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Showing posts from June, 2011

Heaven is for Real--review

Check out my review of "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo! click HERE to read.

HEB Coupon trip 6/26/2011

We used our faithful method of shopping and saving sanity with 2 small children.  I made the list--gathered the coupons--and Jason shopped.  We usually save more when I can go with his because I always take my binder with me and he BEGS me to not make him take it...lol.  But  in the end the extra savings we would have earned seem futile when I think about going alone or going together with BOTH kids.  So this is our method. Trip overall: Store brand savings: $4.46 Coupon savings: $63.69 Total: $66.93 There were some especially great savings this week.  I had 3 coupons for regular cheerios.  One for $1 off 2 and 2 for 55cents off one (and they could be combined)  Then in store they had $4 off 4 boxes...That is $6.10 savings on 4 boxes of cheerios with total cost of $10.72.  We paid a tad over a dollar per box---I can live with that. They also had the same deal for fruit roll ups this week.  I had a coupon and they had $4 off 4.  They are $2.37 each and I think my coupon was $1 o

Teaching Tree Lake Youth how to 'Cake"

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The mission team at The Church at Tree Lake in China Spring, Texas is going to Belize in a week and a half for their annual mission trip.  The team includes youth, church members and members of other congregations.  They host several fundraisers throughout the year to help raise the funds needed for the trip.  They auctioned off a Nook color this year and they usually the host 1-2 Belizian cake auctions each year at dinner on the grounds.   A Belizian cake auction if different from a regular/traditional auction in that the bids are placed at $1 increments and ever bid made is paid at the end of the auction whether the bidder won the item or not.  For instance if 400 total bids were placed on a cake by 4 different people and person 1 bid 50 times, person 2 bid 100 times person 3 bid 200 times and person 4 bid 50 times and made the last bid.  Person 4 wins the cake paying only $50 while person 1 pays $50, person 2 pays $100 and person 3 pays $200 and take home NO cake.  It gets really

Why Do Our Loved Ones Die, Aunt Lou author copy RECEIVED!!

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Why Do Our Loved Ones Die, Aunt Lou? review by Annie Eskeldson

Artist and author, Rachel Stolle, deserves our applause for creating her latest children's book , Why Do Loved Ones Die, Aunt Lou? Rachel's character, Aunt Lou, is the warm, safe, person we all long for in our life. Her delightful kitchen is always open, she has an understanding of grief and, thankfully, has all the right answers. Stolle's heavenly, swirling, paintings are knitted with healing, comforting, words of wisdom; and not just any words, but God's Words. Rachel's heartfelt illustrations will easily captivate the eyes of children while her Biblical story, through Aunt Lou, captures and mends little broken hearts . No matter what age your child may be, this is a must have in your library! Rachel Stolle is also the author/illustrator of Why Did This Happen To Me, Aunt Lou, and Tell Me About Easter , Aunt Lou. Mrs. Stolles books can be found at Aunt Lou's Kitchen website at www.auntloubooks.weebly.com by Annie Eskeldson - author of the

HCG VCLD...hanging in there

So today was a pretty ok day.  Breakfast is ever a difficult time for me.  Coffee is more than enough to fill me up until lunch.  At lunch I ate left over salad from NEWKS last night and a few bites of a left over hot pocket from one of my kids.  OK, so NO the hotpocket is not on the diet but I am giving myself a bit of grace.  Just being more AWARE of what I am putting into my mouth is a huge step for me.  I also ate a snack of crackers today--ALSO not on protocol but hey...my calories are still low.   For dinner I went to Heitmiller Steak house with my examiner.com spoils and had a steak, mushrooms and a few sweet potato fries.  I was good and DID NOT get soda (diet or otherwise).  I ordered tea but it was disgusting so I opted for a cuppa joe. Then I walked for an hour this evening.  I am finding that allowing myself a few small cheats during the day is working wonders for my morale.  I know die-hard HCGers would chastise me for my loosey goosey interpretation of the rules but righ

HCG VCLD day 11--protocol day 13

So here is the raw, honest, truth....I cheated, backslid, fell off the wagon--however you want to put it.  I did not follow protocol for the last 4 days.  On the 10th I took a few bites of homemade buttercream icing and a bit of cake scraps.  On the 11th I ate a sandwich WITH bread, some birthday cake, AND then McDonald's burger and fries with diet soda. BIG no no for me.  Soda and sugar hurt me BADLY.  Sunday the 12th I had a subway flat bread sandwich with avocado (btw DON'T TRY IT--it is DISGUSTING).  I did ok for dinner that night.  Then today the 13th I did good at breakfast and at lunch ate a fruit salad with some roast beef...then I broke down and ate a whole wheat tortilla.  My mother in law took me to dinner at Newks and I had a salad with crab soup and diet soda.  Then after shopping she treated us all to frozen yogurt at 3 spoons which I had been DYING to try for a few months now. Tomorrow is a new day and I am NOT quitting this thing.  I am getting back on protocol

CVS coupon trip and rainchecks

So I decided to try my hand at CVS today.  I have couponed for a while now but just hadn't wanted to add another store to my stops.  But the deals just seemed great.  Here is what I did. I separated my order into 2 purchases. My first purchase I bought my items that earned the ecb's (extra care bucks).  ECBs are printed at the register after your purchase and are same as cash for future purchases.  I bought Zyrtec for 5.99 and used a $4 off coupon.  I paid $1.99 for it and earned $5 ECBs (they paid me to bring it home). I also bought 2 covergirl natureluxe lipstick for $7 each and used a $5 off 2 coupon...making them $4.50 each.  I also bouth other cover girl items totaling $15 before mfg coupons and that earned me $5 ecbs.  I them took advantage of another ecb earning sale in which i bought $10 worth of crest and oral b products.  I had mfg coupons for these items as well lowering what I paid from $10 to about $5 but still earned the ecbs.  I spent a total of $29.72 for tha

Hello Kitty Birthday Cake--how to

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I made my own fondant using 16 oz of mini marshmallows 2 lb confectioners (powdered) sugar and water (as needed). I heated the marshmallows in the microwave at 30 sec intervals stirring each time until they were completely melted. I then poured in half of powdered sugar and greased my hands and counter top.  I kneaded the marshmallows and sugar in the bowl and then dumped it all onto the greased counted and added in the rest of the powdered sugar.  I added 4 drops of water.  I kneaded like bread until all the sugar was mixed in and the dough was pliable and non-sticky. I also made homemade buttercream with 1 cup crisco, 3 cups butter, 2lb powdered sugar and vanilla extract. I creamed the butter and crisco together then slowly mixed in the powdered sugar and lastly the tbsp vanilla.  I had yummy Mexican vanilla. You can change the flavor by substituting other extracts, or even coffee. I baked 2 sheet cakes, sculpted, dirty iced and filled them.  The sculpting was simple.  An oval

HCG day10--protocol day 11---2 lbs UP

So here goes---painful honesty.  I have gained 2 lbs.  Day before yesterday I did great until dinner.  It i grocery week so the cupboards were low and my dinner options were looking bleak....I broke down and ate Chinese take out and drank diet soda. I immediately regretted it.  Isn't it funny how the thought of food is usually so much more pleasing and enjoyable than the actual food itself.  I couldn't even finish my dinner.  I did eat my sweet and sour chicken but only like 3 bites of my fried rice.  In addition to the take out I ate a PB&J before bed.  :( I have such poor self-control. Well, not only am I trying to lose weight for the aesthetic benefits but my health is also an issue.  I suffer from several autoimmune disorders and usually have extreme amounts of swelling.  I swell to the point that my feet feel like they will pop and I cannot form a fist with my hands.  These symptoms seem to diminish on the HCG diet.  I have come to the conclusion that sugar, starche

HCG VCLD day 8--13 total lbs lost

One more pound shed!  YAY! Meals from yesterday: coffee for breakfast with milk and sugar free creamer.  I am out of truvia til we go to grocery store on friday lunch:  tilapia, hot dog weiner and baby spinach snack: tortilla (cheat) dinner:  2 fried bologne and scrambled egg coffee again in the evening Have had an insatiable thirst for water....drinking ALOT to counter it. Here is to another diet day!

HCG VCLD day 7---AMAZED 3.2 lbs lost yesterday!!!

Yes, you read that right!  3.2 lbs lost!  What did I do different?  Housework and lots of it!!!  I even cheated yesterday.  I was soooo hungry.  I am guessing now that it was because of the weight loss taking place--I ate 2 small tortillas as a snack out of sheer starvation.  Also something else strange yesterday--I had an unquenchable thirst.  I could not get enough water.  I drank ALOT to try to quench it, but to no avail. Meals: Breakfast: coffe with milk an truvia Lunch: lunch meat and baby spinach apple with truvia and cinnamon snack: 2 tortillas dinner: tilapia, shrimp, cucumber and boiled squash 3.2 lb lost for a total of.....12 lb lost in 7 days!  protocol day 9....COOL!

HCG VLCD day 6--.4 loss and an epic cheat

So this morning ihad a .4 lb loss.  Still a good loss for one day.  Saturday I cheatd.  :(  We ate dinner at mazzios pizza and I had pizza and soda.  I gained .6 lb that day so I am still working on losing that which I gained.  The cheat also made me VERY sick at my stomach--even more reason to stay on track.  Today is a new day and I WILL do this thing. 

THERE'S A SNAKE IN M Y HOUSE!!!

This morning was a typical morning.  Woke up to screaming children, hurriedly got cereal for girls, made my coffee and sat down to blog about weight loss.  The girls wanted to watch tv so I turned on animal planet--Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter was on!! I finished my blog and began making my first cup of coffee.  Reese and Rae were running around the house playing with Reese's stuffed anaconda pretending to be snake wranglers themselves---just like good 'ole Steve.  Then Rae SCREAMED "SNAKE"  there is a "SNAKE".  I pretty much ignored it as creative play.  Then Reese let out a scream and said "MOM THERE REALLY IS A SNAKE"!!!! Something in her scream caught my attention.  I stepped away from the truvia and milk to go check it out. OH MY GOODNESS! There WAS a snake!  Along the wall between my two girl's bedroom.  I immediately called Jason.  He is across the street with his dad cooking for Men's Breakfast. I said, "I need you and

HCG VCLD day 5--7.13 total loss

One pound and 2 ounces lost yesterday!!!  And I even went out to dinner!!!!  YAY! Meals:  Breakfast: 3 cups of coffee with milk and truvia lunch:  hamburger  steak, baby spinach, asparagus snack: raw apple with truvia and cinnamon snack: 2 melba toast dinner:  TEXAS ROADHOUSE!!!  11 oz sirloin, 4 fried pickles (yes that is a heat), green beans, mized steamed veggies and diet soda--felt like a FEAST!!!

HCG VCLD day 3--6.11lb total loss

I am now on Day 4 of the HCG VCLD diet using homeopathic drops.  This morning I registered a 1.3 lb loss.  That is a total of 6.11 lb total loss since Tuesday--not too SHABBY! My meals from yesterday: breakfast: 2 cups coffe with milk and truvia lunch: sausage link, baby spinach snack:  another sausage link at 4pm (kinda a cheat) dinner:  brat, sausage and sauerkraut with green salad (dry) snack:  3 servings fruit salad (no sugar or added syrup) I feel like I indulged yesterday.  Thursdays and my Tulips lady bible study nights.  I head over to a friend's house and she feeds us before our class.  She is German and can COOK up a STORM!!!  I am very pleased with the 1.3 lb loss from yesterday! 

Colic-- I can soo relate to this article

Our Son Got Over Colic — We Haven't The real damage in dealing with a crying baby by Mike Shields | September 8, 2010 100 like 278 There is a memorably dark scene in the cult classic movie Office Space when the main character, while visiting his therapist, describes just how bleak his life is — he essentially says that every day is worse than the last, thus every day is the worst day of his life. The presumably highly trained, empathetic therapist, replies, “Wow, that’s messed up, man.” That scene pretty much describes my life — and the level of expert help I received — when my son Christopher went through colic earlier this year. According to WebMD.com, a baby who cries more than three hours a day more than three days a week for at least three weeks in a row has colic. And unlike why most babies cry (they’re tired, hungry or have a dirty diaper), kids with colic cry inexplicably. My son exceeded the daily three-hour threshold with regularity.

HCG day 2 on VLCD (day 4 total)

Loss on scale this morning was 1.8 pounds! That is a 5.8 overall loss the last 2 days--I can live with that. I think I may have eater more meat yesterday than recommended but hey, a loss is a loss and 1.8 lbs isnt bad AT ALL! Meals: coffee breakfast 3 cups each with milk and truvia lunch: 2 links and baby spinach snack: melba toast, my daughters left over chicken snack: raw apple with truvia and cinnamon dinner: 2 links with baby spinach and raw squash snack: melba toast TONS of water and lots of unsweet tea hot green tea b4 bed

Article by Dannah Gresh from cnn.com--LOVE THIS!

My Take: There’s nothing brief about a hookup Editor's Note: Dannah Gresh is author of What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex. By Dannah Gresh, Special to CNN Recent studies have revealed some good news in the sex culture among college co-eds: there are more virgins among them now than was the case a few years ago. These days, 29% of females and 27% of males between ages 15 and 24 claim to be virgins, up from 22% of both sexes in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But among the college students who aren’t abstaining, we’re seeing more sex, thanks to casual hookups. According to recent research from Stanford University, the majority of college co-eds are still having sex, with an average 9.7 sexual partners for men and 7.1 for women. Thankfully, we have more scientific information about casual sex than our parents did when they drove their Volkswagen buses to Woodstock for a dose of the sexual revolution. They wanted to

Preview of Why Do Our Loved Ones Die, Aunt Lou?

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Preview of Tell Me About Easter, Aunt Lou

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HCG VLCD day 1 results

I am on day 2 of the VLCD diet with HCG Homeopathic drops. Day 1 results:  FOUR pounds lost. So far no hunger pains.  I don't usually over-eat from hunger, it is usually boredom, stress or self-sabotage. My menu from yesterday: breakfast:  2 cups of coffee each with truvia and milk (I am not obsessive about the 1tsp of MILK rule) snack:  melba toast lunch:  3 slices of turkey lunch meat rolled with baby spinach inside, apple, unsweet tea snack:  strawberries with truvia dinner:  grilled chicken breast, baby spinach and a cup of hot green tea before bed LOTS of water throughout the day It is going good and I am looking forward to this as a weight loss aide and a long-term dietary  plan.  I suffer from psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, bulging cervical dics and chronic fatigue.  This i my second go at the HCG plan and the no diet soda and sugar rule effects my symptoms DRAMATICALLY!!! My swelling is greatly reduced and my pain is diminished. HOPEFUL!