Some pictures from our Agency D 3 VBS

Here are some pics if my room from our Agency D3 VBS:

And here I am with 2 of my "agents"

Oriental Slaw

We love this recipe and I am taking it to J1's school for a luncheon for the teachers. I thought I would post it for anyone interested. Enjoy!

Perfect-for-fall-granola!

I have been wanting to try a granola recipe for a while and a friend encouraged me just to pick a few and start trying them.  So, I found one that sounded good.  It had apples in it and I had just bought a bag of Galas at the store and then took an unplanned trip to ApplAcres with a friend, so I have apples galore right now!

Of course, I have the apples, but didn't think about looking up recipes before going to the store last week, so I ended up improvising a bit (I've been getting a little better at it lately!).  Here's the original recipe:

















But, I didn't have quinoa, almonds, apple sauce or raisins on hand.  But I did have plenty of oats, pecans, a tiny package of chopped peanuts and some snack boxes of Craisins.  Here's what my final recipe ended up like:

UPDATE: Here are the prep/cooking directions

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the oats, quinoa, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined.  Fold in the dived apple. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla, applesauce, maple syrup, and brown sugar.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is moistened.  Spread onto two baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.  Allow granola to cool for 20 minutes on the baking sheets. This will help it get crunchier. Pour into a large bowl and add the raisins.
Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Granola will lose its crunch overtime because of the apples.

*Make sure your oats are certified gluten free if you have an intolerance. 
*You may use honey, agave, or light corn syrup as the liquid sweetener.  Keep in mind that using honey means your granola is no longer vegan.

Because I didn't have applesauce (yet! going to try a crock-pot recipe soon!) I increased my vegetable oil and honey to replace it. Even with my adjustments, it turned out AWESOME!  And my house smells wonderful on this rainy fall day.  Just perfect!

Here are some pics from our apple-picking fun!

buddies proud of their apples!

now where are those apples...

I can carry them!

me too!

Is it Spring yet?

It's the middle of March, Spring Break for many (although it was snowing today in Bloomington).  Do you have the itch to open your windows and let in some fresh air?  Me too!  Spring is also a time when many of us do a little "spring cleaning."  But before you do, take a good look at the products that you are using.

The real dirt on clean.
You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you’ve just  cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have just made your home dirtier.

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t let your kids play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that’s just been wiped with them? That’s much more dangerous than the orange juice that was just there.

How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics.

• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home.

• Common chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisoning.

• Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners and even air fresheners, are found at levels 2 to 5 times higher inside your home than out.

• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the “acute one-hour exposure limit” for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

• Common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially increase the risk of kids developing asthma, the most common chronic childhood disease.

• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160% from 1980 – 1994.

• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.

• If your home is anything like the average U.S. home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste).

          ("The Real Dirt on Clean" is a resource of The Shaklee Corporation)



Kyle did HazMat training as a part of his last job - it opened his eyes to the dangers of general cleaning products. There is a special code in the hazardous materials regulations in the US for things that would be classified as hazardous (i.e. toxic, corrosive or things like that) but if they are packaged for consumer consumption, they get a different label. They are classified as “Other Regulated Materials- Domestic” or ORM-D. Walk around your local store when they are stocking cleaners – look at the labels on the boxes. If you see the letters ORM-D on the outer box or a diamond with black and white diagonal striping and the number 9, that cleaner has been shipped as HazMat, and would be classified as flammable, toxic, or corrosive if they had shipped it in a 50 gallon drum. BUT- because they put it in a plastic spray bottle and put a brand name and a label on it, they can ship it under a different code and sell it to you. Would you buy a cleaner for your house if it had a label on it that said “Toxic” and had a skull and crossbones on it? Of course not… yet most of the cleaning products sold in stores have the ORM-D label so that they don’t scare the consumer. So be aware and informed… or use something safer…

Check out our website for a kit to really GET CLEAN in your home!

Kits start at $46.20, retail price, but join now as a member and you can save 15%!

Gettin' Shaggy Wit' it

T-shirt Shag Rug
I attempted my own rug, using t-shirts left over from the quilt my mom & mother-in-law had made for me.  Our boys' bathroom is blue/white, so navy, white & grey worked out pretty well color-wise.

The only problem I saw with this technique is that if I want to throw it in the wash, I may have strips that come out. So my addition to the instructions was to use fabric glue and put a dab under each loop on the back-side.  It was a little time consuming - so if I do it again, I might try sewing this time...

I tested out a sewing technique on a smaller project - a shag hand duster!

 Here's what I did

• took the back side of an old t-shirt and folded it in half length-wise
• measure up from the bottom hem about 4 1/2 inches and cut straight across from the unfinished edge to the folded edge - this will make your "pocket"
• next, cut the remaining folded fabric (from unfinished to folded edge) into strips about 3 inches wide (can be wider or shorter depending on how long you want your shag) - I made 5 strips.
• unfold your "pocket" and lay flat. take one strip and lay it on top of your pocket so that the lengths match up.  I put my first strip in the center. now sew it down - one pass right down the center (I used a zig-zag stitch, but a straight stitch would be fine too).  Depending on how particular you are, you may want to pin, but I just eyeballed it and held it in place as I went.
• attach each strip in the same manner, making sure to fold any attached strips out of the way so that you don't tack them down on your sewing pass.
• once you have your strips sewn on, lay them toward the middle and fold your pocket together along the original fold, so the strips are touching. you are going to sew the long edges, making a kind of small pillow case, with the short unfinished edge open. Again, if you want to pin the edges before sewing, feel free.
• now, turn your duster inside-out and you are almost done!  this is where you make it "shaggy". go along each strip, cutting straight in toward your stitches, making each shag piece as thick or skinny as you would like. Keep cutting until each strip has been cut and your pocket will begin to look like a shag duster.
• You can stop here and get right to cleaning. OR, if you want to add a piece of elastic along the inside to hold it on your hand, but a small piece of elastic about the size of your wrist. Pin it in about 4 places, evenly spaced inside your pocket. Sew between each pin, stretching your elastic to match up with your fabric as much as possible.

There you have it! Your own shag duster!

I think this technique would work for the rug as well, you just might need to sew strips closer together to get them to "stand" up a little more. Once your strips are sewn on, sit and cut your shag into it while you watch tv!

Cinch Update from Kyle

So how did we do? Is this Cinch thing really all it’s cracked up to be? After about 4 months of living Cinch, here are my results.

With regard to weight, I wasn’t intending to lose. In fact, that wasn’t a goal at all, but others like to see it as a reference number. I am currently 4 pound lighter than when I started. I will say that as part of Cinch, I was tracking calories pretty closely, and I ate a few more than what the program calls for so that I wouldn’t lose weight. But for those who need a number, mine is down.

But more than that, there are two really exciting numbers for me. The first is waist- well actually belly. You may recall (or look down the page) to see that at the start of Cinch, my waist to hip ratio was 1.02. My belly checked in at 35.75 inches and my hips were 35 inches. Now my belly is at 34 and my hips unchanged. That’s almost 2 full inches off my main problem area. And my ratio is now 0.97. My goal was 0.90, so I am not quite there. But I am pretty happy with the progress. I have some “slim fit” clothes that Cheryl is pretty happy with too…

The big news was my blood pressure. There is family history for me with this, and my doctor has been watching it. I had a reading about 2 years ago about 140/86. My doctor said that I should get this down and through exercise and watching my diet, I had gotten to pretty consistently about 125-130/83-86. Then I got onto the Cinch plan. I checked last week, and my result was 115/81! Those are the lowest numbers I have seen since I have been checking. (And FYI, last week was a pretty stressful week around the office, so I was expecting a higher number) So just like that original article said, if you want to have better heart health, attack the belly fat! So I did, and I am thrilled with the results!

What about you? Does any of that sound appealing? If so, let’s talk! If you are looking to do a 180 in your personal health, this is the time, and Cheryl and I have already been there and seen the transformation. Cinch is going to become Shaklee 180 in 2013. It is branded with the goal of helping people turn their lives and their personal health around. So if you are serious and ready to commit to something that will help you do a 180, like, comment or send us a message. We want to build a healthier you too!

Transformation Part 3: I'm melting...I'm melting...

Thanks to the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz for that great quote!  It comes at a perfect time with Halloween just past and my recent weigh-in.

So, my first set of excuses was birthdays and emotional ups and downs... In October I was blaming it on Halloween... But WHO AM I KIDDING?!  I just don't have much self-control when it comes to snacking, especially with sweets!

That said, I am happy to report, that even with mild cheating this past month, I have melted off almost 2 more pounds and a half inch off of my waist & hips - it seems slow, but I know that I am not far from my goal and those last pounds are the hardest.  Definitely CINCHING away those inches! Woot! Woot!

9/8/12: 154.8 lbs, waist: 35.25 inches, hips: 41 inches


10/6/12: 151.8 lbs, waist: 34.5 inches, hips: 40 inches

11/2/12: 150 lbs, waist: 34 inches, hips: 39.5 inches   Totals: down 4.8 lbs, waist down 1.25 inches, hips down 1.5 inches

Spiffy Entry

I was at Kohl's a few months back and saw this cute decor that I thought would be great in my entry way:

I don't remember exactly how much it was, but after poking around on Pintrest, I knew I could probably do it cheaper.  Here's how mine turned out:

You can't see the detail on the squares, but there is some texture, some color and it adds a great feeling to the entryway.  And my 3 squares cost me less than $3 (I don't remember exactly how much I paid for the scrapbook paper, but that's all that I bought).

I used cardboard that came in my mom's Creative Memories scrapbooks (Thanks Mom!) - each piece was 12"x12" and about 1/2" thick.  I cut them down to 8"x8".  I took my12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper and a little Modge podge to adhere them to the squares.  Once that dried, I folded them as nicely as I could and taped them down. Then I found a font in Microsoft Word that I liked, typed up the sayings, and printed them out on a piece of vellum paper that I already had in my stash.  I trimmed them and used fancy edge scissors to trim the corners. Using adhesive for vellum, I attached them to the squares.  To hang my decor, I saw a tip about using pop can tabs as hangers... so I got out my hot glue gun and stuck one on the back of each square.

I also liked the idea of dressing up the wall a bit more from a post I saw here. So thanks to my Daddy, a free piece of wood left in our house from the previous owners and $6 for 6 drawer knobs I bought at Lowe's, I now have some extra coat hooks in the entry too!

Transformation: Part 2

What a rough month to try to change how I am eating!!!

September is tough because my birthday and my now 5yo son's birthday are back-to-back. So between birthday parties and various treat email specials we get (I can't say no to Coldstone!), I knew I was doomed.

Added on top of that, one of my best friends was packing and moving far away. Emotional snacking can be another downfall of mine.

I enjoyed our birthday celebrations, trying to have some restraint and I said good-bye to our friends and made some eating mistakes.  But I have otherwise tried to stick to the Cinch plan. And each day, I made a conscious decision to keep with it.

I remember when we did Weight Watchers several years ago and during the first 2 weeks I felt hungry all the time.  But we stuck with it, and when we started seeing results it wasn't so difficult to keep going.  I have had a few days this time where I have wondered if I could stick with it.  Yesterday I put on a pair of shorts that were LOOSE!  Seeing results, even when I had a rough month, is enough to keep me going!

Woo-hoo!

9/8/12: 154.8 lbs, waist: 35.25 inches, hips: 41 inches
10/6/12: 151.8 lbs, waist: 34.5 inches, hips: 40 inches

Gearing up for fall

Thought I'd try a few new things for fall decorating and I loved many of the ideas from Sand and Sisal.  They used MDF letters, but I wanted to use things I had on hand - so I cut some letters from cereal boxes.  I might use a thicker box if I decide to re-do them, but this worked pretty well.  Now that I look back at mine and the example, I might adjust my ribbon lengths, but I used all items I had at home (boxes, ribbon from another project, scrapbook paper, fall leaves from fake flower bouquet and Modge Podge) so this didn't cost me a penny!

I like the topiary from Sand and Sisal too, but while I was at the Dollar Tree, I found some small craft pumpkins and thought I'd try something with them (there are lots of cute ideas on Pintrest, I tried spray paint like Wild Ink but before I spray painted, I did a little decorating with puffy paint...not sure how well it shows up in the pictures, but the only thing I would do different is get a glossy paint for the black one, or add a glossy coat (which I may still do).  For now, my little pumpkins are keeping watch on the porch ledge.

It's an INCH loss plan

Kyle here this time… So if you read Cheryl’s post, you might be thinking, “Did I read that right? Is Kyle doing Cinch too?” The answer is yes. We are in this together… but for different reasons.

Cinch isn’t just about weight loss. It is about inch loss and being healthier. I have always been unhappy with a belly that I have carried around, even after the weight loss I had with Weight Watchers in 2004. While I have kept the weight off, there was still that nagging paunch that I saw in the morning, even if no one else did,

Then I read an interesting article in a magazine while on a business trip last month.  (For more info, see page 124 of the August 2012 issue of Delta’s Sky Magazine and look at the article “Gut Check” written by Amy Paturel) The article was talking about measuring health, which up until now had been done by Body Mass Index (BMI). It calculates a number based on height and weight and if you are between 18.5 and 25, congratulations, you’re healthy! But is it that simple? Well yes and no. There are some people (think professional or Olympic athletes) that have lots of muscle mass. Since muscle weighs more than fat, their BMI comes in greater than 25, sometimes greater than 30! But would we say that an Olympic swimmer, or pro football running back is out of shape and unhealthy? Of course not.

The article went on to say that a better measure is to measure the size of the “belly” vs. the size of the hips. Take the ratio of the two measurements and the closer to 0.9 you are the better. In fact, Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo Clinic is quoted as saying, “A ratio higher than 0.9, specifically higher than 1.0 represents an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

That’s because Visceral fat (you know- that deep down, hard to get rid of belly fat) is more metabolically active and contributes to raising blood pressure and creating blood clots compared to subcutaneous fat (those inches you can pinch). However, research shows that subcutaneous fat in the hips and legs can actually be helpful. Therefore, this ratio helps weed out skinny people with limited muscle mass and not enough fat elsewhere but are storing it only in their bellies…

And that’s where it comes back to me. I fall into that group pretty well. As we start Cinch, my waist (belly) measurement is 35.75 inches and my hip measurement is 35.0. So my ratio is 1.02. My goal is to hit that 0.9 that the article talks about. What will my weight do? I don’t know. And I really don’t care. For me the journey isn’t about pounds, it’s about inches. At the Shaklee Global Conference, one of the Cinch success stories was a lady who didn’t lose a single pound on Cinch, she only lost 4 dress sizes. Pretty soon, I plan to have them talking about me too. So I will update my progress along the way too, and hopefully add another success story to the Cinch Inch Loss Plan. 

Lessons I learn from running

I have always enjoyed running.  In junior high I joined the track team, I wasn't a star, but I enjoyed it and learned a lot about conditioning your body for running. In high school, during softball conditioning each spring, I was determined to keep up with the upperclassmen and tried to stay near the front of the pack on runs. But over the years, and two children later, I haven't kept up the habit as much as I would have liked.  But when I get a chance to run, I am reminded about why I like it and the lessons running teaches me.

For instance, I have learned that I don't really care for running (long) distances on a track: to me it's boring and I lose track of how many laps I've done. I would much rather run outside, going somewhere or in larger circles, than round and round a small inside track.  When I run outside there is beautiful scenery to look at, people to wave to, fresh air... and running outside usually means that the course is not flat.  There may be big hills or gentle slopes.  That's where the challenge comes.  In our neighborhood, I run a couple of loops, making a figure 8 - it starts out pretty flat. After first turn I get the ease of a slight downward slope on the next straightaway so sometimes I try to take advantage of gravity and make up some time on my run.  As I turn the next corner, I have a short uphill run, then the next long stretch is a slight upward slope.  As I finish that stretch, it levels out and I return to the downward sloping stretch.  Then another gradual uphill slope to my starting point.  When I get to this last hill, I start to notice fatigue. BUT, and here's the great part, I know once I get past it, I'm back to that flat stretch and I get some recovery time as I prepare to do it again.  After a few laps, as I get to the end of my run, that last hill always challenges me - I debate about just starting my cool down or kicking it up a notch and just getting it over with.  Usually, my track experience and competitive spirit win over and I "race" to the finish line.  I love the feeling pushing through the pain and finishing my goal.

That makes me think about how our lives go: some parts of life are "flat stretches" or even "downhill stretches" and pretty easy, or even fun to go faster and enjoy the ride. Sometimes, the "uphill" parts of life are harder - sometimes they are short and sometimes there is a stretch of "uphill" life that seems to go on. And sometimes there are those "hills" that make us want to quit trying.

I had been on what seemed to be a never ending uphill struggle.  Even though I had 2 wonderful, healthy children, I was still angry and sad about the 2 I never knew; I couldn't understand why we had to go through it; I was jealous of others that got pregnant so easily. And I felt bad for even having those feelings.  I was getting down on myself and it wasn't doing me or my family any good.  After months of blaming God and just going through the motions, half-heartedly trying to pray with the boys & go to Bible class (you know, staying in the habit), rarely paying too much attention to the sermons, I started hearing 1 or 2 points our minister made each Sunday - like he was saying them right to me.  Other things started to get my attention too. When I finally "went forward" one Sunday and just admitted that I didn't have it all together and I was tired of pretending, the burden I had been carrying was lifted. I had put my foot down on the lies that were filling my head and leaned on the promises of my Lord again.

God calls Satan the deceiver in Revelation.  Don't let him feed you lies   The Word was written "...so that in [Him] you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I [Christ] have overcome the world." (John 16:33)  Knowing God, gives us peace.  Hebrews 12:1 says, "... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." 

I want to have that runner's instinct to translate to my life - I want to keep pushing, even when things are difficult.  Life is going to be hard. But I don't want a boring life, like round and round a track.  I want the course He has planned for me, with it's hills and challenges, so I can enjoy and appreciate the flat stretches. 

He has something greater in store for us!

Transform: Part 1

There are a lot of ways our family is trying to transform these days: wasting less, recycling more, using healthier products in our home, eating more vegetables (kiddos).... but Kyle and I have been on a mission to transform our health and our bodies.

So after going to the SHAKLEE Global Conference in August and hearing some amazing stories, we have committed to transforming with the CINCH inch loss plan. One of the keynote speakers was Jaqui McCoy, who partnered with trainer Chris Powell on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition and lost 207 lbs! That was 58% of her total body weight!  Jacqui’s diet and fitness regime were prescribed by her coaches on Extreme Makeover.  Jacqui is also a passionate advocate for Shaklee products and her nutritional needs were supported by her use of Shaklee nutrition, including Shaklee Vitalizer™ and OmegaGuard®.  At the conference, Jaqui shared about how taking these 2 supplements helped her start her weightloss transformation from the inside out - and she has committed to the Cinch transformation pack to lose that last 15-20lbs she wants to get rid of.

And that brings the story back to us - 2 pretty active adults who don't have nearly the challenge ahead of us that Jaqui did, but none-the-less determined to become healthier.  We both have diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, heart disease and cancer in our family and while we still have time, we want to TRANSFORM from the inside out like Jaqui to prevent these diseases if at all possible.

I thought I'd journal about our transformation journey here on our blog.  So here's where I'm starting:

Cheryl - 154.8 lbs, waist: 35.25 inches, hips: 41 inches

Check back to see our progress!

Mama's getting crafty

Have been thinking about something for our entry way now that we have a new door and a refreshed bench (free curb-side) - here's the bench in the entry

 before

after

So I rummaged up so old frames (many of them for 2x3 photos... who has those?!), painted a floral and gold one black, then inserted letters that I made in Word and printed out on pretty paper. 

Here's my temporary set-up, but I want to buy a mirror and then mount them over the bench!  Will add a final pick when I get it done.