Day 2 of the photo shoot, can you tell I was getting a little tired at this point?!

If you have seen my Facebook or Twitter pages lately, you probably know that I have been busy the past 5 or 6 days prepping/cooking/hosting some photo shoots at my house for my upcoming cookbook!  It has been pretty exhausting juggling our little guy and all of the work that went into this, but so totally worth it!  I am just thrilled with the photos for this book, I had a truly amazing team over here.  Stephanie Bell was the amazing photographer, Teresa Blackburn worked her magic with beautiful food styling, and my editor, Healther Skelton with Thomas Nelson, was a huge help me to me with the grocery shopping and prep for 30 recipes!

Check out the video below for an update on when you can get your hands on this book!  Beware, this is a totally low budget film, I was only in hair and makeup for about 2 minutes… 😉

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped during the shoots, oh and just remember I am not the photographer.   Thank goodness!

Just a few of the recipes and styling from the shoots…

Stephanie and Teresa doing their thing…

Of course, dad had to pop in for some of the yummy food.

My mom was a wonderful babysitter, Mav is like how much longer are you people gonna be here?!

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Doing some final edits to my cookbook one morning last week, working looks a little different now!

I have mixed emotions every year during the first few days of January.  It’s not that I want Christmas to last forever, but I love the excitement, the anticipation, and the joy that December brings.  I have always gotten a little sad when something I look forward to is over.  On the way home from vacations, for example, I always get this sense of disappointment, it’s just over, that was it, back to the real world now.  That’s probably why my husband says I am always trying to plan our next trip as soon as we get back from one.  I just want something else to look forward to.

So when the holidays are over and January begins, I guess I just want something new to look forward to.  So I turn to the new year, as most of us do, and I decide what I want it to look like.  I can usually find some things to get pretty excited about, and the anticipation of all that I am going to do that year brings an eagerness to move forward again.

But this year it’s different.  You see, it’s always just been me.  I was in control (for the most part) of accomplishing my goals or not.  As long as I could get myself motivated, then that was all there was to it.  But it’s January 2nd, and I didn’t get a full night of sleep last night.  In fact I haven’t had a full night of sleep since September 20.  I have a 3 month old, and as I have been telling Zach, it’s his (Maverick’s) world, we are just living in it.

So I sit here, with the anticipation of a new year with my baby boy, but with the heaviness of knowing that it’s going to be hard.  We will have many firsts this year, some good and some not so good, I’m sure.  As exciting as it will be to watch my son during his year first full year of life, I can’t help but wonder how I will do it all.  How do I accomplish my own goals without a good night’s rest?   How can I get all of the things done that I so badly want to do when his needs always come first?  How do I do it all if I am just really tired?  Heck, how do I accomplish much of anything other than just taking care of this baby?  That is never something I have had to think about before when planning for a new year.  I don’t have the answers to these questions.  I do know that when I look back at the past 3 months I feel like I have accomplished more than I ever thought I could.  So many times in the middle of the night, I have found myself singing the song “I need you, oh I need you, every hour I need you.”  Oh how true it is.

The Lord has been my strength when I wasn’t sure how I could do it.  You see, no one really teaches you how to be a mom.  You can have good examples, but it’s really just something you have to experience to learn.  I certainly didn’t think it would be easy or come naturally.  I was never really the babysitting type, babies in general have never really been my thing.  But God does something to your heart when you have a child.  There is no way to explain it.  All the hard things, all the lack of sleep, all of the after effects of childbirth, you just bare them.  If I would have known six months ago all that I would go through as a mom just in the first 3 months, I would have wondered how in the world I would do it.  I would have probably thought that there was no way that I could get through it.   But I did.

So I guess that is my answer for now for this new year.  I don’t have to do it all or do it perfectly, but with the Lord as my strength I can do the things He is calling me to.  I can keep going even though it will be hard.  I may not “do it all,” but I will take baby steps (no pun intended) in the direction of the things that God is nudging me towards, because I am a mom now.  And moms can do really hard things.  We can actually do lots of hard things at once, with very little sleep.  I am learning this about moms.  I admire them more than ever,  I actually feel pretty honored to be part of this mom club.

And so it begins, 2015.  And it’s not just me this time, and I think in some way I’ll be better because of that this year.  And when I think I can’t do it, I will look back on what I have done so far, and I will be reminded how I need Him and that, oh yes, I certainly can do it.

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So lately I have felt a desire to get a little more personal with the people that are visiting this site.  I love that so many of you come here each day for recipes, but I would love to get to know you and for you to get to know me a little better while you’re here.

With that being said, if you have ever read my “About Me” page, you would know that I struggled with an eating disorder for most of my high school and college years.  I am very open about my experience now, because I have come out on the other side healthy and free!  I believe that much of my “success” up until this point is all part of a greater purpose, which involves sharing my story.

So one thing I would like to do is just encourage anyone struggling with food related issues during this season.  The holidays can be some of the hardest times for women, not only those with eating disorders but also with any body image issues because you are constantly surrounded by food! A time that should be joyous and fun filled can cause all kinds of anxiety, and it can even steal some of the joy of the season.

Take a look at the astounding statistics below, most women struggle in some way with this issue…

“The statistics are frightening—70 to 80 percent of women feel they need to lose weight, one-fourth of college women have some bulimic behaviors, and up to 60 percent of girls and women have some components of eating disorders.”

-FamilyEducation: http://life.familyeducation.com/body-image/self-esteem/35883.html#ixzz2o25msiNu

So with that in mind, I would like to share a few tips that have helped me stay balanced with diet and exercise during the holidays without using unhealthy behaviors and thoughts:

1) Never let yourself get too hungry! I always keep healthy snacks with me in my car and purse in case I can’t eat for a while.  Nuts are a great option, because they are satisfying and don’t go bad.  Doing this will keep you from over eating when you finally get time to sit down and have a meal.

2)  Don’t deprive yourself of your favorite treats! If I’m at a party with lots of finger foods, I fill half of my plate with healthier options like veggies, fruit, and nuts, and then get a few of my most favorite things that are a treat so I’m not feeling deprived.  You can certainly enjoy those sausage balls and cake pops just keep it in moderation and balance it out with some healthier foods as well.

3) Try to stay active. Excercise not only keeps me mentally in check, but it also changes my mindset on what I am craving.  If I am staying active, maybe by taking a jog or walk instead of laying on the couch for another 30 minutes during the holiday break, I tend make better food choices and just feel better all around.

4)  Sometimes you gotta get out of the kitchen! During this next week more than likely you will be surrounded by tons of food and all kinds of treats sitting right in front you ALL. DAY. LONG.  It makes it hard not to just eat out of boredom.  My advice is to leave the “food room” for a little bit or just put the food away in between meals.  Enjoy a few of your favorite Christmas treats then close the cookie tins!  This way you won’t end up of feeling guilty and beating yourself up over eating too much, which brings me to my next tip.

5)  Don’t beat yourself up over what you eat at Christmas! It only comes once a year, and if you just don’t follow any of these tips and completely over indulge, it’s all going to be okay.  If you do happen to gain a pound or two over the next week, it’s really not the end of the world.  Tomorrow is a new day! You’ll get back on track, and there are worse things that can happen.

I hope these little tidbits will help you this week, I know they have been key for me during this season over the past few years.  If you have any other tips, I would love for you to comment those below, and also let me know if you would like to see more of these types of posts 🙂

Above all, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year with your loved ones!

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Happy New Year!

Well, it’s 2014 friends and things are looking good from here!  I love the feeling that a new year brings, it’s like a fresh start, a clean slate.  Now is the time when the gyms will fill up and diet books will be bought.  I think that’s great and all, but what happens in March or better yet next December?

It seems like most of us are pretty good at losing weight,  there are thousands of programs out there to tell you how, the hard part seems to be maintaining that weight loss.  So, with that in mind, I have made a video sharing with you 5 tips to have you feeling great this year, without fad dieting or feeling deprived.

DISCLAIMER:  I’m not a nutritionist or exercise expert,  I certainly don’t claim to have the perfect body.  However, I have come to a place where I feel good about me – flaws and all, so I am simply sharing with you what has worked for me this past year.

So check out the video below to get my tips!

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Lately I have been using the word “need” completely wrong and way too much.  I know this because Zach has been reminding me every time I say it to replace “need” with “want.”  Come to think of it, I probably have been using “want” a little too often as well.

You see, if you would have told me a year ago everything that has happened since then – a move to a bigger home in a new town we love, a cookbook deal, a weekly spot on Channel 4, over 1,000 views a day on my website – I would have been ecstatic!

“Man if all that happens, I’ll be set, no more worries then I’ll be on my way.”

Well here I sit, that has all happened and guess what?  I spend much of my time wanting more, wondering why I haven’t had another big break in the past few months.  I’m praying God “give me…”  while I am pretty sure He is saying,

“April just look around you.  You thank me and then move quickly to everything you need from me, as if you have made all of this happen on your own.  I know the plans, I know the desires of your heart, and they do not lie in “things” or recognition, they lie in my kingdom purposes for you.”  Reality check -I don’t even really know what I need, He does, He always has.

Now, obviously I don’t want to just sit around and become stagnant, not digging and searching for new opportunities.  However, to be discontent with where He has me, and upset every time I get a “No” wondering why things aren’t happening faster – that’s a joy stealer.

Sometimes it seems like my whole life has been one big waiting game. Well once I turn 16, once I get to college, once I get married, once we get X amount of money in the bank, once I get to this size, once I get that book deal, and well, you get the point.

God has definitely been teaching me this year to stop wishing my life away, not that I’ve been a really great student for this lesson, but I’m beginning to recognize this pattern.  I have so much to be thankful for, like a crazy amount of things, so this year I am going to start spending more time reflecting on those things.  Savoring these moments, intentionally thanking God for them without rushing to the next thing I “need.”

I don’t want to be so busy looking ahead that I can’t see the blessings surrounding me.    This pattern of “more, more, more” is just a thief of joy.  And I want Joy.

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