The Elimination Diet

Counting Calories, Drinking Tons of Water, Body Cleansing, you name it!!!

I have been dieting pretty seriously since January. I have been running about 3 times a week and doing boot camp 2 times a week. But my weight is NOT CHANGING! I am not too disappointed, as I know I am losing inches but with 30lbs to lose, I should be losing some weight too! GOOD GRIEF!

So my cousin, who is also my trainer, gave me this hard core elimination diet! I am on day one!! It is 30 days long too! YIKES. Get this...........

I have to eliminate all caffeine, all soda, no processed foods, no breads, and no red meat!

This is very hard. I am not even half way through day one!!! I have had two eggs, grapes, and a banana...and lots of water. I have NO IDEA what I will have for lunch, as I need to go the the grocery store! Maybe some lettuce! HA!!!

Wish me luck! I am gonna need it!

Continue to Follow....

Grace Bible Fellowship is our church home! This church is still what I would consider a new church. My family and I have been with GBF since the planning stages, which took place almost 4 years ago. Five families met and planned and prayed over this church. Things began to take off fast! Attendance was strong and things seem to be going great! However, our pastor left and that did not go well at all. Our church was suffering over this lost! Not only did the pastor leave, but our band quite too. We were just one year in, and things were looking not so good for the future of our church.

I know first hand how much prayer, how much counsel, and how much God seeking wisdom was done during these trying times, as my husband was on the leadership team then. But God had his hand on us and he sent a wonderful family to GBF.... THE STINSONs.

With them they brought a breath of fresh air, an I can attitude, and just loved on us like no other could ever do. Our church began to start healing! They invested in our people and lives began to change!!

For myself and my family......words can not tell you how they have made such a huge impact on our lives. They may not know this, but for me, they believed in me more than I did. You see, I am a GUNTERITE!! And with that, everyone knows my baggage and then some! HA! I think that is why I felt "safe and comfortable" at Celina Christian Academy. There I could be who God intended me to be, without the negativity or talk about what I used to be or should be.

But I am now following God's plan and doing what HE wants me to do....right here where he has called me back to (back in Gunter...my home)!!! Thanks Bruce and Gina for helping me make this huge step in my life!!! I will forever be thankful for it! Not only that, but the passion for the people and children of Gunter has been ignited once again.

Now, that is more personal, but I know they have had this same impact on many others in our church and in our community!!! It is hard to let go and say goodbye to the people that believe in you and pray for you daily, and for a family you have become good friends with and love dearly! But I know God has big plans for them! They must obey!

GBF is a stronger and healthier church because of how they shown the love of Jesus during their short time here! I am excited about the church future, but it still saddens my heart that our friends will be moving:-(

We will continue on though......... God's hands are still all over us!!!

Summer Count Down

It is warm in Texas today! I hear it is in the lower 90s. And yesterday I even welcomed a nice sunburn after being at a baseball game all day! So, today I was talking to a couple of good friends. We all had a confession to make....we all agreed that we were looking forward to the end of the year!

Now the funny thing was....the end of the year is being referred as the end of the "school year". HA! And none of are teachers either!!!

So why do we as adults get excited about the summer? Why as grown adults do summers still excite us so much??? I am sure everyone has their own reasons, but here are a few of mine........

1) Sleeping in and staying up late
2) Being outside with family and friends from 7pm-10pm. It is too hot to be out for too long any other time of the day!
3) Vacation (or this year a staycation) HA
4) Swimming at the Roberts house for a good cool down
5) Spending the day at the lake on the beach and swimming
6) Big Brother reality show
7) Special events at church (SMAK/VBS and group outings)
8) Time with my sister in law and her family
9) Time with friends from friends out of town
10) The good tan and usually a few extra pounds off:-)

Oh, no homework!!! YAE
Only 6 weeks left....who else is counting:-)

A New Approach to Cleaning

This morning we all slept in due to some rained out games! We did have "one" soccer game to attend late morning, but before we left I asked for the kids to clean their rooms and brush their teeth. An hour later, the kids had "attempted" to clean their room but did a horrible job and still did not have their teeth brushed.

This has become very typical lately. I work part-time and have several side jobs to help pay for my youngest private school tuition. So time is not something I have right now! And cleaning just frustrates me. Not because of the actual cleaning but because the rest of my household is not aiding or even helping keep things clean.

So today, I made a list. The list has EVERYTHING on it! And I will NOT clean! Everyone else in my house will be doing that for me this Saturday! HA!!! Call me mean, that's fine, but I am not a maid! Sometimes you got to whip 'em in shape to earn a little respect....right?

So as I blog, I have my husband replace lights bulbs, Addie is sorting dirty laundry, and Zander is cleaning the masterbath room. The list is a long list, but it is getting done!!

HA!!!!! I love these kind of Saturdays!!!!

The Good Always Out Weighs the Bad

This week.........couldn't end soon enough! HA! But even though it was a tough week, I can still recall many great things that happened that kept me going.....

1. My favorite verse was put back on my radar this week. Amazing how a verse can do some many things for you in different situations in your life. JEREMIAH 29:11 The power of prayer and this scripture have created peace in my life!!
2. Zander hit his first homerun this past week!!! He hit a line drive right down the center of the field past all the other kids. Two men were on base, so he racked up 3 runs. What a fun experience to witness and see the look of amazement and excitement on his face!! Todd and I were pretty excited too!!!
3. I was able to sub twice this past week....both assignments were in first grade classrooms. On Wednesday I subbed for Zander's teacher. I have always wondered how he and his little friends acted in class. He is in a class of all the little competitive, athletic boys. And boy are they fun. Very bright, and quick witted!! Too cute!
4. Today I subbed for my cousin's class! This class was ADORABLE!! They were so sweet and more the sensitive type class! I got lots of sweet homemade gifts (several construction paper hearts, a beaded anklet, and nice letters). Those are some of the things I miss most about teaching full time. So it was a nice treat today!!!
5. Ewww, the rain! I love the rain we have had and am hoping for more to come! We have had very little rain here in Texas so the little storms we are getting is always big news and welcomed.
6. Canceled Games....because of the rain we have been blessed with rain out games this weekend! YAE!! I say YAE because we had "many" conflicts in our schedule. Zander was going to have to pick or chose between soccer and baseball and we also had pictures scheduled! Not to mention....sleeping in possibly tomorrow morning!
7. I had a much needed good nap a few hours ago. I have not slept in about 4 days and have been so busy! And at night, I just can't seem to wind down! But this afternoon, after subbing. I forced all the kids inside in front of a TV and we chilled. Gabe and I ended up sleeping from 4:30-7pm!
8. I got a special gift from a sweet little girl on Wednesday evening at TeamKID. It was the sweetest and most thoughtful gesture!! I got two, almost dead, dandelions from a child! Her mom was almost in tears (of laughter) when she saw her daughter give me these....but it was a very generous gift!!
9. Got to love boot camp! I got back on board for boot camp (fitness/workout). I had missed two workouts due to ballgames. I love being with all my friends and working out together. It really is fun! I always look forward to this time with my "girls"!!! And this week we added an additional workout session for in the morning!
10. Friends!!! I am thankful for the friendships God has given me. I have several ladies that have really meant alot to me in the past few months. I am blessed!


This week has been a challenge. But the good always outweighs the bad!!! God is good!!!

Got to Love Kids.....

This is just a glimpse of the comedy we get from day to day in my house........

It is Here.....

I really had planned on going back to bed after getting the kids to school today. After such a big week and a busy day yesterday, I was looking forward to it....but guess what. It didn't happen! But I am quite alright with it!

Instead, I got a phone call at 7:30am that said my new washer and dryer were arriving around 9am. I have never been so excited about any machinery before (except for my first car). It is beautiful and it purrs so gently at every wash! I think I am in love!! HA!

I gladly welcomed my new LOWE's friend in. They got me completely hooked up in no time and took those nasty, no good old things away!

I got a Maytag 3000 series....both washer and dryer. I have done 6 loads of laundry today which would be 12 loads in my old washing/dryer days. I got it all done in a matter of a half a day too. The older model would have taken me all day, all night, and into the next day! AMAZING!

I hope to share pics soon! It is so awesome! I am so thankful to my dear husband who did this for me:) I love you Todd!!!

Easter Eggstravaganza 09

I haven't blogged this week at all! Why!?!?! Because this past week I spent the week preparing for our FIRST ANNUAL EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA for our little town, and hosted by our church!

Being our first outreach that I have planned for the families of our community, I was really wanting to make it as inviting as possible for any unchurched or for our fellow neighbors and friends. So the city park was my choice, but I did have the old gymnasium for backup (just in case the weather did not corporate). I did not want to have the eggstravaganza on the church grounds because I felt visiting families would feel intimidated or even think they were NOT invited! Therefor, the park was my final decision.

After about 3 weeks of preparing, planning, and shopping, the event was in full motion! We had two bounce houses rented, we had carnival type games for the small children, we had family soccer and kickball games planned, some hot dogs to eat, and eggs to hunt.

Our "youth" group became head leaders in certain areas (carnival games and sporting games) and the adults did great filling in any gaps!

The only down fall was the WIND! With 40mph gusts and 35mph winds, the bounce house crew left as quickly as they arrived. I admit, I was highly discouraged and I was second guessing my decision on whether staying at the park was the right idea.

But, you know our God!!! Anything is possible with him...even in Texas wind!

The day was AWESOME! We had children from all over our small town come out to play and take part in the day. We had several new families and faces, too! It was so awesome to take a look at the park that I once played in as a child and to see my children playing with other children!

And what really made me smile was our teenage kids. These kids were assigned to be leaders of our carnival type games and to lead our sporting events. These teens did an outstanding job....and our little guys LOVED it! The teens even came to me and told me they had a blast serving, which showed and was a big reason why the day was a success! The younger ones loved playing with the BIG KIDS! They loved the attention! And loved being a part of their world for a couple of hours. What a way to bring these two generations together!

So many people lended a hand, some many did countless jobs! Without these people the day would have perhaps been long or even stressful....but it wasn't not one bit!

All in all, the day was great! I have learned alot from it, as well. Somethings that I will duplicate next year, and some things that will change. But the thing that I am glad that won't change is WHY we had the Eggstravaganza.....to celebrate our Lord, Jesus Christ!!!