Positive Thinking is changing the way I live my life

A few years ago, I watched this interview with Will Smith.  I really like him as an actor, and a lot of what he says resounds with the way I've always felt.  A lot of what he had to say in this interview really stood out to me.  I watched it a few times over the years, but could never really lift myself far enough out of my depression to really grasp the whole *positive thinking* thing enough to dig myself out of my whole world of negativity.

The separation between talent and skill... talent you're born with, skill is built with hours and hours and hours of work.

"I want the world to be better because I was here... if you're not making someone else's life better, then you're wasting your time"

"I want to represent possibilities... you really can make what you want."

"I believe that I can create whatever I want."

"The first step, before anyone else has to believe it is that YOU have to believe it."

And my FAVORITE:

"Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity"

Anyway, I then started seeing things like "Bliss Boards" and "Dream Boards" and read about making yourself a visual reminder of what your goals are.  I decided to apply it to all areas of my life.  Well, MOST of them.  I don't have THAT much space!

This is what I've come up with:

And its working!!!  We're suddenly on the road to financial freedom in a way that has totally taken us by surprise, things are falling into place like we never imagined!  Soon my husband will be able to give up the job that he is miserable in and we'll be able to not only get by, but flourish.

One of the things I wanted to do before my oldest boys were up and out of the house (they turn 17 & 18 this year and both graduate next year) was to get a swimming pool for the yard to give all the kids a reason to stick around more (yeah, so sue me, I'm becoming one of *those* moms who doesn't want her kids to leave!)  Anyway, my husband found us a 30 foot pool for $600.00!!!  Now we just have to put it up (stay tuned for pictures of THAT workout! :)

• The money is coming in and soon we'll be able to help people when they need it!

• I'm going to have more sexiness with my husband (thus all those sexy couple pics.  I may even eventually add our own pics:)

• We'll be able to take our kids on a *real* vacation!

• We'll be able to pay our bills before they're due and without juggling to keep things turned on!

• Instead of visiting a food bank because we need food, we'll be visiting to give THEM food!

• (The Dodgeball reference)  We'll be the winners that came out from the bottom, the ones that no one expected to ever win!

• I'm getting stronger and leaner all the time and lifting all the things!

• And a little bitty thing... I am going back to my white hair and cut (and probably some bright colors again!)

One of the best parts is that my husband's new business (buying 'broken' cars for cheap, fixing them himself and reselling them) is bringing him and that boys closer.  They're actually working together and doing things together for the first time, really.  Just the guys!  (We have all always hung out as a family, but as far as just 'dad' time, its been more scarce!

AND... One of MY dreams is coming true... I'm studying to get my personal training certification, as well as getting some different group fitness certifications and its EXCITING to be able to get back into fitness as a paid job again!  

What is on YOUR Dream Board?

Tasty Tuesday! Lasagna, Meaty or Vegetarian

**If you're trying to lose weight, this is a CHEAT/Free Day meal.  I don't eat grains (or dairy except Greek yogurt & cottage cheese)... this was requested by a friend and my family before I officially went off of grains:)  Enjoy in moderation!!!

**For my own cheat/free meal, I replace the pasta with thinly sliced zucchini and less cheese for a yummy dish to soothe your "lasagna" cravings!  I keep away from wheat, even on cheat days because my body doesn't like wheat at all... bloating, uncomfortable feelings, insomnia & weight gain is not worth it to me!

My husband, the food critic of the house who LOVES food and makes cooking a rewarding endeavor!

How I Make Lasagna:  The Video

I joked with my friends that this should be called "Cooking with Cleavage" because of this dress.  When I bought this dress, I had NO cleavage... as I gained and gained weight, the dress was one of the only (stretchy) things that fit me other than workout clothes.  I am ready to retire this thing and never see it again... or maybe hang it on my wall as a reminder of how I don't want to be.

Here is another version of my Meat/Vegetarian Lasagna Variations with a little bit more in the way of a recipe (since in this one, I just used marinara sauce that I had already made)

I have two more videos ready to edit and upload... 

So, let me know what recipe you'd like to see OR any questions that you have that I could answer in a Q&A video!

Tasty Tuesday! Two Versions of "Clean Eating" Homemade Bread

Today I made two versions of homemade bread for you to try.

As I said in the video, I am completely off of grains at the moment.  I've found that wheat and I don't agree.  It seems to have a detrimental effect on my health and my weight, so I am giving it up.  My family very much enjoys it, though, so this makes for an easy way to make "just enough" bread for a meal so there aren't leftovers or extras to tempt me with!

One is super easy, its the "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" recipe.  You just mix it up, then store it lightly covered in the refrigerator.  Each day, when you're ready for fresh bread, you pull out enough for a loaf or a roll, let it rise and bake it!  I strongly recommend this book if you like bread or your family enjoys homemade bread, it has TONS of information, variations and troubleshooting for issues you may have.  It is a fabulous book for bread lovers.

The other recipe is my own adapted version from on of the breads that I grew up making.  It involves some kneading, and it comes out with a slightly different texture.  Try both and let me know which one you like best!

Here is the video "How to Make Home Made Bread in Five Minutes a Day PLUS a Bonus Recipe"



Next up?  Lasagna!

Coming up soon:  

My favorite Slow Carb/Paleo recipes and food prep day ideas to make healthy cooking for one (or two) easier!

Tasty Tuesday Video! Clean Eating Marinara Sauce!

I finally got a cooking video uploaded today. It is a very simple, basic cooking video that I'm sure you'd all know how to do anyway, but if you want a peek at me being my apparently SPASTIC cooking self, you can watch it here. 

I plan on uploading a cooking video every Tuesday and a vlog or progress video every Saturday.  Let me know if you have any requests!

Next up:
Whole Grain Clean Eating Bread
Lasagna (95% of my videos will be clean eating or slow carb, this falls in the other 5%)