Murder- Something I Never Thought I'd Have to Deal With

Does anyone ever go through life thinking at some point they'll deal with murder?  I didn't!

On March 10, 2016 that changed when 3 murders happened...

One took place here in PA, in Norristown to be exact, when my employee stabbed her step father to death during an argument in their home.  I knew she had a temper, I knew she had a short fuzz, I never thought she'd kill someone.  From what it sounds like, it was self defense and honestly I feel bad for her.  She was always late and I always gave her trouble for it.  They were fighting over the shower- makes me wonder what she had to go through every morning to be able to get to work.

The other two were Eric's cousins- 28 year old Ally and 21 month old Ana.  I never met them but he spoke, and still speaks, of them with pride and admiration.  Ally was the baby of his family and he loved her as well as Ana dearly.  They were beautiful girls and I'm sad I never got a chance to meet and love them the way others do.  Last night their murderer was arrested and it gives me chills to think of this man being brought to justice.  How do you kill a sweet, young woman, let alone a helpless, perfect baby?  Ana's videos bring a smile to anyone who watches them and Ally's singing could bring you to tears with joy.

I'm not really sure what the point of this post is but it's been an emotional day and it's only 9:40 am, so I felt I needed to get this out.  Murder is a traumatizing thing, even for someone so far on the outside like me.  I weep for the families of the lost- people who had futures and who loved with all their hearts.  And I weep for my employee who was wrong to have acted the way she did, but I can't imagine what it's like to be brought to that much anger and feel like you have no other way out.

If you're interested in supporting a good cause, I'd like to suggest Justice For Children Without Voices they've been a huge part of helping support the family during the investigation of Ana and Ally's murders, and they're continuing to be a huge help for many families in similar situations.

Have you ever experienced anything like this?  How did you handle it?

Linked Up with For the Love to

Update- Ultimate Reset day 8

I had planned to post every day or nearly every day on how the reset is going but I am still not used to blogging on a regular basis so please forgive me!

Today is day 8!  I'm down 4 lbs and feeling pretty good.  I still have a headache from time to time, but that could be from work, and I am a little sore, but that's probably from moving.  My biggest struggles are :

1. Watching others eat when I can't!  I'm in a baking group and this weekend we did Cupcake Wars.  I have to admit, I splurged and at the quarter of each cupcake I was offered.  It was delicious, I'm so impressed by these girls, but I regretted it later and I HATE that feeling.  Plus my mom's 60th birthday was this weekend and nearly my entirely family was in from CT.  I had to eat with everyone at the restaurant but at least I made good choices- instead of the cheeseburger I really wanted!

2. Trying new foods.  So far I've forced myself to eat my vegetables which is tolerable but not delightful, and I've tried Braggs Liquid Aminos which looks intimating but tastes nearly exactly like soy sauce.  I have yet to try tempeh, it just sits in my fridge, starring at me, mocking me.  I really should eat it or the beans it offers as a substitute since I'm sure I'm missing out on protein that would be helpful for IDK living... but I can't.

I'm surprisingly not struggling with not having bread or cheese or meat.  I miss it and I'm dreaming of my birthday- where I plan to have steak and a baked potato with cheese and bacon YUM!  But I don't find myself having trouble when I'm home at night and wanting to snack.  In fact I'm generally not hungry and struggle to eat the entire meal that's laid out in the meal plan.  Oh and I LOVE the meal plan!  I mean I'm terrified of some of the things they suggest to eat but I love that they laid out 21 days of meals with recipes and a shopping list, including a "crunch" plan for people on the go or with budget restrictions.

Over all I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to seeing where I'm at when the full 21 days are through.

If you're interested in doing the ultimate reset, check out the details here.

Calling ALL Teachers and Nurses!

Today is the end of Teachers Appreciation week AND the start of Nurse Appreciation week.

I have a tremendous about of respect for people who work in these professions.

Teaching can be a thankless job where parents constantly complain and children don't behave.  Teachers work nights and weekends, and often have to spend a lot of their own money on supplies and keeping their classrooms running.  They don't get the respect they deserve!

Nursing is also a sometimes thankless job.  Nurses give up nights, weekends, holidays- they miss out on a lot with their families in order to take care of ill patients who's families are not always easy to work with... often times the patient isn't easy to work with.  They're under appreciated and under valued by many, but what they do is priceless!

In honor of these special weeks I'm offering a free gift to any teacher or nurse who purchases one of the following challenge packs from me between now and Monday May 9th.

21 Day Fix is an amazing program that targets every part of your body in 30 minute workouts and gives  solid, easy to follow nutrtion plan to maximize your results.

22 Minute Hard Corps is a Boot Camp styled workout that focuses on cardio and resistance.  It's led by P90X creator Tony Horton, who is hilarious and tough!

Insanity: MAX is from my favorite trainer- Shaun T.  It's an intense series of workouts that are highly focused on cardio.  It's on sale this month!!!

If you have any questions, let me know, I'll be happy to help you choose which program is best for you!

Paleo Banana Muffins

These were DELICIOUS. But you have to like coconut...as coconut flour, believe it or not, tastes coconutty!! :)

Paleo Banana Muffins: Recipe from Gluten Free Homemaker

• ½ cup coconut flour (+ to grease pan)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Optional: Crumb Topping 

• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp cocunut sugar
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin with coconut oil. In a big bowl, combine flour, salt, and soda. In a small bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, honey, bananas, and honey. Add wet ingredients to large bowl of dry ingredients. Pour into muffin tins, filling each about 1/2 way. Add crumb topping on top of each. Bake for 20 min.


original recipe found here

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Is it just me or is breakfast the best meal of the day?!  I LOVE waffles, pancakes, omelets, sausage, etc... Just thinking about it now is making my mouth water.  BUT those aren't exactly the most nutritious options for breakfast.  Here are some alternatives that will help you stay full and energized until lunch!

Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bark

Breakfast CAKE, I repeat CAKE!

Chocolate Muffins!

Enjoy and be healthy!