Nine Months of Marriage on a Waistline.

Kevin and I have been married for nine months.

That means it has been one year and seven months since we met.

That also means I have not lost (and kept off) one pound for over a year and seven months.

Losing weight as a single person was a totally different Beast than what I face today. That ugly thing realizes just how hard it is to be a wife, putting my husband first, and still take care of myself - and it wants blood. This is not one of those cute monsters under the bed with one eye and a penchant for dry humor; this is a blood-thirsty animal that will stop at nothing to discover whether or not I could be as wide as I am long.

Some days are better than others, but to be truthful, I haven't had that zeal and focus for losing weight since before I met the hubs. Don't get me wrong, being married is the greatest gift from God I could have received; Kevin is my biggest supporter and constant encourager. It's me, not him.

Telling myself it is "okay" to spend more time at the gym and less time at home (usually after several hours of working at the coffee shop) is so hard to do. Taking any time for my own health that might take away from "us" time seems like the end of the world sometimes. And beyond all of that, it has just been really hard to keep myself motivated.

Why am I doing this? 

I had a list, and it really is true. All of it. But it barely stands up to The Beast (or The Stash) on a good day; it cowers in fear on the bad ones. 

The thing is, I know why. It really comes down to one simple truth: I feel better when I take care of my body.

And taking care of my body requires regular exercise and healthy eating.

It really is that simple.

I am a better me when I am actively pursuing my best health.

Lots of things get in the way. That's life. And sometimes, I really, truly okay with that. A down weekend every now and then is actually NOT the end of the world. A dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup mini now and then is actually quite necessary - to my mental health. AND I love food! I love to cook, to bake, and to eat! That's not going to change.

And folks, I do know how to do this. I've done it! I know the facts, the info, the details, the theories... I just have to do it. Little by little. 

And it is oh, so hard. It doesn't get easier to tackle The Beast. I'm back up to 200 pounds. Now you know. I'm not even close to perfect. I'm going backwards on the scale. It is discouraging in so many ways. And yet I choose to force a good attitude and keep trying. (At least that is how I feel right now, we'll see in about 20 minutes...)

I've been going to the gym more often and eating salads for lunch. I've also been drinking 64 ounces of water a day, at least. It's a start. Well, it's more like a continuance. It just keeps going.

It's been a long time since I have really talked to you all, rather than show you pictures and tell you about yummy things I've made. That's all wonderful, and I love to do it, but sitting down to write about how I am is much harder. It takes more time, thought, and energy - things I don't have to spare very often. I'm working about 30 hours a week, which is a total God-send, and that doesn't leave much time for blogging after housekeeping/running, especially when I am also making time for my health.

So bear with me, okay? I think about you all the time. Keep reading. Keep responding. And keep going on whatever goal you are aiming for. 

We'll never be perfect, but we can at least keep going. 


So tell me: How are you coming on your goals? How do you keep motivated?

I Dream of Pumpkin

I had pumpkin on the brain. Two weeks in a row. So I made a few things...

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Here.

I only had a LARGE can of pumpkin (which is actually why I made so many goodies, trying to use it up), so I weighed out what I needed for my bread.

It kinda, sorta, maybe fell when I took it out of the oven- so I eventually turned it out into a bowl and served it like a bread pudding... without the pudding.

Pumpkin muffins. Here.

I added diced almonds on top just for prettiness.

These are delicious and so pretty. I think they could be in a display window. 

Starbucks pumpkin scone. Here.

This is one of my favorite Starbucks pastries, so I was so excited to recreate it!!!

You can cut the scones into 16 small pieces for even more to share.

So gorgeous.

And let me tell you, they were incredibly good.

Baked pumpkin donut holes. Here.

These are just mini muffins dipped in butter and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. So simple, and so much fun!

These were the husband's favorite out of all of the recipes.

So tell me: What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

A Fail and a Win.

I used my food processor to shred up a bunch of broccoli before it went bad.

To it, I added apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, nonfat Greek yogurt, chicken boullion granules, and salt.

It was gross. 

I think it could be improved upon, but the stuff (I would honestly rather use a much less ladylike term) pictured below was nasty tasting. Way too much vinegar in the recipe I used. 

Any good recipes for great tasting slaw??? I need help.

The following was much, much better.

About 3 cups of shredded broccoli.

6 eggs.

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Salt. 1 tsp.

Parsley. 1 tsp.

Oregano. 1 tsp.

Half of a chopped Walla Walla sweet onion.

Bacon. Baked. Crumbled.

Bread turned into bread crumbs.

(I froze bread before it went bad and saved it. Process it and you have instant bread crumbs!)

About 2 cups worth, perhaps more (didn't measure).

All tossed together...

...and pressed into a 9x13 baking pan.

Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Enjoy a baked bacon and broccoli frittata, Nicole-style.

So tell me: Have you created anything in the kitchen lately?

Momma Tammy's Apple Pie in Photos

The Pyrex dish she always uses to make pie crust.

In go 7 granny smith apples.

On goes cinnamon, sugar, and tapioca.

She bakes this pie for 1 hour and 6 minutes. Every time. And has no idea why.

We ate this pie with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Yes, it was fantastically delectable. 

So tell me: What are you learning to bake? Who is teaching you?