Clean Eating Challenge

Flashback to January 2014...

 

A girl I went to school with since 6th grade was posting all this information on Facebook about an Arbonne clean eating challenge.  I had seen her talking about it  for a few months prior and decided to contact her to ask what it was all about.  She explained it to me and told me of her own reservations for trying it and it took her a year to work up to finally going through with it.  She had mentioned that prior to her husband participating he would have a horrible time sleeping at night and said that his body using so much energy to process his dinner it would actually keep him from sleeping through the night.  Maybe that's what my problem was too with staying asleep, since I have zero problems actually falling asleep.  She sent me a sample menu with the grocery list and also gave me a few sample items like protein powder, green tea, fizz stick, etc.  After looking at the menu I knew there was no way that Jimmy and Kiera would eat the majority of the meals or let alone the side dishes plus I just wasn't willing to cook 2 separate meals for the 3 of us.  So that is where it all ended.  For the rest of the year I would continue to sit on the couch every evening for hours doing nothing.  I was pretty down at times and didn't have the motivation to get up an exercise or anything else.  I knew what was going on I just didn't care.

 

Fast forward to December 2014...

Jimmy's cousin got me a Misfit Flash activity and sleep tracker for Christmas.  I knew that she had one and I had always wanted one it just wasn't something I though about buying for myself.  I am so in love with this thing it's not even funny.  It is exactly what I need to get going.  If I saw that I wasn't going to reach my goal of activity for that day I would get up and move around. 

 

January - March 2015...

After having my activity tracker for a couple weeks I decided it was a good time to start exercising.  We have had weights for years we just never did anything with them so I brought them out along with my yoga mat and started doing some easy exercises at home.   A number of the exercises I just used my own body weight which was enough to feel the burn.  I also started changing what and how much I was eating.  I started eating smoothies for lunch a few days out of the week, less bread and dairy, minimal sweets, smaller meal portions.  In February we bought an elliptical which I just freaking love.  I began gaining muscle and losing weight.  I also started sleeping better through the night and not waking up at 3am for the day on the weekends!  By the end of March I had lost 13 pounds! During this time my friend Kailan and I started talking about the clean eating challenge.  She wanted to participate but was in the same predicament with her husband and 3 boys.  We decided that we were dead set on doing the challenge and she offered to cook the meals and we would split the cost of the groceries. 

 

March - April 2015...

So at the end of March we began the clean eating challenge!  Things were going great for the first couple weeks, and I didn't have a problem with the transition since I had already changed my ways of food an eating.  There in the middle it got a little rough for me.  I did cheat just a few times throughout the month but not even enough to throw anything off.  It was too keep my sanity alright!   

(Baked sweet potato, steamed  zucchini, blacked salmon, mango salsa - all made my me)

And now our clean eating challenge has ended.  Since January I have lost 21 pounds and 8 of those was during the challenge.  I feel great, I am sleeping through the night, I have lots of energy and no stomach issues after eating. Not that I had any before but there is no more bloating and indigestion that I would get after eating big heavy meals.  Except for the celebratory pizza lunch Kailan and I ate at the end of the challenge.  Within 20 minutes I was completely drained of energy, I was so bloated and my heart was racing.  I won't be doing that again!

 

I am half way to my goal body type and I know that I can and will do it!  Plus the cute exercise clothes that I have bought help to stay motivated.  It really does!

A little random

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I need a place to vent this to and this is a safe place for what I am about to say.  Every.single.day for the past year I have been parking in the exact same spot at work.  Then someone new comes in a starts parking in my spot.  First off they were parking somewhere else and then a week in moved on over to my spot.  Now we don't have assigned spots but everyone in the office knows where everyone parks and you just stay out of that spot. Is this a petty and stupid thing to be upset over, of course it is.  Is there some slight animosity towards that undeserving person?  Unfortunately yes.  Do I park in MY spot when it is open, you bet I do! 

 

And just last week there were a few people (not at work) that I would have loved to do this to, but I love my car and I am truly not a mean person.  Everyone has had these moments. 

Any who on to happy things!  I finally tried out the beachy wave look on my hair and I loooove it!  I am so thankful that my super straight hair will actually curl and hold it.  Now I can actually do something with it! 

 

The earth and sun have been kind and produced some beautiful scenery in the skies.  I mean just look at this sunrise and sunset! 

Kiera requested ponytails all over her head for crazy hair day at school.  Apparently the name they though up was octopus head or something like that since she actually had 8 pony tails.  She said she won for craziest hair but I am not sure if that is entirely true. 

Our vampire pumpkin with a mustache designed by not me.  I got in trouble for not adding the nose.  I can only do so much with a knife before I lose a finger! 

The late afternoon light that pours in to our dining area makes me happy every time I see it.   And one of these days I will share pictures of our kitchen redo. 

 

Jimmy is growing a beard per my request. Well as much a s he can since he isn't hairy at all.  I think this was a week ago after 2 weeks of growing it out.   He has some white hair on his chin and it is hawt.  He also has a little throughout his head and I am liking that too. 

 

 

 

But he will never ever ever be able to get to the level of beard that my brother has.  3 months in the making this one has. 



Katy Perry

On October 6th I took Kiera to see Katy Perry and her concert was ah-mazing.  Now this was my first concert to see at a big venue (BOK Center in downtown Tulsa) so I had no idea what to expect.  Shoot, the last concert I actually went to see was Gavin DeGraw at Cain's 10 years ago.

 

 

When we first got inside we went to check out the concert gear you could buy.  Uh $40 for a t-shirt?  No thank you.  Kiera brought her own money and bought a bracelet and some buttons.  After that we went a walking around the massive BOK center and found us some food to eat.  Chicken finger basket, yum. 

 

 

 

Some crazy fans errbody had to have their picture taken with.

 

The first act up was a guy called Ferras and I really liked his music though I had never heard of him before.  Kiera wasn't too thrilled with the loud music and kept asking when Katy was coming out.  There were a few tears but I helped get rid of those with some silly comments about Ferras' dreads.  Then came Tegan and who I have heard their music before!  Kiera sill wasn't enjoying herself too much until they started to sing Everything is Awesome from the Lego Movie and she perked right up after that. 

 

 

 

 

 

(these next 3 pictures are borrowed from other people that were in the pit at the concert, not in the nosebleeds like us)

 

The first few songs that she sang I knew all the words to (along with a lot of her other songs) so I was singing along at the top of my lungs.  I ended up choking a bit since my vocal cords were taking some abuse but I got them nice and warmed up for the rest of the concert.  Kiera was able to sing along to a few of them also.  And let me tell you my girl can scream.  I have never heard her let loose like that and it made me laugh every time. 

These days everyone uses phones to sway around instead of lighters.  I was doing it wrong according to a certain 7 year old. 

Kiera was dancing at this point but I don't remember to which song.  I on the other hand do not like to dance publically (even though I did when I was younger and I still dance in my car every day) but I was out of my seat busting some moves. 



 

During one short break there were these cats in different scenarios playing (this one got its hair did, another was at a massage parlor, etc.) on the screen and they were freaking hilarious.  Of course this was Kiera's favorite part of the whole entire concert.  

 

Now I just need to someone to send me to see Justin Timberlake in OKC in December! 

The Time You Have (In JellyBeans)

I attended a training class for work the last week and they played this video.  I think I need to move around some of the jelly beans in my life. 

Random thoughts

How about some random Ashley thoughts?  Just before I pulled into work the other day I realized I drove the entire 20 something miles in silence.  No radio or anything.  It wasn't the first time that happened and I know it won't be the last.  Just me and my random constant stream of thoughts... 
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i cant believe kiera wore socks and mary janes with her capri leggings.  she even told me  she didn't care so I might as well get used to disliking her fashion choices now.  who knows what her style will be as a teenager.

 

she is going to have so much fun on her field trip today.  it was pretty cute when she told me I had to go this morning and to call my office about it. would she have even sat by me?  good thing that even if she didn't want me to I would be ok with that. 

 

dang sunlight is blinding me. 

  come on truck! we cannot be trying to merge onto the highway going 25 miles an hour when the speed limit is 70!

 

i am pretty excited about my free tiling class in the morning. i think i need to get starbucks before i go.  ooh or I could stop by rocket brothers since I have a dollar off coupon and it is on the way.  tomorrow would be a great day to rip the tile out of the kitchen and prime the walls since Kiera will be with Mimi and Pappy until Sunday. maybe i can even paint it too!

 

I need to remember to tell jimmy i am going to okc on monday.

 

Ooh I have to call my doctor now while i am thinking about it and set up my July appointment.

there's a cop with someone pulled over. set the cruise control now ashley.

 

apparently some of these cars cant maintain a constant speed. they go up a hill and slow down, they go down the hill and speed up.

 

I really want to eat cheddar's monte cristo.  why did bennigans have to go out of business.  theirs was the best.

 

i wonder when we will go camping again. probably next weekend if it is nice.

 

hello truck flying and weaving throuh traffic. 

 

its funny how competitive parents can be with how smart their kids are.  what about the parents that have children with disabilities that will never function at that level.  i am glad i am able to know what each of those parents feel.  not that i am either one, but i know both. 

 

I never though i would work for a company that helps people with physical and mental disabilities. i am so glad i am there now.  it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

 

  it is kind of odd that there is a light lovely feeling in your chest when you are happy. wonder what causes that.  there has to be something really going on in there that no one can explain.  kind of like a cat's purr.  you know its there but what causes it?

 

wow i have just driven the entire way to work without the radio on.
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On a side note, my thoughts were pretty easy going that morning.  some days they can get pretty dark and i end up crying by time i get to work and some days pretty ugly words are flying out of my mouth at other drivers (good thing i am in the car alone).  those mornings are pretty rough. and some days I dance and sing to the music like no one is watching, but they probably are.
 

Perpetual Journal

So Ashley from Under the Sycamore has a few types of journaling that she does for her family and herself. In January she posted a "Best of My Days" journal that would cover an entire year. I printed off her template and I have been doing a great job at filling it in.  After January ended I decided that I wanted to do more than just a year and and remembered Ashley little index card journaling. I though it would be really fun to be able to look back at what happened on a specific day every day for a few years.  Target's dollar section is where I found this super cute little journal.  

Unfortunately when I got it home and opened it I found out there were no lines on the pages. Ugh. I decided to just deal with it. There were 60 pges and I had to spend about 20 minutes trying to figure up how I could use both sides of the entire book and how many days/years I could fit on each page. Boo math! I ended up putting 3 days on each page with and 3 years. The fun part came when I had to re write all the things I had written down on my print out into the new book. Good thing there was only a month's worth!

I have also written the name of each month at the top of each page in some type of different font.  Not all that great but whatever.  I had Kiera write one of the January's and I will have her do that each month.


 After I have  stared at the pages a little while I am going to love seeing them full of just my hand writing even without all of those lines!  I am really surprized at myself that I have been able to keep up with this. I do keep the journal out where I can actually see it and remember to write something down. As for what I write down, they are just little things that made me happy that day or just things that I/we did out of the "normal".   And I don't care if Jimmy or Kiera reads it, there are no secrets between us.

I am not only doing this for myself but Kiera got a journal from her Nana for Christmas. I decided to do the same thing with her's only Kiera calls it her diary. Each night at bedtieme we talk about what all happened during her day and she picks out her favorite thing and I write it down for her. She hates writing unless it involves drawing so I don't push it. It is getting recorded and that is what matters. Plus I have her sign the pages just as a little confirmation that those were her thoughts, not mine.

 

 

 

Random thoughs while sitting alone

Saturday I got up nice and early (like I always do) got a shower and headed down to the shop with Jimmy's truck to get the oil changed and tires rotated and balanced.  It took a little over an hour and I wasn't ready to leave when they called my name.  I was really really enjoying drinking my coffee while reading the Oklahoma Magazine and National Geographic. I took pictures of things I wanted to remember and words that struck a cord in me, plus a couple other things.  I figured I would share some of that randomness here today.

 

I am not a fan of animal print but these sinks are awesome.

 

I have never had the occasion where I needed a fancy dress like this but I think it would be super fun to wear one out for a special evening with the hubs.  Like one of those big new years eve parties.  And I would not say this dress is really my style but you get the idea.

 

There was an article where a few senior citizens were interviewed and as usual they had some great advice.  I ought to hang around more seniors.  Here are a couple things that I really liked. 


I want to learn the good and the bad, the fun things and the boring.  I know some people don't want to know all the harsh realities of this world we live in but I don't want to be blind to it.  Nothing will ever change if you pretend it doesn't exist.  And we haven't got where we are today without learning and someone doing something about it! 



I believe this is a great key to a successful marriage.  I really make sure to practice this with Jimmy.  We aren't super busy with other people but all the time (we still get together with friends occasionally) since we are working on raising our girl.  It will change once she gets older. 


In Afghanistan there are major issues with poppy cultivation.  It was quite interesting and sad at the same time.  

There was a map of the United States with the most popular surnames in all areas and where the names originated from.  I even see my name in the area where I live!  Woo hoo!  The website can be found here.


This fish has made it's home in the barrel of an M-60 tank. This is part of reef conservation where tanks, ships, etc. are sunk to help create new homes for ocean life.  I was worried they were just dropping stuff in the ocean but extensive research is done to determine the ecosystems needs and what the best supplies are to create the artificial reef, the rate of decomposition, etc.


This is the Neptune Memorial Reef.  The arches and columns are made of cement and cremated human remains.  Yes the people knew they would be part of an underground   cemetery, which is also part of reef conservation. 


This is a wing of a freaking bird!  Absolutely gorgeous.  I need to paint this on a giant canvas.  I didn't even pay attention to what kind of bird it was.


Anything science related is totally my thing.  I get it and it has always been an interest of mine, even when I was a kiddo in school.  I think I need some national geographic magazines in my life.

True Color Aura

So on Facebook a friend posted a quiz that she took and it looked a little interesting so I decided to take it.  11 questions later and it told me my true color aura is green.  I was a little shocked after reading what it said that it was about 95 percent accurate.  Any notes I added are in parenthesis throughout.

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Most people associate green with money, which green is one of the least materialistic auras around.

Comfort is most important to them and they like to feel as relaxed as possible in any situation. Greens also like to try to make others feel at ease. Greens tend to shy away from aggression and anger, and are usually the peacemaker. The one thing that ticks greens off is when people can’t get along; they wish everyone was kinder to one another.

They always have a fresh perspective on things and are very innovative and smart. Greens tend to embrace change and growth, and are always excited about what’s on the horizon.

They are very driven, competitive, and even a bit jealous. However, they seek out balance in their lives and usually achieve it.

Greens are a natural healer and persuader. They always find it easy to get what they want in life, whether it is material success or just making a difference in other people’s lives. (Uh, healer part yes, persuader I think but indirectly)

A strong Green individual lives in a world of intangibles where hopes, dreams and emotions are most important. You look at the big picture, are not detail oriented (yes I am), and like to explore possibilities and alternative ways of doing things. You march to your own drummer and frequently find it difficult to get on the same wavelength as others. This often puts pressure on your relationships.

You have a rich vivid imagination and thrive in an atmosphere that encourages the use of your creative abilities and talent.

Your intuition is highly developed and you seem to be able to sense what others are feeling. 

You are practical, down-to-earth person. You are stable and well balanced You are kind, generous and compassionate. You have a great need to love and to be loved and you tend to wear your heart on your sleeve- you are an open book. You have a need to belong.

You are at home in any social situation. (No, no I am not)

You have high moral standards and doing the right thing is important to you. You like to be accepted,appreciated and admired for the good you do in the community as well as in your family life. (I am definitely a rule follower) 

You are a loyal friend and a faithful partner, gentle but not passionate.

You are strong-willed and do not like to be told what to do by others. (Yep)

You do like to win arguments and do not concede defeat easily.

You are not a risk-taker and not action orientated, rather more of an observer. (I am a risk taker and an observer, depends on my mood and how brave or shy I am feeling that day.)

Detail bores you. You process information quickly and prefer to develop an idea, organize a plan and then delegate the rest to someone else.  (I am very detail oriented and would rather do things myself, so it gets done right!)

The ability to put yourself in the shoes of others is one of your true talents.

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So yeah.  That's me basically.  There is a lot more than that but you get the idea!

Swimming, Sleeping, Washboard

How about a bunch of randomness today?  You know just cause I feel like it.  I mean you don't want to hear about my work day do you?  It doesn't involve making anything crafty or pretty.  Just looking out for people with developmental disabilities and making sure the people working with them are doing their job and not abusing, neglecting, or exploiting them.  Spreadsheets, policy and procedures, reports and such.  Meetings, phone calls, investigations, paperwork. At least there is a deep satisfaction that comes from what I do every day that no amount of crafts will ever give me.  Looky there, I told you about it anyway!

 

Randomness, right.

 

We swam in the river for the last time this year a couple weeks ago.  It was still in the 90's outside but since it is getting cooler at night, the water is cooling down also.  Have I mentioned our girl is swimming with out any floatation devices?  Probably have but I am still super excited about it.   

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I took this in the bathroom at the RV campsite we use while camping at the river.  We have a shower in our camper but it is easier to use an actual one since it is available.  On my phone the picture looks much darker and tons better which is weird.  The wood is painted green which is hard to tell in these photos but I love it.  And it is so haphazardly painted that it makes it even better.  Chipped paint and old looking stuff really isn't my style but this I love.  The beams on the ceiling are awesome but I didn't get a picture.

 

One day Berkley wasn't feeling too well before Kiera and I left for the bus stop she covered him in her beloved pink blanket and gave him Princess (the pink poodle) to lay with.  He did not move from that spot all day long.  I sent this picture to Jimmy and when he got home from work he told me Berk was laying in the same spot.  He still didn't feel well that evening but he was back to his normal self the next day.



 

Passed out at Papa's house after school one day.  Notice the gloves.  Silly girl

Sure seems to be a bunch of laziness in these pictures.  I don't have any of Lilly sleeping cause she is either hanging out somewhere else our all up in my face.

 

Sleeping with her eyes partially open.  And her eyeballs were moving too, extremely slow.  But there is just something about sleeping children.  The are so relaxed, and not noisy, and don't have an attitude when they are unconscious.  Anyone else have a 6 year old with an attitude of a 14 year old?  Well it isn't like that all the time. 

I still haven't finished doing everything I want to in my master bathroom but I did find this 1920 something washboard to put on the shelf above the tub.  I found laying on top of some bolts of fabric in this junk store but it didn't have a price on it.  I took it to the lady at the register and said she'd take $5 for it, which is what I was going to offer.  SOLD!!!!  These suckers are freaking expensive too!  I haven't seen any washboards for less than $25 anywhere!   Just cause something is old doesn't mean you need to charge an arm and a leg for it even if it is in crappy condition.   I brought it home and wiped it off with a damp cloth and rubbed wood condition on it.  It is absolutely perfect!