The hair is getting a bit out of control

Myfitnesspal

My FitnessPal has entered my life in the past week. Let's see how long it stays. Ha.
Two Monday's ago, my small group had a pool party (picture above) and all the girls were talking about how much weight they have lost from counting their calories. I had just gotten back from vacation and eating more calories in one day then I should in a week. Ha. I was sitting there with a very satisfied belly but without a success story of my own. A couple weeks before I went on vacation my friend Bethany (the girl above) made me start a myfitnesspal account because she had luck with it. I half heartedly did it for a couple of day and then forgot about it. However, last Monday when I saw Bethany in her little bikini, I got inspired. She has lost 10 pounds recently and looks great. Here are the other girls in my SG: Danielle has lost 20, Sarah 18, Laura 10 and Ashleigh (who is already tiny) 5. So, it was time for me to get my butt in gear. I've been wanting to lose 10lbs for months now and just haven't been motivated. Now I'm motivated. I actually want to lose 15. I've lost 3 pounds since I started counting and I will say it feels good.

I don't have a set date I want to lose it by. I want to go slow. The slower you go the easier it is to keep off. Plus, I need to still eat normal because I'll never maintain it if I don't. I LOVE food too much to take anything out of my diet. I just need to control my portion sizes. Jarrod is also an inspiration to me. He has lost 10 pounds in the last few months just by working out everyday. That is my next step...getting on a regular workout routine. Ugh.

There are so many people in my world that has lost weight recently...My brother-in-law has lost 30, my mom 70 and my other friend Melissa has lost 20. Okay, it's time. I'm doing it!
I guess now that I have put this out there, I totally HAVE to do it...I don't want to look like a failure on my own blog. So, here it is. I'll keep you undated.

Summer...almost over

Is summer really coming to an end? So sad :(
This summer has been super fun with a one year old. She's been really into the pool and has had a great time with her aunt Kim on Wednesdays (Kim is a teacher so she got to play with her all summer). Yesterday was her last day to watch Zeda (for the summer) and I think she was really sad...she cried. I felt bad for her but it does make me happy to know that Zeda has so many people that genuinely love her. It's a good feeling.
Well, our schedule doesn't slow down after summer we've got a couples trip next weekend in Branson, LA in September, and I've got a girl's trip in October. Plus much much more! Fun Fun!

Dinner Date

Miss Presley Ann and Zeda had fun playing in Z's room after dinner last night. Of course Zeda made Kendall read to her because that's what she does now...she'll make you read the same book 4 or 5 times. I'm glad it was Kendall and not me. Ha. However, it gave me a chance to snaps some shots of Presley.

Dinner party for 4...no wait, 6

Last night we had some friends over for dinner. Nik and Megan were supposed to come but Megan has a nasty cold or something along those lines and needed to rest. Todd and Kendall came with their adorable little girl, Presley Ann. Zeda and Presley had fun playing together...or maybe just Zeda had fun playing and giving Presley "soft touches" It's pretty cute. I'll post some pictures of their interactions. Below is what I made...
1) Mint Tea from our Garden. You can see the bottom of the jar still had a mint leaf...good stuff.
2) Old Fashion Blueberry cake from 101cookbooks. It's great. Not very sweet at all. I made my own whip cream, which added the perfect amount of sweetness. The cake called for molasses but I didn't have any so I used honey...I think next time I will try it with molasses.
3) Summer Succotash from Smitten Kitchen. This was really good and really easy to make. You should try it.
4) Bruschetta (not pictured) from Jarrod's noggin. It's amazing. He has made it now a couple of times and I LOVE it. I'll get a picture next time, because there will be a next time. :)

One of the BEST decisions we made

Cloth Diapers! Here is Z in a cloth diaper at her 1 week photo shoot.

Before I had Zeda I knew a couple of girl who used cloth diapers and it totally intrigued me. After doing some research, Jarrod and I decided to go for it. We asked for diapers at our showers and was able to get most of our stash...which is amazing! Not only does that save on our initial cost but it totally helps out for future babies. We've used them consistently since she was 2 months old, we travel with them, and do a diaper washing about every 4 days. We have 21 diapers which is plenty for us. I use disposables when someone else is watching her because I feel bad making someone who is not comfortable with them handling it. Otherwise, we wouldn't need disposables at all.

Today, I came across a post on a blog that I read frequently called Young House Love. It's about a couple who blogs for a living about their home improvements adventures. They also blog about being green and their cute new baby girl named Clara. It's definitely worth a read. She wrote a post about her cloth diaper adventure. I wanted to feature it because her enthusiasm about using the diapers is spot on to mine. I LOVE them...she's just a better writer then me and can explain it easier. :) I know they are not for everyone but if anyone is ever interested in learning more about the diapers, I would be more than happy to chat. I really do believe in them for so many different reasons. I have four other friends that use them as well and I know for a fact they also LOVE cloth diapers.

Anyways, you should read the post...it's good. I don't do everything the same as them but that's the beauty of the diapers...there is more than 1 great way to take care of them.
Happy Reading!

Mountain Top Vacation

We just got back from vacation with Jarrod's family. It was amazing even though we road in a bumpy BUMPY 15 passenger van. Jarrod's family travels a bit different than Jarrod and I do. It usually takes us 11 hours and 59 min to drive a 12 hour trip...it takes the Murdaugh's 16 hours to do a 12 hour trip. So, needless to say the driveS were rough. BUT the actual vacation was awesome! We had a jam packed week filled with hikes, tours, rafting, the rodeo, music and lots and lots of food! Here are a few of the pictures for you to enjoy.