Catching up....12WBT!!

After 8 months of no blogging I have a lot to catch up on so be warned in the coming weeks my blog will be back tracking a fair bit.

As you would remember we had a serious and traumatic flood event in Roma earlier this year and I helped coordinate the baking and distribution of food - mainly lunch and snack type food - to those affected who were cleaning the mud and filth from their homes. I found this week tiring physically and it only made me realise that my fluctuating weight didn't seam to be changing. I had read Women, Food and God and lost about 7kgs on my own, but I found if I wasn't reading the book every day to remind myself I couldn't sustain the thought patterns. So I rejoined weight watchers in October 2011. By Christmas '11 I'd lost about 12kgs but the going was seriously tough and I was very frustrated. I knew what I needed to do but committing to it was very hard.

 End 2010

 

 January 2012

 

February 2012

 

 

In the aftermath of the flood a couple of women I know started the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. I didn't really know anything about it. A few weeks later they invited me to join one of their Super Saturday Sessions and when I got there I was surprised to see an old friend from weight watchers there. We chatted while we worked out and by the end of the 2 hours I'd decided to try using the My fitness Pal ap and just try it for 2 weeks to see how I went.

The key to my success was that My fitness Pal and 12WBT looks at calories. I knew nothing about calories. I knew points and I was not tracking at all thinking I could just do it in my head. In two weeks of using My Fitness Pal I lost 4kgs. I decided there and then to join in with the girls for the remainder of Round 1 then to sign up to Round 2 of the 12WBT.

And here are the photos to show my progress!!!

March 2012

 

April 2012

 

April 2012

                                 

May 2012

 

August 2012

 

September 2012

 

When I started this weight loss journey back in 2010 I had hit a whopping 139.9kgs. Horrifying isn't it! I am now 105.9kgs with an impressive loss of 34kgs!!! Most of that I have lost this year on the Michelle Bridges 12WBT. I'm so committed to this program and I'm signing up for round 4!!

 

 

BRING

 

 

IT

 

 

ON!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm finally here!!

Three weeks ago I made my final drive from Roma to Denman (for the time being) and was reunited with my gorgeous husband. While blogging wasn't at the top of  my list, I have been meaning to post to let you all know that I arrived safely and am enjoying slowly but surely putting my touch on our quaint little straw bale home. Quaint probably isn't quite the right word as you can see by the pictures below!

 

Our living room/kitchen/dining room.

 

 

Cute huh!

Denman is a lovely small country town. People are a little hesitant with us as in most small towns until they discover that no, we didn't move here because of mining jobs (M has a job at a power station and I'm still saying I'm a teacher). Our neighbours are a lovely older couple who can't do enough to help us settle in and I've already made a friend who I'm exercising with!! All great news and a great start in our new town.

 

Jess and I mid-way through a workout.

 

I've already had Marko working hard in the yard. We have cleared the old vegie patch and built 4 raised garden beds. I've planted seeds in one and some seedlings in the other. Brian (our landlord) is bringing a trailer load of compost on the weekend so I can set up the other two beds!!

 

 

 

I'm really excited about getting home grown vegies going!!!!

 

 

And so that is what has been happening here in beautiful NSW!!!



Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Goodness me...has it really been 7 months since I last posted??? Crazy! Life has just been a little insane. I'm pleased to say that I have kept up with project life though so I can back track and fill you in as I go.

My big news is that we are moving (did I cover this already???) Marko got a job in NSW at a powerstation near Muswellbrook and has been there since Easter. I finally have my approval to teach and will be joining him in the coming weeks. It has been an incredibly stressful and emotional time for us both as we have learned to cope living apart. We certainly will not be taking our time for granted.

We have been very lucky to find a house to live in on a very large block. It's a straw bale house with lots of room for vege gardens and a very agreeable landlord. More to come on this.

Well although short, at least I'm back and I'll get back into my rhythm soon.

Project Life

I have been a follower of Becky Higgins' blog for some time, and have watched/read as many of the other scrappy bloggers I follow have embarked on the Project Life adventure. Last year I decided that I was really going to do it and pre-ordered my Clemintine kit. It arrived in late December and I spent a few hours on the phone to Moira while I sorted it out, and set it up. I've had a few teething problems, like figuring out which is the best collage app to use, and how to get white borders on my photos using snapfish. I've just received my last batch of photos but I'll have to reprint as some didn't get a thick enough white border. So, here are weeks 1-6 as they stand so far. I'm missing a few photos and one journalling card...but that is pretty darned good!!!

Week 1 - 2012

 Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

I'm yet to figure out how to present these newspaper clippings.

I'll reprint these so they aren't sideways..but for now this will do!

Emily xoxo



Baking 4 Roma

What a totally amazing week I've had! While horrific flooding has inundated the town I live in for the third year running I have had the pleasure of witnessing a small country town commuity pulling together to help those worst effected by the flood.

My idea of coordinating a Baked Relief effort here in Roma called Baking 4 Roma on Facebook,  took off in a HUGE way and it has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Through the Baking 4 Roma Facebook page my friend Janet and I coordinated a week long effort of baking, sorting and delivering home baked goods.

Volunteers hard at it at the RSL hall on Monday!

 Me in the background telling them all what to do!!

Volunteers packaging baked goodies ready for delivery!

We had men and women making sandwiches, volunteers dropping of individually wrapped baked goods and even more volunteers driving the hot, smelly, muddy streets offering people cleaning their homes and their helpers cold water, a sandwich and some baked goodies. The response from the community has been wonderful. Janet delivered to one gentleman on Wednesday and as she offered him a muffin, he burst into tears. I think the amazing part is that it has simply shown people who were flooded that those of us who were lucky enough to not get water in our homes were doing what we could to help.

At the Lions Den on Wednesday after some serious challenges on Tuesday.

Sponsorship by the Roma Lions club meant we could continue providing

sandwiches as well as water and baked goodies.

On both Thursday and Friday we had enough home baking to send these

9 boxes, bags and eskys to the Mitchell residents!

 

Welcome to Roma, at this point the bridge into town was submerged.

Down the road from my house during the flood and after, this car was

left on the corner of Miscamble and Northern roads - the usual place to

park your car if you are trying to sell it privately. The owner moved it to

higher ground but was not allowed back to move it again as the water

rose even higher.

The heartbreaking job of throwing out ones possessions.

This was the largest pile we saw. Brought tears to my eyes.

Delivering a boot full of food the the Mitchell Retirement Village.

I have had several phone calls from journalists and have decided to tell the Baking 4 Roma story, not for money or recognition of us in particular, but to raise awareness of what a community is capable of when they pull together in times of need. I am so proud to have been part of it all.

Emily xoxo

Launching Roma Baked Relief

Roma has is currently experiencing it's worst flood on record. This is the third major flood to hit the town in 3 years and the devastation is heart wrenching. Following the lead of this inspirational woman Digella, I am mobilising a group of kind hearted, kitchen savy locals to bake, make and deliver food to people while they clean the flood waters out of their homes.

Through all the communications I've read on Facebook, one of the things many locals are struggling with is knowing what to do to help. So here are my recommendations!!

1. Sort through your clothes and make a pile to donate. Do the same for your linen.

2. Buy a loaf of bread and make a huge batch of sandwiches to be handed out tomorrow and in coming days. I suggest simple sandwiches of vegimite, jam etc that do not need to be refridgerated.

3. Package sandwiches individually and write what is in it on the label.

4. Bake Bake Bake!!! Scones, pikelets, muffins, sausage rolls, mini quiches, brownies, biscuits - simple recipes that can be eaten by hand. Check out these recipes for ideas.

5. Package your baking into individual serves in cling wrap or zip lock bags and label with ingredients and what it is.

6. Contact me about getting the food you have made or the donations you have to give and where to take it. You can contact me via Facebook or on the Roma Flood 2012 page.

7. Ring the volunteer line and offer to help someone in need clean up their home on 1300 007 662.

I'll be back with more news tomorrow!

Keep baking!!!

Emily xoxo

Returning to school and other things...

Summer school has been and gone, my darling friend has left town so the frenzied cleaning stopped and the first week of school has been and gone. The thought of going back to school this term has filled me with dread all holidays. I know I should be grateful for the wonderful holidays a teacher gets, but to be honest last year took more out of me than any teaching year before it. I guess DH having hurt his arm (tore his bicep tendon off the bone) in the middle of report writing didn't help. I guess my point is that I was starting to think I wouldn't cope with going back. And here I am, a week in, coping very well. My workload is halved from last year (we have two full time teachers working the case load) and although I have a mentoring role this year I can feel my concern and stress easing. I know though that it won't be long before I'm looking for a change/break short or long term I don't know. I know exactly what sort of break I want - the maternity type break.

On that front, I got DH to the dr to check up on how things were going. He had a vesectomy reversal 12 mths ago and I wanted to make sure that it had worked. So the dr said if you don't hear from me everything is good, but if you do hear from me don't panick. Well we heard from him and have another appointment tomorrow...am I panicked...yes YES I AM! I know I just need to believe - the catch cry of my darling friend at the moment and I am trying but I'm worried. I want babies SO MUCH!

So school, yes it is going well. Would I rather be a SAHM? Hell yeah, but I guess I need to keep waiting and believing my turn will come. In the meantime the pain of others falling pregnant easily and being around little babies comes and goes. Believe me I'm happy for the lovely people I know who totally deserve to be happy and have their babies...but there are times where that green monster overwhelms me and I find it a tad difficult. At the moment I'm in a good patch where I am enjoying the babies in my life and we'll see what the dr says tomorrow.