Seeking Contentment | Faith | Fitness | Nutrition | Mindset | Family

I have a family member that frequently makes ‘Amish Friendship Bread’.  She is very generous with it and brings it to me (and the family) whenever we see them, which isn’t often enough (sigh).  I have asked her for some starter before, but she always tells me that I have enough going on and it takes days to make it, so she’ll just make it and give it to me. My poor family never gets much of it because I can’t stay out of it.  It’s delish!!!  Probably a good reason for me to not make it, I’d have some every 10 days…not good, at least for my waistline.

Much to my delight, my daughter brought home some ‘starter’ from a friend at school.  I was so excited.  I faithfully followed the steps every day.  Yesterday was my day to actually bake the bread and I couldn’t wait.  I was busy working out yesterday (thanks, Honey :o) and we had to leave for softball as soon as the kids I watch left, so I had to wait until we got home.  I went and bought bread tins to bake it in because you needed two and I only have one bread pan.  I got all the stuff out and mixed it all up short of dumping it in the pan and was thinking, “I am surprised that you don’t take the ‘give away’ bags of starter out before you put eggs and whatever else into it, but whatever”.  (I had read the directions several times throughout the week)  I was just getting ready to put it in the pans and I read down farther…..hmmmmm, that’s funny……no mention of taking the ‘give away’ starter out.  So….I opened the directions back up to ‘full page view’.  Uhhhhhh, you were supposed to put in more milk, flour, and sugar THEN take out the starter THEN add the remaining ingredients.  OH POOP!!!!!  Now what?  I have no starter to give away (much to the dismay of my 2 oldest girls, who had chosen recipients for it well over a week ago), I had 10 days wasted ‘mushing’ the bag, I had wasted all of the ingredients, I had wasted the time mixing it up, and most importantly…..I wasn’t getting my beloved bread :o(

My oldest said, “Why don’t you just bake it anyway”.  Hmmmmmm….wonder if that would work?  We discussed it for a while about how the ingredients proportions were off and they didn’t grasp that concept, but we decided to make it anyway.  I made 3 bread tins and put them in the oven for the 1hr cooking time.  They started smelling awesome, but I didn’t get my hopes up.  I really thought that would come out really runny in the middle or not set on the top or something wouldn’t work.  The timer went off and I, very doubtful, went to get the loaves out.

Much to my surprise….they looked like bread.  Tops nicely browned.  I thought for sure the middle would be like batter so I stuck a knife in one….came out clean.  Unbelieveable!!!  Next was the ‘taste test’.  I cut a piece off the end of one and gave it a whirl………it was good!  I don’t think it’s quite as yummy as the ‘real stuff’ is, but it’s definitely edible.

My daughters were upset that they didn’t have any starter so the oldest was going to ask her friend if she had anymore so we could do it right the next time.  Guess you live and learn, and just when I thought I was becoming ‘Suzy Homemaker’………………

I’m….so…..sore!!!!  My hubby has gotten in the habit of asking me every night after work if I worked out that day.  He really doesn’t care either way, but knows that it makes me feel better and I am happier if I work out.

Last week sometime, I was whining because he had stopped asking me and it’s my motivation sometimes.  I really feel like a loser if I have to tell him ‘no, I didn’t’.  Anyway, last night he asked me and I had to say ‘no’.  I worked a TON on the internet yesterday and also had kids I was watching and softball last night.  No excuses, I just didn’t make time……but there were reasons. LOL.

His solution to my already hurt ego…….”Ok, well then since you didn’t today, you can do 2 hours tomorrow to make up for it”.  I looked at him like he was absolutely crazy and said, “There’s no way, I have our 2 little ones, a 3 yo and a 4mo old tomorrow.  How am I going to accomplish that?” He said, “You can do it”.  UGHHHHHHHH…….”Deal”, I said and we did a ‘knuckle bump’ (you know, to seal the deal :o)

This morning I was determined to make this work so I divided the 2 hrs into 10 minute increments.  The kids were wanting to go outside, so I told them I needed 10 minutes to get the first one done.  I set the timer for 10 min and started running my stairs (12 to be exact).  I seriously wanted to die after 2 minutes.  I do quite a bit of Tae Bo and, occasionally, the treadmill or walking with the double stroller but this was a completely different ball game.  By the time I was done, my chest was burning, my calves and thighs hurt, and I was breathing like I was gasping for my last breath.  NOT COOL!

I gave up until naptime, not sure that I’d even be able to walk let alone do another 1 hr and 50 min of exercise today.  As the kids were eating lunch, I did a quick 20 min (Tae Bo).  After lunch, they went down for nap, so I did the rest of that DVD (30 min).  I was a little tired, but still able to move (LOL).  I ate an orange and a half a peanut butter sandwich, and went to it again.  I knew if I could get the other 45 min workout done, I’d be golden.  I’d just walk easy for the extra 15 min.  I was NOT going to tell him that I didn’t do it.  NO WAY!!!  I made myself get up and do the last video (Tae Bo again….LOVE Tae Bo, by the way :o).  By the time that was done, the kids were up again.  We went outside and I walked off my workouts with a 15 minute ‘cooldown’ up and down the driveway while the kids played.

I have never been so excited to do a ‘report’ than I was tonight!  I was given a challenge and I met it!  I told him that he may have to make his own lunch in the morning, because I am pretty sure that I’m not going to be able to get out of bed in the morning (LOL), but what a wonderful feeling!

Challenge yourself……or have someone else challenge you, you will find strength you didn’t know you had!

Sometimes I feel like I am spinning circles.  I have started this post a million times and still really don’t have anything.  Maybe as I write, something will come out….hehehehehehe.

I usually get on my blog several times a day and look for new posts in the blogs that I follow.  On days like these, they send me all over!  I am greatful and find new things and amazing new blogs to follow and learn from, but can easily spend HOURS looking and reading and following, etc.  Not a wise use of time, is it?  I am hoping that I will learn to control this, but I just get carried away with myself.  I find something that really encourages me or something that I can relate to or someone that shares my sense of humor then I start clicking on this and that and before I know it, I have been to 20 sites, submitted my site to a whole bunch of ‘networking’ or ‘promotions’, blah, blah, blah.  So….am I ‘working’ or am I ‘playing’?  I still have the house cleaned, somewhat.  Laundry is going, kids are busy or sleeping, etc.  Nothing really pressing NEEDS to be done, so am I wasting time or bettering myself?  I have found so much encouragement from others posts, strategically placed bible verses, family stories, etc that I feel like my ‘blog’ world is becoming a part of me.  I found a new book I want to read very much about spirituality and the link to fitness (and the fact that I grew up LOVING her and her bro makes me more excited!!!).  In fact, the first post I started today was about my half hearted attempt to lose weight (for good), so was this a good thing for me to find today?  I guess we’ll see….LOL.

Bottom line is, I guess, as long as this isn’t consuming me and taking away from my family, it’s ok.  Sure I waste a few hours here and there, but I am learning and growing so much.  I am using these sites as a sort of ‘second devotion’ time, so many amazing points of view and things to consider.  Do you have issues with other sites you find on the ’round about’ sending you on to awesome things and time just slips away?  I will say that it makes me a better person to always have these words of encouragement fresh in my mind.  So, for all of you that have helped me, I’ve tried to comment on your blogs….not necessarily for a return comment/follow, but because I was truly touched by something you wrote about or your blog as a whole.  Thank you for being awesome Christian role models, wives, mothers, friends, etc.  Someone out there is benefiting and thanking God for you!

I have been wondering about something…..I have watched the show “Extreme Couponing” a few times and am really in awe of these people that get hundreds of dollars worth of goods for pennies.  I almost feel guilty when watching it, like I am spending unnecessary hard earned money on food.  I am wondering, though, how much money these people spend on printer ink, paper, newspapers, etc.  You have to think that offsets their savings somewhat.  It also takes a ridiculous amount of time, do their families suffer from the time spent on this ‘obsession’?

Another thing I wonder about is how long companies and stores are going to offer good coupons.  If a sudden wave of people getting things for free or almost free comes over them, don’t you think they would cut back on the offers they give?  Is this show going to make coupons hard to get and/or use?

I am a frugal person.  I always have been but I don’t use coupons.  I should.  I get them if they are for something I use but, without fail, forget about them and they expire.  I never thought that much about them until people were walking out of a store with 3 carts for free.  Am I being a bad steward of our money?  I don’t think so.  We used to make fun of my mom because she’d let us go to McDonalds for lunch, but she’d always say, “We can go but we are going to eat cheap”.  ‘Cheap’ meant cheeseburger, small fry, water.  We were ok with it.  Now, I say the same thing.  My girls are ecstatic if they get a happy meal.  We just don’t buy extras like that.  We recently, during my hubby’s last lay-off stopped eating out at all.  Now if we do because of a crazy busy night or something, we are disgusted at the money spent.

Like I said, I have always been frugal.  I buy sales/clearance, garage sales, second hand stores, etc.  I just can’t justify spending a lot of money on anything.  My hubby’s work is hit and miss and we have never had an income that was steady.  It all can change in the blink of an eye.  Because of that, we budget pretty well and make things work.  I have learned a lot of little money savers over the years, basically out of necessity.

I guess overall, I feel a little guilty about not jumping on the bandwagon of ‘extreme couponers’….but don’t feel like I am wasting money either.  At some point, you have to have priorities and mine are my family…not spending hours looking for coupons.  We can make a little money go along way, and I am extremely proud of that.

Do you think that the ‘fad’ of extreme couponing will fade or is it here to stay?  Do you coupon?  Will people get sick of trying to be the people on tv that save hundreds of dollars?  Is that even possible for the average person?  What is your favorite money saving tip, minus coupons?  Leave me your thoughts on this crazy wave sweeping our nation.

My 5 year old is always saying funny stuff.  I always swear that I am going to remember it to tell her dad or grandparents or whoever.  I have a tendency to forget…..however, tonight we were waiting in the car for her sisters’ ball game to start and my hubby was eating his dinner.  (He got home from work as we were walking out the door).  I made brats and had watermelon and chips for him.  He wasn’t impressed with the brats and said the watermelon wasn’t sweet enough, blah, blah, blah….so I said, “Ok, well how were your chips?” (You know, kind of cocky because apparently his dinner which I made sure he had wasn’t up to par tonight)  He said, “They were really good, what kind were they?”  My daughter who was hanging over us taking in the dinner discussion said, “Potato”.  To which my hubby replied (while laughing) “Thanks, Captain Obvious”.  Hehehehehehehehehehe :o)

Glad she cleared that up for us……guess the brand and/or flavor didn’t occur to her, but she knew they were ‘potato’ chips…..LOL!!!!

Gotta love 5 yo thought processes.  What have your kids said to make you laugh lately?