I don't know why I'm so proud of this?

Well, Today I ate 3 real meals... (as requested by my mindful eating challenge)...
Ben made us breakfast (eggs & toast) -- the only reason we had time for this is because we both skipped out 8am classes and went to school late. =]
We both packed a lunch of leftover chicken tortilla soup with sourcream & tortilla chips/strips.
And then for dinner (although we didn't eat until 830pm-ish) we had a delicious meatloaf, broccoli, AND mashed potatoes... (I made garlic/ranch potatoes and they were delish!) It felt great to eat a good dinner WITH a Vegetable! :) i always seem to forget those... :/ It also felt great to not be starving all day... I also felt really good when i produced a good meal. not just a flavorful piece of chicken and no sides.. Ben prepared the meatloaf (b/c i don't like touching raw meat very much) but I got the potatoes/veggies ready and folded all the clean laundry while ben did the dishes. It was a very productive day.

For those of you who want a SUPER EASY and SUPER DELICOUS way to make garlic mashed potatoes, here it is (for 2 hungry people & some left-overs):
4 Large Sam's Club Size Potatoes (they're big)
Milk
Butter/Margarine
Garlic Salt
1/2 a Ranch Seasoning Packet
Here's how it goes:
First, peel and cut potatoes into small pieces. Like this:

(i love that a picture of potatoes is copyright protected)
Fill a large pot up with hot water and some salt (that speeds the boiling process)
Once boiling... Add the potatoes
Boil them until they are soft (15-ish minutes... depends on the potatoes/how small you cut them) keeping the lid on also helps the potatoes boil quickly...
Once potatoes are soft (can be poked with a fork with ease), drain water.
Then smash potatoes a little bit with a smashing device (we used a fork) until they are broken up enough to use a mixing device.
Add milk to desired consistency (we just poured what was left of the gallon we were almost done with--maybe enough for a bowl of cereal?) and added about 1/2 cube or a whole cube of butter... once those were in there, we got this baby out:

I would have never thought of this and would have been mixing with a fork the whole time but awesome husband ben recommended we use our beaters. so, you plug-er-in and mix the potatoes/milk/butter until they're mashed.... they'll still be a little lumpy, but i like them that way..
After they look like normal potatoes, add garlic salt to taste

Then once the garlic is delicious, you can stop there, or continue to the ranch. We used about 1/2 a packet we had left from some croc-pot ranch potatoes and it was the perfect amount. so just round up one of these bad boys:

(i'm sure you could use ranch dressing too and add less milk/butter) then sprinkle some in there (1/2 oz. is probably good for the amount we made) and blend that up some more and tah-dah! there you are... garlic/ranch mashed potatoes...
I don't know why i'm so proud of this... i just really enjoyed them... I must have been really hungry. :) more pics to come soon.
Adios.

all things in moderation.

So for wednesday we are asked... "Which foods do you periodically overeat because you have subconsciously restricted them in your mind?" Then i thought... ummm... none. I never over eat. hahaa NOT. I definitely over eat icecream when i have the chance.... I really don't restricted myself from eating anything in particular. I only restrict things when i don't feel like eating them. Like if i've had too much of something or I really don't feel like sweets at the moment I typically don't eat them. (unless it's ice cream of course)

Anyway... next question is: How would allowing yourself to eat these foods in moderation allow you to truly enjoy your food? .... well, moderating all of my food intake would probably really stress me out. so i probably will continue with my regular eating lifestyle... but i will share this... it makes me sick to my stomach when i hear/see people that are my size and smaller talk about having to much fat intake or too many calories.. it just bothers me (to the core) that they worry so much about that. I understand that some people NEED to count/monitor intake so they can lose weight and return to a healthy and not-dangerous weight/lifestyle. And I appreciate their efforts. But I believe that those who are already healthy should maintain their lifestyle but not be obsessive. ALL THINGS IN MODERATION. for me, that means eating less icecream at grandpa's on friday nights but for others that means actually eating a bowl of ice cream at their grandpa's on friday nights.... :) hope this doesn't offend anyone. I just get annoyed by some things... that's it for todays blog... i'll do the other one tomorrow sometime. adios for now.

it is the kind of beauty that doesn't wash off.

So, part of this week of mindful eating is to journal each day... I didn't have time on Tuesday b/c i had to do two tests in Four Hours! it was rough. But i was definitely thinking about it. So, I've decided that being in good health obviously helps 'house' the holy ghost... But he's a ghost. it doesn't matter how big or small your body is... there's always room for a ghost. :) So... that's when i came up with this thought process:
The holy ghost provides us light and knowledge as well as the ability to reason clearly (at least that's what i think)... And--As I have frequently learned--when you don't eat (or keep your body healthy), you don't have a clear mind and you can't concentrate...(especially in a night class), thus, by NOT maintaining a healthy body you prevent the holy ghost to help you learn and grow. I believe that when you have the holy ghost with you, you are the most beautiful you can be. I found this amazing talk that almost brought tears to my eyes..

“'deep beauty'—the kind of beauty that shines from the inside out. It is the kind of beauty that cannot be painted on, surgically created, or purchased. It is the kind of beauty that doesn’t wash off. It is spiritual attractiveness. Deep beauty springs from virtue. It is the beauty of being chaste and morally clean. It is the kind of beauty that you see in the eyes of virtuous women like your mother and grandmother. It is a beauty that is earned through faith, repentance, and honoring covenants.... Young women, look into the mirror of eternity. Remember who you are! See yourself as our Heavenly Father sees you. You are elect. There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit..."
--Elaine S. Dalton, "Remember Who You Are!", Ensign, May 2010

CLICK HERE to read the whole talk.

My favorite part is the bold part. I LOVE IT. it doesn't wash off... it cannot be painted on, surgically created or purchased. that is so great. it makes me feel better about not having time to put make-up on in the mornings... and it makes me happy that i have no desire to pay to change my appearance. but yeah. That's all for today (well, tuesday...) I am now going to write on Wednesdays topic... :)

"The Intuitive Eater"

So, my sister emailed me this morning and shared "A Week of Mindful Eating" from the Women's Services on BYU Campus and I thought, "oh! this will be great. I've been meaning to start eating healthier (like fruits and veggies and such)..."
then, as I began to read about Day 1, I felt that it is more directed towards women with eating problems aka problems with not eating... so, I thought I'd just disregard it, but then i hoped that the rest of the week may be directed towards me?? (at least one of the days maybe...) So, like my sister, I will be attempting to answer the journal questions throughout the week. But first, i'd like to share my quiz experience... Halie said that she doesn't necessarily agree with everything on here and I think I agree with her to disagree with the program. I took a survey that told me if my score was under 20pts I may have an unhealthy attitude/extreme eating behaviors when it comes to food/eating. After the first 8 questions I added up my score so far (there are 26 questions) and I was already at 20 points. Then, I continued to take the quiz and ended up with... well, more than someone should have... (70 to be exact). So, I can take this one of two ways... (1) Be happy that I am have a healthy attitude towards food and non-extreme eating behaviors... or (2) Worry that although I am not anorexic or bulimic I may have a problem with being the other extreme eating behavior (eating all the time/enjoying it). At this point, I've decided to go with route (1). -- At least until my metabolism catches up with me...
Also, although I fall under many of the categories listed in the results section, I found myself to be able to relate with the ideal: "The Intuitive Eater" Intuitive eaters march to their inner hunger signals and eat whatever they choose without experiencing guilt. They honor hunger, respect fullness, and enjoy the pleasure of eating. Yeah, that sounds about right... I don't fit the mold exactly, but only some people do... (that's where my 7-category overlap comes in.. "Note: You may identify with an array of elements from many categories--ideally, you will find yourself in the description of the mindful eater more often through A Week of Mindful Eating".)

Other options included (but are not limited to):
THE CAREFUL EATER
Appears to be the perfect eater, yet anguishes over each food morsel and its effect on the body. On the surface, this person seems health and fitness oriented, because he/she is vigilant about what is put into the body and is highly conscious of nutrition. (OPPOSITE of me)

THE CHAOTIC UNCONSCIOUS EATER
This person often lives an over-scheduled life--too busy, too many things to do. The chaotic eating style is haphazard--gulp ‘n go when the food is available. Chaotic eaters are often so busy putting out fires that they have difficulty identifying biological hunger until it’s fiercely ravenous.

THE PROFESSIONAL DIETER
This person is perpetually dieting, often trying the latest commercial diet or diet book. Professional dieters know a lot about proportions of foods, calories, and “dieting tricks”, yet they are always on another diet because the original never worked. (DEFINITELY NOT ME.)

Alright, on to my journaling:
What strengths did you discover in your eating attitudes? I discovered that I have a great attitude towards food the majority of the time. What specific habits do you have that you want to continue? I'd like to continue eating when appropriate and stopping when appropriate too. I should probably start exercising in addition to my "healthy eating attitude" so I don't go to the opposite extreme and become obese because my attitude is SOO Healthy. What habits do you have that you would like to change throughout A Week of Mindful Eating? Well, being that I already cook a lot (once a day) and today (for the first time in a while) have a lunch to eat, I'd like to continue to have a lunch to eat so that I can aid my hunger so I don't feel so food deprived and crabby at the end of the day...

I promise I'm not mocking this program, I just felt that I answered a lot of the questions in my schpeel above rather than in the Q&A format at the end... but for real.. who wouldn't be interested in doing this? It's so bright and happy! (see above poster)

Sorry there is not more pictures... next post for sure! (We went to the ice castles this weekend and it will be a precious post for sure! :)

what it is.

Well, I'm back again. This time with some fun stuff to share. on the agenda:

0 the hero: Ben's Birthday

1st the worst (not really): School Update

2nd the best: House Update

3rd the nerd: Primary Story/Experience

4th the dork?: Fun Sunday with Family

5th the __? (any suggestions): anything else I want to say...

ben is my hero. I love him so much. I guess you could say we're still in the honeymoon stage, but i like to think that we're just normal married people who like to laugh, tickle, bake, eat, talk, etc together... i especially like it when he wakes up on saturday and decides to make me breakfast in bed. It's probably the best thing someone can do for a girl. I love it. anyway, my hero turned 25 a little while ago (same day as our 5 month marker) and we were able to go to tucanos with Chris (ben's bffk -- best friend from kanab -- we all know i'm his bff) ;) haha but yeah, we had fun. Chris of course was willing to take the picture for us, and not be in it.. and then my battery died. so we just have this pic from lunch for ben's bday.

then comes school (as you can see, I like knowing what is coming next b/c of the list i just gave you. Isn't it great when the teacher gives you an overview of what's happening that day.. [i love it] that way, when he gets to #4 in the lecture you know he's almost done!) :) but yeah, so as I said in "the Beast" I am taking 18 units. Things are coming along smoothly and I am enjoying my classes. For those of you who know me (and my college-self) it is about at this point in the semester when I fall behind and start doing 10 pg research papers the night before they're due or simply turning things in late.. This is disappointing to most people who know me because they hate to see me slack/fail/be lame... but others think its ridiculous and they still hate me when i write a paper the night before it's due (I average about 2-2.5 pgs an hour when under pressure) and still get an A or B+ on it. But let me tell you. doing your work Early/ontime feels great. I knew how it felt in High School, but it's different. it's probably b/c college actually MEANS Something in the real world! but yeah, so, enough with the fluff.. Point being, despite having to make a sacrifice and skip some classes, I studied ALL day for a test (8a-11a, 12:15p-4:15p) and got a 92%!! i know that's no 100%, but still. I was so proud of myself because it was a Financial Management test (which is a hard class) and I did really well. The class average was an 83% and i got almost 10% HIGHER! anyway. it's awesome b/c there are only 4 tests for the class and that's IT! nothing else! so yeah, I'm a happy camper...

Now for the house update.. I know I already posted pictures of our Apt... but those were kinda out of desperation to get them up here... In preparation for the family dinner we had at our house on sunday I cleaned and put up lots of pictures on the wall in a new arrangement which I happen to LOVE. I feel so accomplished and I just love looking at my wall now that it's not just plain NBC with some pics on each side.. check it out. (panorama around the updated room):

Computer area w/ overflowing bookshelves.

futon areaSouth Wall (w/ Awesome IKEA Shelves)
West Wall (this is what I'm so proud of)
North Wall...

Bathroom again...

and our storage room/2nd bedroom

Now onto the primary story... So it's way better when i tell it in person, but basically we made this awesome craft with the kids which we found HERE. and they made this craft:

so pretty much the straw holding HF/JC goes up and down so that when joseph prays they appear in the sky... it was such a good lesson and they were very well behaved for the most part and we had a larger crowd than usual so when this one adorable kid says, "Hey! that's fun!" It just really makes you feel like they love you and that they are learning something. Anyway... there really is more to it then that, but its getting late and I have a homework assignment to finish... but yeah, these kids are adorable in our new class and they just love to color pictures and eat cookies and smile and sing. It's great. It's just very rewarding at times like these.. I think the first class we had was a test and this class we have now is a reward for passing the test! :) Our cutest kid is moving this week and I will miss him. The only reason he is cute is because his mom is so nice to me and apparently the kid has loved us as teachers (he is also super well behaved and lets us help him spell stuff.. it's nice to feel wanted/needed). but yeah. Primary is pretty good right now and I am grateful for primary songs that help build my testimony everyday... I think HF knew I needed to go back to basics and learn of christs love for children. I'm not having any of my own anytime soon (or at least that's the plan) but still.. He is softening me up for when the time is right... and it's working.. :)

The dinner with family thing is just a quick one... we had a great time yesterday when Gpa, Halie, Kendall, Todd and Tia came over for dinner/dessert at OUR HOUSE! I love having people over and it's kinda hard sometimes b/c we live a little out of the way (spanish fk.) but I really appreciate when people come visit and hang out at our house... I just love our little apt. Despite the orangeish brown carpets/lenolium I will hate to see it go when we move closer to orem this summer... I will also hate seeing our super cheap rental payment disappear. but yeah.. we had so much fun and ate some really delicious food and I can't wait to do it again sometime soon!

Now, for the randoms: We finally made stuffed hamburgers.. they were delish! =] see below:

Stuffed patty w/ cheese, onions, more cheese and some other stuff..

burger and fries. de-lish.

happy husband.

pretty sure this didn't really fit in my mouth. but it was good!

Anything else? not at the moment.. off to go finish an assignment for Marketing Management then I've got lots of studying to do for this week.. I recently realized that I've got TWO tests this week that I forgot about! this semester is cruising by! (just spring term and I'm done!!!) YAY.

Also, our tax return is on it's way into our account... that will relieve some stress that I've had for the last little while... Paying tithing totally pays back 10 fold. The Church Is True. What it is. adios. :)

small accomplishment

TOTAL COST OF MY TEXTBOOKS...
if bought NEW from the BYUBookstore: $379.90 + financial calculator
if bought USED from the BYUBookstore: $293.00 + financial calculator
if planned and strategized by Natalie: $189.88 (including financial calculator)

total savings: $190.02 = AMAZING.
does everyone know what that means?? I saved more than i spent! (ok, ok, it was only 24 cents difference, but who cares! I saved so much money and I even made some by selling some books from last semester/previous semesters. It makes me so happy. I love saving money on textbooks. Especially when they're a rip off to begin with.
Also, EVERYONE should check out Amazon PRIME. Its a student thing that pretty much gives you free 2 day shipping on better quality books. the price is slightly higher (but no more than you would have paid for lame-o shipping from that guy in North Dakota who spills coffee on 80% of the pages and considers it "used-Like New" ... no, that didn't happen to me, but I've heard stories. Amazon PRIME gives you FREE 2 day shipping instead of 3.99 4-14 day shipping. It's awesome. Try it out. well, off to go check on the soup.

p.s. We have church from 2:30pm -5:30pm ... this is lame. you know what makes it better?? our new primary class. We got a new class this week (since we were gone when they made the huge transition) and they are amazing! We have the CTR 5 & 6 class... and pretty much lots of them don't come. but these kids are super cute and way better behaved than the last bunch. Prayers of Gratitude are going to be coming from this house every night! :) more stories to come! (they're great ones too).

digi-scrap.

I'm going to teach myself how to digitally scrapbook. My first project is above. I already have the different font thing down, but I'm going to work on the precious paper and button stuff that I'm so jealous of other people for... I found some fun websites that let me download packets for free and they are so much fun. I'm excited to get started after I finish some essays today... (i'm attempting to do/turn them in early so I'm not so stressed at the end of the school year. Hoping I can kick 18 units' trash before it kicks mine. =]
adios.