Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Random ramblings

It's been a while since I did a random post, and I have lots of things jumbled in my head that I feel the need to get down on "paper."  Well, not really paper . . . but I just feel like chattering. :)  So here are some random thoughts about nothing in particular.


  • It's supposed to snow all day tomorrow.  Good thing we are ahead on quite a bit of the schoolwork, because I am considering giving the kids a snow day. :)  Or at least a partial snow day--we will probably still do a little school.
  • Jim gets the day off tomorrow!  He is downstairs right now (9:37 pm), building a new sled out of wood and old skis.  Can't wait to see how that comes out!  Sam is helping him and I just (finally!) got the other two tucked into bed.  Hope they sleep late!
  • My sugar fast is going well.  I have managed to not eat any sweets (cookies, candy, etc.) since January 1st.  It hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be, until yesterday--when I made cookies for the rest of the family.  Then it was VERY hard to not sneak a nibble.  But willpower prevailed!  
  • I can definitely see a difference in my energy levels since cutting out sugar.  I also feel like my mind has been more focused, and my thoughts clearer.  I am still eating a very little bit of sugar, as it is in some things like the bread I make, etc.  but just cutting out most sweets seems to have made a difference.  I also lost 2 lbs. last week; we'll see how this week goes!
  • I have been working harder to get up early this week.  ("Early" for me is 6 am.  Yes, earlier would be better, but this is a good start. :))  I am thankful to say I've been able to make this happen every day since Monday--giving me good time for devotions, exercise, shower and breakfast all before the kids get up around 8 or later.  It is amazing how that extra time adds so much more productivity to my day!
  • My new favorite Christian fiction author is Lynn Austin.  I've read two of her books so far, and just received a third from Paperback Swap yesterday in the mail.  Yay!  Of course I'm making myself wait to jump into that one because I have another book going at the moment.  :)
  • I am slowly reading through One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I hope to write a review of it sometime, but for now I am taking my time, savoring my journey through it and thinking through a lot of things.  Her writing style takes some getting used to, but the more I read, the better I am liking it.  And I just found this beautiful little downloadable calendar, A Year of Graces, at her site (it's down near the bottom of that post)--love it!  I am writing my own list of 1000 gifts in a sweet little blue journal that I got a couple years ago, but I might just have to print off this calendar too, because it's so pretty. :)
Well, I probably could think of more to say, but it's getting late, there is still bread waiting to be sliced and put away, and a soft bed waiting for me to crawl into. :)  Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

4 comments:

Mary Ann said...

I love chattery posts like this :-)
I'm with you on the getting up early. Mike & I get up at a little before 5 every morning because he has to be at work by 5:30. I used to go back to bed & then fly around like a maniac to get myself to work by 7. Lately I've been staying up & having my devotions. It has made such a difference in my attitudes & moods. I definitely need to meet with the Lord at the beginning of the day!
I am so proud of you with the sugar fast! I really need to do this, too. I just haven't been able to make myself because I use sugar in my coffee & it would be so hard to give up my coffee. I have at least graduated from white sugar to raw sugar :-)
Enjoy your snow today! It just started falling here...

Carrie said...

I think raw sugar is a lot better for you than refined sugar! (From what I understand, anyway . . . :)) I've been thinking about using sucanat or something like that for baking, but I don't want to spend the money. I'll probably continue to use refined sugars, but just (personally) eat them for an occasional treat instead of every day. Of course, if I find that cutting out sugar has the effect of magically helping me lose weight quickly, then I will probably keep it out of my diet as much as possible! ;)

Jim's work schedule since he started working for the furniture company is what has helped make it difficult for us to get up early--because he usually doesn't have to be at work till 10 am! So we tend to stay up later and get up later because of that. But it really messes with our day, so I'm thankful to be building some new habits. Hopefully I can make them stick! :)

We are having a great snowy day--hope yours is good too and that you don't have to do too much driving in it!

Nikki said...

Hi Carrie,
Chatty posts are my favorite.I love randomness.:)It makes me feel like I am talking to you in person.Maybe someday we can "meet" in real life.:)I can understand the later mornings too.With the schedule my hubby works midnight to 8 am.Our schedule is off compared to the rest of the world.Or so it seems.I do best(school included) in the late afternoon and evenings.My kids and I tend to stay up way too late and sleep in way too late too.
I have found that cutting out sugar has always been a good thing for me.I need to do that again.It is TIME to lose some of the lbs.I accumulated with mercy.You have inspired me.Like you though,it will not be done inits entirety as we cannot afford to totally have a no sugar diet.It is in too many things we eat but I think I am going to start cutting out desserts and candy and see what happens.Not that I won't EVER have a treat but you know what I mean.Sorry for such a chatty comment.:)

Carrie said...

Nikki, well I like chatty comments too! :) It's nice to find someone else who has a more unusual schedule. I am thankful Jim doesn't have to work the shift that Josh does, but I'm sure we are both VERY thankful that our hubbys have jobs!! If Jim ever does have to work a shift like that we would have quite a bit of adjusting to do! :)

I think the important thing is finding what works for you at the season of life you are in, and not feeling guilty if you don't get up as early or go to bed later than most people--obviously we all need to find what works best for our families. :)

Maybe we can help encourage each other with the limited sugar/weight loss! I hope to keep myself accountable by posting my progress on the blog. I am always starting in with good intentions to lose weight, but somewhere along the way I get sidetracked and give up. :( Hopefully this year I will really take off those extra pounds. :)