Look out fitness! Here Wii come!!

He he he. My Handyman and I have been throwing around the idea of giving each other a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. After watching my sister and brother-in-law using the Wii Fit regularly for nearly a year, and seeing the fabulous results they've been getting, I got really interested in trying it for myself. I've been working out faithfully for a couple of months now, and while I feel like I'm finally starting to see some results (probably noticeable only to me, but my post-pregnancy belly is finally starting to tighten up!), I'd like to kick it up a notch.

I've been watching intently for a deal on the Wii and Wii Fit, but really hadn't had much luck. The price of the Wii was recently reduced to $199, but I haven't seen it lower than that anywhere. I've even been watching some websites for the Black Friday deals, thinking that someone would offer it cheaper, but to no avail.

Then, a couple of days ago I came across this deal at Amazon. I love Amazon. The deal is if you buy a Wii and a Wii Fit Plus, they'll send you a $50 Amazon gift card. So after subtracting the $50, you end up paying $238 for both the Wii and the Wii Fit. That's by far the best deal I've seen anywhere, and since we do so much shopping on Amazon, especially this time of year, it really is like getting $50 cash. Plus, I have $25 in Amazon gift cards that I've earned through using Swagbucks, so it's almost like getting the Wii Fit Plus for $14.

(Incidentally, if you're not using Swagbucks, you really should!! I've downloaded the toolbar and use it as my primary search engine, and usually earn enough points to get a $5 Amazon gift card every month. If you sign up by clicking this link or the picture in the sidebar, I'll earn a percentage of the points you earn, too. =))

Anywho, back to the Wii. I mentioned the Amazon deal to my Handyman, and he thought we should go ahead and do it, so last night we ordered our Christmas present for each other. =) I am so excited!! It seems a little anticlimactic to be getting our gift for each other so early, so I mentioned that maybe we should wrap it and leave it under the tree until closer to Christmas, but my Handyman scoffed at that idea. He thinks that since we both know what we're getting, it would be silly to just have it sit there unopened. I can't say that I'm disappointed. I can't wait to start my new workout routine!

Oh - one more!

I forgot to mention one more bargain I got today. Bath & Body Works has their hand soap on sale 4 for $10. I love, love, love their hand soap, but haven't been using it for a while because I had a hard time justifying the splurge. 4 for $10 is a pretty good sale, though, so I decided to check it out. Here's the haul:


I got 12 bottles for $30, and used this coupon for $10 off a purchase of $30. Now I have a year's supply of luxurious hand soap, for $1.84 per bottle. I feel spoiled.

Bargain Hunting

I've gotten away from doing too many deals at Walgreens and CVS lately. Honestly, I'm still just not that good at figuring out exactly what I'm going to spend and how I'm going to come out ahead. That, coupled with forgetting to use the ExtraBucks or Register Rewards before they expire, and I got a little burned out.

My appetite was whetted yet again, however, a couple weeks ago when Jewel paid me $3 to take 6 boxes of Breyer's ice-cream off of their hands. I bought 6 boxes on sale for about $12, and got $15 in catalina coupons toward my next purchase. I turned around and got $15 worth of groceries that I needed anyway, so I didn't have to worry about the coupons expiring on me.

I also spent the past few days organizing a new system for my coupons. I had been using a system recommended by CouponMom, but I never really knew what coupons I had, and it was time-consuming to find what I needed when I needed it. So now, I've switched to the method used by MoneySavingMom, and have a coupon box which looks like this:


All my coupons are organized in envelopes by category and sub-category, so I know right where to look for whatever I need. I'm loving it already!

So today I ventured out on a bargain hunting adventure. I didn't get any huge steals, but I did get some pretty good deals on things that I know I will use.

Here's what I got at Target:

2 Glade Scented Oil Tins - $3.09 each
3 Glade Scented Oil Refills - $2.50 each
Total: $13.68

With coupons, I paid just $5.46 total, plus I can send in for this SCJohnson Rebate and get $5 back. It'll end up costing me just $0.46 for all these candles! Yay! =)

At Walgreens, I did 3 transactions:

Transaction 1:

2 Nyquil @ $5.99 each.
Used $1.50/1 and $1/1 coupons.
Paid $9.75 and got $5 Register Reward = $2.38 each

Transaction 2:

3 Tylenol Cold @ $4.99 each
1 Sudafed PE @ $5.99 each
Used $3/2, $2/1, and $1/1 coupons.
Paid $15.43 and got back $10 Register Rewards = $1.36 each

Transaction 3 (S'more was happy to get in on the photo-taking action):


2 Gold Medal Flour @ $3.39 each
1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights @ $2.29 each
2 Morton Salt @ $0.99 each
2 Clearasil Face Wash @ $4.99 each
3 Kleenex Tissues @ $2.29 each
Total: $34.62

Used:
1 Wag Q: 2/$3 Flour, Man Q: 1 $0.50/1 Flour
1 Wag Q: $0.99 BC Warm Delight, Man Q: 1 $ 0.50/1 BC Warm Delight
1 Wag Q: 2/$1 Salt
Clearasil was Buy One, Get One Free (saved $4.99)
Man Q: 1 $2/1 Clearasil, 1 $1/1 Clearasil
3 Wag Q: Kleenex $1.09 per box
3 Man Q: $0.50/3 Kleenex
$5 Register Reward

I paid $4.81 for all of that! I still have $10 Register Rewards to use, which makes me nervous - I don't want it to expire before I use it! But I'm really going to be vigilant and make sure I use it up. Ahh, a good day's work.

Meditations on Thankfulness

Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, I am focusing on thankfulness in my time with the Lord. This morning I read in Genesis of the creation account, how God so generously provided every need for Adam, including a companion in Eve. It's easy to get distracted in life, and focus on what I don't have, rather than the abundance God has so generously provided. But I so much to be thankful for! I don't deserve anything, so the fact that He has given so much is really humbling. Giving thanks for the thousands of blessings I receive from His gracious hand each day doesn't come naturally. It takes focus, intentionality. But the change that will occur in my soul as I choose to acknowledge the many blessings in my life will be so worth the effort!

Free Music!

I love getting free music downloads! Crystal at MoneySavingMom has a great post with some nice classical music downloads that are available - for free! Definitely worth checking out.

Gazelle Intense

Last night was week 4 of leading Financial Peace University. That's the Dumping Debt lesson. I've been a Dave Ramsey fan for a couple of years now. I've really enjoyed listening to his radio show, and I've listened to the older version of FPU on CD multiple times. And the first three weeks of the class have been great, we've gotten lots of motivational information with regard to managing our money.

But I have to say, last night's lesson was hands down the best I've seen of Dave Ramsey. Wow. I got goosebumps listening to him. The passion he communicated, the urgency of escaping the clutches of debt, the intensity that is needed in order to live a life of true freedom. It was electrifying. My Handyman and I don't even have any debt, and this lesson offered so much inspiration!!

I love the image that Dave uses from Proverbs 6 of the gazelle, running for it's life to escape the ferocious cheetah.

"My son, if you have become surety for your friend... if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself...Allow no sleep to your eyes no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler." Proverbs 6:1-5

I love that the Bible speaks in such vivid terms about the dangers of debt. Isn't it amazing that our God cares so much about the everyday things we face in our lives? I mean, of course God cares if I'm facing a major health issue, or if my husband's lost his job. But he cares if I'm in debt and can't see any way out, too? And he cares enough to put in his Word an escape plan? I am humbled by the depth of love demonstrated through his Word.

I can't say enough about how well-presented and truly inspiring last night's lesson was. The discussion we had with the group afterward was really encouraging. We are journeying beside a group of people who truly crave financial peace, and last night's lesson offered the hope and inspiration to do the hard work to get there. There are good things in store!

Fruitful Abundance

So my Handyman came home the other night with a 28 pound box of plums.


Crazy, I know. Who buys that many plums?! I couldn't believe it, and at first I wasn't very excited. Once he told me that he had paid $4 for the entire box, I had a change of heart. (That's only $0.14 a pound!)


My next question was: What do you DO with that many plums? Why, make Plum Jelly, of course!


I made 5 pints of Cinnamon Plum Jelly (I found the recipe here). It tastes really yummy, but I was disappointed that it came out pretty thin. I'm not really sure what caused it, although I did take the suggestion of a reviewer, and left the skins on rather than peeling the plums. I thought it might add more color and flavor, plus it was a lot less work. But maybe that's why it came out runny... It's really pretty though!


I still have lots of plums to work with, so I'm planning to make some more jelly, but I'm going to have to get creative and make some other things too. It could be fun.

Fall Cleaning

I love the feeling of de-cluttering. We've been in our apartment for 6 years, so we've had a lot of time to accumulate all kinds of things without the benefit of a move to help us weed out the unnecessary. Add to that our new addition who arrived in February, and the amazing amount of *things* that came with her, and I was feeling like we were getting squeezed out of our apartment. So a couple of weekends ago, my Handyman and I spent our Saturday morning organizing our little storage room in the basement. It was stuffed with camping gear, Christmas decorations, and LOTS of empty boxes that we'd been saving for who knows what. We got rid of almost all the boxes, which left lots of extra space - it's wonderful! So last weekend I spent my Saturday organizing our living room, bedroom, a small closet, and Sweet Pea's room. I went through Sweet Pea's clothes and packed away the things that are too small and got out the fall things for her to wear. Then we moved 8 boxes of baby clothes, along with several larger baby items that have already been outgrown, and put them in our storage room. The result is so gratifying! I LOVE not seeing clutter everywhere. I still have our large closet and the kitchen to organize, but the progress is inspiring. I'm off to do some more de-cluttering!

The frustration is boiling. For two days now it has been simmering, just below the surface, erupting at the slightest bump or jostle. A careless word, a sideways glance, an angry sigh, and it quickly boils over into a flaming mess of wrong behavior. What is the flame that causes the tension to steam? I can't put my finger on it. Are we over-tired? Not any more than normal. Are there outside stresses weighing down on us? Not that I am aware of. So why we are so quick to respond with a sharp word, to take offense at the slightest misdeed? For my part, I can only conclude that I have allowed my carnal flesh to consume me. I have sunk low into the depths of self, and allowed myself to wallow there. Where is the redemption that my Savior has sacrificed all to provide? How have I allowed myself to forget the grace that the Perfect One has extended to me? I shudder to think how I have behaved, how it must pain Him to see me respond, react. The gentle Savior is quietly calling me back. Calling me to calm, to love. "Love is not easily angered..." the Scriptures say. After years of intimate living, day by day, side by side, how is it that I do not love better? Perhaps the greater question, is how after many more years of knowing the Giver of All Good Things, am I so much the same as before I knew Him. He longs to change me, to transform my selfish flesh to reflect His own perfection. Jesus, help me to lay aside myself today, to love as you love me.

Psalm 29 - Strength & Peace

"Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in holy array.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD is over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful,
The voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"
The LORD sat {as King} at the flood;
Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.

The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace." (NAS)

It is humbling to think of His strength. He has complete power over nature; something we can do nothing to control. Simply by speaking He can destroy mighty trees and cause animals to bring forth new life. I love the last two lines. "The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace." With all that's going on around us, the great fear that people have because of the economy, the worries about making ends meet, the concern for where our country is headed, this is such a reassuring promise. The promise was made to God's people, Israel, but it's a promise we can claim today as well. People are feeling powerless, overcome with worry about tomorrow. But our God, the awesome God who ruled over the Great Flood, is ruling still today. And He will give strength to those who follow Him; He will bless us with peace. Isn't that what everyone is looking for? If only we would stop trying to find it in ourselves, and would look solely to the Source of all strength and peace.

A Weekly Plan

I've been thinking for the last little while that I need to create a weekly schedule for myself. I think this will help me have a more ordered life and home, which is always a good thing! Here's the plan that I've been working off of for the past week and a half or so:

Monday: Cleaning Day! This works well for me, since usually at the start of the week I have the most energy and desire to get things accomplished. And besides that, usually over the weekend when my Handyman is home with us, I tend to let the housework go by the wayside... so by Monday morning, there's lots to be done!

Tuesday: Shopping Day! Since my Handyman bought a work van, I've had the luxury of having my own car during the day for the first time since we got married. It's been very fun to have the freedom to go and do what I'd like to do whenever I'd like. But at the same time, I've found myself going to the store several times a week, usually with a purpose but sometimes just to get out of the house. While its nice to have that option, I've realized that I end up spending money when I go to the store, and if I don't go, I don't spend anything. So, since my Handyman and I are really trying in earnest to be wise with our spending and live like no one else, I've decided to relegate my shopping to one day a week. That way I'll save on gas and will no doubt save money at the same time. Since my local farmer's market is on Tuesday, I've made Tuesday my shopping day.

Wednesday: Baking Day! I have been making various cookies, sweet breads, etc. and freezing them in serving-sized portions for my Handyman to take to work with him. This is cheaper and healthier (and tastier??) than buying packaged snacks, so its a win-win.

Thursday: Laundry Day! I don't have any commitments on Thursdays at this point, so this makes a good day to get everything washed, dried, and put away.

Friday: Cleaning Day, Take 2! After four days, there's definitely plenty that needs to be done again to order the house and let us enjoy a clean home as we head into the weekend.

Saturday: The day is open to doing something fun with my Handyman and my baby girl.

Sunday: A day of rest!

So, that's my weekly plan. I think it's going to help me stay organized, and I won't come to Friday after a week of doing nothing, feeling completely overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.

1000 Gifts

1. Soft baby coo's of contentment, coming from her crib on this sunshiny day.

2. Green leaves through window, reminders of the gift of life.

3. Silly kitties, rolling and stretched long in contentment.

4. Blue skies full of the promise of a new day.

5. Adoring daddy, delighted by his baby girl.

6. Long walks on warm summer nights.

7. Bright blossoms, given to say "I love you."

8. Soft warmth of babe in arms.

Thank you, Father, for you many gifts...

Trip to the Farmer's Market

I got some yummy looking veggies at the farmer's market today. I can't wait to have some for dinner tonight!

Great Deals!

As part of my goal to live life intentionally, I have been making a real effort to be wise with our spending. I've been following some blogs that list the deals that you can get at various stores every week. I haven't done much with it for the past several weeks, but this week I couldn't pass up the deals. Here's what I got:


20 SoyJoy bars at $1 each
Used 1 B1G1 coupon from the 5/31 SmartSource insert
Used $1/5 coupon
Used $2/10 coupon from the 5/31 SmartSource insert
Spent $16.45 out of pocket
Got $20 ECBs back.

That's right!! I got paid $3.55 to get 20 SoyJoy bars. That's what I call a bargain!

Then I also bought 5 boxes of Always Infinity pads. I haven't tried them yet, but I've heard they're amazing! It's an unadvertised deal at CVS this week. They're normally $10.79 a piece for a big box, but they're on sale for $4.99 this week. I used the following coupons:

1 $4/1 coupon from the 6/7 Procter & Gamble insert
1 $1/1 coupon from the 6/7 Procter & Gamble insert
1 $3/1 coupon
2 $1/1 coupons

Total after coupons was $15.51. I used $5.87 from a CVS gift card, and spent $9.64 out of pocket. That's 5 boxes for less than the price of 1 box at regular price! It averages out to $1.93 per box. Yippee!

Update! - Whole Wheat Bread

Today I made a loaf of bread using the same recipe I posted here, only this time I added wheat gluten to the mixture. What a difference!! The bread is sooo yummy! The texture is great, and it isn't heavy like the last loaf I made. I'm so excited to have found a great way to make my own whole wheat bread. I wasn't sure about adding the wheat gluten, but I found some made by the Bob's Red Mill brand at the store last week, so I thought I would give it a try. I'm so glad I did!

Home-made Jam

Last night my husband ran to the store to grab something we needed with supper, and found strawberries on sale for $0.50 for a one pound box. He bought two boxes, and they were absolutely delicious!! We ate them all last night for dessert. Mmmm. Nothing beats fresh strawberries. This morning I decided to back to the store to buy a bunch more so I could make my own strawberry jam. I was very disappointed to find that the price had gone up to $0.99 per pound. I'm not really sure what justifies the price doubling over night? Anyway, they were so good, and I was so excited about the prospect of making my own jam, that I bought 10 boxes anyway. And $0.99 doesn't seem like a bad price, anyway. If it is a bad price, don't tell me. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I've never made my own jam before. I used to help my mom do it every year, but it's been a long time since I've done that. I read about it online, though, it seemed pretty simple, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I did have to go out and buy jars and lids, and I also bought a pair of jar tongs for getting hot jars out of the boiling water. I think this initial batch of jam probably is significantly more expensive than buying store-bought, but it's so tasty, and now I have most of the needed supplies, so it will be less expensive if I do it again.

I wasn't sure how much jam I would be able to make with the amount of strawberries I bought, but after making one batch I think I have enough to make 2 more batches. That will be 12 jars of jam! I am thrilled! I have to take a break from making it, because I ran out of sugar (I had no idea how much it takes!). But as soon as my Sweet Pea wakes up from her nap, or my husband gets home from work, I'm off to the store to get more sugar and finish making this sweet treat. Here's a picture of my first batch. The feeling of satisfaction I get from having worked to preserve my own jam is invigorating!

Farmer's Market!

I have been eagerly anticipating my first chance to go to a local farmer's market, and today was the day! It wasn't a very great day for it weather-wise. It is dark and gray outside with a cool mist falling. But that didn't stop me! Right after my husband left for work, I loaded my Sweet Pea into the car and off we went. There were probably 10 or 12 different little booths set up by farmers from Indiana and Wisconsin. There weren't too many fruits available, but it was wonderful to look at all the fresh veggies! I bought fresh asparagus, and radishes, and a beautiful head of lettuce. I also purchased some rhubarb so I can make another batch of Rhubarb Dessert, which has quickly become my husband's favorite rhubarb delicacy.

The farmers also had a nice selection of potted herbs, which I was so excited to try. I had just been telling my husband last night that I've looked for a potted basil plant at a few different places, and haven't had any luck. I was thrilled to find one today at the farmer's market - isn't it beautiful?

As noted in another post, we haven't had a lot of luck growing things from seed in our apartment. I've decided that there just isn't a window sill where the seedlings can get enough sunlight to grow big and strong. They always grow long and spindly as they stretch toward the sunlight, but don't develop a stem that is strong enough to hold them upright. So I thought maybe a plant that is already established would fair better. We'll see!

I'm looking forward to supper tonight with some really fresh veggies!

Progress

I left my Sweet Pea on the floor to play while I was in the kitchen doing a few things.




When I came back a few minutes later, this is how I found her:




What happened to the completely immobile baby girl I had brought home from the hospital a few months ago? Before I know it she'll be running!

A Dirty Deed

I was out and about shopping this morning, picking up a few things that I needed to make dinner for friends this evening (who, by the way, I am so excited to see! I haven't seen them since last August!!). I got home and put away the groceries, and then it was time to feed my Sweet Pea. When she'd finished eating I went to change her diaper. (That is not the dirty deed to which my title refers, in case you were wondering, although the title would aptly apply to that as well.) When I went to use the changing table, this is what I found:



Note the traces of dirt strewn about all over the changing pad...







Further investigation revealed this:


My naughty kitty had apparently decided to frolic in my husband's flowers while I was out. Flowers that are a long way from blessing us with their beautiful blossoms. My poor husband has tried to grow plants on our windowsill so many times, without success... Hopefully these will survive Charcoal's escapade.

New Recipes

I've tried out a couple of new recipes recently which use more natural ingredients. The first one is found here.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ground black pepper to taste
• seasoning salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate. Marinade the chicken in lemon juice for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the onion powder, ground black pepper, seasoning salt and parsley. Discard any remaining lemon juice.
2. Cook on the prepared grill 10 to 15 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

This was so simple, but surprisingly good! I did find it frustrating, though, to read the ingredients on the bottle of lemon juice that I used. It shouldn't have been that surprising, I suppose, but it contains several ingredients other than lemon juice... I guess if I want to go all natural, I'll have to buy fresh lemons. And the seasoning salt (I used Lawry's) contains "tricalcium phosphate" which is supposed to prevent clumping. ::sigh:: Going all natural is not as easy as it should be! At any rate, its a good recipe that can be made all natural without too much effort.

The other recipe I tried is for whole wheat bread. I hadn't made bread using 100% whole wheat flour before, and I was afraid it might be really dry and/or heavy, but this recipe was pretty good.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
2. Select Whole Wheat or Basic Bread setting. Press Start.

I think I'll probably try some other recipes too, as this wasn't "amazing", but it was good. Some of the reviews suggest adding gluten to the dough (apparently you can buy gluten in a jar at the store), which will produce a lighter, fluffier loaf, but I'm not sure if that defeats the purpose of the whole wheat? I'm going to have to research more to find that out.

::Update:: Adding 2 TBLS of wheat gluten to the mixture makes this an excellent whole wheat bread recipe! Also, I don't use dry milk; instead I just use milk in place of the water. So yummy!

That is my first foray into natural cooking. I'll post more recipes I try as I go along. I have a lot to learn!

(By the way, I also have a lot to learn when it comes to blogging - I'm not sure what's going on with my formatting. Apparently copying and pasting text makes things go funky!)

Lost Relations

I have a hard time keeping up with friends and family who live far away. I am just not very good about writing or calling to keep in touch. It's not that I don't want to know how they are doing, but for some reason I don't often reach out to keep that connection alive. Once I've let months go by without contacting them, it somehow seems awkward to try to re-connect. Our lives go on our separate ways, and the things we had in common, that drew us together, are no longer there.

I know I'm not the only person who struggles with this. I discovered how true this is the other day. I recently added a new friend on a social networking site, actually a friend of my parents who is a missionary and for whom we prayed regularly during family devotions growing up. When she accepted me, she noticed that I was also friends with someone she had gone to school with way back when. Long story short, she asked me how I knew this person, and I replied that I didn't really know her, but since she was friends with my parents, I had accepted her friend request. Come to find out, it was my mom's first cousin. And I had no idea. It's the sad reality of the world we live in today; travel is so easy that friends and family often end up in distant places. That's what happened with my mom's cousin. She lives in another state, and I only remember meeting her once growing up. She has three daughters, one of whom is my age, and yet I have only met them one time. It's sad to think about the relationships that have never been. But it isn't really surprising. It takes a lot of effort to maintain distant relationships. It isn't impossible, though.

Two sets of friends have moved away within the last seven months. They were the closest friends my husband and I have made here, and so it was really hard to see them go. But I am making a concerted effort not to lose touch. We email and call each other with fair regularity, and we'll actually be getting together with both of them within the next month or so! I'm determined not to lose these friends. They are such dear people; it takes an effort, but the rewards are great!

Intentional Eating

In the spirit of choosing to live intentionally, today I am thinking about making healthy food choices. Early Morning Musings has a great post today that put into words a lot of what I've been thinking. I want to get away from eating packaged foods that contain all sorts of mysterious ingredients. I've watched several shows recently that explain the benefits of eating lots of fruits and veggies and avoiding the types of fats, preservatives, etc. that are in so many of the packaged foods we buy. I'm just beginning to think more about what my family is eating, so I feel like I have miles to go before I really understand how to make the best food choices, but I have to start somewhere. I will be getting Michael Pollen's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" from the library soon, and I am really excited to learn more about what he has to say.

Thankfully I don't think it will be hard to get my husband on board with the idea. He already chooses fresh fruits and veggies when he wants to snack. I'm afraid the person who will really need convincing is me... My natural inclination when I want a snack is NOT to reach for an apple. I am hopeful, though, that if I can retrain myself, my daughter will reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle as well. Since she hasn't started eating solid foods yet, I haven't had a chance to teach her any of my not-so-healthy habits. Here's to being intentional about choosing healthy foods!!

Living with Intentionality

I am realizing that good nothing in life happens easily. Growing healthy plants takes time and dedication. Having a baby takes months of development, pains, and stretching. Raising a baby is a whole other world of changing and growing. Winning with money takes careful planning and wise decision-making. Being physically fit takes sweat and hard work. Eating foods that nourish and strengthen requires planning and discipline. Strong relationships never just happen. You have to put forth effort to reap the results. Developing a deep spiritual walk requires dedication to spend time with the One who made me.

I am also realizing that I can easily let the hours of my day, and the days of my week, slip away before I even notice. Thus, I am beginning this blog as a way to keep myself on track. To remind myself to live with intentionality. To live with purpose rather than simply drifting through my days. I'm hoping that writing regularly will serve to keep me accountable and remind me of the many goals that I have for myself as a wife, a mother, and a follower of Christ. Perhaps if I am intentional in this regard, I will be able to live intentionally in the many other areas of my life as well.