One more down, a million to go

Please know I do these post for myself and not for any of you unless it makes you feel better to either know that someone struggles with these things also or that you don't and are wonder woman!

So last month I was working on exercise. Thanks to Kim, I think we were both pretty successful. Kim and I have been trading off babysitting in the morning (M-F) so we can each go work out in the gym at our apartment complex, its free so we take advantage while we've got it.

Somedays I hate doing it but I manage to keep going because I want the results and it is so nice to know that someone else (Kim) will know if I did or didn't work out so that motivates me. I've discovered that mentally I'm not that tough. I have a hard time talking myself into doing things like working out, or pushing myself to work out a little longer or harder. It's a curse from track I have decided. Since I only did short races what was the point of working out hard? Also I was pretty good at short races so I didn't have to work really hard to be good which has turned into a curse now that I have no one to compete against. I hope this is something I can change with time and practice.

We had a few bumps in the road with her being sick and me going out of town but overall we did really well. I lost about 3 inches overall and am so excited to keep it going. I didn't really lose any weight but as long as I am getting toned it doesn't really matter to me.

I have also managed to continue to cook almost everyday, we are actually hoping to only eat out ONCE this month which is a huge change for us! That's also to save my sanity from having to cook every night, and it's a money saver!

Next on the agenda: housekeeping :(

Namely laundry. I hate laundry with a passion. I have a tendency to put it in and forget it, until I'm looking for something or need to wash/dry more. It drives Greg crazy because it means that his shirts get wrinkled from staying in the dryer and then he has to iron them or look like a scrub! My bad!! So I am really going to try and do laundry in its entirety!

Don't know what I'll work on next month but something always manages to pop up!

Cooking (and canning)

Cooking Update:

So this month I was trying to increase my cooking skills and abilities. I would give myself an A on learning new things but only a C on cooking on a regular basis. Thank you to those who gave me new recipes. We didn't try a whole lot of new recipes because this month turned into a crazy month with visitors and going out of town, etc. But I did try a few new recipes.

Kim gave me her wonderful Honey Oat Bread recipe and the third time was a charm. The first 2 times it tasted fine but it didn't rise like it should have. Finally I got it to work and I think the secret is definately using the bread machine on the dough cycle. The first 2 times I tried to do it by hand because my "stolen" bread machine (thanks mom) doesn't work so great.

The other thing I learned was canning using the water-bath method. I got a ton of Utah peaches for really cheap and decided to can some of them and also make freezer jam. I think it was a success, I guess we'll find out in a few months if we get sick from eating them. Which is also why I didn't give anyway, I would feel horrible if someone got some that didn't seal right or who knows what. So until I get more confident at it I will only subject my immediate family to it!

(only a small portion of what I did)

My next goal: Exercise!!

My sister-in-law Kim and I have started trading off babysitting in the mornings so we can workout in the gym at our apartment complex. It has been great for everyone. Kim and I get to workout and feel better about ourselves and keep the body that God gave us healthy while the kids get to play with each other in different environments and start learning social skills. The other great thing is that we don't have to wake up extra early which most people, especially me, hate!

I would post before and after pictures but that would be really scary. Although a great motivator, it's not going to happen. I guess we'll see how this along with cooking goes over the next month.

New Projects

I have decided that it is time to challenge myself and stop being lazy. I have many things that I want to work on and get better at. The short list includes (mostly womanly duties) cooking, coupon cutting and budgeting, sewing, family history, exercising, and scrapbooking. Within all of these things are other things I want to learn, and the list goes on and on. So I have decided to focus on one thing at a time. For the month of September I will mainly be focusing on..... COOKING!

Cooking: I get really tired of eating the same things over and over again, while Greg seems to think we should eat rice and beans all the time to save money.

I have discovered that I am a recipe cook. I have to have a recipe to follow or I fall apart. I can't wing things like some blessed people. I have a hard time making hard boiled eggs because I don't have a recipe to tell me exactly how long the eggs should boil for, that's how pathetic my adventurous cooking is. So I accept that I have to have recipes. This is where all of you come into play..... I need new recipes!! You can either add them as a comment or email them to me at breonne_777@yahoo.com. The real challenge will be talking Greg into eating them!!

I have no problem trying new things although I will admit that if I have never made it before I get very nervous about making it. Also I am very scared of trying new ingredients that I have never heard of and don't know where to find them (or what they look like to begin with) in the grocery store. For example I finally managed to accidentally find wheat germ so I can now make some bread recipes with that in it, hurray! Mom, Dad, family, I love ya but you did a huge disservice to me by not teaching me how to cook!!

My goal is to try a new recipe every week so start giving me any that you like, and hopefully Greg will find one that he is willing to try! Also I plan to make lots of bread because we are both bread fanatics, so if you have any tips or recipes I would love them, I especially need Kim's recipe for her bread! Or if you know of any websites or books that are helpful send them my way. I'll keep ya posted if I find anything I just have to share.

Thanks for anything you contribute.