Silhouette Giveaway @ A Bowl Full Of Lemons

Toni @ A Bowl Full of Lemons is giving away a Silhouette SD on her blog!  Check it out to enter.

It's a very cool machine and I would love to have one of my own.  I can just imagine all the things I can do with it.

I'm so excited!

I've been wanting a KitchenAid mixer for quite some time.  I've been eyeing colors and trying to decide which one I want.

I finally made my decision and ordered it last night!

KitchenAid Artisan 5 Qt. Stand Mixer
Cornflower Blue

I had a really hard time trying to decide what color I wanted.  I thought about getting a 'neutral' color that would match any kitchen I may have in the future, but ultimately I could not get the Cornflower Blue out of my head.  Isn't it just gorgeous?

I've decided that when we eventually move (and I hopefully get the kitchen of my dreams!) I will decorate around the color of my mixer.  Does that make me nuts??


P.S. Oh, and best of all, this mixer comes with a 'rebate' for a FREE glass bowl (or food grinder attachment).

P.P.S. And of course I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime for free 2 day shipping so I could get it ASAP.  lol

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

"Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life."



I thought this was a great book that really sucked me in.  I can't count how many times I was crying reading this.  There were a few things that I didn't like, one of them being Julia's 'drama.'  It just seemed there was too much of it and a lot of it was unnecessary to the book.  However, I would still recommend reading this book.

I never learned of the Vel' d'Hiv' in school so this was a real eye-opener.  It's ironic in a sense because that is mentioned in the book a lot, how most people haven't even heard of it, let alone French people.

Silhouette SD Giveaway @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Toni @ A Bowl Full of Lemons is giving away a Silhouette SD!  This thing looks way cool and I'm hoping to win it.  There are a ton of ways to enter so just head over to A Bowl Full of Lemons if you you want to enter to win.

Free eBooks

If you have an e-reader, check out the Jane Austen page on Amazon.  You can get 8 of her novels in Kindle format for free.

I downloaded all of them.  I've never read Jane Austen before but this will be a good start for me on reading the classics.

Organizing

I've felt this need lately to organize.  Organize everything.  I feel the urge to get things in order.  And not just physical things, but myself too.  I feel like I need to start with external things first so that I feel good inside.  I've got some great ideas from reading tons of other blogs but my 2 favorites are A Bowl Full of Lemons and I'm an Organizing Junkie.  Both have given me tons of inspiration.

Part of this need to organize comes from 'organizing' our finances.  Harvey and I started last March using Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover plan.  We immediately stopped using credit cards and haven't used one since.  We also set up a budget that we both work and agree on every month.

Having our finances organized has made me realize that I need to get everything else in my life organized too.  It's amazing the peace I feel about our financial situation and how much better my marriage is just from being able to talk about them.  I want to feel that way in the rest of my life.  I don't want to feel so 'out of control.'

Over the next few months as I work on this stuff I will share with you some of my inspiration and ideas.  I'm reading all over the web and while nothing seems to be exactly for me, (and why would it?  Everybody is different, right?) I plan to incorporate a little bit from here and a little bit from there to find something that works for me.

Mini Makeover

If you haven't noticed, I've constantly been changing the look of my blog.  I'm struggling to find something I like that fits me.

I really like this one.  It's simple and 'clean' looking.

If you don't know me that well, I get pretty OCD when it comes to certain things.  With the blog, I really like my colors to match and complement.  The colors of this one are pretty frustrating to me.  I love black and pink but am having a hard time with link colors.  I can't seem to find the right pinks to match.  Blogger doesn't make it very easy either.

So, who knows.  I'm sure you'll see it changed again before too long.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Zoe (screaming at the top of her lungs): I don't want to be your little kid anymore!


It was bedtime snack and I gave her animal crackers. Apparently she wanted cheese crackers (Cheez-Its).

Let's Talk Numbers

We got a treadmill! We ordered it last month and got it set up in the basement. I love it. If anybody is in the market for one, I highly recommend the NordicTrack Commercial 1750. It works with iFit online which is just awesome. You can track your workouts (distance, time, calories burned, etc.), customize your workout plans, and create your own workouts using Google Earth to map real routes.

I started using the treadmill on 02/09. There were some days that I didn't get on that were my break days and other days where it just didn't happen because of schedule. So, with that being said, here's my numbers for February 2011:

Total Distance: 24.03 miles
Total Time: 10:37 hours
Total Calories Burned: 4,073.8
Weight Lost: 1.6 lbs.

I'm still working on changing my eating habits. I want to take this really slow as it's going to be the hardest for me to do. I don't want to go all gung-ho about it and then it backfire. The biggest change I made in February was my portions. I worked really hard on not eating portions that are too big.

Goals for March:
Lose 5 lbs.
Work more on portion control.
Stop 'bored' eating. (I tend to 'snack' quite a bit in the late evening when I'm bored after I get off the treadmill. I really want to cut down on this.)

I really like working out on the treadmill. I feel really good when I get off. And let me tell you, I'm not just leisurely strolling. I sweat like a pig when I do my workouts. I also track my heart rate and it's consistently up in the 130's for about 45 minutes.


Any advice on stopping my 'bored' eating?
I've noticed since I quit smoking that I don't seem to have that trigger that tells me I'm full. It's not too much of a problem when I'm eating a regular meal, but I've noticed when I'm snacking that I never feel full. I can't say that I feel hungry either, but I just don't feel satisfied.

The Script - Break Even

There's just something about this song that I really like.

Prayers

My cousin Tom was diagnosed with Leukemia in late September. After his first round of chemotherapy he suffered from septic shock and pneumonia. The drugs also caused circulatory issues and he had to have half of both his feet amputated and all fingers at the top knuckle amputated. They were able to save his thumbs. By the grace of God, he pulled through and got better.

Now, after his 2nd round of chemo, it's started all over again. He's having bladder issues and went into septic shock yet again. They had to intubate him and he will be on a respirator for a while.


I'm asking all to please pray for healing and knowledgeable doctors.

Goodreads

I thought it would be fun to track the books I read this year and heard about Goodreads so I thought I'd give it a try.  So far, I'm liking it.  I did add a few books that I read at the end of 2010 only because they were part of the series for the first book I read in 2011.

I've also been contemplating adding a 'Books' tab to my blog and listing them there also.  I think I'll wait a little bit and see how well Goodreads works for me.

If you decide to sign up for Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend.  That way we can see what books each other has is reading/has read.


I generally read fiction of the 'drama' variety.  I don't care much for sci-fi/fantasy except for the Harry Potter/Twilight variety.

I do own a Kindle 2 which I love for being able to send samples to it.  It gives me a great 'to read' list.




Do you have any suggestions for books I should check out this year?  Please leave a comment!

Pray for Olga!

Reece's Rainbow - Olga

This is Olga.  She is a 4 year old with Down Syndrome.  She is in an orphanage in Russia and very deperately looking for a family.  When she turns 5 (this month!!) she will be moved from the orphanage to an institution.

I learned about Olga from Courtney over at the Pudge and Zippy blog.  And it just breaks my heart.  Reece's Rainbow has already raised over $12,700 dollars to help with the adoption costs for Olga.

I just want to wrap my arms around this little girl and give her all the love in the world.  I really wish I could.  Since it just isn't something I can do right now, I'm praying.  And please do the same.

Please pray for a family to take Olga home.  Please donate if you can.

Getting In Shape!

I quit smoking October 1, 2010. It's been 3 1/2 months and I've gained about 8 lbs. I never realized how much of an appetite suppressant smoking really is. I'm ALWAYS hungry

I was overweight to begin with, but now it's really, REALLY getting to me.

Harvey and I decided to buy a treadmill. We were going to wait until spring, but we are actually going to get it at the end of this month. I'm really excited to start losing some weight and getting in shape.

I'm a little apprehensive about how to get started though. I know not to push myself too much, especially at first, but that I need to push myself a little for it to work. I just don't know quite how to start.

I also know that I need to change my diet. While what I currently eat isn't that bad, it really isn't that great either. And I know that I need to really cut down on how much I eat. Part of the problem is that I don't really have very many good ideas about what to eat that is healthy and without eating the SAME THING every day. I really want to get a decent variety so I don't feel stuck.

This is what I have so far for foods:

Breakfasts:
Yogurt
Oatmeal
Orange
Apple

Lunches:


Snacks:
Carrot Sticks
Celery Sticks
Roasted Almonds (Unsalted)
Plain Popcorn


Notice that I don't have anything under lunch? I don't know what to put there. I need something that will fill me up until snack time at 3pm but I just don't know what to eat for lunches that is healthy. As it is, I usually bring leftovers from dinner the night before to work. I suppose I could keep doing that, just make sure I make my portions appropriate.

Another issue that goes along with this: It is a lot more expensive to eat healthier. And we are on a good budget to work on getting debt paid off. I'm not sure that I really want to increase my food budget much.


So, I issue a challenge to my readers (All 3 of you!): Got any ideas for how to go about starting out on the treadmill? Any ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and snack? Any ideas on how to keep to my budget?



If you have any ideas, I'm more than willing to consider them. Please leave it in my comments.


P.S. If you leave a comment as 'Anonymous,' please put your name so I know who you are!

And I do have to say, I'm pretty excited about starting all this. I think it's going to be a great way to start my 30's.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gwendolynn Marie!

It's a girl!

Gwendolynn Marie Anderson

January 4, 2009

6:41 A.M.

6 lbs.  12 oz.

18 1/2 inches