going vegan

I made the decision last week to go vegan.

The thing I miss the most is cheese.

today i...

...got up at 7:20 am

...went for a 30 minute walk/jog with Julia

...had breakfast and got ready for the day

...spent about 6 hours shopping and driving around town 

...bought two new pairs of shoes (for running and for my summer trip)

...bought items needed to finish the baby quilt I'm making for Katy and Harper

...tried on three pairs of jeans (but didn't buy any because I didn't like them)

...tried a new salad place in Gilbert (it was yummy but my tummy is now upset)

...went to two grocery stores (Sprouts and Bashas)

...walked 10,676 steps

I'm tired.

But I accomplished everything I wanted to today!

chopped: mother's day edition

We decided to do something a little different this year for Mother's Day.  One of Mom's favorite shows is Chopped, so we had our own family Chopped competition that Mom got to judge.  It was such a success that we decided we want to do this every year!


The invitation we all received:

“You have been selected”

To participate in a special Mother’s-day edition of Chopped.

When: May 12^th at 5:00pm (Mother’s Day)

Where: 6457 E Encanto (Mom and Dad’s house)

We will be preparing a full 4-course meal for Mom with a “Chopped” twist – Each participant will be required to use a secret ingredient in their dish.  Mom will be the chief judge, and will be basing her decisions on three key elements: creativity, presentation, and taste. Participants will be notified during the week as to which course they will be preparing, and the secret ingredient they must use.

The participants are:

Dad, Cheryl, JR, Esther, Steven, Kristen, Faith, Julia

If you cannot compete you must let us know so we can plan accordingly

Last minute preparations

Grandma and the grandkids

ROUND ONE: APPETIZER

SECRET INGREDIENT: OATMEAL

Steven made: Oatmeal Smoothie with a Touch of Love 

J.R. made: Meatless Meatballs with a Tangy Sweet and Sour Sauce

THE WINNER OF ROUND ONE: J.R.

ROUND TWO: SIDE DISH

SECRET INGREDIENT: MANGOS

Faith made: Ham and Mango Popovers with Mango butter and Mango jam. 

Esther made: Decomposed...I Mean Deconstructed Tropical Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Honey Cream Cheese and an Orange Mango Sauce.

THE WINNER OF ROUND TWO: FAITH

The kidlets enjoying (or not enjoying in John's case) the first two rounds.

Megan enjoying some apples

A random picture of my napkin

ROUND THREE: MAIN DISH

SECRET INGREDIENT: HERSHEY'S DARK CHOCOLATE BAR

Cheryl (me) made: Dark Chocolate Turkey Chili

Dad made: Choco-bobs

THE WINNER OF ROUND THREE: DAD

John enjoying some of the chocolate from Papa's dish.

ROUND FOUR: DESSERT

SECRET INGREDIENT: BACON

Julia made: Gluten Free Bacon Cinnamon Rolls topped with Candied Bacon.  

OMG, THE BEST THING I EVER PUT IN MY MOUTH!

Kristen made: Candied Bacon with a Chocolate Fountain

THE WINNER OF ROUND FOUR: JULIA

John giving everything "Thumbs up!"

Barbara said, "Julia should win because sh's the best cinnamon roll maker ever!  This is so good yummy!"

Barbara and John both "wanted the yittle bit of yove" (little bit of love) from the oatmeal smoothie

Presents!  Mom got: a dozen hardboiled, decorated Easter eggs from Barbara and John, Larabars from Julia, a new sleep mask from J.R. and Esther, some Corell dishes from me, Faith, and Julia, and Steven wrote down his testimony for her about an experience he had on his mission to add to her testimony/faith book that she's made for all of us.  

Modeling the eye mask

The kiddos showing off the eggs they made

A picture of the ceiling

Papa, John and Meggie

Yum!  Chocolate fountain time!

feeling discouraged

I know this is completely crazy. But that's how I feel today.

I've lost 41 pounds in 18 weeks which averages out to 2+ pounds a week! That's amazing! I've also lost 25 inches! 25 INCHES!! I'm down 2 pants sizes and the ones I'm in right now are even a little loose. I've worked out at least three days a week since the beginning of January and regularly burn over 500 calories each time I'm at Curves. This week Julia and I started a 5K training program (tonight is day two). I'm awesome! And my amazing trip to Europe is in 58 days!!




But I still feel discouraged today.



I'm sick of still being fat. I'm sick of my disgusting arms and the flab that WILL NOT GO AWAY. I'm sick of having to starve myself everyday. I'm sick of still being self-conscious about the way I look and not having as much confidence as I should. I'm sick of awlays having to wear a sweater or something else to cove rup my fat arms. I'm tired. I'm irritatable. And I just want to go crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and eat an entired large bag of peanut butter M&Ms. Or maybe two bags.



I know the weight didn't get put on in a day, and it's not coming off in a day, but I still hate that it's taking so long. I know eating two bags of M&Ms isn't going to make me feel better and it's going to undo all the steps I've taken and the habits I've been trying to form. I know that I've made huge steps and I'm continuing down the right path. I know that eventually I'll reach my goal but I hate that word: eventually. It's a stupid word.



I know this is probably just hormones and I'm being crazy, but I am not in a happy place today.