May Life Update!

I don't have as many pictures as last month, but I'll be sure to give you some sneak peaks of recipes coming up!

Let me start by confessing I "cheated" this month. We went as a family to German Fest in a town about an hour away and I tried SO hard to stay within my dietary restrictions, but other than sauerkraut, there was no protein within my diet...so I ate a sausage link...which was pork...GASP! And in all honesty, yes, I ate it on a hotdog bun...AHHH! And to make matters worse...I ended it with blueberry cream cheese streusel...SOUND THE ALARM!! Did I feel guilty? A little, but you know what...for how strong I have stayed on my dietary restrictions & how much weight I have lost, the guilt didn't last for long :-)

Other than that, I feel like April FLEW by!

We started Financial Peace University and are really enjoying the biblical views of managing our money. Something we have been confirmed of recently is that THE LOVE of money is the root of all evil...not money! We get so stressed out wondering if there's enough money in the bank account to cover our debit card purchase, or pay for that credit card bill, and we were missing the point...when CASH is in our hands, we know, without any stress or worry, if the money is there or not. I made my first 2 cash transactions this morning and I feel GREAT! I knew I had the money and I was using it to purchase what I had planned for. Do any of you have experience with FPU?

My parents went to Korea to visit my brother, a captain in the army, who was having a change of command ceremony. He had been in command of a company for a little over a year & a half. They had a GREAT time! I honestly never thought I had a desire to visit an Asian country, but from their pictures and stories, I'm actually kind of jealous!

 My brother is the guy in the middle.

My brother & his girlfriend. It was Mom & Dad's first time meeting her and they loved her! I hope to meet her soon! 

Mom & Dad

Aren't the cherry blossoms beautiful?? They were in full bloom and Mom said by the time they were leaving, it looked like it had snowed on the ground because of the petals! I always think of my sweet friend, Amanda, when I see Cherry Blossoms! 

At the same time my parents were Korea, Brian's parents & Aunt were in Ireland! I haven't seen any of their pictures yet, but from the stories, we are just can't wait! Although it was a crazy two weeks, we survived 2 whole weeks of both of our parents being "out of pocket" for the first times in our lives for a long period...needless to say, we weren't fans :-) 

We were so blessed to meet a couple in a church who is in the same stage of life as us! They are so sweet -- I get along great with Laura, and Brian and Doug hit it off as well! We have started a LifeGroup at our home and we could not be any more excited! It has been a tough year not feeling settled, but I think we may finally be getting there...

Soooo....I promised a few sneak peaks of recipes to come...

Chocolate Chip Cookies -- dairy free, soy free, egg free, gluten free!

Taco & Avocado salad

Chicken & Lime Soup -- recipe compliments of my beautiful cousin!

Sweet Potato Chips

And if anyone is curious about what happens with Brynlee Ann when I blog OR why I don't blog often...here's picture proof...

What you can't see, is that she has opened the coat closet and has started pulling blankets & purses out, as well as the stack of about 30 more blocks from that bucket on her head...

This month will bring an end to my 60 days on the RepairVite program. I will still stick to most of the guidelines, but I get to add in ONE food every 72 hours beginning May 21! The idea is to find out what my body can tolerate and what irritates it. From there, I will know what to stay away from to keep my weight managed! I'm so excited to keep seeing results and continue becoming a new me! 

Starting weight on 3/19 - 253.6 lbs
4/2 weight - 240 lbs
5/3 weight - 231 lbs

Now for my shameless plug...
Scentsy is offering an incentive trip to Cancun in January! I would absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE to earn an incentive trip and be able to have a fun, care-free week with my Scentsy sisters & show off the new me!! I would love your help to get there!! Here's how:

1. Have you ever considered joining a direct selling company? I'd love to share with you why I chose Scentsy Family Brands and invite you onto our team!
2. Do you like the product so much but just can't afford everything that you want? Host a party and earn free & half-priced items!
3. Have you been wanting to try the products (Velata, Grace Adele, or Scentsy), but never had a chance? Love the product and need more? Now's your chance to purchase and help me reach my goal!

If you fall into any of these 3 categories, let me know! I'd love to help you in any way I can! Thanks, ya'll ;-)

Water is getting old....

Since the day Brynlee Ann was born, I drank AT LEAST 1 can of Coke a day...I say at least, because there were days I would go to Sonic to get a large vanilla coke...several times a week. It's a nasty habit. As my genius mother-in-love says "Go clean a toilet with it and then you won't drink it...." I still drank it! I didn't drink Coke much during my pregnancy because of the caffeine and the sugar, but I made a deal with myself -- if I delivered Brynlee Ann with NO pain medications, I would reward myself with a Coke...problem was, I didn't put an end to it!

March 20 I stopped drinking Coke COLD TURKEY! And honestly, I haven't even craved it! But, I have been getting tired of ONLY water here recently -- I last 4 weeks before getting tired of JUST water...not bad! So I thought I'd share a few favorite options of mine:

Fruit/Veggie Infused Water -- in a pitcher, add thin slices of: 2 limes, 1 grapefruit, 1 lemon, & 8 strawberries. Top with ice & cold water. Stir and serve.

This was ABSOLUTELY refreshing! Try not to squish or smash the fruits too much, or the water becomes quite sour from the citrus. Also, experiment with cucumbers, peaches, and other great refreshing fruits & veggies! Not only does it taste good, but isn't it pretty??

 Kombucha Tea -- Our favorite brand is from a Fort Worth company - Holy Kombucha. They are available at WholeFoods Markets here in DFW, and you can contact them via their website to find where else it can soon be found! If I need a sweet, refreshing drink, I usually drink about 8 oz. It has GREAT health benefits -- it naturally contains probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes, and amino acids that are so vital to our body functioning properly. We have not tried a flavor in this brand we didn't love!

Low calorie & low in sugar. This has been a HUGE asset to me not craving soda. My one caution (personal opinion) is to avoid the Synergy brand of Kombucha tea -- it is derived from Green Tea extracts and contains high caffeine (they have a larger selection of flavors, but it doesn't taste as fresh/refreshing as Holy Kombucha). I will keep y'all updated if I find other brands I like! 

What is your favorite sugar-free, natural drink?