I LOVE MONDAYS!!!

No joke ya'll!  I LOVE Mondays!  You see, I work 4 ten hour days a week, so my days off are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays.  Monday is the only day I don't have something scheduled. (Although our church is having a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class starting soon and I really want to go!)  (For more info: http://www.daveramsey.com/category/classes/ )

So, until that class starts, Mondays are mine all mine!  Here's the run down...

Sunday night I make a plan and it goes on the chalkboard...

The "fun times are here again" was written with my left hand. I'm right handed. 

So after sleeping in gloriously late, I get started on my list (disclaimer: I am big on making lists - not for the organizational aspect, but because I love crossing things OFF the list!)

Note: there weren't really that many loads of dishes to be done - I am just a messy cook and I can only get about 1 small load done before the hot water cools down.  Each hash mark under Laundry & dishes is for washing,  drying, and away.  (Told you I liked crossing things off my list - I also can cross my toes, but that seems slightly creepy.)

I have also been trying to eat less processed foods, although suddenly canned squirty cheese seems amazing! Anyways, so since joining WW I have been going through about 3 pounds of canned black beans every 2 weeks.  I love black beans!  So, I recently started making my own instead of canned.  If you have the time, this is most definitely a recipe worth trying!

I followed the quick soak method, then back into the pot with the recommended amount of water.  I add to that one large chopped vidala onion, one head of garlic (peeled & smashed), 1/4 cup chopped jalapeno, 1/8 cup hot sauce, salt to taste (I used about 2 fat TBSP)

(Sorry, I forgot to take a picture  so instead, please enjoy this adorable one of my precious niece)

After the beans have simmered for 2 hours in all that spicy goodness, I then add the zest and juice from one lime. (Sometimes 2 if I'm feeling zesty!)

Then I plop the whole mess into a one gallon tea container that I can easily scoop from.

So if that wasn't enough, I then add 2 cups of those beans to some cooked ground turkey, canned tomato sauce, smoked spices, and more hot sauce.

Adding dry spices to a warm pan, stirring constantly.
(Brings out the smokiness in the spices)

Adding those yummy beans I just made.

All done, so tasty!
(And notice that amazing spoon?  It was a gift from one of my bff's Holly from her missionary trip last summer to Mozambique)

 So aside from that I also spray painted these cute stars I snagged on clearance the other day! I can't wait to show them off.

Have a blessed day!
Sarah

I used to hate the scale...

... but this morning I got on it and am delighted to be 19 pounds lighter than my starting weight!!!  8 weeks ago I had a doctors appointment for some problems with my leg and ankle (I was worried I had a blood clot.) So anyways, imagine the heart-wrenching pain I felt when I weighed in and realized I had gained 22 pounds in 6 months.  More painful than that was the fact that the doctor just shook his head and sighed when he looked over my chart.  So, that afternoon I hopped online and started to search healthy weight lose options.

8 weeks later, I have been steadily losing an average of 2.5 pounds a week.  Now, I have no intentions of telling ya'll my current weight, however, I will say this much, at the rate I am currently going, it's still going to be a LOOOOONG time before this gal squeezes into a bikini!


Current memory verse (isn't this such a great reminder?  God is SO good!)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Gaudy to gorgeous!

Holy socks!  It is 46 degrees out!  After celebrating Christmas day at 80 degrees, this is crazy cold!   On a totally different note, I am really excited to share a project I did a few months back!  I recently inherited this crazy old mirror from my Grandma, and man alive it was seriously funky.  What looks like crazy wood carving is in fact plastic.  (I know!!!  I was so shocked!)

So, my original idea was to use chalk spray paint on the back of the mirror, this way if I wanted to turn it back into a mirror I was easily able to. Unfortunately, the mirror was glued onto a piece of plywood used to screw it onto the frame.  I made an executive decision and covered the mirror!

Tips: 

Pay attention to textures, any bumps need to be sanded off before applying chalkboard paint.

Allow 24 hours between chalkboard drying time before applying 2nd layer and after.

When 'curing' the chalkboard, allow the chalk to sit on the surface for a while before wiping off. (I allowed for 24 hours)

Close up of the gaudiness... don't worry, soon enough it will be lovely!

Top detail of the mirror.

I originally started with standard craft paint, but I really wanted a super high gloss look so  after one coat, I switched to a high gloss spray paint.

Here is the completed project!

Gettin' my blog on!

Okay all you fellow bloggers... here we go. It is the first of the year and I have been wanting to get my blog going, so this is it! Please bear with me as I make massive typoe"s (<-- haha, that was a test) and sometimes ramble on endlessly. Since this is my blog, I plan on doing all kinds of crazy things, like tell bad jokes, share cringe-worthy advice and show pictures of all the plants I have killed off! (Is there a word for a plant killer? Something like 'plantacidal maniac!)

So, who is this amazing and fabulous gal you ask? Well, my name is Sarah. As of right now, late night on New Year's Day, 2012, I am a 34 year old single woman. I am divorced. I have one tattoo but desperately want more! I mourn the death of people I don't know. I like to think I am NOT an ugly crier, but I really am.I do not have children. (That is a story for another day.) I try to be loving, kind and patient, but I fail time and time again, and only through the grace and love of my Lord and Savior am I able to know what true forgiveness is. Last year was a massive testing of my faith and trust in God. Sometimes I still get choked up with self pity, but that's ok, because God has been so faithful to me! (Again, I am sure I will be diving into this soon, just not yet...)

So, my question is this... to do resolutions or not? Let's do it!

* I really want a tattoo

* Pierce my nose

* go on a mission trip (even if just to a neighboring county)

*lose weight (in all fairness, I joined WW 6 week ago, this isn't a new one, but an all year goal!

*move (rental lease is up April 1st, so a move is inevitable
*invite more friends to church

*go to bed earlier!!!!!

Well, it is super late and time for me to get some beauty rest ya'll.

<3 Sarah