Act Kindly, Stay Prepared, Have Peace: 1/15/12

Saturday, January 21, 2012

My Top Six

6 things that made me smile this week:


1. Being able to look up at my adorable "White Home Rules" that my sweet sister Ashlea made for our family for Christmas.	Ashlea has got to be one of the most amazing, talented, soft spoken and loving people on this earth. I'm grateful for her and her example of a righteous daughter of God. Thanks Ashlea for being so wonderful and great gift in my life.


2. Having such amazing cousins for Hunter and Henry! We had the best time when Grace came to town. We hit up Build a Bear and the kids were in heaven!

Henry was in a trance watching the stuffing go around and around and AROUND.

Happy Kiddos!!!!

3. Living on such beautiful property, this is what we see when we look out the front door. The kids were so excited to be able to feed the horses.

Gracie was the first one to the fence.
She really tried hard to get us to let her ride one but unfortunately
we didn't have time to contact the owner... maybe next time!

This is my favorite!!

4. Momma son date night!!!

We went and saw Chip-wrecked... it was a cute movie.
Popcorn, soda and candy galore.
We had a great time just laughing and being together.
Hunter showed off his dance moves as we drove home with the radio cranked up!
It was a perfect night...

5. Cooking in the kitchen with the kiddos.

The kids made pizza for dinner....
They were so detailed and had to make sure it was just perfect!

Gracie was our taste tester!!!! Yup that cheese it perfect! :)

Henry needed to supervise!


Dinner is served... yum.

6. I l love being married to such a "G U Y"


I love that Steve is such a manly man! He loves to be outside, hunting, fishing, and listening to country music. Just hanging with the boys, or in a deer stand. But don't the camo fool you, he isn't a totaly Redneck Country Boy (ha ha). He is such a soft hearted man. He loves to wrestle with his boys and rough house. And he will be the first to cuddle on the couch and give kisses when there is a boo-bo. Steve went on a 3 day Guys Hunting weekend in Alabama. This is our neighbors Tommy and Austin Skipper. He had a blast!!!! Steve is still laughing at some of the funny things said, saw and they did. Steve shot two deer, so we are set on good healthy meat for a long time. They turned the meat into sausage, hamburger, back strap, etc. Good times for sure. :)

Friday, January 20, 2012

Counting down... .11 to 1

Prep Day 1. Was great... 2 shakes, and a delicious salad.

Prep Day 2. Getting into my groove. Going out to dinner with my hubby tonight.. should be fun trying to find a meal for 400 to 600 cal. I had my 2 shakes and snacks.

Feeling good, I have my goal in my head !

Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow! ( I get to weigh in the 1st day 3rd and 9th)

Since this is my journal, i'm totally o.k. with sharing my measurements... ( I think, ha ha)

Start Day
Weight - 160
Neck - 13"
Upper Arm - 11-1/2" Left
Upper Arm - 11-1/2" Right
Chest 40 " (or can we just say HUGE )=- :)
Diaphram (rib area)- 35"
Waist (below belly button) 37"
Abs (at Belly button) 36"
Buttocks - 41" (baby got back) ha ha ha
Thigh L - 22"
Thigh R - 23"

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

A girl can dream....

N.E.W Journey

O.k. so this is my new journey!

I'm pretty excited....actually i'm so dang excited that I just don't know what to do with myself. Can I fast forward like 2 months... and see the changes :)

As most of my dear friends know I was diagnosed with thryoid disfunction since my daughter was born back in 2003. They dignosed me with Hyper than Hypothyroidism.

Our Thyroids have many functions that we NEED to have a successful life, shoot just a successful DAY in my case!

Thyroid controls our hormones, weight and temperature.. should I go on.....

The purpose of your thyroid gland is to produce, store, and release thyroid hormones into your bloodstream.

These hormones, called T3 and T4, affect almost every cell in your body and help control your body’s metabolism.

So with all that said....

If it isn't all flowing and working correctly for a WOMAN it would be pretty crappy. Well friends, this is what leads me to WHY I'm on a new journey...

After having thryoid cancer and having to rely on my doctors to find the right dose to compensate, I needed to get extra help to control my hormones, mood swings, temperament and freak outs, especially around my "girlie time".

I went on Zoloft and I was on it for 5 months... it was fabulous!!! That was UNTIL I had the side affect of gaining 20 pounds. Now that is not so fabulous.

Talk about making me totally bummed, down on myself and not comfortable in my own skin. My knees where hurting from the extra weight and I found it hard to breath sometimes. It was sad when the boys wanted me to jump on the trampoline and I would tell them "mommy can't my knees hurt". And running, well I love to run but my knees hate me to run.. hopefully this will help. I was totally beside myself because I had finally LOST all but 5 pounds to be back to what I weighted when I got married. And now I was back up to what I weighed when I was 5 months pregnant.

You can imagine my frustration!!!

So I have taken a different approach to life, weight, happiness.. etc.

I have gone off of the Zoloft and gone on a more natural route (vitamins, etc, that have all that my body might be lacking.) It has been great! I have been on SAM-e, liquid B-12 and Calcium ...for about a month now and it is working amazing.

I feel better, lots of energy, happy and I have also just THIS week started a 9 day detox cleanse program to kick start my weight loss. I know I will be happier once I can gain control of my weight again.

Also, accepting who i'am without being a weight NUMBER. I have always been a certain weight and so this is hard for me to define myself and try to get into my clothes that don't fit. Oh man that it is the worst. Talk about an ADULT TEMPER TANTRUM!

During this journey I'm trying to find peace in myself. Find the love from my Savior and gain a testimony of the gospel.

I feel like if i'm happy with myself than I can be happy with everything around me. I can look around and see the MANY MANY blessings that I have.

I AM truly blessed!

Over the past month, I have regained the desire to kick my butt back into shape, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.

I'm excited for this program in my life and it gives me something to look forward to, a goal, a challenge that I can see a change in my life.

I'm grateful for new days and new beginnings.........

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

ABC's - President Monson

This was a great article to read/hear... I posted the link at the end. Very comforting!!

Living the Abundant Life

At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.

Have a Positive Attitude

A in my ABCs refers to attitude. William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”¹

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment.

Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”²

We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.

Believe in Yourself

B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles.

Be honest with yourself, with others, and with your Heavenly Father. One who was not honest with God until it was too late was Cardinal Wolsey who, according to Shakespeare, spent a long life in service to three sovereigns and enjoyed wealth and power. Finally, he was shorn of his power and possessions by an impatient king. Cardinal Wolsey cried:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.3

Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”⁴

Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.

You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith.

Face Challenges with Courage

C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.

Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”⁵

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember—David did win!

Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.

Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

May we remember these ABCs as we begin our journey into the new year, cultivating a positive attitude, a belief that we can achieve our goals and resolutions, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come our way. Then the abundant life will be ours.

Teaching from This Message

Consider inviting family members to share personal experiences when a positive attitude, belief in themselves, or courage helped them. Or invite them to find examples of these three principles in the scriptures. You might prepare to teach by prayerfully thinking of scriptures or experiences of your own.

Youth

Courage to Weather the Storm

By Maddison Morley

On the second night of my stake’s Young Women camp, we had a big rainstorm and tornado. My ward had about 24 young women attending the camp with two leaders, and we all had to fit into one small cabin for protection. The rain was falling hard, and the wind was getting worse. I had to continually remind myself of the prayer for safety our stake president had offered earlier. Our ward also said our own group prayer in our cabin, and I said my own personal prayers.

A lot of girls were scared, and it was easy to see why. Our cabin was not very sturdy, and we were right by a river. In about 20 minutes the storm got so bad that the whole stake had to run from their ward cabins to the counselors’ cabins, which were on higher ground. My stake president said another prayer, and we sang hymns, Primary songs, and camp songs in an attempt to comfort ourselves. Yes, we were scared, but we felt that everything would be all right. Half an hour later it was OK to go back to our ward cabins.

We later found out what had happened to the tornado that night. It had split into two storms. One of them went around us to the right and the other to the left. What we got wasn’t even the worst of it!

I know that God heard our prayers that night and that He protected us from the worst of the storm. Why would a tornado split unless God needed it to? I know that in the storms of life, we can always pray to Heavenly Father and He will hear and answer us, giving us the courage and protection we need to make it safely through.

Children

Captain Moroni

Captain Moroni had courage as he faced challenges. He loved truth, liberty, and faith. He devoted his life to helping the Nephites preserve their freedom. You can be like Captain Moroni by facing your challenges with courage. You can even make your own title of liberty by writing on the flag below or on a separate piece of paper the things that are important to you and your family.