2013...A Year in Review

There is only 2 days left of 2013. Where did the year go? It felt like it sped by quickly. Here is a little replay of my year.

January:
I started the year at the Stafford VFW with my friends Adam and Anthony. There were all of maybe 10-15 people there. A few days later, had another mini celebration with four other close friends of mine at my house.

February:
I sadly moved back to McPherson in the middle of the month. Don't get me wrong. I was happy to be close to my family, but I was sad that I was leaving my friends and the kids I had worked with. I had gotten attached to quite a few of them.

March:
I don't remember anything super exciting or memorable about this month....

April:
My sister, Rae, and her husband, Shane, got married. A week later, I started talking a guy I met through a dating site I had joined back in January. His name? Matt :)

May:
One of my brothers and his wife welcomed their first child, Jrake. He's got the biggest and sweetest smiles!

June:
What did I do this month???? I don't remember!!!!!

July:
Matt and I met for the first time face to face when he came to Kansas for a few days to visit. I had a great time and couldn't wait to see him again.

August:
I turned 31 and also got to welcome my nephew, Deegan, to the world. Just like me, he shares a birthday with his grandparent's anniversary. He was also born on or within a few days of a grandparents birthday.

September:
I've been knitting for 2 years. I had a shawl at the Kansas State Fair win 3rd place out of approximately 23 entries. Many of those entries had been done by others knitting a lot longer than myself.

October:
Another month that I can't think of or remember something exciting that happened.

November:
One set of parents took me to Texas (for the first time) so I could see Matt. Matt took me to see the coast for the very first time which was awesome!

December:
Here we are at the end of December. This month flew past. I don't feel like I did much except work and work on knitting and crochet projects. I did spend some time with family for Christmas, which was nice.

Have a happy and safe 2014 everyone!

White Texas Sheet Cake

I was looking for a new recipe to try and with the holidays upon us, I wanted to bake something. With my head and heart in Texas, I happened to come across this recipe and decided I had to try it. This cake is moist and delicious. The frosting is the perfect kind of sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring butter and water just to a boil. Immediately remove from heat; stir in the flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, almond extract, baking soda, and salt until smooth.

Pour into a greased 15-in x 10-in baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and cake is golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes.

For frosting, in a large saucepan, combine butter and milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and extract. Stir in walnuts; spread over warm cake.

16-20 Servings

 

Speedy Vegetable Soup

I remember as a kid that when we had vegetable soup at home, my siblings and I would stir in pancake syrup into our soup bowl. My mom says we learned it from our dad who got it from his mom. I know what you're thinking, "Ewwwww! Syrup in vegetable soup?" You can think that all you want, but I think it's good.

Ingredients:

2 cans (one 49 ounces, one 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 1/2 diced tomatoes, undrained

**I also added browned sausage and a package of frozen corn

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine first seven ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes; heat through.

Serves 11

This was a delicious soup. I hope you enjoy it!

Struggling

It's the holiday season. That means it's time to get the decorations out, time with family and friends, and eating what seems like way too much food. The last is what I struggle with the most this time of year.

In the summer of 2011, I topped out at approximately 183 pounds. Not good for anyone, especially on my short frame. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was very self conscious and would try wearing looser clothing to try and hide how overweight I had become.

This is why I'm glad my two cousins and I decided years ago to try taking a yearly picture together years ago. This is a "before" picture for me and how I never wanted to be that unhealthy again. (Christmas 2011)

In January 2012, I finally decided to make the change to become healthier (and skinnier). My starting weight was 178 pounds. I watched what ate and how much I ate. I walked more and found things to do to try staying more active.

I did my first 5K. I walked most of it, but I was able to run some too.

When I moved to Stafford at the end of that summer, I had a walking route that worked. From my house to the point I turned around and went back home, it was about 3 1/2 miles. I did this at least once or twice a week, depending on the weather. I also walked a block to work everyday. That was six times a day.

By the time I had moved back to McPherson in February 2013, I was down to about 148 pounds or so. I had lost 30 pounds in a year! I had been feeling great about myself. I had gained confidence. I still had a little bit of self consciousness, but nothing like before.

Down 30 pounds here from since the "before" picture was taken. This picture was Christmas 2012.

In the 10 months I've been back in McPherson, I've gained 7-10 pounds back. I'm pretty disappointed in myself to say the least. I haven't been as active as what I used to be. I also haven't been eating like I know I should be. I do try to make healthy choices still, but I don't watch how much I'm eating.

I know many people struggle with their weight, and I'm definitely no exception. I figured if I write about it, I'll be able to get myself back on track (hopefully soon). I have so many great things going for me and I don't want too be where I was two years ago.