This week....

I'm realizing that my blog has been mostly about my diet lately. And although it's kinda a big deal for me right now....since I think about it CONSTANTLY.....I thought you might like to know of some of the OTHER things that have been going on this week: Pictured above is my orchid. It was a gift from my boss for national hygienist's week. It was huge, and beautiful and white. The blossoms lasted about 4 months.....then they fell off and one of the long stems shriveled up. But the other one stayed green. I wondered if it was dead (knowing NOTHING about orchids)....but I kept watering it. Then a few days ago I noticed these green stems coming out of the long tall green stem. YAY! It's growing! I can't tell you how excited I was......it really is a low-maintenance plant. I love it.

And yesterday I decided to make something from PINTEREST. Mostly I spend my time on pinterest just sitting and staring....and laughing. But I won't lie.....I RARELY do much with all the ideas that I see on there. But yesterday I decided to make a Christmas wreath. Every year I see those BEAUTIFUL ones at Costco and I want one SOOO bad. They're only like 40 bucks or something. Yeah. I could never justify it. Last year I got a FRESH wreath for 15 dollars and decided it was a good buy because I wonldn't have to find a place to store it when the season is over. Well. This year it's a ornament bulb wreath. Ten bucks. Five for the gold bulbs. Five for the red. And a wire hanger....which I allready had. And a glue gun.....which I DIDN'T have, but 3 bucks later and now I have the capability to make MORE things from Pinterest right? Yeah....I'll just keep thinking that.

Today I added a big red bow on top as well. It looks awesome. I can't wait for Thanksgiving to be over so I can hang it on my door.

This week I also carved 2 pumpkins, cooked them, skinned them, mashed them and froze them for future use of pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin bread. I actually DID take a picture of this too. If you look at the orchid picture, and you look BEYOND the plant, onto the kitchen counter behind it.....you'll see a big orange bowl full of orange pumpkin pieces waiting to cool. Then today Parker begged me to make some pies. This.....gets a little tricky for me. I LOVE pumpkin pie (who doesn't?) but I'm on a STRICT diet right now. I told him I'd make the pies. But he had to promise to take one to work on Monday and the other one must be GONE by Monday night. He agreed.....and I started baking. Aren't I nice? Not even a taste from me. But I am happy my family will enjoy them. And I will enjoy a piece or two on Thanksgiving day.
Then also this Thursday our Relief Society had an enrichment project. They had this group called "Poppy Seed Projects" come and help us make these LARGE temple pictures. Pictures JUST LIKE THIS are going for 150-200 bucks at Costco right now. These were 57.50. But yes, we had to assemble them ourselves. No biggie. It was fun. It took about an hour. Basicly glue the picture to the board, paint the frame, screw on the hardware on the back, and paint some canvas-texture onto the front. It turned out SOOOO good. As soon as I got it home, I regretted only buying one. I should have gotten TWO. or even THREE! My parents or my inlaws don't have a temple picture. But.....it's too late. oh well. I LOVE mine!

Come to my house and see it for yourself!! I feel like it TOTALLY changes the way my living room looks!

Eight

I just thought I'd announce for anybody who cares to know......
I've lost 8 pounds and 3 inches.

Back in July before I started exercising, I weighed 167.2 lbs (DANG I can't believe I ever let it get that high!) and when I quit exercising I was at 159.2.

THEN I started this diet almost 3 weeks ago. Weight STILL at 159.2 and this morning the scale was at 151.2.

I'M ALMOST IN THE 140's!!!!!!!!!

So that means I've lost 8 lbs on this diet......and 16 pounds since last summer! YAY!! Feels great!

Family Pictures

I'm sure everybody's seen these on Facebook allready- since they're only about 2 weeks old. But here's our family pictures. Or at least a few of my favorites. Incase you were wondering (as I'm sure none of you care or noticed except me)....these were taken 3 days before I started my diet. :) I was a miserable emotional wreck before these pictures. I was so worried that I was gonna hate them. So worried I was gonna look.....well for lack of a better word: fat. But honestly they didn't turn out too bad. And I have to give props to our photographer: Tasha Thompson. Angie was a royal pain. We're lucky we got ANYTHING good of her.

Well....here they are!

12 days

I really don't know how many people care about this, but it's SURE a huge part of my life right now. I'm 12 days into this diet. I haven't slipped up, and this morning the scale read 154.2 lbs! I can't even express how much I want to rejoice. I've also lost 2 inches on my waist....and maybe more everywhere else. I can tell. There's.......less to look at if you know what I mean. My pants are DEFINATELY loose. That's 5 lbs down. I started at 159.

No bread is hard. No potatoes.....that makes it hard when I'm trying to make soups that are "legal" for me to eat. But it's paying off. I'm not about to quit yet!

Diet through the Holidays?

AM I CRAZY?!! After my failed exercise attempt I was feeling pretty down on myself. And last week we got family pictures done. Every day leading up to that Saturday, I WAS A MESS. I was emotional about EVERYTHING. I think I cried every day. And I was so nervous about those stupid family pictures. I just knew I was gonna hate them. Because as lame as it is, that we're all so vain that we look at ONLY OURSELVES in pictures........it's DEFINATELY the case for me. And I was just worrying myself to death that I was gonna look fat in those pictures. Once again, I want to explain that I know I'm not like super over-weight. But I'm not as skinny as I used to be, AND not the size or shape that I WANT to be. I HATE being the biggest of my sisters. I know I'm the tallest and it'll always be that way. But.....I know there are things I can do to make it not as obvious. So I'm starting a DIET this time.

I DO KNOW that the best way to lose weight is DIET AND EXERCISE. But I am NOT in a place where I can exercise right now. BUT. I CAN practice a little self-control at each meal and we'll see if that doesn't improve my waistline.

Now. My husband thinks this diet is extreme. But....I really don't thinks so. Here's what it is.
*No sugar. Natural sugars from fruit yes. No treats, candies, or FOODS WITH ADDED SUGAR.
*No bread.
*No foods with white flour (which for me, since I currently do not have a wheat grinder, means no flour). It's ok. I can handle it.
*Low-fat or non-fat wherever else you can manage (milk, butter, salad dressings, etc.)
*AND HERE'S THE KICKER: 1200 calories a day.

In all honesty. It's not that hard. 1200 calories keeps me full. The hard part is facing the CRAVINGS. The snacks and halloween candy is ALL AROUND. And it takes so much control to not snatch them and eat them at first sight. And I don't feel near as desparate for those foods after I've eaten.

I've read that abs are 75% diet and 25% exercise. If that is true, then this diet should make a big difference for me. I started on Tuesday. November 1st. So it hasn't even been a week yet. Counting calories gets pretty easy once you get used to it. And telling myself "NO. You don't NEED that".......is definately the hardest part. Why am I doing it through the Holidays? Because it's the most important time. AND.....because it's now. And I'm ready now.

Thanksgiving is in 3 weeks. I will have pie on thanksgiving. But not before, and not after. I'll have sweet potatoes instead of mashed potatoes. I'll make good decisions where I can. But maybe some jell-o salad if I wish. And then it's back to business. Thanksgiving lasts a day. Not a week. :)

You come to the point where you just can't hate yourself. And although I really don't want to say that's how I feel.....there were TIMES.....when I felt disgusted. And when that happens, motivation is just around the corner. And although it's only been 6 days.....do I detect? Are my pants a little loose? ;)

Grown up

I just can't help but notice how much my Angie-Angelina has grown up lately.

I feel like she grows right in my arms. Like every time I pick her up she's taller, heavier, and cuter. Her language has EXPLODED and she's.......not a baby anymore. She's so sweet and cuddly- especially when she's tired. And just when I feel like I've bought enough clothes for a season....she outgrows them and I have to get all new ones. Her hair is FINALLY starting to get a little longer.....although still very much like a baby chick: fuzzy and out of control. But she's at least getting some length in the back near the top of her head. She has a nice "alfalfa" tail at times.

She's obsessed with shoes, her blanket, and her sippie cup. Her favorite game is to put a bag over her shoulder (purse, tote, whatever she can find) and then walk into the closet, and while closing the door she'll say, "Bye bye!" And she'll KEEP saying it until you acknowledge and say, "Bye Angie! See you later." Then she'll shut the door and wait quietly for a minute, before emerging from the closet and yelling, "HI!!!!"

She's a genius climber, which means she's a genius faller. :) She always has bumps on her forehead, and must have a "kiss it better" for every bump, bruise, or scratch. If she finds nail clippers lying around, she'll pick them up and try to clip your toenails while saying, "Feet! Feet!"

She won't say her own name, but she will point to herself. She refuses to say "please" but she will use the sign for it.

She loves to be read to, especially her favorite book, "B is for Bear" touch-and-feel book. She knows it by heart.

She'll eat anything, but if she doesn't like it, she'll just hold it in her cheeks forever and won't swallow.

I just thought I'd post a few things. This all seems like common knowledge to me right now. But I know a few years from now I may not remember. She's adorable. And a pain in the butt. Always climbing and dumping. Today she emptied the utensil drawer so she could SIT in it. She'll refuse to eat her own food....but as soon as I get her out of the high-chair, she'll climb up on a bar stool and finish Caleb's meal. Even if it's the SAME thing.

She's FINALLY letting me brush her teeth by saying, "CHEESE!" and I can usually get a few scrubs on those top front teeth before she decides to bite the toothbrush.

And she LOVES to dance! Any kind of fun music and she'll start to bend her little knees and nod her head. She ALWAYS dances to the credits on "Tangled."

She's my little sweetheart, and she's gonna be TWO in just a few months!

Wash the Washer

Meet my washing machine.....

It's ancient.
When Parker and I got married, we needed laundry machines. My parents found this guy that had repaired these old dinosaurs, and we got the washer and the dryer (A MATCHING SET!) for 300 bucks.

It has NEVER failed me. But it's nothing special. If you've got stains on your clothes, you'd better spray them with shout or spray-n-wash and let it sit for 30 minutes before throwing them in this thing. Even grass stains (which from all of my childhood memories SHOULD come out in the wash with NO special treatment) must be spot-treated first. But....honestly a little spray and even the stains go away. The point is it works, and it always has. I really don't care for it, but it works and if I get a new washing machine- I want a front-loader. And those get expensive.

For a couple months now, my washing machine has been emitting a ...... smell...... when I run it. My clothes smell fine, and don't seem to be any less clean than ever before. But it smelled like.....a dirty pipe. Mildew. Scum. Rank. Anyway. I started thinking to myself, "Maybe it's gonna die!" (wouldn't THAT be awful.....) I told Parker we need to be prepared to be getting a new washing machine within the next few months because I had NO idea how long this old thing was gonna last. We shopped around a little. The ones I wanted are pretty expensive. Ok. Maybe we can hold out a little longer.

Then one day I saw something on Pinterest (another story for another post). "How to clean your washing machine." WHAT? You're supposed to CLEAN your washing machine? (Maybe THAT'S why it stinks....). Simple really. Fill the machine with hot water and then STOP the cycle and add 2 cups of vinegar. Let it sit for 1 hour. Finish the cycle. Then repeat, only this time add 2 cups of bleach. So I did.

While I waswaiting for the 2nd hour (with the bleach) to go by, I decided to scrub some of the grime off the lid. I did NOT take any pictures before I cleaned. It's too emberassing. It's too gross. The AFTER pictures look bad enough because of all the rust. Anyway. I couldn't believe how much grime could reside on a FLAT surface! And in each of those corners!......ick. It was nasty people. I used an old toothbrush and lime-away. I tried to not let the lime-away drip into the actual machine that was full of water and bleach. Although some DID get in.

See all those many tiny "nubs" around the top of that agitator? That was full of grime. And what comes next was BY FAR the worst part of this entire endeavor. Apparently there's a little rubber liner near the opening of the machine. I've never noticed it before and so OF COURSE I've never cleaned it!
The under-side of that rubber liner had a slime-layer SO thinck that the toothbrush came out FULL of grime after a 2-inch pass. Yuck. And then if you look below....
This little hole? It was almost half occluded by grime. I'm confident that THAT'S where the smell was coming from. That hole is where the water comes out for the rinse cycle or something.....I think.
And then there was near the hinges around the lid. I had to spray lime-away and LET IT SIT before the grime would come off.

Then lets not forget the lid itself:
And there was some rust that wouldn't come off no matter how I tried. And lets be honest. I wasn't gonna try TOO hard. This thing's a dinosaur.

And this pictuer below made me laugh. Once I cleaned this spot, I realized that wasn't a blob of rust. That's the BUTTON that stops the washer when you open the lid. Rusted on all sides, but it still works!
And the lint-catcher. I'm SO emberassed to say that it was a completely different color before I cleaned it.
And now the finished product.

It's still old and rusty. But at least it doesn't stink when I run it anymore. In fact. It actually smells good when I run it! And another tip I learned from pinterest: add 1 cup of lemon juice to your whites to brighten them up (and it smells good too).