Christmas

Well Christmas has come and gone. I could right some bad things about the holidays but I refuse. So I will tell about all the good. The boys are old enough that they knew everything they were getting for Christmas. I love the fact though that they still believe in Santa Claus. I need to be a better mom and make sure they both have surprises. I still love Christmas and spending time with family. On Christmas day we spent in with the farmers parents and sister's family. We had a really good time and Clay stayed a very long time I was proud of him. 

Me and the Farmer

Yummy food

Yummy food

Cousins

Farmer and his parents and sister

This is my family the best I could get of us 

My brother came and celebrated Christmas with me. My sister could not make it this year. It breaks my heart but I gave it to God. 

We gave them toy shot guns and a blind

 My brother painted me a picture of Jimmy

Jack and Judson hunting

Judson he really looks like his daddy in this picture!!

It is New Year Eve and I am looking forward to a new year with God leading my life!

October

Wow this month is almost over and I have not found anything I wanted to write about. I think about then decide I have nothing interesting to talk about. I have been straining out persimmons and selling the pulp again this year. I have sold 100 bags or more not sure.

I finally stopped picking them up. There is an over abundance of them this year. But it does not look like we will be getting many pecan this year. The squirrels have taken them all. We are still getting tomatoes but there is frost expected Sunday night. We also got a lot of green peppers. I have froze 5 quart bags and still have a crisper full. Our tomatoes have taken a second growth also. We picked all of them to. 

Our salad patch is coming along really good. We have cooked to messes out of it so far and also we picked a mess for the Farmers parents. 

Our collards are coming along real well also. I can not wait to eat one of them. 

My cotton has grown a lot also. I am waiting for the leaves to die off to harvest it. 

I am discouraged with myself. I have not lost any weight in months. I am feeling burned out on exercise. I saw a video the other day that asked how bad do you really want to lose weight? Are you really trying to stick to the meal plan or are you having extra snacks or extra calories and trying to exercise them off? I know I sound like I am having a pity party. I know I have not been following a meal plan to the tee. I say I am going to do better on Monday and it never happens or I will do good all day. Then on Tuesday I eat bad. I know that many women fall in this same trap. I have read weight loss devotions for over a year. I have tried to turn to God and surrender to God to get help I want to get closer to God and to understand the bible. Most of the time I just feel so lost and desperate. I don't always feel like I have the connection with God like others say they do. I want to feel  him talking to me and pulling closer to him. I read blogs and follow people on social media that feel the pull of the Holy spirit and God telling or pulling them to do something. But you know what I don't know anyone personally that is always feeling God. Oh well I will never give up I trust that God will take care of me. I will always be his child that is washed by his Grace! Thank you God for your Grace and teaching me to be humble. God has got this!

Well thanks for stopping by.

Month of September...

We are 10 days into September and Monday morning is 4 hours away. I have already shared with you that I am reading a new devotion and I am starting the 5th week. Last week was talking about binging on the weekend to start the new dreaded diet on Monday. This seem to happen to me every weekend.  I am sick of falling into this trap. I really want to learn to focus my emotions to God and stop turning to food. I know that I need to let God be first in everything. I am a sinner and I need to totally break down and give it all to God and be still and listen. I have been reading these devotions on weight loss and God and I have yet to totally give it to God and turn to him in pray or scripture instead of food.

My goals for this month is to Pray, read the bible, study, and get as close to God as I can. I want to be known as a Christian woman that loved God and sacrificed for him. To do things that are pleasing to him. 

I also want to focus on healthy, whole food that I want and need to put in my body. Less sugar. I would like to eliminate sugar from my diet except my 3 blocks of dark chocolate and control servings of desserts.  I have 35 to 40 pounds I want to get off if it is Gods will. 

We are considering getting rid of Jimmy our bull. We got our new bull that we named Sully. He has started off crazy so I am worried that we should keep Jimmy. We are not sure that we can catch Sully again. He busted out of the trailer with a vengeance bending the metal door on it and bust through two in the pasture wire fence.  

Here are the girls Jimmy is visiting He is in the right back corner

Seth had a birthday Thursday. He is 25 years old how did this happen? 

Here is a big writing spider that is living in the garden. 

This is mama she is my cow. She has gray eyelashes now. 

My first cotton boll busted open

We got our collards set out.

My first harvest of persimmons 

We went and picked grapes Saturday

They were loaded and sweet!

So far September has been good but I wish I could get my eating in control. I know everyone is getting tired of me saying this but I keep praying that God is going to help get something to click. 

Thanks for stoping by not much of a post.

Falling off the Wagon....

I started a new devotion from Wellness Revelation Alisa Keeton. I am starting the 3rd week tomorrow. It is a really good devotion on getting closer to God. I started of strong reading the book, reading my bible and journaling. There are questions to answer along with tracking your food. I tracked my food everyday until Thursday August 24. That was the last day I tracked my food. I have been out of control every since.

I had also started a new exercise program Shift Shop with Chris Downing. It is only 3 weeks 21 days with a food program to go with it. I started off strong 25 minutes long the first week. 2nd week is 35 minute workouts and the 3rd week is 45 minute workouts. I had 3 days Monday, Wednesday and Friday of speed (cardio). 3 days of strength (weights) Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with 12 minutes of Core on Thursday and Saturday. I started strong and did not finish the last 2 days.  

I had not had any cookies, or sweets except my 3 blocks of chocolate everyday. I had not had a soda of any kind in over 2 weeks and I fell of the wagon hard. 

I have been eating cookies, peanut butter crackers, and drinking can coke. I had 2 barbecue sandwiches Saturday and they were so yummy with 3 yummy hushpuppies. 

In my challenge group I had to take before pictures and after picture and there is no change that you can see in the pictures. I did not lose any weight. I have not checked the inches yet but I am pretty sure no inches lost either. I have got to stop making excuses and using my emotions to determine what I should eat or not eat. I need to stay healthy and clean. This year is coming to an end faster than I would like. I have only lost a little weight this year so far and really wanted to do better. September the 1st is 4 days away and I wanted to be 180 by then and it will not happen. I have got to focus on my eating habits more than my exercise. Like they say diet (food intake) in 80% and exercise is 20% and I have been doing the opposite. Now it is time to change this. New challenge group to start in the morning. New week to start in the devotion and a new month coming this week. Time for change. Let's do this!! Prayers please.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pots and baby dolls

It is our first weekend being with out chickens. Yay!! We went to Abelmarle today and got us a Whispering Pines barbecue and hush puppies!! We ate in the park it was a very nice day. We went to The Market Place, the antique and junk store. I love stores like this. I had two things I wanted to find for myself and the boys had things they wanted. I found a baby doll in here last year right before Christmas and I toted it around the whole time with Seth not wanting me to get it until I finally put it back. I was so sad that I did this and wished so many time I had not listen and bought it. Well that is water under the bridge. Today I wanted a big pot and I have had my eyes open looking for a babydoll every time we go. Well I find a baby today.  She is a Effanbee babydoll, and she has odd color eyes. They look almost pink. She also came with this little chair. I really like her. 

I also got this pot. I am always needing a big pot to cook stuff in to get ready to can. 

Our peas are ready to pick. We planted some calico peas that we found in grandmas's freezer. They are pretty peas. I can not wait to cook some and eat them tomorrow. 

They make me think of my dad. He loved to boil the in the hulls and it them like boiled peanuts. 

I will close here. It is getting late 12:37 a.m to be exact. I need to go to bed. Sunday school in the morning. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Praying Mantis and Persimmons

It was so hot today. I went outside and was just standing in the yard and sweating. I feel really bad for the ones who have to work outside in this heat. Ok enough whining. We went out to grandma's to check on the tomatoes and get some potatoes. The tomatoes are done the heat and some kind of weird looking bug is sucking spots on them. But my cotton is so pretty! The Farmer took pictures of me and the cotton.

Me with the cotton

One short row the other is behind me

cotton

I can not wait until it actually has cotton on it. I hope to make some crafts with it. We also looked at the persimmon trees. It is unbelievably how big they are. 

Size of a ping pong ball

There are limbs almost touching the ground.

This limb broke out of the tree. Look how many is on it. 

We also saw the biggest praying mantis today. 

back side of it

Isn't it so beautiful. 

I bought me a cute little solar lantern Sunday. I need to turn my flash off and take a picture of it in the dark. Hey this reminds me see the little hydrangea plant growing down below. I rooted this off another plant that I have not had any luck getting it to bloom. I hope that this one will grow and bloom one day. 

I started my new devotion and I am really liking it so far. I have been 2 days without cookies and trying hard not to eat after supper. I hope that I can really make this commitment and lose some weight before August is over. 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed my post.