Encouragement

Needing a little encouragement today and this song
always reminds me Who is on my side!

Feel free to print of this chalkboard sign and use it for 

 when you are feeling down. 

Envision Your Goal

In the journey to lose weight we sometimes grow weary. 

Our end goal begins to fade and that cupcake starts looking alot better 

than the inside of the gym! 

That is why it is important to set goals in the beginning and keep them visible each day.  

A silly thing I did that helped a lot was find a picture 

of what I wanted to look like and paste my head on top of it. 

Soo, I have decided to do that again. :) 

It just so happens I like wearing a wedding veil while I run! ;) 

Told ya it was silly. BUT it really helped me visualize my goal. 

I chose this picture because this is the body of a healthy woman. 

The thing to be careful of is not to desire someone else's body. 

Don't watch E! and look through magazines dreaming you looked just like this celebrity or that one. 

You have to want to be the best version of yourself. And so my method allows me to stay on track by looking ahead to my goal rather than envying someone else. 

I actually didn't allow myself to look through magazine's anymore because it did something to my 

heart that just wasn't good for me or honoring to God.

God created each of us uniquely and beautifully and we should never desire 

to be something we were not created for. 

Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."  

Remind yourself of this often!

Getting Motivated

Time to Get Motivated!!! 

In 2005 I was at my lowest weight.

(Aprox 130lbs. Size 6) 

In  January of 2005 I set a goal of losing weight for my 21st birthday party. 

My party would be at the end of March so I had a little less than 3 months. 

I set a few rules for myself and really stuck to them!

A. My best friend Jessica helped me tremendously (she's the one on the right in the photo). When I wanted something bad to eat she would simply ask me if I really wanted it or if I wanted to lose weight more. And then she would offer an alternative (like Turkey Bacon! Super tasty and satisfying) Find a friend who loves you enough to not let you cheat and more importantly, won't TEMPT you to cheat. 

B. I suggest journaling everything you eat for the first month. This will help you stay on track and make sure you are not going over your calories. And it will help you see which meals worked best for you -both in feeling satisfies and in losing weight. After a month of journaling you should have it down and not need to write down everything.  

I got this cute set of journals from Rifle Paper Co. at Paper Source but I just saw them at Target too!

Here is a food diary that you can print off if you don't have a journal or if you need an idea of how to format your own jounal. 

C. Make a Plan & Set Some Rules. This will vary for each person. For my body I know that carbs and sugar will pack on the pounds like nobody's business. I have discovered that if I eat more balanced, trying to have more Protein than Carbs at each meal, then I will lose weight. This is great news for me because I LOVE carbs. I mean I LOVEEEE them. I could seriously eat a cupcake after each meal. Or a basket of bread at Carrabba's. So with my plan I can still have carbs I just have to have a little restraint! ;)

So, my rules were fairly simple. 

1. Eat more Protein than Carbs (or as equal as possible).  

2. Don't eat after 7pm. Go to bed hungry! That means your burning fat! 

3. I also exercised at least 5 out of 7 days a week. Sometimes more. 

I did a BeachBody program called Slim in 6 and it worked SO well for me. It incorporated cardio and strength simultaneously so I lost weight and toned up at the same time. I also did 20 minutes of running each day as well. 

There are TONS of great videos out there and they will all work... IF YOU WORK! 

4. Pray continually. I believe this is the key because I do not have the strength to do it alone.

I know without a doubt the Lord was with me every step helping me. I was very close to Him during this season of my life. I have allowed that closeness to slip away since then and I am desperate to have it back. 

  By following my plan I lost about 30 pounds in 3 months!!! 

So this goes to show, I can actually do it- I just have to get my head and heart right to do it again!

This was the day of my party. I felt fantastic here. I had worked so hard to get there 

and I was proud of myself for EARNING it. 

I am ready to feel like that again. Who's with me?

"Love Weight"... HATE Weight!

26.2!!! 

No, I didn't just complete my first Full Marathon. 

Though I wish that is what that number represented, it is not. 

That number is the number of pounds I have gained since getting married in September. How on earth could I have gained 26.2 pounds in only 7 months?! 

I keep hearing people say things like, "That is so normal", or "Ohh, it's just 'love' weight!" or 

"It's because you are so happy!." 

Well I'll tell ya, having none of your clothes fit and getting winded after walking up one flight of stairs does NOT make me happy. 

Weight has always been an battle for me. This is not something that has just sprung up after getting married. 

But being married has definitely brought out the worst side of it. 

Steven & and I lived about 45 minutes apart before we got married and only saw each other on the weekends. So that left the whole week for me to eat good and exercise.  

Once we got married and moved in together, we just wanted to enjoy being together all the time.

Which usually involved picking up fast food and cuddling on the couch while watching tv. 

I allowed any discipline that I had before marriage to fly out the window. 

I gave in to my desire for comfort which manifested itself in many different ways.  

I am a follower of Christ and believe with all of my heart that He created me for more than the life I have created for myself. His Word is very clear about all of these areas but here lies my biggest problem. 

Not only did I let go of the discipline I had with eating & exercising, I also let go of it in the area of reading my Bible. 

The Bible tells us that "The Truth shall set you free." That's not possible if you don't know the Truth. 

OK, SO HERE IS THE PLAN!

Let's get SERIOUS!!!

In Joyce Meyer's CD, "12 Reasons Why We Overeat", she asks the question, "Are you serious about getting victory in this area of your life? Because if you are not, then you never will."

It is time to change. I know it will not be easy and I will surely fall down several times, 

but that is no reason to give up and not even try. 

It is my goal to honor God with my body by having discipline in all areas of my life. 

I will do my best to encourage myself, and hopefully you, with scriptures & helpful ideas for staying serious about our health and more importantly our walk with God!
I am going to journal my journey here and hope you will join me.
As Christians, we are called to walk with each other and carry each other's burdens.
So let's help each other!

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Here are a few pics to start the journey... 

This is from my bridals around June of 2012. 

And this one is from the wedding in September 2012.

And this is me NOW...

OK.... Here we go!!! 

BABIES!

Are you an Amy Bradley fan? 

How could you not be, right!? She has the most adorable designs. 

These cute new baby quilt kits and patterns

 are available on quiltsbythebay.com. 

You can go the super easy route and get the panel and be done in a blink. 

This quilt is PERFECT for that last minute baby shower gift! ;) 

Or you can go with the Applique version and invest a little 

more time for this absolutely precious design. 

Click to visit Quilts by the Bay for a ton of other cute patterns & 

quilty gifts from Amy Bradley... 

Saddle Up!

It's that time! Houston RODEO time!!! 

What is your favorite thing about the Rodeo? 

The fun?  The food? The fellas??

These handsome fellas have definitely got me in the spirit!  ; ) 

As much as many girls wish they had Luke Bryan & Tim McGraw to warm up their beds, they have a better change with these precious new quilts from Amy Bradley. 

These "Little Cowgirl" quilts are so perfect for the little Miranda Lambert in your home.  

And let's hear it for the boys... 

And these quilts are even more adorable thanks to Moda Marmalade!

 YeeHaw Y'all!!! 

Happy Birthday LIV!!!!

It seems like just yesterday we were busy preparing for this sweet girl to enter the world! 

And we are already celebrating her 1st Birthday! 

How cute is she in this pink tutu?! 

Jessica made this adorable wreath for the party as well. 

She will be selling these on her Etsy shop very soon!

Happy Birthday Sweet Liv! You are one VERY LOVED little girl and we are anxious to see the beautiful plans the Lord has for your life. :) 

Read more about sweet baby Liv on Jessica's inspiring blog.

QUILTCON

I had the pleasure of getting to work the Moda Bakeshop Booth at the first annual QUILTCON this past weekend and it was so much fun. 

Here is my overall review of the show... 

I really enjoyed it and I am very glad I got the opportunity to go!

If you know me, you know I am a details kinda person. So I loved how they paid attention to every little detail from the name badges to the ribbons on the quilts. I LOVED the ribbons!! So very cute. 

The show had a very fresh & fun feel to it. 

The show was much smaller than I expected. I was surprised there were not more vendors selling things. 

I didn't get to attend any workshops but they had a good mix and alot to offer those who attended. 

I think this show will do well in the future and expect alot more shops to vend next year. 

Most importantly it inspired me to not only sew more but also to attempt new things. 

And here is a little about our BAKESHOP booth...

Holly did a fabulous job of designing the booth, as usual. She got these awesome brick panel walls for the booth and painted them white. I now want them for my home! love them!

I got the honor of painting some chalkboard signs for the booth. : ) 

I painted the sign above for the entrance and then some prop signs for the photo booth.  

I did the chalkboard artwork for the super fun photo booth we had which was the highlight of the whole show (in my biased opinion)! 

We hired BOOTH 66, which is out of Austin, to come and photograph during the whole show. 

They also do weddings and all kinds of other events... if you need someone! 

They are not only amazing at what they do, they are also so much fun to be around. 

We were instant friends. 

Here are a few of our wacky photos... 

Does this JellyRoll make my Butt look Big?! 

Please don't answer that! 

Had to pull out the "I like BIG QUILTS and I cannot lie!" sign for our owner, Mr. Dunn. 

If anyone likes Big Quilts, it is him. : ) 

 What's in YOUR stash?!

And now for the QUILTS!

Touch This Quilt.

The QUILTCON quilt. 

I borrowed this picture from the Modern Quilt Guilds website because I LOVE This quilt!

Click the photo to see more photos of this quilt.  

Blue, Green & Grey was a popular combo. 

Funky Little Houses

And for the grand finale.... 

Let me introduce you to my newest adventure. 

Green Tea & Sweet Beans. 

Several of us are ordered this quilt kit and are anxiously awaiting its arrival! 

Isn't it precious? I love the newsprint background and bright flowers.

That pretty much sums up my first QUILTCON experience. 

Did you attend? What did you think?

Southern Grace

Since it is Valentine's Day and my handsome hubby and I are delaying our celebration to this weekend, I decided to celebrate someone else who is very special to me today. 

And that is my lovely sister-in-law, Michelle. 

Let me tell you a little about her...

From the first time I met her, I didn't like her. Not really! Hehe!

But you know what I mean, she is "that girl" that everyone hates to love because they are not only extremely cute, they are also extremely sweet...which is extremely irritating! :) 

My brother was raising his baby girl, Chloe, as a single father when Michelle walked into their life and brightened up everything. She didn't have to but she took Chloe in and raised her as her own. Even still through the tough teenage years! : ) 

I believe her most valuable attribute is that she is a believer in Christ and strives to use the gifts He has given her to help bless & provide for their family. 

And He has definitely gifted this girl. My goodness, anything she touches turns to cuteness. 

She has done the most adorable birthday parties for Chloe and their newest addition, Cadence. 

She makes the most incredible cakes! 

She is also a very talented photographer and can shoot anything from Weddings to Pregnancies to Newborns. :) 

And now she is conquering the world of home decorating 

with her beautiful wreaths.

I'm telling you, you cannot find this kind of wreath at 

Hobby Lobby or Michael's. 

Hers just have that extra touch that makes 

each one unique and special. 

See, I told you you wouldn't like her. ; )

 I am just so very proud to call her my sister and thankful to share a love of the Lord (and crafting) with her!

Visit her Etsy shop, Southern Grace of Texas, to see her lovely collection! 

And follow her photography page on Facebook!