weight loss update & a new favorite corner

Just a little update on my weight watchers/exercise progress! Today I reached a personal goal! I've lost 15 pounds!! Hooray! I am officially halfway to my total weight loss goal of 30 pounds. It's been 9 weeks since I started exercising regularly and doing Weight Watchers. It has been an amazing journey! To God be the glory!! 

and here's a new favorite corner in my home. 

vintage painting (paint by number)

vintage globe 

Clint's late grandmama's cabinet

a closer look at the painting. i love it. :)

it reminds me of the song As the Deer. 

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee

You alone are my strength, my shield 
To You alone may my spirit yield 
You alone are my heart's desire 
And I long to worship Thee 

You're my friend and You are my brother
Even though You are a king
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything   

I want You more than gold or silver 
Only You can satisfy 
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye 

Hope all of you are having a great day!!

Blessings!! 

Lora

lately...

As you can see, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately! I believe that fall has finally made its appearance! Hallelujah! Fall is my favorite season!

 Here's a little something I put together on my kitchen island the other day to welcome Fall. :)

 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a HARVEST if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

I took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and went for a walk/jog outside. 

It was so nice! Did a quick two miles.

Definitely breaking in my fancy new running shoes! 

(Thanks to my brother Paul and my parents who so generously helped me buy them! I had to get new shoes because I wore holes in my old ones! haha)

I don't normally take dressing room photos, but I had to document this one! I went shopping at JCPenney the other day to try to find some new clothes for me to wear at my booth at Harvest Fest. I brought back this dress to the room in a size 12, hoping I would be able to fit into a size down from my normal 14 (the size i wore before i started working out, etc). It was way too big! I went back out in the store to find a size 10. They only had an 8. I brought it back anyway, knowing it would be too tight. It fit perfectly. I was crying in the dressing room! Total shock and total joy.

I cut my thumb pretty badly last Thursday night, so I wasn't able to make make any jewelry over the weekend. I used the time to go shopping for supplies instead. I went to one of my favorite little antique shops called The Knife Shop. The 90 year old owner, Bill, has lots and lots of great vintage and antique jewelry. I always find the best stuff in there!

Here are some of my newest treasures from The Knife Shop and from my sweet friend, Jenniffer. (She sent me a box filled with vintage jewelry that arrived just after I got home from the antique store.  What an amazing friend!) So now I have lots and lots of awesome goodies to create with and add to my stamped pieces and antique key necklaces! I cannot wait to sit down and create with these one of a kind pieces!!!! 

I sat down last night for the first time in four days to try to make some jewelry. I made this necklace using one of the vintage chains that I found at The Knife Shop. I also used an antique key and made a hammered pendant that I handstamped with "revival". It felt so good to create again!

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." II Chron 7:14 

And here's a pic of me yesterday. I got dressed up for church and I felt pretty in my new top (that I got for $4 at JCPenney!) and a gorgeous necklace that my friend Allison gave me. I am feeling so good in my new body! As of this morning, I've got 11.5 pounds! The diet and exercise is really paying off! And I feel GREAT. I am so so thankful to the Lord for all of His help in my efforts to get healthy. It's been amazing!!

I'll leave you with a photo of my new spruced up wreath on my front door. I wanted to decorate it a little bit for Fall. I used a bit of antiqued crocheted lace, an antique key, a handmade bird, a handmade brooch my friend Joy gave me. I love how it turned out! 

I am so thankful that we are entering Fall. It's such a wonderful time of year for me! Harvest Fest is in only a week and a half. I have so much to do to get ready, but I know that God will help me accomplish all that He wants me to do! And I am very expectant - I know He is going to do amazing things!!I would love your prayers for strength and stamina and grace as I prepare! And more importantly, that God would use me to bring hope and encouragement to His daughters!

afternoon walks

The weather here has been gorgeous the last couple of days! 

We've been making the most of it, and trying to get outside and take some walks! 

I took a walk by myself yesterday afternoon. 

It was a good workout, involving a really big hill (easy going down, brutal coming up! haha) 

Here's the beginning of the hill... 

So pretty, huh! The sky yesterday was so beautiful!

And all seven of us went for a walk today after church. It was really fun!

I love this shot so much! These people are my favorite people on earth. :) 

Clint and Leo looking at the ducks, geese, and swan in the lake. 

And we saw this interesting creature sitting very still on a tree trunk. I think it's a moth. 

The kids were fascinated by it. 

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I hope the weather's been nice where you are, too! I am so happy its getting cooler outside. Fall is my favorite season! I even got to put on a cardigan this morning. Hooray! 

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

getting healthy

This has been quite a week!! God has done something wonderful in my heart. It's truly been remarkable. I'm not kidding. I've been asking Him for a long time to help me with my hormonal highs and lows. As I've gotten older, they seem to have gotten worse. And often, I struggle with periods of sadness, anxiety, and all around just feeling overwhelmed.

Anyway, Clint and I have been praying together for a "plan of action" so that I don't have to live like that every month. And He began to place in our hearts some strategies for me to get healthier.

Last Sunday night, I went to a mom's meeting at my church. It was a sweet time of fellowship and I reconnected with some ladies that I hadn't talked to in a long time. One of the ladies came up to me after the meeting and shared some things that she felt that the Lord had laid on her heart for me. She ended up praying for me and it was so encouraging. One of the things that she prayed for was alignment. That God would line up everything in my body and in my life as well in the way it should go. And she really encouraged me that she felt that the rough season that I have been in for about the last year was ending and a new season was beginning! So so encouraging.

Monday morning, I woke up with new resolve and vision for a new lifestyle.  I got out my Weight Watchers materials and started the program again from home. And I dusted off a Leslie Sansone workout video that I love and started exercising. I took these "before" photos on Monday:

I don't know if you can tell, but the T-shirt I am wearing says "Yes I can with Jesus!" 

Here I am - no sucking in. :) 

these shoes have been used A LOT this week! 

Here's my food journal. I write down everything I eat each day. It really helps me stay on track! 

And this is one of my new favorite snacks, usually post-workout.
Fresh pineapple and cottage cheese. 

 Before I started this new lifestyle, I totally would have had sour cream and onion chips! haha 

This is me ready to start my workout the other day during naptime. I have been doing a workout routine that consists of lots of intervals of walking/jogging/leg lifts/knee lifts, etc..
It is a total of 2 miles. 

The kids' naptime used to be the time where i watched tv on my computer, stuffed myself with lunches like hot dogs and chips, and had "me time". God is changing my desires! Now I look forward to naptime because I can work out! Yes! God is redefining "me time" for this happy girl!

I'm also taking more time to rest and be away from the computer and other distractions. I am trying to make more of an effort to sit still and have a cup of coffee and read each day.

I am already feeling better about my body. I feel tighter in my muscles. And I swear my jeans are looser! Here's me in my pretty new top that I got the other night from Goodwill. Isn't it cute?! 

I not only feel great in my body, but I feel FANTASTIC in my mind and emotions. I was telling Clint last night that I am convinced that regular exercise (as well as healthy eating and drinking lots of water) is the key to my mental health. My mind feels clearer and brighter, if that makes sense. I've only cried once over the past week, and that crying was happy crying. I had just finished one of my workouts and just broke into happy tears during the finishing stretches. I was just so overwhelmed at the goodness of God in my life. And I was so so proud of myself! It's truly been amazing, y'all!! 

I just wanted to share with you what God's been doing in my life lately!

"With God, all things are possible!"

 Matthew 19:26

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Lora