Just some pondering and thinking

So A lot has happened in the last 3 years of my life I will first start off with meeting my husband who the lord has guided to me. I know there has been a lot of articles going around about how we choose our husband/wife, how to commit, how you should treat your marriage or even how you should parent. I do agree with a lot of what they have to say but some of it I don't. I want to share some insight I have had through the past couple of months as all these articles have been flying through Facebook and even being debated over.

I think we all have personal, and spiritual experience that bring us to the person we choose to marry. The path is not easy and has its ups and downs whether its through dating or the first couple of months of marriage. For me it was during dating.

 I am a student at BYUI and everyone feels the pressure to get married. However when my husband and I met we felt that pressure and sat down and talked about it. We decided that we were going to enjoy our dating life and see where it brought us. We had a blast together and really got to see who each other where. We let each other grow by living in different states and talking on the phone. This helped us to really get into each others minds and ask real questions. I left on a study abroad soon after returning from that long summer. We then had to decide if we would continue to date or take a break. However the thought of not being together broke my heart and his heart.

We soon knew that through these "trails" we would be able to make it. I spoke to him almost everyday on my study abroad telling him all the wonderful things I had learned and saw. He talked about how being and Engineer Major was going to kill him. We over came a lot together, even more then I am sharing here. We grew spiritually together and we new we loved each other.

We got married and guess what? We had to learn more about each other and how to adjust to living with each other and how to be husband and wife. However we did it together. I think that is the most important thing. Is doing it together!

We will find the person we want to marry whether through spiritual guidance from god, through a best friend, or someone that that is sitting across from you in a class. However, it happens in your own experience, its your life choices and it's your own individual decisions that will bring you to that person. My experiences will never be the same as the person next to me. But my decision will affect the rest of my life and the rest of the future generations ahead.

Life doesn't get easier and that's why we choose a spouse, because it is so much easier to go through the hardships of life with someone by your side then by your self.

You may find that you feel a lone sometimes however that is your choice and your spouse choice. I think a lot of what the articles going around are stating is don't think about yourself so much. Or think about what would make you happy and TALK about it with your spouse. If there is a silence in your marriage break it! Never let anything get in the way of the people you love.

And sometimes an agreement, hurt feelings, or even a bad day can be solved with a simple "I'm Sorry". For a girl this is hard to understand because most of us like to talk everything out. But for my husband it means the world to him if I just look at him and simply say those two words. That's it!

All I am simply stating is that you have a personal experience through out your whole life. Enjoy it, do what you feel is right, and love it the rest of your life. The past will never change but the future is full of a thousand possibilities.

Shanel

A new calling and a new journey!

Some of you may know that I have been the new mothers specialist for about half a year now. I have loved my calling and being able to see how god truly touches the lives of others. I have learned that god really answers our prayers through others and I know there were times that I had a feeling to text or call someone and had no reason why. All I knew is I needed to ask specific questions, and then I knew what I needed to do.

Well now about 3 weeks ago our Relief Society President got released, usually with a president released there are always a lot of new callings. So the spirit some what warned me, "You are getting a new calling". Hmm I thought, am I really ready for a new calling. I really love my calling and I was getting comfortable with it. I think that is the key to change, especially with heavenly father. Once we have learned what we needed in a calling, Heavenly Father gives us a more challenging one to help our continual growth. So now you are wondering what is your new calling? Right!

I have been called as the Relief Society President of newly married couples ward. Now you might think oh you have it easy you are all newly married. However that is not the truth. I have learned that we all struggle in different parts of our life. But this time in my life and the other sisters around me, we have growth to build. This is the time we build those testimonies that will help us through those hards times. This is a time where we commit to the gospel and do not let others test our testimonies. This is the time we build shields from Satan to help us prepare for little one's that will need our testimonies to build ones of their own.

So how do we do that? I had no idea until I got called, seriously becoming the Relief Society President of  a ward is one of the craziest things I have ever gotten. All this inspiration from the spirit and talking with the previous relief society president helped me to see the needs of the sisters and how to help.

Visiting Teaching (which I will reference to as VT, just so you know). VT is one of the most over looked callings in the church, and there is such a need for it. VT is not just a calling but it is a commandment through the Lord. We are to serve those around us, and to be a member missionary. However we forget to serve those around us and to those we are assigned to. But I don't think VT is not done because of the lack of wanting to. By the spirit I feel that we as women go from Young Women's to Relief Society and have no training on what is expected of us and how we do it.

My presidency and I have come up with a plan that is sure to help build the testimonies of VT. This is something that as mothers we should help our girls understand that VT is worth their time and will help them and other to build a stronger testimony of the church. I think we should take our girls once they hit a certain age VT with us. To show them that we go to these sisters houses for a purpose not just to talk and mingle. That missionary work is needed in your own ward, and that sisters need friends and people that support them. They need to feel welcomed and apart of the ward.

A quote that the stake presidency stated to me in training was "If you had to report your visiting teaching to Jesus Christ, would you take it a little more seriously?". Would we build a better relationship with our sisters? Would we serve them more and help them more?

This is a new journey and many people ask "Oh are you stressed?", "Are you overwhelmed?". Actually our Heavenly Father has been guiding me ever step of the way. He has guided me to amazing counselors and secretary. He has also helped me to gain a greater appreciation for this gospel and for how much the leaders of this church love their members and are grateful for their commitment and strength that they bring.

I know there is a true prophet on the earth today and I know that this is the true church of the Lord and Jesus Christ! I also know that Visiting Teaching is important.

Spaghetti Pizza

This is one of my favorite meals to make because it seriously is very easy to make and takes me no time to make. Plus its one of my husbands favorite meals.
wish I had a picture, I will make this next week a post one! but seriously delicious
So here is the recipe:

Ingredients: 

Pre-made pizza dough

1lb of hamburger

Italian Seasoning (optional)

Basil (optional)

Pepper (optional)

Spicy Mushroom Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 in baking dish.

Unroll pizza dough in baking dish, press it over the bottom and halfway up the sides.

bake for 7 min.

While crust bakes, sauté the beef (I add onions and basil and pepper in my meat but its optional). break it up while cooking.

Drain meat, rinse with hot water, drain out as much water as possible.

Turn out meat onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and roll up the meat in the towel to blot up any moisture (this really helps!).

Pour meat into a bowel, add sauce (I add a little bit of Italian seasoning optional), and mix together.

Spread meat over the crust and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake until browned and the cheese melts, about 8 minutes.

Cooking for 2

Cooking for two people can be hard for anyone, especially for the cook in the relationship. However, I wanted to give you some tips I use, to help you get started.

So the first thing I struggled with was buying spices. They are really expensive and sometimes I am not sure if I am even going to use it again to be worth buying. So I began to look for cheaper ways to buy spices.

Smith's Grocery store has spices for $1 which to me seems like a great price and they are bottled and not in the little packets you see.

Winco is also a grocery store but they carry some items in bulk such as spices, I can get the amount I need and pay penny's for it! So look for stores that carry bulk items because they are usually cheaper to buy.

I also re-use my spice bottles and little jars from red chili's and so forth, for spices I buy in bulk. That also saves you money.

Cut recipes: When I am cooking for just my husband and I, I always cut the recipes in half, sometimes I still put the same amount of vegetables in, it just depends. But you really have to get into the mind set of cut recipe in half. I sometimes put sticky notes on the page to remind me. With spices I usually just start with a smaller amount and then work my way up.

Meat: This one can be a tricky one, however once you get the art down of separating and putting in the freezer it can be a benefit for you.

I usually only buy meat when it is on sell, such as Chicken I only buy when it is under $2 lb., and hamburger when it is under $3 lb. So basically when that happens I buy in bulk and stock up my freezer.

Hamburger I separate into 1/2 lb. sections. This makes it easy to grab and defrost and I can always add more meat if needed. In my opinion I feel for most meals you don't need more meat then vegetables in your food.

Chicken I separate also into two pieces but make sure they won't stick to each other. Sometimes the chicken breasts I buy are hug, so I can usually just use 1 piece of chicken for 2 people, I just defrost,  cut it up into cubes or cut it in half (depends on the type of meal).

Non-Meat Dinner: surprisingly my husband came up with this because he realized that we were eating a lot of meat for dinner. This has also helped me to step out of my comfort zone and look up new recipes with no meat and find really good substitutes for meat.

Quinoa is a great substitute for meat because of its bulkiness, learning how to cook and bake with it can be a great advantage (you can also get it at most bulk stores for a cheaper price).

A book I really like to use for these types of recipes is Eat to Live  this book was recommended to me by a doctor a couple of years ago and I have loved it, it teaches you the reason nutrition is so important. I don't use it as a weight lose program I just use the recipes in the back of the book which are amazing. (they also have a cook book out now)

Substitutes: I use substitutes a lot in my cooking. When I get a recipe that looks good and I don't know what some of the ingredients are or look like, I always look them up on the internet. If I go to the store and find that it is really expensive then I look up substitutes that match the recipe I am making. I usually have the substitute at home.

Something I have substituted before is chicken broth, I can use soy sauce and a few other ingredients as a broth and it works just as great.

Here is a link on substitutes for chick, beef and vegetable broth here

Cooking help: I use a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, and my blender a lot and they save me time all the time.

I convert a lot of my recipes into slow cooker meals . All I do is take the ingredients I would cook together  in a pan and place in the slow cooker on low and let cook while I am at school or work and then I will cook noodles, or rice really quick and its all done.

Rice Cooker, I love my rice cooker a lot. this saves me a lot of time and mess by just putting it in the rice cooker. I also cook quinoa in my rice cooker. After cooking the rice or quinoa you can just add it to the meal when its done.

All you do is 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.

 so if you wanted 2 cups of rice you would do 4 cups of water close the lid and press cook.

 I know there are more fancier rice cookers out there but mine is pretty basic and small just enough for 2 people.

You cook Quinoa just the same as rice 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water.
  here is a link (I just don't add salt)
P.S. one cup of Quinoa is enough to feed 4 to 8 people

Steamer: This I use when I just want vegetables as a side dish. I only steam my vegetables for 5 to 10 min because I don't want to steam all the nutrients out of the vegetables I just want them to be a little soft.

Blender: this is for my puree's and smoothies, and I also blend vegetables my husband doesn't like and put it in food he never notices and gets the nutrients he needs =)

Cook Books:
I love cook books and go to thrift stores and pick some up or I wait for sales at a book store and then go buy them for really cheap. These can be life savers and really help you think outside the box.

One of my favorite cook books is Fast Fixes with Mixes. They are really easy and have a variety of meals and even slow cooker meals.

Meal Planning: This is probably the dreaded day of the week for my husband however it really helps me to have a plan and know what I need to buy. Because if we don't have a plan I don't make dinner because I  have no idea what to make =).

So going through recipes, Pinterest, and cook books really helps us to have an idea of what each of us want rather then Roman and Mac and Cheese for dinner.

So figure out the day you are going grocery shopping and then write down your meal plan. I usually do it on Saturday every week or every two weeks.

Also make sure the list is some where you can see it, and don't be scared to adjust the meal plan, its just there as a guide for the week.

Don't be scared: Cooking is all about trial and error, so don't be scared of the ingredients.

I have learned how to cook with so many different vegetables since I have started all this. I also learned how to incorporate it into other meals.

Such as Leek's they kinda look like a piece of a palm tree when you first see them but they are very similar to a green onion. So I used the rest of them as an onion and they taste just the same.

Talk to people about cooking and collect different recipes.

Ad Shopping: If you don't get the sunday paper then try to pick up ads at your local grocery store that way you can see what they have on sale and in season. It is way cheaper to use vegetables and fruits that are in season rather then just buying food you know you like. It helps with that creativity in cooking =)

Cooking shows: I love watching Master Chef and you actually learn how to cut and cook certain food by just watching the show.

Recipes I use a lot: here are just a few of the recipes I use with links
Quinoa Tacos (just scroll to the bottom) Husbands favorite
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Slow cooker Sloppy Joe's 

Great place to find recipes:
Undressed Skeleton
Pinterest.com
Chart of what's in season

I have plenty of more recipes and if you have any questions or need help let me know =)

"No Slamming the Body"

The title of this post comes from a guest speaker in my class this wed. She teaches at ISU and explained to us some of the studies she found on how we as LDS women see and need to see our body. I really want to share with you and other's about this lesson because I really do feel that it has been life changing.

She asked us these 3 questions today, that she called the 3 questions that Influence Body Image

1. How do I view myself in the mirror?
2. How do I perceive how other people see me?
3. How do I feel in my own body?

Now as a reader of my blog I would  like you to truly answer these questions, either to yourself in a journal however you want to do it.

Okay now that you have probably overly critiqued yourself I want you to think about this question and write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

• What does God think about your body?

Now I want you to look at your first piece of paper with the three question and if none of them are positive, NONE... I want you to take that list and tare it up, burn it shred it. What you want to do is never say those things to yourself again! NEVER!

Now you might be saying well I don't know what God thinks about my body? Here is the simplest answer you will ever get..... Pray and ask!  Thats it.. I am a firm believer in prayer and I love the time I get to talk to my Heavenly Father because I get to really hear what he thinks and helps me solve problems in my life. So try it be patient and maybe ask him everyday to give you that extra boost!  

Now as a Latter-Day Saint we are taught some Doctrine about the body which is:

1. That we are created in the image of God
2. That our body is a gift from God
3. We have to have a body to return to our Heavenly Father
4. We should consider our bodies as a temple

Now with that knowledge "Do you or I have the RIGHT to call  our body fat"? When it is a gift from God? I never thought of that questions until our guest speaker asked us that very question.

Why do we get up and look at ourselves in the mirror and say all the mean things? Why do we say we are fat, ugly, have wrinkles, not good enough. When in fact Our very own Heavenly Father doesn't think that?

Through this last week I have learned that the media is training us for failure and wants us to never feel good enough so we will tweak, stab, cut, eat and do anything to be what the media wants us to be. The media is teaching us to worship our body and to do what ever it takes to have the "perfect" body, clothes, shoes, and everything else. When in fact there is no perfect person on this earth, I know shocker right.

Now with Doctrine of the church we are able to have a plan and direction on what to do but sometimes we miss associate Doctrine with Tradition.

An example the speaker used was her niece was in a textile class in college and her assignment was to go to church dressed in a non-LDS look.

Okay so lets talk about "the LDS look"
Not LDS: Tattoo's, more then one earring, and tight fitting clothes
that's usually what we associate with dress and grooming.
(Now I am not saying people can't have these and be in the church, but generally if you have grown up in the church and haven't done these.)

Her niece stayed within doctrinal standards but just had a pok-i-dot shirt and striped skirt. As she went to church where people in her ward new her and talked to her frequently ended up not talking to her and giving her weird stares the whole time. People treated her differently.

Now what does that have to do with the body? Well we go through life worrying so much about how we look, and how others look that we forget that the people around us are just like us. We face the same problems, we feel left out, we feel like we don't fit in. When in fact it is our own mind, what the media is feeding us, and Satan tempting us to feel these things.

If we woke up each day and said wow I look great my body is amazing. Our attitude would be completely different. We would be able to enjoy the life around us and also feel great about ourselves. We have to change our paradigm of how we see ourself to how does God see me.

Our bodies are amazing and do so much for us. The fact that our heart and lungs monitor on their own with out us having to tell it to is amazing. Our fingers, thumbs and eye brows are amazing and can do so much. So why do we slam it with all the negative words that only hurt ourself.

My challenge is for you to wake up every morning say a prayer asking Heavenly Father what he thinks about your body, because you would like to know.

Second I want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself your body is amazing and believe in it!  Look at how you feel that day.

Also if you have a friend that is complaining about his/her body tell her/him "No slamming the body" and explain to her/him that the body is amazing.

We all have imperfections but those imperfection should never define who we are as a person

Courage to be a Women

So I am in a Women's Health Class this semester and I have loved every minute of it. My teach Sister Allen really is great at teacher her students to be proud to be a women and not ashamed of it, whether its checking your self for breast cancer or even standing up for women's rights. Now I am not saying to become a extreme feminist. What I am saying is it not a bad thing to be a women. Women have come such a long ways since the 1800's and the world continues to change and not necessarily for the better. We have been watching videos on women and how the entertainment industry portrays women as objects.

The entertainment industry is diminishing the true beauty of women and causing women to try to become the impossible. Even models don't look like they do in ads. So lets talk!

Ask yourself these questions
What do I not like about myself?
What are my flaws?

Now ask:
What are my strengths?
How does Heavenly Father see me as his Daughter?
What do I do everyday to feel positive about myself?

This world throws so much at us from the time that we are born that we are becoming morbid into what the world wants us to become. However I am here to tell you that you are beautiful, and worth more then anything in this world. You have the power to accomplish your dreams and you have the power to achieve all that you want to achieve. So why let Satan get into your head and tell you, you are not good enough, you cant do anything, and your dreams will never come true.

Lets first talk about modesty.... Ooo the dreadful word for some.. think about what first comes to mind when you hear that? Maybe old granny, dresses to the wrist and ankles, and of course nothing that looks good. Okay I know how you feel. When I was getting married I thought my clothes were modest however I soon found out that they are a little short or the neckline is a little low.. talk about melt down, I couldn't even find a dress to leave my reception in with out having a melt down. However I have learned to adjust and that I need to look a little harder..

Now you might be wondering why is this so important. I will tell you that how we dress each and every day, for what ever event, sends a message to women around us and even little girls. Modesty should be a sign of confidence and self-worth.

Here is an example of a women who inspires women all over the world Audrey Hepburn she is an example to all. She shows us that you can be beautiful and in fashionable by being modest.

Some scientific prof is the study done in Princeton University by lead student Susan Fiske. She confirmed that when women are seen by men in bikin's they are dehumanized and seen as objects such as tools. "Men were also more likely to associate images of sexualized women with first-person action verbs such as "I push, I grasp, I handle,". 

I found this study here if you want to read more its quiet interesting!

I also was able to watch a video on a very inspiring women and her effort to show women that there are ways to be modest and more fashionable at the same time:

The evolution on Swimsuits

Jean Kilbourn is also a leading lady in trying to get the word out there of how we are affected by the media today even as young girls. How we are seen as just objects in advertisement or that we need to be "sexy" to be considered pretty. The media in reality teaches us that we will never achieve perfection and that we should look down on ourselves for it.

Here is a short version of one of her discussion on how advertisement is changing women for the worst

Killing Us Softly 4 

So I hope through these examples that you can find the confidence to hold your head up high and to be proud to be a WOMEN!!! To be confident in how we dress, talk, and act!

I end this message on a spiritual note!

Courage

Have the courage to be strong and not fall into the sins of the world, but to live a higher law.

I love you all and please share this if you believe in what I have shared =) 

The Meaning of Education

So growing up I have always been told you need to go to college you will love it and it will be very rewarding. However I have hit a point in my college life where I didn't feel what I was doing was what I really wanted to do. My husband and I have been praying about it and I have decided that I am not on the right track to where I should be going. So what now, do I just quite college or do I create a new goal? The answer is to make a new set of goals. People always ask me what I like to do and I always seem to answer "I like to party". You may laugh but it is true, I love putting parties together and celebrating life. However one of my other passions is to help people change for the better. So I have decided to get my associates and then become a fitness instructor for a gym. This is something I love to do and I get to do both of my passions Party and Support others.
Now some of you may not agree with this decision and may think oh she is just giving up. That is what I thought for the longest time, but as I have prayed and took counsel from my wonderful husband. He told me that I can still be considered educated even just being a fitness instructor. We want our children to know that education needs to be important in their lives, but we want them to find and do the things they love. Education doesn't have to mean the amount of degrees you have. We should be living lives that are full of constant learning and educating ourselves on the things we love and are curious about.

So after this fall I will be graduated with my Associates and then moving on to getting certified as a Fitness Instructor. Call me crazy but I am so excited about this decision and can't wait for what the future holds for me.


Okay now onto the Yummy food I have been cooking
Last night I made this delicious Creamy Broccoli Casserole

Here is the ingredients
2 chicken breasts Shredded chicken (either boiled or baked in the crock pot)
1to 2 cans Cream of Mushroom
Broccoli (fresh or frozen)
and shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven 350
2. Make sure you cook the chicken and shred it
3. Then just combine all ingredients in a bowl
4. Place in a baking pan
5. put shredded cheese on top 
6. Then put in the oven for 25 min.

Its really that easy, you don't need to add any spices it taste delicious.
I hope you enjoy and take the challenge to do what you love
Shanel

Some Healthy Tries

So I have been seeing lots of recipes for Quinoa, and it happens that my husband really wants to have meals with out meat. I couldn't believe I heard that when I did. We have some kind of meat in our dinner every night. However meat is a little expensive so we are trying some alternatives. We had Quinoa taco's, they were really good and here are somethings I learned. 1st you can cook Quinoa in a rice cooker, however make sure your rinse the Quinoa before cooking. If you don't have a thin strainer put a paper towel in the bottom of your strainer it should rinse the Quinoa and help you not to lose it. 2nd 1 cup of Quinoa can make enough for 4 to 8 people. This is something good to know because it's just my husband and I so we have lots of left overs. 3rd it took only 1 taco to fill me up. 4th I reduced a lot of the spices, because I am still trying to figure out my spice tolerance haha so cutting the spices in half was the perfect amount. It had great taste but wasn't killing my mouth. 5th I didn't have chicken broth and so I looked up substitutes, so I used soy sauce (The recipe is near the end for soy sauce on the link)! It was great and didn't take away from the flavor. My husband really enjoyed the Quinoa and went back for 3rds! So it was a hit and we will have it again for sure. I have been working out everyday this week and I can really notice a difference in my endurance and body. My running seems easier and I am beginning to really enjoy working out. It really helps me to stay focused and feel like i am being motivated. I haven't watch any of my t.v. shows in 2 weeks! I am sure i have a lot to catch up on. But I almost don't miss it. T.v. to me seems to just take up all my time and I feel so unmotivated to do anything. I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend, I know I will be!

Monday Start up!

Okay okay so its been a week since I posted, I am sorry for not giving you updates and encouragement through the week! However I will tell you the changes I have made since this journey has helped me a lot. So Easter was about a week ago and my husband and I asked one of our really good friends if they would go down to Utah with us to go to the Festival of Colors! We had never been and thought it would be fun and give us some time in the sun. So we went down Friday and stayed in Salt Lake City for a while, I really love going downtown it reminds me of Houston Texas. Any way we went to the new City Creek Mall which is the most clean, and nice mall I have ever been to and its all outside around the city. I love it. Well we got to Robbie's grandparents house and settled in. We woke up the next day to go to the Festival of Colors, lets just say we learned not to park by the free way and take the shuttle because it took forever to get to the Hindu Temple. So I bet some of you are wondering what the Festival of Colors is? Well its the celebration of spring and all the colors it brings with it. Ever since I have been to Turkey and Greece 2 years ago I have grown to love other cultures, and learning about them. This celebration was full of color and fun, you buy these packets of colors which is cornstarch, died and scented... I think they could hold off on the scented part but that's just me. It was a lot of fun though. We then went back to Gma and Gpa's house to clean up and take a little nap. After that we got to go play disc Golf. This is a sport introduced to me by my wonderful husband. We played a lot last summer when we were in Ohio, and I began to get really good. I was a little rusty that day but I turned out pretty good. After Disc Golf we went to Wal-mart to prepare for Easter the next day and get some food and some things for our Easter baskets. As we put everything away and the house we headed to Orem to spend time with Robbie's Uncle Brad and Aunt Wendy. We got to eat and play games and just spend time with family. I really love that we at least have some family close because I go through times where I really miss having family around. The next day was Easter, the great thing about going to Utah, is that there is a church almost every block. So we found a church and went to scarament, it is always great to hear about the Atonement and how important it is to each of us. I really love Easter time because it reminds us of the new season, and new beginnings we are not perfect but with Jesus's example we can sure try as hard as we can. So now that I have caught up on all that, this last friday we sold our car in a week of putting it up and for a really good price. We are now trying so hard to get a newer car. We have almost everything set up but just need the dealer to get one document for it to be a go... Patients is a virtue right?... Well Robbie has been working so hard and we have been praying on our decisions and asking the Lord to help us and he has sure answered our prayers. I am so grateful and can see the blessings. Hopefully today everything works out and we can run down to Utah and get our car =)... Being a grown up is really scary sometimes but I trust in the lord and know he is mindful of our needs. Yesterday was our 1 year Anniversary, people always tell me it's the hardest. I have to say it was the best year of my life, life with Robbie is just so much better then not... He is the greatest husband and is really patient with me. I need that sometimes. We spent the day watch conference, playing games, making dinner and robbie making our initials out of cards. It was a perfect Sunday. Okay so my friend and I have been going through ups and downs with our work outs just because of sickness and traveling going on.. So this week we are actually going to do different things on the days we don't go running so we get more out of our workouts. Today I did some beginning Yoga, I really am not a fan of yoga but i have been inspired by some of my friends who do it. So I want to push through the hard part and hopefully see some results and less back pain. Mondays are always the hardest to start but once you get going it really helps and makes your day a lot better. So get up and go do something, stretch, lift weights, do some squats.. Whatever but once you do it I know you will feel better and that bad day will not be as bad =)... Good luck

Monday, Monday, Monday....

So I bet you feel the same way I do on Monday's "I wish it was Friday". However trying to stay positive because Easter is right around he corner! My husband and another couple are going to drive down to Utah to go to the festival of colors, and then spend some time with family for Easter. I think it is really weird that Easter is in March but I guess it happens... However I am really excited and I have so much to do from now till then... I need to bake some cookies to take to some friends to wish them a happy Easter, and I found a great recipe here and even some tips on icing, colors and the cookie part here. The dough taste amazing and fluffy... Okay I know what your thinking what happen to being healthy. Well I still love baking and sugar, just having self-control and having it in moderation. However I had my first day of 3 healthy meals. Breakfast Light French Toast, Lunch was Tuna and Fruit Toast, and Dinner was Pineapple Chicken bites, I added some frozen stir fry mixed veggies and rice. It was all very good and I found myself with Whole Grain bread I get full a lot faster so I end up eating less, which is good. I love food with a passion so eating healthy and feeling full is a great feeling. Some monday enthusiasm is much needed, so lets remember that we are trying to get Summer Ready! Be the women, wife, and mother we have always wanted to be. To be examples and mentors to those around us. Don't give up when you are so close. Get up and just do some arm work outs, I promise you will feel better. =) Happy Monday!

It's A Life Style Not A Quick Fix

Today will mark my the last day of my first interval run and now onto week 2. Its amazing how fast it goes by and how much easier it feels by started from the bottom and working your way up. My friend and I were talking about some of the health ideas we are trying to do and keep in our families to help them have healthy habits. Both our husbands are not really up for a total make over and would rather not worry about being healthy, but not everyone can have their figure. So my friend and I try to come up with compromises that won't make them feel like they are dying. My idea is to take 3 days out of the whole week and just do 3 healthy meals that I get from this blog Undressed Skeleton . A lot of the recipes look really good and are not hard to make. It can be really expensive to buy all healthy food for a week, or even months worth. However I figure if I find recipes that have similar ingredients it will not be a waste and doing it only 3 days week will help me start stocking up on things such as nuts, and whole grain products. Many diets and fitness instructors will tell you to go through and throw a way all your junk food or things that are not good for you. However as a poor college student that just seems like a waste of money. Plus I have a husband that loves chips, candy, cookies etc. So I try to limit myself by placing things I like in a baggy, I know how many are in there and what the calorie intake is of each one. Yesterday my husband brought me a cinnamon roll home, He is s nice. But as I looked at it I couldn't stop thinking about the calorie intake. So I cut it in half and then that half pieces in half again. Put it on a plate and had a little. There are always solutions to over indulging. Another thing my friend and I talked about was how so many people (on that documentary I recommended to you all yesterday) would say they didn't have self control. To me this seemed not to be the right answer. We all have self control, sometimes we just have to take control of the food that comes into our life. No one makes me order a hamburger, fries, and a soda every time I go out to dinner. However, I could order a hamburger and split it with my husband or friend and then have a side of fruit and water. What the eye see's the eye wants. So if you place it in front of you, you will eat it. But if you tell yourself will this help me or will this hurt me then you can start eating right by exchanging things. I read in a fitness book one time that a person not on a "Diet" can go hours without food. However once they put themselves on a "Diet" they are hungry all the time, and tell themselves they can't have this or that because they are on a diet. STOP! Don't ever tell yourself you are on a diet or that you can't eat this or that. If you look at a food you really like but you know you shouldn't eat, tell yourself this, " I can have that, but I am choosing not to" Try it! It really works. This helps you to feel in control of your life. It also makes you accountable for what you are eating. Don't let food take control of your life, don't let it be an addiction you can't control. If you think about it this could be a temptation from Satan to try and make you addicted to food that is not good for your body, which then can cause weight gain, severe health problems, which bound you to expensive medications, doctors, a shorter life span and not to mention not being able to do all the things you would like to do. Now there are health conditions out there that can make it difficult to lose weight and physically disable you from being able to walk, run and other work outs. But if you have a goal in mind and look for ways to change unhealthy habits it will make a difference. This life style might seem expensive, hard, and even impossible. But don't let excuses prevent you from having the life you always dreamed of. To be healthy and fit. When I say healthy and fit I don't want you to think of models or even athletes. Simply that your body is functioning properly, you don't have limitations because of weight and food. You are in full control of your body and mind. Everyone is always looking for a quick fix when in reality you can simply make a few changes at a time, lose weight, gain muscle, and be happy with yourself because you did it through hard work and determination, not through expensive surgeries, or unhealthy diets that only work temporarily. If you are not willing to take action you may lose a little weight but old habits will creep right back in, and nothing gets solved. Think of the person you would like to be, things you would like to see and do. Be DETERMINED to be that person. Be the example to your family and get educated on being Healthy. Have the energy you always wanted and the body you always dreamed of! Happy Friday and good luck this Weekend!!!

Some Thursday inspiration and Spouse work-outs

So yesterday I watched a great health documentary on Netflix's. Its called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Its basically about a man who is Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and fighting all these health problems and finally takes a motive on changing it by starting with a 60 day Detox! Along his journey he helps those around him also change their life habits into good ones. He mostly has saved not only his life but also those who took his challenge. He helps the audience to over come your doubts and explains how hard it is to do the detox but after the first 3 days how much better you feel and the results are amazing. If you need a little motivation for the day and just need to watch a movie I highly recommend it. My husband and I also started working out together on the days I don't run. That way I am getting cardio and he can get some exercise in. He is a lot of fun to work out with and is always a great motivation for me to keep going and try harder. I found a great website page on couple work outs, here . Alway remember to do what you can and never push yourself to hard. Becoming healthy can be a challenge at first but with a team and help around you, you can do it!

Working out and getting rewarded!

So I started running my first week of intervals. It was far better then I could have ever expected. Running 1min and briskly walking 2 min was a lot better then trying to kill myself to run a straight mile. It also only took about 21min which is amazing. So if you have been debating whether to start running or not stop putting it off! Get up today and change your life and feel better. I have been researching a lot of my pins on Pinterest on working out, meal plans, eating healthy and so forth. I found an amazing blog today. I feel that everyone should read this blog and take notes, I know I have. I have learned so much in the past two days from this blog that I am inspired and not willing to give up! She has great advice on how to stay motivated by changing up your routine, she has links to work out videos, yoga videos, and even muscle toning. She has recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks,drinks, desserts and even some not so healthy foods that you can every now and then eat. Are you ready for this amazing blog yet? ok here it is Undresses Skeleton She is not a doctor or health physician she is simply a girl who new she was over weight and needed to become more healthy and shares how she got there and what she does. Don't be shy go look at all you can. Educate yourself on becoming healthy, it definitely is not something you are just born with, or even like even as a little kid. But it is something you can become better at and that is my plan. I also wanted to share with you some amazing Apps I have now that really help me in a lot of ways. Lets start with "Water Your Body" This app is to help you drink the right amount of water each day, I really like it because I can change the bottle or glass size to fit how I am drinking water that day. It also is fun to see the amount of Oz you are drinking that day, week, or month. I highly recommend this when you are working out because you need to stay hydrated. "My Fitness Pal" I have heard about this App for a long time now but never looked into it. It is fabulous. You can calculate really everything on this. My favorite part is the tracking food part, I can scan barcodes of food I am eating and it will find it for me and I just put the amount of serving size's I ate of that food. It even picked up on a grocery store made salsa. It calculates all the calories you are eating, and even everything on the label of foods you are eating. I love it. I almost for got to mention that you can add friends to this app and share pictures and comment on each others progress! This is a great motivational tool to help you on those days you just don't want to do it. Now I know many of you might be thinking why do I need to write down the foods I am eating and calculate all that stuff. This goes back to that amazing blog I have been talking about, Taralynn, the writer of the blog simple explains that at first it seems annoying and time consuming to write it all down and calculate it. However after a while of doing it you will simple just know what to do, what to eat and portion sizes automatically. Apps and technology really help with this. So don't get frustrated get smarter =). Okay now for a glory moment of yesterdays work out. My friend and I just finished running and we were walking a few laps around to cool down, when a girl asked us if we could answer a few questions. so we did and she asked us if we knew what I-Cover was we said no, so she explained it to us and its a lot like Guitars Unplugged for those BYU-Idaho students out there you should have an idea of what I am talking about. Basically students from the college that have musical talent go through auditions for doing covers of popular songs and get chosen to perform in front of the whole school. Well for helping them with there question and answers and doing a few push-ups for their video. We both got a free ticket! Yes Rob and I have a cheap date night this weekend to go to =). So go work out and look for benifets in any way! Feel free to leave comments and share some of your glory moments of getting fit and healthy.

Motivation Monday!!!

So I hope all of you are still motivated to get fit and ready for Summer, I know I am. So I am doing really good so far even though I skipped Sat, but i have a good excuse I was car shopping with my Hubby. However its a new week full of lots of potential so don't feel bad if you didn't do anything or you missed a day. In church yesterday we talked about the idea of perfection and go figure the analogy was types of runners so we have the sprinters, the pacers, and the walkers. Now who do you think is most likely to finish their goals first or even complete them? Well the problem with starting something as a sprinter you run into it so fast that you are worn out and then give up because you are completely exhausted. The walkers maybe consistent in their routines and may take a little longer then most. However the pacers have a plan, and don't push themselves to fast they gradually build from the bottom up. So that is my motivation to you is to NOT look at all your failures but to look at the small things, even if it was a walk down the street and back that is a start or you lifted waits for 5 min, that is awesome. You are at least putting yourself out there and doing something. I also want to talk about the 10min bikini body work out. I seriously thought I wasn't doing anything that would work any muscles but the next day I had trouble sitting or bending down because I was sore in places I have never been sore before such as my inner thighs, my gluts, and the sides of my legs. So if you want to work in those areas go to my last post and look at the 11-week work out I am doing I promise it will become your dream workout. Also make goals for your accomplishments my friend and I make monthly goals for motivating us to go walking 3 times a week, which will be turning into our 3 days of running starting this week. Don't forget to stretch that is seriously the most important aspect of not being to sore later. Lets go everyone get fight and ready for summer and be proud this summer to wear a swim suit. I was 139 pounds when I started this last week and I have dropped to 135 today. So if I can do this you can.

Summer Ready!

So many of you may know I got my wisdom teeth out 2 1/2 weeks ago and it wasn't that bad. But I still have trouble eating chips, even sandwiches. I have lost weight because of my new diet that consists of soup, apple sauce, yogurt, jello, and pudding. I have also been walking with a friend since Feb, 3 times a week. Its hard to get out and do things when winter has not been my friend, so getting out of the house is good for me =). Well my friend and I have been talking how we want to become runners. Becoming a runner is not going to be easy but with the help of Pinterest I am creating my work out list. So first running, here is the website that is for beginner runners who need to build up stamina. Beginner runners. What I also learned is that you cant just run to become a good runner you need to work out certain muscles so I am also going to do Runner Work-outs. So hopefully this will help me prepare to become the runner I always wanted to become. Maybe I will get Robbie to join in ;) haha we will see. So now thinking about summer, I have never felt to great in a swim suit just because I have some extra fat in places I don't want it. So time to get my lazy butt off the couch away from Netflix, ABC, and CW. I found this 11-Week Bikini Ready Work out. It looks great because it breaks up into weeks what work outs you should be doing to tone your body up. Perfect right? I thought so to. Hopefully I can keep you all updated on my results! Feel free to send your encouragement my way =). I hope you all get the motivation you need from this to get fit!

Hey Follower!

Hey everyone, so life has been a little crazy these past couple months with school winding down and going to Arizona to see some family for Christmas. However I have some great do's I came up with and some recipes I found on Pinterest. Okay for starters... At Christmas time I had some great ideas on wrapping presents, but you can use this for those birthdays and holiday's through out the year... I have so much tissue paper around the house that I thought I would put it to great use! So I would put a layer of white and then a pattern or solid color and wrap the present. Then I cut out strips I did a white strip and then a color that would match. I made small tissue balls as the bow and then cut out letters as name tags! Some I glued on there and other I pocked a hole with a small nail through the letter and then put some thin ribbon through it and just wrapped it around the bow! Here are some Pictures!

You can learn how to make the tissue flowers here: http://www.craftymoods.com/2011/01/cascading-garden-pom-poms.html Another idea I had.. So there are so many ideas to do with glass bottles. So this new years we got some great cider and I thought to myself I am going to keep these bottles and see if I can use them for salad dressing, olive oil, or even put water in them and use them for serving water! Great ideas I think yes.. However I have found with my salsa bottles that the labels on the bottles are hard to get off. So I figured a way to get it off super easy!!! You will need: 2 TBSP White viniger 4 TBSP lemon juice water soap- (optional) (if you are cleaning olive oil bottles this helps get the oil off and out of the bottle!).

Just fill you sink up with water, add viniger, & lemon zest. kind of mix the water around and then place bottles in and let soak in water for about 5 minutes.

Then take a dish scrubber and it should come off pretty well. I found with my olive oil bottle that if I kept the label on the bottle it came off a lot easier, but the side I didn't it took a little elbow grease.. But with salsa bottles, and cider I have had no problem. This works like a charm! then just rinse with water and let the bottles sit and dry before you place the lid on. It will collect moisture if you don't..

Good luck!