Fall....

Fall.....yea I am ready for everything that it brings. I love the smell of fall, the pumpkins, the crunching of the leaves, the cool fall days leading into some chilling evenings, the walks, football, hayrides, and so much more!! I truly appreciate each season and what they bring but Fall is my absolute favorite!!

Okay what have I been up to? Well, I have still been pounding out the sprints on the treadmill. I have been trying to recapture a relationship with the treadmill so that I can at least put 2 to 3 miles in several times a week. So far not bad. I do love running I just need to not put so much pressure on myself that I HAVE to put in long miles at high speed. I just need to do it and have fun with it. The sprints have been going great!! Like I said in an earlier post they are a love/hate relationship! One good thing about them is that I do feel that they have helped with my softball. Running those bases are hard fast sprints...

Well tonight is our first night of Bootcamp=) I was able to talk my hubby and my son to do this with me. I'm excited but hope that I can do this and hope that it turns out to be a fun positive thing for all of us. This will be 2x a week in the evening and will last for 4 weeks. I'm hoping to do this plus keep up with my other workouts....So we will see.

Tomorrow I am joining a very popular and hard bible study. I'm a little scared to do this but really feel in my heart this is what I need to do. I go to the open study tomorrow and they have you fill out paper work giving them information about yourself and your bible knowlege. After that they place you in a small group setting which can take up to a few weeks before they place you.

Tomorrow also, I am leaving to go on a little getaway with my homies to Gatlinburg. This is a group of 10 of us and this will be our 4th year I believe. This group of women has been an amazing blessing in my life. Each of them are very unique and brings something to the relationship. Totally amazes me that this friendship of this many women is as strong as it is for as long as it has been. How many women do you know that can get together under the same roof for several days and it be all good? We come back home tired yet refreshed. Our cheeks and bellies hurt from sooooo much laughing. And each year I come home learning yet another thing about each of them that makes me love them even more.

Have a great Tuesday=)

A little bit frustrated..

Okay........so why can't I run 3 miles?? Why is it soooo hard for me to do this?? Could it be the treadmill? It's boring for sure but you would think that I could come up with something that would help me get through 3 measly miles right? I don't know, I just dread the days that I have to run. I don't LOVE sprints but I don't dread them either. I have tried to stay really consistent with everything this week such as my eating, my water intake, the times that I workout....I just can't get past this block I have. Maybe running outside would be better for me, I don't know. There is soooo much traffic on our street it's awful. There are no sidewalks and they fly up and down our street. I felt awful yesterday after only running for a mile then just did some interval fat burning program that I have on the treadmill. That is one thing, you get bored you start pushing buttons on your treadmill that you never did before. It was fun and had me sweating so, maybe I just need a change for a bit and back off of the running. Maybe I just need to do whatever I feel like doing when it comes to my running and not worry about the speed or the time or how far?? Maybe.......

Today on the other hand was a great speed workout. After I did my sprints I did a 10min interval program and then just walked for a bit. After that I did some arms, legs, and abs. I felt really good and felt like it was really a great workout. When I'm doing a 1min 55sec sprint it kills me but I know that it's only 1min 55sec. Either way today was a good day and I'm gonna try and do the eliptical for about 25min this evening. We will see..

How do you get through on your runs whether it's outside or on the treadmill?? How do you get past your next point??

Have a great Saturday=)

Back to a routine...

So the kids are back in school and we are finally back to somewhat of a routine. The first day of school went great and all the kids seemed to be pretty excited about getting back to school and seeing their friends and meeting their new teachers. For me......well it was like Christmas morning=)) I love my kids and love having them around but I am not one of those sappy moms who just can't believe their baby is going to school or junior high or high school. Not that there is anything wrong with that at all, it's just not me. I generally don't take pictures or send special notes in their lunch...nope that's just not me. Buh-bye...kissy kissy...see you later...I'll be thinking of you when I'm in the pool ALL by myself.......AND enjoying it=)))) Lol..LOVE those little burgers!!

Anywho, I did get my sprints in yesterday and even though I had to talk myself into getting them done, I am glad I did them. I'm always glad that I did them so I don't know why it's so hard for me to just get out there. Did pretty good on my eating and even did an "activity" interval on the eliptical for 25min. Not a hard core workout but a pretty good sweaty workout. I'm kinda likin on the eliptical actually. Today I have done WONDERFUL on my eating and thats even with eating a small bowl of sugar free ice cream for desert. This morning after the kids were off to school I did Yoga with my friend and then did a 3miler on the treadmill. I have to say it was pretty rough. Time was pretty good...29:53 but did have to step off a few times for a quick drink. I do love running but I have just had a hard time feeling motivated about doing it. Soooo glad I did it once I'm done and even feel pretty proud of myself. I just would like to be able to FEEL the progress. I'm gonna try to do another 2miler tonight and see how that goes instead of doing the eliptical tonight. Tomorrow is sprints and resistance training. Then, I'm gonna tackle that bedroom of mine.

Have a great evening.....

A little catching up....

I just wanted to take a second and do a little catching up. This past Friday I did sprints. This truly is a love/hate relationship I tell you!! I did 20/10 x8 two times. I know, not bad at all. Then we did push ups, abs, and flies. It was a great workout. Then Saturday I did 40/20 sprints x4 and did four full sets. Then did a bunch of resistance. With the sprints I love the fact that it has increased my actual running speed. Not a whole lot but enough that I can see that it sure helps. I also love the sprints because I get my workout done much faster and I burn so many calories and I keep burning them throughout the day. But it's rough and I have to really talk myself into doing them but I am usually really glad I did.

I have really been trying to slowly write things down of what I eat so that I can keep track of what I have and when. So far it's not too bad and I have found that I seem to go down hill during the late evening when I am sitting and watching tv. I plan on getting more serious about keeping track with what I eat and the time once the kids go back to school which is tomorrow...woot woot!!

This week Kyle is on vacation but has given me things that I need to do. Yesterday and today was a rest day then I do sprints tomorrow, a short 3 mile run on Wednesday with some yoga, sprints Thursday with resistance, Friday another 3 miler the abs, Saturday sprints with a little resistance then Sunday and Monday off. Then he is back on Tuesday. I so need to loose this last 20 to 25lbs!! There is no doubt that it all comes down to my eating and thats where I need to put my focous. So, we will see.

Well it's off to a birthday dinner for my mama......=)
Have a great evening...

Busy and Productive day.....

Okay so my 3 miler didn't go as planned. I think I was pushing too fast for one thing. I did 2.52miles in 25min 17sec. That's pretty fast for me and with the heat it was tough. I felt pretty good breathing but my room was just too thick. Tomorrow I will be doing sprints and weights with Kyle.

After my run I just got into a good cleaning frenzy. There is so much that I want to get done and got a few of them done today. All in all the day was busy and very productive.

My eating was really good today as well and even had a little sugar free ice cream. I love ice cream;)

Well that's about it for now I will post in a few days to update my runs. I'm hoping on Saturday I will meet that 3 miler with a decent pace.

Have a great evening!!

Running....

I don't think I have mentioned that I love to run. Or rather I love the thought that I love to run;) No, I do love to run and I love the results that I get from running. I have been running off and on for a couple of years now. I have also been introduced to sprints which is a love hate thing. I do think thought that it has really helped on my speed. A goal of mine would be to run a marathon one day. I think that would be awsome. I'm not one of those speed runners or fret over my pace though. I just run and some days they are good runs and some days they are soooo bad. I don't run much outside but do run more on the treadmill. I have such a hard time running outside with this heat. I am hoping that when fall and cooler weather comes I will be able to get outside more. We will see. I would like to use this blog to keep track of my progress and just see where it goes from there.

Today I did sprints with the help of Kyle pushing me. Kyle is my personal trainer and has helped motivate me. He is tough and you will be hearing plenty of his name too. Well tomorrow is a 3 miler and I want to see how my speed is.....not that I'm fretting...of course=) Just curious!!

Well have a great evening everybody and wish me luck=)

~*10 Things I'm Thankful for....*~

1) My family. As hectic as it gets sometimes I just love them and appreciate them more and more each day.

2) My husband. After 26 years of marriage and all that it brings we are still going strong.

3) My home. That it's big enough for all of us for those Sunday dinners at home. I love that!

4) My trainer. Aka........Killer! He's the best and keeps me going even when I think theres no way.

5) My health. That I'm healthy and strong to keep up with my big brood.

6) The morning. This is my favorite time of day. It's quiet and I love listening to the birds as I'm out on my front porch drinking my coffee.....this is the best=)

7) My homies....I have a group of women that are the best!! We are all there for eachother no matter what! I love each and every one of them!!

8) My big F....I love her and am thankful that she loves me for who I am. She is a great listener and just one of the best!!

9) Facebook...yes, Facebook. Facebook allows me to be able to keep in touch with so many people and how they are doing.

10) My God.....I'm thankful that He loves and accepts me the way I am. He is amazing!

Just a picture day......

Where has the time gone?

I love each season but my most favorite is the Fall time. I love the smell, the taste, the pumpkins, the thick clouds, the crunch of the leaves as you are taking a walk, the smell of dinner, the crisp air....it's, to me, a beautiful and cozy time of year. Each season of course has it's special gift. Summer time to me is nice but it's definately not my favorite. But this Summer has been a little different. Maybe because it has not been that hot or humid? Or maybe we have just been so stinkin busy that I've not noticed too much of Summer this year? I'm not sure but I do know this, it has completely went so fast that it amazes me. It seems just like yesterday we were throwing our high school graduate her open house party and now I'm searching for great buys for back to school. Where has the season gone? Sure it has been filled with swimming, bar b ques, spending the night with granny and grandpa, vacation at the lake, VBS, late night movies, and well, you see what I'm saying. It's been a great and busy summer but it has went so fast. I love the summer with the kids home all day and that we have time for all those summer fun things but I also love it when they go back to school and we are all on a routine. With five kids still home and in school we just operate better on a schedule and a routine. So, that being said, yes it has went fast but I believe we are ready for the whole back to school thing and then.......Fall and all that it comes with. =)

It's been a while.......

So yea, um it has been a while. My last post was showing tons of snow and now here we are in July with tons of sunshine this morning. I got up early this morning and headed straight to my front porch with my big cup of coffee. I love mornings like these =) For me this is a time of just being able to have some quiet time for myself before the kids wake up and start demanding my time. We have redone the porches too and that also makes it so inviting. I will have to post some pictures soon.

Our summer has been busy busy and busy!! We had our daughter Jess's high school graduation one weekend then our daughter Ashley's college graduation the following weekend. We have had two festivals, a vacation, and several of our birthdays thrown into the mix. There is never a dull moment here. During these times, as hectic as they are, I try to take each event with a little more stride now. These are times and events that I will never get back. It may be too that it's just getting a little bit better since the kids are getting older. Either way, I'm very blessed and very thankful for each and every moment that I have with my family.

Today is actually going to be a nice, do whatever I want day.....or well, whatever the kids want day ;) Meaning that we have nothing on our schedules and let me tell you, that is NICE!!

Still Snowing...........

It is still snowing pretty hard here and it looks just gorgeous!! The kids got another snow day and were thrilled. Our day consists of playing outside today going sledding, making a snowman, and making tons of snow angels! Here is a glimpse of what it looks like here....

Along with our day we will be having some of these for dessert=)

Hopefully I will get some really great pictures on here later or tomorrow of the kids outside playing. Have a fun Snow Day=)

Snow Days.....

Okay so I have been praying that we would get a really good snow and yep....you guessed it! We got snow=) I LOVE snow!! I love winter! So along with the snow came a snow day for the kids. They were hoping for a snow day and went to great lengths at making sure they did what it took to make this happen. They all slept with their pj's inside out and they each turned around three times. Ha! They were amazed when they woke up and realized that it actually worked!

So this morning mainly consisted of all of us sleeping in, a later breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, and playing. They are all doing their thing from watching a movie, to playing with their DS to playing barbies. I have been able to get a few things done along with checking email, reading my favorite blogs, and doing my run. Days like this I love because it forces us to slow down with no guilt;)

We have a few things planned today of games, hide-n-seek, to all of us making a dinner of nachos and cheese with all the trimmings. I LOVE snow days!!

That's what I love about Sunday...

Sunday for my family means Sunday school and church, big family dinner, down time, football, playing games, naps, and just plain taking it easy. With a big family we always have something going on somewhere with someone. I learned early on that we NEED this day just as the Lord had planned it to be.......a day of rest. That's what I love about Sunday=)

What I'm looking forward to.....

On Febuary 2 I will be at this site bright and early for their grand opening. I have read over the site and love what they stand for. I'm excited and hope to see you there too!!

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2: 1-5

Time for a change.....

Okay, so about this time every year I start getting the urge to change something. January is a long month for me and I start thinking of doing some project here in the house. Something easy that I can handle. It could be anything from decluttering to moving furniture around to maybe even adding a fresh coat of paint. It just makes me feel good! Once I get a room done it usually motivates me to tackle other projects. Here is my formal living room that I have just added a fresh coat of paint and I just love the color........Pine Needle. What do you think?