10 million kilo challenge

After 4 weeks on the challenge I have lost 3.9kg which I am pleased with. I hope ot loose a total of 10kg in the 10 weeks so am mostly on track to achieve that goal.

I am enjoying eating some different foods, including this yummy quinoa salad, and almond milk smoothies.

I am quickly learning the foods that I can and cannot eat and am avoiding wheat, gluten, grains and dairy as much as I can and am feeling much better. My eczema is almost totally gone as well which is a great bonus.

Accidents happen

Last Wednesday, while waiting for a car to reverse out from a carpark outside Target in Dalby, we were hit from behind. Fortunately we were all ok and the people in the other car were ok too. Both cars were damaged, ours less then theirs, but still enough to warrant some photos.

Happy 2nd Birthday Kayla!

It is hard to believe that our niece Kayla is 2 years old. We celebrated with her at a party in the park in Toowoomba on Saturday 18th February. Kayla had a great time playing and eating. Trac made a most amazing Foo Faa cake (a character from Yo Gabba Gabba) that everyone enjoyed.

(Poor Trac was rushed to hospital only 3 days later with Pancreatitis and is having her gall bladder removed in 2 weeks time.)

Our precious three!

taken Sunday 12-02-2012

What makes you beautiful

I went with a group of ladies from our church to a regional ladies evening in Toowoomba on Thursday night. Julia from Hillsong Australia was there (if you have seen the Hillsong Kids DVD's you'll know Julia as the blonde leader). To end the evening a group of young men from New Hope sang this song to us. I just love the song and love the words. I hope it puts a smile on your face too.

Cool God moments

I started a casual job as our church cleaner last week. In the past we have cleaned the churches that we were a part of as volunteers so when this casual position came up we felt like it was a great opportunity to serve in the church. The 'pocket money' is just a bonus.

That being said, I believe in a great big God who loves us and who wants to bless us. He is a God of abundance and honour. He sees all that we do, and we will be rewarded for the works we do- whether here on earth or in heaven. When we seek him and serve him, great things happen.

4 things have happenned in this past week that I could easily overlook but we are choosing to see God's goodness and greatness and blessing in them.

1. We have been talking about getting some rolls of bamboo fencing for our back fence. Our chickens are constantly harassed by our neighbours dog who often digs under the fence into our yard. Jas took a load of waste to the dump on Sunday and pulled up beside a lady who was throwing 3 rolls of bamboo fencing away. Yep- 3 perfectly good, useable rolls of fencing. He bought them home and they are now lining half of our back fence.

2. Joel needed a new pair of sandles. I went to Target and picked up a pair that were marked down from $22 to $14. Then when they scanned they were only $5.55. Amazing!

3. We were beginning to think about getting Kaleb a new bike as he has out grown his current bike. I was thinking how good it would be to be able to pick one up somewhere like a garage sale instead of having to buy a brand new one. Yesterday on the way home from school, totally random, we drove past a home that had a rack of bikes for sale. He got a new bigger bike for $15- yep- $15. And the lady who was selling them gets old, unused bikes, cleans and repairs them, sells them and sends the money to her friend who does mission work in Napal. How amazing! Two good deeds in one.

4. I got some organic underwear marked down at Target for only $2.83 a pair. Awesome!

Romantic Weekend Away

10 years of marriage deserved an extra special celebration. We chose to go away (kidless) for the weekend to Bale' (pronounced ba-lae, not bale (wonder who is from the country???)), Pepper's Resort, Kingscliffe. It was pretty exrtravegant for us but well worth it to spend some time together.

So after a few tears, and procrastinating, we set off in Dad's car for a weekend away for 2. (We were very thankful for the blessing of taking Dad's car- we felt like we fitted in amongst the BMW's and Lexus's).

From the moment we arrived, it was amazing. Personal service at the door, greeted by our 'host' who checked us in at the most beautiful check-in area ever! We were offered welcome drinks in the lounge area, but chose to head straight to our room.

How amazing. We opened the door to the most beautiful 2 bedroom apartment. A full kitchen with the best appliances, large plasma TV with unlimited movies, leather couches, king size bed, spa bath, his and hers toilets, bathrobes and slippers. Ah. It was a slice of heaven. And our room had an ocean view which just took our breathe away.

The beach area is called Salt, and the ocean salt smell is really overwhelming. We couldn't remember the last time we had been to the beach and smelt the saltiness like it was there.

With the beach only minutes away, we took a stroll along the very quiet beach (this was on Friday), then headed back to the pool for a swim and spa. It was very quite and we enjoyed the facilities all to ourselves. It truly felt like we could have been on a tropical island somewhere.

We had dinner in, choosing to get fish and chips from the Salt Village across the park. It was so delicious that we went back for lunch Saturday.

Breakfast was included, and could be served to our room (for Bale' guests only) or enjoyed at Season restaurant. We chose to head to the restaurant to enjoy all a buffet breakfast could offer. And we weren't disappointed. Saturday morning was fairly quite, but Sunday morning was very busy. Fortunately we arrived a good times both mornings, as some poor people and large groups did have to wait for a table.

Jas enjoyed the coffee served poolside and the free newspapers each morning. We did watch a few movies- we really enjoyed The King's Speech and The Killer's.

We longed to do nothing more than laze about, and it was so nice to be able to do just that. No need to get in the car as everything we could need was within walking distance or included in the package.

Saturday night we enjoyed a 3 course dinner for 2 at Season Restaurant. Starting with mocktails- a Berry Twist for me and a Fruit Punch for Jas. For entree I enjoyed an organic quinoa (pronounced keenwa)vegetable salad while Jas had pork belly. For main I had free range chicken breast with grape salad while Jas had Rib Fillet. We had been looking forward to desert all night and it did not disappoint. Jas enjoyed the Mango Trio- flourless Mango souffle, Mango Panforte and Mango Rum Tart. I had the double baked chocolate tart! Yum! Yum! Yum!

Check out was a lazy 11am so we enjoyed breakfast, a walk along the beach, a swim and coffee before heading home.

Of course we missed our precious children and can't wait to take them back to Kingscliffe someday.

Now, I have a confession to make. I only forgot 2 things for the weekend- my Curl Magic hair creme' and the camera. So these photos are ones I was able to find through a google search.

Enjoy!

(Thank you to Nana & Grandad for spending the weekend at Dalby. The kids had a great time.)

Wedding Dress

As you can see in the photo below, Jas and I were both very young and slimmer than we are now. He would not fit into the suit and I am not able to fit into my dress (yet). I think my jewellery and tiara would still fit though...

My goal was to fit into my wedding dress by today, which I have not achieved yet. I am however around 10kg lighter and am much healthier. And in the near future it is still my aim to get back into my dress.

We have so much to be thankful for, that not fitting into my dress, although disappointing, is really a minor thing compared to the things we have to be thankful for, and for the journey that that dress has taken me on.

Some day. One day...

10 years ago

02-02-02

Happy 10th Anniversary!

I remember it being a very hot day. The girls and I were awake at the crack of dawn and so excited about the day ahead. I think we even went for a walk to get rid of some of our nervous energy. Being an 11am wedding, it was all systems go with an amazing amount of calm and peace. We were ready to go well before we needed to leave. Then when we were almost at the church, we had to stop at the Shell service station at Highfields for the girls to have a last minute toilet stop.

I think the most nervous part of my day was the car trip with dad. Just the sitting, anticipating what was about to happen, having that last father-daughter moment (thinking about it makes me teary...).
The wedding is all a blur to me now- it all seemed to happen so quickly- and then the photos. So many photos. Back in the day before digital too so the photos I have are scanned negatives that we were able to purchase after 7 years from the photographer. I think the photos would be the only thing that I would change about the day- not that they were bad or anything. Just that there are so many more options now. It would have been hard to have the groomsman as the photographer though...

We had some photos at the church, then it started to build up to a storm, so we quickly hopped in the cars and headed to Spring Bluff, where it was amazingly beautiful- hot but beautiful.
I am so pleased that we chose that location, because when we headed into Toowoomba to take more photos- I think we were heading for Laurel Bank Park- it was bucketing rain. So instead we had a cake cutting pit-stop at the reception, then had studio photos at the photographers house.

Back to the reception for cocktail finger food lunch and cake. Not that I remember eating anything. But I do remember the cake. The cake was amazing. A layered white mud cake with white ganache icing. I can still taste it now... (what a pity we didn't freeze any of it for an occasion like today- not that it would have lasted...). Even the reception was seems like a blur- but it ran like clock work.
Time for good byes as dad drove us back to their house to pick up my bags and head to Kawana Waters. Being an early wedding we got to the beach at a reasonable hour after a dinner stop at Hungry Jacks in Brisbane (I can still remember the silly jokes about what we were having for dinner from those at home...).

10 years later...
3 beautiful children and one baby in heaven
Lived in 4 towns
Lived in 9 homes (no time for hoarding)
Owned 13 cars
Had 2 cats
And still oh so very happy and blessed.