Valentine Cookies

I feel a definite need for some lighter subject matter after my last blog post. Something I find very therapeutic myself is baking cookies, especially if the Princess is by my side.

Since it's officially February (can you believe it?) I thought we'd try out a Valentine recipe. This time I did make the recipe just as listed, and they had a very nice flavor. These are relatively easy for the kids to make. I used the Pink frosting (referenced in the recipe) to top these with, but be sure to read the comments concerning the salt and such. Overall, I was quite happy with how they turned out. Here's the link: Easy Valentine Sandwich Cookies. *EDIT: The red drizzle is from chocolate candy melts. I thought it added a nice touch.
EDIT: So I thought it was the first day of February today... my family will eat them anyway:)

Thoughts on Pride and Health

Pride is an interesting thing. A friend and I had a conversation about this very subject the other day. As is usual for me, I thought about it over the next few days, asking myself this question: In just what area does my own pride display itself?

I'm proud of my husband. He's a very hard-working man. Up until a year ago, he worked two jobs on a regular basis, so I could stay home with my kids. Not all men would do that; not all men have to do that. But it's definitely one of the things I appreciate about him. I dare say he's a better husband than I deserve (you've never had to live with me,lol). But then, good husbands are not completely rare. Though at the rate modern women are going with the live-in boyfriend route, husbands at all are getting to be a thing of the past. Sad, but true.

I'm proud of my kids. They're wonderful little people, if I do say so myself;) They make life more enjoyable than any other entertainment I know. But they have their faults (though I can't think of a one at this particular moment,lol). Once in a while they do something that makes my mouth drop open and I think I know I've trained you better than that! If you were honest, you'd have to say the same thing, unless you birthed little robots:) So I don't think I'm overly-prideful in that particular area.

While I'm proud to be a Christian (meaning a follower of Jesus Christ, not a crazy maniac or terrorist doing horrible acts in the name of "God") I know all too well that this is an area that many others far surpass me in. I can truthfully say I find great joy in knowing God, great peace and assurance in knowing He's there to help me through anything life brings my way. My faith is not a "crutch", as some educated (but sadly ignorant) people would have the world believe. Knowing Christ brings a happiness that the World can't even come close to matching. I believe all of that. And I suppose that very fact could make it hard for some people to understand why I'm not a far better Christian than I am. I struggle with being a well-balanced Christian. Once I seemingly "master" an area of the Christian life, another area seems to falter. Again, I suppose we all have this struggle to one degree or another. But for the most part, my own lacking in this area keeps me from judging others through a sense of having "arrived"; which honor I'm quite sure I won't be able to claim until I stand face-to-face with Jesus one day.

Could it be possible that I myself have no area in which Pride shows itself? I only wish I could say that.

You see, my pride is hidden where no one else can see it. Deep inside where only I know it exists. It's a set of standards that I only hold myself to. I would never expect others to abide by them.
And I wouldn't want anyone to confuse these standards with beliefs in dress, conduct, or Christian living.

I am about to deliver a bombshell: I am strongly conservative... I know, shocking isn't it? And a Christian to boot; really, is there any hope for me?;) While I don't believe the standards I choose to live by make me any better than anyone else, I do believe teaching them to my children will make a difference in the long run, especially when it comes to future choices they will have to make. And while I care about other people's children in general (I admit I for the most part like kids better than adults), my own children are the ones that I pour my energy and lifes-breath into. They are my chance to make this country (hopefully) a more moral and God-fearing people in the future. If that sounds prideful, then maybe we need to have a little more pride in some things. Just a thought..:)

There is definitely some virtue in living life on the positive side. I think everyone for the most part would rather be around someone who does so. When I'm around a negative person, it just wears me out. There are enough troubles in the average life that most of us don't need someone to list them out for us. We can manage that ourselves, thank you very much. Yet all of us are human, and as much as we might like others to think differently, we struggle with our frailties.

Six years ago when I gave birth to my daughter, I believed her birth was more than the average miracle of birth. I have talked about some of the things I went through during that time in my HG posts, but I just haven't had the energy to finish the series up yet. Some of the memories of that time are still a little difficult to think about, if I can even manage to recall them out of the mental fog that surrounded me during much of that time. I recently was brought face-to-face with some of those memories when I heard of the death of Miss World. I'm not a beauty pageant follower myself, it was completely a fluke that I read about it at all. She went from being a fast rising star(after all, she was Miss World) to succumbing to septicemia in a matter of weeks. When I read this, it made me sick to my stomach. On the one hand, watching anyone go from a full and healthy life, to the slow dying off of their limbs, to finally end in death is a horrible thing. I can't even imagine what those who loved and cared for her are going through. It definitely made me stop and think about the frailness of life. As the Bible puts it "Our life is but a vapor."

And I have to admit that my human thinking struggles at times with understanding why some lives are cut short, while others are allowed to go on, sometimes rendering terrible acts in their wake. Why don't serial killers and cruel child molesters fall dead from a heart attack, instead of people who have so much yet to give? And while I'm at it, why do unborn babies die by the minute, while so many struggle to have a child themselves? As I said, this is my human thinking. I like to think that I'll ask God these questions one day in heaven, but I have a feeling that when that day comes, I'll get side-tracked with other things. But I digress.

This young ladies death brought to my mind the fact that I myself not only contracted septicemia during my last pregnancy, I had it a total of 4 times. In one of those cases, they simply thought it was panic attacks from the extreme conditions my body had to endure, and so it got to a dangerous level before it was caught and treated. By then I was having spells where my whole body would shake with tremors for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and when it finally ended I felt like I had been beaten up. I wasn't sure what was happening because I was, as previously stated, in a mental fog much of the time. And my Doctor, not to mention those poor nurses at the hospital, just didn't know quite what to do with me.

As is the case with my pregnancies, after the birth of my daughter, everything went back to normal. The severe 24-7 nausea went away, I was able to sleep more than 3 hours a day, no more feeding tubes, no more shots of Zophran, my body could once again digest food. The whole ordeal was over, and I had a perfect 7 lb, 3 oz (at almost 4 wks early) red-headed little angel to show for it. While I can't say I quickly forgot all that we had gone through, I can say that there isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at her in complete wonder, with the feeling that it was completely worth it. Absolutely.

And yet, everything didn't go back to normal, at least not down below the surface of things. And I've spent years telling myself that I should be able to do, and accomplish, and give more than I do. Not only telling myself, but resenting myself somewhat for my inability to do so.

I truly expected after (too many times to count) being severely dehydrated, four blood infections, a myriad of drugs (one experimental for pregnant women) being injected and my body being utterly depleted (including severe damage in the dental area), to simply go back to life. After all, they say it only takes 2 years to fully recover from a pregnancy...

And herein is where my pride lies: I have told myself it's for the good of my family that I don't give in to problematic health. That it's because I'm such a good little stay-at-home mom.

Now let me insert here that I don't think you should completely give in to bad health. As appealing as the thought may be at times to lay in bed all day, when you have responsibilities you sometimes have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and get things done. Working through pain and discomfort can be good for a person.

But you can't simply ignore health issues either. That usually is not a route for causing them to simply go away, as convenient as that would be. And worrying about what other people will think is really a waste of energy that would be better used elsewhere. It is something that I personally do, but at 37 years of age I really should be over it at this point, don't you think?

And people will think and say things. A few months ago, I was having a conversation with another lady concerning a particular health issue. When I mentioned that I was presently taking flexeril (a muscle relaxant) to help with my neck pain, she promptly proceeded to drill me on how addicting that could be, and that before I knew it I would be completely steeped in the world of drugs. She was enjoying her tirade so much, I hadn't the heart to tell her I haven't met a prescription drug yet that doesn't have some negative side effect to it. If it's non-drowsy, it makes me drowsy. If it's supposed to help you sleep, it gives me nervous energy. If it's to take away a migraine, it makes me so sick to my stomach I'd rather suffer the migraine. Birth control makes me as sick as being pregnant does (with no bonus baby as a by-product) and one drug they gave me while I was pregnant caused hallucinations (and not the nice kind either). They evidently forgot to tell me that can happen to those allergic to the drug. Who knew;)

I think part of why I struggle with this whole issue is due to the fact that I've always had a great interest in health. One of my favorite teachers at college was an RN. Her classes were enthralling (regardless of the subject matter) but I especially enjoyed her classes regarding health. It is largely due to the things that I learned in her class in those days, that led me to get help with my cystic ovarian disease. With the end result that I was able to have children after years of trying. I, along with my willing husband, also made many dietary changes. Nothing drastic, just little things like eating brown rice instead of white, eating less red meat (not too hard when your grocery budget is $20; we were poor college students;). We were never junk food junkies so to speak. But I started paying even more attention to what went in my body.

Truth be told, when I registered for college, I didn't even have a Doctor to write down as a referring Physician. I hadn't been to one in six years. While I was a little underweight (genetics that obviously deserted me after I had my babies) I must have been relatively healthy. I never even had a headache... hard to believe with all the migraines I've been plagued with in recent years.

And so in many ways, I thought that I had the power to control my health. Which in a way is true, to some extent. But obviously not completely.

So why am I rambling on and on? I'm asking myself that question as well. Since the beginning of December I've been fighting one infection or another. I've been through the antibiotics, OTC meds (which are mostly useless) multiple prescriptions, and LOADS of vitamin C, mint tea, and Chicken soup (which I'm convinced is more beneficial than the OTC meds.) And during it all I've been getting very little sleep; that one ingredient that makes such a huge difference.

I have been doing quite well on the homeschooling front. My boys are halfway through this years curriculum (and more), and I've been able to make a few breakthroughs with the Princess as well. I can honestly say this area hasn't suffered.

And I haven't been a "mean mommy" either. If anything, I've worked harder at spending time with my kids, and getting in more discussions and activities with them. I want these days to be wonderful memories for them in the future, and I'm definitely not willing to blow that because I feel a bit crummy. Not that I'm never a little cranky...;)

I guess the best explanation for this post is that it's the end result of a difficult week. Maybe a difficult month even. And mentally it's taken a toll. I will admit that I've always struggle a little with melancholy and, dare I say it, depression. Which some people would be very surprised at because I am generally a very happy person, and I think that it shows. I am very sincere in my happiness, I couldn't fake it if I wanted to (I'm an incredibly terrible actress). But I have my times where I get so low, that I seriously wonder if I were not a Christian, what would be the end result?

It's true that much of it has to do with hormones because, for the most part, regular sickness doesn't get me down. Migraines, sleep issues, ect are things that I've learned to work with. But hormones are not so easily dealt with. In my own experience, I find that I simply have to wait them out, forcing myself to live one day at a time. Reminding myself that this too shall pass.

I honestly used to think that being melancholy or depressed was a sinful thing. Largely because I heard it said so many times that being continually joyful was a natural by-product of being a Christian. I really struggled with this issue. I wondered how I could be so ungrateful to God for all the things he had done in my life, not the least of which was my salvation.

Fortunately, I met a wise woman who taught me that I didn't necessarily have to be joyful in every moment of life (because honestly, none of us are) but that I should be joyful in spite of what I was going through at the time. You might not think there's a difference, but there really is. And my over-active conscience (if a person can have such a thing, I definitely do) was finally lifted of an incredible load.

I still struggle with that sense of despair from time to time. I know it's fleeting though, and I know that even in the midst of it, I can look around me and feel how blessed I am. To borrow a phrase from my dear friend Mrs.Darling (who borrowed it from the Bible I might add:) "The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places."

Not because they necessarily always have, but because I choose to believe so.

This post started out talking about pride, and I suppose that the pride I meant to confess was my own belief that I can do and manage everything in my own strength. My children can be taught and fed, my home can be perfectly clean and organized, my husband can be the most happy of all men: only to realize that I utterly fall on my face when I try to do it in my own strength. It really doesn't matter if anyone can see this or not. I know it in my own heart. And that's enough for me.

I've written a few posts like this, which for me is much too brutally honest and revealing. Though for some bloggers it would be just a regular run-of-the-mill post. I usually delete them, especially once the time is past when I feel the emotion that goes into it. Last night I suffered through most of the night with a particularly horrible migraine. As I struggled to keep my medicine down, I determined that I would indeed post this after all. Maybe it will help someone who struggles with these same feelings. I honestly am not looking for sympathy or pity. Both tend to embarrass me and send me running in the opposite direction. I have no doubt that by Monday I will be completely on top-side, especially since Hubby will be home with us this weekend, and of course there's Church on Sunday. So for my few blogging friends that tend to worry about me (while I return the favor) I am just fine.

AS Anne would say, for a small amount of time this week, "I've been in the depths of despair."

You KNOW I had to tie my giveaway in here somehow....lol. If you haven't yet entered My Anne of Green Gables Treasury Giveaway, please do so here. Nikki (Notes; because I actually have 3 blogging friends name Nikki) says she is expecting to win, but I of course play fair... most of the time anyways,lol. And PLEASE let me know if you linked to this giveaway from your blog so I can count you 2 times (yes Nikki, I know you did:).

Have a happy, healthy weekend~

Angela's Handwriting Challenge

Nikki seems to have set something in motion with her post on the soon-to-be-lost art of handwriting. Now her cousin, Angela, wants her fellow bloggers to prove that they can indeed manage a few words without the aid of a keyboard.

Well, I'm up to that challenge. I tried to keep it short, but you know me...

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Have I ever mentioned we tried raising chickens? They sure were cute at the start...

For more Wordless Wednesday pics, stop by 5 minutes for Mom.

300th Post Giveaway- The Anne of Green Gables Treasury

It's hard to believe I've come up with that many posts. I'm amazed I've stuck with blogging this long; I really didn't plan to do it for the long term. I consider myself a very private person, and blogging isn't exactly private, is it? ;) At least once a month I consider closing shop. But I enjoy having a record of our family happenings. And I've met some lovely people along the way. Those two things are the best reasons I have for continuing to blog.
So in honor of my 300th post, I'm giving away The Anne of Green Gables Treasury. Here is a write-up on this book: In 1908, L. M. Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables introduced the charming and memorable Anne Shirley to readers and immortalized scenic Prince Edward Island through the eyes of this unforgettable character. In this lavishly illustrated volume, you can enter the world of Green Gables and bring that world into your own. Learn to prepare an Anne tea party complete with easy recipes Anne would have made; transform your garden into one just like Anne's; learn about Victorian flower language; recreate handicrafts from the Anne books -- sachets, pressed flowers, Anne's flowered hat, and many more; discover details about Anne's day-to-day life at Green Gables as well as what was happening in the real world at the turn of the twentieth century. This special edition features a specially-designed Anne Tour of Prince Edward Island, with four itineraries shaped to different aspects of the Anne experience, so that you will not miss a single site on your trip to the world of Anne of Green Gables! Maps, photographs, even floor plans of Green Gables bring Anne's World to life. A short biography of Anne's creator, L. M. Montgomery, is included along with synopses of all the Anne books. Sprinkled throughout the text are quotations from the Anne books set against more than 150 full-color reproductions of original paintings and sketches, all thoroughly researched and authenticated. Even the page borders have been adapted from wallpaper of the period. For everyone who has read and loved the Anne books, The Anne of Green Gables Treasury recreates Anne's world, brings a magical time and place to life and celebrates 100 years of one of the world's most beloved characters.

All you have to do to enter this contest is leave your name in my comment area. Please also leave an email address where I can locate you in case you win. If you would like to be entered a second time, simply mention my giveaway in one of your posts. You will then be entered twice.. lucky you!:) I will be announcing the winner 1 week from today.

Have a great Monday~

Weight Loss Week #2 AND a GIVEAWAY!!!

Well, in spite of the word loss in this post title, I didn't lose any weight this week. Yes, I kept to my diet, and have more sore muscles than I thought possible, but still didn't lose even half a pound.

I suspect two things are at the root of this. 1) A friend shared her knowledge gained from watching the show The biggest Loser (I guess TV can teach you a few good things;) and said that no doubt my muscles are holding water because of the workout they've gotten from my Wii exercise routine.

It makes sense that they would get back at me in this way, because I never in my life have been so incredibly sore! I really am pacing myself. But doing things like the hula hoop at my stage of life is just shocking to the system,lol.

As far as the eating part goes, I admit that I probably cut too many calories in the beginning. Once you start to write your food intake down (which I highly recommend) you begin to see all the little odds and ends that creep into your eating. A bite of this, a bit of that. It all adds up rather quickly.

The second culprit is that my monthly *visitor* is here (I know, too much information; but we're all girls here.. I think) and it always adds 2-3 lbs to my weight. Which means I probably did lose a pound or more, but it won't actually show up until next week. So I'm hoping to see all my hard work pay off then.

I thought I'd mention a few things I do that help me to stick to my diet. 1) Lots of snacks. When I've dieted in the past, ALL I could think about was food, food, food. I mean obsessively. From the moment I woke up (around thinking of other things of course) until I went to bed. And in the evening when the kiddies were all tucked in bed was when food would call to me the loudest. If a diet doesn't allow snacks, it's 10 x harder for me to follow. But if I allow myself snacks whenever I please, it's completely manageable. It might not work for you, but it does for me:)

Some of my favorite diet (and non-diet) snacks: Raw almonds. A few diets ago, I started to realize that my low-fat dieting wasn't just cutting out the bad fat, but the good fat as well. I don't just want to be thin and fit (with emphasis on the fit) I also want to be healthy. I still eat low-fat cheese, ice-cream ect, but I make sure that I have a good balance going.

Back to the almonds. Costco has a big 3lb bag of these at a good price, so you don't have to go to an expensive health food store and put out a lot of money. Unless you don't have a Costco nearby; in which case, I just feel plain sorry for you. This is also a great snack for the kids. And it's good for them to learn to like them in the raw form, not processed with loads of salt and seasonings. Just a thought.

I'm also eating lots of baked apples. It's a great way to help curb that urge for something sweet. Just slice it up (in it's whole form it takes much longer to cook) and sprinkle with cinnamon. Then bake @400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It's like apple pie without the crust:)

I have to admit that I crave sweets especially bad this time of the month, so I will most likely let myself have a little cheat snack sometime today. You tend to appreciate those more when they're rare.

2) Drink, drink, drink. Okay, so we all know we should drink lots of water, diet or no diet. It does the body good. But it also helps curb your appetite. So I drink an 8 oz of water before each meal or snack. It doesn't take away my appetite, but I usually get full much quicker. And for a low-fat (though not neccesarily super-healthy) occasional appetite curb, drink a cup of hot chocolate. The diet version has only 25 calories. I admit I always add a little bit of Irish Cream syrup to mine; because I'm Irish... you'll have to come up with your own excuse for doing it,lol.

So those of you who said you wanted to jump on board with me for the next month in my weight loss challenge, go ahead and leave a comment with your weight loss for the week. Or lack of weight loss if you're like me:) If you're eating better, drinking more water, and exercising, it's really still a win-win situation regardless of whether you lost anything this week. And I'll just keep telling myself that...;)

Now about that GIVEAWAY... A real-life friend of mine (goes to my church in fact; which I guess would make it our church) is having a giveaway on her newest blog The Scrappy Frog (cute name, huh? I'm telling ya, this girl loves frogs). Though I own none of Jeanette's artwork myself (hint, hint) I have been able to view it at several baby showers. She produces adorable items in a wide variety of styles. So if you're looking for some excellent artwork for your kiddies room, she's the one to go to. She is giving away some original artwork (made to order) in this contest, and eventually hoping to sell online. So stop by her blog and sign up. And tell her mykidsmom sent you. And now I sound like a television commercial..lol.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays pics, check out 5 minutes for mom.

My creative talent revealed

This post title is meant to be humorous. There are a few things I am mildly good at, but being creative in a crafty way isn't one of them. I think it's just my sheer determination to get things done when an idea occurs to me, that then pushes me through to coming up with something. If that makes any sense, lol.

So please do not be brutally honest. My fragile (creative) ego can't handle it;)

A little while ago I mentioned my need for some decor for my school room/family room that I just repainted (er.. hubby did the painting; I did the directing:). And because I didn't want to pay the prices that accompanied the items that I thought would be perfect hanging there, I came up with my brilliant idea to make something myself...

Yes, I'm stalling for time.

Here's my pile of supplies picked up mostly from Michael's craft store.
Here's the photos of the World's cutest kids in my handmade photo frames. Hey, it's trickier than it looks;)
Here are the photos on my PUMPKIN colored wall. Yes, pumpkin. I'm aware that it is neither Thanksgiving nor Fall, but you know how I love pumpkin, in any shape or form. My gold painted frames are clustered around my black letters spelling out the word F-a-m-i-l-y. Brilliant, huh? :)

I am fairly happy with the outcome. I at least don't feel like the money was wasted, my greatest fear of all. And just between you and me.... it was kind of fun.

EDIT: For the politically minded, I've up-dated my other blog in honor of inaugaration day.

Recipe Fun Friday- Some family favorites

My first recipe is my favorite go-to dish when I have left-over turkey to use up. It's a little extra work to make the sauce you mix into the casserole, but it's well worth the extra trouble. I would not recommend substituting with canned soup. I plan to make this sometime this weekend, so I have no pictures right now, but will probably add one later. This is also a great dish to take to someone who's sick. It's a meal by itself, and absolutely delicious. So here's the link for Chicken noodle casserole.

Another favorite recipe is this Banana pudding. I don't like bananas myself; I blame that entirely on my older sister. The story is quite traumatic, but since I've shared it before, I won't force you to listen again,lol. But this recipe is always a big hit when I take it to the family potluck, so I grit my teeth and make it. I'm aware that there are varying degrees of difficulty in Banana pudding recipes, ranging from just dumping out a store-bought box, to making it totally from scratch. This is a good mid-range one. It's so yummy, I almost forget it has banana's in it:)

If you would like to join us in Recipe Fun Friday, stop by Nikki's Notes and link up.

Have a wonderful weekend~

Found while hanging out at the thrift store

I don't get to the thrift store nearly as often as I'd like to nowadays. When my having a car full-time became a reality last fall, I really thought I'd have more time for running around errand-wise. Silly girl.

My favorite thrift shop closes at 6pm. It's where I find my super buys. So lately I'm only getting there once a month if I'm lucky. Or when I am sorely in need of an item.

We do have a local Goodwill store that I manage to make a quick stop at on a weekly basis. I noticed while there a few days ago that they have once again raised their prices on childrens clothes. I wanted to say "C'mon people, this is a store for poor people!! Do you really think I'm willing to pay $5 for a girl's t-shirt when I can get one for $3.88 at Walmart?" But I exhibited incredible self-control and kept my mouth shut.

However, outside of their clothing department, I am still managing to find some occasional treasures. So I thought I'd share my latest finds. In a non-gloating, look-what-I-found sort of way;)

I paid $1.99 for this trio of baskets. I really liked the multi-colored stripes. I have them hard at work holding personal grooming items in my bathroom.

My kids are not into name-brand items. Nike or Noshi, they really could care less. And I prefer that it stays that way. But even I have to admit that on some items a name brand does define quality. Or maybe I'm just looking to legitimize my love of the Liz Claiborne label? Could be.

Anyway, I came across a pair of Nikes for the Artist with a price tag of $6. They looked like they had barely (if at all) been worn. That's better than $15 at Kmart for non-Nike shoes. And though he has no idea what that check mark stands for, he thinks the shoes are pretty neat:)

Day 1 : Weight-Loss Challenge

I really meant to post this before now. The last few evenings I have done childcare for special services at another church than my own. I do this every few months, and it's a nice way to make a little extra money on the side. But it also uses up any bit of spare time I have in the evening.

Excuses, excuses;)

So I'm starting my weight-loss challenge today. Honestly, it's nothing that incredible. My goal is to lose a whole... 6 lbs in one months time. Not really so impressive, is it?

For me that 6 lbs will require a lot of work though. Regardless of how hard I try, I never lose more than 2 lbs a week on the best diet. My metabolism seems to adjust to the new lower calories, and thus no spectacular weight loss. *sigh*

However, there is a little twist to my challenge. I want that 6 lbs to come off a particular part of my body, so I shall do something I've never done before: bring out the measuring tape. I shudder at the very thought of it.

Remember how I said that my new Wii Fit said that I was (though just barely) within my weight range? Well, unfortunately it isn't the one trying to squeeze into skirts that fit perfectly fine a year ago. And that pile is growing. So I did what any self-respecting girl would do: I wear my that-time-of-the-month clothes; and you thought I was going to say buy bigger ones,lol. Well, these are bigger ones I keep around just in case. But just a small supply of them.

Anyway, I know how to take that fat (the mirror does not lie, I only wish it did) off my thighs, and it's with a low-fat diet. But the trick is to keep my nutrition balanced enough that I don't make my low-blood sugar spiral out of control. I hate the fatigue that so often seems to accompany dieting.

So what is my incentive? Our annual Church Valentine Banquet is exactly a month from today. I really like to dress up for this event. It just so happened that I came across a great deal at the thrift store last week. A beautiful green formal type dress outfit... for $4. The only hitch is that although it is my size, these types of dresses run way too small; like several sizes. So if I lose my weight in all the right places, it should fit very nicely. I agree, it's a big gamble, but it's something to spur me on as well. And my super-secret weapon:exercise my tail off. Consistently.

So here is my before picture. Oops! I forgot to put the dress on...;) Because I know that once an unsavory picture is posted online, it picks up vibes, which are then sucked into the black hole of the blogosphere. And there will be foreign men somewhere in another country laughing at the chubby white lady (that would be me) who cannot resist her double portions of American food. And that would affect my self-confidence in a negative way.

But if I lose my weight in all the right places (which means 6 lbs of really, truly fat cells) I will then post a photo of me and my adorable painting husband (see, he's still reaping benefits for his help) dressed to the max in our formal fare.

So that's it. Low-fat, count the calories, work the buns off. Sounds like a game plan:)

If anyone wants to join in for the month, just let me know via the comments. I'll probably be reporting in on Thursday or Fridays post each week. Possibly recommending some new palatable lowfat snacks I've found... if they actually do exist,lol.

And since you're here anyway, I just have to point you in the direction of Jeanette's blog. She made her little girl a birthday cake based on the Give a mouse a Cookie book, and it's just adorable. She also had a book exchange vs. gifts, I really like that idea. I love to find new and unique ways for celebrating special days. And is there any day more special than the birth of a child? So say Happy Birthday to Gabby as well!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Another hodge-podge post

I have to admit that sometimes posting what's whirling around in my head helps to organize my thoughts. Lately I've felt like my brain has been in a stressful mode. I know part of this is due to struggling with an infection, which has necessitated my taking several medications. Which, consequently, means my thinking is not always clear. That's one of the reasons I so much prefer to go with natural health remedies, they don't seem to make a muddle of your thinking. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to go that route.

I mentioned that I made a trip to the dentist last week, and had my tooth pulled. What I did not mention was that they weren't able to get all of it out... which means I still have to have dental surgery. It seems I have stubborn teeth; the last one I had pulled took two hours and three dentists (I kid you not). The Dentist gave me an antibiotic, but it doesn't seem to be doing the job as well as I hoped. My surgery is scheduled for the beginning of March, but I'm thinking I'll have to move it up if things don't start clearing up soon. I'm really not looking for sympathy here (though I'll undoubtedly get some;). I'm just a little frustrated with the fatigue that accompanies it. I can be quite stubborn (like my teeth) and decide that I'm going to do everything I want to do anyway. And then I pay for it with a migraine from the fatigue. It's important to know your limits, and you would think I would know mine by now. Have I mentioned that I'm a little stubborn?

But on to more interesting things. I'm happy to announce that we were finally able to have our Christmas performance at church last night. Our family had a very small part in it, no talking, just silently acting out a part during a song. There are a few things that panic me, and being in front of a large crowd of people is one of them (unless it's kids, no problem there). Anyway, I prayed for God to give me a calmness, and I made it through just fine. My kids absolutely loved being part of it, which was the reason I agreed to do it in the first place. It will be a nice memory for them.

On the school front: We were just notified that we will be doing our State testing within the next month. I'm one of those strange homeschooling moms who actually want to do this testing. I wouldn't exactly say I'm joyous about it, but I do like verification that my kids are scholastically at the level they should be. And there's a little part of me (okay, maybe a big part of me) that likes to prove that my kids are actually being taught quite well on the home front. But it's going to mean some extra preparation, so I need to make a game plan for that soon. We were planning on starting our Rosetta Stone Spanish program this month, but I think it might be wise to wait until after our testing. This homeschooling mom can only juggle so many things at one time.

Tomorrow starts my weight-loss challenge. I've put it off long enough. More details about that later.

Another wall has been painted! In my house (in case you didn't read my prior post;) That's one of the things I was being stubborn about. Yes, if that wall hadn't been painted this weekend, I would have just curled up and died... it was that important,lol. My husband is a patient man. I think he puts up with all my impulsive ideas purely because... he loves me.

Now I'm getting mushy and emotional (another possible medication side effect) so it's time to end this post. Please simply ignore anything that doesn't make sense:).

Of Dentists and Diversions

I am feeling quite euphoric after finally making it to the Dentist this afternoon; or maybe that's just a side-effect from the prescription pain killer he gave me, lol. Either way, I am very happy to have my bothersome tooth out. He also gave me an antibiotic to clear up the infection, so hopefully I will be feeling back to normal very soon.

While I was out and about, I stopped by Michael's craft store to pick up a few items. I have decided that I need to add some diversions to my life. In spite of the fact that we hard-working moms/wives like to claim that we have no time for hobbies (okay, so maybe it's just me), I'm starting to realize that it's actually good for my family when I take a little bit of "me" time. Most of the time that translates into reading late into the night, or baking up something special occasionally.

Well, I'm tired of baking, and I need my sleep at night! Seriously, I thought it'd be fun to add something new. And maybe a bit challenging.

Remember that painting project I have going? **Really Mrs.Darling, I do have a paint project going; this is not a case of talk with no substance** Anyway, we will hopefully finish it up this weekend. Or at least another wall of it. Which is where my "diversion" comes in. I found something online that I thought would be just perfect to use as new decor for that wall (it was previously covered with assorted academic/learning posters). Well, I really didn't care for the price. Guess it's the thrifty blood that runs through my veins. So I thought to myself "why not make something myself that's unique and a whole lot cheaper?"

Okay, say maybe the fact that I'm not particularly crafty or creative could be a slight deterrent.. but I like the cheaper part:)

I can't make any promises about it being done over the weekend. But I do plan to indulge myself and spend a few relaxing hours (at odd times no doubt) getting in a good start. Here are my $20 worth of supplies.
I really hope it all comes together somehow, because it would be so embarrassing not to have something a little impressive to post pictures of when I'm all done; oh the pressure!:)

I've been tagged

My blogging friend Kaye from Riding Bicycles has tagged me.

Here are the rules:
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same
5. No Cheating (Cropping, editing, etc..)

Since my folders on my newest computer contain pictures I've posted in the last 6 months or so, I decided to use my files from my old computer instead. So here you have it.

This picture is of a much younger me with my firstborn child (now 11 years old). I'm not sure how old he was then, probably 4 or 5 months. I must have scanned it in, which would explain the scratches on it. I hadn't looked at this picture in quite a while, and I have to say I was surprised at how young I look in it. It's a little depressing actually...

I decided to tag 4 people that I've never tagged before. And the lucky ones are the following:)

1) Jeanette from Temporary Insanity
2) Nikki from Preacher's Wife

3) Missy from There's no place like Home
4) Nikki from Nikki's Notes Yes, I've tagged you many a time, but everyone can see your new and improved blog this way. I'm still green with envy;)

If you're new to blogging and don't have 4 people to tag, that's okay. We'll enjoy seeing your picture anyway:)

Never say never

Most of my regular blogging friends know that we have a TV-free home. There are many reasons for this, none of which I am going to list right now (yes, I know you're relieved;). I only mention it because along with that decision we also decided we didn't want any game systems in the house. It's not been at all hard to keep to either one of those decisions... until the Wii.

The Wii didn't get my attention until I heard they were using it in nursing homes across the country to help keep the elderly active. That made me curious. Then my kids played on their uncle's Wii at his house, and came back sore. Hmmm...

So, long story short, someone gave us a monetary gift to get something for our children for Christmas and we decided we would buy a Wii. With much trepidation (at least on my part).

Well, I can now say I am very happy with our new Wii. Even on rainy, yucky days my kids are swinging, batting, and running their way through ballgames and obstacle courses. And the best of all is the Wii Fit.

Hubby and the kids created their Mii's (your own personal Wii person) last week and have been having a great deal of fun doing the aerobics and balance games, trying to beat each others scores.

Today I finally stepped on board and faced the music. I should mention here for those who don't know that the Wii fit keeps track of your weight, and adjusts your Mii accordingly. It's rather humorous... if you're not the person being weighed, lol. I stepped on the scale, and as my weight popped up on the screen, I heard my oldest child gasp and say "I had no idea you weighed that much Mom!"

Not the best thing to say to your mother, son.

The good news is that it says I'm not overweight (though just barely). The bad news is that I know I actually am for my small frame (which it does not consider). The worst news of all... I am so very out of shape! I'm not even going to reveal what my Wii Fit age is. Or my weight for that matter.

And don't be deceived at the fact that this is a "game system" workout. It is quite hard. My muscles are aching, but in a good way... if that's at all possible.

As far as dieting goes, I've had to put that on hold because of my tooth infection. But once that's taken care of I plan to start that as well. So I'll talk about it more then. But my biggest goal in this area is to get fit. Which you really can't be if you're not eating healthy and drinking water anyway. It all seems to work together in that way, or at least it's been so in my experience.

Well, that about wraps up this blogging infomercial, lol. Seriously, Wii should pay me for such a glowing recommendation:)

EDIT: Just thought I'd clear this up: we are still tv-free. Just not wii-free :)

Back to the old routine

I admit that my feelings were very mixed about our Christmas vacation coming to an end. It was so nice to be able to get to some of those extra projects I've been wanting to do for so long. But with all the celebrations/activities of the holidays, I didn't get to nearly as many as I thought I would.

Speaking of which, my painting project is not yet completed. So far I've changed colors three times, and decided to go with 2 new colors instead of one. And if you're shaking your head over that confusing explanation, you've just joined the club.. hubby's shaking his head as well,lol. Honestly, the man has the patience of a saint. Or maybe he's just used to me by now.

Anyway, this morning we did go back to school. We're running ahead of schedule for the day (Yay!) and I have to say that it feels really good to be back to our routine. It's running so smoothly, it almost seems easy;) I'm going to start the Princess on a new Program today that I'm hoping will be a big help to unlocking words for her. We've tried so many things, it can't hurt to add another one. She wants so badly to be able to read, she's insisting on checking out books from the library that have no pictures. She'll sit in a chair for half an hour looking at a blank page pretending she's reading it. She is catching on to a few simple words like cat and at. So we're going to continue working on the sight reading. She really is making some progress, just not as much as she would like. I'm glad she's a little girl with a lot of determination.

My tooth has loosened (yes, we're back to the tooth saga) so I'll be going in to have it taken care of this week. If I had the guts, I might try pulling it out (it's that loose), but I'm afraid I might get a dry socket, so I think I'll leave it to the professionals. Plus, I suspicion it might be at the root (no pun intended;) of some of the extra headaches I've been having lately, so I need to make sure any infection is taken care of. It's amazing how much trouble one little tooth can cause.

If you were expecting my blog to be transformed by now, I'm still working on it:)

Our personal phone lines were somehow damaged by the high winds last week, so when anyone tries to call our house it gives a busy signal. People are thinking I'm a real chatty Cathy by now no doubt. Hopefully it will get fixed in the next few days.

Later today I'm going to summon all my courage and step on my bathroom scale; I plan to post about that and my (once again) journey into the world of exercise and weight loss tomorrow. This time I'm adding a new twist, and I'm really excited about it.

I think that's all for now. Not the most exciting post, but then getting back into routine isn't always exciting, just satisfying.

Have a great Monday!

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe, but 2009 is here. My first goal for the New Year is to try to figure out how to put a real header on my blog... and it just may take me the rest of 2009 to figure it out! For now, I'm happy that I at least managed to turn off my Christmas music. Though O holy Night is a beautiful song any time of the year, it was time for a change.

Thank you for your sympathies concerning my tooth infection. It seems to have settled down a bit, guess I can put off that Oral Surgery just a little longer...

My husband is home for a 4 day week-end, and like always we are very much enjoying it. It also means I'm freed up to get some projects done. So next Monday I should have some after pictures to post. Just a little hint, the painting bug has bit me again;)

Have a wonderful weekend~