Weigh In Wednesday: Off to a GOOD Start!

I wish I was the quippy individual who created Weigh In Wednesday--I am not. BUT I will use it here because of aforementioned quip.

One week in on Weight Watchers (No, I'm not paying for it this time. Yes, I once again love my iPhone and its free apps.) and I'm down 2.2 pounds. I'll take it. After all, it's slow but steady right? And, I have a track record of being really good at failing when it comes to weight loss.

I was word vomiting talking to my dear friend Sarah this morning about my most recent weight loss commitment (really only because she saw my current desktop background which says, "The voice that says you can't do it is a lying slut"--except she only saw the "lying slut" part and need explanation) and basically put it this way: I need to grow up. I'm freaking THIRTY YEARS OLD. *sigh & WTF* I've never been a person who can eat whatever the hell I want without consequence, so why any part of me thinks that this awesome metabolism would kick in now is beyond me.

I had started a different blog to document my weight loss, but really, "ain't nobody got time fo dat!", so, you guys are getting it here. It's probably better for me anyway. If I know that all six of you are reading this it might  be the same as going to meetings. (All I could think right then was, "Hi. My name is Betty, and I'm a fatty."--new blog title?)

Maybe someday I'll publicly disclose my start weight, but that day is not today. For now, you may know that I'm down 2.2 leaving me 32.8 lbs away from my goal weight (47.8 lbs away from my DREAM weight).

Quick & Easy Homemade Bread...Yum!

Well, welcome to 2012! I can't believe we're here already. This last year went by so fast! I wasted no time getting a jump start on my resolutions for the year. Yesterday, I tackled bread baking in an effort to accomplish resolution #10: Cook/bake more of our own food. (It also accomplishes one of my unofficial goals of actually making stuff I pin on Pinterest!)

As a true carb-addict, I've always loved bread and been very picky about what kinds I buy. It's hard to find an economical bread that isn't made with a bunch of hard to pronounce ingredients. As you know, I'm trying to get back to a more holistic and healthy lifestyle. (Resolution #5: Work toward an organic, homemade lifestyle.) With this in mind, I decided that I would give making our own bread a try. I have to say that for a first attempt, I was more than pleased! In fact, the loaf has been baked for less than 24 hours and it's already half way finished!

I should have called my mom for one of her recipes (I have many childhood memories of my mom baking bread), but I thought I'd go with something super easy my first time out. I chose to use the recipe I found here. 

Here it is for your convenience: 

1/4 cup milk
5 teaspoons sugar (or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons butter (or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 package active dry yeast 
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups flour (get unbleached white for your first attempt) --Good tip from original source!
Corn starch or nonstick cooking spray (just to prevent the bread from sticking to the bowl or pan)

Putting it together: 

-Dissolve yeast in 1 c. warm water. Mix until there are no lumps. (I used my Kitchen Aid to combine all ingredients.

-Add melted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.

-Mix in first 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time.

-Continue adding the rest of the flour 1/4 cup at a time. Mix each 1/4 cup in completely before adding the next 1/4 cup. (I did end up using 3 1/2 cups total in my loaf.)

-Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead dough for 10 minutes.

-Form dough into a ball and place into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Place in a warm place and allow to rise for 1 hour. (I set my oven to the "Warm" setting and set it there.)

-After the hour is up, punch down the dough 3-4 times; flatten into a rectangle (1 loaf pan size by 1 1/2 loaf pan size).

-Roll into a log; tuck sides under and place into a greased loaf pan. 

-Allow the dough to rise in the loaf pan for another hour. When it's finished, it will look like this:

Sorry about the quality of the pictures; my camera wasn't charged, so I used my phone. 

-Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (This was the PERFECT amount of time for my loaf of bread!)

-Remove bread from pan immediately. Allow to cool a bit before cutting.

So...the first attempt at homemade bread was an AMAZING success! For my first time I just used all purpose flour and it was wonderful! I'll be branching out to whole wheat bread flour next. Since this bread recipe is so easy, I'll probably make two or three loaves at the beginning of the week for us. 

Resolving...

One huge benefit of blogging is that you are able to look back at what you've done (or haven't done) in the past year. As I sat down to write 2012's resolutions, I took a look back at what I decided I should work on during 2011. If you don't want to read the whole post, here's a quick list along with a recap of how I did:


2011 Resolutions
1. Simplify. This year I sent a TON of stuff to Goodwill, the recycling plant, and landfill. We still have a ways to go as far as purging our home of stuff, but I think I'll call this a success. In addition, I stepped down from a couple of leadership positions in order to make time for more important endeavors.

2. Get back to basics. I didn't do too badly with this one either, although I still have a ways to go. By working on simplifying, I was in turn able to return to what is important. I don't think I'll ever pray enough, so that will always be on my list. As far as time with people who matter, that definitely happened this year. Between family vacations, impromptu dinners and phone conversations there are definitely relationships in my life that are stronger now than they were a year ago.


3. Cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. Of all the failures on this list, I feel the worst about this one. I won't elaborate, but I will carry this resolution over to 2012.

4. Focus on frugality. We made some cuts this year. Getting rid of cable was a big one, paying off the car and consistently saving also helped. With Clark on the way this will continue to be a priority though.

5. Document life. I did ok on this one, but not nearly what I wanted to do. Regular blogging helps, but maybe I should start wearing my camera wherever I go.


6. Authentic living. This one is hard to judge. I think there are many ways in the past year that I have begun to live out what I believe, but I know that there are relationships that have fallen by the wayside and priorities they get bumped that need to be focused on during 2012.


All that being said...
Here are my 2012 Resolutions:
1. Continue seeking simplicity.
2. Focus on family and authentic friendships.
3. Cultivate the fruits of the Spirit.
4. Choose frugality.
5. Work toward an organic, homemade lifestyle.
6. Make documenting life a priority.
7. Nurture creativity.
8. Complete at least 12 upcycling/DIY/refurbishing projects.
9. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
10. Cook and bake more of our food.

Focus

"How about you pick a few things to do really well instead of trying to do sixteen different things some of the time?"

A valid question. A question that sounds like it was posed to one of my students, but in actuality, it came from husband, and it was directed at me. It was, well,  irritating.

Irritating or not, though, it was a gut check. It was needed. (One of the reasons I love Michael is that he urges me to be a better person.)

In the past few months, I've had a lot on my plate (despite my resolution to simplify). Most of it has been self-imposed. Co-chairing a charity event, teaching SAT prep classes 2 nights a week, creating a domestic/crafting blog, trying to cook at home everyday of the month, keeping up with my personal blog, not to mention "little" things like starting a business, teaching full-time, and being a wife, sister, daughter, and friend.  I'll admit, Michael was is right.

Focus is something we often take for granted. I realized this for the first time in my photography class as a high school sophomore. Before the age of digital photography, Mrs. Hastings (arguably the best teacher I ever had), set out to teach us hard work, patience, and a commitment to excellence; she handed us an Nikon SLR. There was a lot to learn, but how to FOCUS the lens was the first lesson. If you've every worked in a dark room (or on PhotoShop) you know that you can fix most things in there, but if your focus is off, what may have been a gorgeous shot, can be ruined. You can fake exposure, motion, and color. You can't fake focus. 


Last week, while Sarah was working on the computer in my classroom, she mentioned that my computer screen was blurry. Since she's bossier than I, she immediately sent an email to our tech department (from my email account) asking them to remedy this issue. They were there the next day, and I now have a perfectly in focus monitor and no longer have headaches when I leave at the end of the day.


Whether it's our cameras, computer screens, or lives, focus is so important. It allows us to see the picture clearly, highlights beauty, and brings order and peace. I needed to be reminded to find focus, and I plan on doing just that.


For me, finding focus means that I am... 


giving up the positions with my charity;


finishing the SAT classes I've committed to, but NEVER doing more than one a week again;


cooking at home when I can, but not feeling guilty when I don't;


blogging for Domestic Diversions when it's fun, but not pressuring myself to meet a quota;


blogging here often, but realizing that it's OKAY, even preferred if posts are short;


teaching to the best of my ability, but not getting irritated by the minutiae of it all;


working my butt off to get the new business up and running so I can forever do what I love;


checking in with friends often;


hanging out with my family to create memories;


spending quality time with Michael and our puppies;


and seeking God's guidance in all things so that I may follow the path He intends for me.

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not sure how many of you make resolutions each year. The older I get, the more people seem to become jaded with the concept, however, I find comfort in the never-changing tradition of finding stuff to change. As we say good-bye to one decade and barrel into the next, it seems appropriate to honor the transition with a new set of resolutions. I often make many resolutions. This is partly because I believe there is much that can/should be changed, but also because if I fail to follow through on a handful, those that I stay true to will bring some solace. 


Here we go...


1. Simplify. Stop laughing. I'm serious. Most of you who read this blog don't just know me, but know me well. Yes, I'm known for having particularly complex expectations, some even call it being "high-maintenance." This year, however, I'm going to work on that. This year in particularly has left me, well, tired. Unfortunately, I feel like I have little to show for this exhaustion, and the reason, in my opinion, is because I'm running to keep up with all the "stuff" in my life. This year, I will simplify. I'll start with my house--getting rid of un-needed items and donating them. Then, I'll move on to my time. I'll be saying, "Adios" to activities that I don't feel called to. 


2. Get back to basics. A few posts ago I wrote about ancient paths. Jeremiah 6:16 has been my focus in the past couple of weeks: 
This is what the LORD says:

   “Stand at the crossroads and look;
   ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
   and you will find rest for your souls.

I believe it's time to get back to basics, remember what's important, and make those things priorities. Time in prayer, fellowship with family and friends, creating a home for young family, these things will be my focus.

3. Cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

I hate to be super conservative-cheesy, yet I know these are characteristics that I want to have but do not. In fact, in many ways, I am the exact OPPOSITE of all these things. The woman, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and teacher I want to be IS these things, thus, I need to get to work.

4. Focus on frugality. Don't get me wrong, I L-O-V-E, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE nice things and still plan on making them a part of my daily life, but for the past 28 years, I've lived basically buying what I want when I want. Michael and I want to have a decent savings before we start a family, so if I want to be a mother before I'm 60, we need to start being a tad more frugal. I really don't mean cheap, but I do mean intentional. To begin with, I'm planning out our menu one month at a time, breaking down grocery list into each week, and only buying what we need for those meals. Good-bye ordering out just because I can't think of what to make. Good-bye spending $100 at the grocery store without a real plan for a meal. 


5. Document life. After waiting so long to have a good camera, it's time to really start documenting life. I'm confident that once Finn gets here I'll have an even greater desire to do so!


6. Authentic living. I've spent much of my life giving lip service to what I "believe," yet I often allow my convictions to get lost in a sea of consumerism, television, and the day to day. This year, I want to live out what is important, the first step? These resolutions. 


I'm ready for you 2011; I'll take you one day at a time.