Opinions

I know, this was like, so four weeks ago, but I didn't post four weeks ago. Let's catch up.

 Chief Justice Roberts gave the deciding vote for the Supreme Court stating that Obama's health care plan as it stood was not constitutional under the context of commerce law, meaning that you can't tell people to buy insurance anymore than you can tell them to buy broccoli. However under tax law, the majority states that it is legal. This means that as long as the government offers a punitive tax to be paid in place of buying health insurance, then it is legal as far as the government is accountable to current tax law.  The only part of the law that the Supreme Court rescinded was the governments power to force each state to set up a program to utilize the additional funds, in the most simplistic terms, as a measure to protect states rights.

There is a lot of controversy about this right now, and so many different ways to look at it.

A tax professionals opinion about what it means.

Happy with Roberts

Not so sure about Roberts

SO, here is the way both candidates for the presidency have addressed the health care bill on their web-sites. Again I think the Republicans could do better in making their case. In fact any type of case would be helpful. Bama, as usual, all smoke and mirrors, convincing smoke and mirrors.

Mitt-Face

Obama-Face

All of this is of course just fodder for the mind.  It's good to think about what you think, don't you think?

Em-Face

COLOURLovers

In my recent adventures of creating my logo, I happened upon COLOURLovers.

Go explore, it is awesome!  They have thousands and thousands of color palettes to peruse and enjoy.  You can create designs and become inspired.  It took me some research to figure out what the numbers meant for each color.  So, I want to share what I learned with you.

Let's take Ocean Five for an example.

The first color is a copycat of Martha Stewart's Rainforest.

                                                 (I made this example in Photoshop :o) )

There are two numbers underneath the Hex and the RGB (Red, Green, Blue).

If you want to have this palette in a project you are making, you can go to any application like Photoshop, Word, etc...and input the color by changing the numbers.  It's that easy!

So there were lots of other tricks I learned, but the most important thing, is that when you find a color you love.  You can write down these numbers (either HEX of RGB, both will get you the same result), save them, and make your project uniform in any software that you are using.  Heck.  I bet you could write them down and take them to a paint store and they would be able to create it for you.

The palette I chose for my logo and website was entitled Starry Night featuring Vincent VanGogh's colors.  I love it.  Here is the mock-up I used for all of my photoshop work.  (another trick I learned)

And the result, my awesome business cards and company logo!!

So, now you are informed about one way to embrace COLOURLovers.  I have only tapped the surface.

A

The First Wave.

And there off. The first wave of Jonses have pointed there Minivan in the general direction of Michigan and put the pedal to the metal. Our intrepid travelers Have their Leapsters and DVD players charged and loaded with fun things, but the funnest thing in the car with them is a Burr.  They will turn there noses up at Speed limit signs, and wave happily to local law enforcment, for they have been summoned to the biggest party of the summer. They will sing,sleep, maybe cry a little, and Laugh all the way to Grandma's House.

Summer Recitals

So I sang in 2 recitals this weekend! It was really fun, and nice to have family around that could come enjoy!

So Mother wants results, and I hope you all enjoy them too!

hahahhhaah enjoy the cat duet. i just have audio of my other aria... and i dont know how you upload that. so i guess just enjoy these.

SEE YOU IN A WEEK :]
and why does no one blog.... me and eliza are the only ones with a strong streak recently.
minus me last week....maybe.

love you alllll!

P

Hello

Well its Thursday again and no one has posted since last week! What is going on peeps. I thought we had ample amounts to say?

So this weeks challenge is to read scriptures for 30 min. I am still doing the challenge and doing pretty well how is everyone else doing? Anyone still doing it? Well I wanted to do this challenge for my personal progress with reading my scriptures. I have never been very good at it. I mean I read a couple verses here and there but it always seems I can never really remember what I am reading. This week however has been different. I have been reading and remembering the next day what I read the day before. I talk to Christopher about it which helps me remember even more. I don't know why I have such a hard time making time for my reading and studying. I put so much effort into getting back in shape and eating right and all those type of things. I forget that I need to prioritize my own personal study of the scriptures too. It helps me to be happy. These last 4 days has helped me to remember that.

So I am making these tomorrow for dinner:

      I will probably make it with some grilled veggies and some fruit! Its seriously good! and good for you! 

                Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Makes 8-10 patties
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, chopped and boiled until fork-tender
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

 

2 carrots, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup oats, coarsely ground (see picture in directions)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (whole wheat if you can find it), divided in half
1/2 cup corn, fresh, frozen & thawed, or canned & drained
2 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. cayenne (if you like spice–omit for little eaters)
olive oil

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F. Either spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.

In a large flat-bottomed skillet (cast irons are great), saute onions and carrots on medium-low heat with a little olive oil until onions have a nice golden color. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash one can of drained black beans (a fork, potato masher, or your hands will do the job), then add the other can of drained black beans and just lightly mash them, leaving some whole. Add the sauteed veggies and all the other ingredients, except for 1/2 of the bread crumbs, and mix well, mashing some of the sweet potatoes to help bind the mixture.

Put the remaining bread crumbs on a small plate or pie pan.

Pulse oats in a blender, food processor, or coffee bean grinder once or twice until they are coarsely ground like this.

The mixture should be thick and slightly sticky. This looks a little gross, but let’s be honest, ground raw meat doesn’t look much better! 

Form the patties. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup, slightly over-filled, to measure out each patty. Patties should be about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter.

In the same pan you cooked the veggies, add just enough oil to lightly coat the pan and turn the burner back to medium low. Dip the patties into the panko crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs into the patties. Add panko-crusted patties to the pan (2-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan), letting them get lightly golden brown, then flipping. The first side browns quicker.

Transfer the patties to the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns with your choice of toppings. Avocado, tomato, roasted red pepper, lettuce, chipotle mayo (just blend a chipotle pepper with 1/2 cup of mayo), are all great with these.

Springfield, MO

So we are moving to Springfield, Missouri. Christopher accepted a position there in January. I stole this picture from my friends blog. It was taken in winter when everything was dead! It was much more green this trip This past week we went there again to find a house to live in for a while. But first thing was first we had to say goodbye to our baby girl. She went and stayed with Nana and Poppa in Tallahassee for the week. She was sooo excited! She will barely speak to us on the phone she is having so much fun. I know it was way harder on me then her. 

 So we set off to Missouri just me and the boys! Seriously the pictures below is what most of our 4 days looked like. We were in the car pretty much all day everyday! Lots of pictures in this post of Henry but how do you choose! 

 This kid didn't mind though as long as he got to eat whenever he wanted. 

So the driving around payed off. It was pretty frustrating trying to find a place. There are plenty of houses to rent in Springfield but NO ONE wants to rent for less then 12 months. Christopher and I were looking for a short term lease because we want to buy pretty soon but we also wanted to get to know the area before we do that. We called so many houses on the first day I can't even count. At the end of day one we were ready to give up. We went to dinner and on a whim decided to go look at one more neighborhood. We passed this house and saw the for rent sign. I did not want to even call but Christopher told me to just do one more today. So I called and of course the guy wanted a 12 month lease but then he stopped me and asked why I wanted a sort term lease. I told him and he said that he and his son are Realtors and that if one of them writes the contract for the house we find, we can get out of our rental lease whenever we buy. 

Its a pretty cozy little house. Its the only one we even looked at. It has a fenced in backyard and it even has a little pear tree back there. Its in a great central neighborhood. I think we will be happy here for a while. 

Christopher might kill me but I have to tell one more story about our trip. On Saturday we thought it would be fun to go and explore the surrounding area of Springfield so we set off down to Branson, MO (40 min away). We didn't look at a map until it was too late but we ended up driving on some seriously unnecessary winding and rolling roads. I was kind of mad about it and I was getting car sick. I was letting Christopher know how I felt pretty much the whole time we were driving. He got pretty quiet for a little while and when I looked over at him and he was pretty much white. Now if you know Christopher you know he has extreme motion sickness. He barely made it off the road and into a gas station before he lost all his breakfast. Poor Guy. Apparently he told me that talking about being sick made him sick. Usually the driver does not get sick in cars. This was his second time he got sick on this trip. Not good. We are going to have to get use to these roads if we are going to make it out here.    

Overall it was a good trip. I am trying to get excited about moving to springfield. Hopefully I will like it more once I get there. Everyone that knows anything about Springfield always tells me I am going to love it, so hopefully they are right. As of now I am just excited to be normal people with a job! No more student Status!

I can't watch this and not think of Lizard listening to reason.



Love Honus

Cool Dudes.

Summer Photoshoot

Aren't they the cutest!!

Caving.

So this happened last night....

I don't have babies to post, so I will just post my friends.

Me and B made a cake and discovered a beautiful new kind of ice cream.

We can buy some at the lake house since none of you will buy it right now. 

Maybe Chris, Ryan, and Jon can have some since I hear they don't eat healthy with their wives... 

Or maybe I just assume that. :]

As you can see, I have failed the challenge. 

I promise i'm not being a fatty though. 

And i'm going to take advantage of my teenage metabolism while i can. 

I'M ONLY A TEENAGER FOR ONE MORE YEAR.

(actually 11 months)

that's scary. 

The cake is me and dads favorite.

It was really good. 

I hope i'm not tempting anyone with this picture. 

I wish you all luck with your next 3 weeks...

ONLY 3 WEEKS I'M GETTING SO EXCITED!

Love you.

P

Grandma and Grandpa!

We had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa! When they arrived on weds morning we gave them big hugs and then we took them to my parents house to celebrate Charlotte's birthday.  She wanted to go out on my dad's boat for her birthday and swim in the lake.  They got to ride in a tube and jump off the boat into the lake.  They loved it.  It was extremely hot though.  We did presents and had a good birthday.  Thurs they made the kids day by taking them to the new Chuck E Cheese that just opened up.  Friday we went to a small summer park and did some bumper boats and mini golfing.  That was really fun!  Maggie like to sit in the pond obstacles in the golf course and splash.  Saturday Charlotte had some friends over for a birthday party.  We were busy every day. Grandma was a good sport hobbling on her crutches everywhere with us.  Grandma and Grandpa got lots of Charlotte, Jackson and especially Maggie hugs.  Maggie would walk over to grandpa and just put arms up for him to pick her up and hold her.  She would also snuggle up to him close when he was sitting reading or using his Ipad.  Maggie also loved to play on grandma's boot!  It was a WONDERFUL time having them here.  Thanks for coming.

Jones fun - make slideshow

I'm Hungry!

My awesome stir fry with lots of veggies from my fridge, chicken, and rice didn't cut it tonight. I don't remember the last time I was this hungry. I also passed on mini chocolate chips in my pancakes. I thought blueberries would be a healthier choice. I will get my stars today. Does a chocolate flavored protein shake count as a dessert? The consensus of my food diary is that I'm a carboholic... What did everyone else's show? A

Checking in and Checking up

 4 days down folks . . . . 

How is everyone doing? Its been 4 days and the GDOC is basically empty. Have we given up or are we just not reporting? I made a chart for Christopher and I so I have to look at it everyday. It makes me really happy when I get to put X's in all of my boxes! I think it helps keep me stay motivated. It also helps me to remember everything. Maybe you should try it if you are feeling well not motivated. Abby has addressed a concern about working out. Is anyone else struggling with anything? I know it was pretty hard passing on such yummy desserts last night at the BBQ I went to. Christopher is doing everything but exercise. If its not a basketball game or touch football then he is not really interested. Maybe that will change when he has more time after school is done. That might just be wishful thinking on my part though. How is the no eating past 8 going? Should we move it to 9? Is everyone finding time to eat before 8 with work, kids, crazy life? So far I like the challenge and it is helping me think more about my body and the things I need to work on to take care of it. 

 These two tend to make working out more enjoyable. They like to cheer me on. Henry likes to follow me back and forth when I move. Reese joins in sometimes too that gets a little crazy though. Reese is always very concerned when I make grunting noises or big sighs of relief when an exercise that was difficult is over. "Mom are you ok? Are you going to be ok mom?" She is very in tune with what people are feeling. I kind of love that about her

(notice the M&Ms in Reese's bowl. I am proud to say I have not had one M&M this week. Thats big for me!)

So I am having trouble eating healthy and finding the time to prepare for meals. I was going to post a bunch of recipes I want to try but it is getting late and it will only make me hungry. I decided I should go to bed instead. I will post the recipes this weekend then maybe we can try them together next week!!   You should post some too if you have a favorite recipe that we should try! Ok start reporting on here peeps. I want to know how everyone is doing! Everyday is a new day. If you have been sucking it up these past few days then start fresh tomorrow.

The 'non-negotiable' rules...

Confession,  I am not very good at rule #2.  I haven't eaten after 8:00 since Monday AND yesterday I passed over a beautiful array of festive desserts...but exercising...

I'm going to the doctor today for my foot, but really that is no excuse.  Why don't I ever EVER have the motivation to get on my back and do some crunches, pilates, etc...

Does ANYONE else have this problem?

Tips? Motivational thoughts?

I will always be ab-less if I keep this up...

Abby

P.S. It isn't helpful having a husband who has weighed the same for seven years straight and doesn't feel like he needs to give up desserts....

The Ample Challenge

I propose we challenge ourselves for 5 weeks to make really healthy decisions about our time and nutrition. At the end of 5 weeks we will hopefully feel better and maybe even look a little better!! Maybe even pick up a few new habits we would like to continue to use everyday. So the challenge looks a little bit like this . . .

The Ample Challenge
 3 non-negotiable rules:
- 8 PM food cut off (except for Phil who kind of has to eat after 8)
- Exercise everyday for at least 30 min. This can be any form of exercise i.e. walking, jogging, swimming, cardio, lunges up and down your hall, jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, bike rides. You just have to get your heart rate up and keep it up for 30 min.
- NO DESSERTS. Ok throw your hands up in the air and say "ahhh come on its summer. How can I not eat a dessert for 5 weeks? That is ridiculous. What about parties or special occasions? What about just once a week? At least give me a cheat day. come on!" Are you done? Good. You are looking at the queen of desserts here. I can hardly go an hour without a hand full of M&Ms these days. So if I can do it I know you guys can. Just think of how good you will feel about yourself at the end of the 5 weeks and we are on vacation and desserts are allowed again!! Seriously this is the third rule and I am not making a cheat day. Don't ask for one.

Weekly Challenges:
There will be 5 weekly challenges. These challenges are a fun way to compete with yourself and everyone else. A little healthy competition is always good!

Week 1: Keep a Food Journal- The point of this is to track what and how much we are really eating. This way we know where we need to do some work or we can see where we are already doing a good job. Or it could be where we (by we I mean me) see that all we ( again me) are eating is processed junk out of a box and we (me) really need to change some things. Got it? Pretty easy. I was thinking we could keep it in the kitchen on the counter or taped to the fridge that way it is right in front of you and hopefully you won't forget.


Week 2: Eat at Least 5 Servings of Fruits or Veggies and Drink 8 Glasses of Water - This is pretty self explanatory but it is kind of hard to get 8 glasses of water in when you aren't already doing it everyday. Keep track!


Week 3: No Pop and No Sugar- This basically means no processed foods when I mean sugar. Nothing from a box! Obviously fruits and veggies and whole grain bread and pasta are ok. Try to keep it fresh this week. Oh that means no DIET sodas either.

Week 4: Read Scriptures 30 Minutes a Day- Pretty self explanatory right? Those who are already doing this good job! Those who aren't (me) need to!

Week 5: Get 8 Hours of Sleep/ 8 Glasses of Water- I'm brining back the water challenge! I know 8 hours of sleep will be hard for most of us but I think it is really something to strive for. We can do anything for a week right? Mom and Dad this one is for you guys! Dad have you ever gotten 8 hours of sleep in a row? 


- Ok so there are the challenges. Plan for them each week so you can be successful! Everyday that you complete the challenge and follow the non-negotiables you get to put a star in our google document (GDOC) by your name. Abby made this for us so we can chart our progress and support each other. If you do not have a Gmail account you can email me your progress or post it to the blog and I will report it for you!

If you choose to you can track your weight over the 5 weeks and watch how you are doing. I will be doing this. I will weigh in every Monday morning and report it to the GDOC. I like being able to see my progress and I like that I feel accountable to you guys to do well and eat healthy. It helps me to stay on track. That is why I am putting it all out there. I hope you guys do too. This is where I am starting.

This is completely on the honor system whether you are keeping the challenges. I am providing starting pics and again at the end. It helps me stay accountable and on track.

At the end of the 5th week we will all be meeting in Michigan! On Monday we will have a party to report our success and celebrate our healthy choices. I am proud to announce the first Jones Family 5k. Hopefully with all of the exercise we will be doing everyone will be able to walk/jog/run. In moms case maybe hobble! I hope you are walking by then mom! I am really excited about this and I hope you all choose to participate in the challenge!

Ok, so go eat your final dessert or get your sugar fix. I am allowing this because you better believe I got mine last night, thats right 2 handfuls of M&Ms! Hmmm I should probably throw the rest away. Anyway today is your last day until August 6th!

I think it will be important to blog about our day to day struggles and successes. Basically I am calling a free for all on blogging this month. If you have something you want to share like a recipe or a strategy or just about your day I think it would be cool to hear about. So we can all still blog on our allotted days but also I invite Phil, Roxy, Mom and Dad and the brothers from another mother to blog whenever they feel like it.

Please report your weight (if you choose to) and intentions by the end of the day July 2, 2012!