Trying my best: Coming up short
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Freezer Meal Swaps
I am so very interested in participating in a freezer meal swap group. I have heard some great things from others that participate in these groups.
If you not quite sure what a freezer meal swap is, it is a group of people that choose to create and make a certain number of the same meal. This meal should be freezer friendly. Once the meals are made, the whole group of swappers get together and swap meals. This way each person gets one of each meal to take back home with them. These meals can be put in the freezer until the time when they need a quick meal.
From the research that I have done, it is important to do some organization and research of what works best from everyone involved. Here are a list of some vital information.
1. It is important to have a planning meeting with everyone involved. At this meeting, everyone should discuss any food allergies and food sensitivities. I believe that it is important to also set a price point for each person to spend on the meal. This is important because you don’t want to have spent a large amount of money and to not get equivalent meals in return.
2. Meals take need to be baked should be created and swapped in disposable aluminum pans. If a CrockPot freezer meal it created, it can be frozen and swapped in Ziplock freezer bags. This way you do not have to worry about getting your dishes back.
3. Use and create freezer friendly foods. Some things that do not freeze well are dairy products, cooked rice and potatoes, fried foods and crumb toppings. So choose your meals carefully.
4. The day of the swap…Everyone should bring the recipe and the directions to cook. Then take home and enjoy.
I know that there are a lot of ideas on Pinterest for freezer meal swap recipes. I look forward to looking, pinning and cooking some of the items on my board. Looking forward to finding a group and start swapping.
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Refraction
For this weeks Photo Challenge, we are supposed to have a picture of our idea of refraction.
My photo is a picture that I took with my phone of a rainbow being displayed over a field close to our house. I love rainbows and God’s promise to us that it represents.
11“I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.…”
Genesis 9:11-13
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Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
I am a fan of so many types of music. It is hard to narrow it down. I love everything from 80’s, Country, Pop, Oldies, Goodies, and everything in between.
My pick today is Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
This song just makes me happy. When I hear this song, I just want to sing along and dance. It is one of those feel good songs that make you happy the minute you hear it.
This song has been featured in several popular movies that include: Remember the Titans, Stepmom, Sister Act, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and several others.
Enjoy!
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Is Today the Day?
I am a school teacher and yesterday I got back those dreaded school pictures back from the photographers. I pulled that package of pictures out of my mailbox and I hate who I saw. I saw an unhealthy woman who relies on food to make herself feel better. I could see that my sedentary lifestyle has taken over my body and my life.
It was 10 years ago that I had my youngest child. Two weeks after having my child, I had enrolled into an activity college course titled “Walking” It was during this class that I started a new period in my life. I was required to walk. I had class twice a week and was required to walk for nearly the entire class period. This jump started a weight loss period in my life.
I eventually lost 50 lbs in a matter of 8 months. I couldn’t fit into my “fat” clothes anymore and had to buy new clothes. It was amazing to me at that time that I was eating so unhealthy. I started limiting my calorie intake and made sure that I never ate anything after 6:00 in the evening. This was a big part of my weight loss. I also never ate anything unless it was meal time. No snacks at all. All of this on top of my walking several times a week, led me to that 50 lb. loss.
Shortly after I experienced my major weight loss, I started experiencing anxiety attacks. I didn’t really know what was happening to me. There were times that I thought I was dying. I had never experienced these feelings before. I suddenly became a recluse that was almost confined to my house. It was the only place that I could relax and feel safe. I would try to go to town to go shopping for groceries and I literally couldn’t handle the crowds. I would need to leave. The best way for me to describe the feelings was that my blood was boiling. I couldn’t calm myself on the inside.
It got to where I couldn’t keep weight on. I lost another 20 lbs. This was almost too much of a weight loss. I wasn’t looking healthy or feeling healthy anymore. I can remember just thinking to myself that I would rather be overweight and “normal” than skinny and “miserable.”
I’m not sure where it turned around. I did go to the doctor. I did started taking medicine. I learned that there are many people out there in the world that suffer from anxiety, but it is such a taboo topic. I think people are afraid of appearing weak or even crazy. However, It started to turn things around. Within about 2 years, I started to gain weight again and feeling better.
Today, I’m on the other side of spectrum. I feel good in regards to my anxiety, but my weight is out of control. I don’t feel healthy and I don’t want to continue down this road. I am almost 40 years old and I need to take control. I need to make some changes. The older I get, the harder it will be to get my weight off.
Right now, I’m ready to make changes and live a healthier lifestyle. But, tomorrow, I will get hungry and food tastes good. I am constantly thinking about my next meal and how every event leads to a celebration of food. I have very little willpower. What can I do? How will I be strong enough to fight the temptations?
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It’s a Dream World
This is a picture of my dreamy entry for the Photo Challenge Entry for something dreamy as stated in the Photo Challenge. This is picture that I snapped as a looked down my road. This view stopped me in my tracks that day and made me realize what a beautiful world I live in.
This picture is a little ironic because just looking at this picture makes me see winter on it’s way. I love this picture, but I hate winter. I could seriously skip the winter months and head right into spring. Once the time changes in November with Daylight Savings time, I know that there are 4 miserable months ahead of me until the time changes again.
I have self diagnosed myself with seasonal depression. I need to sun to feel good. I need to be able to get outside and smell the air without freezing.
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My Hometown
My hometown is a place that brings me comfort. It is a town of approx. 700. It is a place where everyone knows everyone and probably their secrets, too.
My parents moved to this little town when I was 3 years old. We came from a large city. This was probably quite a shock to them when they first came. I don’t even remember living in the city, so this little town is all I know.
I attended school here from kindergarten to senior year here in this little town. I met my husband and got married in this little town. I had my children and now they attending school in this little town. I know the parents to all of my children’s friends because I probably went to school with them myself.
I love the sunset over hay fields and sitting at the local gas station eating an ice cream cone. I know almost everyone in the grocery store when I go and we are true fans of the high school team. I have been on every back road and swam in the local rivers and streams. I have wonderful fond memories of this little town and it is close to my heart.
My hometown.
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Early Detection is Best
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This month is dedicated to increasing awareness of the disease and the steps necessary to protect yourself. Early detection is key to survival.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause to death in women, but is the most common type of cancer found in women.
If you have a family history of breast cancer then that increases your risk factors in developing the disease yourself. This risk cannot be changed or altered. However, there are some risk factors that can be changed. This means that you need to live a healthy lifestyle. This includes being active and eating healthy. Alcohol consumption can increase your risk, too.
Women should be taking precautions to make sure that there is early detection. This means doing breast self-exams once a month. A mammogram should also be performed on a regular basis starting at the age of 40. This is usually on a yearly basis or as directed by your doctor.
I have a personal connection to breast cancer. I have a family history of this disease. My maternal grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have mastectomy. Then, about 10 years later they found a tumor in the other breast and had to have another mastectomy. I worry about how this can increase my risk factor.
Please love yourself and loved ones enough to take care of your health. Perform those self-exams and follow up with a doctor if you are ever concerned about anything.
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Things that Scare Me
Oh, my this could be a lengthy list. I am in fear of everything. My anxiety gets the best of me at times. I tend to worry about things that never come to fruition. This I believe is my greatest fault. I let my mind over think things when I shouldn’t. I worry about things that I can’t control. I worry about things that could change my life forever. I worry about the way people think about me. I worry if I’m making an impact on others. I worry about the decisions of my children. And the list goes on and on.
So, while my list could be miles long. I think that I should probably focus on what I should be worried about the most. I am scared that I may spend my entire life worried about what could happen that I miss all of the greatest things that my life is and can be. If I live my life in constant fear of so many things, can I really enjoy living the life that I’ve been given? But the question is how? How do I stop doing something that I don’t consciously make a decision to do. It just happens. I don’t choose to worry. It just happens.
I need to find a happy medium between being cautious and overly paranoid. I need to learn to relax and enjoy the moments as they come. I should learn to stop and smell the roses.
This is my fear. The need to control something that may not be controllable.
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Strike Three! You’re Out!
This is the final installment of my 3 post series. I have linked my other two posts so you can catch up on the story.
We had managed to enjoy a full day of Saturday fun on our rough start of a camping trip. We went swimming, floating, ate dinner, and of course enjoyed the required Smores that makes it a true campfire experience. After eating, the campfire was circled with lawn chairs as we all sat around and visited. We were introduced to two new camp games.
The first being “High-Low.” Everyone takes turns around the circle and shares their High for the day and their Low for the day. As a mother, I enjoy this very much. I love hearing my children talk about the things that made their day and also the things that they didn’t enjoy very much. Even on our last camping trip we forgot to share at the campfire, so we all lay in our tent side by side, so we did our High-Low before we went to bed.
The second game isn’t necessarily just a camping game. It is called, “I’ve Never.” Everyone holds up 5 fingers and you take turns going around the circle saying something that you have never done. If you have done the thing stated, you have to put down a finger. So, to win the game you should be the last one left with a finger up.
Anyway, on Sunday morning we awoke and were all sitting around sleepily. There were adults sitting around drinking coffee, so we decided to make hot chocolate for the children to drink. Since, I’m not a coffee drinker, I chose to drink the hot chocolate. I sat in my camp chair admiring the fire. My third child, a little girl that was four at the time, woke up and sat next me in her little princess camp chair. She wanted my hot chocolate to drink, so I handed it to her. She took a drink and sat with it in her hand. The next thing I knew she dozed back off in her chair and spilled the hot chocolate all over her legs. The hot chocolate was so hot that she started to scream. I picked her up and immediately adults were running around trying to help. One person grabbed the water container to pour over her. Another ran to get the first aid kit. When we poured the water over her leg, the skin just peeled off. We laid her across the table and put burn medicine on her leg.
Strike Three!
When we left later that day, we decided that the burn was to severe. We ended up in the ER. She had a second degree burn from that hot chocolate. The doctor gave us silver dine ointment and gauze wrap to keep it covered.
It was certainly an eventful camping trip that we will never forget. After all of this, we have been camping again and have learned to love our trips.
Our Crazy Life 