Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 26

I'm losing track of the week numbers! I always have to go back and look at the previous week to see how long it's been. Now that I've hit 26 weeks, I've been working on losing the extra weight for half a year now. It does not feel that long at all! I think that because I'm being pretty relaxed about it, I don't feel like I'm "dieting" or "back on track". It just is what it is--just eating less food (a "normal" amount) by way of counting calories.

After such a large weight loss the last two weeks (because of my DietBet), I said that I was sure I was going to gain weight this week. I had been pretty strict about my calories for those two weeks and I just wanted to get back to "normal" (meaning eating a little more and not being so meticulous about my portions). Sure, I could have kept doing that to lose weight more quickly, but I'd rather relax a bit and lose the weight at a slower rate. There is no finish line, so it's not worth racing for!

Now, contradicting everything I just said (as well as my statement last week), I actually signed up for another four-week DietBet yesterday *groan*. I did it because I really want to continue to lose weight through the holidays. This time, however, I am not going to wait until the last two weeks, and then try to lose 4% of my weight in two weeks rather than four weeks.

If I eat normal-sized portions like I have been for the last six months, I think it's totally do-able to lose 4% in four weeks. So, I'm giving it a go. I did my first weigh-in yesterday, which is why I'm wearing what I'm wearing in that photo above. (I'm cringing at those tights--I bought them for running on the treadmill where no one would see them; so naturally, I'm posting a photo on the internet of me wearing them, hahaha.) Black is much more flattering than that blue. But when I do my DietBet photos, I never care how I look.

Ohmygosh, I nearly had a heart attack just now. I went to the DietBet website to see what my 4% goal is and it showed that my game is from Nov. 13-Dec. 10! I panicked, thinking that I had accidentally signed up for a game that started almost two weeks ago. Then I remembered that my sister needed help signing up for one, so she had me log into her account and I guess I never logged out. So I was looking at a game that she had joined for Nov. 13. Whew!

I have to get down to 152.4 by December 20th to win my game (that's weighing in with my clothes on--when I do my Wednesday Weigh-ins, I just wear my underwear). 

Last week, I was at 154.6; and today's weight...

I was at 155.8, so I gained 1.2 pounds. Not bad! I really thought it was going to be more, especially considering Thanksgiving dinner (we did that early with my family) and the leftover pie I ate the next day (I probably had four pieces of pie in two days). AND I'd made those pumpkin bars on Saturday. I definitely indulged this week, which is probably why I felt like I wanted to do another DietBet.

This was my Thanksgiving dinner plate... YUM. (Yes, I skipped the stuffing/dressing; I clearly was in the mood for mashed potatoes!) But my very favorite Thanksgiving item is my mom's sweet potato casserole. I could eat an entire plate of just that and be totally happy. (Here is her recipe)

So, even though my weight is up a tad, I'm happy with this weigh-in. I do hope to see a loss next week though ;)

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Requests (and a couple of cool deals)

This has been Jerry and me lately! I was going to post a Friends meme to start off today's post, but then I came across THIS Friends meme, and it seemed more appropriate, hahaha:

Sadly, I did not get any transformations to post today for Transformation Tuesday! Please please take 10 minutes this week to transform something--anything--and take before and after pictures. In August, I posted a few five-minute transformations I did, so there is always something that can be done to make a difference. Even if you think it's insignificant, you might inspire someone to clean out a closet or cut their hair, or organize their shoe rack. ;)

I also want to say that I really hope to get more people to participate in advertising your handmade items shops (like Etsy or otherwise). I only have two people participating so far, and in the past there were a lot more. This is an awesome opportunity to advertise your craft! (Especially during the holidays.) If you're interested, please check out this post for the details: Looking for Crafty Readers.

I also miss doing random "Reader Emails" posts--just fun news from readers (if you get married, buy a house, get a promotion, or anything else that you find exciting and want to share). Just send me an email and share your news (make sure to attach a picture as well).

Finally, I found a couple of cool secret deals (they're not really secret). I was super excited about them, though, and I wanted to share! You know I'm always raving about my Kindle Paperwhite. I cannot tell you enough just how much it has changed my reading life. I never used to read books, but I've already read over 20 books this year!

Here is what I love about it:

1) It is thinner and lighter than a paperback. It is much easier on my hands (which I now know have arthritis). It's much lighter than my iPad mini, too! I used to think that the Paperwhite was pretty much the same as a tablet, but it's not.

2) The screen looks just like a paperback page. I keep the backlight off (unless I'm reading in the dark) and without the backlight, it looks like a regular paper page.

3) There is no glare. I can read this in the sunlight outside (and I've done that lots of times!) and see it just fine.

4) I can get books instantly via my library for free, or if I reeeeeally want a book that my library doesn't have, I'll pay for it on Amazon and it's delivered instantly. 

5) If there is a word I don't know, I can just tap it and see the definition in the dictionary. Or if there is a person's name that I can't remember from the book, I can tap it and see all of the places where that person is mentioned, so I can be reminded who it is. I can also highlight things which are saved to a different file so you can go back to them later if you want.

6) It is small enough to fit in my purse and I take it with me when I know I'll be in a waiting room or in the car waiting for the kids, or whatever. It's so slim and light that I don't even notice it in my purse.

7) You can change the size of the font--I make it bigger so I can read on the treadmill, and then smaller when I'm just reading on the couch or in bed.

Before the Paperwhite, I was an old-fashioned book person--I needed to hold the book in my hands! But then I decided to try the Paperwhite and I was instantly hooked. I knew I could never go back to reading physical books again! And if you don't like it, Amazon's return policy is amazing--you just return it, no problem.

I'm not telling you this to get a commission for my review--I LOVE MY PAPERWHITE. I just have to share that! (That said, if you use my link, I may get a small commission.) I have even bought two of these with my own money as giveaway items for my blog readers--that's how much I love them. ETA: (I just looked it up, and my commission would be $3.39--so I am clearly not writing this for the commission! Haha)

Now, the not-so-secret deal that I was talking about... the 2018 Paperwhite (which is the one that I have) is now only $84.99! I actually have the 8 GB one, and it's the 32 GB one that is cheaper--which is an even better deal. You can hold literally thousands of books on the single tiny device. That's the cheapest I've seen it. There is a 2021 version, so I imagine they are trying to sell the rest of their stock of the 2018 version. I don't know if there is a difference in the new one, but it costs quite a bit more.

Okay, if you are convinced to buy one and give it a try, I'd be thrilled if you'd use this link (it doesn't cost you anything more): Kindle Paperwhite (2018) 32 GB. 

(I was confused about the "with ads" or "without ads" option (see below). If you get the "with ads" option, it just means that the screen saver if you leave the Kindle on for a long time will show ads. There are no ads shown while you're reading or anything like that. It's $20 cheaper, so I would definitely do that option.)

These are the options to select if you want to get it for that price:

ETA: I just looked again on--November 25--and the price is back up to $159.99!

One more item that I wanted to share about today is that Kohl's has a Black Friday sale for Muk Luks slipper boots (I call them my house shoes because I am always wearing them around the house) for only $8.49! (They're $9.99 and then with their coupon for 15% off, they end up being $8.49.)

I LOVE my Muk Luks; Becky bought me a pair for Christmas a few years ago and I was hooked ever since. But they're expensive! On Amazon, the kind I like are $30. When I saw they were only $8.49 today, I bought two pairs for myself and a few more as gifts. These are a perfect gift for pretty much any woman you know. (I do not get any sort of commission for these--but I was excited about the sale.)

Here is the link to my favorite models on the Kohl's website: Muk Luks Fawn Bootie Slippers, Muk Luks Amira Slippers and Muk Luks Hazel Convertible Slippers.

I planned (and still am planning) to do a "favorite things" post this week. I like to share some of my favorite things--some of them make the list every year, like my Paperwhite! But it's a fun post to do. I'd better start working on it; the holidays have arrived. Yikes!

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Measure Twice, Cut Once

It's 9:27 PM as I start this (there is no way I'll get it done before 10:00, which is when I usually publish my posts) and I just got in from a run. In the dark! The craziest thing happened today... I got a burst of energy in the afternoon(!) and it lasted all evening (which led to the run).

I used to have energy in the afternoons until my chronic pain started a few years ago. I started getting tired earlier and earlier in the day and the list of things I could no longer physically do was growing. (Still no real diagnosis--my doctor is calling it fibromyalgia for now, but still testing.)

I still have the pain, but I started a new medication after my last appointment with my rheumatologist and I think--I THINK--it might be helping! I've tried so many different meds this year while trying to figure out what's wrong with me and nothing helped even a little bit.

The past few mornings, I've gotten out of bed without moaning and groaning and so hunched over I could barely walk. The main pain that I still have is the old one--the very specific spot on my back (my T10-T11 vertebrae)--that's been there for 30 years. I don't want to downplay it, because when it really hurts, it hurts badly enough to make me just lie in a ball and cry. There is also a new (very bad) pain in my L5-S1 area (lower back). I feel super confident that it's a herniated disc. But the other pain I've been feeling all over my body seems to be getting better.

I really hope that the medication is working and I'm not just having a good day. I have an MRI scheduled for December 2nd, and I really hope that it shows something. (Interestingly, she ordered it for my cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back) but not my thoracic spine (where the T10-T11 pain I have is). My neck and lower back have been really bad, though, and the x-ray showed some enough degeneration to prompt the MRI, so we'll see.)

My dad told me he had a project he was working on and asked if I could help with it. He was making a chess board out of an old piece of plywood (repurposed from something or another). He put all the squares on it, but they weren't quite square to the board, so he just wanted me to square it up.

This is no big deal--like seriously a three minute task--with a table saw and a miter gauge. You just set the angle of the miter gauge and cut.

Now, I have some pretty cool tools, including the fancy saw I splurged on recently; but I don't have a miter gauge! A miter gauge to a woodworker is like a skillet to a chef. It's just a given! There was one that came with my saw (albeit a poor quality one, but a miter gauge nonetheless), and it broke. So I've been without a miter gauge for months, trying to get by with jigs and other tools. (A good miter gauge is expensive--$150-250--so I've been waiting to get one. I don't want to buy a cheap one only to have it break again, so I'd rather wait and get a good one.)

Anyway, my dad dropped off this board as well as another board that he wanted squared up to the same exact size as the chess board he was making. I figured I could get it done in an hour or so, if I got creative with my other tools.

I finally decided to use my router to get one clean edge, then move it over to the table saw to get another clean edge. Then use a table saw jig to cross cut each end.

It did not go as planned.

I was really worried I was going to mess up the chess board he so carefully painted, so I was careful about my cuts. It took forever, but I finally got it nice and square with the edges how he wanted them. Next up was the easy part! Cutting down the plain board to the size of the chess board.

The board was not at all nice looking, so I cut away the bad edges, keeping the best part in the center. I had three cuts done, and was on to the fourth and final cut. I laid the chess board on top to make sure it would be perfectly sized and I drew a line (there were already a couple of other lines on there).

I carefully made the cut on the table saw, and was happy when I saw that the whole thing was square. Then I realized that it was too short on one side!

When I put the piece up to the table saw, I was thinking that the cut line was the innermost line; but it should have been the outermost line that was on there. I got confused about which line I'd just drawn, so it was a an inch or so too short.

I was grateful I didn't screw up the chess board, but I felt terrible about the other board. I had a very nice piece of oak plywood that I was saving for something special that might come along (when I have nice plywood, I get very excited about it--I can't buy it often because I don't have a way to get it home). So, I reluctantly pulled it out to measure it, and it was just slightly bigger than the chess board--so it was perfect to use as a replacement.

My dad hasn't picked them up yet, so he doesn't know about my mistake, but he got lucky in a way--the oak plywood is so much nicer! ;)

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How Gratitude Can Lead to Generosity (a project by my friend Erin)

I am super full and tired--we just had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house because it worked into everyones schedules better than Thursday. I didn't eat anything all day, knowing I was going to be having a big dinner, and I definitely splurged. I limited myself to one plate of food, however, so I didn't go too crazy.

As always, my favorite thing was sweet potato casserole. When I asked Luke what his favorite food on his plate was, he said, "this orange stuff" (meaning the sweet potato casserole). That's all he wanted to eat! ;) (Here is my mom's recipe for it--it is SO SO SO good.)

Anyway, a blog reader-turned-friend of mine, Erin, posted something on Facebook recently asking for water bottles. Here is how she explained what she'd like to do...

"I've lived a pretty sheltered life, in the suburbs where homelessness isn't as obvious as it is in bigger cities. I now work in the downtown Indianapolis area and I see so many people that are homeless and it makes me uncomfortable to stop at a light and see them.

It reminds me of how fortunate I am and I've tried to get to the bottom of why I felt so uncomfortable seeing them. I think it was because I knew I could do something, even something small to help. Up until this point, it was easier to ignore them. I was thinking about it one night and saw a post on Pinterest and knew I wanted to use large-mouth water bottles to package the goodies; they can use it for water or to keep their things dry.

I will fill the water bottles with moisture wicking socks, hot hand warmers, a food gift card, and $5 cash. I hope to continue to hand these out all winter and give them to others to had out if they want to as well."

I absolutely love this idea! I sent her an Amazon gift card to buy a couple of water bottles, but then I wanted to share this to make it even bigger. Before I go on, I have to say that I adore Erin--you would, too, if you knew her. Remember when I had a reader meet-up for the Indy Mini in 2017? 

Well, I ended up walking with Erin for the whole race and her story just sounded more and more unbelievable. She's been through so much--including beating cancer. TWICE! And she's one of the most humble people I've ever met. If I didn't truly believe she was doing this out of the pure goodness of her heart, I wouldn't be sharing it.

So, if you're feeling generous and/or especially thankful this time of year, this is the perfect opportunity to help out someone who is in need! Erin is doing this on her own, with or without donations, but she could do a lot more with others' generosity.

Here is an Amazon Wish List that she created for this purpose. If you purchase something from her list, it gets sent to her and she'll package it up in the water bottles to hand out. Here is one of the bottles that she made:

This one has socks, hand warmers, a gift card for food, and $5 cash

With her Amazon Wish List, she can put a big variety of items in there. I am sure she will be happy to give updates on how it's going.

This Thanksgiving, I am so grateful that Noah and his friends weren't hurt in their car accident. I can't stop thinking about how bad that could have been, especially if they hadn't been wearing seatbelts. He was super sore for a couple of days afterward, but he's doing much better now. Mentally, it hit him the next morning; he couldn't stop thinking about how lucky they were. But he's not fearful of getting in a car, so I'm glad about that.

Well, if you're looking for a little something you can do to help someone in need this season, make sure you check out Erin's Wish List. I know that she will appreciate anything that she can get to supply these water bottles!

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HERITAGE RECIPE: Pumpkin Bars

"This is the best heritage recipe you've ever made!" -- Jerry, as he's eating his third bar in a row.

Jerry and the kids LOVED these (as did I). I knew that they were great when Jerry said he liked them better than pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is his favorite! And honestly, these bars really are the perfect dessert (not just for Thanksgiving, but any time). I had told Jerry he could take them to work tonight (so I don't eat them all) and the kids said, "No! Keep them here." 

This recipe was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society by Joan Pickens. I searched, but found absolutely NOTHING about her online; usually, I'll find a relative or obituary or something and then go searching that way. But I just can't find anything about her, unfortunately. 

I chose this recipe simply because I wanted to make something festive for Thanksgiving-time, as long as it wasn't pumpkin pie. I love cream cheese frosting, so that's what pulled me in. It was actually the bars, however, that had me saying WOW.

As always, when I make these recipes I don't alter or substitute anything--I try it exactly as-written. Here, I am writing it word-for-word, but in the "printer-friendly" version, I've typed it out to include my own notes.

I don't normally write "You have to make this!" on my recipes posts, but I am going to state that here: YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS. The bars have this perfect texture that is hard to compare with other foods. It's dense and spongy, kind of like a very moist spongy pound cake. The cinnamon gives it the festive-pumpkin taste without being too "pumpkin spice-y". (Yes, I'm making up words.) And I don't even have to describe the cream cheese frosting--YUM.

Just make these bars--you will be so glad you did!

Here is a printer-friendly version!

Pumpkin Bars

2 c. sugar
2 c. pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix by hand in a large bowl the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil. Add flour, mixed with soda, cinnamon, and salt. Grease and flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Pour in mixture and bake 25 minutes at 350 F. (Do not overbake.)

Grease and flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Pour in mixture and bake 25 minutes at 350 F. Do not overbake. (I did mine for exactly 25 minutes and it didn’t look “done” to me—but I pulled it out anyways and it was PERFECT.) Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

6 oz. softened cream cheese
2 sticks softened butter or oleo
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

Mix with mixer.

My Notes:

All of the ingredients are very self-explanatory. I used canned pumpkin in the bars since it didn't specify that. For the frosting, I used butter (just because it tastes better).

The mixture had the texture of a thick cake batter when I poured it into the pan.

It was interesting--I set the timer for 25 minutes, because it said not to overbake, and it definitely didn't look "done" to me when the timer went off. However, I pulled it out anyways, and later, I learned that it was perfect just the way it was. So, set your timer for 25 minutes and pull it out no matter what you think when you see it. It won't look much different than when you put it in!

Just trust the recipe!

The frosting was easy to make--I just threw the ingredients in the mixer and let 'er rip until it was the fluffiest, most delicious cream cheese frosting ever.

I put (most of) it on the bars (I'm embarrassed to say how much frosting was "leftover" in the mixing bowl, hahaha).

(Yes, that is a skeleton hand in the background. He's sitting at the snack bar.)

I cut it into 20 pieces; the bars are pretty thick, so each piece is pretty satisfying. Except you'll still want more because it's just so good! Seriously. Go make these!

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Friday Night Photos

This is going to be a quick post--well, I'm going to try to make it quick, anyway--because Luke and Riley are here for a sleepover. Riley is three and Luke is four years old, which means it's crazy busy at my house right now! Haha. (I'm not going to proofread this when I'm done, so excuse any typos.)

Can you believe this is a single serving of cashews?! It's 160 calories for this tiny little amount. I usually have an ounce of cashews and an ounce of almonds in the evening (along with some vanilla wafers!) and every time I measure these out, I can't believe how few cashews you get in a serving.

I took out some old clothes to try them on (I also moved my mirror temporarily to my bedroom, so I wouldn't have to walk back and forth to the bathroom). I tried on these pajamas that the kids got me for Christmas a few years ago--there is a cat pouch on the front, and the cuffs even have little toe beans. Estelle actually really likes being in there! Haha.

It's funny how the cats all like to sleep right up against the heater vents. They each have their favorite spot. This is where Duck has been hanging out.

Noah had some friends over and he asked me if I had any ideas how to keep everyone off their phones so they could actually interact (it drives him crazy when everybody is on their phones). So I went old school and made a game that I used to play in college--we called it "The Forehead Game" (yes, we were drinking when we made it up!).

We wrote a famous person or character (someone that everybody would know) on a post-it and then put it on someone's forehead without them seeing it. Then we went in a circle asking yes or no questions to guess who we were. (I wrote out a bunch of the post-its beforehand so that the kids wouldn't have to think of people on the spot.)

The bonus? I told the kids that they can't use their phones at all because then they might accidentally see their reflection and know who was on their forehead! It actually worked. Afterward, I busted out some Shrinky Dinks and the teens loved it! It was so fun to see teens doing something that I used to do way back in the day. They made several of them and we watched them shrink in the oven. Then I added keychains to them.

I have been SO TIRED this week. I had an appointment with my rheumatologist and she prescribed a new medication to try. I had a couple of side effects--dizziness and exhaustion. The dizziness was weird--I would turn my head and it felt like it took my brain a moment longer to turn with my head. (Yeah, that sounds ridiculous.) Thankfully, that only last a couple of days. The tiredness is getting better, but I'm still feeling it. This pic was from Day 2 on the med and Chick curled up on my chest. We laid like that pretty much all afternoon. It was so hard to keep my eyes open.

I didn't get any runs in last week--I was just too tired and dizzy. Hopefully back to it this week!

The doctor also ordered an MRI of my cervical spine and my lumbar spine. That's on December 2nd, and it's pretty much my last hope of finding answers. I really hope it shows what's going on.

Phoebe has made a new friend... she loves lying between the skeleton's legs for her naps! She's so funny.

This has been my favorite lunch for weeks now! Toast (on good bread) with butter and peanut butter (it has to be Smucker's Natural--that's my favorite). And fruit--right now, I have lots of raspberries because they were on sale this week.

 

Riley actually asked me if she could sit next to the skeleton for a picture to send to my mom! Hahaha. 

Riley found my giraffe hat and looked adorable in it!

Noah has a pretty extensive computer set-up in his bedroom for gaming, and Riley was fascinated with it. She basically became a podcaster as soon as she saw the microphone.

Here is a video, too--so cute!

Finally, here is a funny video of the kids playing with Chick. Chick loves to be covered with a blanket and then for someone to poke the blanket--he grabs at your fingers and it's always startling even when you're expecting it.

Okay, I'm going to play with the kiddos some more--have a great weekend! xo

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A Parent's Biggest Fear

Nobody tells you just how much you will worry when you become a parent--you worry about everything! 

As babies: Are they eating enough? Are they sleeping enough? Are they sleeping too much? Are they still breathing? (on your mind all night long). Do they need to go to the hospital for that fever? Are they developing at the rate they are supposed to? 

As young children: Do they have friends at school? Are they at the learning level they should be at? Should I let them go to that birthday party even though I don't know the parents? Who can I trust to leave them alone with? What if they run into the street and get hit by a car? What if they get lost at the zoo? Or kidnapped?

As teens: Are they happy? Are their friends "good" kids? Are they avoiding peer pressure to drink or vape or do drugs? What if this boy/girl breaks their heart? Will they do well enough at try-outs to make that sports team they want to be on so badly? 

And every time they leave the house: Will they come home safely?

Every day when my kids leave, I always hug them and say, "I love you. Be careful. I hope you have a great day."

The kids hear it so much that they don't really comprehend what I'm saying when I tell them to be careful. I'm sure it goes in one ear and out the other. When I say "be careful", I am basically stating that I'm giving up all control that I have over their safety. Those words are the only thing left that I can do before it's out of my hands. I am just trusting that they will come home in one piece. But there is always that little pit of worry in my stomach until they are home, safe and sound.

Today, I got the phone call that every single parent fears: Noah was in a car accident. A bad one.

He's okay--by some miracle, all four kids that were in the car are a little sore, but uninjured. Noah wasn't the one driving, and I'm grateful for that. (Noah is a fantastic driver, but I still worry about the other drivers that don't pay attention and could hit him.) Today, he was sitting in the back seat on the passenger side. His friend "S" was driving.

"S" wasn't doing anything totally reckless. She wasn't texting or speeding. They were on a road with an unposted speed limit (which means it's 55 mph). The houses were kind of sporadic--spread among lots of land. They were going back to the college after a break between their classes. "R" was in the passenger seat holding a phone with directions on it, and "S" wanted to see the directions herself, so she reached over to grab the phone from "R".

It was only a moment, but it was when she did that, she lost control of the wheel. As she tried to correct it to avoid going off the road, she overcorrected. The car went across the other lane (I am SO THANKFUL that there wasn't a car coming toward them in that lane--it would have been a head-on collision at 55+ miles per hour). There was a yard that had a small incline just off the road. According to the person who was driving behind them, the car hit that incline and went airborne, then rolled over two times before stopping just next to a telephone pole.

The car had rolled over two times. I couldn't stop thinking about that. All four of the kids had their seatbelts on, which I am sure saved them from severe injury. "R" said it happened so fast that he couldn't really think, but he just remembers being upside down.

They got SO LUCKY on several accounts: 1) They didn't hit another vehicle; 2) They didn't hit any sort of structure; 3) They'd rolled over a large bush that cushioned the landing; and 4) The cable that holds the telephone pole in place (you know the ones with the yellow plastic wrapped around them?) stopped the car from rolling into the actual telephone pole. Noah's side of the car would have hit the pole.

The doors wouldn't open, so they all had to climb out through the back. When I got the phone call, I left immediately (I love the "Find My Friends" app on my phone so that I can see his location--I just asked for directions to that location). It took me 25 minutes to get there.

I couldn't believe it when I saw the car. The tires had hit the ground so hard that they were embedded in the ground. The bush that they had rolled over was really big, but you could see where it had flattened out from the car. The car was pressed up hard against the telephone pole cable, which is what had kept it from continuing to roll.

The kids seemed full of adrenaline, but they weren't shaken up or anything. They just kept saying how lucky they were. A little while later, "S" (the driver) got pretty emotional because she felt terrible that she'd been the one driving. I'm not at all upset with her--we've all reached for something in our glove box or purse, or pressed a button on the radio. It only takes a second for something like that to happen.

I can't even express how grateful I am that none of the kids were hurt. They are all honestly "good kids"--the kind of friends that you really want your teenager to have--and I would have been devastated if any of them got hurt.

Normally, I write about my running on Thursdays, but this was... quite a day. The week was quite a week, too. I'll write about that later. I'm just counting my blessings today as a parent!

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Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 25

Today was the big day! I was dreading this weigh-in because it was the final weigh-in for my four-week DietBet. If I had been doing well with my weight loss, it wouldn't have been a big deal. In fact, with the three DietBets I've done this year, this was the first weigh-in that I was super nervous about.

Two weeks ago, my Wednesday Weigh-In was 162.8. In order to not lose my DietBet (a $100 bet!) I had to get down to 157.9. That meant 5 pounds in 2 weeks--and I hadn't lost anything in a month. I decided to buckle down and do my very best for the next couple of weeks and try to win my DietBet. It felt impossible, but I at least wanted to know I did my best.

I quit messing around--I had been taking a few days a week where I just didn't track calories and I knew I was eating too much, so I cut that out. I ate smaller portions to reduce the calories a bit. Instead of averaging about 1600 a day, I was averaging about 1400. I knew this wasn't going to be a permanent thing--I just wanted to do it for two weeks to see if I could hit 157.9 for my DietBet final weigh-in.

(This is one of the reasons I don't care much for DietBet--it can make you feel rushed when you have a deadline. It kind of goes against the advice I give people all the time: Don't make any changes you're not WILLING to do for the rest of your life.)

But anyway, I didn't do anything super drastic; I just really stuck with my plan 100%. And I really hoped that my weigh-in would go my way today. I put on the lightest clothes I could find and weighed in at 5:00 this morning. And guess what...?

(Well, this was my naked weight; I obviously put on clothes for my verification photo!)

I was at 154.6--and in shock. That meant I lost 8.2 pounds since I really buckled down on my calorie counting two weeks ago. (Last week, I was at 158.8, so I lost 4.2 pounds this week.) After being at a stand-still for a month, it felt really good to see that hard work really does pay off!

I've lost a total of 42.4 pounds since I started this in May. Back then, I thought I'd never see the 150's again. Just for a fun comparison photo, here are my "official" DietBet pictures--the first one is from May 24th and the second one is from today.

I never smile for these photos--it feels awkward to me for some reason! But I can't believe the difference in the photos. Twenty-five weeks does not feel very long. I feel like I just started doing this a couple of months ago.

So, where I'm going from here... I'm not going to do another DietBet. I really didn't like having to be so strict with my calories the last couple of weeks. I'd rather lose weight more slowly and not be so rigid. (Of course, it wouldn't have been so hard if I had worked on it for four weeks instead of cramming it into two!)

Today felt like such a relief! I didn't pig out or anything--I counted my calories and ate "normally", but just the fact that my weigh-in wasn't on my mind was a relief. I may end up gaining a little this week and I'm totally okay with that.

It's kind of unbelievable to me that I'm *actually doing it*. (Losing the weight, I mean.) I literally thought it was impossible for me to drop the weight I'd gained back. I kept thinking that I was "too far gone" to be able to get back to a healthy weight and healthier habits. And now I'm only five pounds away from the 140's and that just blows my mind.

Well, that's it! My weigh-in was verified and I officially won my $100 back. Instead of putting it right back in the bank like I've done with the other DietBets, I think I might use it for something fun. Like a new tool! Hahaha.

If you haven't seen this post (looking for readers who sell handmade items) please check it out!

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Transformation Tuesday #49

Taking a break yesterday was much needed--I'm feeling better today. Not 100% yet, but yesterday was definitely time for a mental health break from reality.

I have a few short transformations to share today. This first one is actually my friend Audrey's. She posted a photo of her fireplace on Facebook and it was so pretty that I asked if she had a before picture so I could share it here. This is what she sent me. She hired a company to do the stone. Isn't it amazing?!

 

This is a small transformation, but still a transformation.  I bought spice jars off of Amazon and transferred my spices to them.  I like how nice and organized it looks. 

- Kim, mom of two daughters and two rescue dogs, grandma of four

Kim, I love it! It looks like those cute little storage suggestions on Pinterest that you pin and then never get around to doing. My spices in my pantry look MUCH worse than your before picture, haha! I'm going to add that to me "to do" list. I love the jars you chose!

My work (Region IV Area Agency on Aging) partners with our local United Way to “Rake a Difference” where a ton of people volunteer to rake leaves for the elderly and disabled in our community. I thought this was a fun before and after of one of the houses we did. We did a total of four houses in one morning. We survived the rain and had a great time!

- Emily, Michigan

Emily, this is such an amazing idea! It looks like so much fun. And not to mention a super tough upper body workout! I don't think my body could handle that, haha. What a great thing to do for the elderly. I'm sure they appreciate it so much.

Thanks so much for sharing your transformations this week! As you know, I'm always looking for more to share every Tuesday, so please take some before and after photos (of anything at all, even if you think it's boring). Then send a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Include your name and a description of the transformation.

ALSO! If you didn't see the post where I asked Runs for Cookies' readers to share about their personal handmade item shops, such as Etsy, please check out that post here. I'd like to get a good collection of them this week! Thanks :)

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Crazy Eyes

I'm not going to write a post today. I had a really bad day and I just want to relax and hopefully go to bed early. But here is a funny photo of Duck as he's staring down his new toy. I've never seen a cat go as crazy as he does for this thing--I'm going to try to get a video of it for Friday Night Photos. I've actually been up since 3:00 AM because he brought it to me in bed and was bugging me to play with him ;) (You know he's excited when his pupils are huge like that!)

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