Losing it Mondays!

200 lbs must go!

Hmmm... I have some fat showing too! I'd like to drop 20.

This is the start of my husband's journey to health.  He just entered a weight loss contest at work and weighed in today at 360 lbs. His ideal weight is in the 160's.  That is 200 lbs. to lose folks.  He has been able to lose weight before successfully, however some injuries happened that made working out too painful and he gained it all back.

With the start of this contest and a new shift beginning at work it is ideal for us to begin working out again. And I do mean us... the entire family.  We do it together from John on down to Taylor. I think we will start with walking.  It shouldn't be too hard on the joints and we'll take it slow and build up.  By the time winter comes round we should be in shape enough to start our work out videos and weight training. (This will be on top of any homestead work like chopping and stacking wood.)

We don't have too much of a change diet wise.  We've already cut out most junk food and eating out and I buy mostly whole foods. (I confess to having artificially colored corn on hand for children who immediately want food when they get up.)  We will need to increase our vege intake and watch portion sizes.  One thing John has to monitor on his own is sampling the Costco samples and not being tempted by the food court at work.  The frozen yogurt isn't too bad but calories add up.

I just want to state right now, we will not stop eating eggs from our free-ranging chickens or grass-fed meat, cream and butter.  These things are healthy for you!  I will not buy low-fat anything or diet anything- it's not natural people.  I will cook from scratch the things we like and take a meat on the side approach.  I will practice and perfect catching wild yeast at home and turning it into healthy bread. I also want to research "cleanses"- not the kind bought through a program or a store but made from scratch at home.

I think our biggest challenge is just getting moving and finding more energy. And of course for me... I keep hoping to catch a joy of cooking.  I love to bake and will make loaf after loaf of bread to perfect it but there is something about cooking that just doesn't do it for me.  But I really do need to transform into a chef.  That is unless some one knows Bobby Flay and he wants to just come live with us. We've got a great spot for him in the basement... as long as we aren't working out.

So join us every Monday and see how and what we are doing to make ourselves healthier.  I'll want to know what you are doing too!

Frugal Friday- Free is good! True Beauty!

My four beauties!

And one crazy boy!

If y'all head over to http://safethusfar.blogspot.com/ she is having a giveaway sponsered by Vision Forum. You can win your choice of one of five different VF conference albums- one of which is on raising Godly daughters! That was my pick as I currently have 4 lovely daughters and perhaps the Lord will bless us with more. You have to hurry though! The give away closes tonight at 10pm! (EST) God Bless!

For more Frugal Fridays head on over to http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/

Inherit The Land

I don't usually post on Sundays but we are home from church today with a sickie (My four year-old has an ear ache.) and I didn't post yesterday, so I thought I'd let you all know about a contest over at http://sharrissnapzshotz.blogspot.com/ . She's giving away a DVD from Franklin Springs- Inherit The Land. Check it out and enter!

Yo-Dawg 1st page contest

Rachelle, over at http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/ , has just wrapped up the Yo-Dawg writing contest. While I didn't win, it was still a good experience. Here is my first page entry. The first line was given to us and we had to come up with the rest, up to 300 words. Please feel free to tell me what you think.

Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled up everything. Dennis Saxton had moved his family to Vermont for solitude, not for a hoard of reporters to crush his wife’s prize roses.
“Janet! They’re in your roses again!”
Janet Saxton came into the parlor, wiping flour from her hands onto her apron.
“I gotta put up the signs.” Dennis said.
“Because nothing,” said Janet, taking a peek out the window, “says welcome to Saxton B&B like a no trespassing sign.”
“And a media circus does?” He shook his head. “Where’s Matt?”
“Up in his room- why? You’re not thinking of sending him out again are you?”
“MATT!” Dennis called. “Matt come down here!”
15 year-old Matt Saxton barreled down the stairs. “What’s up Pop?”
“They’re in your mother’s roses again.”
“You want me to take ‘em on another ride?”
“No.” Janet said. “I don’t think…”
“We are prisoners in our own home, Janet. If we’re sport for them, why can’t they be sport for us?” Dennis turned to his son. “Make sure to take them into town. Spend a little time with Old Nick at the bike shop and hang out at the Ice Cream Hut too. Don’t ditch ‘em until they’ve dropped some cash.”
“Should I take ‘em by the dock?”
A scowl darkened Dennis’ face. “No. Stay away from the lake.”
Dennis watched his son jump on his bike and take off down the street. Like a swarm of locusts, the crowd around the Saxton’s inn took off after him: Some on foot, some dashing to parked cars.
“Why us?” Dennis muttered.
“Just be thankful that Matt is alive, Den.” Janet said. She kissed her husband on the cheek. “He’s more valuable than the roses.”

Well, that was it. Brenda over at http://timeandseasons.blogspot.com/ also has her entry posted. Check her's out too.

Writing News

Well, entries to Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner's writing contest are closed. She mentioned on her blog http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/ that she received 47 entries. Not a bad number to be entered in with. I have a 1 in 47 chance of winning. Those are good odds.

Her contest was two parts. The first part allowed us to send in up to 5 opening lines for a novel. The second part allowed us to pick one of the winner/runner's up first lines and write a first page for it. It was quite hard to take someone else's words and come up with a story/character from them. I think I did decent but could have done better if the entire concept from opening line on, was mine. It was also hard because I was writing about characters that I hadn't developed. Usually I do a very intricate character sketch for every main character before I ever write a word on the story. It was still a good challenge.

Brenda (my fellow pregnant blogger) over at http://timeandseasons.blogspot.com/ does a weekly writing exercise. Last week's is actually still up because us pregnant ladies are in our first trimester and haven't been blogging faithfully. She asks what setting you would like to set a story in.

For me, I don't have a particular setting that I dream about writing on. But I do notice that I prefer country settings over city/metro settings. I like woods, country farms and little towns. I tend to pick Pacific Northwest locals as I grew up there. I also have fallen in love with Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and like to develop stories about these locations too. I have a work in progress in current day Australia. It takes place both in the "bush" and in Sydney. I also would love to set stories in the English and Irish country side. I'm a travel buff so anywhere I fall in love with is likely to be a story setting. I find Europe fascinating.

Lastly, Dana over at http://mysimplegifts.blogspot.com/ asked me, quite a long time ago (I confess) if I have ever used writing software to organize my thoughts and my writings.

I don't use software, currently. I tend to brainstorm and jot my ideas down in notebooks. After years of doing this, it still works for me. I have a knack for knowing what ideas/writings are in what notebook. I don't know how I remember this... I just do. My articles I have written (for newsletters/organizations and potential freelance) are all saved in the word section of my computer. Same with my works-in-progress.

When I start having many queries and submissions out in the market, I plan to have a computer spread sheet (excel) that will keep track of them. But so far I haven't submit to enough places to need such a thing.

I haven't needed a program for brainstorming. The Lord keeps me fresh with ideas. Developing characters come naturally to me too. I do use many sources to come up with names: The phone book, reading movie and television credits, looking up old documents on the web, visiting graveyards (yes, it's creepy) and just paying attention to people's names that I come in contact with. If I spy a good name, I'll jot it down in my current notebook.

Dana, does that answer your question? Or spur on more? Let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

Catch Up!

Sorry for going MIA this week. Monday and Wednesday were incredibly busy and the DH has been hoarding the computer more than usual. Tuesday... I just found I had nothing to say. Such things happen.

The first thing I want to post today is.... It's Spring! Today is the first day of Spring. I am getting so anxious to start my container garden, and go rock hunting on the beach, and eat outdoors. Of course we might get snow this weekend. I really hope the kids don't have to hunt eggs in the snow.

2nd item of business... Rachelle Gardner over at http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/ is holding a writing contest. There are two different parts to it and the prize is pretty awesome for those of us wanna be writers. You have until Saturday to enter. Check it out!

3rd item of business... I didn't get a scholarship to the writing conference I wanted to attend. I got REJECTED! But that's just the name of the game. Getting rejected is actually okay at this point. It shows that at least I'm out there trying. Now, 100-200 rejections later and I might be getting a bit more dejected about rejection.

Last item... Brenners over at http://timeandseason.blogspot.com/ holds Write it Out Wednesday. I seem to be bad at posting it on Wednesday but here is my take on this week's exercise.

Jane (Girl in left forefront): Can you believe it? Prince Harry just winked at me!

Candance (Girl middle) to herself: Of course he just winked at you... your dress is stuck in the backside of your knickers.

Susan (Girl on right): Jane, will you accompany me to the loo please. I have something important to show you.

To have the above make more sense to you, check out Brenner's blog. You can also get the next exercise. Cheers!