Love These Links

The article that Paula Hendricks wrote for the True Woman blog this week, My Mom's Courage-Infusing Words, was a challenge to me.  She talked about how we should give courage to others around us.  She shared an example about how her mom does that for her in emails, like when she responded to some anxiety Paula had expressed.  I need to work on being a courage-giver.

Stop Treasuring the Trivial at *Precious Adornment really made me stop and think.  It felt like I got hit between the eyes with the words she quotes from John Piper.  How much of what I do with my day makes it appear to others that I treasure Christ?  Not enough, that's for sure.

I am a new reader of Ann Voskamp's.  I saw her name floating around out there on Twitter, and I thought I'd check out her blog A Holy Experience.  It's a lovely spot on the web, both in pictures and in words.  This week she wrote about gaining a passion for scripture memory on her post titled Returning to Your First Love Bible Memorization: Make a Commitment Booklet.  It made me want to amp up my scripture memorization.

Now, along a completely different vein...

If you're looking to save yourself some money as well as putting something a little healthier into your body, you might want to read The Cheese Wars: Block vs. Pre-Shredded over at Comfy in the Kitchen.  I really need to utilize her suggestion, but I'm definitely gonna need to get a large shredder or else use my food processor.

Be sure to check out these links.  Have a great weekend!

*I have edited this after posting the original because I realized I had mistakenly called the blog Precious Adornment by another name.  I apologize for the incorrect information.

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Let Me Check My Calendar!

I'm not certain as to whether I should love or hate Culver's, home of the Butter Burger.  I'm on their e-mailing list.  Not sure why I signed up, except maybe I thought I'd get free ice cream, or something.  I've only been there twice in the last two years.  Last week they sent me the most awful email, and I've kept it in my inbox just to punish myself.  At least, I don't know why else I would keep it.

I know you think I'm talkin' crazy, but here's what they wanted to inform me of.  They feature a different flavor of ice cream every day in September.  They thought, just maybe, I would like to come in every day to their restaurant to taste the various flavors.

September Flavors

1 Chocolate Covered Strawberry

2 Peanut Butter Cup

3 Bananas Foster

4 Cookie Dough Craving

5 Caramel Cashew

6 Berries & Cream

7 Turtle

8 Chocolate Covered Strawberry

9 Mint Oreo

10 Heath Chocolate Almond

11 Twix Mix

12 Turtle Dove

13 Double Strawberry

14 Turtle

15 Chocolate Covered Strawberry

16 Cherry Cheesecake

17 Black Forest

18 Really Reese’s

19 Caramel Cashew

20 Berries & Cream

21 Turtle

22 Chocolate Covered Strawberry

23 Cashew Delight

24 Caramel Chocolate Pecan

25 Cookie Dough Craving

26 Oreo Overload

27 Raspberry Cordial

28 Turtle

29 Chocolate Covered Strawberry

30 Pumpkin Pecan

Do you know how much I want to drive there right now?  What is today?  September 17th?  Look, they're serving up Black Forest flavor today.  That sounds delicious! 

I think I want to LIVE at Culver's!!!

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Favorite Sunday Dinner

Today Rachel at A Steady Rain is asking this feedback question...

What is your favorite Sunday dinner meal or recipe?

Since my husband works days on Sundays, I am always on my own for Sunday dinner, except for the carry-in dinner our church hosts once a month.  I do often go out with friends, but otherwise I will stop and pick up a sandwich from Subway because it's the healthiest choice of any fast food.  There's no way I'm cooking for one.

If I do go out to a sit-down restaurant, I love Chinese most of all.  There is a Chinese buffet that is a local favorite, and I enjoy eating there. 

My favorites are Crab Rangoon, an Egg Roll, General Tso's Chicken, Mongolian Pork, and I love me a big spoonful of steamed rice.  Since I'm trying to watch the carbs and calories these days, I tend to stay away from the breaded stuff as much as I can, and, of course, take a smaller spoonful of rice. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention the Almond Cookies.  Haven't had one in a long time because, again, they have calories. {sigh}  But oh, the buttery almond goodness of the Almond Cookie.  So delicious.

I do adore Chinese food.  Always have.

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Caffeinated Randomness: Talkin' Donuts

Let's serve up some donuts with the Caffeinated Randomness at Andrea's blog today.

If you read my post yesterday, you'll understand why my friend Mary sent me this video.

 

 

Have a great weekend... and eat a donut for me!

Uh Oh... She's Back!

I'll be open and honest here.  I'm having emotional food issues. 

You know what I'm referring to, don't you?  It's when you eat junk food because you believe it will somehow take away the emotional low you are experiencing.  This is something that I had overcome months ago, but it has made a comeback in the last couple of weeks.

Did I ever tell you about being tagged The Donut Girl?  This nickname was attached to me over a year ago when I shared a story in my First Place Bible study about my weakness for donuts.  They had been my nemesis to weight loss.  I could smell them way in the back of the grocer's dairy department, even when the bakery department was a mile away.  Yes, it was that bad.  So one of the ladies in my study tagged me The Donut Girl.  But I had overcome that.

Well, The Donut Girl?  She's back.  With a vengeance.

I have to drive past a grocery store almost every time I go out.  Do you know what I think about as I drive by?  Donuts!  I don't even buy donuts at that store, but I know that's where they can be purchased.  And I want one.  It's a good thing I'm just lazy enough that I don't want to go to the trouble of parking my car, walking into the store, and buying one on my way to wherever I'm going.

Oh, what a mess I am.

Christmas? I'm Workin On It.

So the plan for today is to start and finish my Christmas shopping.  Oh, I sure hope so.  As far as wrapping goes, gift bags are sounding wonderful for every gift right now.

I also might try to get a couple batches of cookie dough mixed up today and put in the fridge.  Then I'll leave the baking for tomorrow.  Sugar cookies are a must!  I also plan to make Chocolate Crinkles, which I haven't had in a long, long time.  Depending on how I feel after that, I might whip up one other variety.  No-Bake Cookies or Peanut Butter Kisses?

In between all of that, I hope to finish a book I'm in the middle of reading.  It's *Uncharted by Angela Hunt.  This one is very hard to put down because the storyline is about five old friends from college who are reunited after 20 years, who through a chain of events, end up stranded on a deserted island.  Bizarre things start to happen, like items from their past are washing up on shore.  And one of them has a haunting secret that must not be found out by the others.

Well, I'm off to do stuff.  I've got filing to do at the office, which is almost done.  Then I'll probably get all my information together to be ready to make the Sunday bulletin tomorrow.  Then I'm off Thursday for the holiday.  Woo-Hoooo!

I'll keep you updated with my Christmas checklist.  See ya later.

*This is an affiliate link.  If you make a purchase through this link, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

In The Kitchen

What an excellent idea it was to participate in the National Blog Posting Month.  I feel a sense of accomplishment for doing it, and I have a renewed enjoyment in blogging.  I hope to continue writing regularly.

Now... do you know what I did yesterday?  I spent time in my kitchen.  On purpose.  Just because I wanted to.  That just doesn't happen to me, people, so this is a good thing.  I had borrowed a book from the library called Make it Fast, Cook it Slow, which is a very cool book of crockpot recipes.  There seems to be quite a few in it that I would like to try.  Anyway, I thought I might try making one of the recipes today, but unfortunately I ran out of vanilla extract over the weekend, which I need for any of the recipes I intended to make.  Seeing as I still had the notion  in my head to bake something {again, amazing!}, I decided to try another quick bread using my bread machine.

I've been experimenting in my recipes with switching out some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat instead.  It appears to make the breads darker, and seems to give them a tougher texture.  They still taste good to me, though.  I ended up making Apple Pecan Bread because I had a whole bag of Golden Delicious apples that went unused when I didn't make that homemade pie for Thanksgiving.  What an aroma filled my house while that was baking!  Wonderful. 

I must say, I have felt so much better in the last two weeks.  I don't know where this renewed energy has come from.  Prior to that time, I had been seriously feeling drained all the time.  I hated the way I felt.  All I wanted to do was go to bed when I got home from work, and I only work four hours every morning.  I was afraid to exercise because I knew whatever energy I had left afterward would be zapped for the night.  Well, I don't know what changed, but all of a sudden I can get through my days without dragging.  I'm so thankful that seems to be behind me now.

Maybe I will spend more time whipping things up in the kitchen, since I'm feeling rejuvenated.  Maybe?

*Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office Clip Art

A Tale of Yogurt

You must hear about my latest venture.  A few weeks ago I had ordered a dehydrated yogurt starter culture to make my own yogurt.  It was enough for two batches, in case the first try didn't work.  It was a bit expensive, just to do a kitchen experiment.  If it worked it would be worth the money because the plain organic yogurt I buy is expensive.

Unfortunately, neither the first nor the second culture worked.  I pretty much gave up on that idea.  Obviously, there was some factor in my kitchen that was hindering yogurt making, and I wasn't ready to figure it out.  I'd just as soon continue buying my yogurt at the store, if it's going to be that much bother.  I've never been Susie Homemaker. You know what I'm sayin'?

Then recently I came across a recipe on a blog for making yogurt in your crockpot.  It sounded pretty straightforward, so I figured it was worth one more shot.  Well, guess what?  I made yogurt!  And a lot of yogurt, at that.  It's 2 quarts, and I'm going to have yogurt for the next year.  {Laughing}

After the big crockpot unveiling this morning, I put it in the fridge and thought about it the rest of the morning.  I wondered if it would taste right.  It sure smelled right, but I just wasn't sure about all this.  I mean, we're talking about milk that was left out all night and the bacteria growing.  You might not know this, but I'm sort of a germaphobe and worry about cooking food until it's done because I'm afraid of getting food poisoning. 

At lunch I put a little in a bowl and prepared it as usual with a little natural sweetener and some vanilla.  The yogurt definitely tastes right.  It has a very creamy texture and is quite a bit more runny than store-bought.  I ate a little, but I kept thinking about whether or not it was okay to consume.  I decided that's all I'd try and then wait until later to see if I die or something.  So far, I'm still alive.

If you're interested in making your own yogurt, you can find the instructions at Nourishing Days.  It really is very easy and involves nothing more than heating milk in the crockpot, stirring in a little of your own yogurt, and then leaving it to sit overnight wrapped in a towel.  I say you should go for it.

A Thanksgiving Recap

We had a terrific Thanksgiving with my family yesterday.  It included my parents, my grandmother, my sister and brother-in-law, their four kids, my husband, and me.

First, a note to self:  Do not make more than one can of yams.  My sister's family does not eat them, and you will have yam leftovers for a week.

Remember the pie dilemma?  Well, my sister had read my blog the night before, and she razzed me all day about my pie that was not homemade.  I think that at some point in the future I will have to make one again and prove to her that I am capable of making one without Marie Callender's help.  Honestly though, if you're gonna get help from any other pie baker, you might as well use Ms. Callender.  She makes a delicious apple pie.  I'm just sayin'.

After dinner the kids went off to play, and me and my sister went into the living room for our usual post-holiday-meal banter.  She went and found my mom's laptop and pulled up Tim Hawkins' web site.  If you haven't ever seen a Tim Hawkins video, you are missing out.  He is the most hysterical Christian comedian!  Kathy and I laughed so hard, and we would repeat the funny lines at the same time, only to laugh harder.

Awhile later it was time to cut the pies.  The kids all dove into the crustless pumpkin pie that my mom made.  She makes it crustless just for the kids because they always scrape the pumpkin off and leave the crust.  My Marie's apple pie was delicious, especially with the vanilla whipped cream I had whipped up FROM SCRATCH, and so was Mom's lemon meringue.  {I had just a small slice to taste.}  I had forgotten that I really like lemon meringue until I tasted it.

By the time we got home, just before 6:00, I felt like a zombie.  No energy to speak of and pretty much loafed the rest of the night.

Today has been recovery mode for me.  It meant getting on the treadmill this afternoon and watching my calorie intake all day.  Back to reality, I guess.  I know my waistline will thank me later.

A Losing Battle

I was tidying up a bit in my kitchen and food storage area, and I came across another contraband item that my husband smuggled in from the store.  Sometimes I wonder if he hates me.  {totally kidding}  This is what I get for being married to a man employed by a grocer.

Do you see what I'm up against?  CANDY CANE CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES!!!

Maybe I could have just one...

Pie Trouble

You've probably been checking my blog all day, waiting for a new post. Yeah, me too. I've been wondering what I'm going to write about tonight.

I guess I'll tell you about the pie I'm making to take to my family dinner tomorrow. I volunteered to make apple pie. I have done it several times in the last few years, so I figured I could do it again. The only problem is I'm trying to eat "real" food these days...you know, the things that are closest to nature...not man-made manufactured food. Well, that sort of throws a monkey wrench into the whole pie making process.

I've never been one to make a crust from scratch. {I've never been one to make anything from scratch.} I always use the very nice pre-made crusts from the little doughboy, and then I lovingly spread two cans of apple pie filling into the pie pan, sprinkle with my special Pampered Chef korintje cinnamon, dab on a streusel topping, and pop it in the oven. My pies turn out lovely.

So I had some options today:

#1. Make an apple pie entirely from scratch, which would include making a pie crust of which I felt doomed to fail, peeling-coring-slicing my apples, and then adding my spices.

#2. Go with my usual method of buying a pre-made crust and pre-made apple pie filling, which is full of high fructose corn syrup, which is bad bad stuff.

#3. Buy a frozen pie, bake it, and pretend I made it myself, in which I will throw all caution to the wind as to the preservatives and whatever else is in it that might contribute to my early demise.

I weighed all 3 options, and I finally decided I would buy a pre-made crust but make my own filling. It seemed like a fair compromise if I went half-homemade.

The only problem is that I have no zeal for baking. None. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. I'm sure trying to like it, but the feeling is just not coming. So this pie predicament has been weighing on me all day. I decided to put it off until tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll have more energy then, I thought. Maybe....

Yep, that's what I was gonna do... until about 4:00. That's when I decided to go with option #3 {translation=EASY!}. I went to the store on the way home from church tonight, and I bought a frozen apple pie. What can I say? I caved.

My thinking is, Thanksgiving shouldn't have to be hard or dreaded. It should be enjoyed. So I'm getting help from Marie Callender and plan to relax and enjoy.

I hope you relax and enjoy too!

*Photo courtesy of Microsoft clip art

Nov. 14, Thankful for...

...my husband taking care of dinner tonight.

Translation = pizza delivery.

I know it's not whole food, but I was tired and starving. And he loves pizza. As far as I'm concerned, that's a win-win situation.

My half was veggie lovers. I only ate two slices, and I had an orange on the side. See? Totally healthy.

Lots of Changes

Hi, guys. I know I'm been MIA for months. It's not that I haven't thought to spend time with my blog; I've thought of it almost every day. It's just that some new things have come into my life in the last couple months, and I've really needed to focus on them.

I had been feeling very overwhelmed at times, but that feeling is mostly gone. It started with our kids Bible club at church. We had decided to change the program we were using, and we had to be trained on how to run the new club this fall. That involved many meetings and planning.

Our Word of Life club started at the end of August, and we are now in full swing. I am working with 5th & 6th grade girls, and I already love it. My ministry involves discipling them and helping them go deeper in their relationship with Christ.

The second big change for me is that I have taken on another ministry. I started teaching Sunday School the first Sunday of September for the 4th-6th graders. I have taught before, but it's been a lot of years. It feels very new, and there are challenges in front of me.

In addition to all of that, I'm making some dietary changes. At the end of August I read an article on Kelly the Kitchen Kop's blog about which type of milk is healthiest, and I was blown away. It began a journey for me into the domain of Real Food. I have left the low-fat diet behind. No more processed foods for me! (at least to the best of my ability) My new motto is if God made it, it must be good. If man manufactured it, it's highly questionable. Anyway, making this diet move has involved much reading of books and blogs, and it's been both educational and overwhelming to take in.

So that's where I've been. I really didn't want to leave you hangin' any longer.

I Will Not Live On Bread Alone

You may have noticed that I've been writing a lot about my health and weight-loss challenges and achievements during the last few weeks.  To be honest, I think I could have written about it even more than I have, but I just didn't want to bore you with it all.

But here's the thing.  Working at this discipline of nutrition and health is what a good portion of my life consists of right now.  It's one of the big things that God has chosen to work in me at this point in time in a way He hasn't before, and so it's what I'm going to be most apt to talk about.  And it definitely has been about discovering Liz...discovering who I am in Christ, one life lesson at a time.

So in regards to getting fit, I have to share one of the major victories I've gained.  It's all about the b-r-e-a-d.

You see, I love bread and starch and carbs.  I like to sit down with a bag of chips and munch away with nary a care in the world.  The problem is that I know it's detrimental.  I just didn't know how I was going to cut back.

Even so, I have been choosing to eat fewer servings of bread/starch for several weeks.  Do you know what I've learned?  I don't need all that starch.  I'm okay.  I won't die.  In fact, I'm content.

You know, I'm happy about that.  Happy that I'm experiencing change.  Thrilled to know I can do something I didn't think I could do.  Thankful for the Holy Spirit's power at work in me.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Food

Let's face it.  Getting skinny has never been easy, but I think it's much easier now than it was a few years ago.  We have lots of food options.

It's Top Ten Tuesday with OhAmanda, so here is a list of my Top Ten favorite items for healthier eating and low-cal snacking:

1. Fiber One Honey Clusters Cereal - This is my #1 pick for healthy eating because it just tastes good, both sweet and crunchy.  It's a great way to kick off your day, providing 51% of your daily fiber needs.  Fiber is our friend!  Definitely add some sliced banana, too.

2.  Dannon Light 'n Fit Yogurt - My favorite flavor is cherry, with coconut & pineapple coming in at a close second.

3.  Special K Multi-Grain Crackers - What a great snack when you need a little something to take the edge off your hunger.  Only 90 calories in half a serving (17 crackers).  That's quite a few crackers.

4.  Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches - It's ice cream.  Enough said.

5.  Coke Zero (Vanilla Coke Zero or Cherry Coke Zero) - If you're watching your calories, you know how precious every calorie is.  Don't waste them on a beverage.  When you've got a craving for pop, definitely go the 0 calorie route.

6.  Little Debbie 100 Calorie Marshmallow Treat - If you love Rice Krispie treats, you'll enjoy these.  They're just the right size to get a taste of this crispy, gooey treat.

7.  Little Debbie 100 Calorie Nutty Bars - The perfect snack to meet your chocolate and peanut butter craving without adding to your hips.

8.  Grapes - They're such a simple food, but they make for an easy snack or to tack on to your lunch or dinner to fit in another fruit.  It only takes 11 grapes to make a serving.

9.  I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray - This is a must if you want to cut out the fat.  I spray it on toast, veggies, and even use it to "butter" my bread when making grilled cheese.

10.  Dove Promises Dark Chocolate - I keep a bag of these small Dove bars on hand for my chocolate fix.  I allow myself one in a day, if I really need chocolate.  At only about 40 calories a square, it doesn't set me back.

For more Top Ten Tuesday, visit OhAmanda's blog.

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We Had Our Cake, And We Ate It Too

I told you that I would let you know how the weigh-in went at First Place on Saturday.  It was good.  It was REALLY good.  There was laughter and hugging, it was so good.  I lost more than 2 pounds.  Kind of a jaw dropper for me.

Oh and then...I think I gained back the 2 pounds at a surprise party that afternoon.  Yep!  I mean, that was not the intention, but we ate at an Italian restaurant.  What's a girl to do when surrounded by so much pasta?!?

I ordered Shrimp Ravioli, otherwise known as Rhapsody Of Pasta Heaven!  (Can you hear the angels singing?)  It was the most delicious Italian dish I have ever eaten, with cheese ravioli smothered in a roasted red pepper, basil and Romano cheese sauce, not to mention the shrimp.  I love shrimp.  Did I mention DELICIOUS?

I promise that it was the first real indulgence I've partaken of in 4 weeks, and honestly I did not go crazy wild with the bread, appetizers or salad.  I mean, I still have SOME self-control. 

But then this came to the table....

        

{Ahem.}

Yes, that's birthday cake.  (Yes, it's Lightning McQueen.)

That was probably the funniest part of the meal.  The waitress took the cake to the kitchen and sliced it for us, but I'm not sure what she was thinking.  She sliced the entire cake for the number of people at the table - NINE!  Yes, NINE PIECES!  Do you know how huge they were?  About 4" x 6".  We all laughed as the plates were set in front of us, especially because half of us are watching our weight, and we each proceeded to cut our pieces in half.

Thank goodness, the waitress also provided take-home containers for the HALF none of us could eat.  Everyone was taking their leftover piece home for the husbands.  I didn't have to ask Rich twice to eat his.  He snatched that cake right up after dinner.

I doubt I'll be seeing any cake in the near future, but I'll definitely be seeing a lot of my treadmill this week.

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This Weight Loss Thing... It's a Process

The week has flown.  So much going on that there's hardly been time to think about a blog.  So we're finally together again.  Would it be okay if I talked a little about my weight loss process?  Thanks.

Today completes four weeks of filling out my food fact sheet, exercising 3-4 times a week, and reining in my calorie consumption.  Tomorrow I face another weigh-in, and I'm slightly nervous.

Last week I maintained.  Honestly, that was a disappointment.  (I'm just being real.)  I had to repeat over and over to myself, "It's not about the number.  It's not about the number.  It's not about the number!"  Oooh, such hard words to believe.

It's a battle to keep the focus on getting healthy to please the Lord and for becoming self-controlled, rather than focusing entirely on making the number on the scale go down week by week.  I know sometime in the middle of last week I began to lose my focus and found myself wanting to creep onto the scale a few times during the week... just to see what the number was looking like.  This week the desire for a shrinking number grew even more.

Another fight has gotten harder this week, and that was with the treadmill.  Although I have found that a good audiobook really helps keep me distracted (I'm listening to a book by Terri Blackstock), getting motivated to even step onto the treadmill has started to become an uphill battle.

I just couldn't get on it Wednesday, but Thursday I was able to talk myself into it.  Probably because that weigh-in is looming in the distance.  Would you laugh if I told you I yawned for about the first 15 minutes?  Uh... something is wrong with this picture.

And then what's with the whole renewed energy thing?  Where is it?  Rather than feeling energized after walking, I am pooped.  Seriously.  Should I be concerned?  Is my body chemistry in correct working order?  This one still has me puzzled.  It's been a month, and I'm still waiting for the extra energy to kick in.

So this is life as I know it right now, or at least a part of it.  I'll have to let you know my results on Saturday.

One more thing before I go.  I want to testify that God does care about our food choices and our desires to stay within boundaries, and He has been very faithful during these four weeks to help me stay on track.  The other day I was invited to eat a lovely meal with friends, but I knew I did not want to compromise my boundaries.  So I talked to the Lord about it that morning and asked Him to provide some sort of dessert that I could enjoy at that meal.  Much to my joy, there were some no sugar added desserts, and I ate my banana cream pie with thankfulness.  I know it was a gift from Him.

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Refrigeration. It's a Good Thing.

You may not care, but this is probably the most Aaaaaah moment of my day, which I can't help but share. 

I just ate one of these....

And drank a COOOOOLD one of these....

It's been days since I had a cold drink of anything.  Thank you, Lord, for my new refrigerator.

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Learning The Secret

Things have gotten kind of tricky here at home, especially since I'm fond of cold cheese, cold yogurt, cold milk in my cereal, cold juice, and meat that is safe to eat.  Here's the trouble.  I noticed the other night that our ice cubes seemed a little too wet, although they were solid.  The next night I went to get an ice cream treat and found they had all melted to one side.  Not a good sign!

So we turned the temperature dial in the fridge to the coldest setting to see what would happen.  Know what happened?  Nothing happened.  The ice is getting meltier, and my yogurt is barely cold.  Can you believe I just went grocery shopping yesterday?  I can't even think about all that yogurt I stocked up on without groaning a little.

It's an old fridge.  I don't know how old, but it's old enough.  I'm ready to replace it.  And FAST.  That's just not going to happen today, though.

I was so frustrated this morning when I realized I could not eat yogurt or cereal for breakfast or use anything else that was in my fridge.  Part of that frustration came about because I've been so committed to sticking with my First Place diet perameters and have been doing well, but if I couldn't have my normal breakfast, it really threw a wrench into the works for me.  I also knew I would be starving the whole morning, and I could only imagine the monster that I would surely transform into when hunger set in.

So I was working through all that in my head and my heart and decided to take the dog outside while I figured something out.  Guess what verse popped into my head at that moment.  It was my memory verse for this week...

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

Philippians 4:12b-13 (NASB)

Pretty amazing, huh?  I decided the best I could do was eat a banana and drink some water.  God would have to help me learn the secret of going hungry this morning.  It was obviously His will for me today. 

You  know what?  As I spent the morning at the office, I did get hungry by 9:00, but I never became ravenous or felt like I had to raid the toddler room for cookies.  That could only be God's doing.  I know myself, and that wasn't me.

So I'm learning.

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Conquering Dinner!

You must see what I made for dinner last night.  Yeah, I know you're probably wondering, What's the big deal about dinner?, but that's probably because you're new around here. 

Everyone knows that Liz does not like cooking meals from scratch, but rather from a box or a bag with all ingredients included.  But things are a-changin' around here.  Remember the vegetable soup?  Well, the cooking continues.

Okay, so back to what I made for dinner last night.  It was pizza.  From scratch.  Made my own sauce with my own spices.  Spread the dough into a circle with my bare hands.    Applied cheese and toppings.  The only thing I didn't do was make the dough myself, although it was made from scratch, too.

Check this out!

It was delicious! 

(We'll have to work on the quality of pepperoni I use in the future.  I'm not happy with the way it discolors the cheese.)