Saturday, March 30, 2013

Devotion Time With the Kids!

My kids and I have really enjoyed 'digging' into scripture with 'The Dig' devotionals.   We love the simplicity of the lessons but yet there's enough depth to help my kids apply scripture to their daily lives!  I purchased the kindle version so that we have it with us no matter where we go!  And I'm SO excited that they just released Luke - Volume 2!!!  I highly recommend this devotional!


Blessings,

Krystal



Thursday, March 28, 2013

Throw Back Thursday

Prom my senior year (sorry it's not a very good picture) and to top that, this picture was just a month before this gorgeous man asked me to spend the rest of my life with him!  What a journey!!!


Blessings,

Krystal

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Maintaining Training On the Road!

As I'm sure you've seen from my various posts that I traveled to Illinois in mid March to attend the Hearts at Home Conference (more to come on the conference).  It was an amazing few days of being renewed physically but most importantly spiritually.  A dear friend of mine and I traveled together.  We laughed together, cried together and were truly blessed.

Amy has been with me on this journey to get healthy from the very beginning.  Her encouragement, prayers, accountability, and support has been such a blessing.


We had such a special time together.  Both of us have made such drastic changes to our life over the last year.  Our daily routines of what we eat and our workouts are so important that we discussed our plans before we even left.  We travelled on a Thursday, worked out Thursday night, scheduled a rest day for Friday (to fully enjoy the conference) and then both of us enjoyed a workout on Saturday before we began our travel home.

Before we left I did some research to see if there was any running paths close by and was so excited to discover the Constitution Trail that goes through the Normal/Bloomington, IL area.  The weather was a little brisk and foggy but I was SO excited to run outside.  

This was THE best run I've ever had since starting this journey.  Being refueled spiritually the day before had such an impact on the thoughts I had while I was running.  I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face for the entire 8 miles and felt like I should have ran farther.

Here's a the view I had on my run!  It was incredibly refreshing!


There was also a couple little ponds that I enjoyed running past, even with the fog!


Absolutely loved being outside on this peaceful, beautiful morning!


It's so easy to skip a good run or workout while you're traveling, but it's so important to stick to your plan even while on the road.  This taught me to seek this opportunity whenever possible!  I can't wait to discover new areas or paths when I travel.

Blessings,

Krystal




No Fancy Equipment Required

Saturday's have been my long run days since I began 'officially' training for my very first half marathon, but we have had quite the snow storm hit and our favorite electrical lineman (aka Daddy) is out working.  I still wanted to get some kind of workout in today and thought it would be a great day to get my kids to join me since we're all stuck inside anyway.  They were SO excited and Jayce reminded Kylee and I that we need to workout to stay 'healfy.'  Most of my workouts are done early in the mornings while my kids are sleeping, but I do realize how important it is to share a workout with them (even with them still in their pajamas).  These two special kids are a huge part of this journey and I was blessed to share this time with them this morning.


We didn't need any fancy equipment or video and the kids even stayed in their pajamas.  We just did some basic exercises (incorporated with some giggles).  

Started off with some jumping jacks!


Time for some crunches!


Teaching Jayce how to do some squats. 


Who says working out isn't fun!  While Kylee and I were doing some squats, Jayce was climbing through our legs!


Next up is some push ups.  Looks like we all need to work on our form! :)



And of course some encouragement when we were finished!


Don't forget to encourage your kids to make healthy choices too! You AND your kids will be blessed!

Blessings,

Krystal


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Throw Back Thursday

Welcome to another beautiful Thursday!  Here's another fun picture...  Baton twirling was another big part of my childhood.  My parents were so great to let us try so many different activities.  I really enjoyed baton twirling.  The lessons every two weeks, competitions, practices, costumes, half time performances, etc.  Once I got to junior high and high school though it became too much for my schedule so I had to make some choices between volleyball, twirling and 4-H so unfortunately I had to give up twirling.  


Blessings,

Krystal
Sunday, March 3, 2013

Pull Apart Rolls

After losing 25 pounds I found myself steering away from sweets and baked goods (which I still do on a regular basis).  Through this journey though, I have learned that completely eliminating them isn't absolutely necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  It's about moderation and portion control (and sharing with others).  This weekend I did some baking for my family, another dear family and for a potluck with my church family (minimizing how many of these yummy goodies are available in our home).  Over Christmas my Mom made some delightful homemade pull apart rolls and I wanted to give them a try.  They turned out so yummy!!!


Here's the recipe:

2 Packages yeast                          1 teaspoon + 2/3 Cup Sugar divided
1 Cup warm water                       1/2 Cup Butter - softened to room temperature
1/2 Cup Shortening                      1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup Boiling Water                    2 Eggs
7-7 1/2 Cups Flour

In a bowl dissolve yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar into warm water.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Cream butter, shortening, salt and 2/3 Cup Sugar.  Add boiling water.  Let cool to 110 degrees.  Add yeast mixture and eggs.  Stir in flour.  Let rise for an hour (or until double in size).  Grease 3 cake pans.  Punch dough and split dough into thirds.  From each third roll into 9 equal size balls and place into cake pan with space between rolls.  Let rise in pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Makes approximately 27 rolls.

Blessings,

Krystal

Throw Back Thursday

Happy Thursday to you!  Here's one of my senior pictures.  Seems like such a long time ago!


Blessings,

Krystal
Saturday, March 2, 2013

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Well it's definitely not fall but it's always a good season for some Homemade Pumpkin Bread.  Miss Kylee had the flu this week and hadn't eaten for about 3 days.  I decided to make some pumpkin bread (which is one of her favorite things to eat) this morning.  A loaf for us and a loaf for some dear friends.  This recipe is definitely not the healthiest of choices, but sometimes some good ole homemade bread is just what the doctor ordered.  She was so excited and it made my house smell delightful!


Here's the recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Bread

2 Cups Pumpkin                      3 1/2 Cups Flour                         1/2 teaspoon ginger
3 Cups Sugar                           2 teaspoons baking soda              
1 Cup Oil                                 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 Cups Water                        1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs                                      1 teaspoon nutmeg


Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour bottoms only of two 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pans.  In large bowl, blend first 5 ingredients.  Beat 1 min at medium speed.  Add remaining ingredients; blend until smooth and moistened.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans.  Cool completely.  Slice or cut into shapes with cookie cutters!  Optional ~ dust with powdered sugar.

Blessings,

Krystal

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