Fun Tuesday

Hey everyone!!! Its Wednesday already! :D What have ya'll been up to this week? 


I'll wrapping up school for the semester in the next couple of weeks, so some of the teachers have given us a little more homework than usual just to make sure that we finish everything in time. That's pretty much the main thing that I have going on right now.....can't wait until its the holidays! I am going to take Thursday off though, because of Thanksgiving. I think that we're going to have just a small family Thanksgiving dinner here at home! What are your Thanksgiving plans? 


Every Tuesday in the community, we have a time where we teach the women a new craft for them to make. I haven't gone every week, but I did yesterday. I saw on Pinterest, a really fun idea to repurpose Tshirts into headbands! I made one at home on Monday night, and we took it up to teach yesterday afternoon!!! Everyone really enjoyed learning it! The tutorial is on this site, but I'm going to post it here for ya'll!!!!

First, find some old t-shirts.  Or buy some jersey knit.  Either way works.

Then, cut your fabric into long strips.  I made my strips about twice as long as the measurement around my (or my daughter’s) head.  The thick headband strips are about 2 inches wide and the narrow headband strips are about a 1/3 inch wide.  You’ll need 5 long strips for one headband.

Next, stack your 5 strips on top of each other and sew together at one end.  (Or hand stitch them or glue them.)

Now, pull on each strip of fabric so that they kind of curl on the edges.

Then lay your strips with the sewn edge up at the top (tape this down if that will help you while braiding) and then split up the strips into 3 on the left side and 2 strips on the right.

Now, to create this 5 strand braid……..you’ll kind of be braiding on the left side and then braiding on the right.  And then back and forth until you’re done.

But let me explain a little better.

First, you’ll work on the left side. So grab the strip all the way on the left (pic #1) and cross if over the strip right next to it  on the right(pic #2).  Then grab the strip furthest to the right of this section (pic #3) and cross it over one strip to the left (pic #4).  Now grab the middle of all 5 strips (pic #5) and bring it over the the right side (pic #6) so that you can start braiding on the right side.  Now you have your strips separated into 2 strips on the left and 3 strips on the right…….but opposite from the beginning.

Now, you’re going to do the same thing on the right side………just mirrored from what we did the first time.  So grab the strip all the way on the right (pic #1) and cross if over the strip right next to it  on the left (pic #2).  Then grab the strip furthest to the left of this section (pic #3) and cross it over one strip to the right (pic #4).  Now grab the middle of all 5 strips (pic #5) and bring it over the the left side (pic #6) so that you can start braiding on the left side again.

**Something to remember: When you’re working on the left side or on the right side……..you’ll always start with the strip on the outside.  So if you’re working on the left side……grab the strip all the way on the outside on the left.  If you’re working on braiding on the right side…….start with the strip all the way on the outside on the right.

So, start again from the very beginning and work on the left side again (pics #1-5) and then on the right side again (pics #6-10).

You’ll need to adjust the tightness as you go and may have to tighten individual strips here or there.

Keep on braiding and braiding……keeping the tension about the same all the way down.

When you get to the end (or as long as you need it)……..sew (or hand-stitch or glue) the ends in place.

Then overlap the ends together and sew (or glue) in place. 

**Before attaching, remember that knit will stretch and the woven design allows for stretch.  So you want to make this headband smaller than your head so that it hugs your head and stays in place.

To finish it off (and cover up the ends), cut a rectangular piece of fabric that’s wider than the ends that you’ll need to cover.  Fold the side edges in…….

And then stitch (or glue) one end on the inside of the headband.

Then wrap this piece of fabric around the headband, tuck the ends up……

And then stitch (or glue) this end down too.

And that’s it.

So the ladies loooved this! They were all talking about what old shirts they had at home to use! :D 

Well, tonight, I'm going to group bible study with some friends. I went a few weeks ago, but ever since then have had stuff to do on Wednesdays, so I'm really happy that I get to go tonight. :D

Do you like repurposing old stuff? 
What are you up to this week?


See ya'll later! 

I Improvised

This morning, I decided to do the second circuit workout. I've done it before, but I was working out in my parents'  room and had access to a stool to do the step-ups. Today, I chose to do it in my room and had no such thing. So what did I do? I improvised. Here's what I came up with:



Yup! Its a bunch of my books stacked on top of each other! I actually probably got a bit of a core workout, since I was trying to balance myself on my "step"! =P I did get a pretty great workout in, though!!!!

Here's a cool tradition of ours. Every year that I've been in school, my mom has saved a yearbook picture, and we have this frame with a slot for each year.



So now I have all of my school pictures together!!! Isn't it neat? My sister has one, too!!!!

Well, hopefully someone will be coming to actually fix the fridge this afternoon. The repairman came yesterday to figure out the problem but couldn't actually fix it because he needed to go back to the office, figure out the cost, and we had to approve it yesterday. My mom wasn't here when they called with the price, but I was instructed to approve WHATEVER they asked of us! =P

I'm hoping that the repairman comes early so that I can bake later on! We've been having the same thing for breakfast the past couple of days and I really want to get in the kitchen. With my mom's approval, of course. =P Not complaining about the breakfasts....we have fresh, homemade bread every day from our local bread store. It is sooooo good!!!!! Sort of looks like a mini french loaf, but tastes sweeter.And its not like I don't get in breakfast ruts anyway. Oats and grits! =D

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast?

We're going to church tonight and I'm already thinking about what to wear. Only doing this because I usually wear gym clothes.....sometimes I'll even sleep in them so that I can get up and get my day started! =P I'm actually going to have to wear jeans! hahahahahahaha

Do you have a go-to outfit?

Well, I do have some school to do, so I guess this is it for today! =D

School Overload and Weigh-In #2

Hey! Hope everyone had a restful weekend!!!! I would like to report that we (almost) successfully cleaned out our fridge. The last of the Chinese will be eaten for lunch, and then we can start cooking more stuff to fill up the fridge with! =D Did you do anything special over the weekend?

 

Sorry for the later-than-usual post, I've been doing school basically all morning!! I'm taking a webpage design class, so I had to check out some website formats. I've also been working ahead in some subjects so that when a group from our church comes down, I can take some time off of school! So this means that I've been doing Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday work in some of my classes this morning! Of course, I had my cat to help me:

[caption id="attachment_281" align="alignnone" width="455" caption="I am here to help! "][/caption]

Needless to say, I decided that it was the perfect time to take a break and blog! =D

I weighed in again today. I mean, that's sort of obvious seeing as its in the title of this post...but anyway I gained another half-pound. I've been using some of ya'lls tips and they're great!! =D Basically, I'm trying to add more sources of healthy fats into my diet to "bulk" up my foods! And I'm also eating more pb than anyone would have ever thought possible....and anymore, I'm never seen without a snack of some sort in my hands! =D

I know that a half-pound isn't a WHOLE lot, or actually, is very little, but the saddest thing is that I had a mini-breakdown when I did the math (kilos to pounds) and figured out how much I had gained. I'm fine now, but I guess it just goes to show that I still have to fight my Eating Disorder even harder and that its still there, even if I have days where I think that I'm completely better. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family to help me and I've been praying a lot about it and I've finally begun to have a sense of peace about my appearance! =D Good news!

Once I hit 105 again, my mom said that I could start running on one of my two exercise days! I'm soooo excited!!!! Once I hit 115, I can start running for real!!!! That just makes me want to reach my goal even faster! As long as I can maintain my weight, I can run!!!! =D

Well, I had better be off....

Happy Monday!

A Taste of Home

First of all, thanks for all of the book suggestions!!!!!!!!! I'm going to start looking into them today! =D

Well, taco night was a success!!!! We had a great time visiting with the family! =D

I have a quick question for those of you who are reading this:

What are some of your faaaavorite snacks?

I usually eat granola bars, yogurt (greek or yoplait....it just depends =P), fruit, cottage cheese, and fruit w/ pb. I guess I just want a little something different. Oh and does anyone have a good homemade granola bar recipe for when I'm in Brazil? I mean, we have these really awesome granola bars that have chocolate on the bottom and fruit-y granola on the top, but I don't think that they're the best-ever workout fuel.

So, speaking of workouts, here's the one that I'm about to do:

KBC (Kickbox, Booty and Core =P):

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/kbc-kickbox-booty-and-core-3433#

And then I'll probably just do the 10 minute jump rope. I've been trying to work up the nerve to do this workout that Lindsay posted not too long ago. Tell me if you manage to complete this! =D



Well, tonight, we're going to visit some people from church. The cool thing is: They're Brazilians!!!! So we're going to have a brazilian-style meal! =D They're relatively new at our church, so we've only met them recently, but they're super nice!

Well, that's about all I've got for now....

Have a great Thursday! =D

Happy Christmas Eve!

Well, all of my family's plans for yesterday basically went out the window. My aunt is feeling really sick, so we didn't go to my dad's side's house for taco night. But, we did pick up my beeeeest friend and had an awesome afternoon and went to her house for our Christmas celebration there. And we had mexican, which I sort of think is funny.

So yesterday my friend asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I jokingly said "world peace". So then we went window shopping and tried on sone stuff, and later we went to Gracie Bleu's frozen yogurt. It was our first time there, but it was like a self serve froyo place, and the guy working there gave us a TON of those little ketchup containers so that we could taste all the different flavors. Their setup was pretty cool, with about 4 stations with 2 separate flavors and 1 mixture of the two each. For example, there was a strawberry froyo and a birthday cake flavor, and the mixture was strawberry shortcake. Then there were tons of toppings and stuff to choose from. While we were sitting, my friend handed me a box with a bracelet inside. She then said that when we went into one of the stores that we visited, there were "world peace bracelets" at the front door for sale. So guess what I am now wearing? I got world peace for my birthday! =D

World peace! =D

So today, we're hanging out for most of the day and tonight we have church, which will be nice!!!!!

So, recently I've been thinking about going vegetarian. However, my family is pretty much worried that I won't get enough key nutrients. Because of this, I've decided to pick one day a week to be a vegetarian to sort of show everyone that I would be able to eat a balanced diet. I'm thinking that the day might be today, but I still have to actually talk with my parents. And once or twice a week vegetarianism might be all I can do for now, I want to see how it works out for me personally, though.

Well, what are your Christmas/Christmas eve plans?

Happy Christmas Eve!!!!

Taco Night!!!!

You know how on Sunday I said that my dad was singing a song in church???? Well, a couple of years ago he recorded it and yesterday made a video of "Mary did You Know?". Its not a video of him singing, but here it is anyway:



Yes, I like bragging about my family! =D

Well, tonight we are going to my dad's side of the family's Christmas and we're having tacos. You know, because they are so Christmas-y. But anyway, its going to be fun!!!! =D

So what go ya'll do for Christmas? Do you go to families' houses before or on Christmas?

Usually, our families have Christmas celebrations before the actual day, and then we also visit some close friends of ours. Then, on Christmas eve, if we're in the States, we go to an 11:30 PM service at our church. Then, we spend most of Christmas at home, together.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition that your family has?

I love goig to the 11:30 service and I love that we spend time just as a family on Christmas day.

So, I'm gonna workout to a new video today, so you know what that means....here's the link:

Fighting the Freshman 15 (silly name, but the workout got lots of great reviews, so I'm trying it out):

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/fighting-the-freshman-15-9493

Along with this workout, which is about 20 minutes long, I'm going to do the 10-minute Bootcamp workout that I've already put on my Workout page. Then maybe some yoga to cool down, and if I end up doing that, I'll post the link tomorrow!!!! =D

Is there another website besides ExerciseTV that has good free workout videos? I don't have many DVDs, plus the online vids are good for when I'm on the road. =D

So I'm off to workout and later eat tacos! Whoo!

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Birthday Coupon

I had signed up for the "DeliGrams" McAlister's email thing a while back in hopes of getting a coupon at the time. Well, yesterday, I checked my email and there was one from McAlister's. I got $5 off our next meal there!!So guess where we had dinner last night???????? Hello, Chicken Tortilla Soup! =D Oh and because I had signed up for the On The Border email club back when we took my sister there, also hoping to get a coupon then, I also have a free brownie sundae from there!

    So yesterday we visited with my grandmother. She's out of the hospital now and doing better! We had a fun time!

    Today my sister and I are going to our church to work on a video thing that the youth leader is shooting. We're going to be filming separately, and each video will take 30 minutes to an hour. So we'll be at the church from 1 to 3, more or less. I don't know what the videos are about yet, but when I do, I'll let you know.

    I really haven't been able to bake even half as much as I wanted to. And now, there are even more recipes that I have bookmarked! I guess that's the way it works when you don't actually have any money and a lot of your recipes call for special ingredients that your parents have never heard of. Oh well. I'll probably still bake a little bit. =P

 =D

    Oh guess what? I made Erika's Single Lady Sugar Cookie, inspired by Katie's recipe, for my sister!!! Actually, I've made both versions for her! =D Of course, I always come up with the idea to make one right after I've had a snack, but that doesn't mean that a few bites trip and fall into my mouth. Stupid cookie. =D Anyway, I've actually made these in the microwave, and they turned out pretty good. I just combined all of the ingredients and nuked for about a minute. That, my friends, is the lazy version of this cookie, because I didn't feel like turning the oven on. Oh and in the chocolate chip one, I added some melted pb in place of about 1/3 of the oil, and it turned out really tasty!!!!

Well, that's about all I've got for now!

Christmas is Near!

I just can't believe that Christmas is Saturday!!!! Still in shock, here. =D Saturday at 11:30 my church does a midnight service, and I think we'll be going to that. It is soo awesome!!! And then, on Christmas morning, I have a special surprise planned for my family! (Can't say what it is yet for fear that someone will read....but I'm soo excited!)

Last night we visited with some friends, and guess what? We ended up making those holiday pretzels again! Thanks for the recipe Julie! We love it! =P

Last night I also borrowed a book from my friend, "A Walk to Remember" by Nicolas Sparks. Have any of ya'll ever read it???? I've seen the movie, which I loved, and am super excited to read the book!

So next Tuesday is my birthday and next Sunday is my party. My best friend, her mom, my mom, and I will go to a nice hotel nearby and watch girly movies, eat plenty of chocolate...that sort of thing. One thing I can't decide on is what I want for my dessert: fondue or chocolate cobbler???? Both sound sooo yummy!!! I might have to do one for the party and one on my actual birthday. Hmmmm....which sounds better to ya'll?? Does anyone have a tried and true fondue recipe? =D

I am finally going to be done with school today......and I'm super glad about that!! =D  All that I have to do is write an essay about the 3 key things that I learned from taking my SAT prep course.

1. Never, ever take a prep course again.

2. I learned not to reccommend the SAT prep to anyone.

3. I hate taking long tests.

Sorry about the negative list....my teacher apparently couldn't come up with a final, so he basically lumped together all of the work I've done this semester into 7 parts and called it a test. Section 2 had me online taking 25 practice tests which basically took up my whole day from 11 AM to 4 PM. Exactly what I wanted to do during my Christmas break. Oh well, at least it will be done and over with....

A couple more random questions for ya'll:

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

I really have no idea....we just watched The Family Man and that was cute, but I don't know if I have an all-time favorite. =P

What are some of your family's Christmastime traditions?

  Well, we usually spend Christmas day at home. My sister and I get an ornament every year. Whenever we're in the States we go to the 11:30 Christmas eve service.

Well, I have to go write an essay...

Happy Monday! =P

Holiday Pretzels and Going to Church

Last night was a looot of fun!!!! I'm so glad that I got to see a few people who I hadn't seen for at least six years. I made those holiday pretzels with the chocolate wafer candy and m&ms. Sooo yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a TON of food there!! 3 different types of cookies, the pretzels, a ding-dong cake, ham and turkey, veggies, sausage crescent roll baked thing, bisque, and some other stuff that I can't even remember. Notice that I mentioned the desserts first and the actual food last. =D Of course, at one point, I managed to choose the mountain dew can that sprung a leak as soon as I opened it....niiiiiice. I don't usually drink soft drinks and now maybe I never will again! =D

All of the snow is gone, and in my opinion, that's a good thing! It is still freezing outside, though. Can't wait for the warm weather!!!!!!!!! =D

Today my dad's going to sing a song called Mary Did You Know at church. Its such a gorgeous song!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe that Christmas is next week already!!!!!!!! This year has absolutely blown by!!!!! Anyway, here's a video of someone singing that song.



So today, I have to write an essay for the last of those tests and I will finally be done with school!!!!! Yipeeeee! =D

So glad ya'll liked the guest post!!!!

I have to get going....

Happy Sunday!!!!!

Whoohoo!!!!!

Can you tell I'm happy????

The thin mints were a success!!!!!

Here's the recipe I used (from Cakespy):

Cookies:

2 and 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt (I used  less, and didn't notice a taste difference)

1 C sugar (I used the full amount this time, but I could definitely reduce it in the future)

1/2 C butter (I used a "light" butter because that's what was in the fridge)

1/3 C milk of any kind

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (could be omitted)

3/4 tsp peppermint extract (More or less depending on preference)

For chocolate coating:

10 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet chips)

1/2 C butter

1. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa.


2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With mixer on low speed, add milk and extracts. Gradually add in flour mixture until fully incorporated.


3. Shape dough into two even logs, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for at least an hour and a half. The longer you freeze the dough, the easier it is to cut.


4. Preheat oven to 375.


5. Remove dough from freezer. Slice into rounds. For a more "thin mint" texture, make sure that the rounds are no thicker than 1/4 inch. They won't spread very much, so you can place them closer together on a lined baking sheet.


6. Bake for 13-15 minutes, remove from oven and set on a wire rack until cooled.


7. Melt butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan. It will make a nice, thick chocolate sauce. Drop in cookies, turn with a fork to coat with chocolate. If the sauce begins to harden, you can heat it up until its back to the right consistency.


8. Place dipped cookies onto parchment paper, and let cool until chocolate hardens.

Note: The dough is incredibly thick, and I ended up not even using the mixer while adding the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. I kneaded it pizza-style, and trust me, if you do the same, you can call it your workout for the day. The next morning, you'll have arms so toned that Madonna will be green with envy! =D

Makes about 40 smallish cookies.

I wish my cookies looked this good... at least they're yummy!!!!

So besides baking, yesterday I took one test and studied for another. Then we went to our friend's house, and brought some cookies with us!!!! This is the same friend that recently had surgery, and she's doing really well!!!!!

Today, its super-duper cold outside (like 17 degrees) and I'm really dreading getting out!!!! But, we're going to church, so its not like its something unimportant or anything...=P.

What has been your favorite thing that you've baked recently?

Hope ya'll  have a wonderful Sunday!!!!!