App for Losing

I have NEVER counted calories. I admit I had a horrible diet which consisted of a lot of sweets such as late night ice cream binges and Pepsi. A slice of leftover chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a cup of coffee for breakfast was normal for me.  I never considered my daily caloric intake at all. When I was in my late teens, early 20s it wasn’t an issue. (Insert chuckle here!) Decades ago I used to smirk at people that diligently counted their calories.  

I don’t have to tell you that over the long term, this type of eating is detrimental to your health in a myriad of ways. I’ve encountered medical issues that I am sure was not enhanced by my former diet.

You know how WE know that something is not right, but we ignore the signs? I am not proud to say that THAT is how I was about certain aspects of my health. The obvious issues I addressed quickly but the issues that were self-imposed, I didn’t acknowledge it as such.

^“19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” – 1 Corinthians 16:19-20

Ok. Wake-up call yet again. This scripture calls for a closer examination of what I was putting into my body. I can’t just eat whatever I want, whenever I want, just because. How can I truly honor God if I am always tired or sick? It is easy to say “Oh I don’t abuse my body with drugs and alcohol.” but what is the heavy sugar intake doing? What does a lack of a balanced diet do? What does a NO EXERCISE lifestyle do over the long run?

I came across a video where a woman described her weight lost journey. In addition to exercise, she mentioned an app called “Lose It”. Immediately I went to my ipad and downloaded the app. This app helps you keep track of what you eat and your exercise. It is very user friendly. It was the last day of the month so I decided to eat what I would eat normally. I logged everything in from a normal day, snacks, the whole nine. It was alarming to me to see the amount of calories I consumed from junk food. The very next day I kicked Pepsi cold turkey.

My husband downloaded the app as well and we use it to encourage each other.

Have I seen results? Yes, I lost a couple of pounds. I am far from where I would like to be but it is not a discouragement. This lifestyle change is a process. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Faith is taking the first step when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

He is Risen!!

Have a blessed Resurrection Day...

Focus - Interview with Alishia Louis

Alishia Louis is a single mother of two, a motivational empowerment speaker, entrepreneur and author of two books, Woman Will Thou Be Made Whole?: Healing from the Wounds of Divorce and The Woman You've Empowered me to Be!: Staying on the Path of Emotional Healing & Freedom.  She is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Empowered Women Ministries. She graciously took time out of her busy schedule for this interview.

FF: Describe your Christian Journey in three words.

         Alishia: Incredible        Liberating           Real

FF: Your first book, “Woman, will thou be made whole?: Healing from the wounds of divorce” spoke to me directly although I have not gone through a divorce. You candidly addressed rejection and brokenness. Can you share something with the reader who is broken but does not realize it?

Alishia: I think once a person reads that type of material and begins to connect with it, she then realizes she’s broken. Acceptance is the next step, however. I think a lot or people (men and women) know in their heart that they are fragmented emotionally, but don’t want to accept it. Until you accept that you are broken, healing and emotional healthy living will only be something you look at from afar; never able to touch it for yourself.

FF: What has being a parent taught you about yourself?

Alishia: Ah! Wow. It has taught me that I better get myself right! (smile) Because God shows us who we really are beneath the skin through the behaviors of our children.

FF: Reality TV thrives off of exhibiting toxic relationships between women. How do we reach the women who watch these shows and believe that they are examples of sisterhood?  

Alishia: We reach them by teaching them their value in Christ Jesus. He really is the only one who can open the eyes of the blind, literally. We reach them by introducing God’s genuine love to them. Once a woman experiences God’s genuine love, and the value He has placed on her worth, she does not and will not allow anything or anyone to taint it with emotional toxins.

FF: What was your inspiration for “The Woman You’ve Empowered Me to Be!”?

Alishia: My inspiration was the mirror I looked in as I realized I was 5 months pregnant, had an existing child that was less than a year old, and I was getting ready to be a divorced single mother of two. The question was, “How did I get myself here.” The answer lied within me—deep soul searching. After looking in the mirror, and seeing myself. I had no other choice but to turn to God to me with “me”.

FF: Can you tell us about the Empowered Woman of the Year Award Ceremony and Dinner?

Alishia: Inspired by my own journey: The Purpose of the Empowered Women of the Year Award Ceremony is to honor single mothers who have overcome extreme hardship and have accomplished a level of success in areas of Education, Entrepreneurship, Home Ownership, Career Success & Health. Proceeds from this event go to support our efforts to build a transitional living housing facility in Kent County for single mothers and their children.

FF: What’s next for you?

Alishia: Well Natasha, I sure could use a good night’s sleep and a trip to Jamaica! But we shall see what the Lord shall say. I’m all His!

 FF: God bless you!

For more information about Empowered Women Ministries, visit:
http://www.empoweredwomenministries.org

 

Bethel - Shana Wilson

Purity Ball Gown

My daughter at her Purity Ball.

While considering where to purchase a white gown for my daughter's Purity Ball, I decided to make it instead. I would have had to spend wedding gown money for a simple yet elegant style.

This is the pattern I used for the gown. I love the Jessica McClintock silhouettes. I used another random pattern to make the sheer stole.

My Niece's Cooking Lesson

My beautiful niece recently mentioned to me that she wanted cooking lessons.  She is now an adult and on her own with a daughter and busy schedule. When she made the request I said to myself, “Oh my goodness!” because I was thinking of my own elders (mom, aunts, grandmothers) and how they THREW down in the kitchen.

From scratch.

No cookbooks in sight.

I learned to cook by helping and observation. I remember fondly my childhood summers spent in Virginia at my grandparents.  I have a huge extended family (my mom is one of thirteen) so the kitchen was always bustling with activity. I remember helping my grandmother to snap string beans. I LOVED it. I remember trying to find the sharpest knife to peel potatoes. My dear grandmother made the BEST fried potatoes and onions, hands down. Fried apples, mackerel and salmon cakes? Go on and sit down. I grew up in a generation where children were “seen and not heard”. So as a kid, being allowed to hang around the kitchen was a treat.

I am chuckling to myself because I am now the “next generation” who is considered someone’s “elder”.  This is a serious example of “stepping up to the plate”, no pun intended.

Titus 2:3-5 instructs us to teach the younger women, by example and by training.

I am thankful to God for using my niece to be a reminder to me. Although I did not see myself as being “fit” to teach, there are lessons that she wanted to learn.

There were certain dishes that my niece liked so I picked one of those to start with for her lesson on yesterday.

No Boil Lasagna

Two boxes of Lasagna

About 1.5 – 2 pounds ground turkey

2 (26 ounce) jars of spaghetti sauce

Small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic

10 ounce box frozen spinach

32 ounces ricotta cheese

8 ounce bag shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounce bag shredded cheddar cheese

Egg

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Seasonings (Salt, pepper, seasoned salt, oregano, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small saucepan, prepare spinach as directed.

In stockpot, sauté chopped onion and garlic in a little oil until translucent. Add ground turkey and seasonings. Brown the ground turkey. Add the spaghetti sauce. Simmer.

Put the ricotta cheese in a bowl. Mix with an egg, seasonings and parmesan cheese. Add spinach. Mix well.

Grease the bottom of a roaster pan. (A 9 x 12 baking pan is too small) Spread about a cup of spaghetti sauce on bottom of pan. Take some uncooked lasagna noodles and lay at the bottom of pan. Spread some ricotta cheese mixture across the noodles. Spoon spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese over the sauce.  Layer more lasagna noodles. Repeat until you use all of your ingredients.

Put about a cup of water in the spaghetti jar, then pour this around the edges of the lasagna then top. (This extra water is what cooks the lasagna)

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Take off foil and finish baking for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy.

My family went IN on the lasagna so I did not get a chance to take a picture of it. Smiles.

Bath and Body to the 10th Power!

I admit it. I love scented body lotions. I love toiletry SETS even better. If they have the shower gel, bubble bath AND body spray I am IN.  Name brands do not necessarily matter. I have sets from the drugstore as well as department stores and specialty stores. I even have a couple of home-made “organic” spa products from local entrepreneurs.

The “3 for 2” or “5 for 3” sales at the chain retail stores don’t help at all, they actually aid my little predilection. However, I am NOT blaming the suppliers!

The downside of my in-house spa experience is the lack of complete usage of all of my products. Each scent or line would have a “season” so to speak. I may grab one scent randomly or stick with basic body lotion the next. I don’t methodically rotate each set. I use what I use whatever I am feeling and the others sit on the shelf. So ultimately some of these products can go stale. The product can separate in the container. The scent, color, and or consistency changes, you get what I am saying. You don’t REALLY want to slather this all over your body and get a negative reaction.

So this week I decided to go through my bathroom and medicine cabinets to clear out old product or nearly empty containers.

I am kind of proud to say that I recycled 20-something containers! Old vitamins and expired medication bottles are also included in this count.

Although some spa products do not usually have an expiration date stamped on them, there is a shelf life for them. Certain ingredients and usage determine shelf life. You can check out the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for more information on this. (Keep in mind that home made products have an even shorter shelf life because no preservatives are added to them.)

Body Lotion – 2 or 3 years

Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel – about 3 years

Bath Oil – 1 year

Bar Soap – 18 months to 3 years

Body Scrubs – About 3 months to 2 years

Body Spray – Up to 3 years (These should be kept in a cool dry space, not in the bathroom)

Perfume – About 2 years (These should be kept in a cool dry space, not in the bathroom)

Next up will be my makeup bag!