so exciting!

today i did a little bit of baking. i had been looking forward to this little gig for so long!! i met bridget through our church just before i got pregnant with the twins. bridget was also struggling with unexplained infertility. the journey sometimes feels so lonely and bumpy and hard, so meeting bridget was good for me. then i got pregnant and she did not. i felt bad. she did not make me feel guilty but i knew how it felt. i knew what she was going thru and i hated to make things worse. so, we kept in touch but only here and there. i knew she read my blog posts but i didn't want to make things harder for her. bridget and her husband went through many treatments and procedures and struggled with what God wanted for their family. fast forward several months...bridget is pregnant!!!!!! praise the LORD!!!!! she texted me a few weeks back asking me to make her a cake...a gender reveal cake. AHHHHH!!! so exciting!!! bridget and her hubby had an ultrasound but did not find out in the room what the gender is, but they know their baby is healthy and everything looks great. she did bring me an envelop so I know!! :) i am not sure when they will be cutting into the cake, but i am so excited to have been asked to be a part of their excitement. i am thrilled for bridget to be a mommy, especially after her long hard road to get here. please join me in praying for bridget, her hubby and baby! pray that God will continue to give them all health! here is just one pic of the cake, but no giveaways...not until they get to tell their families!!

i love helping and blessing others!!!

blessings,
ALo

so sore

holy smokes. I'm going into week 3 of a 21 day fix by beach body. to say i am sore is definitely an understatement!! if you don't know much about this program, you should definitely check it out, especially if you have extra weight that has been stubborn in coming off! i have more than a few pounds to loose, so i am going to be doing this a few times. usually at this point (2 weeks) of a diet/eating plan/whatever, i am totally over it. thankfully the only thing that i am really struggling with/missing is sweets. lets be real, if you follow me on social media, you know that i am a hobby baker...it even pays sometimes. its not helpful though when there is little to no room for sugar in my diet. even my coffee has had to change! so, quickly, this plan is all about eating the correct portions of the right foods and pairing that with adequate water in take and at least 30 min of exercise. lucky for me, the plan included several 30 min workout videos (it even tells you which days to do which workouts). to maximize your results, they suggest upping the workouts to two a days at week two. i have started doing that (thankful that my mother in law has been in town so that i can actually work out during the day and not wait until 8pm) and let me tell ya, they pack some serious workout into those short 30 min!!! i love it! well, i hate the workout during those 30 mins bc i have sweat dripping into my eyes, i can't breathe, and every muscles is shaking from exhaustion, but the feeling after is great! and seeing the numbers drops on the scale and my pants getting loose is worth every minute of pain! if you are interested, click the link. if you have more questions, let me know! i will be starting another 21 day challenge Nov. 3...just before thanksgiving.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/dlsmith0314

a little more background. i used to intern at a church in naples, florida where i met Lauren (Nolton) Smith. lauren is now married and mom to cutie, elliot. lauren started posting last month here and there about her challenge and her results. she also posted her husbands progress. both have been athletic and in shape, but with jobs and baby and life, each had gained just a few extra pounds. when i saw that lauren had lost several pounds and even more inches, i was intrigued. then i kept hearing of others who had done a challenge and had great results. i have 25 pounds that i would like to loose by the girls 2nd birthday and thought this would be a great thing to try to get things going. the first week of my challenge was hard for me. i am/was COMPLETELY out of shape and WAY over eating. my body had to go through withdrawal and shock for a few days. now, i am feeling so much better!! its crazy!! i feel kinda weird carrying my colored containers into restaurants but it works!!! plus, i am still eating real food, including carbs, so i don't feel deprived!

i have nothing to gain here...i am not a rep, or trying to sell you, etc. just wanted you to know what I'm doing and tell you something that is super helpful for me. if you do want to start let me know, i would love the support/accountability and you will need it to as you get started! :) if you are on it or have done a challenge, send me some recipes!!!

i can't wait to post before and after pics!!

here is a pic of each girl from yesterday. annabel is in a serious teething funk so she hasn't been in the mood for pictures this week. claire, well, she is just as animated as ever...per usual! :) they both keep me on my toes!!!

Annabel, just before she started crying...again! :(

Claire tried feeding this fake dog. so cute!!! 

thanks Little Eclectic House for letting us snap (try to snap) a few pictures!!!

blessings,
ALo