Show Us Your Life and Fat Off Fridays :)

I'm linking up with two blogs today! 

First, Kelly's Korner is sharing Favorite Side Dish recipes and I had to share a family recipe! 

**Warning... I might be posting about weight loss right below this, but this recipe is not healthy! :) 

Nearly every Thanksgiving and Christmas we have this dish but it is SO incredibly easy that I throw it together all the time! If I'm in a big hurry, I just mix it together in the dish I'm going to bake it... how easy is that?! 

Corn Pudding

1 can Whole Kernel Corn

1 can Cream Corn

1 stick of Butter, melted

8 oz Sour Cream

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

That's it! Just mix it all together and then bake it at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until it is set in the center and slightly browned on top. 

If your dish is shallow, then it'll take less time to bake. I seem to always forget and put it in a deeper dish, so it takes me a little longer to bake. 

My Aunt makes this with fresh corn- I can't wait to try it that way! YUM! 

Okay, so before you make this dish... hop over to Amanda's blog and join in with her weight loss journey! 

It's been a few weeks since I've joined in and shared my progress with weight loss. 

I've not been terribly consistent with eating healthier and exercise. It seems like we have just been on survival mode the last several weeks! I'm looking forward to a little extra time so I can build in a morning or evening walk... and maybe a run! 

Despite those troubles, I have significantly cut down on my portion sizes and am still drinking mostly water. I take a 32 oz and 24 oz bottle of water with me to work and if I drink both of those I'm happy. If I drink those, I really don't worry about what else I drink, but mostly I choose water. 

With just those little changes I've lost 15 pounds total! 

I've had a bad week sticking to my diet and even trying to eat smaller portions, but I have not gained any weight, so I'm grateful for that. 

This week, I'm going to try to walk at least one evening! Hopefully I can stick to that goal! Even if I just lose a pound this week, I'll be happy! I've still got 35 more pounds to go! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am SO glad to be back!! 

I'm loving that we had a wonderful, long, holiday weekend! We spent Saturday shopping, cleaning, cooking (peach crisp), grilling (beef tenderloin-yum!) and spending quality time with family and friends! 

I'm not loving that I got sick on Saturday night and so that's all I did this weekend- except rest! Thank goodness we had a busy, fun Saturday! :) 

via

I'm loving Stephanie and her wonderful little invite to Pinterest. I've seen several people on there but just didn't get the whole idea... didn't take me too long to see that and now I'm hooked! Don't search me just yet, I have NO clue what I'm doing! ha! 

I'm loving how well Anna-Kate's party is coming together!! A few months ago, Anna-Kate chose the movie 'Up' as her theme, based off this amazing party here. I wanted to personalize it a bit since I knew she picked the party because of all the balloons and not the movie itself. (She's probably seen it twice...) I don't want to spoil it for you, but here's her party invitation that I am proud to say I designed from scratch! :) 

I'm loving that we were finally able to recover our dining chairs! I was so nervous that my fabric wasn't going to make it! I hope to have a better picture eventually but I couldn't wait to share how cute they were! 

I'm loving my sweet babies! They have grown so much. I love to watch them play and interact every day! 

I'm loving that Anna-Kate finally drew herself! It is absolutely adorable! I have yet to get her to draw herself again though. 

I'm loving my amazing hubby! We are celebrating 5 years in just ten days! I'm so proud of him! He has been working so hard to get his business growing and today he found out that he was selected "new financial advisor of the month" in his region! (I know he won't love that I shared that- ha!) 

What are you loving? Link up and share! 

Jumping Right In

It has been a busy, busy summer around here! I've got so many things I want to share but for now, I really want to tell you some exciting news! 

Derek and I have decided that I'm going to be staying at home in August! My last day of work is July 29. 

This is huge for me! You may remember when I decided that I was happy staying at home. I had struggled with trying to go back to work or figuring out how to enjoy staying at home. Once I finally felt like I had a good routine and was really enjoying my time at home, we started feeling a lot more financial strain. 

I was so blessed with the job I found. I've been happy there, but I have missed every thing about staying at home. I felt like I spent a year trying to hone in on my inner domestic diva and I had just begun to find it and then I had to start working. Juggling the household duties and the children and work has been a huge challenge. I am going to miss the wonderful ladies that I work with. When you work in close quarters, you really get to know a person. I've made some strong bonds and I know that God put those women in my life for a reason.

I feel like I have a renewed sense of appreciation for the gift of staying at home. I am so excited to grow and take on new responsibilities. I love the possibilites of where the next year is going to take us. Most importantly I am looking forward to being the one who is with my children and having an active role in what they are learning and doing everyday. 

Thomas is going to be with me, but Anna-Kate will be back at school the second week of August. I am so excited about being more available to her this year. I am so grateful that I will be the one who drops her off and picks her up! I am looking forward to hearing all about her day. 

In September I am going to start teaching at a Mother's- Day- Out- type of school. It is only on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Thomas gets to come with me! I will have two year olds. Thomas does not quite meet the age requirements (by two months) but he still gets to come with me. I am so excited about that! He spent several months at day care and he was the oldest in his "class". He will be the youngest in my class, so I think he is going to learn a lot! I'm really happy that he gets to be with me and still gets to have good social interaction. 

I have learned so much the past year about what I want out of life. I never thought that I'd want to stay at home and I never thought I'd be so excited about cleaning and cooking! ha! I truly feel like God has guided me to this point. I am excited to take on a new role... again! :) 

Please, hang with me and my lack of blogging over the next three or so weeks. I promise that I will be back in full force very soon!