Week 10 and 11

Week 10 was tough.

For starters, Jacob made me a cake for Mothers Day in foods. I don't care how much you are dieting. When your 15 year old- too cool for parents- kid makes you a cake, and chooses to GIVE it to you instead of eating it on the WAY HOME from school, you proudly EAT several pieces of that bad boy, and you enjoy EVERY moment of it! =P

It was also my "black week".  I know I've talked about this before, but I really struggle with this time every month. It's like I shouldn't even try during this time.

Remember my journaling obsession I had in the beginning? The one where I wrote down weight, water drank, miles walked?   It seems to have leveled out and is now with in the normal range! HA! I AM thankful I have written my weight down since day one.  It helps me to see how far I have come, and it helps me to see trends or that I have in fact lost per week, when things are going rough or if I'm having a "fat" day.

Week 11 was a bit easier..thanks to a bout with the stomach flu! HAHA 

My 12 week challenge is almost over. I've almost made it 12 weeks. Guess what? I won't be stopping after 12 weeks. =)  

A Walk Around

Yesterday Danny and I walked around our yard and garden.  I've never enjoyed my yard as much as I have this year. Danny seems to be enjoying it too!!

My tomato plants are kicking butt. I guess I am a little surprised at HOW well they are doing, considering they are in pots. But they have already over doubled in sized, and some have blooms already. Some will probably need to be re-potted in a couple of weeks, after I get out of town and get some bigger pots. 

We are excited about our potatoes. They are really starting to peek up at the sides and tops. Every day we are finding new green peeking out.







Oh Smokey..he makes us laugh.  He spends HOURS and HOURS in this position he is in in the picture. Head down, tail wagging, with the occasional bird dog "point".  I really thought he was starting to loose his mind, because he does this and seems so excited. Turns out...he's watching bugs. The dog loves bugs.  In this picture the straw has attracted lots of Roly Polys.



I was THRILLED this year when the Iris I dug from the farm fence line bloomed this year. I've watched and waited for 3 years now.  It had belonged to my Grandmother. My Aunt also told me there were some yellow ones and where they used to be. Going to see if I can find any trace of them. 





The Poppies are in the middle of their spectacular show! I just love these flowers and was convinced they wouldn't be blooming. 



I wonder if I could be a Poppy farmer.  A real one..not one of the illegal ones! ;)

 

Our area has seen a round of scary weather the past few days.  We have had   Here is a bit from our forecast from Saturday: 

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST
CENTRAL, SOUTHWEST, AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS SATURDAY EVENING.
VERY LARGE TO GIANT HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS
OF BASEBALL SIZE OR LARGER. AT AROUND SUNSET, THE LOW LEVEL SHEAR
WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY, WITH TORNADOES BECOMING A THREAT. AN
ISOLATED LONG-LIVED, SIGNIFICANT TORNADO WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING
THE MID TO LATE EVENING HOURS WITH THE STRONGEST SUPERCELL STORM. 

That makes you stand up and pay attention, huh? Luckily, we didn't have any tornadoes,

just rain, some scary lightening, and some REALLY large hail. Last night we had a hail 

storm bigger than I have ever experienced, with quarter to half dollar sized hail. There

was golf ball sized hail reported 5 miles from us. Luckily we had no damage expect a

broken bird feeder. We are suppose to have more weather today.

But at least we are getting MOISTURE!! 

Have a GREAT MONDAY!!

Weeks 8 and 9

Its really hard for me to believe I've been doing this challenge for 9 weeks now.

I kicked the crap out of out my plateau. I upped my protein a bit, and mixed up my excerise and I am down 4 more pounds.

Saturday I hit a personal record for exercise, walking 6.62 miles. I had gotten up and walked 1.5 early in the morning, and then we walked our local lake, and then I did another 1.5.  I was pretty stinking proud of myself.

Those early morning walks I just love. I love the stillness of the morning, with the birds singing thier hearts out. Its the perfect time to have conversations with God, or myself, or to listen to whatever music I feel like.

I know I've said this before, but weight loss is such a strange process to go through. Your brain doesn't really catch up with your body and I'm not sure how long it takes before it does. I really do not feel any different when I look in the mirror.  But yet...clothes I haven't been able to wear for years are suddenly fitting juuuust right. Its kind of like an Alice in Wonderland feeling.  Like the entire world has suddenly gotten BIGGER.

Its a lot of fun when people start noticing. Last weekend there was a lady who stopped by and she kept looking at me and grinning. "Did you....is your hair different? Did you change your hair color? You look GREAT." ;)

I try to take it 10 lbs at a time, and I realize I do have a long ways to go. If I just look at those 10lbs I do great. Other times I start to look at the bigger picture and how much I have left to lose and how long it will take, and it can get exhausting. 

But--10lbs at time...I can do this.

Yard Happenings

Whew. I still don't know if it is safe or not, but everything we wanted to plant is FINALLY in!. This weather has us delayed by probably a month. Oh well.

This year we made some changes. We have a busy summer planned, and I KNEW I wouldn't be able to keep up with a normal garden. Plus the drought of the past few years has really just made me mad, and I didn't want to do alllllll that work for a just a little bit in return again. So this is a bit of a experiment-try something new- year.

Danny planted his potatoes in towers, with potting soil and straw. We also have some coming back in our garden area from last year that will be cared for.  Apparently, when the boys say "there is NOTHING LEFT out there", they don't really mean it!! ;)  We don't know if the tower will really work, but its the perfect year to try it and see!

I am container gardening this year. My tomatoes, okra, green beans,  and pepper plants were all planted in buckets. I was a bit bummed that I ran out of containers, and didn't have room for some of my favorites, and then was gifted with 3 more mineral tubs. SO..in went radishes and beets. We will see how well it works!

Our garden plot will not be going to waste. I made a raised bed out there for zucchini. If it does well, it can have the entire plot. I also planted a few different varieties of sunflowers out there.

This year it will just be about fun and the joy in growing something. Which is how is SHOULD be. Gardening shouldn't be stressful or discouraging. I'm glad we are taking a step back to just ENJOY and have fun.

The weather  has made US crazy, but the Pansies have been LOVING it! 

Tristen has plans to grow peanuts again, and wants to give artichokes a try. I am pretty sure we are too late for both, but that sure isn't going to stop him from trying.  This time last year he had good sized peanut plants already. Crazy!!!

I am enjoying my yard with my new found energy and I hope to spend more time playing in it this year. I've already made 2 trips to the greenhouse, and have planted 8 more cone-flower plants. If you find something that can even kick butt in a severe drought, you plant that ALL over your yard! ;) 

And I'm not sure if its the crazy weather that has them confused, but the bird spottings in my yard have been amazing this week. I saw, for the first time ever, an Eastern Bluebird. He sat still just long enough in my tree for me to identify him, and I haven't seen him since. Beautiful!! My friend Melanie has them at her house, but I've never seen one here.  I've also had a hummingbird back at the feeder, interrupted a Baltimore Oriole getting a drink from the water fountain, and have had a ton of cute little American Goldfinches.

 

And one that I'm still trying to identify. I've seen it around, but got a close up of it yesterday when it came into the bunny barn while I was feeding and  I sat and watched while it ate some bugs up on the rafters. It seems to hang out in there a lot, and I've been wondering if there is a nest hidden, but can't find anything.  Its TEENY TINY, and is shaped like a nut hatch,  but is much smaller and is brown and VERY fast!  Any ideas?

Hope every one has a wonderful week! We are getting a beautiful soft rain this morning that will make everything happy happy happy!!!