This is going to be a BUSY week...Daddy Daughter Dance AND Adrianna's Birthday Party, not to mention a surprise trip to Dallas to take her to the American Girl Store!
Monday: Turkey Chili
Tuesday: Chicken Quesadillas
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Daddy Daughter Dinner
Saturday: Birthday Girl's Choice (will prob. be pizza knowing her!LOL)
Sunday: Baked Cod Fish, Wild Rice, veggies
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Truth Tellers . . .
I was expressing to a friend yesterday why I made my running blog private and my fears about sharing too much on facebook and her email I read this morning was JUST WHAT I NEEDED to see before starting this day!!!! I LOVE this lady and NEED my true "FRIENDS" just like her to be the ones I take advice from. She truly loves me, is not jealous, does not say things because of her own "agenda", she is one of my truth tellers in life and I am SO THANKFUL for her!!!!
Here are some parts of it:
Hmmmm this doesn't sound like you at all!
I get the feeling that you are hiding yourself lately so other people don't get upset. That is not how it's supposed to be! If anyone gets upset about your accomplishments then that is a reflection on them, not you. Those people feel insecure about what they are NOT doing. Or are fearful that you will do it better or make it look easier. Screw them Gina. You do not brag you express. You are not boastful you are open and inspiring and God does not want you to hide your light under a bushel!!
Please do not be altered by those people who want to bring you down. Those who love you Bask in the joy of your achievements. Anyone who says you are being boastful needs to go examine the intent & truth behind that.
Again...I LOVE YOU MY FRIEND!!!
Here are some parts of it:
Hmmmm this doesn't sound like you at all!
I get the feeling that you are hiding yourself lately so other people don't get upset. That is not how it's supposed to be! If anyone gets upset about your accomplishments then that is a reflection on them, not you. Those people feel insecure about what they are NOT doing. Or are fearful that you will do it better or make it look easier. Screw them Gina. You do not brag you express. You are not boastful you are open and inspiring and God does not want you to hide your light under a bushel!!
Please do not be altered by those people who want to bring you down. Those who love you Bask in the joy of your achievements. Anyone who says you are being boastful needs to go examine the intent & truth behind that.
Again...I LOVE YOU MY FRIEND!!!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Menu Planning
Oh boy do I need to "Revamp" my menu!!! Going to try a few new things next week!
Monday: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas: great way to add some extra protein into a classic dish!
Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Rolls: made these a LONG TIME ago and they were a hit!!! Bringing them back!
Wednesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce: this should be a fun little change from my italian or swedish meatballs! Will serve with rice and snow peas!
Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner!
Friday: Date Night
Saturday: Chili Lime Mango Chicken Skewers, Baked Zucchini Fries (similiar to this recipe but I add kosher salt to the mix)
Sunday: Good Ol Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad
Monday: Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas: great way to add some extra protein into a classic dish!
Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Rolls: made these a LONG TIME ago and they were a hit!!! Bringing them back!
Wednesday: Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce: this should be a fun little change from my italian or swedish meatballs! Will serve with rice and snow peas!
Thursday: Breakfast for Dinner!
Friday: Date Night
Saturday: Chili Lime Mango Chicken Skewers, Baked Zucchini Fries (similiar to this recipe but I add kosher salt to the mix)
Sunday: Good Ol Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Firework.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlLgvQErn6o
FIREWORK
FIRECRACKER
SPITFIRE
determined
strong
tough
These are a few of the words that have been used to describe me by my family and friends. And today is one of those days that I TRULY BELIEVE it!!
I FREAKING RAN 18 MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only did I "run" 18 miles, but I did it in THE COLD AND RAIN!!!! It wasn't a downpour but a constant gentle mist. And you know what? I FELT AWESOME! I did wake up with a lower back ache, nothing unusual, I ALWAYS have backpain. I popped a couple of ibuprofen, ate a blueberry crisp Cliff bar, a banana and a cup of coffee and it was ON! When I walked out the door this morning at 5:45 it was raining and I thought "Oh boy, this is going to be tough!". I was freezing (44 degrees this morning, not THAT bad now that I've run in 33 degree weather!LOL) but felt like I had layered appropriately so I told myself I would NOT focus on the weather today but would take it mile by mile. Hey I only had to go 9 and then turn around and come home, right? :o)
I kept thinking about this song when I was pushing uphill, when my back ached or my left hip hurt at mile 16. I kept telling myself I owned this day, I was a firework! Time to shine! No negative talk, and believe me I could have focused on the fatigue I felt from starting maybe a little too fast, or the weather or the stupid semi truck that got all of us wet with a giant puddle at the start of the run, my sopping wet feet that I knew would be all white and wrinkly when I took my shoes off, but instead I just focused on how STRONG I felt today! These lyrics in particular kept going over and over in my mind:
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in youYou just gotta ignite the light And let it shine Just own the night Like the Fourth of July
I NEEDED this today. It was a rough week having Chris and the two little ones sick and me not being able to do the plan exactly the way it said, but I didn't skip a run, yay! I couldn't help but to laugh a little during my last mile. I was by myself, remembering a conversation I had with Erika the other day. It kind of went like this:
"OF COURSE I would pick my first marathon to be in FEBRUARY! The fall would have just made too much sense, right? :o) I had to choose to train during the coldest time in Texas, surrounded by TONS of challenges....holidays, cold and allergy season, etc. But then again, that's me! As with MOST things in my life, I take the toughest road and just have to remind myself that I always get there, somehow, someway."
And to be honest, it has been T-O-U-G-H!!!! If it's not one thing, it's another. I've had to change my expectations for my first marathon since I'm not willing to put into the training plan exactly what it asks of me. I am a runner, an athlete. BUT I am wife and mother FIRST. I put God and my family before the running and it can be VERY EASY to switch that up and get all out of balance. Thankfully I have people close to me that care so much about me that they help me see these things before I allow that to happen. :o)
Today was a test for me. I wanted to see if I could "do it" today, keep a pace that I was "content" with and feel encouraged at the end. Well everyone, Gina gets and A+ for today! I passed my own test with flying colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited to see what those extra 8.2 miles brings me.
I'm ready Austin Marathon, bring it!
FIREWORK
FIRECRACKER
SPITFIRE
determined
strong
tough
These are a few of the words that have been used to describe me by my family and friends. And today is one of those days that I TRULY BELIEVE it!!
I FREAKING RAN 18 MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only did I "run" 18 miles, but I did it in THE COLD AND RAIN!!!! It wasn't a downpour but a constant gentle mist. And you know what? I FELT AWESOME! I did wake up with a lower back ache, nothing unusual, I ALWAYS have backpain. I popped a couple of ibuprofen, ate a blueberry crisp Cliff bar, a banana and a cup of coffee and it was ON! When I walked out the door this morning at 5:45 it was raining and I thought "Oh boy, this is going to be tough!". I was freezing (44 degrees this morning, not THAT bad now that I've run in 33 degree weather!LOL) but felt like I had layered appropriately so I told myself I would NOT focus on the weather today but would take it mile by mile. Hey I only had to go 9 and then turn around and come home, right? :o)
I kept thinking about this song when I was pushing uphill, when my back ached or my left hip hurt at mile 16. I kept telling myself I owned this day, I was a firework! Time to shine! No negative talk, and believe me I could have focused on the fatigue I felt from starting maybe a little too fast, or the weather or the stupid semi truck that got all of us wet with a giant puddle at the start of the run, my sopping wet feet that I knew would be all white and wrinkly when I took my shoes off, but instead I just focused on how STRONG I felt today! These lyrics in particular kept going over and over in my mind:
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in youYou just gotta ignite the light And let it shine Just own the night Like the Fourth of July
I NEEDED this today. It was a rough week having Chris and the two little ones sick and me not being able to do the plan exactly the way it said, but I didn't skip a run, yay! I couldn't help but to laugh a little during my last mile. I was by myself, remembering a conversation I had with Erika the other day. It kind of went like this:
"OF COURSE I would pick my first marathon to be in FEBRUARY! The fall would have just made too much sense, right? :o) I had to choose to train during the coldest time in Texas, surrounded by TONS of challenges....holidays, cold and allergy season, etc. But then again, that's me! As with MOST things in my life, I take the toughest road and just have to remind myself that I always get there, somehow, someway."
And to be honest, it has been T-O-U-G-H!!!! If it's not one thing, it's another. I've had to change my expectations for my first marathon since I'm not willing to put into the training plan exactly what it asks of me. I am a runner, an athlete. BUT I am wife and mother FIRST. I put God and my family before the running and it can be VERY EASY to switch that up and get all out of balance. Thankfully I have people close to me that care so much about me that they help me see these things before I allow that to happen. :o)
Today was a test for me. I wanted to see if I could "do it" today, keep a pace that I was "content" with and feel encouraged at the end. Well everyone, Gina gets and A+ for today! I passed my own test with flying colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited to see what those extra 8.2 miles brings me.
I'm ready Austin Marathon, bring it!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
FREEDOM!
Ever have someone say something to you that had NOTHING TO DO with Spirituality but you just KNEW it was a "God Moment"?? Ahhhh, those are the BEST and I was so fortunate to have that today!
AfterTorture, ahem, I mean Spin Class, I was sitting with a friend having a cup of coffee and she just poured into me as she always does, overflowing my cup! No, she wasn't telling me how awesome I am, LOL, she spoke TRUTH to me. Truth about just WHO I am, the person others see me as. Her very simple and to the point statements broke some of the chains I feel have been weighing me down lately. THESE are the people you need in your life. THESE are the people I surround myself with. People who LOVE me, not ones that are jealous of me, passive aggressive towards me, or who truly don't have a pure heart when it comes to their feelings/thoughts about me.
Sitting and chatting with her for a bit and then having another friend join us just MADE MY DAY!!! My other girlfriend came over and started to chat, touched my arm while she was talking (I'M HUGE ON the touchy feely stuff....always have been!) to me and in that moment I felt joy. I felt freedom. I felt focused.
I picked Sofia up and jumped in the car to head over and do some coupon deals at Randalls and I had this feeling inside that I just wanted to RUN after God, JUMP into a Bible Study, DIVE into the sea of HIS love. I know it's dramatic but I SERIOUSLY felt that way. I know beginning the new daily prayer here, and getting back into a routine again completely contributed to my sense of balance, hence FREEDOM. But God always, and I do mean ALWAYS communicates to me through other people, always!
Something from this morning's prayer that just struck me, I had to go back and read it as soon as I got home was this:
Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
When I walk in darkness, Lord, carry me through.
I'm emotional, I FEEL . . . I'm passionate . . . so yes, sometimes I just have to go over the top to break free. It is quite silly to me though how a very simple conversation can just do that for me.
It's a New Year, a time to focus in on your values, your goals, your relationships and how you are going to live them out, achieve them and nurture them. So as I said before, no I'm not going to put a list of "Resolutions" out there but I will focus on those three elements of my life and try my very best to keep them all in balance.
Values:
My Family
My Church
My Body
Goals for each of the 3 things I value the most:
Invest more individually on each of my babies' needs making adjustments to some of our current routines to do so.
No more slacking on our monthly date night....make it MANDATORY and setup 2 months at a time. :o)
Help others, "feel" God the way I do. Not necessarily "teach" but show if that makes sense.
Complete the Marathon and then just stay on a maintenance running plan. No huge races, just maintaining.
Relationships:
Focus more on having friends and family members over for dinner.
Working on ways to help strengthen my relationships, not really meant for this blog post. No, I don't BLOG everything. :o)
Now is that all I'm resolving to do in the New Year? Of course not! I will get this house organized, closet by closet, room by room, etc. etc. I will craft more, I will finish up my recipe binder, get back into couponing, and so on but if I go into that MY head will spin. LOL
FOCUS.
That's all I need to help maintain BALANCE.
Ahhhhh and that's when I feel FREEDOM.
After
Sitting and chatting with her for a bit and then having another friend join us just MADE MY DAY!!! My other girlfriend came over and started to chat, touched my arm while she was talking (I'M HUGE ON the touchy feely stuff....always have been!) to me and in that moment I felt joy. I felt freedom. I felt focused.
I picked Sofia up and jumped in the car to head over and do some coupon deals at Randalls and I had this feeling inside that I just wanted to RUN after God, JUMP into a Bible Study, DIVE into the sea of HIS love. I know it's dramatic but I SERIOUSLY felt that way. I know beginning the new daily prayer here, and getting back into a routine again completely contributed to my sense of balance, hence FREEDOM. But God always, and I do mean ALWAYS communicates to me through other people, always!
Something from this morning's prayer that just struck me, I had to go back and read it as soon as I got home was this:
Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
When I walk in darkness, Lord, carry me through.
I'm emotional, I FEEL . . . I'm passionate . . . so yes, sometimes I just have to go over the top to break free. It is quite silly to me though how a very simple conversation can just do that for me.
It's a New Year, a time to focus in on your values, your goals, your relationships and how you are going to live them out, achieve them and nurture them. So as I said before, no I'm not going to put a list of "Resolutions" out there but I will focus on those three elements of my life and try my very best to keep them all in balance.
Values:
My Family
My Church
My Body
Goals for each of the 3 things I value the most:
Invest more individually on each of my babies' needs making adjustments to some of our current routines to do so.
No more slacking on our monthly date night....make it MANDATORY and setup 2 months at a time. :o)
Help others, "feel" God the way I do. Not necessarily "teach" but show if that makes sense.
Complete the Marathon and then just stay on a maintenance running plan. No huge races, just maintaining.
Relationships:
Focus more on having friends and family members over for dinner.
Working on ways to help strengthen my relationships, not really meant for this blog post. No, I don't BLOG everything. :o)
Now is that all I'm resolving to do in the New Year? Of course not! I will get this house organized, closet by closet, room by room, etc. etc. I will craft more, I will finish up my recipe binder, get back into couponing, and so on but if I go into that MY head will spin. LOL
FOCUS.
That's all I need to help maintain BALANCE.
Ahhhhh and that's when I feel FREEDOM.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
MMXI
WOW!!!! REALLY???? IS IT "REALLY" 2011?!?!?!
Well, 2010 was a GREAT year full of accomplishments, family milestones and relationship building. Am working on a "recap" but just wanted to share something I'm going to try this year. Yes, I did say "try" since I know I'm not the 100% kinda gal.
I read here about coming up with your "THEME WORD" of the year. I just love this blog and get TONS of useful information from her! Simplify was the word she chose and I would say that was my word last year, I EVEN bought the word and it sits on my mantle to remind me everyday! LOL While I've grown in that area A TON over the past year, it is something I have to focus on every single week while I plan out the menu, my home and family responsiblities, my social schedule as well as my ministry. It can get out of balance QUICKLY, especially if I (which is very easy for me to do) OVERCOMPLICATE stuff. Simplify....that's a great one! But this year, I am ALL ABOUT...
Why the word purity? Yeah, I know, it's kind of weird. I didn't put a TON of thought into what my "word" would be but this one came to me when I was running. I was thinking of one of the things I wanted to do this year, recycle, and for some reason this symbol made me think purity. Like I said, random.
When I think about all the areas in my life that I've grown in, I've realized that I usually have to empty out to fill back up. The arrows make me think of that I guess. I can go pretty deep or maybe just very complicated, so I'll keep this light and simple. :o)
How is this word Purity going to be demonstrated in my life to match up with my values and my goals?
I am about LIFECHANGE. I am about GROWTH. I am about JOY. I don't always have it together, but try my absolute hardest most of the time which is all ANY of us can do. :o)
Well, 2010 was a GREAT year full of accomplishments, family milestones and relationship building. Am working on a "recap" but just wanted to share something I'm going to try this year. Yes, I did say "try" since I know I'm not the 100% kinda gal.
I read here about coming up with your "THEME WORD" of the year. I just love this blog and get TONS of useful information from her! Simplify was the word she chose and I would say that was my word last year, I EVEN bought the word and it sits on my mantle to remind me everyday! LOL While I've grown in that area A TON over the past year, it is something I have to focus on every single week while I plan out the menu, my home and family responsiblities, my social schedule as well as my ministry. It can get out of balance QUICKLY, especially if I (which is very easy for me to do) OVERCOMPLICATE stuff. Simplify....that's a great one! But this year, I am ALL ABOUT...
"PURITY"
Why the word purity? Yeah, I know, it's kind of weird. I didn't put a TON of thought into what my "word" would be but this one came to me when I was running. I was thinking of one of the things I wanted to do this year, recycle, and for some reason this symbol made me think purity. Like I said, random.
When I think about all the areas in my life that I've grown in, I've realized that I usually have to empty out to fill back up. The arrows make me think of that I guess. I can go pretty deep or maybe just very complicated, so I'll keep this light and simple. :o)How is this word Purity going to be demonstrated in my life to match up with my values and my goals?
- Recycling (PURIFYING the earth)
- I want to make sure my motivation behind EVERYTHING I do and say comes from a PURE place.
- I want to PURIFY my thoughts, not just about others, but about myself too.
- I want to get back into my daily Bible study....you know there is nothing more PURE than the Lord!
- I want the foods and beverages I put into my body and my family's bodies to be healthy, more PURE.
- I will focus more on the individual needs of each of my babies and what their PURE little hearts need from me.
I am about LIFECHANGE. I am about GROWTH. I am about JOY. I don't always have it together, but try my absolute hardest most of the time which is all ANY of us can do. :o)
So HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!
HELLO 2011!!
HELLO 2011!!
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