The end of another year…goodbye 2014…

 

What a year it’s been! The first half of the year I had my number two daughter and Sweet pea living with us.

The second half of the year I’ve had daughter number one and Squishy living with us.

I love my children and I especially love my Grandchildren, but I miss my art! I am so consumed with babies, and all that they entail that I have not done any art, not much of note, I have so much to do, to finish my “Art Instructors” course and I have just learnt Zentangle so that needs doing, and my penpalling fell off for a little while but happily that is back on track.

In January– We went away camping with long time friends, daughter number one and two grand babies. That was over the “Australia Day” weekend, fun times.

In February, My Husband took me away for a romantic weekend to Brisbane in Queensland, we got a mystery flight so we only found out where we were going a few days before hand, we have been there but we didn’t care it was us flying (I LOVE flying) away to be together. Had a great weekend.

In March– Heralded the Start of “Footy Season” and again I donned my hat as “football tragic mum”

In April– We had an engagement party for one of my nephews and the following weekend we had a roadt trip to Queensland to do some repairs on a friends house. Camping trip loved it.

In May– Nothing special but lots of football matches.

In June– Daughter number two and Sweetpea flew the nest.

In July– I discovered the Lord, we went out for dinner for a friends birthday. Had a date day at the Art Gallery and then lunch

In August– Number one daughter moved home with Squishy, Football Grand-final, we lost by one point!!

In September– My Nephew’s engagement party, great night out.

In October– My Niece had her engagement party, my birthday, Moved Mother-in-law into a nursing home and we went camping.

In November– Still camping for the first whole week.  Zentangle art class, Sweetpea turned one and said farewell to a long time friend. She Who Rambles Salad Challenge

In December– Christmas party at the Nursing home, Squishy turned one, huge birthday party, Christmas and quality time at our holiday place.

November, I started “The Daniel Plan” and to date I have lost 6 kilograms and 12 inches, I am happy about that!

 

Reading all that it’s been a busy year! Speaking of reading…

This is the pile of books I finished,  along with the note books full of notes, and the second bible I brought so I could do bible art in it. This one has the two inch wide margins.

 

My first piece of Bible art Psalm 139;13 I need to add some colour to it, but I’m scared to ruin it. I since quit that group because it was making me nervous about ruining my beautiful new bible.

This is my “awaiting” to be read pile… sheesh it makes me tired just looking at it, The book about Luther belongs to Pastor Frank, he loans me his personal books, I find that very humbling that he trusts me with his books.

A 90 day devotional study that I want to do, I haven’t booked it in yet, I’m really busy in January. Maybe I’ll pencil it in for April, May and June.

 

Two more Studies that I just got in the mail, both have 12 lessons.

This is my Bible study folder, which I do my daily studies in with “The Good Morning Girls” group, I am in a Facebook group called “The Heart of Esther” and have just been made Assistant for the group, so already my “deeper” is working! I have different sections in this folder.. the books that concern Men go in one bit, the Books that concern women go in another and the general books which is most of them go into a separate section. This year Good Morning Girls is introducing a different hing we are going to start colour coordinating the scriptures. Monday 5th January “Good Morning Girls” starts back with the Book of Exodus.

 

                  

 

So I have a feeling my morning study session is going to get a bit longer.. if I do this I haven’t actually decided yet.

 

This neat little pile lives by my bed. Each morning and each night, I read the daily devotional in each book and write in my journal. Basically my journal I write in any time, but I always start off with good intentions each morning and do a wrap up of each day before I go to bed, then I know my mind is clear and I am all set for my prayer.

Tonight I am ending the year as I started it, with Sweetpea while her Mum goes out for the night. We did that last year too.. except last year I didn’t feel as tired as I do this year!

Happy New Year to all my friends out there who take time to read my blog, thank- you for reading and I hope you all come back next year for more and I wish you all a very happy 2015!!

 

 

 

 

Salad Challenge… Last day! Recap!

I DID NOT make the above salad I found the image on Google..

So today brings us to thirtieth of November 2014, which means the end of the #SWR30daysofsaladchallenge

I have really enjoyed this challenge, and found myself eager to make my daily salad and thanks to the gorgeous weather, sometimes two a day! It also brought up the challenge of finding a salad I could eat (Due to my The Daniel Plan) while out shopping or out of the house. KFC and McDonald’s helped there.

So here’s a pictorial recap on some of the Salads I made, (I printed off recipes to make some ‘exotic’ ones but never ended up doing that!)

Hmm, for whatever reason I only have 24 photos… Friday lunch I was so hungry I ate half of the chicken salad wrap before remembering to take the photo, so no pic for that the others I must have deleted.. but rest assured I’ve checked in each and every day!!

So Have I learnt any lessons?

• Challenges are fun, and keep me on track.
• Most people were interested in what I was doing.
• New Viewers came to my blog and instagram it’s all in the #
• I enjoyed the challenge of finding a salad in places I would not normally have thought to look.
• I lost at least 3 kilos I’ll check into tomorrow, (Monday) with my official weight loss for #The Daniel Plan

Would I do it again?

• Absolutely!!

You can read the original post here: https://kimlhine.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/blogtoberfest-2014-day-27-wedding-plans-10000-steps-and-salads-galore/

So from now on it’s

• Spiritual Sundays (I just made that up) This is when I will update y Bible reading plans and my lessons from studies I am doing, makes sense since it’s Sunday and we go to Church on Sundays.
• Motivational Mondays– Because let’s face it no one likes Monday.. I wonder if we would like Monday more if the weekend started on Tuesday and Wednesday?! Poor Monday.. support for Monday please! Personally I like Mondays because it means all the family piss off and leave me alone.. off to school off to work off to their lives and leave me with mine AND ” The Daniel Plan catch-up”
• Tuesdays of texture It’s on day a week.. might help my blog become more readable. We get to mess around with photos of texture.. I can do this like Bricks, or dirt, or bark or beach sand or beach shells or my favorite tree! Hey I’m giving away all my good ideas!  This Lady can’t go past a patch of Moss without taking a gazillion photos of it.. and here I was thinking I was the Only ONE!! Find out more here: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_event/tuesdays-of-texture/
• Weight-loss Wednesday (I just made that up) I’m going to tell you all about how my weight-loss, Daniel Plan and recipes etc are going.

Okay, so that leaves Thursday, Friday and Saturday.. does anyone want to suggest topics for those days?

 

 

 

Daniel Plan day 18 and Salad Challenge…Day 29

 

Breakfast– Mango and some mixed nuts

Lunch– Salad with chicken satay meatballs

Snack– kabana, nuts and cranberries

Dinner– Salad with chicken wings

This week while I am away from home, I came better prepared to suceed. Today has been an easy day to follow my Daniel Plan and I wasn’t even tempted to not be compliant.

I am still spending the first half an hour up on waking “With the Lord” and I could not now imagine NOT doing that, its become such a part of my routine, its as normal as breathing.

I am feeling Dainel Strong and walking a good walk.

NaBloPoMo 2014- Day 27- Today I did…. a LOT!

Art!!

I know, I know right, it’s not a big deal to you all, but to me it’s HUGE!

You see, I look after my Grandson full-time while his Mum works and I love him to bits, but my Art Studio is down stairs and so when I am with my Squishy I rarely go down there. In fact, today was the first time I’ve even walked into that room for over two weeks.

So my daughter was home most of the day she only worked 5.00 pm- 10.00 pm today, she didn’t leave home till almost 3;00 pm. We had made plans to go and do some running around this morning, picking up some things ad going to the bank, we got a salad for lunch and come home and then I had all this free time, I’d already done the laundry this morning and it was on the line drying, so I wandered down stairs.

At first I stood there and looked around because let’s face it, it’s been a while since I worked down there, and it’s become a bit of a dumping ground as we move children and grandchildren in and out of the family home. I’ve got myself a nice little path but I really need to de-clutter a LOT of stuff. Plus there’s so much to do ART Wise, where to start was the questions, it all gets a bit overwhelming. My Sister-in-law came for a cup of tea and said “Do you remember HOW to paint?” I reassured her I don’t think I’ll ever forget that…. and then if I do there’s You Tube.

My gaze fell upon a painting as yet unfinished when I started her I had such a clear vision and then I got her head and the outline of her wings (she was going to be a red-headed angel) done and then for whatever reason I stopped. So I chose to work on her today. Since I have done some classes on drawing faces since I started her, I could see her face shape was wrong, so I started off by adjusting that with some neutral colour paint, then I decided that I could do her eyes better too, so I painted over those also, and while I’m going, her mouth needed work.. I love her nose though that can stay! I have no idea what I am doing as yet with her body or if she will retain her wings, but I’ll see how we go she’ll tell me what she wants as I go along, they usually do..

 

What Else dd I do today?

Breakfast– Quinoa bake and Maple Syrup.

Snack- 1/2 banana (I shared with the Squishy boy!) and some dried cranberries (he loved those!) and some cashews.

Lunch– Greek Salad

Snack– Fruit and 10 nuts

Dinner– Home made chicken balls with salad and Satay dipping sauce, (All made from scratch and ALL Daniel Compliant)

Water is up to date, yay, another target reached.

Did I do anything else??

Oh yes! When I was shopping with my daughter and Squishy, I brought myself some more veggies for the newest garden bed, today I got Cucumbers and Zucchini! So now we have…

• Tomatoes
• basil
• rosemary
• corn
• broccoli,
• capsicum
• Strawberry
• Cucumber
• Zucchini

I’d say we’re doing good, I am thinking the final garden bed I might do a selection of herbs.  The family is not interested in the Capsicum or Zucchini, so they are for me.. the Children don’t want the tomatoes so I might as well just have all of it.. at least it’s Daniel Compliant!

 

So How was your day? Did you do anything exciting?

NaBloPoMo 2014- Day 26… Daniel Plan 16 and Salad Challenge day 26

Today I have nothing to say… how unusual.. maybe I’m tired. But I figured this way I could get my NaBloPoMo posting and the Foodies posting done at the same time and go to bed and read my book. I should be writing overdue mail but I’m tired.

Wednesday-

Breakfast– Quinoa Bake with Maple Syrup (we were in a hurry going to a funeral)

Lunch– KFC- small potato and gravy, small popcorn chicken.

Dinner– Salad with tomato and caper flavored tuna

 Thursday-

Breakfast– Mixed berry smoothie

Snack– Cucumber

Lunch– Caesar Salad

Dinner– Chicken with vegetables.

Both days I’ve hit my water target however step count is down but I don’t care because I’ve been doing some vigorous digging in the garden and weeding, so lots of bending and movement.

 

Daniel Plan day 14…. and while I’m at it… Salad challenge day 24..

Sunday- Away at our holiday place..

Breakfast– I had a banana and a handful of almonds.

Lunch- KFC Salad with grilled strips. We had just gotten home from our travels. **Salad Challenge**

Dinner– Steak, Eggs and a few chips, My husband cooks the best chips!

Monday- Banana and cashew nuts

Lunch- Salad with left over roast lamb, beans, tomato, grated beetroot and stale corn tortilla chips crumbled over the top (my version of croutons)

Snack- Dried Cranberries and a few nuts.

Today is my second week of The Daniel Plan and I am doing well, in fact cruising through the super market last night I found so many “DP” complaint foods I contemplated staying on this program forever. As I brought some Quinoa which was not only red AND black it was also Organic!! So it’s not as hard as I first imagined to be Daniel Plan complaint, and I am actually enjoying the challenge.

This weekend I had hurdles to over come. I’ve always told my family that I would never ask them to join me, most times my long-suffering Bloke will try a meal or two, but then again I have never done anything this drastic, detox with no glutens, no coffee, no sugar and no dairy. So I am more than happy to go along alone, because it’s for me I am doing this and no one else. So this weekend we went to our holiday place in St.Leonards and they have an awesome bakery with the best Pies and sausage rolls and pasties. So my challenge was to watch and smell the Blokes eating a typical lunch from the bakery, while I was eating salad with canned chicken with pesto and pine nuts. I walked out of the room and cleaned out the front of the van while they ate.. hey it’s only so much torture a body can take! For dinner we had “fish ‘n’ chips.” I had grilled fish and a mixed salad, so I didn’t stray from my compliance with “DP“

So this morning marks two weeks, so I decided to weigh myself and see if there was any movement, boy was I surprised I am now 72 Kgs so that means I am down three kilos, I got on and off the scales three times to check. So I thought Well let’s push it a bit further and do the measurements as well. Another delightful surprise.. My arms, chest, waist, hips, thighs all lost an inch!! All except the place I most wanted to lose the weight my stomach!! So three kilos and five inches, I’ll take that thank you very much!!

         Making “Quinoa Bakes” for breakfast                                                   Lunch time Salad- Left over Lamb

Day 12 of Daniel Plan and Day 22 of Salad Challenge… Catch up!

Friday 21/11/2014

Crazy busy day, I had.. I had time for a sneak peek at the scales and I am officially down two kilograms (about 4.6 pounds)

Breakfast– Banana and cup of chinese tea.

Lunch– beef and black bean (chinese healthy, quick and easy)

Afternoon– Almonds

Dinner– Roast Lamb, with baked potatoes,pumpkin, steamed cauliflower, brocolli and carrots, side serve of gravy, (I was so good!!!)

dessert– blew it!! it’s my Grand daughters first birthday, I could not have a small piece of birthday cake.

** REMEMBER– 90/10, I didn’t have wine or soft drink, only water! hot my water target! Hot my steps target, the cake was all that let me down!

Saturday 22/11/2014

Breakfast– banana and vitamins B and multi.

Lunch– Salad with Chicken pesto with pine nuts.

Snack– handful of peanuts

Dinner– Salad with grilled fish vitamins B and Multi.

**** ATTENTION– due to the lazy nature of today, I have NOT hit my step total, and I don’t even feel bad, I walked in the sun, spoke to the Lord and spent quality time with my men. I did hit  my water target and take my viatmins morning and night.

The Daniel Plan and Salad Challenge day 20… Forgive me Father….

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

I broke my own best intentions.

Breakfast– Scrambled eggs with spring onion, red capsicum, beans and tomato. (so nothing illegal there)

Lunch– MISTAKE!! We wanted to try out a new shop and it’s called “Nanna’s Roasts” I didn’t realize that you could buy a meal, I ordered a “roast lamb with gravy (all good so far!) roll… see that ROLL as in BREAD ROLL.. my theory was I would come home, whip up a salad and take the meat out of the roll and stay Daniel Strong and compliant…. until… I smelt it…….. that was my undoing, I smelt the lunch and I ate it. At first I picked out the meat without making a salad and I was never going to be satisfied with just that, so I ate the ROLL!!! Which in fact just went to prove my will power is not as strong as I thought it was. So why am I confessing this to you? I could have kept my trap shut and went on about my day, but this is my watch dog, I have it in writing, YOU dear readers (if there are any I am pretending that you are all reading this) Keep me Honest!!

OK, somewhere on the website www.danielplan.com I am sure I read something about aiming for 90 % of the time eating properly…

let me go check that!!

http://www.danielplan.com/healthyhabits/10-ways-to-conquer-your-cravings/

Follow the 90/10 rule

Make great food choices 90% of the time. For the remaining 10%, cut yourself a little slack and allow yourself margin to enjoy some of your favorite foods on occasion.

There! I did read it but I still do not forgive myself for eating that roll and just as if that wasn’t bad enough, this afternoon as I was preparing a snack for the boys after school, Star Son’s favorite is salada biscuits with Vegemite and cheese, and I LOVE Cheese and I have not eaten it I have been true and loyal to no dairy.. stupidly I took a bite, but the joke was on me because it was terrible! it left a greasy taste in the back of my throat, does this mean I am cured of my love of fattening cheese? Dunno, but I did not enjoy that bite! More work needed on “Faith” and strengthening my willpower to say “NO”

Snack- Almonds and cranberries (what can fit in my hand, so about 10 almonds and a small pile of cranberries.)

Dinner- Salad with half a hamburger and a small piece of my corn tortilla lasagna and an egg… protein in egg and hamburger. I had half because Squishy had the other bigger piece.

Good positive about today… Water’s on track! and only had one cup of Chinese tea all day, all water today.

The Daniel Plan and Salad Challenge.. day 19

www.Danielplan.com

Today I went out of the house and remained Daniel Plan compliant.. yay me!

Breakfast– Juiced two oranges, an apple and a pear. Mixed that with a tablespoon of LSA.

Lunch– Salad from KFC and it was with grilled chicken too.. who knew KFC sold salad?

Snack– Almonds and Cranberries

Dinner– I had left over spaghetti sauce from last night so I used some corn tortillas and made a lasagna minus the cheese or white sauce. Surprising enough it tasted good and looked ok and I had mine with salad.

So totally compliant day and I’ve also had more water today I’m up to 1.8 liters so far and it’s only 7.29pm

The biggest news is I’ve been using the “Run Keeper” app on my phone, not that I run anywhere but it tracks all my steps and so I made a New Years Resolution last year to walk 400 kilometers…. drum roll please.. can I have some cymbals too?

TODAY I walked the 400th Kilometer plus a few more.. I’m up to 406.1 at the moment and still have 44 days of the challenge left!! So now I have a Fit Bit and it counts every step I take so next year I will set myself a goal using my Fit Bit. I am so proud of myself.

The Daniel Plan and Salad Challenge Tuesday…

http://www.danielplan,com

I am tired today, I know I haven’t had enough water but I am tired.. I am weary and then I get emotional.. I’m tired..

Breakfast– Fruit juice, I had some fruit that was starting to look a bit limp (Much like I feel) So I got the Bloke to drag in the juicer and I juiced a pear, an apple, 8 strawberries and some floppy celery and added a tablespoon of LSA (Linseed, Sunflower and Almond) to the mix. Very yummy. I learnt this trick from the Liver detox diet from Sandra Cabot.

Snack– Some almonds and dried cranberries

Lunch- I attempted to make an omelette.. I have an omelette pan that my Dad gave me a gazillion years ago, but today my mind was wandering and I forgot to spray it with the olive oil, so the omelette stuck and ended up looking like scrambled eggs with tomato, capsicum, celery and mixed beans. it didn’t look pretty but it sure tasted good. Remember no dairy products so I mixed the eggs with water a trick I learnt from BodyTrim.

Snack- Some almonds and dried cranberries (again) they’re yum!

Dinner- The Blokes had spaghetti and my family love my spaghetti, so I was disappointed to miss out but then I remembered another Body Trim recipe Geoff Jowlett told us just because you can’t eat pasta doesn’t mean you have to miss out.. so we steam some finely chopped cabbage and serve that in place of pasta, so I did that on a bed of mixed salad greens and called it “Spaghetti Salad!” YUMMMMMY!!

Scarlett Olivia- Looking like her name sake “Scarlett O’Hara” she outgrew last years summer hat, time for a new one.

And these Cheeky faces to remind me Why I am doing this to keep myself healthy!!

So another day of great food… not so good with the steps (F..itness) but up on the (F…aith) I learnt how to do “Verse Mapping” (F…un) and I spent two hours playing with that and loved it.. we used John 3:16 as an example.. one I had not previously read! So three of the Five F’s is a good effort!