the day. And Rick's going to cut the sweets out of his diet. And exercise will play an important part in the plan. Rick wants to lose weight quick and then maintain it (which he will .. he always does when he decides to), but I want to take it off slowly and maintain a healthy eating style. The benefit for him is that since I'm the one who cooks, he gets the healthy meals in the evenings, too.
If you have followed my blog for a while, you might be wondering why I just don't get back to a strict Weight Watchers diet again because it works so well for me. Although it does accomplish the overall purpose of limiting my carbs, because they are typically higher points, I don't want to diet and count points all day. I would rather be mindful of my points (especially with snacks and in choosing certain products over others) and just have a better general diet. So, I am going to try this approach. If it doesn't work in about a month, I'll get on Weight Watchers again. Because I am not getting in a bathing suit looking like this! It's amazing how 10 pounds changes my body!
So, here is this week's menu for dinner...
Monday ~ Chicken tacos loaded with veggies and small avocado slices
Tuesday ~ Salmon with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and spinach (about 3 WW points each) and whole grain rice with lentils (4 WW points per serving)
Wednesday ~ FFY (I'll probably have a bowl of bran cereal with blueberries)
Thursday ~ Turkey burgers (on whole wheat bagel thins .. 1 WW point) and apple salad, and beef burgers for the kids with chips.
Friday ~ Turkey chili
Saturday ~ Soup (Fit and Active chicken noodle) and sandwiches (turkey on whole wheat bagel thin)
Sunday ~ Hot dogs for the kids, turkey dogs topped with leftover chili, pickles and Kraft Free shredded cheddar cheese for Rick and I.
Oh this will be so much easier and fun when fresh veggies are growing in my garden!!!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Pensacola
We have been in Pensacola since Saturday.
Our trip started out a tad eventful with "Shelley", our GPS, taking us on a skewed route and then Brynne getting carsick. But once we worked out all the kinks we had an amazing trip! Other than dvd's, I didn't have to pull out any of my activities to keep the kids busy. They were just most interested in seeing the map to see how far we had come.
We have had an amazing week! What's so great is that it's just like we're at Grandma's and we can do what we want, when we want, and even nothing at all if we want. And we've done a lot of that. My mom and sister and I have taken lots of walks on the walking path by the bay (my parents' house is one block from it!). We have cooked easy meals at home. We have laid out on the back patio and read. The little kids have played Wii and ridden their scooters and gone to the playground (on about 3 blocks away). We have gone to the "big beach" and the Naval Museum and the lighthouse. We have only scratched the surface of all there is to do here, but aren't stressed because we have many more years to explore.
Right now my daughter, niece and I are sitting at a coffeehouse drinking coffee and playing on our computers. Tomorrow we are going to the beach by the lighthouse and then will come back and get ready for our trip home on Friday.
We look forward to the many more years of vacations in Pensacola. We are so grateful for the opportunity we have been given! Thank you mom and dad!
Here are just a couple of pictures. I will post more after I get home.
Our trip started out a tad eventful with "Shelley", our GPS, taking us on a skewed route and then Brynne getting carsick. But once we worked out all the kinks we had an amazing trip! Other than dvd's, I didn't have to pull out any of my activities to keep the kids busy. They were just most interested in seeing the map to see how far we had come.
We have had an amazing week! What's so great is that it's just like we're at Grandma's and we can do what we want, when we want, and even nothing at all if we want. And we've done a lot of that. My mom and sister and I have taken lots of walks on the walking path by the bay (my parents' house is one block from it!). We have cooked easy meals at home. We have laid out on the back patio and read. The little kids have played Wii and ridden their scooters and gone to the playground (on about 3 blocks away). We have gone to the "big beach" and the Naval Museum and the lighthouse. We have only scratched the surface of all there is to do here, but aren't stressed because we have many more years to explore.
Right now my daughter, niece and I are sitting at a coffeehouse drinking coffee and playing on our computers. Tomorrow we are going to the beach by the lighthouse and then will come back and get ready for our trip home on Friday.
We look forward to the many more years of vacations in Pensacola. We are so grateful for the opportunity we have been given! Thank you mom and dad!
Here are just a couple of pictures. I will post more after I get home.
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| The Naval Museum |
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| Eli already wants to be a pilot. Brynne now says she is going to fly for the Blue Angels someday. |
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| The boardwalk and beach at the Pensacola Lighthouse. We are going there tomorrow. |
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| This girl has wanted her belly button pierced for years. We finally did it. |
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| Pensacola Beach |
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| Kyndal and my niece, Rylee. Great friends! |
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| The water was FREEZING! But they swam in it for about two hours. |
Prayers Appreciated ...
Please be in prayer for my brother and sister-in-law who lost their first baby. They are understandably very upset, but doing okay. They could use your prayers, though, for peace and healing.
Friday, March 11, 2011
I'm Going to be an Auntie!
I was so excited to get a phone call from my baby brother this morning telling me that he and his wife (his high school sweetheart) are expecting a baby!
They are the cutest little couple ("little" as in 30-year-old little)... both small in stature with blonde hair and blue eyes. Adorable! For them not to reproduce an offspring would have been a crime!
It will be hard having them live all the way in Portland, Oregon, so I'll just have to come up with some long-distance ways to connect with my little niece or nephew.
Congratulations, Tim and Shawna!
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| That's them standing in between each of the sets of kids. |
They are the cutest little couple ("little" as in 30-year-old little)... both small in stature with blonde hair and blue eyes. Adorable! For them not to reproduce an offspring would have been a crime!
It will be hard having them live all the way in Portland, Oregon, so I'll just have to come up with some long-distance ways to connect with my little niece or nephew.
Congratulations, Tim and Shawna!
Games on the Road
While the Travel Fairy was shopping for her upcoming vacation the other night, she went to The Dollar Tree and found some small clipboards for $1. She thought these would be good for craft activities, coloring, etc., on the 15 hour car ride.
This morning she was doing some blog browsing and came upon a website that sold Trip Clips (for $19.95). They are cute little clipboards with several games for playing in the car.
Since the Travel Fairy is not about to pay that kind of money for something she can make herself, she did a search and found some printable bingo cards and scavenger hunts at a Free Puzzles site.
So, for the cost of $2 and some printer ink she made the exact same thing (minus the cute colors) at a discount of 95%.
Now the Travel Fairy needs to get off this computer and get to organizing for the trip. Four o'clock in the morning is going to come awfully quickly and she has tons to do.
This morning she was doing some blog browsing and came upon a website that sold Trip Clips (for $19.95). They are cute little clipboards with several games for playing in the car.
Since the Travel Fairy is not about to pay that kind of money for something she can make herself, she did a search and found some printable bingo cards and scavenger hunts at a Free Puzzles site.
So, for the cost of $2 and some printer ink she made the exact same thing (minus the cute colors) at a discount of 95%.
Now the Travel Fairy needs to get off this computer and get to organizing for the trip. Four o'clock in the morning is going to come awfully quickly and she has tons to do.
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