A Book Worm's Recommendations

It's no secret around here...I love to read. I also enjoying sharing books I love with others. I recently had a friend ask me for some recommendations, so I thought it would be easiest to just share my thoughts here. This post is mainly for her, but if anyone else is interested or looking for a few good books feel free to read on.

Nonfiction
I'll start my recommendations with a few of my favorite nonfiction books. These are all Christian nonfiction and have all had a big impact on my life. The last 3 I've mentioned many times before. The first two are the most recent that I've read. 

-Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
Kristen blogs at We are THAT Family and I save almost all of her blog posts to my Pinterest. 
 
-When God Doesn't Fix It by Laura Story 
This book was just what I needed at this point in my life. My husband has a chronic illness that no one can really pinpoint the problem or fix. Laura Story is a Christian recording artist who wrote "Blessings." Shortly into their marriage, her husband had to have surgery to have a brain tumor removed. Over 10 years later, they're still living with the effects of this tumor and surgery.

-Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

-Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr

-7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

Historical Fiction
One of my favorite genres is historical fiction and I've read some great ones recently.

-The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
LOVED this one. It takes place in France during WWII and follows how the war affects 2 sisters.

-Garden of Stone by Sophie Littlefield  
This one also takes place during WWII and is full of mystery. 

-Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepetys
This is my most recent read. Like the other two, it takes place during WWII and follows 4 different young adults/teenagers as they are all running from something.

Liane Moriarty 
She's an author I really enjoy. Below I'm listing the books of hers that I've read in order starting with my favorite:


1. Big Little Lies
2. What Alice Forgot
3. Three Wishes
4. The Husband's Secret
5. The Hypnotist's Love Story

Jojo Moyes
Another author I like a lot. Below I'm listing the books of hers that I've read in order starting with my favorite:

1. Me Before You- One of my FAVES!!! Skip the second book-pretend it doesn't exist!
2. The Girl You Left Behind
3. One Plus One

Diane Chamberlain
This author is a native North Carolinian who I recently discovered. Below I'm listing the books of hers that I've read in order starting with my favorite:

1. Necessary Lies
2. The Good Father
3. The Midwive's Confession
4. The Silent Sister
5. The Courage Tree
6. Pretending to Dance

Children's Books (that adults can enjoy)

-Wonder by R.J. Palacio
This is such an important book. If I ever teach 5th grade or higher I will read this to my class!

-Rules by Cynthia Lord
An interesting book about children with disabilities.

-The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin 
A fun mystery.

Others
More books I would recommend that don't fit into any one category.

-The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley 
Thought provoking story about a family divided over what to do about a pregnant woman on life support.

-Celtic Brooch Series by Katherine Lowry Logan
There are currently 4 books published from this series. Each book is a time traveling romance. They are all interconnected. The only way I've been able to get these books is by buying the ebook version. Luckily, they don't cost too much.

-The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Another thought provoking book about a baby caught between two families.  

-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
A lot of people love this author's Eleanor and Park. Personally, I enjoyed this one more.

-A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison
A fiction story about a very real problem-human trafficking. 

-I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
A fun, silly romance. 

-Room by Emma Donoghue
I couldn't put this book down. It's been made into a movie. I recommend you read the book first. 

-Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
An interesting story about a mother whose daughter allegedly committed suicide. The mother doesn't believe this so she sets out to figure out what really happened.

-any book by Deeanne Gist 
I didn't pick out any or put them in any particular order. They're all very similar. Most of her stories are historical fiction romances. She's a Christian author, but her stories aren't cheesy like many Christian fiction authors stories can be. 

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So, there's my recommendations for some of my favorite books I've read in the past few years. I'm also always looking for good recommendations if you have any for me.

 

21 Day Fix: Final Thoughts and Results

So, I went through my first 21 Day Fix.

Here's how my weeks went:

Week 1: I planned out every day's meals and snacks. I went grocery shopping the day before and stocked up on all the healthy foods I would need. I stuck to the plan almost perfectly. I worked out every day but one. You can read more about my 1st week here.

Week 2:  I only planned out dinner and lunch this week. We ate out a couple of times this week and I've learned that even when you think you're eating healthy, eating out costs you a lot of calories. I still did fairly good this week. I worked out every day but one again.

Week 3: I didn't do so good this week following the 21 Day Fix. I didn't plan at all. I still did good staying under my calories, though. I only worked out Sunday and Monday this week. I blame it on the fact that I started a job Tuesday-Friday and I had a cold. When I got home from work, I was too tired and didn't feel well enough to do much of anything! I also didn't eat as many fruits and vegetables because we didn't have any at home. Where I live, you have to drive about 25 minutes to go to a grocery store so it's difficult to go every week to get that produce. My Memaw also bought my family petit fours which are SO good! I couldn't resist, but I did limit myself to only one a day. I also had pizza one day for dinner. I'm okay with all of this, though, because I need a lifestyle change not a diet. I want to eat healthy a majority of the time, so it's okay if I want to eat an occasional treat. The key word being OCCASIONAL. My old lifestyle involved eating treats every day.

I do feel like I've made some positive changes. The first week, I was hungry most of the time and I was craving chocolate and junk constantly. As the days went on, this stopped happening. By week 3, I stayed fuller. I hardly think about junk food. I also used to be a big after dinner snacker. The first week, that was the hardest time of day for me. Now, it's no big deal. I don't even really think about snacking after dinner.

Going forward, I want to continue to count my calories using MyFitnessPal. I want to be intentional about eating more fruits and vegetables. I want to watch my portions using the 21 Day Fix containers. I want to limit my carbs and healthy fats using the 21 Day Fix rules. I also want to make healthier choices, such as grilled over fried. The biggest thing will be limiting snacks and the types of snacks.

The results:
After 21 days, I've lost 12.1 pounds and 16 inches! With 5.75 of those inches being in my waist. I feel like I could have done more if I'd stuck to the 21 Day Fix better and I'm not opposed to doing another fix in a few weeks and hopefully doing better.

{Sorry I have no pictures to accompany this post.}

21 Day Fix: Week 1

Well...I survived week one of my 21 Day Fix. The week was not perfect, but I'm proud of myself.

Food:
When I first received the containers, I thought they were SO small! But honestly, more fits in there than you think. I think my biggest challenge with this program is that I'm such a picky eater, so there are so few things I like in the vegetable and fruit category. I feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over and over. I tried to cook dinner as normally as possible-just healthier-since I'm also cooking for my husband, daughter, mom, and dad.

The hardest part of the day for me is after dinner. That's usually a major snacking time for me. I get very hungry and it's tough not to snack. There was one day- I think it was day 2 or 3- that I was craving chocolate really bad. It was so tough not to eat some! My family are big junk food eaters so there's plenty around to tempt me.

My worst day was Day 6. We were out and about and my husband insisted on having lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Chips and queso is my weakness and I definitely ate too much. I ate less than I normally eat, so I guess that's a small victory. 

I did break the rules a couple of times. I feel okay about it, though. Along with doing the 21 Day Fix, I'm also tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal app. Both "rule breaks" still kept me under my calorie goal for the day. I know that if I deprive myself completely, there's a greater chance of me failing. I ate healthy 95% of the week. One day, I had air popped popcorn and another day I ate one mini Reese's cup. The mere fact that I only ate one Reese's cup is amazing.

I took pictures of my food the first day. It's nothing amazing, but I'll share.

For breakfast, I had turkey bacon (which tasted better than I thought it would), eggs, and a banana.

For lunch, I had lettuce and carrots with ranch and pizzas made from an English muffin.

Confession: I can't afford Shakeology, but I did buy a protein powder. I made a peanut butter and chocolate shake for a snack. At first, I liked it. The longer I drank it, however, the more it kind of made me feel sick. So, I haven't had a shake since the first day.

A snack of mixed nuts...

I was almost done with dinner by the time I remembered to take a picture. My dinner was baked chicken, steamed broccoli, and mashed potatoes.

Workout:
The first day's workout about killed me. It was the hardest one and it was the very first day. My legs and especially my knees hurt for days. I could barely walk. I have bad knees; so I know when I do that workout again, I will have to modify some of the moves.

 I was beat after the first day's workout.

I did skip the "Lower Fix" this week because of how bad my knees were hurting. I did my workouts every other day.

Other than the first day, the workouts were doable. I had to modify some of the moves-usually the ones that involved upper body strength.

 

 Baby Girl joined me in my workout one day-bad idea! She sat on my head while I was on the floor doing chest presses. You can't tell from the picture, but she was dancing to the music.

Feeling okay at the end of week 1. I'm proud of how closely I've followed the program and how I haven't snacked, which is my biggest weakness. 

Hoping for a good week 2 and 3 and some results!!

In week 1, I lost 4.4 lbs! 

I'm Starting 21 Day Fix

I know it's super cliche to kick off a fitness goal at the beginning of the year. I also know I've said every year that I'm going to get healthier. But this year I HAVE got to make a change and I've been inspired by many friends/acquaintances that I've seen with amazing before and after photos. 

I didn't gain a freshman 15. I actually was the skinniest I've ever been during my freshman year of college. I maintained a decent weight throughout college, but something just happened after I got married. My best guess is that I increased my snacking and decreased my activity. I've set out to get healthier many times before and I would be successful for a while, but nothing has ever been long term. I laugh now thinking about how I actually was REALLY motivated about 2 years ago. I wrote a blog post and everything and then I literally took a pregnancy test that same day, found out we were expecting, and all that fitness stuff went out the window.

Before becoming pregnant, I was already at my highest weight. While pregnant, my weight gain was average. Now, I look back at pictures from after Baby K was born and I looked better then than I do now-thanks breastfeeding! Once I stopped pumping, I steadily gained weight.

**I have some confessions. I still wear some of my maternity clothes. 98% of the time I wear leggings or yoga pants. I can't fit into the majority of my clothes. I refuse to buy pants in the size I would need because I can't believe I'm that size. I stepped on a scale the other day and was shocked. I have to do something!**

Enter-the 21 Day Fix. I had been considering Weight Watchers. It worked for my mom and I'd followed the program on my own and it worked for me as well. I also just considered counting calories which is also something that has worked for me in the past. A couple of problems with Weight Watchers for me was that it would involve a monthly payment and while you are encouraged to eat healthier and watch your portions, processed foods are an acceptable part of this program. I knew I'd have to be very self motivated to just count calories on my own. 

image from Beach Body

I heard about the 21 Day Fix and really liked the simplicity of the containers. With counting calories, there's always some guess work about how many calories you're taking in and if you're eating the right portion. I also liked that the program came with workouts. This program encourages real food which is the way I'd prefer to eat.  I'm hoping that after losing the weight I'd like to lose, I'll have created healthier eating habits and made them part of my lifestyle.

I went shopping yesterday and I barely ventured into the inner grocery aisles. My cart was colorful and full of healthy foods. One of the reasons I wanted to go back to blogging was to share about my journey with 21 Day Fix (and what I hope will be a lifestyle and physical transformation). I hope it will help keep me accountable. Along with posting occasionally on here, I'll probably post more often on my instagram. I hope you'll follow along and if you're on a weight loss journey as well, I'd love to know about it!!

I'm Back!!!

Well hello everyone! I honestly thought my blogging days were over. I had no intentions of reopening this blog.

I don’t want to go into all the details, but life has thrown us A LOT of curveballs since you last heard from me. Let’s just say it’s involved multiple heath issues in the family, moving halfway across the country in the summer and moving back to my hometown in the fall, losing jobs, and in some ways losing hope (not to sound too dramatic, but it sort of feels like any of our plans for our life aren’t going to come to fruition). 

I started blogging during my last spring in college-right before I got married and moved away. I wanted to use it as a way to keep my family and friends updated on my life. I also just enjoyed writing out my thoughts and feelings on certain topics. For about a year, that’s all my blog really was. Then, I started seeing a few people I knew being “real bloggers” and I became interested in doing this as well. So, I started growing my blog. I did sponsorships and link ups and commented and was active on social media and tried to make my post pinnable and all the other things you’re supposed to do when you grow a blog. IT. WAS. EXHAUSTING. Around the time we were expecting our daughter, I began to get burnt out-which is why I slowed down my blogging A LOT (that plus being pregnant). Then, after having Baby Hall it was all too much. So, I made the decision to quit blogging. I even made my blog private and deleted my blog Facebook page. However, I missed the writing part of blogging. I missed sharing my ideas. There were so many times something would happen or I'd think of something and I thought about how I was going to blog about it---and then I remembered I don't blog anymore. 

It hit me one day that I could continue to blog as long as I went about it with this mindset-I'm blogging for myself. I don't want to focus on the numbers. I don't really care if people are reading. I don't want to feel like I have to blog so many times a week, promote myself constantly on social media, comment on other blogs, create pinnable images, participate in link ups, etc. I want to write when I have something I want to share. If only 5 people read it, then only 5 people read it. That is how I started out and it was so much more enjoyable that way...

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I will probably share on Twitter when I write a post and I'm going to try and use my Instagram account more often. I won't be recreating a Facebook page because it was pretty useless anyway. I'm also very active on Pinterest if you're interested.