Monday, October 24, 2011

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Patch at Anderson Farms.  They took us out to the pumpkins on a tractor and we could pick out our own pumpkins.  We came home with 4 big pumpkins and a few small ones and some gourds that look like maracas-those were Jackson's favorite. 
 Family photo
 In the pumpkin patch with Nana
 eating his little pumpkin
 in the hay fort with Twan, Wes, and Angela
John Deere time
Chris was determined to find the smallest pumpkin in the patch...I think he found it!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Chain of Events=Weight Loss?????


* My neighbor went to a pumpkin patch and they paid a certain price for a wagon.  They were able to go  out and pick whatever veggies, pumpkins and gourds they wanted, and whatever they could stack into the wagon they could keep. Their stack was about 4 feet tall-once they got home they relized they had more veggies than they knew what to do with.

* I receive a bag of "unwanted" veggies.

* In the bag were two heads of cabbage.

* I realize I have never cooked with cabbage so I "Google" cabbage recipes.

*I saw a cabbage soup recipe so I "Google" cabbage soup.  In that search I saw many recipes on "healing cabbage soup" and "cabbage soup diets", so I investigated further.  (My family is doing a biggest loser challenge, we are 4 months into it  and I'm to about 1/3 of my weight loss goal, so this really sparks an interest)

* All the articles I read say "Eat as much as you want and lose 7-10 pounds a week!!!" Whoa! Sounds like another fad diet! Oh well, I'm really interested now :) Eat as much as I want and lose weight????  OK!!!

*I make the soup. It is DELICIOUS!!!! Chris even gave it an 8 out of 10 rating (pretty good for someone who could live off of BLTs and pizza)

*I lose 10 pounds!!!! Not really, I just had it for dinner tonight but I am going to try it for the next couple days and see what happens. I'm not great at "dieting", but if there is a low calorie option that tastes good, I am all for it!!!

Here is the info on the diet:
 Recipe
6 large green onions
1 can tomatoes
1 large head of cabbage
2 green peppers
1 bunch celery
1 pkg Lipton Onion soup mix
season with cayenne pepper, parsley, curry, boullion, hot sauce or whatever you want

Weight Loss Program

DAY ONE: All fruits except bananas. Cantaloupe and watermelon are lower in calories than most fruits. Eat only the soup and fruits. For drinks - un-sweetened tea, cranberry juice, or water.
DAY TWO: All vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed with all the fresh, raw or canned vegetables. Try to eat leafy vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat along with the soup. At dinner time on this day, reward yourself with a big baked potato and butter. Do not eat any fruits on this day.
DAY THREE: Eat all soup, fruits and vegetables you want. Do not have a baked potato. If you have eaten for three days, as above, and have not cheated, you will find you have lost 5-7 pounds.
DAY FOUR: Bananas and skim milk. Eat as many as 3 bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you can on this day along with the soup. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates and so is the milk, but on this particular day your body will need the potassium and the carbohydrates, proteins and calcium to lessen your craving for sweets.
DAY FIVE: Beef or chicken and tomatoes. You may have 10-20 ounces of beef or chicken and a can of tomatoes or as many as 6 fresh tomatoes on this day. Try to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water on this day to wash away the uric acid in your body. Eat the soup at least once this day. You may substitute lamb, beans, or fish.
DAY SIX: Beef or lamb & vegetables. Eat to your heart's content of the beef or lamb and vegetables on this day. You can have two or three steaks if you like, with green leafy vegetables, but no baked potato. Be sure and eat the soup at least once on this day.
DAY SEVEN: Brown rice, un-sweetened fruit and vegetables. Again, stuff yourself. Be sure to have the soup at least once today.

By the end of the seventh day, if you have not cheated on the diet, you will have lost 10-17 pounds. If you have lost more than 15 pounds, stay off the diet for two days before resuming the diet again at day one.
This seven-day eating plan can be used as often as you like. As a matter of fact, if correctly followed, it will clean your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being as never before.
After only seven days of this process, you will begin to feel lighter by at least 10 lbs. and possibly as much as 17 lbs. Having an abundance of energy, continue this plan as long as you wish and feel the difference.
This diet is a fast way to burn off fat and the secret is that you will burn more calories than you take in. It will flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being. This diet does not lend itself to drinking alcoholic beverages at any time because of the removal of fat buildup in your system. Go off the diet at least 24 hours before any intake of alcohol
Because everyone's digestive system is different, this diet will affect everyone differently. After day three, you will have more energy than when you began, if you did not cheat. After being on the diet for several days, you will find your bowel movements have changed -- eat a cup of bran or fiber. You may even find that you don't need caffeine after the third day.
DEFINITE NO-NO'S - BREAD, ALCOHOL, CARBONATED DRINKS INCLUDING DIET DRINKS.
STICK WITH WATER, UN-SWEETENED TEA, BLACK COFFEE, UN-SWEETENED FRUIT JUICES, CRANBERRY JUICE AND SKIMMED MILK.
The basic fat-burning soup can be eaten anytime you feel hungry. Eat as much as you wish. Remember, the more you eat, the more you will lose. No fried foods or bread. You can eat broiled chicken (no skin) instead of beef.  Continue this plan as long as you wish and feel the difference both mentally and physically. If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef on only one of the beef days. You need the high protein in the beef on the other days.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

7 Months

Being 7 months is hard work!!!

I sit and play with my toys all day long.


I love my Daddy and Mommy!!!


I like to show off and make people smile and laugh at me.

I got my first tooth.

I like to be wherever my family is.
At 7 months, Jackson, you:

~ Bring so much joy, happiness, laughs and smiles to our lives.

~ Have a little tooth coming in-so you drool and chew on anything and everything.

~ Say the following sounds: da, ma, pa, ba, and roar like a dinosaur.

~ Get mad if we take your toy away.

~ Larned how to razz and blow spit bubbles.

~ Lke to play "giddy-up" on our legs.

~ Love your stuffed animals and smile and hug them everytime you see them.

~ Still don't like to be left alone, and must be near us at all times.

~ Rarely sleep through the night-lately getting up twice and don't want to go back to sleep (we have learned to function on little sleep!!)

~ we love you so much! Happy 7 months, today!!!