Beautiful Life

I am still alive

I owe you all an apology.  I've had some blog posts churning in my mind but I haven't been able to sit down and pen anything.

First, Jeannine, you are the sweetest for nominating me for a blog award.  I'm working on a reply:)  I can't wait to participate!  Thank you.

What I have been up to:

1.  Influenza A - I'll get the negative one out of the way first.  Thankfully, we are all healthy now. And yes, we all got the flu shot.  

2. The loss of Howard Hendricks.  Dr. Hendricks' books have really made a difference in my Christian life. He died last month at 88.  What an amazing man he was.  I can't wait to post more on him.  

3. Weight loss - I am nearly done.  I've lost 32 pounds.  My goal is 1.5 pounds from where I am now.  So, I am done.  I am not "skinny" but I am healthy and this is a weight I can maintain without too much trouble. I am a size 8 and I am still curvy, just not as heavy. (see bad photo below, LOL).

4. Reading. I am reading a lot.  Book reports coming...

5.  Shopping.  None of my clothing fit so I've made a few purchases.  J Crew Factory, Old Navy and TJ Maxx have been good to me.  Will share more on this soon. 

6.  Pope Francis - I am not Catholic but I love history.  And the new Pope seems like such a wonderful man.

7.  Last but not least, today would have been my friend, Kristen's, 41st birthday.  I thought I would be okay with it but it has been an emotional day.  What a sweet friend, she was. Oh I miss her.

Changes

 

I have been thinking for quite some time about either closing up this little blog or changing the focus.  I still love all of the things I've ever loved however; I am finding that the purpose for the next phase of my life is different from what I have been doing.

My youngest will be in all-day kindergarten next year.  I feel bittersweet about it.  I have been mothering full-time for nearly 8 years.  All of a sudden, I will be mothering part-time. From 8-3 they will be gone at school. This frees up my schedule quite a bit.  I could take the Iowa bar exam and practice law, I could find a job in another field, I could do nothing, I could volunteer, etc.  

But after praying about it for 6 months, I feel confident that I will probably spend my free time teaching women's Bible studies.  I know some of you are rolling your eyes.  I rolled my eyes when I first thought about it.  I am not perfect.  I have not always cared about what God wanted for my life.  If you and I were friends in college and law school, you would attest to this. But that is part of what I love about my faith.  I don't need to be perfect, just willing. My life is real and I want to share it.

I have found that my legal education helps as I study the Bible.  I love researching and chewing on scripture until I feel content that I understand what it says. Applying those concepts is not always easy but I love the challenge.  If life were easy, we would all be bored.

I get lost in time when I study.  I could read all day, every day, if only the kids didn't need a chauffer, laundry didn't need to be done, meals didn't need to be made and the house cleaned itself. 

Teaching is new to me.  Greg encouraged me to try it because he thought I had the personality for it.  He is a wonderful, popular teacher, so I trust him. I taught my first Bible study last summer. I found it to be exhilarating.  I felt like I was "home," if that makes any sense.  It came naturally to me, the ladies devoured it and I realized I could do it full-time for the rest of my life and be totally fulfilled. I get to pray earnestly, research intently, think deeply and then communicate honestly. 

Of course, it doesn't pay, LOL.  I will be driving a Honda for the rest of my life. And I am okay with that.

So, I am contemplating the purpose of this blog.  I've read many books lately that I would love to share with you.  I've studied the Bible a lot; I would love to share that too.  The blog will always have a personal element because I love sharing my life with you.  But I will be transitioning my focus.  I hope that you will find it interesting and honest.  

Thank you for reading, friends,  

Love, Maria

PS I have now lost nearly 25 pounds! I need to take a photo of myself but I can't find my camera.  It's around the house somewhere.  Anyone else ever lose things? 

Pining for summer gardening

I have a green thumb that came from my Mom and my Grandma. We just love to garden.  Every summer when we go to Wisconsin and I marvel at the gardens because they are beautiful and mature. I thought I would share some of my favorites from Woodland Lane (one street I love). Can you believe God created all of these beautiful plants for us to enjoy?  

I don't know about you but I am pining for summer gardening.  It's cold and snowy where I live but these photos remind me that summer will come. I can not wait.

This home is my favorite on Woodland Lane.  It is absolutely gorgeous with a large back yard that overlooks a gorgeous lake.  

Here is another lovely home.  This one is for sale right now, if you want to purchase it.

And finally, a cute cape cod. 

The midwest is beautiful in July.  

Two Thirds of the Way There

I am 2/3's of the way there. I have lost 20 pounds and I have a little over 10 left to lose.  I honestly don't know why I didn't do this years ago.  I feel wonderful.   I have more energy.  I feel free.

It hasn't been easy.  I have given up a lot of "favorites" including, but not limited to, butter (I love Vermont Cultured Butter...it is the best thing ever), most carbs, all sugar and all alcohol.  Many of these things can be added back into my diet soon but I gave my pancreas a rest from all the sugar and it is thanking me.  

I have always been a pretty healthy, cook it from scratch, organic eater, but the knowledge of what foods to pair together for weight loss, has changed my life.  I am so thankful.

Happy Birthday Honey

Happy Birthday to the man I love, the man who helped give me these two darlings. Greg, you are the best husband and father. You are a hard worker.  You are such a strong, Christian man and I am forever thankful to God, for you.  xoxo

PS - Remember when the kids were this age?  They've grown up so fast.

Amazing Song...

Good morning!  I just had to share this gem with you. I listened to it after Kari Jobe recommended it on twitter. WOW, I could listen to this all day long.  It is true, nothing compares to God.  

What's going on

I have not blogged in two weeks.  Yikes, I need to get with it. 

1.  I went to Washington DC to see my younest nephew's baptism last weekend.  It was lots of fun to be with family but going over inaguration weekend made it challenging:)  Washington is such a beautiful city, even in the winter.  Holly trees and magnoia's galore make me happy. And my nephew is so cute I can hardly take it.

2.  I've lost 7 additional pounds over the past two weeks!  I feel great.  For those of you who want more information on what I am doing nutritionally, click HERE.

3.  I absolutely love Bible Study Fellowship right now.  We are in Genesis and it is so convicting and amazing.  I wake up every morning excited to study.

4.  I am planning my summer garden.  It is the only thing that gets me through the cold days of winter.

5.   I am trying to really think about every.single.penny I spend.  Do we need it?  Is it worth spending on?  Is this money I should be saving?  It is not the most "fun" thing for me but I know I am doing the right thing.  I slip up now and again but I have been doing well at curbing useless spending.  It makes my husband happy.

6.  We are supposed to have terrible weather this weekend so I am getting ready to spend a couple of days in the house.  I am looking forward to spring break in Florida!

7.  I really want to see the movie Lincoln. 

8. My daughter spoke of a crush tonight and got giggly (someone help me).

9.  I have been listening to a lot of Kari Jobe lately. 

10.  I am so thankful to be home with my family this weekend.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Love, mh

Ideal Protein Update - After week 1

(my apologies for the terrible lighting in this photo)

I made it through my first week on Ideal Protein and lost 6.8 pounds!  I felt good, had no side effects and followed the rules strictly.  I lost 1 inch around my arms and 1 inch around my bust and a 1/2 inch around my thighs.  My waist remained the same.  

My favorite part about this is that is it easy.  You don't count points and there are not very many choices, which helps me.  I've realized if I have choices, I tend to cheat.  I am not sure why.  

Today was my first challenge.  A friend invited me to lunch.  I told her that I wouldn't be able to eat anything but I would love to drink water and catch up with her.  When I got to lunch, the other ladies joining us really wanted me to eat.  I stood my ground and did not cheat but I wanted to BADLY.  I love eating out.  I think I am willing to do this because I know I won't need to be this strict forever, just a few weeks. 

For those of you who commented that you are doing your own nutritional program, let me know how it goes! I love knowing we are all in this together.

Sick ERH

(Harry - my loyal companion)

Harry and I had our week totally planned when ERH got sick. My husband was headed to TX for a week of work so I went into full "Momma mode." We got extra Advil and Sudafed. My husband stocked the fridge with 7 up, Pedialyte and we made sure there were Saltines in the pantry. I made some comforting veggie soup. We checked our Kleenex supply. And then we took Greg to the airport.

I got out "the bowl."

Coco stared at me and promptly jetted outside.

ERH got over the worst part of sickness, thank goodness. I kept her home today and will tomorrow too, just to give her immune system a chance to rest.  And to get more yogurt, elderberry, blueberry smoothies in her system before she goes back to school.

So here is our home this afternoon, ERH on the couch, Pete playing with his Batcave.

Tonight, we have a date on the couch to watch the National Championship game.  Around these parts I hear a lot of "Roll Tide Roll" because most people hate Notre Dame.  I'm not sure who I want to win.  

Accountiblity - Week 1

I want to be more accountable in 2013. Weight has been an issue in my life for 7.5 years and I am tired of being in this pit. I have committed this year to be the year that I get out of my disfunctional relationship with food.  

It is very simple.  God has given me food.  I have eaten too much. I have so many excuses.  We all do.  But I am over them.  

My chiropractor from Ohio told me about something called Ideal Protein.  He explained that it would teach me a lot about nutrition and food pairings, which would be essential for me to understand if I hope to be lean and healthy after 40 and throughout menopause.  

We no longer live in Ohio but a few months ago I saw that our local medical clinic was offering Idea Protein. So I did some research and signed up last Wednesday.

My ultimate goal is to get into the "healthy" weight range on the BMI scale and then stay there for the rest of my life.  I am not looking to be a Victoria Secret Model.  Those days are over, LOL.  But, I do not want weight to be something that bothers me and keeps me captive. The only thing I want to be captive to is God.

So here I am now.  I am going to update weekly to tell you all how I am doing.  I started the "program" on Wednesday so I will try to update on Wednesdays.

Love, m