sigh....

I missed my weigh-in this week because I felt awful all day yesterday. Thankfully today I am fine. Last week I had lost a grand 1.6 lbs....but at least it was a loss!

I asked my husband if he could notice that I'd lost 12 pounds, because I sure didn't! He said my arms are smaller. It's true! and lately I've noticed my rings are pretty loose. So while I am pleased I am losing weight and loving how I feel after exercising, why is it that I am losing from my hands and arms and not from places I'd like to lose weight, like, say, my middle?! Well, hopefully pretty soon there will be nothing left to lose from those areas and I'll just have to burn fat from elsewhere, right? RIGHT????

I've really been enjoying the workout videos I check out from the library. My favorite is Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. Unfortunately other library patrons also seem to love it and I am now third on the waiting list to get it back! I also do her "Trouble Zones" workout, that works a lot on the arms (hmmmmmmmm), abs, and er, posterior. I also do "Walk Away the Pounds" but that's more moderate...a nice way to cool down.

My friend from church who is doing the program with me was brave enough to suggest we work out together early on Tuesday and Thursday mornings after our small group Bible Study. It's going great so far! So nice to have someone else sweating through it with me!

Our college student (we are hosting a friend of mine while she does her internship in our town) has said she wants to start running, and I would like to join her. It's been a long time since I ran any distance. No better way than to just jump right in, right?

In non weight loss news, I am leading our new Women's Bible Study tonight. We are reading "Disciplines of a Godly Woman" by Barbara Hughes. We're only in the second chapter but I love it so far. It's given us a lot of discussion material and I feel like this book is really going to provide us not only a solid Biblical foundation for life, but helping us to better understand our role as women in this world. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

Hoping to write something more exciting soon!

~Sunshine~

5% goal reached! Hooray!

Today was my first weigh-in at Weight Watchers.
In two weeks I've lost 10.8 lbs, though that number may be a little off as I did not have a chance to eat anything before our meeting (oh the loveliness of early morning dental appointments!). Everyone was surprised--I guess that is not really typical at all, even though it is normal to lose more the first two weeks of the program. So I have reached my 5% goal already! YAY! (That means I've lost 5% of my starting weight).
I know that this will not be the case as time goes on--I have no lofty notions of losing 5 pounds every week! I do not think that is probably healthy!! I am hoping that I will do what is average on the program--about two pounds a week.
I have worked very hard at measuring my food and I think that made a big difference. I even ate out four times (highly irregular--usually we eat out once a month or not at all!) in the past two weeks without it causing too much difficulty with the Points system. And my homemade pizza, which is 7 points a slice, was even worked into that two weeks! If I get a craving for something sweet I pacify it with a piece of bread and a little bit of honey. Yum! Very filling too.
I have also been doing the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels DVD, apparently she is on The Biggest Loser which I have not seen, but she is tough! I am doing the very easiest level and am pretty much sweating profusely and hurting by the end of the 20 minute workout! Oh but it is a good hurt!
Speaking of which I should go do my 20 minutes right now! I really do not want to return this DVD to the library! :)
Hoping to post some non-weight related news soon!
~Sunshine~

Weight Watchers

So last Monday I joined Weight Watchers.
When I was in college I was roughly 130 lbs most of the time. I took advantage of the Rec Center on campus, walked and ran with friends when the weather was nice, rode my bike frequently, and even played Wallyball on occasion. (Volleyball in a raquetball court....you can hit the ball off the walls and it makes things more interesting!)

Then came grad school.
I tried to exercise. I really did. But the amount of homework kept me indoors and awake into the wee hours. It was stressful. It made me hungry. I didn't have time to cook and did NOT eat well. I gained quite a bit, but thought, oh, after grad school I'll take care of it. I don't know exactly but I'd say I was roughly 160.

Then I got a full time job.
One where quite often I was working my full 40 hours at my work, and then taking work home and keeping busy with that until bed time. Ugh. No time to exercise, no time to cook and eat right. I gained a lot--I was about 190 or more most of that time. I even joined Curves for awhile but as work stress intensified I made my excuses not to go.

While working in retail after being laid off, I lost a bit. It was an overnight shift with lots of lifting and moving around and wow, my arm muscles were big! :)

On our wedding day, I weighed about 187. I don't like looking at myself in our wedding photos.

Even though I've been working on changing our diet to made-from-scratch, no-high-fructose-corn-syrup, more-fruits-and-veggies, and walking all the time, nothing seemed to be changing. A friend from church is doing Weight Watchers and told me all about it. I was impressed and DH and I talked over our budget--we are giving up our monthly date night/going-out-to eat fund so we can afford it.

My weigh-in weight last Monday (Feb 28) was 208.8. UGH. I never, ever, want to see that number again. If the Wii Fit can be trusted, I've already lost 7 pounds. I'll be weighing in next week Monday, so we'll see. They say you make the most progress the first two weeks.

What I love is that Weight Watchers doesn't focus on the big goals--it's the small ones. Your first goal is to lose 5% of your starting weight, then 10%. And you get a little reward for every 5 lbs you lose too. I've set some personal goals as well--to be well out of the 200 lb range by April 1st, and if I lose 40 lbs by Aug 2nd, my husband is spoiling me with spending money for a trip I'm taking with my grandma, mom, and aunts. They say a healthy weight for me is anywhere from 124-155. I'd like to be smack dab in the middle of that within 12-18 months!

So far I'm really inspired, and DH is as well. I'm publishing this out in cyberspace so I can be even more motivated.

Well, I'm off to walk to the library to pick up my Jillian Michaels DVD and Weight Watchers cookbooks on reserve! I will keep this blog updated on my progress!

~Sunshine~

25 Day Praise Plan Valentine Marriage Challenge!

As I mentioned yesterday, I am participating in, and hoping to blog about, this challenge over at Women Living Well. So I guess I better do a post about it! :) 


In this challenge, Courtney is encouraging us to make a conscious effort to "praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband"   and to do that different ways each week. 


Here's the first week's challenge/assignment: "Week 1 starts TODAY! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally.Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on facebook, tweet it - get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done - in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine's Day arrives."


I was listening to Doug Phillips' talk "A Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision" a while back and he mentioned that when you are praised for your hospitality, as a wife, it is important to point to your husband when accepting those praises! I am so thankful that my husband works hard all week so I can be home and have enough time to prepare for guests. I am so thankful that he works hard to provide finances for groceries so we may provide hospitality...in abundance. I am so thankful that he has a vision for our home to be a place where hospitality is regularly shown! I have been working on singing his praises for this!!!

This week I am making a huge effort to watch my words. I am, unfortunately, quick to argue when DH and I do not see eye to eye. I am quick to point out things that bother me...and only things that bother me. Yesterday and today I have spent the day thinking of all the things I love about my husband, and what a difference it made when he came home last night! I didn't immediately run to him with my little problems and complaints, but instead spent time thanking him for being him! He seemed a little surprised--a pretty good indication that I do not do this enough!

I will be praying that I can keep up this positive attitude always--not just during this challenge. Thank you Lord, for giving me such a wonderful husband, who takes care of all my needs, loves me unconditionally, makes me laugh, encourages me in my walk of faith, and when he corrects me, does it with love. How blessed I am!

~Sunshine~

Finally, a new post!

Oh dear, how am I ever going to keep up with this?! I am trying to keep my priorities straight and of course keeping this up is not high on the list. If you are reading this, thank you!

Snow on evergreens...is there anything better?!

December and January so far have been crazy busy with holidays and just plain life! I hopefully will be able to post some photos, but I kept very busy with getting gifts ready and wrapped, playing piano for church, baking, baby-sitting my pastor’s sweet girls, shoveling snow, and spending much needed time with family—we were blessed to be able to spend quite a bit of time with both my family and my husband’s family, as well as a quick visit to my Grandma on Christmas Day.

I do hope to update more this year. Here's some things I have in the works: 

I hope to share how God humbled me through answered prayer this Christmas.

I am participating in, and hoping to blog about, Courtney’s “Be My Valentine” challenge over at Women Living Well. I have been following her blog for awhile and really love how she shares her heart for the Lord and for all the daughters of the King! She really does have a passion for women to love their husbands as we are exhorted to in the Word! What an encouragement!

I’ll also be sharing how the Lord is working on my heart and my life through the book “Holiness” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss that we are studying in our women’s study right now. Oh, but it is a painful process! Painful...but oh-so-necessary. 

So please come back and read more!

~Sunshine~

p.s. Guess who got the Baby Conference audio for Christmas?! Oh yes! Happy me! I am not even halfway done listening to it and I have learned so much! I would heartily recommend it to anyone! My hubby certainly does spoil me—all that and a gardening book and brand new cell phone too! :)

Creative Ways to Say Thanks

I'm attempting to contribute to a link-up at one of my favorite sites today, Raising Homemakers. We'll see how this goes!


Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I thought I'd share about what our family has done in the past to say what we are thankful for as we gather around the Thanksgiving table.

The past few years, my grandmother has placed me in charge of thinking of creative ways for the cousins, aunts, and uncles to tell everyone what they are thankful for, instead of just going around the table and saying whatever comes to mind. I feel that while some people are truly grateful, others just say the generic "friends, family, food" and leave it at that. Not much depth there!


I love working with kids, and I love thinking of new ways of doing things, so this assignment was perfect for me! Here's what we've done in the past:

1. One year I had leftover cut-out paper leaves from a craft we had done in my internship (pattern available here and here). I made the stems quite a bit larger than in the pattern so there was room for a paper hole punch. On each leaf I wrote the person's name vertically so there was room to write beside each letter. Each person had to think of something they were thankful for that began with each letter in their name. They were also given extra leaves to write whatever they wanted. Adults were welcome to help the children and vice versa! We also asked those who could to explain WHY they were thankful for those things/people/ideas. After the meal, we strung all the leaves on a long piece of yarn and hung it up in Grandma's dining room. 

1. Example: For ANNE: 
1. Amazing Grace
2. Nutcracker Ballet tickets
3. Notes from dear friends
4. Eggs 
2. NOTE: I had still more extra leaves, and since I am also in charge of devotions for Thanksgiving, I wrote down on several leaves Bible verses I wanted us to meditate on that day. I handed these out to volunteers and we enjoyed listening to each other read from the Word. 
2. Another year I handed out slips of paper, each with a random letter on it. The little ones received one or two, the adults three or more. They then had five minutes to write as many things that they were thankful for as possible that began with that letter. They were also given a blank piece of paper to say thanks for whatever they wanted. In our family, we love playing Scattergories, so this was particularly fun--as well as thought-provoking and amusing. 
3. Two years ago, I purchased these online: Thankful Trees . Each family worked on a tree and shared what they had written on each foam leaf. After the meal, we spent time fellowshipping and gluing the leaves onto the tree. A great way to keep the whole family involved, and if you don't want to purchase these online, I'm sure it would be easy to duplicate with fall colored soft foam from the local craft store. You could even use cardstock for the tree and construction paper for the leaves! 
4. Last year we had a bit of a twist and a surprise for our dearly loved Grandma. I handed out a slip of paper and told everyone that they were going to share why they were thankful for someone in the family. Everyone was excited to see who they would be thankful for, and I loved watching as every single person (except Grandma) furiously scribbled reasons they were thankful for Grandma! The slips of paper simply said "I am thankful for GRANDMA because _____________________." I made these on the computer and it was quite easy and fun, and wonderful to see Grandma's eyes light up as her children and grandchildren rose up and called her blessed! You could easily hand everyone a different person's name from your family--or work together in groups. 

This year I am not going to be at my family's Thanksgiving (this year we will be at my in-laws) and the torch has been passed to my cousin K. I know he will do a wonderful job, and I am so excited to hear what he comes up with.


I hope that this has encouraged you to be creative as you thank the Lord for all His many blessings this Thanksgiving season!


~Sunshine~

Sunshine vs. Basement

Hello bloggy world, 

I know there aren't many out there who keep up with me, and I am guessing I just need to post more and comment more and work on it! But life, as always, gets in the way, and I don't think that's a bad thing. 

Lately I've been spending my days in our sunless basement (*sob* I need to see the sun!), going through literally dozens of boxes. These boxes contain everything I have accumulated in my 27 year existence, minus a few things still at my parents'. Our house is small. We do not have room for all of this. 

Just a few of the boxes I have left to go through...

I need to organize and declutter. 


I need to purge, purge, purge. 


But I am a packrat. And too sentimental for my own good. I have a hard time getting rid of things, especially things that have been gifts or that have some meaning attached to them. I know that we are not to store up treasures on earth, but when that stuffed animal I got when I was four stares up at me forlornly from the Goodwill box, I can just hear his fuzzy little voice pleading, "How can you give me away? I thought we were friends!" ....sigh....

So far this one is still in the Goodwill box...for now.

I am trying to be frugal, as well. So those mismatched buttons? Those old beads? Those stickers left over from a VBS project? I might NEED them someday! 


I've been working on purging my possessions since before we were married. It is taking so long because it really is difficult for me. As I mentioned in my first post, I do have a master's degree. I did work in my chosen career field for about a year and a half before the economy tanked and I lost my job (and then worked in retail until the wedding). 


As I open up a new box and am greeted with papers from college, grad school, my internships or my job, I struggle. I remember my dreams of those days. I thought I would work in that field forever. I thought I was meant to be there. So many people believed in me. So many people supported me, some financially. 


I give in to the nagging doubts. "What if they are disappointed in me?" I think. "What must they think of me now?" And truthfully, not many of my friends and family understand why I am at home now, especially with no children in the picture. (yet). Many of them are under the (false) opinion that my being home is temporary. When something opens up, they think, I'll go for it. That's not true--unless DH were to request me to do so, but at this point, neither he nor I see that happening. 


And so there I sit, alone in the basement with pieces of my life history scattered around me, 
and I fall.


I fall into the temptation to feel sorry for myself. 


Fall into the temptation to cry angry tears at my oh-so-carefully-crafted Plan For Life having been torn to pieces. 


I fall into the temptation of wanting to conform to others' expectations and not to listen for God's leading in my life. 


*************

I raise myself up from the basement floor and head upstairs. 


Into the sunlight and into the Son. 


I read and pray, and ask God for forgiveness for my attitude and for the strength to get back to the purging again. Because I cannot fulfill my role as a joyful housewife without the gift of His grace to move past the boxes that are holding me back. 


And I best get back to that now. I'll work in the basement for a bit and then walk downtown to surprise my pastor's 5 year old daughter at her ballet class...something I'd never get to do if I wasn't here at home where I belong. 

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." 

Proverbs 16:9 

(A recent view from the kitchen window)